A Message from our Principal

We have much to celebrate at present – 8 nominations at the recent Otago Southland Theatre Awards for last year’s ‘Back to the 80’s’ production; 2nd in Division One of the ‘Mainlands’ South Island Volleyball Tournament for our senior boys and an impressive 1st place in Division 2 for our senior girls, with both teams beating all the Dunedin schools on their way to the finals; fantastic Level 1 NCEA achievement at 92.1% which is the strongest performance in five years (this is the first cohort fully through our junior curriculum structure, Te Tīmataka which began in 2021), and a school roll now close to maximum indicating to us that what we offer at Trinity is appreciated by young people and their whānau.

It is not by accident that any of these things happen! A few years ago, we talked a lot about ‘doing the little things well’. I revisited this with students at our senior assembly this week. If any of you watched the recent Halberg Awards, you may have watched Richie McCaw’s acceptance speech. He too, talked about doing the hard yards rather than taking the easy option; committing to the small things that make the difference even when it is uncomfortable or takes more effort. Doing the small things well – finishing your homework every night, wearing our school uniform well so teachers don’t need to have a separate conversation with you, turning up to practices on time and ready to start, being present at school and ready for learning, contributing to the ‘team’ rather than thinking only about what you can get out of it – all these things support and contribute to success both academically and in life. Practice makes perfect – let’s continue to do the small things well.

On this theme, it will be a pleasure to acknowledge our NCEA Excellence Endorsed students at Toitū for our Academic Blues Evening on the 10th March. These students know how to do the small things well in their learning. They have set goals to achieve well and reached those goals through commitment and hard work. Well done – I look forward to sharing in this celebration with you.

During Lent, we are also asked to consider not only what we can refrain from, but the small ways we can both restore our relationship with God and contribute positively to the lives of others. Here is a reflection I will leave you with in this second week of Lent.

Pope Leo’s Lenten Message  

“I would like to invite you to a very practical and frequently unappreciated form of abstinence: that of refraining from words that offend and hurt our neighbour. Let us begin by disarming our language, avoiding harsh words and rash judgement, refraining from slander and speaking ill of those who are not present and cannot defend themselves. Instead, let us strive to measure our words and cultivate kindness and respect in our families, among our friends, at work, on social media, in political debates, in the media and in Christian communities. In this way, words of hatred will give way to words of hope and peace.

Dear friends, let us ask for the grace of a Lent that leads us to greater attentiveness to God and to the least among us. Let us ask for the strength that comes from the type of fasting that also extends to our use of language, so that hurtful words may diminish and give way to a greater space for the voice of others. Let us strive to make our communities places where the cry of those who suffer finds welcome, and listening opens paths towards liberation, making us ready and eager to contribute to building a civilization of love.”

Manaaki te Atua

Mrs Kate Nicholson

Principal