Kia ora, everyone,

Summer Tournament is one of the most significant events in our Sports Department’s calendar, and this week has been fantastic, with Westlake Students making us very proud across many sports codes.

Our students have shown remarkable dedication in everything from equestrian events to basketball, volleyball, and running. I want to express my deep gratitude to our school staff and you, our supportive community. Driving kids around, standing on cold sidelines, helping to coach teams, and getting behind fundraising drives take a lot of time and effort. We see you, and we are so grateful. The unwavering support of whānau enables us to provide our students with a wealth of opportunities and to support them to the fullest.

In other school news, we sent you an email this week* about the impending mobile phones in schools policy, as mandated by the government. Changes to school rules always take some getting used to, and we all know how wedded our teens are to their phones! However, we are heartened by highly positive anecdotes from schools that have already implemented this policy, and we feel strongly that it will be a good thing for our school. This policy will not only help us maintain a focused learning environment but also foster better social interactions among our students. We will be speaking to the students about this between now and the break for Easter, and we will start Term Two with the policy in place, as per government instructions.

Wishing you a lovely weekend,

Jane Stanley

PRINCIPAL

*If you did not receive this email, contact Bridget Ellis-Pegler, our Communications Manager, at [email protected], and she will email you the information.