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Principal's Blog: Term 1 Week 10
Thursday, 30 March 2023
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Kia ora whānau Welcome to the last newsletter of Term 1, and what a term it has been. We have had such a buoyant beginning to the school year, and it has been fabulous to have been sharing in the positivity and enthusiasm of our students who have been giving school their all. There have been incredibly high levels of engagement and involvement, with a huge bouquet being afforded our student leaders who have risen to the challenge they set themselves at the outset in walking the talk of servant leadership every single day. Our astounding students continue to be our greatest ambassadors. In the last week of term, we farewell two Marsden stalwarts; Academic Director, Margaret Adeane and Community Development Director, Martine Foster. I know you join with me in thanking them for their exceptional contributions to generations of Marsden wāhine, and acknowledge both their professionalism in their respective roles and the heart they carry for those students and families they have served. Martine’s Development role has been redistributed to existing staff members, mainly Foundation Manager Bridget Child and Marketing Assistant, Dawn Morrison. Our new Deputy Principal, Jenny Caldwell, will be welcomed at pōwhiri on the first day of Term 2, Wednesday 26 April. We look forward to welcoming alumna, Jenny, back to her alma mater and the Marsden family. Throughout the latter part of 2022 and the beginning of 2023, whilst closing out a review of sport and the re-writing of our new Sport and Recreation Strategy ‘Every Body Active’, we have been incredibly fortunate to have engaged with Acting Director of Sport, Cam Burns. Cam has worked tirelessly in ensuring that sport has continued to happen here at Marsden and has given his all in doing a great job for our students. He is a wonderful proponent of all that is good in the school sport and recreation space, and we thank him for his service. We have appointed a permanent Director of Sport, and are delighted to announce the return of Rosie Kirkpatrick to Marsden. In another full-circle tale, Rosie began her sports administration career as Marden’s Sports Coordinator prior to taking up a Director of Sport position at Onslow College, followed by stints working in high-performance Athletics in Canada and then at Basketball New Zealand as a tournament director. Rosie is very excited to be returning to where her professional life started and has described the opportunity to return as our Director of Sport as her ‘dream job’. Rosie will join our team at the very beginning of Term 2. Any sports-related queries during the school holiday break are to be directed to Sports Coordinator, Caitlin O’Sullivan. The school will be operating with a skeleton support staff over the school holidays, except for the Easter break and ANZAC Day, with the inclusion of Monday the 24th of April when we are closed for a staff community service day. All queries across the school holidays are to be directed to the Upper School reception. I wish all a safe and rejuvenating school holiday break and may this joyful season of Easter fill hearts with renewed hope, love and peace. |