Happy Holidays!

Kia ora and welcome to the final newsletter of Term 2. As we head into the holidays and reflect on what has been a very busy term there are a number of highlights which stand out for me. Perhaps not surprisingly these always involve seeing our amazing students showing commitment, dedication and passion and working together to achieve a positive outcome. 

Last week we held our first ever Nayland College Matariki celebration. At this event whānau gathered and shared kai, were treated to a performance by Pūaha Te Tai kapa haka group and were inspired by our visiting speaker Nicola Smith, Producer at Māori Television. But most importantly we took the opportunity to celebrate the incredible achievements of many of our Māori and Pasifika students. Although organised by Deputy Principal Jane Townsend the whole event was student led with rangatahi celebrating each other's achievements. You can read more about this in the newsletter. We hope this event will become an even stronger celebration in years to come. 

Our performing arts department have staged a number of extremely high quality events this term. Not least of these was the Dance Showcase put on in the school hall this week. I was blown away by the number of students involved, by their seemingly endless energy and by the joyfulness of the choreography and performances. Well done to all of those involved and especially to Jana Polglase who clearly inspires excellence in her students. 

Nayland College sports teams have experienced a number of successes recently and it is fantastic to see not only high levels of participation but also strong student support from their peers on the sidelines. I wish the 9A and 10A netball teams all the best for their upcoming trip to Christchurch to participate in the South Island tournament. 

You may know that we have made significant changes to our junior curriculum this year. This includes a range of new half year modules which provide students with a wide choice of learning opportunities in arts, technology and other learning areas. Modules include Psychology, Waka Ama and Wayfinding, Surf's Up and Animal Behaviour and Welfare. The student feedback we have collected on the junior modules is extremely positive. Students are letting us know that they enjoy having more choice in what they learn and that they enjoy contributing to what is covered in classes and opportunities to experience education outside the classroom. Next term sees the beginning of the second rotation of junior modules and I hope students enjoy their next selections just as much. 

I would like to remind parents and whānau that we have moved to a system of real time reporting. This means that each teacher will publish a grade and a feedback comment each term for students in their classes. These can be accessed via the parent portal. Now would be a really good time check into the portal - you should see lots of feedback about how your young person has been doing this term. I encourage you to check the portal regularly to keep up to date with your child's progress. 

At the beginning of next term we welcome Daniel Wilson back from his sabbatical. I have caught up with him once or twice and know that he has enjoyed visiting schools on the North Island as well as attending some professional development in Australia. I hope he has also had a chance to take a well earned break and to recharge. I have really enjoyed my term as Acting Principal and am grateful for the support of the incredibly hard working staff at Nayland College. It is quite a privilege to work every day in an institution as interesting, busy, engaging and relationships-focused as this. 

A huge well done to all of our students for their hard work and their many achievements so far this year. I wish you all a safe and happy holiday. Please take the time to get outside and connect with nature, spend time with the ones you love, look after each other and have fun. See you all next term.

Ngā mihi,

Hannah Banks

Acting Principal