Dear parents/caregivers

This has been a very unusual year and this has affected students and staff in a variety of ways. We are aware that, in some cases, this added stress has resulted in some negative interactions between students. We would like to remind students and caregivers of some basic rules and expectations which are in place to support safety and wellbeing, as well as academic success:

• There are items which we have a zero tolerance for at school. These include alcohol, drugs, tobacco products and vaping products.  Any students that bring these items to school, or come to school under the influence, will face severe disciplinary consequences. 
• Students should arrive at school on time and in correct uniform. Help is available through the Student Centre for students who do not have correct uniform items.
• Visitors to school must sign in at the Student Centre or main reception. This is important even for small things like dropping off a student’s lunch. Adults are not permitted to enter the school grounds during the day without a valid reason. It is vital that we know who is on the school grounds at any time, particularly during Covid Alert Level 2.
• Bullying is not OK and we will take student concerns around this seriously. If you feel you have been bullied please inform a member of staff so we can act quickly. If you see another student being bullied or hurt please inform a staff member immediately.
• Social media is everywhere and its misuse can be hurtful and dangerous. Please do not send messages or post things which could inflame conflict or be hurtful to others.
• When students are travelling to and from school they are our representatives.  I will treat any incident in the community that happens whilst travelling to and from school exactly the same as if it happened on school grounds.

At Nayland College we take pastoral care very seriously and there are a wide range of supports available for students who may be struggling with friendships, with academic workload or with other stresses or anxieties. We strongly encourage you to seek support early if you are experiencing any of these issues. Likewise, we will act firmly and quickly if students overstep our behavioural expectations. 

I make no apology for taking a hard line on the above points. To ensure the safety of all students I have no hesitation when it comes to suspending students that continually do not meet our expectations, particularly as we offer every support possible to keep students in learning.  

Mid-term break is fast approaching next week.  I would like to inform our school community that we have decided to follow the lead of other high schools in the region and reinstate the Staff Only Day on Thursday 3 September.  This is to allow time and space for teachers to rejig their internal assessment programmes to ensure we have altered our programmes appropriately for students to achieve at a high level in 2020.  It is also an opportunity for junior core class teacher teams to discuss individual student interventions to support learning. Teachers will discuss with their classes how students can best use this time to catch up on assignments and study.

Ngā mihi

Daniel Wilson
Principal