Kia ora e te whanau
I hope all of our students had a great break and took the opportunity to relax and refresh in preparation for Term 3. As the new Term begins and we start to look ahead, we encourage our young people to set goals and make the most of the opportunities available to them, but we also need to be mindful that for many, particularly our seniors, this is the final full Term of academic learning before NCEA external examinations.
In reflection of this, and in trying to encourage our young people to reflect and set goals, at Assembly this week our student leaders spoke about the recent celebration of Matariki. This public holiday marked the start of the Māori Lunar Calendar, acknowledged an important time in Te Ao Māori, and is significant for all of us as we celebrate our bicultural heritage as a country. Underpinning Matariki are three specific principles:
· Remembrance – Honouring those we have lost since the last rising of Matariki.
· Celebrating the present – Gathering together to give thanks for what we have.
· Looking to the future – Looking forward to the promise of a new year.
Reflecting on each of these principles offers us an opportunity to pause and remember those who have contributed to our lives, to take time to appreciate and celebrate today, and then invites us to look forward and set goals so we can realise our best future.
With regards to looking to the future, our Māori parents and students were invited to a whanau hui this week to find out how we can better serve our Māori community. I would like to thank our Kaiwhakahaere Whaea Vanessa, our Manutaki Laura Thomas and Bridget Ryan for organising this very important hui. Some fabulous ideas were shared by our rangatahi (young people) and whanau and we look forward to implementing these into our strategic plan for next year.
The strategic plan will continue to be centred around our school vision:
“Just as Jesus Christ loves us, at St Peter’s College we are called to love one another through actions of Compassion, Community and Commitment”.
It was fitting then that we also celebrated Matariki this week with a full day on Wednesday where students got to experience many fun activities including harakeke making, film, making food, rakau games, Ki o Rahi, ukelele and pounamu making. Thank you to all the staff and students who worked hard to ensure this was such a successful day.
Charity Fulfils the Law