Nearly 400 alumni congregate on the school grounds to celebrate their time at Kaipara College.
What an incredible year 2024 has been for Kaipara College – we celebrated 100 years in our local community, our second annual Ag Day, our first international trip since Covid 19, university scholarships in record numbers, our 1st XV taking out first place in their grade – the list goes on. Like any year, it has not been without its challenges, but in spite of these challenges, the year has been overwhelmingly positive and this is attributable to the hard work and dedication of our absolutely amazing team.
As I look back over everything we have achieved this year, the faces of our team pop into my head. There are many faces associated with each event and success, and I am full of gratitude for the time and energy our staff have graciously gifted to the school for the sake of our students, their colleagues, and of the school’s alumni. Thank you to all of our wonderful staff - I want you to know that your gifts, acknowledged or not, are felt and deeply appreciated. I feel very lucky to work with you and look forward to working alongside you all again next year.
One of the events where our staff’s support was felt particularly strongly was the Centenary celebration weekend in September. It was a highly successful and joyous occasion that saw nearly 400 alumni congregate on the school grounds to celebrate their time at Kaipara College and reconnect and reminisce with their old chums. Many staff members put in huge chunks of time beforehand, and our volunteers filled their rostered time and then stayed longer to support their colleagues and soak in the joy-filled atmosphere. We learned a lot about the history of the college over this year, and I am also indebted to that first group of parents who lobbied the government for a local high school and began our legacy, and to past and present school leaders and board members who have guided and shepherded that legacy to ensure that it continues.
Naturally the event would not have been possible without the support of many community organisations that generously donated goods and services to support the Centenary and Ag Day. We feel very fortunate to be a part of this warm and welcoming community. There is one community group in particular that I want to acknowledge here – our School Board. You are an extraordinary group of people who generously give your time and knowledge simply for the sake of giving back. I am very grateful to have the advantage of your knowledge and experience, and the benefit of your strong support.
To our graduating class of 2024, we are proud of you all and we wish you nothing but the best. To our student leaders, particularly our head students and deputy head students, thank you for your service to the school. We appreciated the well-run assemblies, the creative videos with prosocial messaging that had us laughing out loud, and your general kindness. You helped create a wonderful atmosphere in the school. To our Tu Rangatira and Kapa Haka students who showed up to countless school and community events and did us exceedingly proud - ka mau te wehi! Nga mihi for your service to the school too.
To all the students of 2024, thank you for getting involved in the life of the school, working hard, pursuing your goals purposefully and with passion. Without you we have no school and I look forward to another exciting year next year. Thank you for taking the opportunities Kaipara College has given you, for embodying our WAKA values and for learning and growing as a person.
Finally, it’s not easy being a parent – I know that first hand – so to all our parents, thank you for washing uniforms, getting students out of bed and off to school, for packing lunches week-in week-out, for supporting your students to study and emailing teachers when they need support, for advocating for your students, for showing up to meetings, for supporting our decisions, for coaching and managing sports teams, for being a chauffeur, for reading and responding to countless emails, and for generally doing all the things parents do that support the school despite being very busy. We very much look forward to welcoming you and your students back next year as we embark on another journey in our waka together.
