Thanks to everyone who has helped to support our students during lockdown. I realise that parents and caregivers have had to play an even bigger role in their children’s education than before and I hope that this may strengthen the delivery of our curriculum and individual learning journeys. These times have also challenged our teachers’ ability to connect and engage students without placing undue pressure and they too are to be thanked for their efforts.

As many leaders in New Zealand and elsewhere have stated it is important we don’t get too far ahead of ourselves as the war on COVID-19 is far from over. Many, I am sure would love to quote Sir Winston Churchill who after the Battle of El Alamein, the first significant victory of the Allies over German forces in world war two, made the famous quote: “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”

I trust that everyone has used this enforced isolation to reflect on our lives and how we can make small but significant changes to promote our and others wellbeing. It is somewhat distressing to see how some people have ignored public health warnings and guidelines in their desire to return quickly to their old lifestyles.

I was also shocked and distressed to see the queues to fast food outlets which I could not help but compare to the tragic scenes of people desperate for any food in Africa and even the USA. While I enjoy a Big Mac from time to time, I could not believe that this should be such a priority that people could wait up to 5 hours for their favourite meal. 

I am inspired and prefer to focus on the numerous acts of kindness and compassion being shown by so many people across the world and hope that this heightened sense of community will remain as we hopefully emerge from the crisis caused by the deadly virus. We need to learn from history again as many people in Great Britain stated that they never felt as strong a sense of unity as they did before the war and were saddened at how this spirit was lost in the peace that followed.

Next week we hope to get further guidelines on what a possible movement from Lockdown Level 3 to 2 might look like. When this happens I will inform the community as soon as possible. Our priority will be to ensure the school remains a safe site for all and that slowly but surely we will be able to transition back to face to face, exciting teaching and learning opportunities.

In the meantime, again I thank the community for its support and patience. While being with the family must have had some blessings I am sure everyone is looking forward to children returning to school in the near future. Let’s hope that our efforts to contain and eliminate the spread of the virus allow us to do this!

Kia mana ake – growing greatness.

One of the advantages of the lockdown has been the reduction of human activity and the resulting lowering of carbon emissions which has cleaned the air. The sea, rivers and land have also benefited and in a sense the natural world has been able to rest a little while we fight the COVID virus. 

I am lucky enough to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of nature from my deck as a reserve borders our house. This time of reflection has been valuable and I urge all students to spend a bit of time today to quietly watch the sun rise (or set), seeing clouds blow past, listen to the wonderful bird song, wonderful silence or rustling of the leaves in the trees.

In our Charter we emphasise the need for students to connect – with each other, nature and themselves. Lockdown has given us a golden opportunity to appreciate nature and each other and as we do this we start to connect with our true selves. 

We are at a critical time in the fight against COVID-19 when we start to work our way back to a “new normal”. Let us not, in our excitement, waste the opportunity to respect nature, to be true guardians or custodians of the land following the principles of “kaitiakitanga”. Conserve, protect and honour mother earth. 

A final point to ponder is how well the people of New Zealand and the world have mobilised and united to fight the virus, find a vaccine and make individual and collective sacrifices during lockdown. Yet thousands die of respiratory illnesses caused by pollution, millions live in unsanitary conditions, floods and droughts threaten lives and livelihoods, whole islands and communities face the risk of losing their homes owing to climate change – can the world unite in the same way as we fought COVID-19 to preserve the environment to secure our future?

What role will each of us play to make the world a better place?

Growing greatness – Kia mana ake!

Please complete the survey being sent from your child/ren’s whānau as quickly as possible for planning purposes as we need to know how many students will require supervision from 29 April.
Please take note of the government’s guidelines that only students who cannot be supervised at home should come to school.

You should also have received an email from the school with guidelines for students who are registered to return.

Many thanks!