Principal News

By Simon Clarke | Posted: Tuesday August 6, 2019

"Have the present generation any idea of what Dunedin was like 50 years ago (let alone 150 years ago)? Possibly less than 50 of our present scholars know of the excedingly hard and rough conditions of life and surroundings of Roslyn where our school is so favourably situated; so the Jubilee Committee have arranged as part of the Jubilee celebrations, for a lantern exhibition of the early days of the settlement of Dunedin and those who were our masters and teachers"

The more things change the more they stay the same is an apt saying for this passage taken from the 1919 Kaikorai 50th Jubilee book.  Our students today have little understanding of what life was like 50 years ago let alone 150 years ago and much like the teachers of 1919 who used a lantern (a very early slide projector) to show pictures of early Dunedin our teachers will be doing something similar to teach our students about the history of the school, Dunedin and the world.  But instead of a lantern, children will once again be using a wide range of devices from 3D printers to VR goggles to making models linked to coding language to show what they have learnt.

Registrations close for the 150th reunion at the end of the month and we would encourage anyone who wants to register to do so asap.  Please remind any other former students that you may know that the renunion is on.

As part of the overall redevelopment of the school, a separate project of revitalising the Memorial Gate back to its former glory is being planned for. Much like the 50th reunion where the proceeds from the reunion went towards the construction of the gates we are hoping that the proceeds from this reunion will be able to bring them back to their former glory.  If your family would like to make a pledge to help leave a lasting legacy at the school we will be taking pledges over the Labour Weekend.

In less happy news, I have been very saddened to see shocking behaviour when it has come to road safety around our school in recent weeks and months.  We are the adults and we should be setting an example for our children.  What is it saying to children that it is OK to break the rules?  Yellow lines are there not to make your life hard but to keep your kids safe.  They provide lines of sight for children crossing roads and when you park your SUV there they can't see, significantly increasing the chance of a child being hit. 

Parking over someone elses drive is just rude and self entitled.  I know you can do it as when the parking wardens are in the area the parking is perfect.

Rules and laws are important in a society so that we can all live together in peace and harmony.  They apply to everyone and that includes you.  So please follow these simple rules.

• The 5 min park is for dropping off and picking up.  Arriving at 2:45 and going into the school and watching your kid play is not acceptable.  I can guarantee if this area is kept clear everything will improve.
• Yellow lines - You can't park there, not even if you are still in the car
• Neighbours driveways - Don't even think about it
• Neighbours paid parks in Tyne St - see above

I have been in contact with the DCC and we are working on making some changes that I hope will make it safer for all.  We will be back in touch once these plans have been finalised.

Thank you to our hard working road patrol.  The school is only responsible for your child's safety between 9 and 3 and parents are responsible for the safe dropping off and collection of their child.  But the volunteer Road Patrol are out each day making sure that your child is safe.  It is a sad reflection on our school that they are being abused when they ask people to park safely and that we have to purchase signs or carry cones out each day to tell people not to park in certain areas due to their selfishness.    The only response should be "Sorry, thanks for the reminder and I wont do it again" 

We can all do better.