Message from the Principal
Tēnā Koutou Katoa
It is nice to see all our students back at school. We have quite a few new families that have joined us this year. I would like to especially welcome them to Wairoa College. Our Year 9 cohort is the biggest we have had in a long time.
This year we have some new staff:
Priya Dayal - Science Teacher
Avikesh Kumar - Mathematics and Science Teacher
Franzi Corker - Music Teacher
Amy Winiana - Teacher aide
We are very lucky to have such enthusiastic staff. I am looking forward to seeing what our students can accomplish this year.
Over the last few weeks Cyclone Gabrielle and then the subsequent flooding has caused devastation to our community. During this time though we saw students and staff rise up to support whanau and strangers. This included helping clear houses, preparing food, helping out at marae, letter box drops of newsletters from Civil Defence and unloading supplies at the airport. Service is about showing leadership, it is about giving up your time to do something for someone else. I would like to acknowledge our school community efforts. We are a very resilient community.
 |  |  |
Message from the principal continued
The impact from these events will be ongoing for some time. Families have had to find alternative accommodation temporarily or permanently. For the foreseeable future we can not go to Napier or Hastings for our usual sporting competitions. Much of our health and education support comes from Hastings and Napier. Many of our school bus routes have been suspended. As a school community, students, whanau and staff will be navigating these barriers for a while to come.
Our Prefects and their roles were announced at assembly last week. Congratulations to these students. Our student leaders will do all they can to lift the spirits of our younger students and keep them engaged in fun activities to support their well-being and engagement with school.
We are very proud of the achievements of our students last year. Our tikanga is strong and we are continuing to grow. Wairoa College would like to thank whānau and the community for continuing to support our students to be the best they can be. We are looking forward to another year where we will be continuing to be adaptable and flexible to meet the needs of our students in an ever changing environment.
Ngā mihi nui
Mrs Jo-Anne Vennell
Prefect Camp
Ka Pu te Ruha – Ka Hao te Rangatahi.
This year's Wairoa College prefect camp was a new experience for both the prefect group and the accompanying staff. This was for 2 reasons. First, this year it was decided to take place in Mahia, rather than the previous designated area - Tutira. And second, which was the most frustrating for everyone, none of us knew what our perfect roles were. Our 2 day journey was filled with 2 long, unbearable walks, multiple team building activities and too much sun. Despite my terrible sunburn, I found the experience enjoyable. For our prefect group we were able to identify our faults as a team. We learnt how important communicating with one another is when working as a group. This was a valuable lesson for us to learn and will definitely be one we will use this year.
Eden Scotson
 |  |  |
Senior Swimming Sports
Trades Academy
It is great to be travelling back to Gisborne for Trades Academy. It is awesome to see many new students especially after our East Coast Regions have been effected by the recent floods
Trades Academy works with secondary schools and EIT to provide year-long Trades Programmes to help students achieve NCEA Level 2 and prepare for higher-level study. Students get hands on experience in something that they maybe interested in for future employment. Upon successful completion of an EIT Trades Academy Course students will be acknowledged for their success.
Ada Clark
Gateway Coordinator.
Guidance Councillor
Kia Ora Wairoa College Whanau. Ko Valerie Eden taku ingoa.
I am fortunate to have joined the Wairoa College Team this year as their Guidance Counsellor. I have 17 years of experience as a counsellor and have worked in a variety of roles including with refugees who are survivors of torture and trauma, as a child sexual abuse counsellor, and more recently in Alcohol and other Drug counselling, My specialty area is trauma. I am available to support not only rangatahi, but whanau of our students too. I would like to acknowledge the challenges we are currently facing as a community and encourage you to reach out for support. My mobile number is 0278088645.
Nga mihinui
Val
Letisha Ngatai
Ko Ngai Tahu o Matawhaiti te hapu
Ko Iwitea te Marae
Ko Ngati Porou te Iwi
Ko Letisha Ngatai
I am a registered Social Worker. How tamariki/children respond to situations is what my
focus is. When tamariki/children have adaptive behaviour that are causing issues, I offer a
safe environment where they can learn to understand their body’s reactions, identify feelings
and then be able to consciously make decisions on how they wish to best respond to the
situation that would be more helpful.
I look forward to working with Wairoa College, Tauira and whanau
Referrals please to Jo Vennell, Lisa Akers or Kirby.
