Dec
13
Last Newsletter for 2009
December 13, 2009 |
Dear Parents and Friends of the College
The finality of my decision to resign from my position here at Katikati College is certainly hitting home and it is a very strange feeling to be saying goodbye to something that has dominated my life for the past 10 years. While I am going to miss many things about Katikati College, I am comfortable with my decision and know that the College is in good hands and will continue it’s tradition for excellence.
What I will miss the most are the people associated with Katikati College - especially the staff and students. The administration and compliance demands of my role are incredibly time consuming and take me away from being as consistently involved with our students as I would like to be. Throughout my time, I have made a priority of getting out of my office and into classrooms and being visible around the grounds. Not only does this allow me to interact with the students, but it gives them them a chance to come up and speak with me. It also allows me to get a feel for the general mood of the school and I love being out and about.
When I look at the progress we have made in the 10 years I have been Principal, I feel enormously proud of all we have achieved. While the physical changes ie the buildings are most obvious, I also believe we have come a long way in the environment we provide for our students to learn in. Our staff and students enjoy a positive learning focussed relationship where students generally want to learn and the staff have a real commitment to helping their students achieve success; both for now and in their future. As I look around our school, I am reminded of the quote
“students are born with a powerful desire to learn. Everything we do as parents and teachers must ensure this powerful desire is kept alive - If there is one thing that should be continually assessed, it should be this desire.”
This is the challenge that keeps us all in education and the belief that we can make a meaningful difference for our students. As I watch our students progress through the school I draw great satisfaction from seeing them make the most of the advantage they have through going to our school. They are young people we all should be proud of and our future is in pretty good hands with them. We need to keep telling them that and help them accept the responsibility for their success - something I have unashamedly done a lot throughout the last few years.
Finally, I would like to say a huge thanks to everyone and also pass on my best wishes to Neil Harray as he embarks on his Principal-ship journey. To all of you, my challenge is to continue to make us proud of you and of Katikati College.
Peter Leggat
Principal
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