Tena koutou katoa. Nga mihi nui atawhai.

A warm welcome to the 2020 school year, to our returning students and a special welcome to all those who are new to our learning community in 2020.

The summer break, with lots of January sunshine, enabled us all to enjoy our leisure activities. I hope you have all had the time to rest, relax and refresh with whanau and friends.

At the start of this new year of learning, we would like to introduce you to our new staff who will be joining all our students on their learning journey for 2020:

Our teaching staff:

• Kate Gan who will be our Chinese language teacher
• Brydie Hunt who will be teaching Physical Education
• Rebecca Jessup who will be teaching English and ESOL
• Monica Moore who will be a Religious Education teacher
• Glenys Read who will be teaching Technology while Mrs Seedall is on sick leave.

Our support staff:

• Julie Holt will be taking over student health and reprographics
• Tillie Lima will be providing additional pastoral support and counselling.

We welcome back Irene Kim who returns to us after taking maternity leave.

Our Core Mercy Value for 2020 – Manaakitanga – Care. As Pope Francis says: ‘We must restore hope to young people, help the old, be open to the future, spread love. Be poor among the poor. We need to include the excluded and preach peace’.

Our Mercy founder, Catherine McAuley reminds us that ‘our charity is to be cordial … something that renews, invigorates and warms. Such should be the effect of our love for each other … [because] the poor [and vulnerable] need our help today, not next week’.

We have many activities and events planned throughout this year to enable you all to deepen your understanding of this Mercy value and to show how this concept can be a lived reality in our college and the wider community.

Nāku te rourou nāu te rourou ka ora ai te iwi

With your basket and my basket the people will live