Ngā mihi nui kia koutou katoa. Welcome to the Westland High School newsletter for December 2023.

Kia ora e te whānau

I extend my sincere thanks to staff who have served Westland High School in permanent and fixed term roles and are now retiring, moving to new roles, taking up new challenges or returning to family in other parts of New Zealand. Your work in supporting our students is deeply appreciated and we wish you all well.

We also extend a warm welcome to staff who will be joining us in 2024 from overseas and within New Zealand. We will introduce those staff in our opening newsletter of 2024 and look forward to our community meeting them at events in Term 1, 2024.

With NCEA exams over, we wish senior students the best of luck for your results in January. I am confident that the high numbers of students engaging with the exam process bodes well for successful results in NCEA Levels 1, 2 and 3. We also wish our graduating seniors well in their respective ambitions and thank them for their contribution to Westland High School.

The processes of internal review have led to some changes in the way we do things here at Westland High School. We have heard the feedback about whānau time and identified aspects from our student well-being survey that have prompted us to implement some changes. To address the concerns about whānau time and give greater pastoral support to students our timetable will alter slightly which will extend our day by 5 minutes. It will look like this:

Changes to whānau class organization will reduce the ratio of students to teachers to further support our pastoral and front-end-of-the-curriculum delivery.

The rationale for the delivery of Whānau classes recognizes Westland High School's commitment to the Principles, Essential Pedagogies, Key Competencies and Values of the New Zealand Curriculum.

Whānau time captures the academic, pastoral, learning and administrative responsibilities of Westland High School staff to meet the following commitments to:

• A sense of belonging to WHS by establishing, maintaining and supporting ākonga and staff to achieve a sense of safety and pride in place through connection to staff, whānau, hapu and community.
• Relationships that uphold the mana and dignity of all through the demonstration of our school's uara and support for students to achieve their potential. This is delivered through and supported by relational and culturally responsive pedagogy, restorative practice, PB4L, service and the building of positive social capabilities.
• Active support for contribution and participation in opportunities that assist ākonga to understand rights, roles and responsibilities for learning, leadership, agency, and power sharing partnerships within the school environment.
• Identity - a sense of authentic, culturally inclusive knowledge of who ākonga are and their connection to our place in the world that prepares them for their future.
• High expectations throughout all facets of our school community including behavior, āwhina, citizenship, leadership, and a commitment to teaching and learning for academic success and personal growth.

In the structure and delivery of Whānau time there will be support for collaborative planning and development of essential pedagogies, culturally inclusive practice, resources and leadership to meet the intent of the program expressed in this rationale.

Questions or feedback and be directed to: feedback@westlandhigh.school.nz

As I reflect on my first two terms as Principal of Westland High School I am content that the decision to join the school at this time in my career has been a good one for me and my whānau. It is a return to the Mainland, which we love, and to a special place in Te Wai Pounamu. Or, a 'Cool little town' as my bumper sticker says, which is true.

The pressures and challenges in education are constant and significant. Teachers are people committed to a moral purpose to make a positive difference in the lives of their students. That is true for the best in our profession and has been in my 30 years in education. Change is the other constant. Westland High School is a fantastic, modestly sized school with incredible potential to exploit the benefits of its size and beautiful location. Our students are great young people, and have been kind and welcoming to their new Principal. They want to be treated fairly, as we all do, and so they should be. If they work hard and learn that doing the mahi will bring them well-deserved rewards, then they will reap the rewards. However, like most teenagers across the world, they sometimes expect that they can walk back the effort and still get the rewards - they are human after all. It can be an awkward lesson at times but one worth learning in a safe and supportive environment. As change happens they will also learn to be adaptable and resilient which are such necessary attributes for success in life. It is my privilege to help our team to support this.

On a personal note, I am loving the outdoors on the Coast and have cycled almost all of the Wilderness Trail, have fished from the tip point, eaten fresh whitebait, walked to the top of Blue Spur, coached and played volleyball and met some open, generous and incredibly decent coasters. I am looking forward to 2024 and the opportunity to continue serving this community and, of course, I am particularly looking forward to my wife arriving on 18 December!

To all our parents, whānau and students, have a wonderful summer break, stay safe and I look forward to seeing you all in 2024. Finally, my sincere thanks for your support so far.

Ngā mihi nui
Nic Richards
Principal