Reflecting on the year that's been, what’s to come, and ways to unwind this silly season!
It’s the end of another year, and with that, time to relax, unwind, and reflect on all that has been achieved throughout a whirlwind 2021.
At Hero HQ, we’ve been doing some reflecting of our own and wanted to leave you with some insight into the heroic year that has been, what is on the horizon, and a few recommendations to take with you into the holiday break.
But first, a note to acknowledge the education heroes in our lives - our leaders, teachers, administrators and wider school communities - who continue to work tirelessly to uplift our children, often in times of high pressure across this year. It’s time to hang up your capes, and get some much deserved rest.
Heading into 2022, we will no doubt be navigating a different Covid-19 landscape and, with this, a new set of challenges. During this period of change, kindness, solidarity and empathy will be our greatest tools to keep moving forward as communities. We look forward to seeing where the road takes us, and importantly, sharing more wins, building on strong partnerships with our schools, and seeing Hero reach new heights as our 2022 goals come to fruition.
A Heroic Year at a Glance
We have certainly had a heroic year at Hero HQ, and one worth shouting about! Let’s take a quick, top-level glance at a few of our achievements from this year, accomplished in collaboration with our heroic schools:
In addition, we were named within Holon IQ’s Top 50 Edtech Solutions across New Zealand and Australia (alongside some fantastic other businesses!)…
… as well as being recognised in statistics released by the Ministry of Education as the fastest growing Student Management System in New Zealand, for the second consecutive year (you can read the full report here!).
While we are, of course, thrilled by these results and the growth we have achieved this year, the meaning behind each ‘win’ equates to so much more. We have strengthened and built new partnerships, seen our Hero schools tick off strategic goals, expanded Hero’s feature set, and shared many other milestone moments with one another. At the core, Hero is all about students - our smallest heroes - and making sure educators have the right tools to support them as they navigate their primary years. It’s an exciting journey to be on!
Things You Don’t Want to Miss in 2022
Now, to look forward... with a little bit of planning, and a whole lot of inspiration gathered from an epic year, 2022 is shaping up to be a good one.
2022 Hero Webinar Series
We have a number of great initiatives on the horizon, beginning with our renewed Hero Webinar Series for 2022! Featuring a range of new topics, with content to assist schools through key parts of the year and get them flying with Hero, our webinar series provides schools with continued access to timely PLD for their whole team. We are particularly looking forward to connecting with more of our schools, and sharing the rich stories and experiences of heroic leaders, administrators and school staff.
Regional Visits
Our philosophy centres on building strong and lasting partnerships with our schools. So, after a year of disrupted travel, we are very much looking forward to connecting with our New Zealand heroes in person again! With this in mind, our Education Consultants have been busy planning the first round of visits to key regions across the country in Term 1, 2022. Keep an eye out for workshop opportunities, 1:1 Professional Development offerings, plus more!
New Features
We also have an impressive lineup of new features coming in 2022, many of which have been in response to feedback from our heroes in schools. As with any new projects from Hero HQ, our Hero schools have been the first to get a sneak peek. Whilst we won’t spoil the surprises to come, let’s just say that these new releases are guaranteed to strengthen connections between home and school, save valuable time and streamline systems - stay tuned!
Interested in learning about the Hero Development Process? Find out more here!
Rest & Relax with these Recommendations
We wanted to leave you with a few good books, podcasts and apps to take into your end of year break. We know holidays can oftentimes be just as busy as day to day life, but we hope you find some time for yourself to slow down, grab a cuppa and have a brain break. Here are some recommendations from the team at Hero HQ to get you started...
Books
A Promised Land - Barack Obama
The Startup Wife - Tahmima Anam
Lost and Found - Toni Street
Island Reich - Jack Grimwood
Lean In - Sheryl Sandberg
The Orphan X series - Gregg Hurwitz
The Midnight Library - Matt Haig
Where the Crawdads Sing - Delia Owens
Podcasts
How I Built This
You’re Dead to Me
The Dropout
Kermode and Mayo's Film Review
How to discover your ‘Why’ in difficult times (Ted Talk, Simon Sinek)
Apps
Headway
Camper Mate (great for those traveling!)
Calm
Headspace
--
That’s a wrap! We hope that December has provided you with some cheer amongst the chaos of navigating Term 4. We wish you a well-earned rest, a very Merry Christmas and happy New Year - from our team to yours.
Stay safe, take it easy and we look forward to reconnecting for an exciting 2022.
The Hero Team