Dear Parents and Caregivers

Greetings, tena koutou katoa, talofa lava and welcome back to Shirley Boys’ High School and for those of you who are new to our family, an especially warm welcome.

2017 will be a memorable year in this school’s history. I am certain that this time next year, we will look back and recognise that 2017 was the year we were privileged to see the start of the rebuilding of our new school, at QE2 (Oruapaeroa). Over the next few weeks, meetings with the Ministry of Education will occur and it is my expectation that the consortia who will build our school will be confirmed in February, final plans sorted February/March and sometime around the end of this term, or start of Term 2, we will see the first sod of ground turned over, to initiate the start of the build.

Over the break 2017 Associate Head Boy Keeley Legge and I were invited to the ceremony to mark the start of the building of the Council's Sport and Recreation centre which will be in close proximity to Shirley Boys' and Avonside Girls' High Schools when they are completed. Please see photo below.

How well did we do in the 2016  examinations?

We do not yet have the confirmed results- ready by March- but the answer to that is exceedingly well. The numbers of elite academic performers who entered the exclusive “90’s Club” for high achievement in NZQA are comparable to our excellent achievements of the past five years. In addition, our pass rates at NCEA Levels 1-3, as well as the number of endorsements of Merit and Excellence are up on last year and above national averages.

I will ensure you get the exact details after results are confirmed.

The 90’s Club 2016

Please click here to read the names of the 2016 90's Club members. 

Property

The school is in good shape, with everything good to go for the start of the new year. One change to note however is the shift in the location of the Reception for visitors. This is no longer in H Block, but more centrally located near the quad. It is clearly signposted on maps at entrances from both North Parade and Averill Street carparks.  The Student Office is located adjacent to the public reception and my office has moved to this area as well.

Some quick reminders

Remember if you are new to Shirley, you are encouraged to communicate early and often with the school. Details of key people can be found on the school website. 

For those of you who are with us for the first time, here are some useful ideas to help you transition your son to high school. Ask your son to show you what he was doing in school each day, help keep him organised and when he does positive things praise him and let us know so this can be reinforced here at school. Remember that if he is doing something like playing a sport, or engaging in school activity such as drama, tabloid sports, music, or something else, try and come along and support him in person. He might seem a bit indifferent on the surface, but underneath he will love you for it!

For those of you interested, my Annual Report and Statement of Variance will be available from the school office early in March.

While every effort has been made to ensure a smooth start to the year, we are still tweaking timetable structures involving rooming and class placements. This has arisen because a greater influx of Year 9 students than expected has occurred. I am confident however that these will be resolved in the next week or so.

Finally the student Senior Executive was badged in assembly during the first week following an extended training camp at the end of the holidays. Student leaders for 2017 are:

Deputy Head Boys

• Aoraki - Jake Luthi
  
• Blake - Max Ngataki
  
• Mullins - Matt Barr
  
• Snell - Cole Yeoman
  

Board of Trustees, Student Representative:

• Miguel Clayton-Jones
  

Associate Head Boys:

• Keeley Legge 
  
• Glen Beardsley
  

Head Boy:

• Connor Edwards
  

Connor is this school’s 60th Head Boy, and I am certain he and his team will be instrumental in ensuring that the class of 2017 is led just as successfully as the student bodies of the past.

Regards and Best Wishes

John Laurenson

Headmaster