Term 2 begins with optimism and opportunity.

Welcome back.

It is great to see the student and staff's energy as we start this term.
This is a rapid-fire 10-week term, so it will rush past very quickly. It is up to us all to take advantage of every positive learning opportunity. Some of these are academic or sporting; some are cultural or within the arts.
We start with our Weekly Reports being issued, which will focus on letting our family and whanau know the Manawanui - or attitude to hard work and engagement that students are showing in each of their subjects.
This will come out weekly on a Friday and acts as a 'heads up' for discussion at home about setting goals to get into and maintain good work and learning routines.

We are also starting our focus on one of our many Literacy Strands called Words of the Week (WOW). Every Monday morning, students will write the 3 WOW into their Student Planner, and they, with their teachers, will use these words in parts of their lesson for that week.
The objective is to increase students' knowledge and use of vocabulary and words that occur in everyday teaching and learning but are not in their everyday world now.
We can choose to decide if these roughly 1000 words are a barrier or a bridge to success for our students.
This focus will reinforce our Three Pillars - students, teachers and parent whanau links, by checking the Student Planner on Monday evenings to see that students have recorded them, and then we can all quiz and discuss the use and meanings of these words.

Winter team sports start in force this week, with up to 36 winter teams entered. Thank you for being so supportive of your son, daughter, tamariki or mokopuna in ensuring these sports opportunities exist here at Waitakere College.

Ngā Mihi
Mark P Shanahan