Year 12 Head of School

Tēnā koutou, nau mai, hoki mai, a very warm welcome to you all as we begin another school year. I trust the summer break and festive season allowed time to reconnect, recharge and renew in preparation for the 2021 school year. It has been so wonderful to see the school so vibrantly brimming with life again after sitting still and silent since last December. I wish to extend a very warm welcome to all of our new Year 12 students and whanau: Georgia, Natalie, Milena, MacKenzie, Alex, Zara, Izebella, Trinity, Jacob, Isaac, Sesilia, Bhaerava, Erfan, Elliot, Georgia, Dylan and Ellie. Nau mai ki te whanau! I hope you have settled in well and are finding opportunities to make connections and are discovering what Cashmere can offer you.

Firstly, I would like to offer my congratulations to you all for your hard work last year. Under the most trying and unprecedented circumstances, you all rose to the challenge and made the best of what 2020 threw at us. It is with enormous pride that I heard the NCEA Level 1 cohort results for 2020, where 93% of you achieved NCEA Level 1, and 72% of you gained a Merit or Excellence endorsement. This is an incredible achievement!

In addition to that, it is also wonderful to be able to celebrate success outside of the classroom so early on in the year. To our rowers, Will Anderson, Jack MacDonald, Archie MacDonald, Sam Evans, Pablo Fitzgerald and George Higgins who, in various combinations, gained gold in the Boys U19 Eight and Men’s Novice Double, Silver in the Men’s Novice Four, and bronze in the Men’s Club Eight, Men’s Novice Quad, and Boys U17 Quad, a big congratulations to you all on your well-deserved wins. Congratulations also to Alannah McGuiness, who, in the 2000 metres Corsair Bay Ocean Swim Race placed as 4th female / 11th overall out of 95 entrants. A big mihi also to Noah Smith and his Burnside partner who, over the holidays, competed in the NZ Provincial Beach Volleyball Champs and came 2nd place in U17 boys.

Year 12 has started well, with students focused and well entrenched in their teaching and learning programmes. The doors that can open with Level 2 under your belt are many and varied, and the pathways to get there are equally as varied. Some of you are dual-enrolled with tertiary institutes this year, and I wish you all the very best with your studies inside and outside Cashmere High School. While the achievements of Level 1 are admirable, Level 2 is quite a step up and so ensuring that you remain on top of your workload, are in good communication with your teachers, and are putting yourself on the best track to success will be the keys to your achievement this year. There are lots of supports in the school to help if needed, so don’t be shy about accessing it. The whakatauki at the top of this page serves as a reminder: wanting Level 2 is not enough, you need to work for it. Do the mahi, get the kai.

Many thanks to Jesse and Keira who are already working on how to help shape and serve this year group, and to parents, whanau and caregivers who have given their time, energy and support in helping the start of year be a successful one. As always, please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any corners or queries bea@cashmere.school.nz or 337 4726.

Ngā manaakitanga,

Aysha Beer

Year 12 Head of School