Kia Ora Koutou,

The school term concludes this Friday 8th July at 2.15pm, so you are free to collect your son from 2.15pm on Friday through until 5.30pm when the Hostel will close for the term, at both Argyle and Grove. There will be no evening meal on Friday.

With another busy term coming to an end, it has been pleasing to see all boys engaged in school life. The Hostel staff are proud of the positive way in which the boys have handled the winter conditions, cooler temperatures and considerable sickness over the latter stages of this term. They have all managed themselves extremely well and deserve a well-earned break.

Staff Only Day, Term 3:

A reminder that this day is scheduled for Monday 25th July for all staff at HBHS. Argyle House and Grove will re-open from 5.30pm on the 25th July. We will expect all boys to have returned by 7.30pm on Monday evening, to ensure a settled start leading into their first day of school on Tuesday 26th July. This includes those boys that usually return on a Monday morning during a regular week, to ensure a settled start to the new Hostel term on the first day of school. Thank you for your support with this request. A reminder to please use Orah to state your son’s return day and time for the start of the new term. This is also a safety issue, particularly those seniors who are returning in their private vehicle. Thank you.

Intentions for 2023:

If your son is currently in Years 9 - 12, then please download, print, scan and return this Intentions Form (see below) to Mrs Katrina McLaughlin by Friday 2nd September. This will allow Hostel management to determine how many places need to be filled for 2023. Applications for Years 10 - 13 2023 Hostel places close on Monday 19th September 2022 with interviews arranged to fill the gaps thereafter. The prompt return of your Intentions Form is essential to enable the Hostel to offer placements for Years 10 - 13 as early as possible. Thank you for your support.

Phone Policy:

Assistant Principal, Mr Andrew Gibbs, emailed all HBHS parents and caregivers using ‘School Links’ on Friday 1st July, requesting they complete an online survey around mobile phone use at HBHS. This will have implications for our boys in Argyle House, as we will align ourselves with school policy based on the survey results and the discussion that follows. Please complete the survey by the end of the week, if you haven’t done so already.

“As a school, we are considering updating our current phone and device policy. Our current policy is that phones and devices must remain in boys' school bags during class time and can only be taken out if being used as part of a lesson.

We are proposing to extend this policy to include interval and lunchtime, out of concern that many boys are spending too much time on their phones and devices unsupervised.

"Best for boys" research underlines that boys are better off having a break from their phones, connecting face-to-face, and increasing movement and play.

We would appreciate it if you would take some time to answer the following questions so we can understand how our community feels about this proposed policy change: https://forms.gle/DZZ6bXrsxn6WDNLG6

HBHS phone and device use policy: https://www.hbhs.school.nz/announcements/hbhs-cell-phone-use/

* The word phone refers to smartphones

** The word device refers to laptops, tablets, and gaming devices”

Matthew Allen Cup:

The Senior Leaders, Prefects and Junior House Leaders are doing a tremendous job leading the boys and running the Matthew Allen Cup events, in conjunction with Senior Master, Mr Rahiti Teokotai-White, that precede the school House competitions. The Matthew Allen Cup competition between Bennett and Sutherland began as a one-horse race with Sam Potter’s Sutherland House leaping out to a 10-0 lead, only for Liam Anderson’s Bennett House to claw their way back into the competition winning the last three events, giving an overall lead to Sutherland by 10-6, with 6 events still to complete next term.

School House Competition:

Argyle House are currently placed second overall after two terms of competition, only four points behind Wilson House, after finishing 1st equal in House Basketball, the final event of Term 2. We have Chess, Indoor Football, Indoor Rowing, Service, Haka and Singing to look forward to in Term 3. The boys need to be practicing their chess skills over the holiday break!

Hostel Reception Phone Problem:

This has now been repaired, taking a considerable amount of time with many agencies involved to remedy the problem. So the Duty Master can now be contacted on 07-853 0437.

This is my final newsletter of Term 2. I hope you've enjoyed reading the new-look ‘Hail’ newsletters this term, seeing the many positive activities and events that take place within Argyle House. I'm sure you will enjoy some quality time with your son over the holiday period. We look forward to seeing all our boys return safely and refreshed ready for the start of the new school term.

Ngā mihi

Murray McKenzie

Head of Boarding

021 516 477

Men of the Week, Term 2 Week 9