Kia ora,

As I write this we are all in a new and challenging situation to what we normally do and know. We are now involved in online learning from home in such an unprecedented time. Thank you to everyone who has been working hard to make this easier for all involved. I hope you have taken some time to enjoy your time at home doing things you wouldn’t normally do and looking after your own and your family's wellbeing.

We have had a wonderful bunch of 60 students join our Lydiard whānau in Year 9 this year and already they are making their mark. We welcome new staff to our House as well; Miss Johnston, Mrs Badenhorst, Miss Tahau-Sweet and Ms McLeod join our House and we look forward to their contribution to our young people over the year.

Sports' Day was back on the school fields this year and a great day was had by all, despite the cool and damp start. The senior girls and junior boys won their relay and gained valuable house points. We ended up gaining 5th place overall on the points table.

Year 9 Camp was held at the end of February at the Boyle River Lodge. This was three days of new challenges, both physical and social, where students learned new skills and got to try a lot of new and different activities. A big thanks to those teachers and senior leaders who made this camp possible. Your contribution is truly appreciated.

I would also like to thank and congratulate the Peer Support leaders who have made the transition for our Year 9 students to High School that much more enjoyable and easier to cope with. We know this has made it a journey that was initially quite daunting into an enjoyable one. Thanks.

Our 2020 Student Executive of House Captains Emma Udy and Jack Chapman, and Executive team members Courtney Gray, Matt McKeefry, Rosa Hewett and Brooklyn Beach are working hard behind the scenes to make sure that the year is a success for the House. We also have Cultural Captain Kayla Mortimer and Sports Captain Maddie Hassall helping the team. Lucy Miller and Zoe McKinlay-Clark have been named as the junior representatives on the Executive.

Our first inter-house competition has taken place for the seniors with SummerFest starting in week 6 with variable levels of results for our house. Volleyball and Touch were the sports this year where we ended up 5th equal with some incredibly close wins and losses. We didn’t quite get the results we were after, but it was great to see so many students turn up to play and enjoy spending time getting active and with their peers in a competitive setting. Junior SummerFest has had to be postponed due to Term 1 finishing early.

Our goal for Lydiard House is to strive for our personal best in all we do. We encourage all Lydiard House members to remember our House motto of “take the long view and work towards it”. If we keep making the effort, the results will come. Come on Tigers!

Regards,

Miss Dawson

Head of Lydiard House