Kia ora koutou e ngā whānau o te kura

Term 1 has been incredibly challenging but also very rewarding. The isolation requirements caused by Omicron, alongside managing health and well-being, have been an unprecedented challenge. The impact on teaching, learning and assessment has been different from other years, but we have drawn on our experiences of 2020 and 2021 to manage this situation as best as possible. It hasn’t been easy to work in education in the past couple of years. Still, I’m continually amazed by and grateful for the loyalty, grit and sheer determination shown by our team in service of our students. Thank you, you do us proud. Without wanting to jinx anything, as I write this piece, indicators suggest that we are past our peak and can expect to have less disruption in Term 2. 

We are in the ‘Season of Easter’ 

While Easter Sunday marks the end of the Holy Week celebration and the end of repentance and conversion for which Lent prepared the community, it is much more a beginning. It is the beginning of a new season of grace and a time of joy and thanksgiving, for Easter is not one day or one solemnity—it is a fifty-day celebration, the fifty days from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday.

Pentecost always occurs 50 days after the death and resurrection of Jesus and ten days after his ascension into heaven. Pentecost is the celebration of the person of the Holy Spirit coming upon the Apostles, Mary, and the first followers of Jesus, who were gathered together in the Upper Room. A “strong, driving” wind filled the room where they were gathered, and tongues of fire came to rest on their heads, allowing them to speak in different languages so that they could understand each other. The Holy Spirit also gave the apostles the other gifts and fruits necessary to fulfil the great commission – to go out and preach the Gospel to all nations. In this season of Easter, let us continue to reflect on Jesus’ great sacrifice for us, his glorious resurrection, and how we feel the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives. 

It was uplifting to see three senior Religious Education Discipleship Pathway classes participate in our annual Cross-Walk on Holy Thursday. The Cross-Walk started at St. Thomas More Church, journeyed over to Tauranga by foot, through town, down to St. Mary’s Catholic School before heading back to the College. The students marked the Stations of the Cross along their pilgrimage, offering an opportunity to pray and meditate on Christ’s sacrifice for us. I acknowledge all of these students for their courageous witness of faith. 

As a College, we celebrated our Easter Liturgy differently this year. The Student Executive prepared a pre-recorded service which also reflected on the Stations of the Cross. Students participated in this liturgy in their classes as we were unable to gather as a community due to the Red Light settings of the Covid Protection Framework. I offer our student leaders the strongest commendation for their enthusiastic organisation of this special liturgy. 

ANZAC Day Reflection

April 25th, Anzac Day, is a national day of remembrance in New Zealand and Australia that broadly commemorates all New Zealand’s and Australia’s servicemen and women who have served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations. Anzac Day originally honoured the New Zealand and Australian Army Corps members who served in the Gallipoli Campaign, their first engagement in the First World War.

The New Zealand and Australian forces landed at Gallipoli on April 25th, 1915, where they met fierce resistance from the Ottoman Turkish defenders. What had been planned as a bold military manoeuvre quickly became a stalemate, a campaign that would drag on for eight months. By the end of 1915, the allied forces were evacuated from the peninsula, with both sides having suffered heavy casualties and enduring great hardships. 2779 New Zealand soldiers died in the campaign. Gallipoli had a profound impact on New Zealanders at home, and April 25th soon became the day on which we remembered the sacrifice of those who died in the war. New Zealand and Australian forces’ actions left a powerful legacy. This legacy became known as the “Anzac legend”, which is an important part of both nations’ identity today, shaping how they viewed both their past and their future.

Today Anzac Day conjures up different thoughts, memories and questions for each of us. What would it have been like for our servicemen and women? What would life be like if countries like New Zealand didn’t make a stand of this nature? How were they able to face the challenges of war? For me, it awakens the realisation of how lucky we are to enjoy the freedoms our brave servicemen and women earned for us. 

As we reflect on the occasion of ANZAC Day, it should remind us of the many excellent qualities and characteristics that all our servicemen and women have displayed in the multitude of conflicts New Zealand has found itself embroiled in over the years. Characteristics such as courage, integrity, companionship and honesty, to mention a few. Each of these characteristics should act as a motivator, a reflection point, a challenge and a reminder of all that is good in our lives and all we should be thankful for. Most importantly, we should take time out each Anzac Day to reflect on the sacrifices these men and women made to ensure our freedom, secure our way of life, and demonstrate what it means to sacrifice for others. Things for which we should be eternally grateful. 

Our College will be represented by staff and members of the Student Executive at the Civic ANZAC Day service at the Cenotaph in Memorial Park from 9:00am. If other students wish to join in the procession and service, you are warmly encouraged to attend in school (winter) uniform and assemble with us from 8:30am. 

Staffing Update

I regret to inform you that the following three staff members finished at the College at the end of Term 1. At the beginning of next term, we will share an update of new staff appointments, but for now, we give thanks and pay tribute to these three ladies:

Jenny Livingstone – Mrs Livingstone has been a good and faithful servant of the College since 2008. Her work as a Teacher of Art, Drama, and the GATE programme coordinator has been excellent. While there are many things we can point to that highlight Mrs Livingstone’s excellent service, the success our students have enjoyed in the YIA programme over the years is a direct result of the incredible effort Mrs Livingstone has made to support them and must be celebrated. Mrs Livingstone has been appointed as a Special Education Advisor for the Ministry of Education. We congratulate Mrs Livingstone on this new appointment. We will miss her friendly spirit but thank her for her service and wish her well in her new pursuit.  

Julie Green – Mrs Green joined the College in 2019 and has provided exceptional support to the Arts Faculty as the Arts Coordinator.  She has been an integral part of the team, and we will miss her skills and talents on so many levels.  Mrs Green wishes to spend more time on her creative outlets and opportunities.  We are thankful for her service, and we wish her well in pursuing her artistic talents.

Francie Murphy – Mrs Murphy joined the College in 2018 as a part-time Music teacher. In the four years, Mrs Murphy has worked at the College, she has been a talented and hard-working member of the team. Her work in the classroom and with music ensemble groups is well recognised. Mrs Murphy has been promoted into a leadership position at ACG Tauranga starting Term 2. While we will miss her, we congratulate Mrs Murphy on her promotion and wish her all the very best.

Winter Uniform

Students are expected to be in the correct school winter uniform from the start of next term. The full winter uniform is available on the website. 

Parent-Teacher Conferences

A big thank you to our community for supporting our recent Term 1 Parent-Teacher Conferences. While we would have preferred to hold those in-person, providing the electronic meeting option was a good alternative given the restrictions of the Red-Light settings. While the number of bookings was lower than we had hoped, the feedback we received from those who made appointments was very positive. These opportunities to connect in person are valuable to promoting your child(ren)’s holistic achievement here at the College. At the end of Term 2, we plan to hold a second set of longer interviews over a whole school day. 

Thank you to everyone for your support through another unique school term. I wish you all a safe and relaxing term break and another successful school term starting on Monday, May 2nd. 

Ma te Atua tātou e manaaki – May God’s blessings be upon us all.

Matt Dalton

PRINCIPAL