Principal's Page
Kia Ora Friends -
I'm back and very, very happy to see everyone.
I did a lot of thinking while I was away - here is one of my thoughts:
It's really easy to take things for granted. There's an old joke where a Tuna says to a Mackerel, "Water's warm today." And the Mackerel replies, "What's water?"
This school is next-level, full of kindness, care and empathy. Staffed with people who deeply and genuinely care about the children in our care and each other. And yet, we accept it as the norm, something we don't even think about.
It's not the norm though. After 50 years in education, I have seen so many schools where staff are more or less miserable by default, where the stress of paperwork compliance and the lack of collegial support grinds them down.
It amazes me how many outside agencies and contractors ask me the same question, "how come everyone is so positive and friendly here?" It's the culture of our school - our "water that we live in without thinking about it."
While I was away, there were some challenges our staff faced - including the internet being down due to misguided people thinking they could dig up the copper cabling and make some money. A dozen vans, a heap of technicians and two days of long hours were required to get it back up and running - and all for $15 worth of copper.
The team here all stepped up and met each challenge with equanimity, wisdom and common sense, resulting in the best possible outcome each time.
My sincere thanks to them all for their sterling, caring and committed efforts.
Thank you all too for your patience and support.
I felt like a King when I returned with hoards of children racing to hug me and tell me they missed me, were sad while I was away and similar. That is another reason why this is the best job ever.
While I was away, I stayed fully in touch with everything and everyone and managed to complete some good study, learning, and catch-up tasks.
It was also a reset for me. I was able to get two runs in every day, do lots of reading, and listen to podcasts on the brain, emotions, and negotiation skills, for example. I ate healthy and did away with foods and drinks that are unhealthy but had become a habit here.
The result has been quite transformational. I aim to maintain those healthy habits, which include not working as late and getting a reasonable amount of sleep. Hopefully, I will be in a good space to bring the energy and passion this community deserves.
An Awesome eMail from ex-Student Adi:
Dear Mr Maindonald,
My name is Adi. I was at your school last year from Year Two up to Year Six, and I cannot emphasise how much I absolutely adored Western Heights. The teachers were kind, the children were friendly; I honestly think it was the best period of my life. I was given the Whakapono award and remember feeling so happy and so surprised; it was overwhelmingly surreal.
Now, I am enrolled at ACG Sunderland. I’m getting opportunities from Cambridge, Oxford, and Harvard by being recommended in the John Locke competition. I know that I only got there because of the support of my teachers, Ms Eyre especially. If she still teaches there, please let her know she was amazing. I remember your assemblies, and the morals that came with them. Something I thought was amazing at the time was that I saw you heeding your own morals; being kind to everyone, picking up rubbish, caring for the environment…
However, I’d like to let you know of something. I remember that during assemblies, you incorporated AI into videos, songs and more. AI is a great tool, and utilising it is something that people can do freely. However, taking into account WHS morals, I would, with utter sincerity, ask of you to minimise AI use to the best of your capabilities, if you still use it. Generative AI especially takes away thousands upon millions of gallons of water and uses it for cooling stations, which uses up the water entirely. This process kills plenty of sea creatures, takes away resources indefinitely, and makes climate change activity speed up.
I ask of you to please, please reduce your usage in AI, as I know how much Western Heights cares about our Pacific. Thank you for looking after our one and only Earth.
-Kind regards,
Adi.
My Reply:
Kia Ora Adi
Thank you so much for your email. You have filled my heart with joy, and I will pay heed to your request. I will share your wonderful words with our staff at our Monday Morning Meeting and in our newsletter.
You are an upstanding and outstanding ambassador for all that is good about our school.
I thank you, commend you and wish you well in everything you do.
Adi, you are destined for greatness.
Whānau Time Live Stream - you can watch our Whānau Time Full School Assemblies via our Facebook Live Stream.
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.
