Dear Parents,

"We know what we are, but know not what we may be."

William Shakespeare

As a typically busy term draws to a close, the young men of the school should reflect on how they have gone since the beginning of the year. Those in Year 9 will be able to reflect on their first term at Palmerston North Boys’ High School. All will know whether or not they have given a good account of themselves.

Each and every one of our young men has the potential to succeed. That success may look different from one young man to another; but all have that potential. An oft heard phrase in education is that someone is not working to their potential or not living up to their potential. As we know, that is because for potential to be realised, effort and determination, resilience and fortitude, are needed.

Many of our young men have shown those qualities during this first term, and as such have made positive progress. There are some who, for whatever reason, have found it difficult to work to the best of their ability, often seeking to lay the blame for their own lack of progress elsewhere, when it is their own laziness and lack of effort that are holding them back.

It is always incredibly frustrating for teachers when they have a young man in their class who is capable of achieving at a much higher level if only they would put in the effort. Sometimes, the penny drops, or the switch is flicked, and a young man is away, achieving things he may not have previously thought possible.

But to do that, a young man’s attendance must be high – he needs to be here, in class, working hard. There will be times when school activities will take him out of class, and he will need to catch up. That’s on him – he must take responsibility for staying up to date. We know that young men are superb procrastinators, and are often poorly organised, but this is a skill he must learn if he is to achieve success.

Those with excellent attendance are more engaged at school. As it turns out, so are those who participate in the school’s co-curricular programme. At a recent assembly, I spoke about our findings when looking at attendance, achievement, and co-curricular involvement. At Year 11, those who are not involved in co-curricular activities achieve on average 17 fewer NCEA credits than those young men who are, while their attendance figures are 10% lower. In Year 12, the difference is hugely compelling: those who are not engaged in co-curricular activities achieve 31 fewer NCEA credits and their attendance is behind by 12.6%.

In Years 9 and 10, a similar pattern can be found. In Year 10, in particular: young men who are not involved in co-curricular activities average 14% less in their core subject end of year examinations than those who are. Attendance figures are behind by nine percent as well.

Correlation, of course, does not imply causation, although admittedly I may have neglected to address this when rallying the troops at assembly and urging the boys to get involved, but what these figures tell us is that those young men who are engaged in school life do better.

Those who are engaged can realise their potential.

As I often do at the start of the winter season, when we have so many teams involved in competitions, whether they be local, regional, or national, I need to make comments about sideline behaviour. I have seen some appalling behaviour from so-called supporters on the sidelines, who think it their right to abuse the match official or opposition players. This is intolerable and embarrassing. At school we discuss our expectations of our teams and our young men, and it is important that these are supported at home and on the sidelines. Thus, a Supporters Code of Conduct has been introduced which outlines the expected behaviour of those choosing to support PNBHS teams:

1.  Always remember the boys are involved in sport for their enjoyment, not yours.

2. Set an example – applaud good play and good effort.

3. Do not criticise team members or opponents for making a mistake.

4. Criticism of referees or umpires is unacceptable – officials give freely of their time and effort and do not deserve to be harassed by people on the side-line.

5. Support all efforts to remove verbal and physical abuse from sporting activities.

6. Do not come on to the field of play; do not enter changing rooms. No parents in halftime huddles.

7. Recognise the value of coaches and managers who give their time to provide opportunities for our young men.

At the heart of the matter is that we want our young men playing because they enjoy playing. They do not want to be embarrassed by the conduct of family members or supporters on the side of the field. Not everyone will be a national representative; it is important to keep that in mind to provide a realistic context. It is important to remember also that not all staff members will be the next national coach and yet some on the sideline think it their right to criticise team selection and offer uninvited advice; not every referee or umpire will be a professional. We want to encourage all those involved to stay involved.

Clubs

A small number of young men have expressed an interest in playing for club teams in some codes. The school’s policy is that young men will be released on a partial transfer to play for clubs only if they are representing the school also. Some have not been selected for higher teams and believe they should be playing at a certain level. Whether that is the case or not, the school expects its young men to fulfil their commitments to the school before representing an outside club. All discussions in this regard need to be with the Master in Charge of the respective codes.

Uniform

Sports uniform

As young men join various sporting codes to represent PNBHS there will be a set uniform that boys must purchase. While representing the school it is expected that students wear their sports uniform correctly and abide by school rules. It is also expected that associated registration fees are paid on time, or a suitable arrangement is made with the Teacher in Charge prior to playing. If fees are not paid or an arrangement is not made students will not be able to play.

All items of sports uniform can be purchased from the school’s uniform outlet.

I thank you in advance for assisting us in maintaining standards of dress and behaviour on and off the fields and courts this winter.

Polypropylene/ “Skins”

As the cooler weather approaches a reminder that young men may wear polypropylene under the school uniform as long as it is not visible. We recommend that young men purchase black V-neck polypropylene tops to wear under their school shirts. These are available from a wide variety of suppliers.

Skins should not be visible under a sports uniform. If worn under shorts, the skins should not be longer than the shorts.

Jackets

Any raincoat may be worn to school on a wet day but must be removed once inside the school grounds. Should a young wish to wear a jacket within our grounds it must be one of the approved black jackets. These are not permitted in classrooms.

Well done to our Year 9 students who are about to complete their first term as students at PNBHS. You are now part of the long and proud history of the school. To those students involved in fixtures and events in the coming weeks - safe travel, and strong competition.

All the best for the holiday break and we look forward to a positive term two.

D M Bovey

Rector