Kia Ora - Manaakitia Matariki Koutou

At the left is my favourite photo from yesterday's GLEE performance in the main auditorium at the Aotea Centre in central Auckland.

There is a story devoted to this event further on in this newsletter, but this photo captures in a split second something special. A moment frozen in time, of Esther leaping perfectly into the air with the amazing lights and imagery (and fellow performers) surrounding her.

The lights were co-managed by one of our students - Isabella - and she did an amazing job.

I love the colour and energy inherent in the photo. I love the vibe of positivity it emanates. We have been through, and are still working through, a hugely challenging time as a school, a community, a country and even as a world. Inflation is biting, and despite what anyone may promise, there are no easy solutions at present. Cases of the flu and colds are at epidemic levels, I think at least in part due to lowered immunity after being in long lockdowns. People from all walks of life are tired from the accumulated stress of managing work, families, illness and finances. All of this takes a toll on mental health and well-being too. It can lead to children being more anxious, more easily upset and or irritated, and in some cases, leads them to have a shorter fuse when it comes to anger.

That in turn takes a big toll on teachers. Added to that is that many of our teachers have been unwell, and with relievers so hard to come by, it has meant sometimes spreading children out to other classrooms as we have no one available to teach them in their own room. This has been our choice rather than asking classes or year levels of children to stay home. That would be very hard on parents and we have so far avoided that at all costs.

In one ten-day period, we had 26 staff away. There was a story on TV3 News about this that featured our school -

HOWEVER - in spite of all these challenges, we remain resilient and positive. Every morning we greet our children and welcome them onsite. A hug or a Hi-5 helps dispel some of the separation anxiety.

We have two senior school camps happening this week, and even though both have been hit hard by child and parent illnesses happening at camp, others have stepped into the breach and answered the call to help out. This sums up our community actually. Full of really good, kind, caring, helpful people. Salt-of-the-earth my dad would have called them. No fuss, no drama, just ready to help when needed.

We are so grateful to you all.

A final point related to the points above is that we are embarking on a three-year mental wellbeing programme starting with staff planning and preparation next term, and with our children from term four.

It is the Sir John Kirwan Mitey Foundation programme and it featured on television news this week, with Sir John stating that mental health is as important as reading, writing and maths, and needs to be a focus in our New Zealand curriculum. We agree and are looking forward to making a real difference in our children's lives with this programme.

It takes a village to raise mentally thriving children. That's why Mitey takes a school-wide approach to mental wellbeing. Every part of the Mitey journey brings together teachers, staff and communities around one common goal – mentally thriving children.

Learn more - https://www.mitey.org.nz/

We have reached the end of term and a two-week circuit breaker offers us a chance to rest and recuperate, and hopefully, break the cycle of illness spreading through our community.

My deepest and sincerest thanks to my whole staff. They really have gone above and beyond every day and in every way. This school has an awesome name and reputation, and it is thanks to the whānau team we have here - brilliant people every one of them.

We really hope you can find time for a break and a breather. Are able to stay warm and dry, and do some fun things together as a family. The Auckland Museum, Auckland Art Gallery and the local pools are all pretty much free and good entertainment on a winter's day. Snow Planet is not free but $35 for adults is pretty reasonable, and the cafe there has a great viewing window and good coffee.

Whatever you do, stay safe, stay warm, stay well - and kids, be kind to mum and dad and each other. We look forward to seeing you back on Monday, July 25.

My very best regards to you all as always,

Ash Maindonald

Principal.

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