Message from the Principal – 14 April 2022

Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa 

As we come to the end of the first term in 2022, I would like to thank staff and students for their hard work.  It has not been our usual start to the school year and the ongoing pandemic has caused major disruption to our teaching and learning programmes. Through this time the teachers have tried to mitigate the impact by offering additional support to students who have not been able to attend, whilst continuing to teach face to face. This has put additional pressure on them as they navigated the comings and goings of students.  At one stage we had 48% of the student body absent from school, so their efforts were remarkable.  The resilience of staff and students has been outstanding.

Thank you also to the support staff, including our Teacher Aides, Office and Grounds staff and our amazing relief teachers. It has been a real team effort to make sure the school runs as smoothly as possible at this difficult time. Many times, staff have been asked to fill in for others when they were not able to be at school.  Our relief teachers have enabled the school to remain open, they are a much underrated resource who we could not do without. Thank you to every one of you for your outstanding work over the term.

I also appreciate the efforts of whanau and students over the term.  Thank you for the communication about absences and also for your support of the work happening at home.  In general, the students have settled back into school well, although many are anxious about how it may impact on their grades.  Only time will tell, but by putting in the work and by asking for assistance I am sure they will be well rewarded.  As the quote below shows, you should never give up and always keep working towards your goals.

Finally, I would like to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday period.  May you stay healthy and spend some valuable time with family and friends over the next two weeks. Recharge the batteries and get ready for another busy term starting in May. 

School Values: ~ WHAKANUIA ~ RESPECT ~

“Kaua e mate wheke mate ururoa”  Don't die like an octopus, die like a hammerhead shark

Octopus are renowned for their lack of resistance when being captured, however a hammerhead shark will fight bitterly to the end, to the point that when you fillet it fresh, its meat quivers. Commonly used to encourage someone not to give up, no matter how hard the struggle is. 

Former Student Becomes District Court Judge

Congratulations to former student, Sarah Morrison who was announced as a new District Court Judge last week by the Attorney General. She has specialised in family law, having spent the early part of her career as a solicitor in Wellington, and then four years leading a family law team in Christchurch.

Between 2007 and 2011 she was an Instructor and then Programme Manager at the Institute of Professional Legal Studies. On her return to fulltime practice in 2015, following parental leave, she was a Senior Associate and then Partner at Lower Hutt firm ARL Lawyers.

Ms Morrison has been practising as a barrister since 2019.  Judge Morrison will be sworn in on 2 May 2022 and will take up her appointment with a Family Court warrant in the Waitakere District Court.

School Uniform

A reminder to all students to be prepared for the start of Term Two with the complete school uniform.  Term Two is a winter term so black leather shoes need to be worn along with the other winter uniform requirements. 

If students need additional warmth, a polar fleece, purchased from the school office or a raincoat purchased online from our Sports Uniform supplier, Paladin, can be worn. A white, grey or blue polypropylene thermal can also be worn under school tops.   

Students are reminded that other jackets, hoodies and other non-regulation clothing is not acceptable and will be confiscated. 

The school also has school beanies available from the student office for $25.00.  If there are any concerns with uniform issues please contact the school for advice and support.

School Accounts

When making student payments to the school via internet banking, please ensure you are quoting the Student ID number and what the payment is for.  It would also be helpful to email Jan on accounts@chbc.school.nz confirming the payment has been done.

Link to our Online Library 24/7 

Our Library resources are available online.  Click on the link below

https://aiscloud.nz/CNT03/#!dashboard