Heard on the Hill Term 2, Week 5

Bonjour à tous, and Wanju

Welcome to Week 5. Term 2 is a big term.  Exams, EST’s, OLNA and transition for Year 10 and Year 7’s are both picking up speed.  Soon reporting will also appear over the horizon.  It is during the tough times that the tough get going – and there were many tough people who gave extra of themselves to contribute to the Prospective Parent Open Night. I would really like to publicly acknowledge the staff who helped.  It was a high quality event due to the input of; Tina, Adam, Deon, Christine, Jonelle, Jacob, Bobbie, Peta, Sarah, Te Kiri and the cleaning staff; on the night. It would not have been the night it was without the management by Ellie.

There is still much more to come during Term 2 – and it is also flu season. Please look after yourself and continue the handwashing regime we learnt during COVID as it is still the best way to avoid getting sick. Although I have not managed to avoid it myself. Hopefully, I will be back on deck Tuesday. Look for ways to manage your workload and maintain your health at this tricky time.

I am really looking forward to the General Staff Meeting that has been rescheduled for week 8. Hard to believe but it is the first time we will be together other than the SDDs. Learning area meetings also will be starting to be rescheduled. It is timely as we start to plan for the big changes of the Year 10 timetable in 2026. The learning area meetings will also allow your PCs to keep the senior school metric in front of you to maintain your focus on individual students reaching their academic potential (as described by their NAPLAN score). You can find this information for lower school students also, by looking at the SAIS dashboard.

I hope everyone got a chance to view the amazing Aurora across the weekend. I hear it was not nearly as spectacular in real life as it was on your camera. The pictures from further south have been absolutely amazing. It is great to have such a natural phenomenon like this occur to remind us of the wonder of nature and the anonymity of life. I hope our students are reminded of our awesome the world can be.