Mā te huruhuru ka rere te manu

Adorn the bird with feathers so it may soar

A very warm welcome back to Term 3. This year is marching by! It’s hard to believe that this is the last full term at high school for this cohort, a very bittersweet thought. I wish a fond farewell and best wishes to those who have secured mid-year placements on courses, or fulltime employment for the remainder of the year. Despite the challenges we have faced in the first half of the year, I continue to be impressed with the dedication and commitment of this cohort to all of their pursuits.

The whakatauki above recognises that taking opportunities ultimately grows strengths, enriches life and helps to develop character and intellect. As always, it is wonderful to celebrate those who are taking opportunities and making an impact within and beyond the school gates. A massive congratulations to the Hohepa volunteers who were nominated for the Minstry of Health Youth Volunteer awards, and thank you to Serena Morgan who traveled to Parliament on behalf of the group to attend the awards ceremony. Some of our Year 13 students have been part of this volunteer program for two years, and so it was heartening to see our students recognised for their contribution to our local community, and the time they put in to create strong relationships with our neighbours at Hohepa.

The English Faculty had the annual iSay competition in T2. Congratulations to Lucia Tod and Rosie Cruickshank who placed 1st in Senior Impromptu and 2nd in Spoken Word respectively. It was great to celebrate Alex Braun, Hamish France, Adrian France, Isabella Zinzan-Dickie, Kaia Jorgenson, and Daisy York last term, whose team placed 3rd in the South Island Hillary Challenge Finals. Nic Cox competed at the NZ Gymnastics Nationals these holidays. She won a silver in the 17+ trampoline and bronze in Junior International Double mini Tramp.

Congratulations to Reuben Booth, Harry Weston who were part of the team who earned the title of BBNZ Under 17 National Champions. 

Finn Howard, Noah Smith and Rio Mahauariki were U19 Volleyball Canterbury Reps National Champions, while Keira Hill and Ameila Cuningham were U19 Basketball Canterbury reps - Silver at National Champs. John Doyle-Sims, Lucy Watt, and Thomas To were Selected for New Zealand Secondary Schools Orchestra.

In other great news, a huge congratulations to The Flares (Archie, Jack, and Briannah) who made it through to the regional Rock Quest finals! Furthermore, Briannah won best vocalist again this year. This is a phenomenal achievement - I wish you all the very best for the regional competition. Elliot Smith has been selected for Canterbury U18B Rep Hockey team. Kaia Jorgensen and Isabella Zinzan-Dickie have been selected for the NZ Orienteering teams that will head to the Australian Schools Championships in September. Ruairi Boyd was selected by Fencing New Zealand to compete as part of the New Zealand team at the Australian Youth Championships. We also welcomed back Annabel Bligh after her time in Europe. All the best to Johan Roberts who is currently in the USA representing NZ in a CrossFit competition.

We have senior exams coming up in week 4. This is a good opportunity for students to get a thorough understanding of their strengths and gaps in their external topics, and to work towards developing these skills for the NZQA exams. Very few students will have the 60 credits required for Level 3 as they go into NZQA exams at the end of the year, so they are encouraged to make the most of this learning opportunity.

I hope that all students attending the formal on Friday evening have an enjoyable time. A huge thanks to the formal committee, made up of both Year 12 and Year 13 students, who have worked hard since Term 1 to make this event come to fruition.

As always, please feel free to get in contact if you have any concerns or queries, about our rangitahi via email (bea@cashmere.school.nz) or phone (377 4726). 

Aysha Beer
Head of School Year 13