At our meeting on 15 November we welcomed newly elected student rep Jappan Kaur to her first meeting who shared the valuable perspective of students. Congratulations to all students who have completed internal and external exams – it’s been a tough time for all who have had little or no practice due to Covid.

Big thanks to all the many families who have paid the annual donation to the school this year, it really makes a HUGE difference to what we are able to provide for students above and beyond what the Ministry of Education funds us for.

For example, before Covid we were able to fund 20 additional teachers. Last year we could afford 11, and this year just four. So every dollar helps!

We are of course continuing to look for more sponsorship, and other fundraising initiatives are in the pipeline. Having the Event Centre operating, and our new Strategic Relationship and Fundraising Manager, Gabrielle McNaughton on board, also makes a big difference.

Some of the other resources your donations have helped to provide this year include:

• Extra relief teachers
• Library books
• Projectors for classrooms
• Specialised active whiteboards for maths lessons
• Gazebos for sports
• Sewing machines for fabric technology
• Piupiu for kapa haka students
• Tubas, guitars and timpani for music
• A laser cutter for hard materials technology
• A display fridge for food tech

Thanks to the incredible work by Principal Jane Stanley and Finance Manager Camila Tornquist we have managed the lean Covid years well, and are looking forward to being able to provide more resources for students and teachers next year. In particular we are pleased to be able to provide more professional development opportunities for staff, which will bring further global insights and expertise into Westlake teaching methods and approaches.

Thank you to all staff, students, parents and our whole community for what you contribute to our Westlake whānau. We look forward to more community events where we can gather together in person next year.

Farewell to our Year 13’s, we wish you every success and happiness, and hope you stay in touch through the alumni programme.

Season’s greetings to all, and best wishes for a relaxing and restorative summer.