Principal’s Notes

Principal’s Notes:

Our short sharp lockdown was certainly a surprise for us all, and a shock to our new students who had only been in timetabled classes for 3 days due to the Waitangi Day holiday and Athletics Day event held here at school.  But, here we all are back again – all 1760 of us!

Our annual Athletics Day carnival was truly a wonderful celebration of everything that is great about Springs and special congratulations to Oranga House who won the house competition for the day, closely followed by Kapura House.  3 cheers for them!

Good news on the academic front as well with outstanding NCEA and Scholarship results with Springs again having a Top Scholar in NZ Award – Caspian Rive in History.  His teacher Graeme Moran and I will travel to parliament with Caspian and his parents and family to receive this award from the Prime Minister.  Other scholarships, 8 at Outstanding level were awarded to students in Biology (Outstanding); Calculus; Classical Studies (2) (1 Outstanding); Dance; Design; Geography; History (15) (6 Outstanding); Media Studies; Photography; Physics; Te Reo Maori; Te Reo Rangatira.

NZQA have also advised that Jamie Heathcote will have her NCEA Level 3 Design portfolio displayed in NZQA’s Top Art Exhibition touring the country this year.  Stella Renner-Allen’s (Fogorelli) Design work features on the promotional poster here.

Joining our senior leadership team this year are two new Assistant Principals – Anna Witten-Sage and Phil Douglas filling the role of Paul Alford who is on refreshment leave this year.  I wish them well, and I know the school community do as well, as they step into these challenging roles.  In Ngā Puna o Waiōrea we celebrate the appointments of Bella Pomare and Naomi Cusack as kaihautu (senior leaders) to support the tumuaki.

I can also confirm that Samantha Woods-Rawnsley, one of our teachers of Dance, has assumed the role of Arts Coordinator for the 2021 school year; Isabel Michell and David Larsen acting HoDs of English; and Margaret Robertson has been appointed acting Specialist Classroom Teacher for 2021.

I am pleased to report that the school is fully staffed with 129 teachers and 60 support staff,  one of the collateral benefits of New Zealanders returning home from overseas due the scourge of Covid -19.

Ivan Davis
Principal