End of Term 1
April 13 marks the end of an extremely busy Term 1. With a number of major sporting events and numerous sporting and curriculum field trips, hardly a week goes by without one student group or another out of school.
Throw in a magnificent School Centenary cele- bration and it is fair to say we simply could not have crammed anything else in!
Despite the busy schedule the majority of stu- dents have made a productive start to their ac- ademic year and our school wide attendance rate is sitting at 85.7%. As we enter Term 2, it is timely to remind all students, parents and wha- nau that to represent the school in sport, stu- dents must maintain at least an 85% attend- ance rate or more specifically, have no more than 15% unexplained/unjustified attendance. Representing the school is a privilege and not a right and this guideline is aimed at encouraging students to be in class and improving learning.
Board Community Consultation
Thank you to the many parents who attended our Interim Report nights held over the last two weeks. At these nights those present were asked to complete a BOT Community Consulta- tion Survey. If you would like to contribute to this consultation process please access and an- swer the survey via the link that has been sent out to you via school links.
Whanau please note: if you were unable to attend the interim report night you can contact the school and make appointments with staff who will be happy to meet with you.
SHAKESPEARE COMPETITION SUCCESS
Our thespian duo of Helen Drysdale- Dunn
and Emily Nowell had an outstanding day at the Sheilah Winn Shakespeare regionals held in Taupo last Sunday. Continuing the school’s longstanding record of strong performances in this key Arts competition the pair performed their take on Ophelia’s demise over the courseof Shakespeare’s popular tragedy; Hamlet.
The talented duo floored the audience and judges alike with an absolutely breath-taking performance that combined theat- rics, madness and song. The performance was of such a high standard that the girls won:
The “15 minute scene” Category
The “Best Tragedy” performance
Then much to their delight they were then named winners overall “Cornerstone Values Award”
This is an outstanding achievement and means they are off to represent the school and our region at the national Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival in Wellington. Head of the Arts Learning Area and Drama teach- er, Ms McBean, is justifiably proud of her students. Since Ms McBean has taken charge of Drama at school, visits to this na- tional competition has been a regular oc- currence. With the talent that both Helen and Emily possess we will not be surprised if either of them join the growing list of our Drama students who have gone on to be selected for the national team and visit the Globe Theatre in London.