6th August

Nga mihi mahana ki a koutou katoa. Warm greetings to you all

The University system has responded to pressure from the government and has raised the bar for entrance. We have already shared details of the new entry requirements with our Year 12 and 13 students. We will ensure that this information is also passed on to our Year 11’s. I think that parents also need to understand how these changes work. We will put information on the website as it comes available.

During this last week we have dealt with the fallout from what can only be described as cyber bullying. Although the comments, which were placed on social networking sites such as Facebook ,took place outside of school, the effects were felt by the school. As a result of the silly and threatening behaviours that followed, I have suspended one student from school. Anyone who keeps this going at school can expect the same consequence. I appeal to all parents to be aware of what is being texted by cell phone or placed on the Internet by computer. We need your support in this matter.

On the same theme I would like to make it plain that anyone who takes photographs or videos here at school without consent is breaking an important school rule and is violating the privacy of others. It will not be tolerated.

On Wednesday, every Year 11 student all received a one hour tutorial on how to study. I hope that parents can follow this up to ensure that the skills taught are followed up at home. More of these sessions will follow using our own teachers as well as outside professionals. Our internal examinations are only a few weeks away now.

The festival of Maori culture which was held in Memorial Hall last week was a great success. We were proudly represented by our Kapa Haka group who performed with distinction. Thank you to those who rang and passed on their praise for this group.

The parade of SNOB dresses that took place on Wednesday evening was an attempt to try something new. My thanks go to all who put their efforts behind this and made it both a pleasant and successful event.

Have a good week.

Nick Simpson
Principal