Firstly, we would like to extend a warm welcome to Lauren Roberts, who has joined our team from Lincoln University. Lauren brings with her a wealth of experience and knowledge, and we are thrilled to have her on board.

Sadly, we bid farewell to our Chemistry teacher, Jess Watson, who will be leaving us to pursue her passion for Physiotherapy by studying at Otago University. Jess has been an integral part of our Science department, and we wish her all the best in her future endeavors.

Across the department there is a wide variety of learning occurring. In Biology the Year 12 students are completing an internal assessment on the biological validity of vaccine information presented to the public while the Year 13 students have completed an internal on homeostasis and how our bodies respond to an extreme experience such as the Coast to Coast.

Both the Year 12 and Year 13 Chemistry students have completed an internal assessment on Redox Chemistry and are starting their first external topic on Organic Chemistry.

In Physics both the Year 12 and Year 13 students are working on the knowledge and skills needed for the Mechanics external standard. This will also prepare them for their first internal at the beginning of Term Two. Our Year 11 students are completing a topic on motion, forces and impulse and will be assessed at the end of the term.

Our Agriculture students are covering the economic factors that impact primary production at Year 13 and the management of plant growth, by manipulating important factors such as light, temperature etc at Year 12. The Year 11 students are working on developing their knowledge of the geographic distribution of farming systems around NZ. They have a first submission date for this work early next week. The Rural Trades Academy has students at Year 11, 12 and 13 this year. The Year 12 and 13 students have begun their work placements and should be using their RTA/Study time to catch up any work missed. The Year 11 students are completing unit standards from the first year Primary ITO program.

We are proud to announce that two of our students are attending the OUSSA program at Otago University. Ashton and Caitlin have completed a week-long program where they were able to select courses that reflected their interests. They will return in the July school holidays to complete another week. This is a fantastic opportunity for students to experience university life and gain valuable skills and knowledge in their chosen field of interest. We congratulate them on being accepted into the programme and look forward to seeing the impact of their experience on their future pathways.

In addition, two of our students are currently undertaking university courses as part of the STAR initiative. This program is designed to provide students with the opportunity to explore their interests and gain credits towards their future studies, by enrolling in a first year university course. We are proud of their hard work and dedication and wish them all the best in their academic pursuits. Ashton is pursuing a course in Astronomy with the University of Canterbury and Caitlyn is completing a land and People course with Lincoln University.

As we move into the new school year, we are excited to see what the future holds for our school community. We look forward to continuing to provide opportunities for our students to grow and thrive academically, socially, and personally.

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