Junior Examinations 2022 by PNBHS

From the Deputy Rector

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Kia ora, Tēnā koutou katoa, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Tālofa lava kia orana, Mālō e lelei Mālō nī, Ni sa bula vinaka, Tālofa

Te mahi tahi | Industry

It is fitting that our focus value for the second half of term two has been Te mahi tahi | Industry.  With Junior Examinations and mid-year university examinations having been recently completed and students studying at NCEA level nearing the conclusion of a busy period of internal assessment, alongside the significant involvement of young men in co-curricular activities, it has been a challening period of time that has relied on hard work and determined effort for it to be successfully navigated.  Our school motto - Nihil Boni Sine Labore ǀ Nothing Achieved Without Hard Work - is often repeated by current students, Old Boys and staff and it's message remains as pertinent today as it did when our school was established in 1902.

In any endeavour in life we will face challenges and it is our response to these situations that says the mosyt about us.  For young men, these challenmges often come when they have busy periods of academic assessment.  It is those who respond with hard work who put themselves in a position where they are most likely to achieve top their potential.

Whakanuia te tangata ringa raupā ǀ Respect a person with calloused hands

Hard work is a virtue that we should recognise as important and respect those who do make a determined effort.

Junior Examinations

For many young men, particularly those in Year 9, the recent Junior Examinations will have been a challenging experience. While examinations are in some respects an ‘end point’, there are always many lessons that can be learned from them that will assist your son as he transitions through his secondary schooling. Parents can play an essential role in helping their sons to make the most of these examinations. Rather than simply fixating on results – was it a ‘pass’ or a ‘fail’ – engage with your son in discussions about his examination preparation – which strategies did he find most helpful? What will he do differently in the future? How will he attempt to accelerate his learning and progress in the second half of the year? Working with him to set goals will assist his academic progress and reinforce the high expectations you have for his academic progress.

Term three Parent-Teacher interviews are an opportunity for you to gain further information on his examination performance and the next steps in his academic progress. We firmly believe that junior examinations are an essential step in preparing young men for external NCEA examinations. Consequently, their importance cannot be overstated.  Information about bookings for the term three Parent-Teacher Interviews will be emailed to parents early next term.

Pressure on Young People and Perspective

A 2019 NZ Listener article (Greater Expectations, 12 August) referenced the work of American social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, whose message is that teenagers today are growing up in a world that has never been safer, but they haven’t learned how to cope with failure or how to be resilient in the face of the obstacles facing them. In the article Haidt’s hypothesis was supplemented by two New Zealand experts, Auckland-based clinical psychologist Gwendoline Smith, and Kerry Gibson, clinical psychologist at the University of Auckland. Smith explained that one of the biggest issues she sees in her young patients is catastrophising: blowing things out of proportion. “The most damaging aspect of catastrophising is the profound undermining of resilience. When someone believes a situation is impossible, they don’t even try to overcome it. I want you to understand that so much of your ‘disease’ is to do with your perception of the world, not the reality of it.” Gibson added that “Young people grow up in a world where there are very high expectations that they should succeed in every area of their lives…But, in fact, it is much harder for young people to live up to unrealistic expectations. They are facing significant pressure in comparison with previous generations. The pressure is more subtle, but it is real.”

The article provided this advice for parents and those supporting young people:

· Make it clear to your children that you love them regardless of their achievements and that their achievements do not reflect who they are as a person
· Recognise the importance of social interactions and relationships
· Encourage participation in a range of co-curricular activities, but limit specialisation until as late as possible (large numbers of young people stop playing organised sport because it stops being fun and the risk of injury increases significantly with early specialisation)
· Limit screen time, especially time on mobile phones
· Help young people put events in their lives in perspective – it’s not catastrophic, they will get over it – and help them formulate a plan for their response and next steps.

In an article publshed around the same time former All Blacks’ captain Richie McCaw discussed the pressure to perform that is associated with representing New Zealand at the highest level and the ‘dark days’ that followed the loss to France in the 2007 World Cup quarter-final. Now, with the opportunity to put the experience into perspective, McCaw stated “Post the ’07 World Cup I look back now and it’s probably the best time because I would never have learned what I learned.” McCaw’s ability to reflect on a huge obstacle in his sporting career and to put it into perspective is laudable and a great example for young men. The message that often we cannot control what happens to us, but we can absolutely determine our response is an important one for them to hear and understand.

2023 Subject Selections

We are in the first stages of our planning for 2023.  An essential component of this are young men's subject selections for next year.  Early next term we will be asking them to start making their choices in this regard.  These decisions are important as they will influence future pathways.  We encourage parents and young men to begin their discussions about next year and beyond.  We realise that many young men will not have a firm plan for the future, and that's fine.  

The most important thing is that young men are starting to have conversations about possible pathways and careers beyond school. Talking about your career and those of the people you work with can be a good starting point. The careers.govt.nz website contains a wealth of information and useful tools, such as:

To assist with this decision making a Subject Information Evening is being held on Wednesday, August 24th, 6.00pm - 7.00pm. On this night you will have the opportunity to speak to teachers, Year Level Deans, the Careers Advisor and Heads of Departments.  Further information will be provided next term.

Scholarship Examinations

We encourage all young men studying NCEA Level Three subjects to consider sitting scholarship assessments. NZQA explain that “New Zealand Scholarship provides recognition and monetary reward for the highest achieving secondary school students. Scholarship is assessed against demanding standards to challenge the most capable students in each subject area. Scholarship candidates are expected to demonstrate high-level critical thinking, and to integrate, synthesise and apply knowledge, skills, understanding and ideas to complex situations.”

Scholarship requires a significant extra commitment in terms of revision and examination preparation. Many departments will run additional tutorials to assist with this. However, for some young men the extra time required may be an impediment to their success at NCEA Level 3 and in gaining University Entrance. For this reason, we encourage all young men contemplating enrolling in Scholarship to discuss this with their parents and teachers so that an informed decision is made. If your son wishes to enrol for Scholarship examinations he needs to register his name with his class teacher as soon as possible, but by Friday, August 26 at the very latest. There is no cost for domestic students to sit Scholarship assessments. However, any International students interested in Scholarship examinations must see Mr. Retemeyer as soon as possible.