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Introducing your 2027 senior student leaders

At our final full school assembly for 2026 today, we named the senior student leaders for 2027.Congratulations to all students stepping into these important leadership positions. We look forward to seeing the impact and contributions you make to the school community.Our Head Students are Manaaki Bruce, Elin Gainsford, Blake Urbahn, and Eleanor Whittaker.The Academic Prefects are Flynn Jenkins and Sophia Manipol.The Arts Prefects are Austin Savage and Shantae No...

Sports Awards celebrate talented athletes

On October 21 we held the Sports Awards Evening where our talented young sports men and women were recognised for their achievements and contribution to a variety of sports at Cambridge High School NZ. Congratulations to all our award winners. Major Awards New Zealand Representative Badges: Elin Gainsford (Football), Tess Hancock (Water Skiing), Joshua Runciman (Water Skiing), Beth Walker (BMX), Chelsie Watson (Polocrosse), Joel Watson (Polocrosse), Chelsea Bau (Target S...

Arts Awards acknowledge talented artists and performers

On October 20 we held the Arts Awards Evening where our talented dancers, actors, and musicians were recognised for their achievements and contribution to the Arts at Cambridge High School NZ. Congratulations to all our award winners. Visual Arts CHS Diligence in Visual Arts (Junior): Beverly Davis-Hewitt CHS All Round Excellence in Visual Arts (Junior): Emily Fu CHS Outstanding Contribution to Visual Arts (Senior): Kayla Millar CHS Outstanding / Top Visual Artist (...

The CHS Manifesto

Kia ora koutou,In the spirit of the time, I thought it would be good to make some commitments to you for this final term of the year.  While we won't be asking for your vote, we are asking for your support as we continue to build a culture of high expectations, high achievement, and pride in our school.Our Commitment to Teaching and LearningWe pledge to teach to our full potential, every lesson, every day.That means being prepared, starting classes on time, making the most of every learning...

Unready? Have no regerts

Kia ora CHS Whaanau,Depending on their year level and other factors, our senior students are currently in very different situations. Some need credits and have important assessments still to complete. Some have external exams ahead. Some have already accumulated all the credits they need to pass their NCEA level. Some Year 13s are only weeks away from finishing school, while our Year 11 and 12 students will be back next year.  Derived Grade exam results are imminent if not already received....

Practice makes a good test

Kia ora CHS Whaanau,One of the most compelling lessons from this year's Rugby's Greatest Rivalry Tour has been how quickly momentum can shift.The All Blacks stormed through the opening matches, defeating the Stormers, the Sharks, and the Bulls by big margins before winning the first Test against South Africa 33-16 at Ellis Park. At that point, some observers felt the series was all but decided.  An ageing Springbok side against the new-found dynamism of the Dave Rennie inspired ABs.  H...

Principal appointment

Teenaa koutou ki te whaanau o te kura tuarua o Te Oko HoroiDear Parents and Caregivers,The Cambridge High School Board is delighted to announce the permanent appointment of Mr Paul McAvoy as Principal of Cambridge High School.Mr McAvoy has been Acting Principal since the beginning of Term Two, providing stability and certainty while the permanent appointment process was undertaken.The Board received a number of high calibre applications for the Principalship and Mr McAvoy was selected following ...

Frost

Kia ora koutou,No, not that frost, the other one.  I'm sure you've had enough chats about morning frost and the one-in-twenty-year flu spike already today, so I want to talk about the other Frost.Many of you will recall a quote - "Two roads diverged in a wood and I - I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference."   It's from a 1916 poem by American poet laureate, Robert Frost, and is used to motivate independence, self-confidence, and a spirit of discover...

Mrs McKinnon retires after 35 years at Cambridge High

After a more than 40-year teaching career, including 35 at Cambridge High School, Sandra McKinnon is retiring. Mrs McKinnon has worked at Cambridge High School since 1991 in roles across the senior leadership team. But 40 years ago, there was “never any doubt” she wanted to teach. Originally from Auckland, after leaving high school   She took a gap year and completed an Executive Business course before beginning a Bachelor...

An Unexpected Journey

Kia ora koutou,An 11-week term isn't normal.   You see it in the calendar and then it never ends, and so for some it has felt a little like an unexpected journey.  Hopefully not wandering aimlessly through Middle Earth, rather a long  and well-guided expedition with the occasional detour (and perhaps the odd missing sock).Across the school, it has been a busy and purposeful time. Classrooms have been focused, assessments have been tackled with determination, and students have...

Reimagined, cutting-edge classroom block nears completion

Almost 30 years after its initial construction, Cambridge High School’s newly refurbished Marshall Block is getting ready to reopen featuring new technology and teaching spaces. The building has been closed for refurbishments all year and Acting Principal Paul McAvoy expects it to reopen in the first half of Term 3. Marshall (M) Block first opened in August 1998, replacing C Block which had been destroyed in a fire on A...

Using The Force on Friday

Fieldays Friday has traditionally been a Teacher-Only Day in our town and so it is again for us this year.  Every time there is a day like this, almost irrespective of whichever school you're with, parents are told it's important for curriculum preparation...or professional development...or some other education-ish reason that no one outside of school really knows anything about.   You might read what follows and still have that impression, but here goes:On a random evening a coup...

CareerWise, The new online careers platform

The Careers Faculty is excited to announce the launch of our brand-new Cambridge High School CareerWise website!CareerWise is an online hub for Careers. Students, teachers and whaanau can find all our school's valuable careers resources on a single site. This new online platform has been designed to make career planning, tertiary pathways, and future opportunities easier to explore and understand.Through the new website, you can now:Explore career pathways and industriesDiscover how the Careers ...

SADD not Sad

Kia ora CHS whaanau,Well, the weeks start comin' and they don't stop comin'. Fed to the rules and I hit the ground runnin'.How many of you sang that as the song from Shrek when you read it?  It's how we all feel at the moment.  The middle of the longest term of the year and the academic grind is on.  That's why it's a key time to provide reassurance to our young people that they have support - at home and at school - if they need it, and to help them believe in themselves.  D...

Game of Thrones, Mythbusters, and together we can

Kia ora koutou,This last week in particular, it struck me just how much stronger we are together, and how a shared purpose can help us help those who you entrust to us each day.Since taking on this role, I have had the privilege of speaking to a significant number of parents on the phone, through email, or just by chatting next to a field.  The common theme is that we all just want the best for our children.  Sometimes that presents in different ways, and views don't always align, but ...

Open Day and Uniform Update

Dear CHS Whaanau,The thing that has always struck me about Cambridge is how intertwined every part of this community is. People work together, help each other, and really appreciate just how fortunate we are to have the town we do. Cambridge High School relies on the town for its students, and the town relies on us for the next generation that will help maintain standards in all areas of life here.Linked to this, our Open Day, taking place on Thursday 30 April, is an opportunity for us to displa...

Thanks everyone

Kia ora e te whaanau o te kura tuarua o Te Oko Horoi,Dear parents / caregivers of Cambridge High School,This is my last week as Principal at Cambridge High School and I wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you to our staff and the community. It has been a privilege to work with people who are passionate about the high-quality learning environment that CHS offers our community. In the farewells this week we re-visited experiences from my seven years in the role, and it was incredible to re...

Attendance everyday matters

Kia ora e te whānau o Te Kura Tuarua o Te Oko Horoi,Good afternoon Parents/Caregivers and studentsAs we settle into the year, I want to take a moment to update you on an important area of focus for all schools across New Zealand — student attendance rates. Ensuring that every student is present, engaged, and supported is essential to their learning, progress, and overall wellbeing. Regular attendance helps students build strong relationships, stay connected to their learning, and experience s...

Celebrating academic success

At our Academic Assembly today we acknowledged the success of our students including those with NCEA Excellence endorsements and Scholarship winners.We also awarded badges to our student leaders including head students, school prefects, house prefects and captains, school board representative Barry Baldo and Head Librarian Elise Langman. The Junior Executive was announced.The full list of students and their successes is below....

School leadership update

Teenaa koutou ki te whaanau o te kura tuarua o Te Oko Horoi Dear Parents and Caregivers,I am writing to inform you that our Principal, Greg Thornton, has been appointed as the Principal at Rangitoto College and will start there at the beginning of Term 2.I want to use this opportunity to thank Greg for his contribution to the school and our community. Since starting at Cambridge High School in 2019 he has made a significant difference, leading the school successfully through periods of growth, c...

Thank you for your help

Teenaa koutou ki te whaanau o Te Kura Tuarua O Te Oko Horoi,Dear parents and caregivers of Cambridge High School,I wanted to reach out today to say a massive thank you to our community for the support you have shown over the past few weeks as we get up and running, particularly with the challenges we have had with the rollout of the new uniform. We have had members of the community, staff and the Cambridge Community House come forward with donated items of clothing to help bridge the gap between...

Introducing our school app

INTRODUCING SCHOOLBRIDGESchoolBridge is a communication platform, available on the web and as an app, that seamlessly links caregivers, students, and the school. This will be used for all absence notifications, permission slips, school notices and more. SchoolBridge will be the central sign in point for Cambridge High School, providing easy access for Students, Parents/Caregivers, and Staff.Web Sign In Go to our school’s homepage and click the SCHOOLBRIDGE button in the top rightClick on y...

Register to catch a school bus

Students who are eligible to catch a bus to Cambridge High School this year must sign up to do so by filling out this form by February 13. School buses are operated by Cambridge Travel Lines and will start on Friday, January 30.Students do not need to fill the form out if they are a returning CHS student catching the same bus as in previous years, but they do need to fill it out if catching the same bus they too...

Further uniform updates

Kia ora koutou, First of all I’d like to thank you all for your patience as we work to roll out a new uniform for our school. We understand the delays have been frustrating and we appreciate your patience as we work with our uniform supplier (SAS) to understand the current situation and best support the delivery of uniform items. We have been in regular contact with the suppliers over the last week and, unfortunately, it has become ap...

Welcome back to 2026!

We’re looking forward to seeing all our students soon.In this attachment, you’ll find information regarding:- Start of year details- Academic summary- Uniform update- ‘Walled garden’ and access to our networkNga mihi nuiMr Greg ThorntonPrincipal...