Kia ora koutou, we are already halfway into the year - how crazy! As we step into the second half of this term, we hope you take time to care for yourself and others to ensure we continuously foster an uplifting and empowering environment for all our rangatahi to learn.

We encourage you all to ensure you are considering and working on the four aspects of your personal Hauora: taha hinengaro – mental health and emotions; taha wairua – spiritual health; taha tinana – physical health; and taha whaanau – whaanau as the epicentre of one's wellbeing. This could be going on a walk, watching your favourite tv show (I currently have Modern Family on the go), or spending a few quiet minutes alone after school. Please ensure you take care of yourself throughout the busy school year.

Pink Shirt Day 

The annual Pink Shirt Day took place on 19 May. This annual event has been running globally since 2007. It aims to reduce bullying and unite communities in Aotearoa and all over the globe by encouraging everyone to wear a pink shirt for the day. This encourages celebrating diversity and supports workplaces, communities and schools to be safe, supportive, welcoming and inclusive of all people. This links to our student leadership theme this year of 'Empowering rangatahi through embracing diversity'.

The Dio community came together during the week leading up to Pink Shirt Day by participating in fun activities encouraging the anti-bullying message, such as friendship bracelet making and rock painting. Led by the beautiful student leaders Jayha Egan (Head of Environment - Wellbeing) and Catherine Curry (Head of Student Council), the week ended with an overwhelming amount of our kura supporting our antibullying stance in their pink shirts and clothing. Jayha says, “A big thank you to all the students and staff who participated in the week's activities. Pink Shirt Day was a major highlight, with the Dio sea of pink visually showcasing our stance against bullying”.

We are so blessed to have participated in such an amazing and uplifting event! A big mihi from us to our Dio whaanau for always doing their part and getting involved in important events like this one.

May Ball

The ‘Meet me in Rome’ themed May Ball took place on 19 May at the Wintec Atrium, and once again, it was a huge success! The senior ball is an iconic and much-anticipated event in our school calendar. It is an event that both students and staff look forward to every school year. A huge thank you and congratulations go out to student Head of Events Niamh McCormack and her beautiful events council for organising the most incredible night. We all enjoyed the music, taking photos, and dancing the night away. A particular highlight for the student leadership team was the prefect dance choreographed by Sienna Casey (Head of Arts). Check out the photos in our Gallery section in this edition of DioNews.

Years 9 and 10 Social

On 25 May, the annual junior Dio and St Paul's social was held at the St Pauls's gym. Organised by the beautiful student leaders Catherine Curry and Niamh McCormack and the student events team at St Paul's, the night was a hit with candy floss, glow sticks and an in-house DJ to top it all off! Some student leaders attended, helped, and joined the fun. 

Catherine says, "The St Paul's and Dio Junior Social was a blast! Everyone had an amazing time mixing, and the smiling faces as everyone left made the night all the more special. A massive thank you to Mia, Sam and the team at St Paul's for all their hard work to make this night such a success. We are so grateful to St Paul's for hosting the event this year and can not wait for the next opportunity to work together again."

Up-and-coming Events

Dio Environment Week - 6 to 9 June

House Singing 

House Singing is taking place on the 23 June this year, and preparation continues as the date inches closer. House leaders and Year 13s are well underway with teaching their Houses their chosen musical theatre songs and worship song, and we cannot wait to share them with our Dio community.

Lani Kete, Head of Blake, says, “I AM SO EXCITED FOR THE NIGHT! Preparation is going well, solo auditions are underway, and everyone is doing their best. I love hearing the Blake voices and feeling their enthusiasm. There have been some hiccups, but we’ve persevered and are on track!”

Hastings Girls Exchange

We are pleased to announce that our Senior Te Reo Maaori classes 2023 will be heading on Exchange #2 with Senior Te Reo Maaori students at Hastings Girls' High School from Thursday, 8 June, to Sunday, 11 June. This follows the 2022 exchange when Hasting Girls' High came to Waikato Dio. The focus of this exchange is to continue to build upon our relationship with Hastings Girls' High School and to learn about the rich histories of Kahungunu iwi whaanui. The Senior Te Reo Maaori students are excited to attend the four-day waananga at their kura and can not wait to participate in such a fantastic event.

Head Students Breakfast

On 31 May, we will host head students from around the Waikato at a head students breakfast. This will allow us to continue building a supportive and close network among student leaders, to enable us to get to know one another in hopes of connecting and working together throughout this year and further developing our leadership skills.  Petra and I have been organising this event for a while and can not wait to see it come together!

As the term progresses and becomes busier and busier, take care of yourselves and others, and feel free to reach out to me or any of the seniors if you need extra support 🤍

Aroha nui,

Jamie x