I was fortunate to be able to watch all the teams who took part in Winter Tournament week. It was fantastic to be able to support the students, coaches and managers. There were some amazing results, great sportsmanship and gameplay. I didn’t get to see as much of AIMS Games as I would have liked but what I did see was awesome! Both Winter Tournament and AIMS Games demand so much of all involved. It is a long week, with students playing multiple games a day, having to manage their rest time and nutrition, and step back up after losses or hard games. These events provide students with friendships across year levels and lasting memories. A huge thank you to the parents and staff who supported these events. A special mention to our Sports Coordinator, Juliet Dunlop-Fraser, for the tireless work she does in organising and supporting these two significant weeks of the school year.

Our students have also been showcasing their artistic talents in KKC’s Got Talent and NCEA music assessment evening. The talent within our students is incredible. Congratulations to all those involved and the staff supporting them - in particular Ms Bullot and Mrs Backhouse-Smith.

You may have noticed that the Katikati College sign at the front of the school has had a makeover. Thank you to the Year 12 Carpentry class for their work and to Mr Vallely for supporting them in this project.

This term we have been visiting our enrolment schools to share information about who we are at Katikati College. We have shared what we believe is our point of difference compared to other schools. As a smaller rural school, we can build strong relationships with all students and their families. Students are provided with all the opportunities of a larger school and we consistently outperform other local schools academically in NCEA.

This week our senior students have undertaken their Derived Grade Practice exams. These exams provide students with an indication on how they are tracking for the final NCEA exams in November and an indication of what further work needs to be done.

I am conscious of negative behaviours that some students have been displaying. These have included not using the school toilets in an appropriate manner. Please be assured that we take all negative behaviours very seriously. It is vital that all students feel they can use the school amenities when needed. Whilst we have endeavoured to work with students and have provided increased adult supervision in these areas, a small group of students are still not doing the right thing. With this in mind the following further interventions are being put in place:

● Designated toilets for different year groups - Year 7 & 8 Technology, Year 9 & 10 B Block, Year 11 & 12 A Block, Year 13 H Block

● Constant review of adult duty supervision during interval and lunchtimes

● An easy system for students to report breakages, graffiti, and inappropriate behaviours

● Communication through year level assemblies and student notices

● Direct contact home for students who are not meeting expectations

We would like to thank the Year 7 & 8 community for their overwhelming support with the phone ban in Year 7 & 8. We continue to get so much positive feedback from parents, teachers and even students! This has been a very positive move. Students are out playing, talking and more focused on learning. We are currently looking at implementing this across Years 9 and 10. We are also investigating blocking student access to social media during school time.

If you have any further suggestions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me - collaboration between home and school is essential to success.

Finally, thank you for the generosity of our community. The support for Year 10 camp has been incredible, as has the ongoing support for Kura Kai.

Ngā mihi nui