Kia ora e te whānau.
Nau mai ki te pānui tuarua-ki-te-whakamutunga a te tumuaki mō te tau. Welcome to the second-to-last principal’s message of the year (with a short December update still to come). It’s hard to believe we have less than two weeks to go. Senior exams wrap up this week, and next week we look forward to three special celebrations: Karanga Mai Prizegiving on Tuesday, Senior Prizegiving on Thursday evening, and Junior Prizegiving on Friday morning. Never a dull moment!
Just as the end of the year brings the usual flurry of activity within the school, it has also been a particularly intense period of sector-wide change. We have been navigating major amendments and proposed shifts to the NCEA assessment system, further updates to an already refreshed curriculum, new professional standards for teachers, changes to attendance systems and reporting requirements, the removal of Boards’ Treaty obligations (with those responsibilities shifted to an already stretched Ministry), the reallocation of Teachers’ Council functions (also to the Ministry), and a range of concerning workload and conditions proposals raised through the Collective Agreement negotiations for teachers and principals. These represent only the most significant changes currently in motion—each one requiring attention on top of schools’ everyday work.
One of the more widely discussed changes has been the recent amendment removing Boards’ responsibility to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi (the Treaty). Kaiapoi High School is one of well over 1100 kura that have reaffirmed their commitment to being an active Treaty partner. Both our Board and our senior leadership team have expressed their concerns to the Minister and the Ministry of Education. You can find links to those documents here: Letters from the Board and Management.
Despite the volume of national change, our focus remains firmly on providing the best possible learning environment for our ākonga. One area fully within our control—and something we are genuinely excited about—is the trial of a strengthened restorative process. If you missed last week’s newsfeed article or Monday’s email, I encourage you to take a look. In short, we are placing greater emphasis on resolving issues without disrupting learning, and moving restorative meetings to after school. This approach draws on proven effective models used in other schools and has been tailored to reflect our own character as a kura and community.
A smaller, but increasingly noticeable matter is the rise in students arriving at school with energy drinks. While we have not yet placed a ban on these, we are seeing the impact they can have on attention, impulsivity and mood. We encourage whānau to keep a close eye on how lunch or spending money is used on the way to school, and we also acknowledge those stores that have chosen to age-restrict energy drink sales. Their support makes a real difference.
Looking ahead, next week offers us the chance to celebrate the outstanding achievements of our students across academic, cultural, sporting and service areas. We warmly welcome our community to join us in Hiwa i te Rangi (our ‘new’ gym). The Senior Prizegiving begins at 7 pm on Thursday, and the Junior Prizegiving starts at 10 am on Friday—come early to secure a good seat!
Wishing you all a great week ahead. I look forward to seeing many of you over the coming days as we celebrate a wonderful year of learning, growth, and achievement.
Ngā mihi mahana,
Jason
