Tēnā koutou, ki te whānau o Onehunga High School

There is so much to be proud of here at OHS. In particular I have been reflecting on last week’s student-led whole school assembly and the passion and commitment of the student council as they shared their vision.  These moments are uplifting and they certainly set the bar high for all. Last week’s Pink Shirt Day had students expressing and sharing their commitment to the OHS Learning Culture of respect, integrity, resilience and excellence. On the sports field we also see many examples of these values playing out time and again across the week. 

It is also wonderful to see how much our parents from all parts of our school community contribute to the school and its culture.  A great example of this is the Pasifika Komiti, that was formed last year.  The Komiti met on Tuesday night to continue actioning initiatives to strengthen Pasifika culture and raise achievement for all Pasifika students at OHS. We thank these parents for their passion and drive.

While we are keen to spend our time building our school culture and celebrating successes, there will be occasions when poor or unsafe decisions are made and there is the need for consequences.  As you may know we have kept parents informed of our expectations around student behaviour through newsletters, meetings and fono during the past term.  We have also communicated very clearly with students that fighting or antisocial behaviours have no place in our school and community, and that we all need to do our part to keep ourselves and each other safe.
 
Despite this, unfortunately a number of students had pre-knowledge that the fight earlier this term was going to occur. Not only did students not share this information with staff, unfortunately some students also chose to participate in the fight.  On a positive note, it was very pleasing to see there were students that upheld our school values and took the opportunity to lead a number of boys away during the incident. 
 
As mandated by law when a student puts the health and safety of themselves or others at risk, the school needs to follow a process to address this.  These processes are required to be confidential to maintain the privacy and mana of the individual so sometimes a lack of information leads to speculation and misinformation.
 
It is important to know that the school does not take lightly the decisions we make in formal disciplinary processes.  We strive to follow robust policies and procedures so we act fairly and in line with natural justice, and after carefully considering the views of the student and their whānau.
 
If you ever have any concerns, questions or feedback about our school or what you are seeing or hearing about it, please don’t hesitate to make contact with us so we can discuss, answer your questions or provide reassurance.
 
At the heart of our decisions are our students and so we remain unapologetic for wanting a safe school so that all of our students can thrive. Thank you to all the families that have contacted the school with your kind words and support. Together we can make the largest positive impact on the lives of our young people so that they can reach their full potential and contribute positively to their families and communities.
 
All the very best to everyone representing OHS this weekend.

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