27th June 2024 Newsletter |
Kia Ora Tatou
It was so good to see so many students and whanau attend the Matariki Breakfast this morning. Thank you to all of those who did attend and I hope that you enjoyed the time together to celebrate this special time of the year. As part of the breakfast we did collect some feedback from whanau and this is really appreciated. Some of the comments about what we could do differently included ‘More breakfasts like this’. Whilst it is a pleasure to host this event and food is a great way to bring people together we will look to see what other events like this we can do in the future.
Wharenui
The other important announcement that it was my pleasure to announce this morning was the potential to build a wharenui on site. Whilst this has been discussed within school in the past it is now starting to look like a reality. The school has acknowledged that for our maori akonga having a space which is unique and represents Maori culture is important. Until the start of this year the drama suite had been seen as a venue but with staff changes and significant building work the whanau group has been one of the mentor groups displaced.
The Board are now entering into a consultation phase for the design and build for the wharenui and will be consulting with whanau and akonga as well as our wider Maori community. This is a significant Board funded opportunity and we do want to make sure that we do this right. This is a long term project and we are expecting to have our building programme students involved in the construction as well as the support from Big River Homes.
As we approach the end of the term there are some achievements to celebrate.
Highlanders school camp
This week the following students were announced as being selected for the Highlanders School Rugby Training Camp:
- Sannar Mikaele – Tanuvasa
- Regan Macdonald
- Kairus Booth
- Harlin Puna
- Wyatt Shanks
Congratulations and we wish these students all the best with this amazing opportunity.
Outward Bound Scholarship
Recently we called for applications for the Community Trust of Otago Scholarship to attend a three week Outward Bound Course. I am happy to announce that the successful recipient is Graycen Kell who will be joining a course in September. We look forward to receiving a report from Graycen upon completion of the course and wish her well for this great experience.
Text message system
Yesterday (Wednesday) a letter was sent home advising that the school text messaging service is not working as it should due to a software update which was completed by the provider of the service. We are working with the provider to rectify the problem and hope that we will be able to return to using the service to provide messages about absence and emergency notifications. In the meantime, please do check the official school Facebook page for any school wide messages.
Finally
Enjoy the extra day this weekend provides. I hope it is an opportunity for whanau to join together and celebrate the start of a new year and all the potential opportunities that may provide.
Ka kite ano
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