Tena Kouto Katoa

At the beginning of this week I was deeply saddened to inform you of the passing of our deeply respected friend and colleague Lyn Osten. As her College family we remembered her on Tuesday morning with a full school assembly. She remains in the forefront of our minds as we venture through this week.

A remembrance book is being set up in the main administration area of the College and we welcome all members of the Kavanagh community to come and leave a thought or message. There will be an informal gathering to share stories and comradeship next Friday, 16 March. Details are still being finalised, we will keep you informed.

Congratulations to teachers Ian Adamson and Jane DeGraaf who have been selected as our "Within-School" leaders for our Kahui Ako -Catholic Community of learning. They join Sarah Tsukigawa and Kathleen O'Kane from Kavanagh as well as a wider group of teachers from across our Catholic Primary Schools. Although it is early days we are already seeing collaboration which is unprecedented across our schools which will open up opportunities for new learning pathways as well as a focus on targetting students to raise achievement from Year 1 to Year 13. Exciting times.

Looking at the bigger picture, as well as a wider review of our education system the government is looking closely at the future of NCEA and it's structure over the current 3-year levels. No assessment and qualifications system is perfect. NCEA has a number of weaknesses but it also has much going for it especially in terms of flexibility and allowing students to access a diverse curriculum and qualifications framework. The downside has been relentless over-assessment that can negatively impact the well-being of students and teachers through stress and workload. It can also stifle creativity and passion for learning as students can be pushed down narrow learning channels too early to gain credits rather than learning for deeper meaning and acquiring the tools they will need to handle complexity in the 21st century. Getting this balance right is no easy task but it is critical work that we will be closely engaged with.

Tracy O'Brien