We are delighted to welcome you to our 2023 school year. I would like to offer a warm welcome to the many new students and parents who have joined our school community this year including the families that have moved here from overseas and other regions.

Tēnā koutou te whanau, 

Ngā mihi, mahana ki a koutou o te tau hou. 

Nau mai haere mai ki tēnei kura, Te Kura Tuarua o Waimeha! 

Greetings to everyone in the Waimea community 

Welcome to the New Year 

Welcome to Waimea College!

Welcome

The first few weeks of the new year are dedicated to providing the best start for our new students. The first connection with Waimea College for our new Year 9 students was with teachers and our Year 13 Leaders at the beginning of Term. I am so very proud of our seniors and the way in which they continue to support and mentor our new students.

This is our first full newsletter of the year, please take the time to read it as it has lots of essential need to know information.

COVID

We are still seeing positive cases within the school community, however to date, COVID-19 numbers reported within the student population remain low at around 12-15 infections.

We understand that as the season changes and we head towards the winter months that infections are likely to rise so we remain vigilant. The following measures continue to be taken:

We continue to:

• Support any student wishing to wear a mask and we continue to have supplies of face masks.
• Encourage staff & students to wash/sanitise their hands regularly.
• Provide hand sanitiser for use in classrooms.
• Provide RAT tests for staff/staff families and student use.
• Ventilate classrooms and shared spaces.
• Continue to promote physical distancing where appropriate.
• Monitor the health of staff and our students onsite.
• Students who appear ill are sent home. 

Welcome to New Staff

We are pleased to share with you some welcomes to new and returning staff for 2023.

Natasha Hitchman - Associate Principal

Isaiah Duncanson - Teacher of Science

Amy Roach - Teacher of English

Katrina Madill - HoD Transition & Careers

Michael O’Malley - Teacher of Drama

Brad Norris - Teacher of Health & PE

Seane Watkins - Teacher of Visual Arts

Hamish Morton - Teacher of Science

Jodie Freeman - Teacher of Music

Ingrid Buedenbender - ESOL Learning Assistant

Melissa Young - Homestay Coordinator

Sarah Haydon - Learning Centre Teaching Assistant

Lisa Rutledge - Science Technician

Stacey Walden - Teacher of Mathematics & Science

We also welcome back Hillary McDonald (HoD Outdoor Education), Darren Richardson (Teacher of Materials Technology) and Melissa Tuckett (Teacher of Visual Art & Special Education), who were on leave during 2022.

School Roll

Our school roll has increased for 2023 and now sits around 1600 students. In addition to the return of our International student market, our domestic student roll is also very buoyant with a very large cohort of approximately 360 Year 9 students and increased numbers generally across the year levels. We have experienced a large number of unanticipated new enrolments in the last few weeks leading up to the start of Term. It is fantastic to see our local parent and student community supporting their local College and I am grateful to our mums, dads and caregivers for entrusting us with the care and education of your teen. We will work hard each day to support them to achieve their goals and reach their potential.

School Donations and Payments

In 2022 the government replaced the decile system with a new school funding allocation method called the Equity Index. Our transition to the Equity Index, along with the Ministry of Education expanding the eligibility criteria, means that Waimea College is now eligible to join the Ministry of Education’s School Donations Scheme.

The Waimea College Board of Trustees late in 2022 opted into this scheme.

What this means:

- This means we will no longer be asking parents for school or curriculum donations. Families no longer need to feel obliged to make a donation towards the provision of additional support and resources for students.

- Contributions towards costs for overnight camps can continue to be requested and we will need to continue to request contribution towards these to maintain the viability of school camps and overnight activities.

- The treatment of fees for optional activities such as sports/extra-curricular activities have not changed, and payment is continued to be required for these items.

We expect that by opting into this scheme we will see a reduction in income for Waimea College. Families still have the option to make a voluntary tax-deductible donation to the school. For information regarding this, please visit the Ministry of Education Website.

Information regarding your account will be emailed home shortly. If you have any queries regarding your account ongoing, please contact Finance on accounts@waimea.school.nz

NCEA Success

Congratulations to our senior students for their successes in NCEA Qualifications during 2022. It is pleasing to see NCEA Waimea College students achieving very well despite the disruptions and challenges presented again this year by COVID.

Thank you to our students for your efforts and to our parents and hard-working teachers for supporting students to achieve their NCEA goals.

School Values

Throughout 2023 we will be focussing on bringing our school values to life.
Caring – Manaakitanga, Belonging - Whanaungatanga and Learning – Akoranga.

Communication

Communicating effectively with our school community is really important to us and all the more so during these times of constant change and uncertainty.

Please continue to check your emails for important information regarding your teen’s schooling.  You will also find information regarding our new SchoolBridge App and Parent Portal in this newsletter.

You can also check out our school website www.waimea.school.nz or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/waimeacollege and ‘like’ the page to stay up-to-date with news and events.

Please take the time to read through this information on our website (link below) regarding our Emergency Management Plans: https://www.waimea.school.nz/about-us/emergency-information/

Moving on...

Earlier this week I shared the news with our school community that I have accepted the role of Principal at Burnside High School in Christchurch, commencing in Term 3 2023. I consider myself very privileged to have had the opportunity to lead Waimea College for the past eight years. I think everyone knows that I am fiercely proud of our students, our staff and of the progress that we have made together as a school.  The decision to leave this neat school and community has been a very tough one - as a  local lad and a proud "old boy" of Waimea, both the College and the Richmond community are my home and the gravitational pull to remain here is strong. I am excited by the challenges and opportunities ahead at Burnside High School, however my tenure as Principal of Waimea College will always be remembered as a special time in my life and I will forever remain a staunch and loyal supporter of Waimea College and everyone in it.  

The support and encouragement shown to me by many in our community has been humbling and I for look forward to continuing to work with you through until end of Term 2 2023. 

The Board of Trustees will commence the Principal recruitment process in the coming weeks. 

Wishing you all the best for an awesome 2023.

Semper Contendite - Always Strive

Scott Haines

Principal