Kia ora e te whānau;

Last weekend Deputy Principal Elaine Webb led a team of staff and students at the “Relay for Life”, raising both awareness and much needed funds for developments in Cancer Research and patient care. We are very proud of our “Relay” team and all their efforts - the twelve hours of forward momentum on the day, the fundraising and the behind the scenes work to get to the start line was an incredible effort by all those involved.

We are a school family of many cultural heritages and the cultural strength of the school continues to grow in diverse directions as our school community expands and welcomes new members. Pat Heremaia laid some strong cultural foundations and we look forward to the relaunch of our kapa haka programme in Term Two. And it is a case of “watch this space” as we look forward to our cultural committee’s analysis and response to their just closed survey.

The cultural ingenuity of students breathing life into their interpretations of text as they perform on stage is always a thrill. The Level One Drama class this week trod the boards in front of a live audience - some for the first time - during the Level One Drama evening. If you are keen to be part of all the drama then be aware that the School Production of 2025 will very soon be calling for participation on stage and behind the scenes.

So as we say goodbye to Term One, we also say goodbye to one of our longstanding staff members. Hamish Mackay has been a member of our school and wider community for eight years. He began as a Sports Activator, building relationships and excitement around physical activity in our feeder primary schools. He then stepped into the lead role in sport at GBHS, and in his time the percentage of our students taking part in sport grew and grew. He has recently moved (and stayed with us!) again - becoming a PE teacher and Assistant Dean. Having worn many hats, he has had a wide, positive impact in our community and we wish him all the very best as he moves across town to take up a new position at Rutherford College.

Celebrations of student success at the end of term are a pleasure to be part of and it was great to see so many students being acknowledged for their academic diligence, social awareness, cultural connectedness and sporting prowess. We have had a great end to a long term.

All the best for your term break, have a lovely Easter and we look forward to seeing you in Term Two.

Chris Woodward, ACTING PRINCIPAL