1 Corinthians 15:58: “Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
Tēnā koutou,
Thank you to those parents and caregivers who completed the recent Strategic Plan survey. Your opinion and input will help the school leaders and Board set the direction of the school over the next 2–3 years. Staff members and students also gave their input. The new strategic plan will be put together over the coming months, ready for 2027.
Most winter sports have wrapped up for the season and many of our Premier teams and Year 7/8 teams are preparing for Tournament week. I want to acknowledge and thank the commitment that many parents, past-parents, and supporters, have made through volunteering as coaches, managers, and drivers throughout the season. Our sports programme runs on the self-less commitment of dedicated volunteers – thank you. I would also like to thank the teachers and support staff involved in managing and coaching sports teams, particularly Ms Charlotte McKell and Mrs Leanne Farmer.
Our musicians have yet again shone in the recent KBB Music Festival performances. The KBB Festival involves 59 Auckland schools with 167 groups performing. We were represented by our Big Band, Concert Band, Stage Band and Symphonia. All our bands gained awards, with our Big Band gaining a Gold Award, special award, and performed at the gala concert – an outstanding effort and a testament to the countless hours of rehearsals and practice that go into our music programme.
Well done to ‘Chopstix’ as they have made it to the semi-finals of the Stand-Up Stand-Out band competition in the original song category – good luck next weekend boys!
Congratulations also to our Textiles students who recently entered their designs in the ‘Walk the Line’ competition as part of Auckland Fashion Week – well done girls!
Students are gearing up for their derived grade examinations which begin in Week 8. These examinations mirror the NCEA external exams of Term 4 and are an important preparation for them. All senior students have been issued with ‘How to study’ guides and should be setting aside time each evening to prepare and study for these exams. There is no secret to exam preparation; time and effort is what counts, and it is never too late to start preparing.
A reminder that next Thursday 3 September is a staff-only day, as we prepare for the new curriculum roll-out. All students are to work from home on this day; seniors should be studying.
We had great turn outs of students at our weekly voluntary Masses celebrating Tongan language week and Filipino language week. I am always impressed with the number of students who give up their Wednesday lunchtime to celebrate Mass. I look forward to seeing fathers and father-figures at next week’s Father’s Day lunchtime Mass.
I am also impressed by the calm and engaged environment around the school at the moment. Students know that hard work is needed as they prepare for the end of the year exams and they are rising to this academic challenge – well done.
Enjoy the warmer days as spring arrives.
May faith be our compass.
Nga mihi,
Andrew Mackenzie
Principal