Nau mai, hoki mai ki te pānui o Hereturikōkā — he mihi nui ki a koutou katoa!
Welcome back to our August newsletter — greetings to you all.
This term is flying by, and we are now well over halfway through. I think a big part of what has made the past six weeks go so quickly is the incredible number of things that have happened — or are about to happen — across our kura.
On that topic, a huge congratulations to everyone involved in this year’s production of Into the Woods. I may be a little biased, but I genuinely believe it was one of the best productions I have ever seen. Every part of it was absolutely incredible. The quality of the singing, acting, music, staging and technical production — sustained across a show of such scale — was remarkable.
Rather than attempting to list the huge cast and their individual achievements, I encourage you to have a look at some of the many rave reviews online from people who actually know what they’re talking about! What I do want to do, however, is acknowledge and thank Celia Breen and her crew for the many months of planning and the enormous amount of leadership involved in bringing the production together. Celia led a large group of talented and dedicated students, staff and volunteers to produce something that our school and the wider Kaiapoi community can be very proud of.
On a different topic, I probably sound a little like a broken record at this time each year, but we are again emphasising to our senior students that now is not the time to relax. Every lesson, every assessment and every period of study matters. The work students put in over the coming weeks can make a significant difference to their final results. Every moment counts.
There are some important dates coming up:
- Derived Grade Examinations — 14–25 September. These are extremely important. As well as providing valuable preparation for the end-of-year examinations, these results can be used when a student is unable to sit an external examination for an approved reason.
- Study leave begins — 4 November. This is study leave, not simply the end of school. Students need to use this time purposefully to prepare for their examinations.
- NCEA examinations begin — 10 November. We strongly encourage students to sit every external examination they have entered. Students should not be ‘opting out’ of opportunities to demonstrate what they know and can do.
Before we get anywhere near November, though, Winter Tournament Week starts next week! This is always an exciting time for everyone involved. We have students, coaches, staff and supporters travelling across the motu, from Nelson to Invercargill. Best of luck to all of our Hockey, Netball, Football, Equestrian, Basketball and Badminton competitors. Represent Kaiapoi High School with pride, compete hard, support one another and enjoy the experience!
On a slightly different note, I also have some interesting news to share. Your very own principal has recently been appointed as the Canterbury and Aoraki (South Canterbury) representative on the Secondary Principals’ Council. Last week, we spent two very enlightening days meeting with representatives from ERO, Attendance, the Industry Skills Board, Curriculum and Assessment. With the significant volume of change currently taking place — and being proposed — across the education sector, having opportunities to gather information directly and provide feedback is incredibly valuable. I will be feeding this information back to other principals in our region, as well as to our own staff and Board, where it will help inform our future planning.
You may also have seen the exciting news recently shared on social media regarding the proposed conversion of our double classroom spaces — sometimes referred to as open-plan or collaborative learning spaces — into single classrooms. At this stage, we can confirm that Kaiapoi High School has been approved for assessment of this property work, and we now eagerly await further confirmation and details from the Ministry of Education. Once we know more about the scope and timing of the project, we will update our community.
This week we also completed our visits to contributing primary schools, including our Q&A sessions about starting high school — otherwise known as our Coffee and Cake evenings. For anyone who has missed these evenings, there is one final session being held at Kaiapoi High School at 7.00pm on Wednesday 9 September. Although this evening is designed for Year 8 students and their whānau, everyone is welcome. Essentially we spend the evening discussing what the transition to high school looks like, asking questions, and finding out what to expect from a first year at high school.
And even after all of that, this article covers only a small portion of the exciting things happening in our kura at the moment. Keep an eye on this newsfeed and our social media channels for the many achievements, activities and opportunities happening across Kaiapoi High School.
Ngā mihi mahana
Jason Reid
Principal | Tumuaki
