Nau mai, Hoki Mai

E ngaa mana e ngaa reo e ngaa rau rangatira maa, nei raa te mihi maioha ki a koutou, ki a taatou katoa. I hope this message finds you and your whaanau rested, healthy and ready for Term 3 2024.

Our boarding team are looking forward to welcoming our boarders on the evening of Sunday 21 July from 5pm ready of the start of our new term. A reminder that there will be no dinner available as the dining room is closed.

We had a busy and rewarding second term as a boarding community. Our focus and efforts were, of course, underpinned by the vision set by our Head of Boarding, Sophie Reeves, and her Boarding Council encapsulated in the whakataukī ' Ehara taku toa i te to takitahi engari he toa takitini - My success is not the work for an invidual but the work of many. I am grateful for their leadership and support in fostering the spirit of whanaungatanga and manaakitanga within boarding through events such as our Sunday devotional services, themed dinners and activities.

I wish to acknowledge the many sporting and artistic achievements of our boarding girls. We as house parents were privileged to attend and cheer for our boarding girls from the sidelines as they played various sports such as Netball, Hockey and Basketball, support events such as the Junior Social and the May Ball, and astonished by their talent showcased at House Singing. Despite the ups and downs of term two, the spirit that was witnessed and felt through the collaboration, co-operation and harmonies of our girls with the support of kaiako and whaanau was magical. Congratulations again to Blake House, winners of House Singing 2024.

With term three on the horizon, academic diligence, preparation and achievement is the focus. Weeks 8 and 9 of this term will be our Senior Derived Practice Examinations which includes Y11 to 13 students with some of our Y10 students also entered into externally based literacy and numeracy assessments. Often referred to 'mock exams', these examinations are not 'mock' but are very important as grades generated from these practice examinations are also used if students are unable to attend the end of year NCEA examinations for reasons such as sickness or bereavement. Students have already received information regarding these practice examinations and willl receive information closer to end of year examinations.

As a boarding team, we  continue to work hard to provide the best possible care for our boarding students, and ever present in my mind is the famous whakatauaakii of Princess Te Puea Herangi, Aunty to our beloved Old Girl Piki Mahuta, the Late Maaori Queen Dame Te Atairangikaahu - "Mahia te mahi hei painga moo te iwi - Do what is necessary for the betterment of the people".It is also a timely reminder that house parents are OFF DUTY and often OFF SITE between 8:45 am to 3:00 pm Monday to Friday and 8:45 am to 2:15 pm on Wednesday. Duty phones or emails will be answered as soon as possible. Thank you in advance for supporting the well-being of our boarding staff.

Boarding at Dio encourages students to become independent, open-minded, and principled thinkers. Family values are at our core, and the well-being of our young people is paramount. We encourage all students to find a good study/life balance and be proactive members of our supportive community. There is a varied program to allow time for relaxation, spirituality, study, and the opportunity to try new activities.

Thank you for entrusting us with your precious aakonga. We are very blessed to have this opportunity to partner with you to ensure your daughter thrives in this independent environment where mutual aroha and manaakitanga are front and centre.

We love getting to know our boarding girls and their whaanau. We look forward to continuing to do so in term three.

Noho ora mai,

Jacqueline Smith | Director of Boarding MEdLeadership (Distinction), BA, Grad DipT, Dip.Soc.Sci, Dip TTP (Te Reo Maaori), CertTEAL