Welcome to 2023

Kia ora e te whānau,

2023 has arrived and we are excited about the school year ahead. The past 2 years have posed many challenges for not only education but families as well. 

We have prepared a comprehensive program for 2023 and our tamariki are going to really enjoy their learning this year. We have available for you an annual plan for your child’s year level, it outlines exactly what learning will look like for your child this year. We can email this to you or you can view it in the school office on the wall display.

Contact Whaea Marilyn in the school office and she can organise that for you.  The annual plans will also be made available on the school website before school officially starts for the year.

We have a wonderful team at Western Heights Primary School, and we are excited to welcome three amazing teachers to our talented group of teachers. Whaea Libbee and Whaea  Tyla join Kakano waka and Matua Marcus joins our senior, Mahuri waka. We also have Whaea Diana who is joining our teacher aide team.

With the housing crisis in Rotorua we have seen families relocate to different towns and cities around New Zealand and a good number of families head to Australia.  This means we have more out of zone enrolment spaces available this year. It is rare so if you have whānau looking at coming to our Kura and they are out of zone, they must act with urgency to secure a place in our school. Families have already taken up this opportunity, don’t miss out. There are limited spaces but a few more than previous years. Once the spots are filled that will be it. You can even secure a spot for your child later in the year if you act now.

This year we are excited to introduce some new programs to our Kura. We will continue to deliver specialist Physical Education and we have added specialist Visual Arts as well. Children will go as a class to these specialist subjects. We also have Dance, Conservation and Journalism taking place for term 1.

We have extended Māori Medium Education down to year year 3, so we now have opportunities for children to enter MME from year 3-6. All classes have a component of te reo Māori but the MME classes are at a higher level.

I am extremely excited about the coming year. We have assembled an amazing teaching team, we have spent many weeks strategically planning so we can provide truly exciting learning for your tamariki. I can’t wait to get started.

The school office is open for enrolments, 9.30am - 12.30pm daily. I look forward to catching up with everyone. Just a reminder, school starts for all students on 31 January, the school bus and the chariot will be operating.

To finish, my plea to all families, get your children to school. Absenteeism is hindering the potential of so many of our students. If they are at school, I am confident my talented team of teachers and support staff will provide the very best educational opportunities for your tamariki. Education is vital, let’s work together to ensure our children reach their potential.

Bring on 2023, I am ready.

Nga mihi

Brent Griffin