Kia ora koutou

This week we celebrate Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori - Māori Language Week! Congratulations to Tamaiti o le Moana and Wairua Pūhou for their phenomenal performances at Polyfest last evening. Months of practices and training paid off for both groups and special acknowledgement goes to Emmy Kena and Mariah Taungapeau who performed in both groups with a complete change of outfit in between. The support that both groups have from their tutors, supporters and parents is the reason for their success.

Seniors have now finished their parallel exams and can enjoy the cross-country today (weather dependent). It is important to give time for teachers to mark and return papers and then to reflect on where the gaps or weaknesses are in learning and focus on those. Attempting the correct amount of papers is also important in building exam resilience and success. All students should be looking at completing two or three papers in each exam and there should be plenty of time in three hours to do this. The study resources on the school Careers website and invaluable for this. Scholarship studies will ramp up next term again and add a special something to students who like to extend themselves and their thinking. Students need to submit their subject choices for 2024 now.

Next year the revised Level One NCEA standards will be fully implemented. This will change the way NCEA looks and some externals will become folio-type work or common assessment tasks completed during the year in class time. The new simplified Level One should suit our students well and our teachers are well-placed and ahead in the game in preparing for these.

Get along to the Junior Production next week and enjoy some end of term hilarity along with some talented acting, dancing and singing. Also please note that the Celebration date has changed to Thursday 26th October due to other commitments at Knox Church. The following evening, on Friday the 27th October, pop along to have some great kai and entertainment between 5 and 8pm at the first ever Night Market. Well done to the fabulous student team of mainly juniors organising this.

Today I depart for China on a Principals’ Delegation looking at modern education and culture in Beijing, Shanghai, Lanzhou, Dunhuang and Zhouzhuang. It is also exciting to be renewing our sister school relationship with Guangming High School in Shanghai. I wish all of the students a well-earned break when it comes in the holidays.

Nā tō rourou, nā taku rourou ka ora ai te iwi.

With your food basket and my food basket the people will thrive.

This whakataukī encapsulates the notion that while working in isolation might result in survival, working together can take people beyond survival and onto prosperity.

Ngā mihi nui