Dear parents/caregivers It has been another hectic start to the year.

I am so proud of all our student achievements, particularly with recent academic and sporting success as outlined in this newsletter. A huge thank you to our parent community for your continued support and attendance at important school events. We are looking forward to seeing most of you at our upcoming subject interviews on Tuesday 9 April. Booking information will be sent home soon.

Last week we had a large audience for our annual NCEA information evening. NCEA and University Entrance are important qualifications, but can be complicated for parents and students to understand. From my perspective there are a few key points to remember when analysing and tracking your child’s progress in NCEA:

• Students gain credits through both internal and external (exam) assessments that show they have ‘reached a standard’
• To gain level 1, 80 credits are required, including 10 literacy and 10 numeracy credits
• To gain level 2, 60 credits are required plus 20 from any other level. Level 1 literacy and numeracy requirements must also be met.
• To gain level 3, 60 credits are required plus 20 from level 2 or above. Level 1 literacy and numeracy requirements must also be met.

More information can be found here: https://www.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/understanding-ncea/how-ncea-works/ncea-levels-and-certificates/

From my perspective level 3 as a qualification opens many more doors when a student has also gained University Entrance (UE), whether or not they intend to study at University in the near future. To gain UE students must achieve level 3 with at least 14 credits in three approved UE subjects. They must also meet the UE literacy requirements of 5 reading and 5 writing credits. This is much more difficult to achieve than you might expect. Students need to ensure they are taking the correct subjects, that they do not ‘drop’ a subject during the year and that they work steadily throughout the year and do not rely on external exams to gain all of their required credits. I am very keen to ensure students see UE as a much more valuable qualification than level 3 and to support them to achieve at the highest level.

Next week all of our year 9 students will travel to a powhiri at the Whakatu Marae to celebrate the end of our Ko Wai Tatou introductory/transition unit and to connect with our manu whenua. Unfortunately, I am unable to join the students this year. However, I wish them all the best for this very special occasion.

Ngā mihi

Daniel Wilson
Principal