Kia ora tātou

Term 3 is charging along with a few big events on the horizon. This week we had a staff only day to accommodate the Teacher Accord Day which offered all Christchurch secondary school teachers the day to continue the process of developing an understanding of the NCEA curriculum changes which are due to be implemented in 2024. There will be two further days to be scheduled later in Term 4.

Winter Tournament will take place during Week 6 (Monday 29th August - Friday 2nd September). This is a great opportunity for boys to travel around the country representing Shirley Boys’ High School. We have Junior Football in Dunedin and First XI Football in Napier; Basketball has Juniors in Nelson, Intermediate and Canterbury and Seniors in Invercargill; Under 15 Rugby is in Timaru and Oamaru; Ice Hockey in Dunedin; Hockey here in Christchurch; and Cycling in Blenheim. I wish all the teams success and an enjoyable time.

These tournaments don’t happen without teachers and other volunteers. I am extremely grateful for their commitment. However, it does create issues back at school with a number of staff away. If this starts to affect our ability to cover all of our classes we may need to investigate a strategy to manage this shortfall, which may include a form of rostering home. I will keep you informed if this is likely to happen.

The week after on Thursday 8th September we have Course Interview Day where boys choose courses for 2022. Information has gone out to families and whānau, and the boys have been doing preparation in the Shirley Man time on Fridays. School examinations are two weeks away and boys should also be preparing for these.

Next week we are also conducting our sexual harassment survey with the boys. This is designed to find out how prevalent this is at Shirley Boys’ High School and the impact it has on students. This will be done in a safe way and students under 15 will need parent consent to take part, while anyone else can opt out if they wish. It is important that as many boys as possible complete the survey and do it properly.

Lastly, from next week we will be modifying our stance on masks. From Monday 29th August all staff and students will be strongly encouraged to wear face masks when indoors, but they will not be required. Each individual can make their own choice about wearing a mask, but we do encourage it to keep people safe.

Ngā mihi

Tim Grocott