Tumuaki (Principal's) Message

Kia ora koutou katoa and a very warm Pacific welcome to our wonderful school,

I am excited and humbled to be Principal of the vibrant community that St. Leonards Rd. school is.  It is my privilege to serve our tamariki, parents and whānau, building on the wonderful foundations laid by previous Principals.  St Leonards Rd school began in 1962 and has a proud history of providing the Kelston community with quality education and learning opportunities for our tamariki.   Our values, Whānau whānui, Manaakitanga and Manawanui underpin who we are and all that we do.

We pride ourselves in our inclusive practice and value the collegial relationship we have with Oaklynn Special School and the two satellite classes we have on our school site.  We are strongly connected to our local community and active participants in Te Whānau Mātauranga o Kerehana Kāhui Ako and the Kelston Visioning Project where we work in close collaboration with schools across Kelston.   

One of the many strengths we have as a school, is the wonderfully diverse backgrounds, languages and culture of our tamariki and kaiako.  This gives us the unique advantage of being able to learn alongside each other in the practice of AKO.   This year we are excited to offer the full pathway of bilingual education in Te Reo Māori and Le Gagana Samoa.  In 2022 we began the journey of starting a Vagahau Niue language enrichment class and look forward to seeing this become a reality at some stage in 2023.

My greatest joy is seeing our tamariki and kaiako thrive in a safe, happy, inspirational learning environment where successful achievement and progress is celebrated!   Having four grown children of my own, I know the value parents have as first teachers and firmly believe that working together in a responsive home school partnership is key to ensure successful outcomes for our tamariki.    

I welcome your expertise, partnership and participation to work with us, and together ensure our tamariki have a successful education journey in our kura!  

To our current and prospective tamariki, parents and whānau, I look forward to sharing this journey with you, knowing that your tamariki will love their time at our school and will be supported to successfully reach their goals! 

I invite you to look through our website and better still, come and visit us, you are always welcome!  

Ngā mihi nui ki aroha,

Sharon Fuemana 

Tumuaki (Principal)

Ma te mōhio ka ora, ma te ora ka mōhio: Learn to Live, Live to learn