Kia ora everyone. Term 2 has come to an end after 12 long weeks, seven of which took place at school.

The last holidays, moved forward because of the Lockdown, finished nearly 3 months ago. Whew!!

Since the beginning of Alert Level 1 on 9 June, things have largely returned to normal at Timaru Boys’. We have been able to hold assemblies again and bring the whole school together to celebrate the things that are great about our community. At our Summer Sports Awards, we were extremely fortunate to have old boy and Black Cap, Hamish Bennett, as our guest speaker. He spoke about the dedication and discipline that are required to make it in top level sport, but he also pointed to the importance of enjoying the game above all else. He generously stayed on after the assembly, attending a cooking class and later speaking to our 1st XI Cricket team.

All winter sports have kicked into life and the boys are overjoyed to be back in the fray. I attended the opening day of junior rugby a few weeks ago and it was a glorious occasion with bright, warm sun shining down on School Park. The place was packed with happy players and supporters - it was a perfect illustration of how important sport is to our school community. We come together to strive for success, but we also learn how to get along with people, to implement strategies as a team and to take joy in shared endeavours. The weather took a turn for the worse after that weekend, but it hasn’t dampened the spirits of our hardy sportsmen, who are still loving every minute of every game in every sport. Hopefully, that goes for our supporters as well, but it has been cold on those sidelines!!

We were bitterly disappointed by the cancellation of our production this year, but it was unavoidable due to the pandemic. However, Lee Parcell, our HOD of Music, has been prompting boys to perform in assemblies. So far we have had a piano recital from Ben Walker and items from the school choir and the concert band - it has been wonderful! Our new Arts Coordinator, Karoline Roberts, is very happy to have the students back on site to work with. As well as her day to day promotion of the Arts, she is developing contacts within the community and planning for next year’s Arts Extravaganza.

The last seven weeks of onsite learning have been full on. Teachers have been reshaping programmes to allow for different timelines and students have been working hard to catch up the time lost. Our Senior School Practice Examinations start on August 19 and NCEA students need to be thinking about how many credits are required from each subject to attain their NCEA Level 1, 2 or 3 Certificate or University Entrance. We feel confident that the vast majority of students are coping well. However, if you’re worried about your son’s achievement or wellbeing, feel free to contact the Deans or teachers.

Some students will have a little bit of school work to catch up with during the holidays. However, they all need to ensure they make time to rest and recuperate. The 3rd and 4th Terms will be busy. I hope that some parents will get a chance for a few days off during the school holidays as well. Right now, as I write this, the beautiful winter sun is making a welcome appearance - please let this continue right through the next two weeks.

Enjoy our wonderful Aoraki winter.