Principal's Page

Kia Ora Friends - 

I hope and trust you are enjoying some family time together these holidays. As teaching staff, we refer to these breaks as non-contact time. The point is that while we are not in contact with our children, we are still working on a lot of catch-up and preparation tasks. Three of my team were in at work this week, spending five hours on a single Ministry submission to seek support for a child. They are returning today to finish it.

I am more than a little late sending out this newsletter, and normally this would cause me a lot of stress. However, I have learned that stress is one of the biggest killers and a main cause of premature aging, so, being of an age where time is suddenly clearly not unlimited, I am trying to take better care of myself. This includes regular exercise, much healthier eating, supplements, better sleep, and reducing my stress.

It helps a lot that I absolutely love my job. Our children, staff, and parent community bring me joy every day. I started my career path at Christchurch Teachers Training College some 51 years ago. I had my first class at age 19, and halfway through that first year, I was asked to take over a Year 8 class with 42 students. I have very fond memories of wonderful interactions and connections with many of those children. I remember swapping shoes for a day with Joe Davis — he had Nomads, and I had Adidas. Years later, he stopped his car in the middle of a busy intersection, jumped out, and invited me to call in to catch up with many of the boys from that class. They put on perhaps the best kai moana meal I have ever had — Crayfish, Kina, Oysters, Blue Cod, and more.

Sorry about the trip down memory lane. My point is, 51 years later, I'm still loving every minute. So thank you to every member of our Board, staff, and community for doing your part to make this a great school for us all.

Starting School in 2027?

Do you have a child who will be starting school next year?

If so, could you please let us know and complete their enrolment as soon as possible. This helps us with our planning and allows us to keep in touch with you about upcoming new-entrant visits, transition-to-school opportunities, and important information.

If you know of a family with a child starting school at Western Heights Primary School in 2027, please encourage them to contact the school office to enroll.

We look forward to welcoming our new 2027 learners and their whānau!

Whānau Time Live Stream - you can watch our Whānau Time Full School Assemblies via our Facebook Live Stream.

Our latest Bush School and Choir-hosted Whānau Time is available to view here.

WHS YouTube Archive - if you want to catch up on previous Live Streams and other school event videos, you can visit our Western Heights YouTube channel here: Western Heights YouTube Channel.

There are over 550 videos available to view, with new ones added regularly. It's a cool way to take a trip back through time, too.

As always, if you have questions or concerns about anything school-related, email me at macash@mac.com, and I will get back to you asap.

My very best regards to you all,

Ash Maindonald

Principal.