Principal's Page

Kia Ora Friends and Ni Hao

Happy New Year: xin nián kuài lè. Gong hee fat choi.

It is the time of  Chinese New Year, and this year is an auspicious one as it is the Year of the Wood Snake.

I am a real novice when it comes to these things, so I apologise for any mistakes I might make.

As I understand it, the Snake in Chinese tradition has these qualities:

She is Wise          - She has made the most of all her learning opportunities

He is thoughtful  - He Thinks before he speaks, asking himself - 

                                   Is what I am about to say           True

                                                                                              Helpful

                                                                                               Inspiring

                                                                                               Necessary

                                                                                               Kind

She is determined   - She shows Grit in the Pit

He is Curious             - Curious about our world- wanting to find out, to know, to understand

Like Pākiki, our newest Pōhatu Tūmu, snakes are curious and want to understand their world. And we should understand the snake. Some people think they smell with their tongues, but that is not quite true.

When a snake flicks its tongue in the air, it picks up tiny chemical particles. When it brings its tongue back into its mouth, it has a special system that tells the snake what tiny chemical particles are. This way the snake “investigates” things like dirt, plants and other animals. This curiosity can help a snake avoid predators or help it catch food.

So this year let’s be like a snake

                         Wise and thoughtful

                          Kind in our words

                          Determined to succeed

                          Curious about our world.

Whānau Time will start at about 9:40 am next Thursday morning, 13 February, in our Hall. Whānau Time happens once a fortnight at about this same time, but nearly always on a Friday. Parents, friends and extended family members are always welcome to join us - our children love it when family can come along.

Whānau Time is also always Live-streamed - thanks to Lauren Nummy - and you are welcome to join us that way, too.

Join us live at - https://www.facebook.com/westheights.school

If you want to catch up with previous Live-Streams and other school event videos, you can visit our Western Heights YouTube Channel  here - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCghV4HfxKIPKdvs3sdwMtmw/videos?view_as=public

There are 508 videos available to view with more to come soon. It's a cool way to take a trip back through time too - eleven years of videos so far...

Welcome Back

It is always awesome to start a new year at Western Heights. This is such a positive, energised place - love, enthusiasm and innovation abound in our school.

I am always impressed at 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 to attention.

On Wednesday, we had a Mihi Whakatau to welcome all the new members of our WHS Whānau. Some of our new children were not just new to our school but also brand new to our country, having arrived here from the other side of the world recently.

The video of that Mihi Whakatau is on our YouTube channel here - 

Matua Aaron provided whaikorero - speech - for us the Tangata Whenua - the people of this place.

Matua Nick spoke in reply on behalf of the manuhiri - the visitors being welcomed into our family. 

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.