KORERO FROM MEL

Kia ora e te whānau, welcome back to Term 2. It has already been a busy start to the term and we have lots going on in the coming weeks.

Term 2 sees the start of the winter sports season and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the whānau and staff who put their hands up to coach, manage and support our young people to participate. Engaging in a sporting, cultural or artistic activity is an excellent way for our students to meet new people and practice the dispositions required for a successful life, in a meaningful context. I encourage those students who have committed to an extra-curricular activity to remain dedicated and meet their obligations to get the most out of it and to show their respect for those that are supporting them.

Next week we are hosting the first of two Open Evenings to welcome prospective 2024 whānau and students. If you have friends and family in the community considering us for their school next year, please encourage them to come along to one of the two evenings. Specific details are further on in this newsletter.

We also held/are holding two evenings this week (Tuesday and Wednesday) for whānau of current Year 10 students on how we will be implementing NCEA this year in the Junior High School. A lot of background work has been done to get us to the stage where we can give our Year 10 students, who are ready, a taste of NCEA Level 1 assessment. Not all of our students will be ready to be assessed for NCEA Level 1 (NZ Curriculum Level 6) Achievement Standards and not all courses will have learning that naturally aligns to NCEA Level 1 Standards. Our vision is to give students a taste of what assessment feels like under the national qualification system, to best prepare them to start their more formal qualification journey in Year 11. Separate to NCEA Level 1, are the new Literacy and Numeracy Co-requisite Standards. These are 3 online assessments aimed at NZ Curriculum Level 5 (pre-NCEA) that students will need to pass in order to gain their overall NCEA qualifications - in Reading, Writing and Mathematics. We will be entering all Year 10 students who are ready to attempt these standards into the two assessment windows; the first in June and the second in October this year. Students who don’t achieve the co-requisite standards in Year 10 will continue to attempt them in Year 11 and beyond.

Ngā mihi,

Mel (Acting Principal)

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