Road Safety, Da Vinci Decathlon, Celebrating Support Staff & more

School Values in Action - Principal's Message

Tēnā koutou, e te whānau o Cashmere High School – Te iringa o Kahukura.

This week has offered several great reminders of what it means to support one another across all parts of school life.

Pink Shirt Day encouraged us to stand together against bullying by being upstanders — choosing kindness, speaking up, and creating a culture where everyone feels safe and included.

We also celebrated Support Staff Day. This was a chance to thank the many people who work behind the scenes to keep our school running smoothly. From admin and caretaking to IT and learning support, their contribution is vital to the everyday life of our kura.

It’s been fantastic to see a noticeable increase in the number of winter sports teams this year. Whether students are involved in competitive squads or social teams, sport continues to be a key part of connection, wellbeing, and school spirit. I’ve also been impressed by the number of parents and alumni volunteering their time to coach, manage, and support our teams — thank you for helping make this possible.

As we head into a busy season of fixtures, let’s all help maintain a positive atmosphere on the sidelines. Encouraging respectful, enthusiastic support reflects the values we stand for as a school community. If we see behaviour that doesn’t align with those values, we all have a part to play in calmly calling it out and setting the tone for what’s acceptable.

Finally, thank you to all the parents and caregivers who attended our senior subject interviews — your involvement plays a crucial role in student success, both in celebrating progress and in identifying the next steps for learning.

Ngā mihi,
John Stradwick
Principal

Raising Awareness for Road Safety Week -SADD

Wednesday saw a firetruck arrive on campus, though thankfully, nothing was ablaze. Cashmere hosted the AA and Fire and Emergency NZ, who ran safety demonstrations as part of Road Safety Week. This is the second year we’ve run this event, organised by Year 10 student Liam Gibling Morrison, leader of our service group Students Against Dangerous Driving. Liam was supported by fellow junior students Michael Fenton and Cooper Johnston; the entire SADD group should be proud of their mahi which promotes safety messages for the school community as both pedestrians and drivers. Students from across the school signed up to learn how to remove a car tyre with a wrench, while others got the chance to use FENZ’s hydraulic rescue equipment on the firetruck.

Thank you to Mark McCallum-Unwin, SADD Delivery & Engagement Team Leader, for assisting us with this event, and thanks to the AA and FENZ for sharing their expertise with us! We’re proud to have young drivers helping to make Aotearoa’s roads a safer place.

Da Vinci Decathlon Delivers!

On May 6th and May 8th, two Cashmere High School teams from Year 9 and Year 10 competed for the third time in the annual da Vinci Decathlon at Christ’s College. The da Vinci Decathlon is an academic competition designed to challenge and stimulate the minds of school students. Students compete in teams of eight across 10 disciplines: Engineering, Mathematics and Chess, Code Breaking, Art and Poetry, Science, English, Ideation, Creative Producers, Cartography and Legacy, with this year’s theme being Sustainability. 

The Year 9s (Selena Budiyanto, Macy Bull, Maia Kelly, Bobby MacDonald, Rebecca Murch, Elsie O'Beirne, Zach Ormandy and Pippa Reeves) were the first team to attend the da Vinci Decathlon on May 6th and were excited to see how their minds would be challenged across the 10 disciplines. The team earned second in three categories and first in Engineering and Code Breaking, placing them narrowly outside the top three placings. The students are looking forward to attending the competition next year. 

The Year 10 team (Charlie Hair, Ianthe Garner-Randolph, Cat Meharry, Quinn Edmonson, Ollie Hair, Ziva Bull, Lucy Reynolds and Eddie Falvey) had a mixture of first timers and experienced team members. They placed first in Legacy, second in Ideation and third in Engineering. Talks have already begun about forming a Year 11 team to compete in next year's competition.

The two teams represented Cashmere well and embodied one of da Vinci’s most famous quotes: ‘Learning never exhausts the mind!’

Pink Shirt Day

Cashmere took part in Pink Shirt Day on Friday, an international event that we have been involved with for several years now. Students were invited to wear a pink shirt and bring a gold coin donation; all funds raised went towards the Mental Health Foundation and their efforts to reduce bullying. The campus was decked out in posters, compliment cards, and events to celebrate the diversity across our school. Staff got into the pink spirit and the students loved taking part in pink nail painting and enjoyed some sweet treats at the pink-themed bake sale. Thanks to the Health and Wellbeing Council for organising these awesome events.

Kōrero Mai, Kōrero Atu, Mauri Tū, Mauri Ora - Speak Up, Stand Together, Stop Bullying!

Supporting our Support Staff

This week was Support Staff Week, and Cashmere held several events in recognition of all the amazing people who keep our kura running smoothly. On Thursday, teachers and support staff alike donned green to celebrate the receptionists, technicians, groundspeople, administrators, librarians, teacher aides, and everyone whose work uplifts the education sector. On Friday we held a morning tea to acknowledge these incredible members of the school, who enjoyed some well-deserved kai. A huge thank you to our support staff - your mahi is integral to Cashmere’s success, and does not go unnoticed!

The University Entrance Qualification - Key Information for Y12-13 Parents and Students.
The University Entrance (UE) qualification remains the minimum requirement for entry to university.

Gaining University Entrance (UE) remains a priority for many of our learners at Cashmere High School, and improving the achievement rates for UE is one of our school's annual goals. Term 2 is an important time for our Year 13 cohort to check on their progress towards UE.

Understanding NCEA qualifications and University Entrance can be challenging. However, the key information for Year 13 students wishing to gain this qualification is that they achieve 14 or more credits in three or more university-approved subjects and have achieved the necessary literacy and numeracy requirements for the qualification. This often means students need to sit and pass their external examinations at the end of the school year to gain UE. 

Monitoring Progress: At CHS we monitor student progress towards UE and offer support to those students who need it, however, conversations at home about how your child is progressing towards this qualification are important. If your child would like further information about their progress towards University Entrance, they can speak to their subject teachers, form teacher, or Head of School.

The New School Bridge Parent App

Cashmere High School has recently moved to SchoolBridge to provide a single platform for parents and students to access information for school.  We hope this makes for a better experience and allows parents and students to use single sign on, removing the need for remembering multiple passwords.  

If you haven't yet downloaded the SchoolBridge app, we encourage you to do so.

Benefits of downloading the SchoolBridge App:

• Only need to log in once - each time you return, you will remain logged in

• Seamless access the portal - no need to enter a password

• Can easily flick between siblings

• Quicker communication from the school in the unlikely event of an emergency (our experience has been that emails can be delayed by hours, app alerts tend to be more efficient).

If you have trouble downloading the app and logging in, please contact our school office (office@cashmere.school.nz). You need to use the same email to log in that you have on our school system.

ERO Attendance Survey – Have Your Say

The Education Review Office (ERO) is running a national survey to better understand what helps students attend school regularly. They're gathering feedback from parents, students, and schools across the country to help shape future government and school actions to improve attendance. This is not a Cashmere High School survey, but your input will help ERO provide clearer recommendations at a national level. The survey is voluntary, confidential, and takes only a few minutes. No individual or school will be identified in the results. To take part, please click here

From our Archive: CHS Historical Images

Key Dates

To keep up to date with what is happening in sport, arts and service please refer to the online calendar on the website HERE
Some Key Events - Term 2

• Tuesday 27th May - NCEA Co-Req Numeracy Exam (Ys 11-13)

• Thursday 22nd May - Quizmere (House Competition challenge)

• Thursday 22nd May - NCEA Level 1 Reading Exam

• Friday 23rd May - NCEA Level 1 Writing Exam

• Friday 30th May - Staff Only Day

• Monday 2nd June - King's Birthday Holiday

• Thursday 5th June - Jazz Evening

• Tuesday 10th June - CHS Open Day - Year 8s invitation (4.00-6.30pm)

• Tuesday 12th June - Spelling Bee (House Competition challenge)

• Tuesday 18th June - Manu Kōrero

• Tuesday 23rd June - Senior Drama Production

• Tuesday 26th June - Fashion & Wearable Arts Show