
1 October 2021
He rā whatiwhati kō
(A day of hard work)
Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou katoa
I have chosen this whakatauki because it refers to how a community feels when they have collectively finished a hard day’s week. In our case, I feel that we have had a hard term of work because of the COVID-19 lockdown, and our families/whānau have also had their challenges as well. My sincere hope is that as the end of the year draws closer, that moving down to Alert Level 1 will become a reality.
However, we are not there yet, and when we enter Term 4 we have several hard decisions to make around attendance at end of year functions. All ready we have had to make the difficult decision that only students can attend the Celebration of Sport. To allow parents to attend would invoke the crowd limit of 100, which means that many of the recipients could not attend. This would be very unfair. However, we are exploring ways that we can live-stream our events legally. I will keep you informed of any changes should they arise.
Despite the lockdown, our senior students have coped very well. So far, 68% of all the internal standards on offer have now been completed. Of these, only 16% have been recorded at the Not Achieved level. The rest are at the Achieve, Merit or Excellent level. Across all groups; year level, gender, or ethnicity, the students are performing better than last year. Interestingly, the previous year’s group performed better than the 2020 group of students and that was a non-COVID-19 year.
Term 4 for the seniors is now extended because NCEA now starts on the 22nd November. The extra time available to the students and the awarding of the Learning Recognition Credits makes me feel optimistic that the students will do well. However, I would strongly encourage students to use the holidays to address any learning concerns that they may have.
The winter sports season has finally concluded with the finals and some semi-finals being played after lockdown. We were delighted for our senior girl’s football team who won the Premier 2 competition, by beating Kapiti College 4-0 in the final. An outstanding effort.
It was lovely to celebrate the mahi and mana of our awesome year 10 students. These students were chosen by their form teachers, as they embody our school vision. Congratulations and happy holidays!
The following is a message from the Chairman of the Board, Mr Gavin Knight.
“The Board of the College is considering a proposal from its Chair, Gavin Knight, to reduce the number of Parent Elected Board Members from 7 to 5. The reasoning behind this proposal is:
- a)to better ensure succession planning so that we have a steady stream of new Board members each three years;
- b)and, to create more space within the composition of the Board for co-opting additional members to ensure a range of representative voices.
The full proposal can be found at this link.
The Board is now consulting with various stakeholder groups.
This email gives you your opportunity as our student’s whānau to provide feedback on this proposal. If you wish to provide feedback to the Board please send it care of the Principal’s personal assistant ([email protected]).
The Board will consider any feedback received and make a decision on the proposal at our final meeting for the year – currently scheduled for Monday 29th November.
You can also contact the Board Chair via the same email address to discuss joining the College’s Board. There is a Board election in mid-2022 and it is likely there will be a number of vacancies due to retirements of current Board members.”
The building work at the school has now begun in earnest. The staff have relocated down to the Pavilion for the next year or so. The carpark has been taken over by Naylor Love as they set up their offices and the demolition work will begin shortly. A Block roof will be coming off during the holidays, which is why we do not want students on site during the break.
I wish you all the best for the break and I look forward to Term 4 when the days are longer and warmer, and hopefully at Alert Level 1.
Ngā manaakitanga
Grant Jones