Kia ora koutou

As we get to the end of term, I want to acknowledge the hard mahi from all of the Shirley Boys’ High School whānau. We have had challenging times with a high number of Omicron cases and household cases affecting our school, but we have still managed to have a full term with high quality learning, co-curricular activities and other normal events.

Our staff have done an excellent job of continuing to teach lessons at school while also providing online learning at home for the students who were isolating. In many cases our teachers were providing lessons while also isolating at home. I want to thank our staff for the commitment they have made to keep school ticking over while we have been rostering home, and also acknowledge the boys for putting up with another disruption to their learning.

In the next couple of days, Interim Reports will be going out. It is not a detailed report but it will provide an indicator of the progress your son has made this term. To get a better idea of how your son is going, I encourage you to attend the Parent Teacher Interviews that we are holding in Weeks 2 and 3 of Term Two. I can signal that Thursday May 12 is a Staff Only Day for all Christchurch secondary schools so that teachers can work together on NCEA changes.

We are hopeful that the beginning of next term will be a lot smoother and are intending to start back with normal school. We will be guided by the settings that the government decides, but I can assure everyone that the school is safe, and students are expected to be at school. We will not be providing online learning next term, as everyone should be at school. There will be plenty of support for students to return, and please get in touch with Deans if there are any issues.

The first few weeks will be about getting back into a routine. Winter is on its way, so uniforms need to be appropriate and correct, and boys need to be clean shaven. Sport and cultural activities will be getting underway, so you can expect to hear information about that. Having correct uniform, being on time and regularly attending all help with structure which is important as we return to school.

Lastly, thank you for your support and understanding over the last few weeks. The rostering home has gone well, but our cases have decreased and we are very pleased to be moving to the Orange setting. There are still a number of health measures in place, including mask wearing is strongly encouraged when inside, and must be worn on school buses. This is an important measure to keep us safe. We know that Covid is still in the community, but we are well equipped to manage it and are looking forward to having everyone back next term.

Have a happy and safe Easter break.

Ngā mihi

Tim Grocott