Kia ora te whanau. At the end of Term 3, we held our Sports & Cultural Prizegiving, the first of 4 separate celebrations of our students’ achievements that we hold at the end of each year.

It was great to see so many students ‘cross the stage’ as we recognised their accomplishments in the sports, cultural and service areas of the school. With uncertainties around COVID, we decided that we would not have parents and whanau present, but we were able to livestream the event. It was wonderful to still be able to share this event with whanau and friends being able to watch it at home, around the country and overseas. We are considering the possibility of livestreaming the Senior Prizegiving and I’d be interested in your thoughts on that.

The end of the term also saw the end of winter sport – a season unlike any other because of COVID restrictions on spectators. We were very pleased with the results achieved by the teams despite these restrictions – it was interesting to watch the netball finals from outside the court fences at Taita College. One of the result highlights was Upper Hutt College winning the 1st XV Rugby Prem 2 division in front of a large crowd of spectators on the UHC ground. This team, and the other rugby teams fielded by UHC, contain a number of players from Heretaunga College, and it’s been great to see the teams simply enjoy their rugby, regardless of the school their teammates come from. Thanks to all the coaches, managers and parents and caregivers, staff and supporters for their efforts over the winter season.

Looking ahead to Term 4, our senior students will be focussed on NCEA. We were impressed with the seniors’ approach to the recent Practice Exams and their focus should carry over into the last few weeks of Term 4. Seniors will remain in classes for a few extra days after Senior Prizegiving this year, to make up for time lost from COVID. If you have any queries about the progress of your senior student, please contact their Ako Teacher.

Ngā mihi nui

Judith Taylor

Principal