Tēnā koutou whānau, parents, students and friends
Term 2
Three weeks into the term and already there is much to celebrate. Congratulations to Bree McTavish-Huriwai for her successful Race Unity Speech. Bree will now represent the region at the semi-finals. Bree is also our student representative on the Board of Trustees and is one of a number of students who we celebrate today. It continues to be our pleasure to celebrate the talents of so many of our wahine and of the opportunities provided by TGC, many of which you will find on our Facebook and Instagram pages.
Supporting Te Ao Māori
The kura is closed for onsite learning on Friday as all TGC colleagues head to Welcome Bay to strengthen their knowledge and understanding of Te Ao Māori at Tahuwhakatiki Marae
NCEA updates
The kura was closed today as the Ministry of Education and PPTA Accord day for TGC takes place. Throughout the motu all secondary schools have a number of allocated days to be updated about the impending changes to the NZ Curriculum. More will follow later this year. We thank you for your understanding.
The current ORANGE Setting
We continue to operate with onsite learning and learning from Google Classroom for those students who are isolating or are COVID-19 positive.
We continue to encourage staff and students to wear masks as COVID-19 cases continue to have a small rise again and this combined with winter sickness which we have been immune from more recently. This week we had four staff test COVID-19 positive and each day there are 2-3 students who test positive. Good hygiene practices must remain and this includes mask wearing.
Lunchtime Fun
Gutter boards are back in action at TGC! It was fantastic to see a number of girls outside J Block having a go! It was also wonderful to see that the phones were put away. Thank you to our property team and Whaea Nia.
PB4L and our expectations
Positive behavior for learning is a framework that supports behavior expectations at TGC. The reward cards have been well received and I do hope that many of you at home have now seen these or spoken with your young person about them. Unfortunately, there are some young people who have not valued themselves let alone others and whose behavior has not met the expectations of our school's values. This has resulted in disciplinary action.
I want every student to be the best version of themselves but when other students put other staff or students at risk by their behavior or language, they can expect consequences as the well being of all must be considered. We are team TGC and as a team we all benefit from or are impacted by good or poor behavior.
Parents/whānau, please monitor your young person's social media account and if support is needed, ask her to speak with her whānau teacher or dean so that we can support her to be better than before or the best version of herself. Lately, social media has been used negatively and resulted in unsettled behavior. If it's not positive and kind, don't say it. To support students who may be distracted by their phones, all classes have phone dropboxes. The dropbox allows students to drop their phone in the ‘dropbox’ and collect it at the end of the period. This prevents the temptation to keep looking at it during valuable learning time.
Congratulations
To Mr Andrew Turner on his appointment to the role of Principal at Tauranga Boys’ College. We look forward to welcoming him back to Tauranga. I also take this opportunity to personally thank Mr Robert Mangan for his generosity and support of me when I took over the role as Tumuaki at TGC and for his collegiality since that time. TGC wishes Mr Mangan and his family all the best in his retirement.
Property update
The brand new Modcom buildings are almost ready. A few final fittings and ramps for access should see students moving into them by the end of this month. That will then coincide with the decanting out of J Block. J Block is undergoing a major refurbishment over the next 18 months. We apologise for the disruption to normal classes but appreciate the Modcoms are brand new, warm and ready for learning. The wait will be worth it when we see what J Block will look like when we return next year!
CCTV
As mentioned last term, we have improved our security and safety measures. New cameras were installed and signage indicates this. I also remind students who are rehearsing or practicing early or late after school to ensure that they walk in well lit areas and walk with others as a precaution and especially as the mornings and nights are darker during the winter term. Any unwanted behavior should be reported to the police and to school.
New uniform
A lava lava has been a welcome addition to our school uniform. The item has been made by Lenco and will be available soon.
Getting involved
Thank you to all those students who have signed up for a winter code, a committee, service activity, club or arts and cultural event. We know that those students who get the most out of school are not only those engaged in the classroom but are also involved in the myriad of opportunities in the school. I also remind you that an equity budget helps to minimise any barriers or access to these opportunities.
Kia kaha to our TGC community and thank you for your ongoing support, you are amazing.