Our Children - Our Future: 

Our school Vision is Ā Tatou Tamariki, Ō Tatou Whenua, Ka Ora Te Apopo.

It means - Our Children, Our Land, For Our Future.

Our staff have been looking at our Vision, discussing ways they give voice to the vision in their classrooms and in our school, and collectively coming up with next-step ideas to make it stronger, better and more embedded in the culture of our school.

We have also been looking at our Vision with our Whānau Time full-school assemblies.

I shared ways we can support our children (and ALL children) through the vehicle of HOPE.

At Western Heights, HOPE stands for Help One Person Everyday.

There are lots of ways to HELP, and One of the best ways to help is to  BE KIND.

We all know this message - it’s what we are all about at WHS.

Another way to HELP is to GIVE.

There are so many ways to give - and lots of the best ones don’t even cost money.

Another way to help is to COMFORT SOMEONE.

It could be a quiet word, a hug, or just being there beside them.

A great way to help is to get up andDO A CHORE.

Volunteer, do something to help without even being asked.

Another great way to help is toSTOP TO HELP and ask, “can I help you with that?”

Notice when someone might need help - but always ask if it’s OK before you jump in and help.

A great way to help and also to make your own learning stick is to TEACH what you know to someone else.

Teach someone something cool, something new.

And, of course, one of the best and easiest ways to help is toJUST BE NICE to others.