COVID

Hopefully you would have read through my last message that we are confident we will be able to staff our classes next week, and thus will not need to have a Year Group at home learning online. As this is a constantly evolving situation we will need to review this decision for the week (4th - 8th April) next Thursday 31st March.

Please continue to communicate with us if you have questions/concerns. The best point of contact will be your child’s Head of Year.

Introducing our new Chairman of the Board - James O’Connell

At our last Board meeting we elected the new Chairman of the Cashmere High School Board of Trustees, Mr James O'Connell. James joined the Board last year and has brought a considerable skill set to the governance of the school. He has a wealth of experience in both executive and governance roles and he is particularly passionate about serving our community. James is committed to continuing the school’s aspiration to be New Zealand’s leading secondary school and we are looking forward to working with him over the coming years.

This election has meant that we farewell our long serving Chairman, Mr Geordie Hooft. Geordie has served on the Board for ten years, eight as our Chairman. During this time he has guided the governance of our school with a passionate commitment to our core vision, purpose and values. He has always been a big believer in school being a place where students can thrive and where staff are motivated to impart their skills, knowledge and experience through their teaching. We look forward to farewelling Geordie in due course.

Year 10 and Year 11 Assemblies

Over the last fortnight we have celebrated the outstanding achievements of our Year 10s and Year 11s. Our main acknowledgement was for a large number of students who received academic graduation badges, however we also awarded certificates for a large number of national and regional representatives. While we are still unable to bring all of our students together in assemblies, it is still a great opportunity to acknowledge the success of our young people. Well done to all of our recipients!

A special mention to Bradan Foster and Amelia O’Connell-Gerard who were our COVE award recipients. Our COVE award recognises the students who most exemplify the Cashmere High School values of Citizenship, Opportunities, Vibrancy and Excellence.

Debaters

On the 20th Of March our senior debaters competed in the Canterbury regional Competition held at St Andrews. Congratulations to Ethan Jackson, Rowan Matthew and Ben Ellis who reached the semi-finals. A special mention to Ethan and Rowan, who were named in the Canterbury Team.

Progress on our Fitness and High Performance Gym

Work continues to progress on our new sports and physical education facility. Despite delays in resources consents and building materials we hope to complete this build by the end of Term 2. This facility will be a great addition to our physical education and sports programmes and hopefully inspire students towards physical excellence.

Education Outside the Classroom

One of the great opportunities living in Christchurch offers is the ability for our students to engage in learning outside the classroom. It was great to see our Outdoor Education, Geography, History and Biology trips making the most of their time on field trips.

Market Day

Last week our Year 10 Business students held their Market Day. This was the culmination of their unit of work in which they have to create a business plan around a chosen product.

Whos Who at Cashmere High School - Tom Wilkinson

Ko Rangitoto te māunga

Ko Waitemata te moana

Nō Tamaki Makaurau ahau

Kei Otautahi taku kainga inaianei

Ko Kirsty taku wahine

Ko Wilkinson toku whanau

Ko Tom tōku ingoa

Kia ora, my name is Tom Wilkinson and I have been a teacher at Cashmere High School since 2010. Since 2016 I have been in the Head of School role firstly with the Class of 2020 and currently I am the Year 10 Head of School for the class of 2025. I am a teacher within our Science/Pūtaiao Faculty where I teach Junior Science and Senior Chemistry. Prior to teaching I studied a BSc in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at the University of Canterbury before working within the private sector mainly in Agricultural Research.

One of the values of Cashmere High School is the diverse range of opportunities that are available for students to grasp and this is a value I strongly believe in. When I am not in the classroom I can be found either coaching football with our Premier Boys 1st XI Football Team, working with our Performing Arts Faculty supporting the technical lighting and sound production in our PAC or representing our staff on the Board of Trustees.

I come from a family of educators who have instilled in me a passion for learning and ensuring that our young people have the support and guidance they need to be successful in life. I am passionate about working with our young people and I am proud to say I am part of our school community.

Outside of school I can be found supporting my beloved Manchester United, working in my garden where I grow fruit, vegetables and heirloom roses or playing football for Cashmere Technical. I spend most of my down time exploring Otautahi with my wife Kirsty and boxer dog, Loki. 

Fortnight ahead