Tēnā koutou. Since my last newsletter, winter has truly set in and it’s been wet and cold. I hope our farming families are kept safe from last year’s extremes

There is still quite a lot of illness around as well - Covid-19 and flu mainly. At this stage attendance is still strong in the school and hostel. As I have said in my emails, I will keep you informed each week and we will return to compulsory mask wearing should that be necessary.

Term 3 is about achievement in all its forms. If you have a son in Years 11 to 13, please have a conversation with him about how his achievement in NCEA is going: what has he passed and/or failed and what does he need to do to get his NCEA Certificate? Feel free to email his form teacher or his class teachers if you want some information - their email addresses are on our website:

https://timaruboys.school.nz/about-us/staff/

The majority of senior boys will have school NCEA practice examinations from Wednesday next week - ask your son what he has and what he needs to prepare for.

We have had a wonderful winter sporting season. The 1st XI Football team have dominated the local senior league, winning it with a few games left to play and they will soon be entering the final stages of the South Canterbury Cup. This is all great preparation for their NZ Secondary Schools’ Tournament later this month. Our 1st XI Hockey side has been the form team in the Christchurch Schools’ competition which is moving into its final stages now. They, too, are soon heading off to the National Secondary Schools’ tournament and are expected to excel. Basketball is riding a wave of popularity and increased numbers, and our Senior A Basketball side has been in near unbeatable form in the local competition. Our Rugby 1st XV has taken some big scalps and finished 5th in the normal round robin. They now move into the middle 4 play-offs. This is an excellent effort for a team that had lots of new caps and lost some key players.

As our Winter codes are starting to wind down, I would like to send out a huge thank you to all of the coaches, managers, parent helpers and supporters - several hundred boys play winter sport every week and it just wouldn’t happen without our parents and volunteers.

We welcome back Fletcher Rhodes, the 2022 Mark Parker Scholar at Winchester College, who impressed his hosts on and off the cricket wicket. We also welcome back Sam Wilson, who has been in Italy, competing for the New Zealand U19 Rowing squad. Wonderful stuff. There are too many individuals to mention - that will come later in the year. However, we are all very proud of Tom Walsh’s amazing effort to win the gold medal in the Shot Put at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Ka rawe, Tom!!! I hope you can come in and talk us through it at some future assembly. The boys would love it.

Newsflash - Jacob Cox and Joel Shaw are progressing deep into the Rock Quest National Tournament. They are one step away from making the grand final. Way to go guys - all the very best!

As I said before, Term 3 is a time for study and achievement. It’s a team effort (teachers and parents) and between us, we can ensure that each boy reaches his potential.

Scientia Potestas est - Mā te Mātauranga te Mana