Hero photograph
 
Photo by Judith Taylor

Message from the Principal

Judith Taylor —

Kia ora Parents and Caregivers

It’s a pleasure to welcome our students back to the College for another eventful year. A very special welcome to those students and their families/whanau who are new to the college, and especially our Year 9 students. We hope the first few weeks have gone well, and we look forward to watching you grow and flourish at UHC.

We have a number of new staff this year:

Mrs Mei Leng Lee ESOL

Mr Scott Riordan Biology/Science

Mr William Jessep Science/Physics

Ms Shweta Ghosh Science/Biology

Ms Gabrielle (Gabe) Davis Science/Chemistry

Mr Scott Crookston Social Sciences

In other staff news, Mrs Anne Beckett is the Teacher-in-Charge of our Learning Support Centre (Awhina) and is joined by Mrs Ali Taylor teaching in Awhina. Mr AJ Picard has moved from his role as Teacher Aide and is now our Guidance Worker. Ms Shannon-Mae Read is our Year 9 Dean this year and will move with these students through their different year levels and Ms Ingrid Hofsteede has stepped in as Year 13 Dean for 2021. Mrs Candace Lambrechts takes on the House Leader role for Te Kanawa House.

As the school settles into its mahi, the term is looking busy. Next week we have school photos and Top House – a great excuse for dressing in House colours and having fun. The Year 9 Meet & Greet evening on Wednesday 3 March brings Year 9 Ako teachers and the parents/caregivers of their students together. Students will be looking forward to a number of scheduled field trips – Year 9 Adventure to Days Bay, Year 12 Biology to Zealandia, Year 13 Art to Massey University and Year 12 and 13 Adventure trips to different locations are just a few coming up this term.

We have some key property works in the pipeline – re-siting the Foods room to a permanent location, making the current Textiles and DVC teaching spaces more user-friendly and continuing work on Te Manawa. Major holiday work including replacing the older fluorescent lights in the school with environmentally friendly LED lighting systems.

Many students are making the most of the range of opportunities being offered in the cultural and sports area at the moment and I encourage parents and caregivers to be involved – your presence and support is an important factor in ensuring your child’s positive and long engagement with the college.

We are all looking forward to an exciting year, focussing on our students and ensuring they are engaged and enjoying their time at college.

Judith Taylor

Principal