Only three more weeks as Year 9’s, my how time flies! Since our senior students have begun their exam leave, it has been great to see our Year 9’s stepping up as leaders in the Junior school. When moving around the school it is noticed that our Year 9’s are focused and engaged in their work and making the most of these last few weeks.

Heading into Year 10, it is a good time to start talking about the skills that a self motivated learner needs to be successful at Hornby High School. Next year it is likely that students will notice an increase in workload and expectations for work output as teachers begin to prepare them for the realities of NCEA. Some skills that will enable students to manage these changes include:

• Time Management- making sure they arrive to school and class promptly so that they can make the most out of the lesson.

• Workload Management- ensuring that students keep up with class work including work that is missed due to absence and illness. As a Manaiakalani school, most of our content is available online which allows students to stay up to date. This also includes finishing work not completed in class.

• Personal Accountability- when it comes to learning, students need to take an active role by asking questions and seeking feedback. It is important for students to acknowledge that they will only get out of the lessons what they are willing to put in.

• Effort creates Outcomes- this is perhaps the most important skill our students need to master in order to be successful. For all students, it is important to learn how to work hard and challenge yourself. If the work seems easy how can you make it challenging? Have you communicated with your teachers? Not everything will be easy in the next few years so learning not to rely on cruising early is very valuable.

Summing up, I would like to congratulate all those students who will soon be publicly acknowledged for their hard work during our Junior Prizegiving. As a school, it is wonderful to be able to celebrate academic, community, sport, cultural, and artistic, successes and I hope each student receiving an award feels proud of their achievements. I also want to acknowledge those students who have, despite not receiving a school prize, worked hard this year to improve their learning. In the recent reading, writing, and mathematics, testing there have been some outstanding results that reflect the culture of hard work amongst our Year 9’s. I look forward to many more years of this!

To finish off our photos this year, here are some pictures of our learners with their awesome 2019 Form Teachers - Ms Laycock, Miss Abernethy, Mr Reizinger and Mr Werder.