Kia ora koutou

Well done to our seniors. It is a long examination period and takes stamina to get to this last stage. I am impressed by the way in which students have positively approached the exams after a challenging year.

Good luck for all of the Year 10 Camps going away. We have an amazing wealth of experienced outdoors people on our staff who have decades of camp experience between them. It is important to get any last gear organised over the weekend.

All staff went to Ōtākou Marae on Tuesday and progressed their learning around Mātauranga Māori. We are grateful for Kirsten Parkinson, Moana Wesley, Doug Ditfort, Connor Ropata, Amie Curtis and other generous people from Ōtākou for welcoming us to their place. We were delighted to finally meet Rawinia Paringatai, our professional development facilitator from Tupuora who has been working with us in the online space.

An email went out to junior parents and caregivers this week regarding issues with groups of youths loitering at the bus hub and in town. Advice to junior parents included:

• Students should be adequately supervised after school - this includes knowing where they are, who they are with and what they are doing.

• Parents and whānau are encouraged to talk about, encourage and live the school values of Respect, Integrity and Positivity at home as well as at school.

• If students are catching a bus, they should arrive five minutes before and not loiter at the Bus Hub or in town.

• Sport and cultural activities keep students safe and connected to school. It is expected that all students will be involved in at least one Summer and one Winter school activity. Start thinking about this now at home so that your child is set up for the start of 2023. Our busy students are never in trouble.

• Set clear boundaries for young people around getting home, phone use and other activities. These five years are crucial in setting students on the right path and lifting them up to realise that they can do anything and be anyone. Every student at our school is valued and supported to realise their potential and they have a long list of amazing role models in our school - both past and present.

• Teach children social skills around disagreeing respectfully, using appropriate language, walking away and avoiding confrontations.

Always get in touch if you have concerns. We have a network of four senior leaders, 13 deans, eight Heads of Department and a wealth of caring teachers who support your child to achieve highly and behave well. When people make assumptions that may or may not be real on social media, it is detrimental to students’ sense of pride in their school. We welcome you to get the real life version from us first and value open communication at all times.

We look forward to Prize-reading, Leavers’ Assembly and Prizegiving on the 5th December. Please ensure all students arrive in blazers for the entire day. We look forward to all students and parents joining us for Prizegiving at 6pm in the Regent Theatre. Please be seated by 5.45pm upstairs.

Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy some sunshine.

Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa

Let us keep close together, not wide apart

This whakatauki speaks to the importance of keeping connected, of maintaining relationships and dialogue so that we can keep moving forward together.

Ngā mihi nui