From the Principal 9 June 2023

As we near the end of the term and winter is starting to be felt, we continue to see a number of staff and students away with illness.  As you are aware, we have struggled to find relievers as most of the reliever pool have now picked up fixed term positions in schools due to, what I would consider to be, the national education crisis and teacher shortage crisis.

I am very aware that this reliever situation, along with further proposed secondary teacher industrial action, could be very frustrating and disruptive for students and whānau.  I can assure you that all of our staff are very concerned about this.  However, with the current government showing a huge reluctance to meet what, I would consider to be, very reasonable requests by secondary teachers, industrial action will continue.  I would personally like to thank all the whānau that have sent such encouraging emails of support.  This is hugely appreciated by staff.

PPTA industrial action means that the following year levels will be rostered home:

Resignation of Curriculum Leader, Te Reo Māori

Regretfully, Whaea Mereana has handed in her resignation as Curriculum Leader of the Te Reo Māori Department due to health related issues. She felt that, because she could not guarantee ongoing regular attendance, it was better to allow the College to employ a new Curriculum Leader. The College acknowledges her time here and will now be advertising in the Education Gazette for applicants for this position. In the interim, Katera Rikihana-Tukerangi will be overseeing the Middle School (Yr 9-10) Te Reo Māori programme and Keremihana Heke will be teaching all NCEA classes.  I am hugely appreciative of both Katera and Keremihana stepping into these roles and I am certain that as a team they will be able to quickly get all students back on track with their Te Reo Māori programmes of learning.

Whāia te mātauranga hei oranga mō koutou 

Student Events and Successes

Regardless of the disruption that has been taking place, we have, remarkably, still managed to keep the College up and running and have held a number of events.  The recent Variety Concert showcased a wealth of Ōtaki talent, and the ball was one of our best yet.  I would like to sincerely thank all the students that took part in these events - you were all quite outstanding.

Whanganui Exchange

Traditionally the College has had an ongoing exchange with Whanganui City College.  This finally resumed after COVID interruptions and our students travelled North to participate in a range of sports.  Competition was fierce and the trophy was on the line but our Volleyball girls came through in the final game to win and secure the trophy for another year.  Apart from winning the Shield I am proud to say that all the students that travelled to this exchange were outstanding ambassadors for the College, both on and off the field.

Tough Guy and Gal Challenge

Continuing with this sporting theme, I would like to congratulate all the students in the Tough Guy and Gal Challenge, held in Wainuiomata.  Full details are given elsewhere in this Newsletter but massive congratulations to Angus Davis, Sam Georgetti. and JT Byrne for their performances on the day.

Ra Haka

Last week we were finally able to hold our inter-house Ra Haka competition which, in my opinion, again was one of the best ones that we have had since this competition's inception.  I was impressed with the high level of participation by all year levels, along with some very clever choreography, which made the competition very hard to judge.

The judging criteria was based on participation, te ihi, te wehi, te wana, cleaness of kupu, confidence in actions and involvement of kaea.  Points were close but at the end of the day we were able to announce:

Totara 1st

Kauri 2nd

Rimu 3rd

Matai 4th

Coming Up ...

In a follow up to our Pink Shirt Day, which focuses on building positive relationships with one another, next week we will see a continuation of this theme with our celebration of Schools' Pride Week Aotearoa.

Matariki Night Market

I would also like to draw your attention to a major fundraiser that we are running during the holiday break.  On Thursday 13 July we are holding a Matariki Night Market featuring entertainment, a lantern display and market/food stalls.  This is shaping up to be a fabulous event and we look forward to seeing you there.  Do spread the word, as we are hoping that this will become an integral part of the local annual Matariki festival.  (Unfortunately we have had to cancel the planned hangi for this event, as our usual providers are away at this time).