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Senior Deans Report - Mōhua

Phil Daines —

Kia ora koutou, we are now well over halfway through the first term of 2023. The students should be all settled into their classes and getting on with their learning.

For Year 11 to 13 students, NCEA is well underway, and many of those students may have already started or sat their first assessments in one or more of their subjects. As we have seen every year, the students that have the most success in NCEA are the students that are organised, know what assessments they have and when they are due, and have high attendance and punctuality in all of their classes. Remember our school values: Commitment, Achievement, Resilience, Respect! The Achievement will come if the other three values are being followed. Every student should have been given a copy of, or shown how to access, the course outlines for each of their subjects. If they haven’t seen these, they should ask their class teachers. If your child does not get the results they were hoping for in an assessment, then they should discuss this with their teacher and take the opportunity of a resit if one is available. If any students, particularly the Year 11’s, are confused about how NCEA works or have any other questions, they can see their class teacher, Wānanga teacher, or myself, for help.

On the subject of learning, we are just beginning to see an increase in staff absences due to COVID, as well as some students. As well as the usual hygiene practices that we all should be undertaking, it is important to ensure that your child is prepared for learning at home if it comes to that. We have already had to roster two year levels home on different occasions, and there may be more to come, although we hope not. As well as this, if your child has tested positive and needs to remain at home they should be encouraged to continue their school work if they still feel well enough. All classroom teachers should be providing work through their websites that can be accessed from home, should either the teacher themselves or any students be absent. Please ensure your child knows how to access this for each of their subjects.

If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Ngā mihi nui.

Phil Daines

Years 10 - 13 Mōhua Kāhui Dean

(03) 349 5396 ext. 923

da@hornby.school.nz