Kia ora whānau. I can’t believe it’s Week 4 of Term 1 already, and the summer holidays are just a distant memory. On behalf of the Mōhua “Junior” team (Miss Taylor, Mrs Turner, Mr Tisch, Mrs Costello and myself) I want to welcome all our students to what promises to be a very exciting (and hopefully lockdown-free) year. I want to offer a special welcome to all our new students and also to our new teacher Mrs Costello. With the roll growth we are experiencing at Hornby High School we now have five Year 7-9 Wānanga classes in Mōhua.

The Role of a Dean: In a discussion with a student on Monday I was asked what my role as Dean is. I can best describe it as making sure that all Year 7-9 students in Mōhua get the most out of their education at Hornby High School. To do this I might need to:

• arrange additional support for students who are having difficulty with their learning,

• support students who have difficulty getting “learning-ready”,

• provide support for students with behavioural difficulties or relationship issues,

• help students to select their option classes (for Year 9 and 10).

Sometimes as Dean I need to talk with students during class time, which involves removing them from class for a brief period of time. This might be for a variety of reasons, and I try to keep this time as short as possible as I know how disruptive this can be for the students and the teacher in that class.

What is “Referral”: In other times a teacher may find that a student is not learning-ready (e.g. their behaviour is inappropriate, they refuse to follow instructions etc.) and the student is “referred” (sent out of class to our Referral Room). Barry, our staff member who runs our Referral Room, works with these students to help them to become learning-ready again, and they are returned to their regular timetabled class as soon as possible. The student is expected to have a brief restorative discussion with the teacher who referred them, to repair the relationship between the teacher and student, and if your child is referred you should expect a phone call from that teacher to explain the background of the referral. It is important to understand that a referral is not a punishment. If you have any advice to help the teacher with your child this would be an ideal time to raise it with them. If you have any concerns about your child’s referral or if you would like to know more about our PB4L (Positive Behaviour for Learning) system please email me at mt@hornby.school.nz and I can call you at a time that suits you to discuss this.

Kāhui Competition: In 2020 Mōhua won the Kāhui (“house”) competition, and we are determined to win it again this year. The first big event for 2021 is our Athletic Sports which are being held on Thursday 4 March. Mōhua students should come to school in our colour (yellow or gold) to show support for our kāhui, and we expect every student to try their absolute hardest to do their personal best in every event in which they are entered.

It’s also worth noting that the following day (Friday 5 March) we have a Teacher-Only Day, so students are not required to come to school that day. Teachers have a professional development course on this day.

Ngā mihi

Terry Mitchell

Mōhua Kahui Dean