There always seems to be so many plates spinning in education, and it is through the tireless dedication of our teaching and support staff that we keep things moving so smoothly. I would also like to acknowledge our outstanding student leadership team, capably led by Kyra Johnson and Ciaran Thow, who are doing a brilliant job of leading their committees and making a real difference for the student body. You are leaving an indelible mark on our school and one to be very proud of!

This afternoon we celebrated student attendance with a spinning wheel draw for amazing prizes: two sony portable speakers, a heavy duty power bank, two pairs of bluetooth earbuds, and instax mini camera and film, a smart wifi light strip, and a USB charging nutribullet. We had 25 students in the draw with 100% attendance for the term, and 71 with attendance from 94% and above. This is a fantastic achievement and we thank our students and families for prioritising school attendance. Next term, we will introduce a prize for students with the biggest attendance improvements, as well as those who continue to maintain high regular attendance. Congratulations to our 8 prize winners!

Yesterday, we celebrated the inaugural korowai competition, led by Pūmanawa Pyper Murphy and our Kaiako Māori and Cultural Navigator Tina Singer. It was such an affirming celebration of tikanga Māori at JPII, and a credit to the whānau classes and whānau teachers for supporting it. The korowai were intricate in design and used natural materials to weave a narrative of their school whānau house and aspirations. They were modelled with flair by the whānau teachers (Mr Ching and Mr Porter could have futures on the catwalk?) Mayor Tania Gibson judged the winner to be Anahera house for their traditional design and cultural narrative. Thank you, Tania, for taking the time to participate in this event. We will have these for display in reception next term so please do come in to admire them.

It was a wonderful and wet opportunity for the school to attend Agfest this afternoon. With so many of our students currently involved or seeking primary industries pathways, it was great to have everyone out to see the vast range of exhibits on display. Thank you to our students for your exceptional conduct and representing our school so well.

NCEA Changes

This year one of our strategic priorities is the implementation of the NCEA changes at Level 1. This is a major focus for our teachers, and it has been time consuming and complex managing these changes. I thank the brilliant work of our staff, in particular our Learning Area Leaders and Teachers in Charge of subjects, who have been doing a great job ensuring that our academic programmes are in great shape. I also thank Deputy Principal Mr Steggles who has been working tirelessly, supporting and facilitating this change programme and managing NCEA assessments at JPII.

Last Friday we received communication from the Minister of Education that the MOE will be delaying implementation of the new Level 2 and Level 3 NCEA qualifications by two years. This will mean that for 2024-2027 the current settings will remain in place (using the new NCEA Level 1 and the existing Level 2 and Level 3) before the introduction of Level 2 in 2028 and Level 3 in 2029.

The primary reason for this delay is so that they can rephase and re-order the Change Programme, developing the Y11-13 curriculum for each subject area before designing Achievement Standards.

Key actions that will be undertaken over the next two years include:

· A review of the new NCEA Level 1 will be undertaken by the Education Review Office documenting key learnings.

· There will also be a review of other aspects of the NCEA Change Programme, including the methods for external assessments, periods of study leave, and moderation practices.

· The senior secondary curriculum for Y11-13 students will be developed.

· An implementation plan will reflect learnings from ERO’s evaluation of Level 1.

· NCEA Level 1 (improved) and NCEA Level 2 will be fully implemented by 2028.

· NCEA Level 3 will be fully implemented by 2029.

Please note that the first Monday of term 2 is a staff only day where we will be working with Ngāti Waewae for cultural capability professional learning, and improving our reo and tikanga Māori.

Wishing you all a safe and enjoyable holiday break.

In the spirit of St Marcellin Champagnat and the Venerable Catherine McAuley

Renee Hutchinson

Principal

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