Week 8

Tēnā koutou

The Waitaki Community was in its full glory on Friday afternoon at the school Gala. The effort that each Whānau class put into their stalls was outstanding. One of the highlights was the Scary House which is the inspiration of Ms. Anna McIntosh. When you have students running out of the Junior Block scared, this is a good sign of the effort and thought that has gone into designing the ultimate scary experience. Bringing the community together for a family-friendly fun evening has been one of my highlights for Term 1.

In our assemblies, I have encouraged all students to “Aim High, Dream it, Believe it, and Achieve it.” It is important that students set goals and have dreams for themselves. Successful people do not set low expectations and goals for themselves. Instead, they aim high, think big, and work hard to achieve the best possible outcome. It is my aspiration that all students at Waitaki Girls’ High School leave school knowing that they have achieved their own personal excellence.

Our Junior Block refurbishment project begins on Wednesday 29th. We have managed to move all classes from the Junior Block to other spaces around the school. This project involves replacing all the windows in this Heritage building, which is a massive undertaking. There will be a refurbishment of the interior classrooms as well. We have been assured that classes will be operational in the Junior Block from the start of 2024.

We just heard that on Wednesday 29th of March, the PPTA members will be holding a one-day strike. As a result, our school will be closed for instruction, but we will welcome students for supervision. Our staff find this a very difficult decision to strike as they would prefer to be teaching but have to support the PPTA to try to help the contract negotiations progress.

I am looking forward to watching our school production and encourage all of you who haven’t purchased your Grease tickets to purchase these from the office. The students and staff have been working long hours, and I am looking forward to enjoying their performance.

I am going to leave with you the final word that Renee Stenning, our Deputy Head Student, shared with the school at assembly “Great things happen to those who don’t stop believing, trying, learning, and being grateful.” Roy Bennet

Nāku iti noa, nā

Sarah Hay