Principal's Page
Kia Ora Friends - Ni Hao, Néih hóu and Li Ho
Happy New Year: xin nián kuài lè. Gong hee fat choi.
It is the time of the Chinese New Year, and this year is an auspicious one as it is the Year of the Fire Horse.
I am a novice in this area, so I apologise for any mistakes I might make.
As you know, I love turtles, but there are two other animals I really love too. One is dogs - particularly the Doberman Pinscher - and the other is horses.
When I was young, I grew up on a farm, and one of my favourite things to do was to ride horses. My best ever horse was big, brown, and very fast - and his name was Paddy Baba.
Horses are awesome creatures. Like dogs, they are smart, loyal, brave, and great friends when you look after them.
Horses have wonderful qualities:
Enthusiasm:
Being Enthusiastic is about giving your best effort to everything.
When we are positive and believe we can succeed, we usually can.
Teamwork:
When we work together, we are stronger and can achieve much more.
Courage:
When we are brave, we challenge ourselves to push through, even when it’s tough, when it’s not comfortable.
Courage helps us succeed when the odds are against us.
Stickability:
Stickability is another way of saying perseverance.
It’s all about not giving up - when you are tired. When you are bored. When it’s hard or frustrating.
It’s about going that bit longer and achieving your goal in the end.
Friendliness:
Friendliness means we welcome others and include people.
It means we speak kindly and listen well.
Confidence:
Confidence means we welcome others and include people.
It means we speak kindly and listen well.
So, in this 2026 year of the horse, let’s try to be like the horse, by:
Being Enthusiastic. Showing Teamwork. Having Courage. Displaying Stickability. Being Friendly. And Having Confidence.
If we can all do our best to show those qualities, 2026 will be a truly awesome year for our school and for ourselves.
Welcome Back
It is always awesome to start a new year at Western Heights. This is such a positive and happy place - love, energy and kindness abound in our school.
I am always impressed by the learning environments our teachers have in place, ready for the new year. Children are always welcomed back into an environment that is warm, nurturing, colourful, innovative, and captivating.
On Tuesday, we had a Mihi Whakatau to welcome all the new members of our WHS Whānau.
The video of that Mihi Whakatau is on our YouTube channel.
Matua Aaron provided whaikorero - speech - for us, the Tangata Whenua - the people of this place. Isaiah, Ellie-Mae, and Charlie were part of the manuhiri, and Dad Sam is a Kaiako Reo Māori, so he replied on behalf of all those who were new to our school.
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 550 videos available to view, with more to come soon. 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.
