Term 3 has been a rather wet and cold one, but the good news is that it is spring now so we are all looking forward to getting some warmer weather!

I want to start off by mentioning one of the big events of the school year, for Year 12s and 13s in particular: the Senior Ball. It was an amazing event, even better than last year’s ball was. 

The theme was Hollywood Glam, and it went off just like a night at the Oscars! We had a red carpet at the entrance, students wore suits with bow ties and beautiful formal dresses, and the presentations of the awards was done in Oscar’s style with the nominees for each category being named before the envelope was opened to reveal the winner. Congratulations in particular to Nycos Ilog and Liberty MacKenzie who were voted King and Queen of the Ball respectively.

I would also like to thank the Year 13 students who were on the Ball committee: James Cameron, Haydon Dickie, Tyler Hawkins, Madison Hickford, Theresa Joseph, Kori Koziol, Liberty MacKenzie, and Ellison McLean (along with Skyla Edmonds and Kim McKee in Year 12). They showed incredible commitment to making the event what it was, fine tuning details that I myself would not have thought of. I estimate that they put in somewhere between 15 and 20 hours of their own time since early in Term Two, and this effort showed through on the night. Well done and thank you to you all.

Back to other matters, you will hopefully be aware that students recently had their practice NCEA exams. While I know that many students studied hard for these, it was apparent that many did not take them seriously and a number of students even failed to turn up. This is very disappointing given the efforts that their teachers have made to prepare students for these exams. Looking forward from this, it is the perfect time for you and your child to start preparing a study plan for the real NCEA exams in November, if they haven’t started planning already. They should be talking to their teachers about the best way of studying for each individual subject, and making sure that their notes and other subject material is organised and easy to use. It would also be a good idea to ensure that your child has somewhere quiet to study.

Lastly, I am almost finished my academic interviews with the Year 13 students. Most have a good idea of what they plan to do next year, and are in the process of applying for courses or scholarships or whatever else they may need. If your child is still unsure of their plan for next year, it is important that you talk to them about the next steps. The year is almost over and applications are closing for many courses. They can also meet with Mrs Toohey, the school Careers Counsellor, who may be able to offer some ideas. If your child has missed their interview with me then it is important that they re-book a time so we can start these discussions.

Please feel free to contact me on t if you have anything you want to discuss.