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. Doing this before stress starts to show can be a great help, and it makes them more likely to let you know exactly what's going on...because you've shown an interest first. It can be hard to get beyond monosyllabic answers and teenage grunts, but if you ask insightful questions then we can work together to get through this key period and build resilience for the future.
In other news, and in what seems like a regular update, another 100+ school jerseys will hit the Shoppe shelves next Thursday. I can't thank you enough for your patience with this, and again I reassure you that we are working to improve the situation as best we can.
For our senior students, the school Ball is a huge focus this weekend. It's a fantastic celebration for them, and I'm sure it will be remembered for a long time as the final opportunity for our Year 13s in particular to be together in a social setting like this. We value that, but their wellbeing is important too, and that's part of the reason we scheduled SADD week at the same time. SADD is a student-led charity with the collective goal of preventing loss on New Zealand roads. This week we partnered with our local emergency services to highlight the dangers present on our roads due to poor driving standards and from drivers who are impaired. I'm sure a similar message has been passed on at home.
A large number of staff will be present at the Ball tomorrow and the work that Ms Pearson and Ms Vervoort have put in in preparation will be obvious to all - thank you! To those students who are nervous about the event, just stick to those clear behaviour expectations you heard in the assembly last Monday and it will be a blast. This is the way.
A final word to those attending the Ball;
You'll never know if you don't go
You'll never shine if you don't glow
Hey now, you're an all star
Get your game on, go play!
Ngaa Mihi,
PL McAvoy
Acting Principal
