A NOTE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Winter illness is well and truly impacting school at present but the positive in amongst all of it is our attendance rate for term one has shown an improvement and we have kept improving since term 2 last year. This is a great sign as there is plenty of evidence around showing the importance of attendance having a direct impact on educational outcomes. I think the figure at present needs some revision from government level – 90% being a standard attendance level does not account for our new reality post covid where getting the flu or covid often results in a week out – which then does not consider school trips etc etc. Overall if your child is tracking around the 85% level for a term then they are doing well with all the other influences there are and things that take out a day here and there – one specialist appointment is a whole day given where we live! Please just make sure the office is informed as to the reason for absence as they can then code things properly. Our next knowledge cafe – an open meaning for parents will be June 26th at 6.30 pm. This time it is about the new Literacy Numeracy requirements for NCEA, aimed at parents of Y10 and below but any parent is welcome to attend. It will be no more than an hour, about 20 min going through what the new requirements are and what the assessments look like, followed by Q&A and then 20 min for general feedback, in the library. See you then!

WHAT’S COMING UP?

WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING?

Boxing
It was great to see the local boxing club put on such an amazing event recently and even better to see local lads fighting. Well done to Alpha Uedaspooner who won his fight, and to ex-students Asher Harnett and Riley Allen who also had wins on the night.

Judo
Matua Alan took three keen judokas to the Canterbury Championship recently in Christchurch. It was a great learning opportunity for them and they have all been training hard several times a week including early mornings! Cameron South and Grace Pettit had some really tough fights up against girls who are in the NZ teams in their respective weight categories. Lachie Fissenden came away with a bronze in the Junior Men’s section and Matua Al a gold in the veterans.

Year 11 Leadership Camp
We set off from school early Monday morning and arrived at Rotoiti Lodge around lunchtime. After unpacking the van, we met the instructors and did some team-building activities. That evening we split into two groups and planned out our two-night tramp. Our group included Mr Gough, our instructor Sheppard, Lauren, Adelaide, Anna, Benji, Haven, and of course Stanley. Together we decided to take the challenging route to Angelus Hut, and then on to Bushline Hut.
The next morning we woke to the sound of Mr Gough banging pots and pans together (not a nice wake-up call!) We gathered our gear and left for the Mt Robert car park where we would begin our walk. We walked for 3 hours through native bush to get to Speargrass hut for lunch, then continued up the Speargrass valley towards Angelus. This involved many river crossings, one of which did not end well for Adelaide. The climb from Speargrass was challenging but as a group we made it up to Robert’s Ridge. By this time it was dark and as we looked down the other side of the ridge we could see the welcoming lights of Angelus Hut. As we navigated our way down the steep decline by torchlight, all we could think about was dinner and a warm fire. Turns out dinner was spilled through Benji’s sleeping bag and jacket.
With the light of the next morning, we were able to see the stunning sight of Lake Angelus and the surrounding mountains. We left at 9 am to begin the second days walk which would bring us to Bushline Hut. This route got very windy as we walked along the top of Robert’s Ridge, and as we neared Bushline Hut our map decided to fly away. That night we roasted marshmallows and slept outside under the stars.
The next day was a short walk back down to the Mt Robert car park. From there we drove back to the lodge where we packed up our gear and headed back to Kaikoura. Overall, the leadership camp was a great experience for us which was both challenging and rewarding.

Lauren and Adelaide

Year 7/8
This term the year 7 and 8 Homeroom classes have been learning about Aotearoa New Zealand History. Students are working in groups to learn about different historical contexts, and are given the opportunity to change what they are learning about each fortnight. At the end of each fortnight, each group presents their learnings to the class. This project involves a good balance of reading, writing, oral language and listening. If you are keen to see what we have been up to, feel free to come into our classrooms and see our displays on the walls.

HATO HONE // St John Therapy Pets
We welcome Jeanette Barnett and Luna to Kaikoura High School next week. They are part of the St John Therapy Pets program. They will be visiting our school on Tuesdays where some of our rangitahi will be reading to Luna in the Learning Hub. We are very excited to have both Jeanette and Luna as part of our Learning Support Programme here at KHS.

PE Update
On Monday the 27th Of May the Year 11 PE class journeyed to Oxford for a Ki- o-Rahi Tournament. The team were accompanied by their kaiako Matua Alan and kaitautoko Matua Ben. The group were full of nerves at the beginning but after a win in the first game, they settled and found their rhythm. The class managed to take out the whole tournament winning all four games playing teams such as Rangiora, Amuri and Oxford. The team showed manaakitanga to their opponents and whanaungatanga to their teammates to secure the wins. In attendance were: Jacob Ford, Cooper Young, David Barnes, Harper Boyce, Alice King, Maya Marshall, Rama Pande, Oaklea Woods, Zach Sutherland, and Hannah Macphail. The prize was well earned KFC!

Kaikōura Attendance Services
Studies show that attainment and attendance are directly linked. Regular absenteeism at school has significant impacts on learning and achievement for your child. Through referrals from the school, Kaikōura Attendance Services work directly with whānau to support their children in maximising their attendance and engagement at school. There are many reasons for non-attendance and our attendance advisor, Kim Broadhurst is here to advocate for and support your child in getting the most out of their education. If you would like some additional support with your child’s attendance or engagement, please contact the school.

COMMUNITY NOTICES

Kaikoura High School Board Parent By-Election 2024

Nomination round

Our school will be undertaking a parent by-election for 1 School Board vacancy. This position will be held until the triennial election in 2025. This process will start with the issuing of nomination papers to our caregiver community by Thursday 23rd May 2024.

We have employed CES to undertake the election process on our behalf. This year with legislative change, our nomination form and full instruction on how to place your nomination into our own School’s Election website will be emailed to you if we have your email address in our database or you will receive it by post if we don’t have your email in our database.

Nomination papers will also be available at the school office. The school will send those on to CES for processing upon receipt from candidates.

Nominations close on Tuesday 11th June 2024 at 12 noon. We look forward to your participation in this process.

Returning Officer CES

89 Nazareth Avenue | Middleton | Christchurch | PO Box 414 | Christchurch 8140

P (03) 338 4444 Web www.cessl.org.nz

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