From the Principal’s Desk

Nga mihi nui kia koutou katoa. Welcome to the Westland High School newsletter for April 2023.

E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā karangatanga maha, tēnā koutou katoa. Warm greetings to you all.

This week, a letter was sent home to all parents/and whanau giving a heads up on teacher strike action, The action has a number of elements, including rostering certain year groups home for a full day of strike action. There is hope, however, that the government will come to the table and make an acceptable offer to teachers. If this eventuates, there is a good chance the strike will not occur. Further information will be sent to parent/whanau if the situation changes.

Congratulations to Mr. N. Richards, who will commence as Principal at the start of term three this year. In the interim, Mrs. A. Reeves (Deputy Principal - Academic) will be the Acting Principal. I am confident the school is in good hands and will continue to thrive.

Mrs A. Reeves will have good support in place with Mr P. Brailsford continuing in his role as Deputy Principal - Akonga and Ms S. Bateup who will be acting Assistant Principal for the duration of Term 2.

I would like to remind Parents/Whanau and students about attendance at school, we have a 95% attendance expectation as a minimum to be eligible to attend or be part of events such as sports teams, the school ball, the Koru games, etc. The school follows the Ministry of Education guidelines on attendance, and absences such as holidays during term time, heading off hunting, truancy, etc. count against the student's attendance. Additionally, if your child is unwell and unable to attend school, please let the school office know, and genuinely out of your control absences such as illness do not count against a student's attendance. Students can also check their attendance with their whanau teacher at any time, and Parents/Whanau by logging onto the school portal.

As this will be my last news letter before I leave for Christchurch, I wish to thank everyone who has contributed to Westland High School over the past five years. We have seen a large number of changes in our school, which I am pleased to have seen come to fruition. Our school is arguably the best place to learn on the West Coast, with outstanding NCEA results, and we continually punch above our weight. Thank you to the staff, students, volunteers, and community for helping to make Westland High School an amazing place to be.

Ngā mihi nui
Iain Murray
Principal