Awesome student and staff stuff, the importance of student voice in appointing staff, making the most of term 4 plus a date change for our staff only day.

Kia ora 

Our November staff only day has been advertised all year as Thursday 19 Nov, to fit in with a national calendar. We're now able to change that so we've made it Friday 20th Nov to simplify the weekend for you and hopefully maximise school attendance that week. So staff only day is Friday 20 Nov (other schools are open): this is to start preparations for major NCEA changes in 2022 and to work on our year 10 curriculum.

A huge congratulations to West Coast Pest Control, one of our YES student groups, who took out the South Island Sustainability top prize in Timaru this week (they were one point off winning overall). Our drone team also competed and it was a credit to them to be there. 

It's important to know that two of our teachers, and a parent trustee on our Board, have presented to national and international conferences recently:

• Lara Thompson and Jo Newton presented to the national conference on Positive Education and went on, by invitation, to present to the global conference 
• Angela Seyb presented to the national Manaiakalani wānanga, which I'd argue is NZ's leading educational organisation for advancing teaching for improved equity.

This is the time of year for staff changes, and I have three to confirm this week. At the end of this year, we'll say goodbye to Mr Lachlan King and Ms Kate Parry. Lachlan and Kate only joined us this year but both are motivated to move, independently, due to the effects of covid: Lachlan returns to Australia and Kate will go to the UK. They've both made a good impact and I wish them well. Mrs Su Coutts will start six months of parental leave in Feb next year and we excitedly wish her well for that. Our Board has generously decided to fund a teacher for the whole year to minimise disruption for students.

Students are involved in every teacher appointment, by showing a candidate around school and providing feedback or, for student trustees to the board, actually interviewing. This is one way we try to make sure we recruit staff with a good 'fit' for our school. This week, students will be completing a survey and leading focus group sessions to get input to the principal recruitment process.

Term 4 is a busy term for everyone: learning is high pressure whether it's assessments for seniors or building on what our teachers now know about strengths and needs with juniors. There are also lots of fun events, especially as seniors get ready to leave. This can give students the wrong idea that term 4 is a carnival time which can be harmful to much-needed learning. Please help us to get the balance right with your child, by reinforcing the importance of learning right through the year.

Ngā mihi nui

Andy England