Tēnā koutou katoa students and whānau

Regathering, reconnecting and re-engaging

Welcome back to Term 2. Thank you for your support, patience, understanding and continued commitment and loyalty to our school.

It is great to be back together onsite, albeit at the Orange Setting of the COVID Protection Framework. Thank you for your support with the health protocols we have in place, particularly our expectation of mask wearing indoors. We are minimising large gatherings, so will not hold full divisional assemblies in the Aurora Centre until further notice. Instead, we have virtual assemblies for everyone; and smaller, year level divisional assemblies will occur from time to time.

At the Orange Setting, we have decided not to host an Open Evening, as it would bring 1800-2000 people into confined areas. The BHS website will be our main promotional and information source for the 2023 student intake.

Despite the unwelcome continued prevalence of Omicron, our theme for Term 2 is regathering, reconnecting and re-engaging. Everyone is really pleased to gather together again, and to reconnect with classmates, friends and teachers. We are keen for students to re-engage with their learning, to settle back into school mode quickly, and to re-establish their school routines – in the way they wear their uniform, in their attendance and punctuality, in their attention in class, in their organisation and commitment, in their behaviour and attitude.

In uncertain times, the one thing we can control is our attitude. I like to approach things positively and trust that things will work out well. It is not easy, but living the BHS values, and doing the best we can no matter what, will help us face whatever the term may bring.

RECENT NEWS AND DEVELOPMENTS

Campus Development – Construction Stage 1 Update

Naylor Love Canterbury are confirmed as the contractors and will be onsite from Monday, 23 May 2022. They have proven experience on similar projects, including the multi award-winning Te Raekura Redcliffs School and St Bede’s College Chapel/Performing Arts Centre projects, Te Puna Wai o Waipapa Hagley College redevelopment, Te Tatoru o Wairau (combined Marlborough Schools redevelopment) in Blenheim, and the Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement project.

Work will start at BHS with the demolition of F Block and F Extension and the relocation of H1A to a new position. Construction of the first new block – Pukehinau (Science and Technology) will commence in September 2022.

At the same time, a new pick up and drop off zone will be created along Memorial Avenue and the artificial turf on the existing tennis courts and hockey field will be replaced. It will be great to see this work start!

The swimming pool upgrade is due for completion in time for the Term 4 swimming season. The pool will have a new lining membrane and filtration system, and will be heated.

Uniform Review and Developments

The Uniform Committee, led by Sally-Ann Goodman, Deputy Principal – Wellbeing, and including representatives from the staff, Board of Trustees, including the Student Trustee, PTA and Student Council, has been working for the last 18 months, consulting with key stakeholders across our community.

The aim was to refresh and modernise our uniform, creating a new range that is affordable, sustainable, and that our students feel proud to wear. The committee’s report and recommendations were approved by the Board; and a contract with a new uniform supplier signed off.

As a result, we are pleased to announce that a new uniform is confirmed for Year 9 students for the start of 2023. It will also be available to students at Years 10-12 when/if their existing full uniform needs replacement.

Main features of the new uniform are:

•  It is a capsule uniform, with no specific summer or winter uniform and seasonal options
• It accommodates our culturally diverse student body, with the introduction of a lava lava and a headscarf
• It is gender-neutral

More details will follow, including on the BHS website, as we receive samples of the garments.

Thank you to Sally-Ann Goodman and her team for all their work. We are looking forward to seeing our Year 9 students in the new uniform in 2023.

STUDENT SUCCESSES

Robotix World Championships in Dallas, USA
Congratulations to Alex Cutforth, Alex Rickard, Lucia Guo and Ryan Moynihan who competed, along with 800+ teams from around the world, in the Vex Robotics World Championships.

Thank you to staff, Katana Dunn and John Creighton, and parent, Mike Cutforth, who accompanied these students on this very successful trip. We are proud of you all!

Grady Kenix 
Grady has been named in the team of six who will represent New Zealand at the International Mathematical Olympiad in Oslo, Norway, from 6-16 July 2022. We wish him well.

Beach Volleyball
Rosa Vesty  and Taylah Holdem  have been selected to represent New Zealand at the Under 19 Asian Championships held in Thailand this term. They are hoping to qualify for the World Championships later in the year.

NZ Junior Women’s Volleyball Team
Catherine Porter, Rosa Vesty and Taylah Holdem have been selected for this team, to play a test series against Australia (in NZ) later in the year.

NZSO National Youth Orchestra
Two of our students have been selected for this year's orchestra: Tor Chiles on Bassoon and Lucas de Groot-Tsuji on Violin. Both students are in our Specialist Music programme.

These are exceptional achievements. The NZSO National Youth Orchestra is open to students up to age 26 and includes all tertiary music students, many of whom return from overseas study to take up their places, so understandably competition is very strong.

Christchurch Secondary School Swimming Championships
Congratulations to our team of 42 swimmers, which achieved the best results in the last 20 years, confirming, once again, our place as the Top Co-educational School in this sport. Our Swimming team placed 31 times including:

•  Four performances that broke meeting records
•  Thirteen firsts, 12 seconds and 6 third placings
•  Harry Renner  received the award as the top junior at the meeting

Congratulations to our swimming team and thank you to Bill Boyd, their Manager.

Maya Rodnyanskiy 
At the Te Puna Tonga South Division virtual assembly at the end of last term, Maya was congratulated as the first ever student to achieve a Platinum Shout Out Certificate for receiving 100 Shout Outs in the years we have been running this student recognition programme.

Shout Outs are awarded by teachers to students who demonstrate our school values, Manaakitanga – Being respectful, Mana – Having Pride and Rangatiratanga – Striving to Excel.

WOOLF FISHER FELLOWSHIP STUDY LEAVE, 23 MAY TO 23 JUNE

A revised and shortened study programme was approved by the Woolf Fisher Trustees at the end of Term 1. It has the same focus of study that was initially planned for 2020 – Leadership of Large Secondary Schools. I am keen to learn more about how Principals and their Senior Leadership teams:

• Maintain and develop a positive, inclusive and supportive school culture – where staff and students thrive and feel valued, respected and connected with a sense of belonging – culturally responsive leadership.
• Manage change effectively – through promoting an ethos of continuous self-improvement and innovation.

Burnside High School is a microcosm of Aotearoa NZ; the equivalent size of a small town, with students and families from diverse ethnicities (85+ nationalities), genders, religions. Such diversity needs to be recognised and celebrated. Diverse groups need to feel respected, understood, included.

My programme includes: attending a National Secondary Principals Conference in Brisbane, meetings with key educators at several leadership organisations, and visiting schools in Melbourne and Adelaide. I am excited by the opportunity that this fellowship provides me.

In my absence, Andrea Griffin will be Acting Principal; Alan Robertson, Acting Associate Principal; with Divisional Principals, Sally-Ann Goodman, Suzanne Baldwin and Darryn Findlay, sharing additional responsibilities and duties over this period.

All the very best for Term 2.

Ka whati te tī, ka wana te tī, ka rito te tī – When tī kōuka is tested by the elements, it builds inner strength, then begins to grow again.

Ngā mihi nui

Phil Holstein
Principal