By D Thorp | Posted: Tuesday July 7, 2026
Kia ora Parents and Whānau
Term 2 wound up last Friday and, all in all, it was a great term. We saw lots of learning, plenty of sport, a fantastic musical production, and a million other things. Winter finally made its true self known in the last couple of weeks, so our fields will certainly welcome the upcoming break!
The Common Assessment Activities (CAAs) for literacy and numeracy took place in May. Our Year 10 students sat the Reading and Numeracy tests, and they will take the Writing test later in the year. Some senior boys who have yet to pass one or more of the CAAs also sat these assessments. We do our absolute best to prepare all boys for the CAAs, but everyone learns differently and some may take longer than others to attain all three.
All Year 11–13 students have been busy with assessments this term, and many of these standards will roll into the start of Term 3. In Week 6 of next term, the vast majority of seniors will sit one or more practice NCEA external examinations. These practice exams serve as an excellent trial run, allowing students to adjust their study habits and improve their exam technique. However, they also provide a Derived Grade that will be used if a student is too ill to sit the actual external examinations later in the year. I will email parents and students a document on revision skills; we encourage you to have a look at it and talk it over with your son.
Every year, Timaru Boys’ and Timaru Girls’ combine to produce a musical. This year’s choice, We Will Rock You, was a complete success. It was a no-brainer, really—fantastically talented young men and women singing and dancing to the iconic songs of Queen. The story itself, written by comedian Ben Elton, was crazy and hilarious, and everyone had a wonderful time. A massive thank you to the Director, Mrs Cheesman, and the wider team of experts and helpers from both TBHS and TGHS.
This winter has also been full of sport. Our Cross Country runners competed in the NZ Secondary Schools Cross Country Championships in Trentham. The weather was wild and wet, but they braved the course and did extremely well. Our team sports are all tracking beautifully, with our 1st teams in Hockey, Rugby, Basketball, and Football looking toward the finals series (in either local or wider competitions, or both). Thanks so much to all the parents and volunteers who make this happen.
While there are so many positives to celebrate about Term 2, I do need to address one disappointing issue. There is a small group of students who are vandalising our newly built toilets. These facilities are modern, spacious, clean, and private. What we had before was substandard, lacking privacy, run-down, and unpleasant.
It staggers me that a small minority think they have the right to wreck facilities that the rest of the boys value. Consequently, we are increasing our supervision. In Term 3, if we see more than one student coming out of a single toilet cubicle, we will assume they are attempting to hide illicit behaviour—whether that is vaping, vandalism, phone use, skipping class, or something else. We will inform parents if their son is found using the toilets inappropriately. If this behaviour continues, we will need to meet with parents to devise a formal plan to stop it. Please help us with this - vandalism is just such a waste.
I hope many of you can get some time off during these school holidays and enjoy some quality family time. I look forward to welcoming the boys back to school on July 20, 8.45am sharp.
Scientia Potestas Est — Mā te Mātauranga te Mana - Knowledge is Power
