For the new Year 9 students especially there will be anxiety and excitement, how welcome the boys are made to feel will make a huge difference so if anything doesn’t go well please let us know.

Welcome to our new staff:

Edward Finch (Geography)
Alexandra Boyd (Maths, Physical Education and Social Studies)
Wiremu Gray (Counsellor)
David Cook (Technology)
Sam Zarifeh (Physical Education)

I do hope they too enjoy being part of our community and we look forward to their contribution.

Our teachers and the relationships they form with the boys will be the crucial element in the impact school has on their lives. We do have an orderly school with clear boundaries. However this will count for nothing if the boys don’t have teachers who believe in them. Our job is to make sure the boys know we care about them and their performance.

There have also been some changes on the staff. Christine Welsh will be the Year 9 Dean, Jo Pearson the ICT Specialist Teacher, Mike Boomer will re-assume the role of Head of English, Melissa Webb will be the Specialist Classroom Teacher and Matt Parr will have a role in Communications and development of extracurricular activities.

Congratulations to our 2016 Senior Monitor Jake Nicholls and to the two Deputy Senior Monitors Brad Wang and Ben Donkers. I look forward to working with the Monitors in 2016 and indeed the entire Year 13 who make a large impression on the school in their final year.

We do have interim NCEA results. These will change (improve) before they are finalised in March. There are of course many ways to present these results; a simple summary is that on an interim basis 84% of Year 11 students passed L1, 89% of Year 12 students passed L2 and 83% of Year 13 students passed L3. Students can of course sit NCEA in different years or over a number of years and taking this into account 98% of Year 12 and 13 students have passed L2. However rather than play with the results the important thing is that we acknowledge the effort and hard work of the boys and staff and also urge students, especially those who have been close to achieving their certificates, to talk to their Dean if they have concerns.

The school website is a good first point of call for information. Our secretary Robyn has put up some FAQs from the questions she has been fielding and the Student Services section also has lots of good information that maybe even existing families don’t know? The website has continued to be updated over the holidays and has featured the New Year’s Honours received by Old Boys, the death of Old Boy and three time DFC winner Keith Thiele and progress with the Hall demolition including a time lapse video.

So that families are aware the school ANZAC Service is an event of huge significance in our calendar and, despite it taking place this year in the Term One Holidays, Year 9 students are expected to attend. The wider community including those beyond school are also very welcome.

The post – earthquake redevelopment of the school will take on greater pace this year. A decision has been made on the concept design for the Hall and it is intended that construction will start soon. The Master Plan will be complete by the end of Term One which will allow work to commence on the new library, the Big Room refurbishment and new classroom blocks. The Board will receive a concept plan and proposal for the Historic Deans buildings at the end of March and Stage One of the Hostel redevelopment will be finished in early Term One. In relation to the Hall I would appreciate the community thinking about what we might call it or whom we could name it after?

Best wishes to all for the year ahead. I look forward to talking with many of you in various settings throughout the year.

He taonga rongonui te aroha ki te tangata

Altiora Peto
Nic Hill
Headmaster

School dates for 2016