Kōrero

Ki te kotahi te kākaho, ka whati; ki te kāpuia, e kore e whati

When we stand alone we are vulnerable, but together we are unbreakable.

The first week in a school is one of the busiest times of the school year. As we eased back into the school year we seemed to morph through various stages from being a worksite, to saying goodbye to all the tradies, seeing the gradual return of staff and students, and then almost overnight it’s busy and noisy with laughter and the excited chatter of students and teachers alike. It is the latter though that makes a school what it is – our students and our staff.

Welcoming new staff and students into our community is an important function in our school life and I would like to thank Mrs Ottley, Matua Karl Te Raki and our Kapa Haka for their superb Pōwhiri today. For me personally this was an incredibly moving ceremony as I was welcomed in as the 17th Principal of Craighead. From the wonderful karanga delivered by Ana Te Raki and Kera Donaldson to the very powerful haka, the Pōwhiri was incredibly special, and I feel very blessed to working in such an amazing school. For our new students at all Year levels, nau mai, haere mai, welcome to Craighead. You have joined an incredible community with a history that spans 113 years, you are now part of our legacy. Remember that this is a space that will embrace you, support you and nurture you, so get involved, try out new things and challenge yourself.

On Monday and Tuesday our Year 13 leaders were in to start exploring their new roles in the school. It was exciting to learn about their vision for this year and there will be more about what our new Head Girl, Camryn Porter and Deputy Head Girl, Sophie Mulder, have planned for 2024 in next weeks newsletter.

Wednesday saw our Year 7’s and our new Year 9’s come in for their first day at school. It was lovely to welcome back those girls who were our Year 8’s last year, and to continue the welcoming process of our new Year 7 and Year 9 students. Last week we hosted the Year 7's and Year 9's at school for a morning which allowed them to start to get to know the other students in their Year groups and classes, their teachers and to familiarise themselves with the buildings. These days are very popular and we have had some wonderful feedback from parents about them, a big thank you to Mrs Ottley (Year 7/8 Dean), Ms Hall and Miss Walker with our new Year 7s and Mrs McLean (Year 9 Dean), Mrs Bradley, Mrs Riabinkina and Ms Rush with our returning and new Year 9’s.

Yesterday saw the Boarding House fill up with our returning and new boarders. Lying at the heart of the school, the Boarding House gives the campus life and when I popped in there yesterday it was delightful to speak to some of the girls, see them talking with their supervisors, and laughing with their friends. The energy of the girls and their obvious pleasure at being back with their friends was lovely to see.

Please do also let us know if your daughter has been involved with a sporting/cultural/other event or activity over the summer break, as we’d love to highlight some of the achievements and activities that our girls get up to in their holidays and in their own time.

With most of the formalities over now, the focus turns to teaching and learning and what happens in the classroom, and I know our dedicated teachers are keen to meet the students in their classes and start the journey of fostering a love of learning.

To close this newsletter, I would like to wish all our staff and families a safe Waitangi weekend, please note that there is no school on Monday February 5, and we will see everyone back here ready for classes on Wednesday February 7.

Ngā mihi

Ms Lara Hearn-Rollo

Principal