By Dave Thorp, Rector | Posted: Tuesday April 9, 2024
Kia ora Parents and Whānau
What a great Term 1 we have had at Boys’ High! Our role of 740 is the highest for a decade or more and our 200 boys in Year 9 are starting to feel more comfortable at secondary school. A wonderful season of Rowing, Cricket, Athletics and other summer sports has ended and our winter codes are earnestly preparing for their competitions.
We have had to employ quite a few new teachers to cope with the rise in numbers. As many of you will know, staffing hasn’t been all plain sailing this year, but we feel that we now have all the right people in the right places. The education sector, like many other industries, will probably experience worrying shortages of qualified staff over the next few years. We are busy planning right now to ensure that we are fully staffed for 2025 and beyond.
The Year 9 students have made a very positive start to 2024. One thing we wanted for this year was to see these boys more engaged with organised physical exercise. Each term, two classes have a special subject line where they are taught a mixture of kapa haka and sports. It’s proving to be really popular. I’m looking forward to seeing the boys doing the haka at the next inter-school.
Contrary to some dire predictions, the Phones Away for the Day policy has been a real success. A few boys have slipped up but the vast majority have been happy to comply. Teachers are reporting that concentration levels are up in the classroom, which is the main objective.
With the help of our Old Boys Foundation, we have done some beautifying around the Lovelock Oak area. This special tree has had its mana restored with some lovely landscaping, fencing and presentation. We have also repaved the whole area outside the canteen, put in more seating for the boys and generally gave it the top dollar spruce up that it needed. It’s a lovely place for the boys to sit and eat their lunch now. If you are picking up your son, ask him to show you the Lovelock Oak.
Term 2 is only a couple of weeks away. One highlight will be the joint TBHS/ TGHS production of Mallet Man in Week 5 (May 28 - 30). It’s written by our very own Art Teacher, Wayne Doyle and it's hilarious with tons of good tunes. It will be great!
See you around the various sporting venues in Term 2
Scientia Potestas est - Mā te Mātauranga te Mana
