After a very busy end to Term Three, we are looking forward to a positive last term to 2019.

After a very eventful and busy Term 3, it is amazing that we are already heading into the final quarter of the year. 

It has been very positive to see how our students have come back and continued their commitment to their learning and achievement. This is a very important time for everyone to consolidate their learning and finish the year in the strongest possible position. It’s an ideal time to evaluate goals and learning intentions and make sure that everything is on track. For our Year 11, 12 and 13 students especially, there is just over a month before the NCEA examinations and being well prepared for these is an absolute priority.

Many students have already completed their NCEA Level 1, 2 or 3 qualifications and are now working towards consolidating their achievement with Merit and Excellence endorsements. Keep in mind that students need 50 credits out of their total at either Merit or Excellence level to get their certificate endorsed with Merit or Excellence. Subject endorsements are also very important and in this case students need 13 credits at either Merit or Excellence level, with at least three credits coming from an external examination. This is one of the many reasons that external examinations continue to be very important. It is encouraging to see many students actively engaged in preparing for their final examinations. 

It is also been very powerful this term to see so many examples of care and courage with students supporting each other. In many ways we live in one of the most ‘connected’ times in history. Technology and social media has given us ways to reach out and interact in ways that were unheard of even a couple of years ago. However, it is also arguably one of the loneliest times in history with technology often contributing to people feeling isolated or left out. Therefore as a school and as a community it is so important that we pause and reflect, and then dig deep and reinvest in things that matter most. One of these things is care. So thank you to our staff, our students and our community for everything you continue to do to look out for each other. 

We are looking forward to the many celebrations that Term 4 holds, starting with our Sports Awards next Thursday evening. This is always such a positive way to reflect on another eventful year in sporting accomplishments. At this weeks assembly we celebrated both the Open A Netball Team and the Somebody to Love Dance Troupe who have already been awarded two of our premier team awards. 

I finish with a quote that I saw on a recent visit to our Special Needs Unit: 'Do things for people not because of who they are or what they do in return. Do things for people because of who you are.'

Wishing everyone a very successful term!

Keith