Newsletter - WE 20/11/20

NCEA Changes

Exams are fully underway and the school has been quiet this week with Year 10 also away on camp. On Thursday we took part in the mandated teacher only day that is happening in Secondary Schools across the country to work through the upcoming changes to the NCEA qualification system. These changes are significant and will make a real difference to the way we plan and deliver into the future. The first change coming in 2021 whereby students will not be able to resubmit for reassessment for anything other than an achieved grade, which means more than ever, students have to do their best work the first time. Those seeking higher accolades would therefore be well served by connecting with teachers throughout the process of submission and making sure they fully understand the requirements for Merit and Excellence before they hand in. The changes to NCEA will roll out over time and we will keep you informed as each alteration comes online.

Camp

Thanks to Mr Cate and his hardy team for putting together a great three-day plan of activity for our Year 10 students at Windy Point. In speaking with other schools, it appears we are one of a few secondary schools that still embrace the need for camp and are in an even more exclusive club of making them happen in 2020.

Prizegiving

This is approaching rather rapidly as we look forward to ending the year with a celebration of student achievement. We ask please that you arrive and be seated ready to go by 11am on Wednesday 9th December as we will start promptly with the intention of being finished by 1pm. There is no requirement at this time to wear a mask or for social distancing at this event and we will inform you if this changes. If you wish to wear a mask, that is of course at your discretion.

Reports

End of year reports are being compiled and will be sent to the email address we have on file. Lockdown and the removal of mid-year reports has messed with our usual system a bit which is set up at the beginning of the year, so please do not be concerned if there are some grades missing as many teachers adapted their courses as a result of not having the students on site around the mid-year period. It is really important that we have a working email address for you and remember that our reports often go to spam. These will be sent in the last week of term and we will notify you when we have sent them so you can check.

Hockey Awards

Next Friday I will be attending the Canterbury Hockey Awards with the awesome crew from Hurunui Hockey to receive our award for ‘Community Project of the Year’ for our hockey turf. It is great to have our small community recognised at this level as the winners of the National Award and celebrate the efforts of the many people who worked hard to make this happen.

Basketball Court

Those sharp eyes among you will see the asphalt is laid and we are now close to installing the hoops and putting down lines. This will be a great facility for our community to enjoy for many years to come.

Have a wonderful weekend.

James Griggs
Principal

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Junior School News 

This week Year 1-8 had a visit from Kerri and Mark from Firewise. Firewise is the division of the Fire Service who provide an education programme around fire safety. The staff here were pleased to note that all previous teaching around fire safety had been retained, our learners were very clear about what to do in an emergency and there were many students who were able to describe an escape route out of their homes. If you want a dinner time conversation starter, ask about the visit on Monday and what was talked about. The children experienced crawling through an inflatable house that was dark, simulating a house that was filled with smoke. They crawled through to find the escape route, feeling the way with their hands. Judging from the noise inside the ‘house’ it was an entertaining experience!

Next week our Year 5/6 students are all off to camp at Living Springs. Ms Campbell and Mrs Moke and their hub are all looking forward to this and have done an outstanding job on fundraising. We wish them all the best for their camp and hope the weather is good!

Last week I sent home a notice regarding class placement for Years 3-8 in 2021. Teachers of Years 2-5 are talking to their classes about what this might mean for them next year. While we listen to parent preferences, we cannot promise these will be accommodated. Current teachers spend some time working on groupings to ensure the best for each of the students and then these are discussed with senior management. I want to assure all parents and whanau that this is a difficult job and one we take seriously.

In 2021 we will have one Reception class, one class at Year 2 and by mid-year we will start a third class in Te Kooti. There will be two mixed classes of Year 3/4, two mixed classes of Year 5/6 and three mixed classes of Year7/8. Composite (two year groups) classes means all children will move up a year in their learning progressions, however, some may be in the same room with the same teacher as this year. Others may move to another room with a new teacher. Classes are not sorted by academic ability (streamed). If your child stays in the same room as 2020, this is not in any way being 'held back' as both rooms will be running the same programme at multiple levels as they always would. We have large fluctuations during the year (particularly during dairy changeover) within age groups, therefore, this is the best way to manage class sizes and provide consistency for students throughout the year. We take great care in creating our class groupings and once these are complete, the children will hear on Transition Day – 4th of December – which class they will be in for 2021.

It is great to see most of our students wearing their broad brimmed hats when they are outdoors, our teachers and support staff too! There has been a real effort from parents and whanau to ensure their children have hats – thank you! Please make sure those hats are named as it’s hard to find yours when they are all the same. We are really clamping down on hats as we look to continue our Sunsmart agreement with the Sunsmart organisation.

Nga mihi nui

Kylee Habgood

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 The Mobile Dentist will be at school on Thursday 26th November

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Roll of Honour

Nico Antilef

1st Merit

Bianca Jamieson

Michaela-Rae Lamont

Chloe Lilley

Max McCone

2nd Merit

Noa Wilson