Principal's Page

Kia Ora Friends - 

We are back for our final term of 2026. The year seems to have flown by. A good friend told me that life is like a toilet roll: the closer it gets to the end, the faster it spins.

I can definitely relate to that.

As we say goodbye to term three, we have to acknowledge that, sadly, our mighty Warriors didn't quite make it to the final. I had a flag ready to fly when they did — it will have to wait until next year now.

One key message for term four: it is a sunhat term. We expect our children to wear their school sunhats each day when outside. We keep these hats at school so they are always available for our children. You are welcome to provide your own hat for your child to wear to and from school.

If your child loses their hat, you can purchase a replacement from our Office for only $10, less than what we pay for each hat.

Another key message: attendance is absolutely a major key to your child's achievement, happiness, wellbeing and success. We work exceptionally hard to make school the best experience possible for our children. Your support in ensuring your child is here every day possible will have a huge pay-off for your child and your family. Routines and habits set young can last a lifetime. A little bit of tough love from mum or dad now can have a huge impact on that life success. Thank you for your understanding and support in this.

Over the holiday period, my wife and I traveled to Christchurch to take part in the Breast Cancer Fun Run. It would be rare to find a family not impacted by cancer. My wife's mum is a cancer survivor. Her sister-in-law is battling stage four cancer, and our own beloved Helen Rollo continues her battle against cancer too. Thank you to everyone who has ever contributed to the Pink Ribbon fund and/or supported those fighting that battle in any way. You are heroes all.

My apologies, as I will be visiting six schools in China from 23 October to 3 November. I will therefore miss the children for a few days.

Whānau Time Live Stream - Watch our Whānau Time Full School Assemblies on Facebook Live Stream.

Our next Whānau Time is Friday 23 October - celebrating Fijian Language Week and hosted by rooms 34 and 5.

WHS YouTube Archive - 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.

Over 550 videos are available to view, with new ones added regularly. It's also a cool way to take a trip back in time.

As always, if you have any school-related 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.