Kia ora e te whānau,

The school production kicked off on Wednesday, and it has been amazing. The set, lighting and costumes are so visually impressive, they really set the scene for some of the best acting, dancing and musical performances that I have seen. As importantly, the performers also looked like they were having a great time. I also loved seeing so many students in the audience at the performances supporting their friends, and the wider whānau who wanted to support our school. Thank you to Teresa Callaghan and the Performing Arts team. Best of luck for the final performances on Friday and Saturday evening.

PSTs are next week, and they provide a great opportunity to talk about learning and achievement with the key people in the same room. During the PSTs, we’ll also create opportunities for you to hear more about the strategic planning consultation that we started in term 2. We’ll set up a stand centrally, with the plan of catching lots of you in the gaps between PST appointments. It will provide a great opportunity for you to hear about some of the feedback we have already collected from whānau, as well as share more about what you think.

There has been a lot in the media recently about NCEA and its value as a qualification. While the debate continues - and it is a complex one - I become frustrated that our students and teachers, who are working incredibly hard, get caught in the crossfire. The message they need to hear isn’t that their qualification is second-rate. I am proud of the learning and achievement of our students and will be encouraging them to keep up their hard work as they move into the business end of the school year.

Have a great weekend.
Fiona Barker
PRINCIPAL