Kia ora koutou...

The school term concludes this Friday, 11th April, at 3.15pm. You are free to collect your son from 3.15pm until 5.30pm, when the Hostel will close for the term, at both Argyle and Grove. There will be no evening meal on Friday.

The staff and I have been pleased with how the 51 new boarders have settled into boarding life, made easier by the way the returning boarders have welcomed them into the Argyle family.

Our Year 12 and 13 Prefects and Senior Leaders have provided a high level of care for the new boys, especially the Year 12 Prefects who lead a dorm. They will be treated to an end-of-term meal this week as a thank you from the Hostel staff and boys for their leadership and commitment to the young men in their dorm this term.

Sadly, our Weekend Matron of 18 months, Mrs Leanne Twaddle, has resigned from her position, with her role concluding this Friday. I would like to sincerely thank Leanne for the care and contribution she has made during her time at Argyle House. We will be farewelling Leanne at our House meeting tonight in front of all the boys, with Head Prefect Alex Arnold presenting her with a gift, funded by the mufti weekend sign-out a fortnight ago. We are pleased to announce Ms Natalia Kaihau as her highly-qualified replacement, commencing on Friday, 2nd May.

Year 9 2026 applications closed almost a fortnight ago, with 71 applications received. Mrs Katrina McLaughlin, Hostel Administrator, is currently preparing interview days and times for next term. All families will receive notification of their interview time from Katrina this week.

Thank you for supporting our Argyle Open Day last month by encouraging families within your local community to come along and listen to various speakers from within the Hostel and school, with tours operating throughout the afternoon. We had 68 families represented. This strong turnout is reflected in the number of applications received.

Years 9-13 Report Evenings concluded last night, with all families having the opportunity to discuss their son’s academic progress with subject teachers. Should you have any concerns, please address these with Mr Andy Thomson, Argyle House Dean of Boarding, at athomson@hbhs.school.nz who will work with you to resolve any issues identified.

The Grove lockdown practice drill that took place last Tuesday evening was successful, enabling the Grove staff to identify a few procedural aspects that required slight modification in the event of a real lockdown being implemented. The boys responded as we had hoped they would.

This is our final newsletter for the term. I hope you've enjoyed reading and viewing the many pictures and footage in the newsletters, as well as the articles and updates on the Argyle and HBHS Facebook pages, and our new Argyle Instagram page. The staff and I enjoy taking the various footage and putting it together to provide a snapshot of all the good things that happen within the Argyle environment.

I'm sure you will all enjoy some quality time with your son over the holiday period. The Hostel will re-open for the new school term on Sunday, 27th April, from 5.30pm. All parents and caregivers are still required to enter an Orah leave request for the end of Term 1. When completing your end-of-term Orah leave request, we would like all boys to have returned by 7.30 pm on the Sunday evening to allow for a settled start to the new term. However, if your son is returning by 8.00am on Monday morning, 28th April, please indicate this later return time on Orah so the staff are aware, as this is also a Health and Safety issue for those boys returning by private vehicle. The first school day of Term 2 is Monday, 28th April.

The Set Leave dates for Term 2 can be found in our Argyle Term Planner, which is a live document, located under the ‘Boarding’ tab on the ‘Argyle House’ page of the Hamilton Boys’ High School website. I have attached the planner to this newsletter. The first Set Leave coincides with King’s Birthday Weekend. The Hostel will close for the long weekend at 5.30pm on Friday, 31st May, and will re-open at 5.30pm on Monday, 2nd June. The other Set Leave is scheduled for the Friday the country celebrates Matariki, on Friday, 20th June. The Hostel will close for Matariki at 5.30pm on Thursday, 19th June, and re-open at 5.30pm on Sunday, 22nd June.  

We look forward to seeing all our boys return safely on Sunday evening, 27th April, refreshed and ready for the start of the new school term.

Should you have any queries or matters you'd like to discuss, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Ngā mihi

Murray McKenzie
Director of Boarding
021 516 477