By D Thorp | Posted: Thursday October 1, 2026
Rector's Message
Kia ora Parents and Whānau
Term 3 is officially over. There was so much going on with our learning, sports, and arts activities - it’s hard to keep up with it all! Term 3 is when crunch time arrives for sports finals and tournaments. It’s also when we complete the bulk of our internal assessments and sit practice external examinations. Whew!
The second round of Common Assessment Activities (CAAs) for literacy and numeracy took place in September, and we feel we are making real progress. However, across the country, boys' writing is proving to be a sticky problem. We have developed a new standardized approach to paragraph writing, which we believe will help boys with the basic structures of formal writing.
Our practice examinations went well, and the feedback from these should give our senior boys clear guidance on how to improve for the official exams later in Term 4. As a community school, we recognize that each student has their own unique pathway in mind—whether it be university, polytechnic, trades, or employment. Our job is to support them in reaching their goals.
It was an awesome sports tournament period with a lot of success across all codes. I was fortunate enough to watch some Colts Rugby, Senior A Basketball, and 1st XI Hockey. When visiting our tournament teams, it is wonderful to witness the community effort that goes into getting these boys onto the field so they can perform at their best. Coaches, parents, teachers and volunteers all give up their time to provide memorable experiences for our boys. Of course, this support extends beyond tournaments, so thank you so much to everyone involved in our extra-curricular activities. It is an essential part of what this school stands for and we really appreciate your contributions!!
If your son is a senior student please pester them to get some revision done. I have sent them all some basic ideas about how to revise. Enjoy the rest of the school holidays!
Scientia Potestas Est — Mā te Mātauranga te Mana - Knowledge is Power
