Nga mihi nui kia koutou katoa. Welcome to the Westland High School newsletter for April 2021.

Tēnā koutou katoa,

Term one is almost at an end and how time has flown by. NCEA students have already completed their first set of assessments and have experienced a range of positive results, well done to you all. The school is good heart as our roll continues to grow as we start to edge past the 370 student roll numbers and great to also see and feel the buzz around the school as our students actively participate in a range of academic, sporting and fun activities.

At the end of this term, we will be saying farewell to Miss Natarsha McLaughlin as she makes the move to Christchurch to take up a new role. We wish Miss McLaughlin all the best for her move, Natasha will be missed by the staff and students alike.

As this is the last of the newsletters for term one I would like to take the time to thank the school community for your ongoing support for our school, your positive feedback is greatly appreciated and adds value to what we are looking to achieve with our students. On that note, the Board of Trustees have commenced a review of the school long term strategic plan, this involves seeking feedback and your thoughts on the future of our school. I encourage all parents, caregiver, students, staff and whanau to contribute to this process by attending one of the consultation meeting next term and making your voice heard.

Last week we commenced sending out individual student attendance statistics to parents/Whanau. I would strongly encourage parents to look closely at the attendance information and ask (if needed) why your child may have missed a class or be marked on the roll in a way that indicated they were not in class or at school. When families and the school work collaboratively together the students achieve and progress positively. Do contact the school and make an appointment to discuss any aspect of your child’s schooling and attendance. We are here to help.

Vaping legislation

On 11 November 2020, changes took effect under the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act that saw the existing prohibition on smoking at schools, Kura, early learning services and kōhanga reo extended to include vaping.

This is a reminder to the school community that Vaping (and smoking) is prohibited at all times 24/7 at Westland High School. Over the next month, the Ministry of education will be providing schools with additional signage which will be placed around our Kura as a reminder.

Strike 4 Climate NZ

A student climate strike is planned nationwide for Friday 9 April. You may have already been made aware of this by your child.

The school stance on the strike for climate and attendance at school is as follows.

As part of a future-focused education and enabling our students to gain a greater understanding of issues facing New Zealand and also the world, we as a school support students who wish to extend their voice and participate in the Strike 4 Climate.

In order for the school to support students (and meet our legal obligations), students will need to have WRITTEN permission from Parent/Caregivers/Whanau to take part in the Strike 4 Climate event. Students will be marked on the roll as a justified absence if written permission is provided, students who do not have permission will be marked as truant.

It is important to note if a student chooses with parental consent to take part in the Climate 4 change event and the student has a formal pre-arranged assessment on the day, and the assessment is missed, they will not be afforded an extension and shall receive a “not achieved grade”. (NZQA and WHS assessment policy).

Parental WRITTEN consent must be received by the school office on the morning of or prior to the day of the Strike 4 Climate.

I wish everyone a wonderful holiday break. 

Ngā mihi nui
Iain Murray
Principal