Kia Ora Parents and Caregivers,

2019 is well underway and our students have been busy settling into school routines. The focus for the start of the term is transitioning our new students into the college through our 100 day induction. This induction is vital for the boys to feel part of our culture and understand who we are. As part of the programme students have attended Mass, learning the haka and attending camp among other activities.

The last few weeks we have been completing testing with our junior students (Years 7-10). This testing will help us gain a clear picture of your sons learning and help develop programmes which will challenge them while at school. All information will be available to you on the parent portal and will also be shared with you at the mentoring interviews taking place on March 21st.

Once information is gathered teachers will be making sure that extra programmes are in place to support your sons learning both in and out of class. Mr Blair Scadden runs the ALPHA gifted programme which helps students to excel in their chosen area. Students apply for this based off their testing. Extension opportunities will also be available in specific subject areas like Math.

Mr Dean Smith and our learning support team will also use this information to identify students who need to be supported while at the college. In Years 7-9 there are several options for students who feel they may need some extra support with literacy and numeracy. At year 7/8 we have Power-Up Literacy and Numeracy option classes. These classes focus on individualising learning based on the needs of the students and are run By Ms Gulliver and Ms Gagnon. If you feel your son would benefit from extra assistance then you can choose these options for Terms 3 & 4. At Year 9 and 10 Whare Ako classes run along the same principles as the Power-Up courses. Mr Smith and Ms Heather run these.

In the junior school there are also other avenues for the students to take at home. St Thomas of Canterbury offer Education Perfect in the areas of Math, Science and Literacy. Each week the students have tasked assigned to them based on their level and area of need. In each learning area students will also have Real Assessment Tasks to complete each topic as well. These RATs look to summarise the learning taking place in a deep and meaningful context for the students. If you have any questions about the learning please contact your sons mentor teacher first or the specific class teacher who are more than happy to answer any questions.

Hamish Barclay