Principal's Page

Kia Ora Friends - Our Warmest Greetings

I say it often and I say it loud - and I'm saying it again now:

I LOVE this job, this school, these children, this staff, this community and this part of Auckland.

We sometimes forget to count our blessings. And that is a normal, human thing to do. Humans are predisposed genetically to focus on the negative. Over the long, long course of history, focusing on the negative - the dangers and dangerous possibilities - is what kept us alive as a species. 

However, for our emotional wellbeing, focusing on the positive and on things Hopeful - on the many blessings we take for granted - is very important.

Research I did during my Master's study shows that our level of life success is heavily influenced by the level of hope that we have. 

Gwinn and Hellman’s research into the psychology of hope highlights its powerful influence on well-being, academic achievement, and life success. They define hope not as wishful thinking, but as a measurable cognitive process involving goal setting, identifying pathways to those goals, and the agency or motivation to pursue them. 

Their studies reveal that individuals with high levels of hope tend to be more resilient, better problem solvers, and more likely to succeed in challenging circumstances—whether academically, personally, or professionally. In fact, hope has been found to be a stronger predictor of success than intelligence, socio-economic status, or prior academic performance.

For our children, Gwinn and Hellman’s findings underscore the transformative role we play in nurturing hope. When our children are supported to set meaningful goals, encouraged to believe in their ability to achieve them, and taught how to navigate obstacles, they begin to internalise a hopeful mindset. 

This mindset improves their learning outcomes and contributes to long-term mental health and life satisfaction. Cultivating hope is a foundational skill that helps our children thrive now and in the future.

Student Overseas and Within New Zealand Travel:

We are advising an update to our system regarding Overseas and within New Zealand travel/holidays during term time.  

Previously, information about absence for proposed travel was often notified by a phone call to the Office or by advising the Teacher directly.  

We do need these notifications to be made in writing in advance of the travel/absence from school.  This ensures that our school roll is kept up to date and that teachers and our office team are fully informed.  

If your child is going to be travelling overseas or within New Zealand during term time please email   away@westernheights.school.nz   to advise us of this.  This will help ensure you are not texted with queries your child's absence.

Please record in your email:

     Student's full name & room number.

     Exact dates of absence.

     Reason for absence.

Please continue to use Hero absentee reporting for day-to-day absences for sickness, etc.

This change only applies to extended overseas or within New Zealand travel.

Sincere thanks for this.

Your Support is Awesome:

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.