Importance of Maintaining High Standards

With the seniors on examination leave and the end of term fast approaching it is important for us to remind our students that they need to maintain high standards of behaviour and engagement through to the end of Term. As the end of Term comes into sight it can become easy for us to become complacent about our values and expectations, however we need to collectively work together to ensure that this does not occur. I spoke to our Year 9 students about this at our assembly on Wednesday and I will be asking our staff to make this their focus for the last two weeks.

Trip to Auckland

On Monday and Tuesday I travelled up to Auckland to visit a few schools that were achieving outstanding success, both in the academic and the extra-curricular areas. This was a fantastic opportunity to take time to immerse myself in these schools and discuss key topics with other educational leaders. I am a big believer in always looking at ways in which we can improve and for us to understand what we need to do to be at the forefront of education in New Zealand.

I came away from this trip with valuable insights into how these schools approach excellent teaching and learning practice, school-wide strategic thinking, staff professional development, foundation/alumni development and student leadership models. However, I also came away very affirmed with what we are doing at Cashmere High School and our current thinking on key educational issues.

Staff Only Day

Last Thursday we had a Staff Only Day. This day was a day dedicated to working on the upcoming NCEA changes at Level 1.

Key Information - How NCEA Requirements Are Changing:

Over the next few years, NCEA will transition from its current form into a new qualification.

In 2024:

• The new NCEA Level 1 achievement standards will be fully implemented.

• Current Level 1 achievement standards expire at the end of 2023

• NCEA Levels 1, 2 and 3 will each become 60-credit qualifications

• The literacy, and numeracy co-requisite, which sits outside of the new NCEA qualification, will become mandatory

• Students will only be awarded an NCEA qualification once they have met the 20-credit co-requisite
• Students need to complete the co-requisite once only.

Upcoming Junior Prizegivings

On the last day of Term, Friday 8th December, we will be holding our annual Year 9 and Year 10 prizegivings. These are a wonderful opportunity for our community to come together and celebrate and acknowledge the achievements of our students throughout the year. We warmly invite parents and whanau to these prizegivings. Both Prizegivings are held in our Performing Arts Centre (PAC).

• Year 9 - 8.45am
• Year 10 - 10.30am

COVE Award Winner - Leo Hamilton

Congratulations to Leo Hamiltion who received our COVE Award at last week’s assembly. Leo is working incredibly hard around the school in a number of different areas. In particular, I would like to acknowledge his service to others in our school and wider community.

Junior Noho Marae

Over the last couple days 40 of our junior te reo māori students were involved in a Noho Marae trip to Ōnuku Marae as part of their programme of learning for 2023. It was a great opportunity for them to immerse themselves within the cutural narative of our area. 

Volleyball Championships

Recently we have had a large number of students competing at the Canterbury Volleyball Championships and a number are currently at the South Island Championships.

Rugby Success

Congratulations to our boys who competed in the Year 9 and Year 10 Canterbury Rugby Sevens Festival as well as the Tane Mahuta Tournament.

From the Archives

1958 Cashmere High School Prefects

Who’s Who at Cashmere High School - Grace France (Acting Head of Health)

Kia ora koutou. My name is Grace France and I have been a Health and Physical Education teacher here at Te iringa o Kahukura since 2019.

I have held a couple of roles, including Head of Sheppard House in my time here so far, and at present, I am the Acting Head of Health Education. I’m incredibly passionate about the importance of quality Health Education and am so proud of the work that our faculty continues to do in this space. Over the past five years I have also been involved in various sports including girls’ basketball and starting up Cashmere’s first ever dragon boating team.

Outside of school I keep myself busy taking part in fitness kickboxing, dragon boating and waka ama. I also love to spend my weekends trying to find the best brunch in Christchurch, so any recommendations are always appreciated!

I feel truly fortunate to teach here at our kura, and the reason for this is the people I get to surround myself with every day; the supportive colleagues who become friends and the students whose lives we get to help shape. It’s a pretty great place to be! 

The Fortnight Ahead