Tēnā koutou e te Avonhead whānau

What a mix of brisk weather we have had with numerous icy and frosty mornings and then rain to end the week. At Assembly on Monday, we talked about making sure students are wearing suitable winter uniform so they are warm when coming to school.

It has been an enjoyable fortnight watching the Olympics in Paris in the Hocquard household. It was especially exciting to see Maddie Davidson represent New Zealand in the Trampolining. Maddie is an ex-Avonhead student who spent some time last term talking to our senior students. She was very inspirational and we are very proud of her achievements.

I would like to thank everyone who came along to our interviews on Wednesday and Thursday last week. Positive education is a reciprocal relationship built on a two-way partnership between home and school. When we are able to discuss progress, achievements, and next steps it enables students to grow and be the best that they can be.

It has been a busy few days this week. On Tuesday we had 17 students take part in the Regional Chess Tournament at Halswell Library. All of our tamariki represented us very well. A special congratulations must go to Anna who came 2nd in the Year 4 grade, Katya who came 2nd in the Year 5 grade and David who came 2nd in the Year 8 grade. On Wednesday our Year 7 and 8 Boys basketball team played in the Canterbury Competition in Rangiora. This was where all of the top qualifiers from around Canterbury took part. Our team won all of their pool matches and their quarterfinal game. The semifinal was a great match with our opposition just taking the game by one basket. We ended the day in 4th overall, which is a brilliant result. Also on Wednesday, we sent three volleyball teams to participate in the Year 7 and 8 indoor tournament at Hillview Christian School. It was an enjoyable day with the students showing our Avonhead values and giving it their best. Yesterday, Cycle Safety classes began for our Year 6 students. This programme is run by the Christchurch City Council and prepares students for riding their bikes on the streets.

Next week, we have a fun sports development day planned for Years 3 - 8, our Year 6 students continue with Cycle Safety and the Year 7 and 8 ski trip heads up the mountain.

Some whānau may have noticed the deterioration to our junior playground tunnel and turf area. We booked in repairs last term and are just waiting for some warmer, drier conditions before the contractors can replace the turf. It will be great to have this looking good and sorted for the students to play on properly again.

At the start of the term we welcomed a number of student teachers to Avonhead. They are a mix of first year training teachers while others are completing their final placements and will be on the look out for teaching positions next year. At Avonhead, we love hosting the next generation of teachers. They add a fresh perspective to the curriculum, form some wonderful relationships with our tamariki and they also learn a lot from our experienced staff.

There has been a fair bit of media over the last few months around the Government's educational reforms such as implementing Structured Literacy approaches and more recently the drive to increase Maths achievement. Over the last 3 years, Avonhead has invested in professional development and resources to grow our understanding and teaching of Structured Literacy. This means that we already have a solid foundation in this area. Our next focus from 2025 onwards was "Structured" Maths, so the Government's new initiative ‘Make It Count – A maths action plan’ aligns with the direction that the school is heading. We will endeavour to update families as we learn more about how this new initiative will be rolled out and how we will implement it across Avonhead school.

Have a great weekend.

Ngā mihi nui,

Micah Hocquard

Principal

"Manaaki te katoa" - Be Kind to all