This is the last newsletter article I will be writing in 2017, and the last article for the cohort of students that I have been with since 2013!

I am sure that, like me, you will feel that the last 5 years have simply flown by, and I have to remind myself that the students are at the beginning of their adulthood, whether they like it or not!As I write this I am also thinking about the rush of events that are still to happen before the end of the year. 

The immediate concern for the students will be the last few days of classes, and for many of them there are still some internal credits that can be gained. The students should be pushing to hand in any assessments they need to and doing resits if they are available, as many will be not just looking to pass NCEA, but to get endorsements of one type or another. Alongside this is of course getting prepared for any external exams they may have. I repeat what I said last year about the importance of studying for these exams. Please ensure your child has a quiet place to do this, free from distractions like music/TV/Facebook etc, and check regularly to ensure that they are in fact doing their study. It is also extremely important to check the timetable, which can be downloaded from www.nzqa.govt.nz, and to be early to every exam that they are entered into.

On Monday 6 November is school prizegiving, and I hope to see many of you there, as I have in the past. The following day is a breakfast for Year 13 students provided by the school, before the leavers’ assembly to celebrate the Year 13s time at the school and farewell them as they head off into the world beyond school. There will also be a more formal leavers’ dinner after NCEA exams have concluded, which parents and caregivers are invited to. I am in the process of confirming final details, and will let you and the students know these very shortly. It would be great to have as many of you there as can make it.

Finally I pass on my thanks to you for everything you have done for your child over the last 5 years (or should that be the last 17 – 18 years?). I have valued the contact I have had with all of you, and the support from home has made my job here at school much easier. I wish you and your children all the best for wherever their future takes them, and I am sure that I will see many of them again in years to come.

Have a great holiday season!