Newsletter Issue 13

There is strength in diversity

Today we celebrate pink shirt day along with the rest of Aotearoa. It is a time to celebrate and acknowledge diversity as well as to promote kindness in our kura, workplaces and communities. 
 
As such, I want to take the opportunity to let you know a little bit about me. I am going to start with my name as I think it’s an important part of everyone’s identity. Fugmann is my wife’s German grandfather’s name. When he was a young man of 19 he was living in a small village called Schmolz in Southern Germany. At the time, Hitler and the Nazis were rising to power. His best friend who was Jewish got beaten up by the Nazi SS soldiers and this event made my wife’s grandad decide to leave Germany and start a new life in England. He changed his name from Fugmann to Fairhurst when he got to England, as having a German name he was often a target of violence for being German.

He came to England not speaking a word of English but after a while, he found work, met his wife and had a son, my father-in-law’s brother. When World War 2 started, he was put in a prison camp on the Isle of Mann (an island off the English mainland) as the English didn’t trust anyone who was German. He had to leave his wife and son at home for a year whilst he was kept there. Eventually, when he was released, he joined the army. He then fought against his own people - the Germans. One of the things he did as a soldier was to free the Belsen concentration camp where Jewish people suffered atrocities. He saw some terrible things and never really talked about what happened. All we know is that because he could speak German he translated to all the Germans living nearby when they were forced to see what they had turned a blind eye to. We decided to take his name for our married name, to claim our original heritage as we felt it carried important messages - to stand up for what’s right, to not turn a blind eye and be brave. Three things we both feel very strongly about. 
 
The legacy of my wife’s grandfather relates to the main ideas behind Pink Shirt Day of acceptance and compassion. This week, in preparation for today, assemblies have been spoken to about the importance of acceptance of diversity and being inquisitive about this. When we are inquisitive we learn and develop our understanding of uniqueness and diversity and therefore we can develop our understanding and respect for people who may be different to ourselves and our own whānau. Two of the three strands of The Waitākere Way are caring and respect. These principles are very important to us at Waitākere College as they encourage us to be kind, to champion each other, to listen with an open mind and an open heart, and to walk in others’ shoes. If we all do this, every day, then the world would be in very safe hands. 
 
E tio te tūī, e ketekete te kākā, e korihi te kokako
An interpretation of this whakatauki can be that it takes a diverse range of birdsong to create a beautiful chorus.

Ngā mihi
Mrs Fugmann
Acting Principal

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Upcoming Events

• 23-25th May Education Perfect Maths Championship
• Mon 5th June Public Holiday - King's Birthday - No School
• Fri 14th July Public Holiday - Matariki - No School
  
  
• Rolling Strike Days (These are subject to change)
  Thurs 25th May - No school for Year 11 
  Tues 30th May - No school for Year 13
  Thurs 1st June - No school for Year 12
  Tues 6th June - No school for Year 10 
  Thurs 8th June - No school for Year 9
  
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