Our V ision
To be the best we can be
Www.tauraroa.school.nz
Phone 432-2643
FROM THE PRINCIPALS DESK
Kia Ora koutou,
This ANZAC day we are reminded, perhaps more than ever, of the waste associated with war. Even when it
becomes a necessity to fight, as it surely was in World War II, there is little to celebrate in the act of war. Tens of
thousands died in the battles fought over Gallipoli’s shore and hills. There may have been some strong military
reason at the time, but the point of ANZAC day now is not to celebrate but to remember, and to keep learning
from the lessons of the past.
“Lest we forget”
In my own time as a school student World War I poetry stands out among the things I learned. Who can forget the
haunting and painfully honest lines of Anthem for Doomed Youth or Dulce et Decorum est? These were written by
the English poet Wilfred Owen who died in France in 1918 only days before the November 11 Armistice bells rang
out. He was just 25. He knew all about war having fought bravely in the trenches before suffering severe shell
shock, only to be rehabilitated and sent back to the battlefield.
“Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.”
from Dulce et Decorum est, by Wilfred Owen -1917/18
As we turn our own attention to ANZAC day this year it is with pleasure that we, on this 100th anniversary, join
with the community of Tauraroa and Maungakaramea to mark the occasion at the Maungakaramea Sports Club.
Many of you will have seen that Room 7 is now gone. It was demolished over the holidays. This was quite the
project as the building contained asbestos. While this is stable enough when it sits quietly as cladding it is a whole
different story on a building site. Every care has to be taken with its removal and this happens at no small
expense to the school. We now await the beginning of the building project which will see a brand new Room 3
emerge on the site. This should start by the end of May; following that we look further forward to the extensive
renovation of Rooms 4-6.
D1 has had 21 new computers installed over the holidays. This will allow us to spread the good quality computers
from D1 around the school making a difference to as many teaching spaces as possible.
Parents of students in Years 11 to 13 can look forward to seeing reports being available around the middle of the
term. Once those are done there will be an opportunity for parents and caregivers to meet with students and
teachers to further develop learning and achievement goals for the year.
Hei konā mai
Peter Walton-Jones
Acting Principal