As we draw near to the end of Term 1, it gives us a chance to reflect on what has been a long and very busy 11 weeks both inside and outside the classroom; there are too many events to mention here!

I must mention, however, how privileged I felt recently when I joined a group of outstanding young men and women as we ventured South to take on Kaikorai Valley College in a successful annual Summer exchange - an exchange with a long history spanning back to 1962. 

Success can be measured in a variety of ways and besides the fact that we retained the Summer Shield, it was the way that our students conducted themselves over the two days which was particularly impressive. 

My sincere thanks to our Sports Coordinator, Dave Biddick, for another superbly organised event.

Term 1 has also seen the introduction of two new initiatives focused around the communication of student progress and achievement to parents, and it has been pleasing to receive positive feedback on both. 

Related to the first initiative, it has been great to see the way that a majority of our students have embraced the Fortnightly Report as a way of raising the ‘accountability stakes’ when it comes to their attitude to learning, and to be a part of some robust discussions when it comes to the amount of time they are away from class with other activities. 

Our first Student Achievement Interview Day was also very successful overall with 140 more parents making bookings compared to 2016. 

I know that an opportunity has already been provided for both parents and staff to provide feedback on this day which will be collated and considered in our future planning.

Can I take this opportunity to wish you a restful end of term break. For our students it will be important that they balance their time between assignments or work that needs to be caught up on, and being able to recharge their batteries ready to take on an equally busy Term 2.