Dear parents and caregivers
Our Open Day was held on Wednesday 3 August. We were delighted with the huge number of students, parents and whaanau who attended throughout the day and evening. This was a great opportunity to showcase the school as we opened our doors to the community. A reminder that we want all in zone Year 9 applications as soon as possible, to give us a good indication of numbers and as we look at designing our timetable. Out of zone applications for Year 9 close on 26 August, so please ensure we receive those before then.
School board elections have recently taken place, and as we had 6 nominations there was no need for an election. I would like to acknowledge and thank the outgoing board, consisting of Meleane Burgess (Chair), Klaus Reiter (Deputy Chair and previous Chair), Andrew Don (who replaced Andrew Strawbridge mid term), Geoff King, Fiona Rhodes, Ted Wharawhara, Simon Young, Ben Kennedy (staff representative) and Alysha Harunani (student representative – one year term) for their significant commitment to the school, which for most of the board, was over the last 6 years. I am looking forward to working with the new board as we continue to provide the best possible outcomes for our students and a supportive environment for our staff and students. The new board consists of Glenys Doake, Andrew Don, Kevin Endres, Dr. Shuming Ke, ‘Ofa Pouono and Rochelle Ward. You can read their profiles here. Dominic Hopkirk (HOD Electronics and TIC Motors), will join the board as the newly elected staff representative, while the students are undergoing the process of electing a new student representative.
Last week the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) made the decision to introduce Learning Recognition Credits (LRC’s) in recognition of the impact of covid on students learning. The LRC’s will operate in the same way as the previous 2 years, whereby students will receive 1 extra credit for every 5 credits they gain, with a maximum of 10 credits at Level 1, and 8 credits at Level 2 and 3. There will also be a slight reduction in the number of credits required to gain a merit and excellence endorsement. Although this will support student achievement, we are not wanting our students to take their foot off the throttle. We still want every Year 11 to 13 student to strive to gain every credit possible to gain their NCEA. We have two weeks of exams and assessments planned for weeks 9 and 10 of this term. During this time our practice exams will take place, and we will be offering a range of opportunities for students to complete internals, reassessments, tutorials and time for students to work on practical subjects. Every senior student, through their Hauora teacher, will have a timetable for the two weeks.
Covid and winter illnesses are still continuing to affect staff and student attendance. It continues to be a challenge to staff the school on occasions and we often revert to an “all hands on deck” approach rather than resort to rostering. If your child is well enough to attend school, please ensure that they are attending. We want our students to be at school and engaged in their learning.
Ngaa mihi
Kelvin Whiting
Principal
