By Rector, Dave Thorp | Posted: Tuesday June 7, 2022
Tēnā koutou.
I hope you and your whānau are negotiating this time of illness without too much worry. After having so many of our boys off school with Covid-19 in the first term, our attendance rate has now dramatically improved. However, other coughs and flu infections are starting to make an impact. It’s a battle, but our absences are slowly getting closer to the normal range. The teachers and support staff are holding up well and we are managing (with the help of our wonderful relievers) to make sure we can staff every class. Hopefully, this situation remains through the winter.
Winter sports are in full flight. Both Football and Rugby have had successful, fun club days. Basketball and Hockey are in good health as well. The weather has been mostly kind and all the games have been played with spirit and sportsmanship. We head off to St Andrews next Monday for our first Winter Exchange. This is a big interschool with lots of teams - 230 boys in total! We are hoping to get one over our better heeled cousins.
Pink Shirt Day has become a welcome addition to our school calendar. We want our boys to celebrate diversity and to recognise and speak out against bullying. We support this drive with sessions from the YMCA, the Rite Journey programme, our Health classes and our school-wide pastoral messaging. Kindness, acceptance and tolerance are values that are inherent in most children; our role is to build a culture that reinforces these values and makes every boy feel that they belong.
Terms 2 and 3 are important for sustained learning and achievement. Our teachers are looking forward to many uninterrupted weeks. In this (hopefully) last year of Covid-19, our mantra remains ‘completion’. We will push boys to get things finished and to keep up with their work. In the last two years we have improved the school’s overall academic performance and we don’t want to let that drop. Your help is really important - feel free to contact the subject teacher, form teacher or Dean if you have any concerns about your son’s learning.
Enjoy the beautiful sunny winter days we are having!
Scientia Potestas est - Mā te Mātauranga te Mana
Ngā mihi nui
Dave Thorp Rector TBHS
