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Message from the Principal – 23 May 2024 Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa Last week we celebrated Pink Shirt Day, which was established to support anti-bullying efforts, especially in schools. I was delighted to see so many staff and students support the day and have some fun, most wearing some form of pink. Thank you also to EPIC for supporting the day and running a number of activities in support of the message that bullying is not acceptable. Like all schools, the College is still dealing with issues of bullying amongst a small number of our students. We have processes and procedures to deal with these incidents when we become aware of them. Our School Safety Plan also sets out what we have in place to provide support for those who may be being bullied and also the bullies. Thanks to our many partners, we have a team that can support all our rangatahi to make better choices. Whatever we have in place does not mean bullying will not take place at our school, and all bullying is unacceptable. However, serious incidents, such as assaults, mean stand downs or suspensions are used as these are never acceptable and the students are fully aware of this. As with any instances of bullying, our focus is on supporting students who have been bullied, most often using restorative practices where appropriate. Restorative practices are about highlighting the impact of bullying on victims so that bullies can be helped to change their ways and victims can be supported to return to school without concerns. I’m pleased to say that most often this process is a success and that students do make better choices. We have recently undertaken a wellbeing survey with feedback from around half our students across all levels of the school. The survey gives us some baseline data which supports our School Safety Plan and also follows on from the survey conducted by the BOT in Term Four last year to address concerns in this area. The initial data was overall very positive with 80% of those students surveyed stating they have strategies to deal with bullies. Over 80% also say they feel safe at school and have not been physically bullied. This does leave a percentage who have been bullied at school and that is an area we need to continue to work to address. This survey will be reissued in Term Three to monitor progress in this area. All students will have the opportunity to complete a full Wellbeing Survey from next week, this will give us data to compare with other New Zealand schools. The key point from last week is that bullying is not acceptable and that it is okay to be who you are as we are all different. The positive messages being highlighted by Pink Shirt Day should not be lost after one day but sit alongside our values and be our expectation for every day. NZQA Accord Day Please note Week 6 Monday 03 June is King’s Birthday Holiday and Tuesday 04 June is NZQA Accord Day, students do not attend on this day. New Noticeboard Thanks to the support of the CHB District Council and their Youth Network, the College and the Council have supported a new noticeboard outside the library. This will be jointly shared with our partners for messages and events for our rangatahi. Thank you for your continuing support of our kura. Holidays During the Term While we understand that parents wish to take their children away for holidays during term time, it is important we are informed. Officially, you are meant to request leave from the Principal before going. It is often expected teachers will provide work and they will do their best, but it may not always be possible or practicable. Holidays in term time also impact on any assessments, so this does need to be considered. Assessments are sometimes a one off and if missed may not be available to sit again. This will mean students can not pass an assessment if they are not at school. So, while discouraged, if planning a trip during the term, please contact us so you can consider the implications of your children being away. SCHOOL VALUES: ~ COMMUNITY ~ IWI KĀINGA “Mā whero mā pango ka oti ai te mahi” With red and black the work will be complete. This refers to co-operation where if everyone does their part, the work will be complete. The colours refer to the traditional kowhaiwhai patterns on the inside of the meeting houses. This is a significant reminder to all our sports teams that they must work together to achieve their best results. Link to our Online Library 24/7 Our Library resources are available online. Click on the link below  |
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