I write this on my first day of isolation as a household contact, which gives me a totally new perspective on the whole COVID-19 thing!

It is amazing how quickly your day (and now my week) changes with a positive COVID test under your roof. A big shout out to all of our whānau who have got through this while juggling multiple roles or are currently doing it!

Our case numbers of students and staff have slowed over the last week and a half. We have a plan for ventilation in winter and again are encouraging monitoring for symptoms and staying home if you are unwell. Masks still remain the best defence for preventing the spread of COVID-19 at school. We are seeing more and more students opt to not wear masks while our staff remain wearing masks inside at all times. Please encourage your child to keep wearing a mask whether they have had COVID-19 or not in support of the wellbeing of their friends and teachers!

This is also my first newsletter since being appointed the Principal of Te Puna Wai o Waipapa/Hagley College. I am incredibly proud to be the 11th Principal of this great kura and I follow in the footsteps of awesome leaders that did such a fantastic job of preserving and supporting our school identity and the special place that we hold in educating both young and older across Ōtautahi. I’d like to thank the Board of Trustees, senior leadership team and the kaiako and kaimahi of our kura for their support through the appointment process. I am excited and relieved to be appointed.

I addressed the teaching staff and support staff last week and in preparation I reflected on aspects of my leadership and what my short term goals were for the position. You might be interested in some of what I had to say. Here is a summary:

In short, people can expect me to continue to lead in a way that is authentic to me. Staff and students know my style of leadership and that is how I will continue. Being connected to students has always been an important part of how I work and what energises me. This will remain an important part of my work, and an example of this is continuing to lead the student council. What an amazing group of young leaders we have in our kura! Staff wellbeing is such an important aspect of leading a school and I will continue my work in supporting our staff and their wellbeing. This is just a couple of examples!

People may be interested in whether there will be a lot of change. My answer is there is always a healthy amount of change in our school as we continue to want to improve outcomes for students. My aim is to ensure that the change that we promote and value is change that supports and strengthens our school identity. The work that we have been doing as a staff identified diversity, inclusiveness, acceptance and a multicultural environment as key elements of our identity. For me, strengthening these aspects of our school while improving educational and wellbeing outcomes for our ākonga is the most important thing! It won’t be change for change's sake!

My short term goal has always been to transition into the position and people don’t really notice! I had the benefit of being in the Acting Principal role for Term 1 so this has supported that goal. My longer term goal is to be a respected Principal and I will do this through continuing to strengthen relationships and being a good communicator across these relationships whilst seeking regular feedback from a wide range of people.

On a different note our two new buildings Auripo (big 2 storey building in the centre of the school) and Wainuku (building on the corner of Waller Terrace and Hagley Ave) are making great progress and they are on track for meeting their completion dates. For Auripo that is late September and for Wainuku mid November. It is likely that classes will operate out of these buildings in Term 1, 2023 as there is quite a ‘moving in’ process.

Parent teacher meetings and Junior Reports are two important ways that we have recently connected with whānau. I hope those parents that got online for senior parent teacher interviews last week found it a valuable opportunity to discuss progress and next steps for your teenager! I am very interested in your feedback as it was the first time we went online with this type of opportunity. The best way to do this is by email – rw@hagley.school.nz.

Junior reports have been written and are available to parents through the online portal. You can access the portal through our school website – Home • Hagley College  You require a username and password that was sent to you earlier in the year from Lisa Amer. I hope you find them useful in understanding how your child is progressing. If you have any specific concerns, your child’s tutor teacher is always the best person for you to contact in the first instance.

Ngā mihi for your support of our kura and I look forward to catching up with more of you as we move into a time where we can have our community in our school like we used to!

Naku noa, nā

Rowan