Just as New Zealand has opened it’s borders fully to the world, it feels like schools are now able to open back to the community and run all our usual events and engagement evenings.

Throughout the last two years through lockdowns, alert levels and the red framework setting, schools have been subject to public health settings for large periods which have restricted presence on site to students and staff only and also meant internally we have not been able to run large student gatherings such as full school assemblies. Many of our special live events like prizegiving and pōwhiri were not able to happen.

We are running year level assemblies currently but have not yet returned to a full school assembly because the heating system in the gym has broken down and is awaiting a fairly major repair or replacement (supply chain issue). As the students sit on the floor and the temperature is not above 6 degrees plus with the amount of winter illness and covid in the school we have not felt it was good for our students to be in this environment. The gym is then out of contention for assemblies as NCEA exams take place in there. We intend to have full school assemblies back to normal every week in 2023.

Term 3 has started with a fairly intensive schedule of community engagement meetings and events over the next month as we rebuild all our usual meetings and events. Our enthusiastic PTA kicked off with a parent meeting on Monday night and has a very strong focus on working with us ensuring parents feel engaged in our school. This was followed last night by a fantastic music evening with a stunning variety of music talent on stage – choir, solo singing, piano solo, rock bands, jazz band, strings orchestra, and culminating in the full orchestra on stage. The quality and level of participation was to be commended. We extend a huge thank you to Mr Michael Langdon (Head of Music), Miss Jennifer Morrison (Music), all our itinerant teachers and our choir tutor for their hard work and dedication providing our students with these opportunities. Congratulations to all the performers on stage and thank you also to our student comperes and sound and lighting student team.

The Year 12 ball has already been held with the Year 13 ball tomorrow and the Year 11 formal next Saturday. Sport is running per normal with some sports heading into semi-finals and winter tournament on the landscape the week of the 29th of August. That is providing some headaches planning around the risk of covid cases and isolation for teams competing in the North Island. We will need parent support to enable management of that risk, but are planning on teams competing in their tournaments.

Upcoming meetings and events (note masks are required at all indoor occasions)

Junior drama production Monday 8th at 6:30pm students are performing Fairy Tale: Law and Order. There are about 50 students involved in this. Senior students have directed and produced the play and junior students are acting in it. This is a family friendly production that has a running time of 45 minutes. Entry by koha at the door.

Pasifika parents’ hui Tuesday 9th at 4.30pm-5.30pm

Whānau hui Tuesday 16th at 5.30pm-6.30pm

Muslim parents’ hui date to be confirmed 3.15-4.15pm

NCEA Change Programme government mandated Teacher Only Day Monday 22 August – school is closed for instruction. No remote learning provided.

Lipsync night Thursday 25 August at the CBHS auditorium at 7pm

Postponed Year 9 orientation and social evening for current year 9 parents Term 4 – school and PTA will be hosting a social evening on the Terraces in the warm weather after the seniors finish school for all our Year 9 parents given we could not do this in Term 1. Date to be confirmed shortly but timing will be around a 5pm/5.30pm start which has been a very successful model in recent years.

Year 13 Leavers’ Dinner on Saturday 29 October at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre (time to be confirmed) for Year 13 students (no partners) and parents.

Senior prizegiving for all Year 11, 12 and 13 students Monday 31 October at 1pm in the CBHS auditorium - a different model to previous years with all our senior students attending. Spaces will be available for parents with priority for Year 13 parents. The event will also be livestreamed. Please put this date in your diary now, especially our Year 13 parents, and more details will follow.

Senior release on Tuesday 1 November

We look forward to seeing you all at these meetings and events as we rebuild life again.

Next week – news on our new look Year 9 curriculum for 2023!

Ngā mihi