By Nick McIvor | Posted: Friday April 12, 2019
Our first term comes to an end with Easter just around the corner. All our boys now know more and can do more than when we started back in early February. Learning has been grasped. Challenges have been met. And personal growth has occurred. Some boys have excelled in and out of the school to make their mark early. Some boys have put in a sound, solid effort. Others are gradually getting to where they should be but will have to commit more, to be part of wider year level progress.
There have been a lot of standout achievements in the last few weeks since the previous Newsletter – as outlined in the articles to follow and on our Facebook Page. These include some entirely new activities. My congratulations go to all the boys, staff and parents who were rewarded for their dedication and hard work with top performances in and out of the classroom; some also at South Island or National level. When we see wide achievement involving a range of boys, it speaks to the very good state of the school; the right sorts of development happening in the right ways for our boys.
At TBHS we were saddened by the appalling mosque attacks in Christchurch on 15 March. Our thoughts and prayers go to the victims. Extra support was available for boys who needed it in the aftermath. The national hurt and international alarm it caused was felt deeply at the school. I would like to thank the students on the Student Council who worked with our English teacher, Karen Staples, to give boys ways to express their support for the victims during the week that followed, with the mufti day, school aerial photo, and personal message chain they organised. Sometimes small gestures can go a long way.
For Term 2 we’re delighted to be welcoming Christopher Fackney to our teaching staff. He comes down from the North Island with a wealth of experience teaching Graphics and Hard Materials as well as being in various industries outside Teaching. Mr Fackney’s most recent post was as a Technology teacher at Te Puke High School where he worked with our current Head of Technology, Mr Howard. We thank Alan Minnear for all his work this term getting our Graphics classes starting well prior to Mr Fackney’s arrival.
The Anzac Service is on Friday afternoon at 2pm in Hogben Hall. It’s our most significant tradition at TBHS and you are most welcome to join us for it. We have Old Boy, Joel Bradley, as keynote speaker. Joel is a ex-serviceman who left TBHS in 2000 - retiring from the NZSAS as a Major in 2016. The Prefects provided an Anzac – themed assembly on Wednesday that helped to get the boys thinking about why this Service continues to be important to our school. Generations pass but some things must always remain respected and recognised appropriately.
Have a Happy Easter everyone.
Nick McIvor
Knowledge is Power. Mā te Mātauranga te Mana. Scientia Potestas Est.
