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Principal's Blog: Term 3 Week 3
Friday, 4 August 2023
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Kia ora whānau It was a privilege to attend the Term 3 Primary Leaders' Chapel Service this week, and to learn of the emphasis being placed upon leadership attributes and skills, and what it means to be an 'Inspiring Marsden Girl'. Deputy Head Girl, Sarah Guiney, was the guest speaker and she shared with the students what it means to be a school leader, and working alongside others. Sarah's leadership attribute of humility was abundantly present, with Sarah not once alluding to her recent string of elite successes with New Zealand Secondary Schools Netball, captaining the Wellington U18 netball team in winning a national title in the recent school holidays and her subsequent selection for the 2023 Aotearoa Māori Secondary School Team. We are also thrilled to learn that Lea Landrain, Joyce Chan, and Ruby O'Connor have been selected for the New Zealand Under 19 Handball Team, who will compete internationally in New Caledonia in October. Congratulations to our high-flying wāhine, and all the very best to our Primary School students as they continue their inquiries across the term into 'Wāhine toa who have changed the world' and 'Women in governance.' There are countless exemplary examples of Marsden alumnae to investigate and learn from, our current stable of exceptional student leaders notwithstanding. The annual Swainson Memorial Music Competition was a resounding success, with a wide range of exceptionally talented musicians courageously sharing their talents with their peers, enthralling audiences. Thank you to Marian Campbell and Sarah Wilson for their organisation, and to our adjudicator, NZSO's Alanna Jones, who no doubt had an incredibly difficult task. Congratulations to all entrants and prize-winners, with special mention to the Marian Campbell Cup prize-winner, Carina Gunchenko (piano), the Betty Swainson Memorial prize-winner, Sage Pettus (voice), and the Nell Clere Music Scholarship winner, Georgia Burley (voice) for her stunningly captivating performance of 'On My Own,' from Les Misérables, by CM Schönberg. Brava! Across the course of next week, we continue to welcome visitors to Marsden Open Mornings, with the Primary School Open Morning scheduled for Tuesday 8 August, and a Year 7-13 Open Morning on Friday 11 August. There continues to be strong interest for enrolment for next year and beyond, with some visitors seeking an immediate start, as evidenced by our 11 new students who joined us at the beginning of this term. In addition to our traditional Open Morning programme, visitors of prospective Year 11 students who hold interest in our 2024 NCEA+ innovation, will learn more about our rigorous future-focused offering that will see Marsden students accessing the formal qualification pathway earlier than those in schools who have decided to dispense with it altogether. Please don't hesitate to share the link to potential Marsden families in order that they might register for our August Open Mornings. Additionally, we are currently advertising our Māori & Pasifika and Senior School Scholarships, for which applications close on 25 August. This year we are delighted to be seeking applicants for the inaugural 'Ad Summa' (Letteri Family) scholarship, which is open to both new and existing students. Generously gifted to the school, the Ad Summa Scholarship is a 100% three-year tuition fees scholarship from Year 11 for students who might otherwise not be in a position to access, or continue to access, a Marsden education. We look forward to receiving eligible applicants. Have a wonderful weekend e te whānau. |