Kia Ora Parents and Friends of the College, One of the things that is becoming increasingly evident as our senior students aspire to do well in NCEA is the importance of being able to read and comprehend the assessments.

NCEA is a very ‘text based’ qualification. Those students who do extremely well, in lots of cases have a high degree of literacy. Literacy, and the ability to comprehend what is being asked in the assessments, comes from consistent reading over many years. I think it is important to reiterate the importance of wide reading in a student’s life. In a primary school setting, reading is assigned as part of homework. However, as students get older, other aspects of the curriculum may become more important. For a student’s overall development, reading for pleasure should be an important part of everyday life. A great deal of research has gone into reading and it is apparent that it really does not matter what students are reading, as long as they are reading on a regular basis. There are some outstanding authors now who have written specifically for our teenage readers. These books have engaged students and really made reading a pleasure and a time for relaxation. There are also specific interest magazines that students could be reading. While many households have moved away from a traditional newspaper as a source of information, this is again another great way for students to not only get an understanding of what is happening in the world around them with their general knowledge but also an exposure to different types of articles and different types of language. To reiterate, reading and comprehending what is being asked is an important aspect of NCEA. I greatly encourage our parents to support their students in reading, not only for pleasure but as a way of increasing their literacy and therefore increasing the likelihood of success during NCEA. The more they read from Years 7 – 10, the stronger the chances that they will be able to do well when they get to their senior years.

April 4th will see the introduction of the revised Health and Safety Act 2015. I know this has had significant impact for a number of businesses and organisations throughout the country and we are no different. The aim of the Act is to ensure that all New Zealanders can go to work and know that they will be in a safe environment. There are certainly a number of industries where the injury and relatively high death toll is a concern. For a long time schools have been under legislative control in terms of education outside of the classroom and for things like trips and school camps etc. There will need to be some modification and changes to our procedures to come into line with the Act. Of importance and impact on our wider community is the absolute necessity for permission slips to be returned and completed fully. As a school we may require greater information from you on a more regular basis in order to be compliant with the Act. This will mean that we can be certain that we are doing everything possible to maintain the safety of your students in these activities. As a school we still want to offer these off-campus opportunities but understand that there is also a responsibility for us to make sure that we comply with the new legislation. In addition, those people who act as volunteers, coaches or support activities on a regular basis will also fall under the school’s jurisdiction. More information will be provided to these people to ensure that all that they are doing is appropriate and complies under the Health and Safety Act.

In the next few days we will be sending out a link to a survey regarding students using ICT devices at school. We have surveyed students to gain their perspective however we really need your perspective too. We need to ensure that we are offering the best possible learning environment as well as making sure that we align with the Ministry of Education and New Zealand Qualifications Authority. The survey should take between 5 – 10mins and we would really value your feedback.

Our Year 7 & 8 students have all returned from very successful camps last week despite some challenging weather. I would like to sincerely thank all parents and staff that assisted with these camps – your time and energy is very much appreciated.

A reminder that Parent Teacher Interviews are tonight at the College. We look forward to seeing a good number of you here.

Enjoy the Easter break and note that school resumes Wednesday 30 March.

Mr N Harray | Principal