Kia ora koutou,
Welcome back to Maungatapere School for 2025!
I was incredibly proud of our Kapa Haka representatives who confidently led the student-led powhiri on the first day. These students have been mentored for this responsibility and demonstrated excellent leadership. We warmly welcomed our 14 new entrants in R12, our two new staff members, Mr. Wright and Ms. Rowe, and all other new students to our school whanau.
This week, applications for Student Council (Y5/6/7/8), School Ambassadors (Y7/8), and House Captains (Y7/8) have been sent out. The high level of interest in these leadership roles reflects the strong focus on senior leadership development last year. We look forward to the upcoming class presentations, shortlisting, and interviews to select our 2025 student leaders.
Reflecting on 2024, culminating in the end-of-year prize giving, I was impressed by the high level of aspiration, effort, and passion students demonstrated to achieve their best – to "Make it Happen," as our school motto states. Reviewing student reports, prize giving certificates, and the senior awards process reinforced my belief in our fantastic student culture. Well done to the parents, teachers, and especially the students!
Communication:
Open communication is vital for ensuring our children are happy and successful at school. If your child comes home unhappy about something that happened at school, please let the classroom teacher know. Similarly, if your child reports being hurt physically or emotionally by others, please contact the class teacher.
It's important to gather all the facts before reacting to or making decisions about student concerns or behaviours. Please allow school staff time to hear all sides of the story so that informed decisions can be made. The school listens carefully to parental concerns regarding other students or staff, gathers relevant information, and works to resolve issues positively.
We strongly discourage parents from contacting other parents directly about student behaviours, as this often complicates resolutions and positive behaviour change. In my experience, misunderstandings and inaccurate information are common when communication between home and school breaks down. A frequent example is parents waiting a term or more to raise concerns. If we are unaware of an issue, we cannot provide appropriate intervention.
EOTC (Education Outside the Classroom):
We have exciting EOTC experiences planned for Years 7 and 8 in weeks 4 and 5 of this term. School policy requires detailed documentation from parents/caregivers for these events, which must be approved by the Board of Trustees. Please promptly return all requested forms to allow teachers sufficient time for safe event planning. This year, we will minimize repeated forms; for example, parent volunteers who provide transport at the beginning of the year can reuse those forms for subsequent EOTC events.
As principal, I am excited about 2025 and the opportunities we have planned. Thank you in advance for the wonderful parental support we receive.
Terry Brock
