A short week brings the penultimate week of Term 2 to a close. Staff at Massey High School hope that all took the opportunity to enjoy their Friday with family/whanau, taking time to remember those that have passed on Matariki.

The new Principal of Matua Ngaru School in Huapai, Stephen Grady, visited the school on Monday. It was great to have him in our school given the increasing numbers of students we receive from them as their roll grows.

Tuesday night was our annual Open Night. We were lucky with the weather with the days of rain giving way to a beautiful clear evening. Our Sublimitas Choir opened each session with a glimpse of their recent performance at the Big Sing. A new streamlined format for the tours allowed for prospective students and their parents/caregivers to drop on and off tours to spend more time at areas of particular interest to them. As always, our student leaders who served as tour guides were the best advertisement for our school – weaving detail about the school and our facilities in with their own personal journeys and providing insight into their future plans. When combined with the enthusiasm of our staff it made for a great showcase for our school. Both sessions were very well attended, with large numbers of prospective parents (including those of current Year 7 students) familiarising themselves with our school. My thanks to DP Hayley Garratt for her organisation, to the staff who were involved in ensuring a successful evening, and of course to our students.

On Thursday we held a Civil Defence Drill, with students moving to indoor areas across the school. I have to commend the way our students responded. They were informed of the purpose of the drill as our staff completed their responsibilities. In a real Civil Defence situation, students would be supervised in the safe areas as we awaited instructions on how to get them home safely given an emergency situation occurring in Auckland. 

Last week we had a great turnout of parents/caregivers at our senior student Parent Teacher Meetings. This will be followed up early in Term 3 with a similar evening for the parents/caregivers of our junior students. It was an opportunity to connect with teachers and gain nuanced insight into their child(s) progress to date and into what is on the horizon for assessments and course commitments.

As mentioned above, our Sublimitas Choir performed at The Big Sing last week – it was a privilege to see them perform at the Auckland Town Hall. Thanks to Nick Baldwin, Alan Motufoua, and of course Clare Martin for their amazing work in preparing our students for the event – it was a long road to The Big Sing and the hard work was evident for all to see (and of course hear).

Whilst I couldn’t get along to the performance itself, special mention must be made of our Massey High School Dance Team. Our Dance Department headed by Kiaya Lupi have been tirelessly preparing 35 Massey High students in the lead up to the National Dance Challenge, their first competitive event in a few years. Their mahi, combined with the talent of Dance students paid off, with Massey High School securing 1st place in the Secondary School Hip Hop division, being awarded Dance Team of the Year, and being named as the Overall School Winner for 2025.  A huge congratulations to all involved.

My sporting highlight of the week was watching our basketballers on Wednesday night. Whilst it was great to see some of our developing teams in action early on (Junior Gold and Junior A), the 7pm tip off for our Premier Basketball Team provided a rare opportunity to see them in action – at home in their own gym. Going into the game unbeaten, they played superbly – seeing off fellow table toppers Western Springs College in commanding style. Huge thanks to the work of their coach Hayley Woods, her work has built a great team.

With one week to go, the message for our students remains unchanged – finish the term strong and keep abreast of the work ahead. Ensure that assessments are submitted not only on-time but also ensure that they are completed to the very best of their ability.

Coming up in the holiday period is our Senior Ball - a special newsletter will be sent to parents/caregivers of Ball-goers in the lead up to the event. There will also be a special assembly for Ball-goers this week.

Finally, for visitors to the school in the holiday period, please be aware that Craig Walker Building Removals will be busy in the driveway area. Preparations commenced this week for their delivery of the new International Student Hub.