Kia ora,
After a long and eventful year, we are now heading into the penultimate week of school, finishing off with our Junior Prizegiving on Tuesday 13th December.
I would like to thank our parents/caregivers for your support as the staff completed the last two Accord Days for 2022. You may have seen, in some recent press releases, that the Ministry of Education has specifically set aside two Staff Only Days in 2023, and 2024, in recognition of the need for schools to have time to further support the ongoing development and implementation of the curriculum review and the NCEA assessment changes. We will let you know the exact dates of these next year. It is anticipated the first of the days will take place early in Term 2.
On Wednesday the PTA held an afternoon tea to recognise the ’unsung heroes’ who have given their time to support the school this year. This included parents, community members, ex-students, and staff who have volunteered to support the school in a number of ways, ranging from coaching a team, to being a reader/writer. They were officially thanked and acknowledged, while also enjoying a shared afternoon tea together. Thank you to the PTA for their ongoing support of the school.
Albeit the last week, it still manages to retain its busyness. There are number of things that will be taking place, such as the final Year 10 camps, the Kimi Ora Celebration, Peer Support Training, Activities Day, Staff farewells, and the Whānau Class Noho to Kaikoura. Alongside this, the Senior NCEA exams concluded on Friday (2nd December). On Tuesday senior sign out will be held for all Year 11 –13 students, and in the evening the final farewell Leavers’ dinner will be held at Addington Raceway.
Rounding out this week (Friday evening) is the Aiga shared dinner and cultural performances, creating a wonderful community opportunity to celebrate the end of the school year.
Ngā mihi
Jeff Smith
Principal