I hope this has provided some enjoyable family time, although given the time of year, perhaps you managed to put your teenager to work on some tasks around the home in readiness for the Christmas season and holiday break. Maybe some Christmas baking or garden tidy-up has been completed? If so, I envy you.

On these additional days, our staff have been busy working on some of the major changes ahead for education. On the Thursday before Show weekend, we were focused on Literacy and Numeracy. Yesterday we went to Ōnuku Marae to immerse ourselves in a range of activities to develop our knowledge and understanding of Te Ao Māori, to better prepare staff for Mana Ōrite mo te Mātauranga Māori. This is about ensuring equal attention and importance being given to Māori knowledge and ways of being within our curriculum. At Villa Maria College we consider this work to be of major importance if we are to meet our obligations as te Tiriti partners. This is part of who we are as Whānau Mercy.

The setting at Ōnuku is particularly lovely, and it is also where we take our Year 9 students for a Noho Marae experience. The environment is beautiful and the buildings and facilities are of an excellent standard. This made for an enjoyable time spent together. We are continuing this work back at school today (Friday) with a range of activities and information sessions run as a group and within faculties.

I spent the beginning of this week with my principal colleagues from Catholic secondary schools across Aotearoa, as Christchurch played host to the national conference. This was a delightful few days with a wonderful group who share in the same mission and values as we do here at Villa Maria College. I was able to meet some of the new Mercy Principals for the first time, as well as many other new Principals from across the country. We were also blessed to have Archbishop Paul Martin join us for many sessions and celebrate a beautiful Mass at St Bede’s College in their lovely chapel. We heard from Brother David Hall on the challenges facing our young people, seeking meaning and purpose in a world which increasingly denies the existence of God and the Transcendent. Our role in speaking to that world and providing meaning and purpose in the person of Jesus Christ and filling them with hope for their future is counter cultural, but at the heart of what we do as a Catholic school.

We are rapidly counting down to the end of the year with our junior students, but with a range of great activities ahead. Our Year 10s will be attending camp next week and Ara Taster Days. Years 7 – 9s will have a day at Jellie Park. All juniors will have a cultural day the following week. Staff work hard to make these days as enjoyable as possible for our students at this time of year.

We look forward to a great day on Sunday with our Fete. We hope to see many of you join the fun and get some of the Christmas shopping out of the way in one great location!

Ngā mihi mahana

Deborah Brosnahan
PRINCIPAL