Our first full term of the year has been used to catch up on student achievement, run our senior school examinations, finish a truncated but wonderful season of winter sport (including four school exchanges) and all the other things that make our school such an important part of our community.

We have just celebrated Te Wiki o te Reo Māori as best we can under Alert Level 2 - such a shame we couldn’t have a full school assembly. We have had a student quiz, daily whakatauki (proverbs) and teachers and students trying to use more Māori language and Māori contexts in class. We are a long way from where we want to be, but we know it’s imperative that we improve in this area. Ko te reo te taikura ō te whakaaro marama - Language is the key to understanding. There will be a whānau hui for the families of Māori students on Wednesday October 14, Week 1 Term 4 - more info coming.

Our practice external examinations were completed without too many problems. Attendance was high and we were happy with the students’ engagement. Obviously, the examinations exposed some holes in student understanding and effort, but these issues can still be addressed before the NZQA external examinations begin in the middle of Term 4. Examination performance and overall achievement are good topics of conversation for the senior conferences that we are holding this Friday. These conferences give the student the opportunity to make a plan that should help him reach the achievement he needs for 2021, whether that’s for the next level in NCEA, University, further training opportunities or work. Years 9 and 10 are engaged in a work day on Friday - see the article in this newsletter for more information.

We are so happy that we got some winter sport completed. It would have been a tragedy for those students in their last year to miss out. While some teams might not have reached the heights they expected, there were still many excellent performances in all codes. We strive to win, but it’s the friendships and camaraderie that boys will remember in the years to come. We won the final exchange with Waitaki (3-1). The Waitaki rugby game is the longest running continuous interschool match in New Zealand and we were very pleased that Covid-19 didn’t interrupt that wonderful piece of history. Now we look forward to our Term 4 summer sports programme.

The Old Boys' Association has been working tirelessly to source the funding for the earthquake strengthening and restoration of our Memorial Library. I would like to personally thank Brent Bruce and Bruce Lund who have been integral to this whole project. I would also like to thank Heritage New Zealand for recognising the historical importance of the Memorial Library and helping us maintain it for the coming generations.

Thanks to parents for all your support so far this year, whether it’s the major commitment of helping out with sport and cultural activities or just working with us to ensure your son is achieving and happy. Growing great young men is definitely a team effort! If you get the chance to get away these school holidays, make sure you get some well earned rest. Term 4 is around the corner and it will be fast and furious.

In this issue

School Ball (16 October)