Teenaa koutou,
Dear Parents / Caregivers,
I hope that you managed to get a good break over Easter and that your children are making the most of some downtime. Term 1 was very positive with events reinforcing the culture of the school and our house system, successful sports and arts results and academic progress and parent interviews. We are looking forward to Term 2 and the start-up of winter codes for sports, arts performances, matariki celebrations and our junior production. There are other important dates coming up and I just wanted to get in touch with you today to remind you of the details as you look to plan out the next term.
Week 1 – NCEA Teacher Only Day, ANZAC day, Year 12 days.
Next steps with industrial action – Strike day and rostering home of year levels planned.
Winter uniform reminder.
Academic mentoring – student-led conversations around goal setting and maintaining academic progression.
Term 4 – 2nd NCEA Teacher Only Day dates being explored.
Week 1
A reminder that we have an NCEA focused TOD on Monday 24th April and the school will be closed for instruction. Tuesday 25th April is ANZAC day, and on Wednesday 26th April we will hold a full school assembly to commemorate ANZAC day.
For Wednesday, Thursday and Friday Year 12s will be off timetable. This is so that we can deliver courses that are hugely beneficial to students in the most efficient way possible. All students must attend all three days in full school uniform. The courses are done on rotation across three days delivering:
First Aid Training (earning students both a First Aid qualification and NCEA credits).
The “Loves-Me-Not” programme run in conjunction with NZ Police and local NGO (this is a valuable healthy relationships programme that is very appropriate to senior students that helps them at this stage of life and for their future).
A Mini Careers Day (this is an innovation this year that will allow students to hear from local employers and explore opportunities).
Industrial action
Unfortunately, this will be ongoing throughout Term 2 as the government has not put forward an offer that is acceptable to union members. We will update you for each event closer to the time, but as an overview the following will be in place, unless a resolution is reached:
Strike action – Thursday 11th May. Process is the same as for previous actions.
Rostering home (this is where union members will not teach students of these year levels on these targeted days. This action will mean that we cannot staff the school for that year level and those students only will be asked to remain at home. We can run limited supervision for families who need this support. This will be similar to the support offered during strike action, with a supervised study space available.
Week 2 Thursday - Year 11
Week 3 Tuesday - Year 12, and Thursday - Year 13
Week 4 Tuesday - Year 9, and Wednesday - Year 10
Week 5 Thursday - Year 11
Week 6 Tuesday - Year 13, and Thursday - Year 12
Week 7 Tuesday - Year 10, and Thursday - Year 9
Winter uniform
This is a reminder that we are shifting into winter uniform. There are a couple of key items that we need your support with in making this transition. Can you please ensure that your child wears the correct school uniform as per our guides on the school website. In particular, students are not permitted to wear hoodies (the school sports hoodies are for wearing when representing their sports team and are not a part of the school uniform). Please also make sure students are wearing school trousers as different versions appear each year.
Sometimes students can’t wear the correct uniform for valid reasons. In this instance we have the following options:
Provide a note and the student can take this to their House Dean for a uniform pass.
Contact the House Dean for loan items that are available.
Contact your child’s form teacher or House Dean if you need assistance. Part of our agreement with the new supplier provides items of uniform free for families who need financial assistance.
While I am on the topic of uniform, the Board are in the early days of reviewing the uniform. Look out for future opportunities to share your perspective on any suggested changes to the current CHS uniform.
Academic mentoring
This is to be an ongoing process which we launch with students during Term 2. The process is to use form time to support and encourage students to set academic targets and engage with conversations about progress towards these targets. The focus is for students to engage with the REACH values in their learning, particularly R - Realise their potential, E - Engage with purpose and H – Have the courage to succeed. Ultimately, they will take ownership of their own academic progression, receiving information, feedback and guidance that will see them perform at their best across their time at CHS.
Term 4 – NCEA Teacher Only Day #2
This has been provided by the government to assist with NCEA implementation and had been signalled earlier in the year. A two-week window has been confirmed in Term 4 once the seniors have left for NCEA exams. We will discuss the best day for this TOD with the CHS Board and school leaders and the other schools across the Cambridge area.
Kind regards
Ngaa mihi
Greg Thornton
Principal
Cambridge High School
