THIS WEEK’S MEMORY VERSE

Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days.

Ephesians 5:16

 PRINCIPAL’S NOTICE

Tena koutou whanau ma – warm greetings to everyone.

Seasons come and go but God is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8), which is an understanding that shows us how reliable He is when we turn to Him for wisdom and counsel. We are told that the Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17), no matter what the season – good times, not so good, times of change, times where nothing seems to change. The season we are in now is really the ‘knuckling down’ stage of the year – we have settled in to the routines and expectations at school, and are steadfastly moving towards the goals we have for 2024. For some of our students, this is a season of preparation for life beyond school and as such there are some definite goals and challenges to be met. Others are readying themselves for the type of studies they might be needing to engage in when they hit the NCEA levels in order to follow their career dreams or aspirations. Still others are laying the foundations for learning by attending to the basics that are so necessary.

In all cases, success in any area requires effort and stamina – consistency and diligence, perseverance and endurance. Goals for learning are exactly like that – success needs deliberate action because the barriers to success are many and varied. Yes, the barriers to success are many and varied – we can see some of them really clearly, and others not so clearly. For instance, an easily seen barrier to becoming fit, is the one where we don’t do any exercise. A barrier to not having any money in the bank is one where we have no savings habit.

In regards to learning successes, less easily seen barriers are the ones that sneak up on you – like not taking the time to learn maths tables – it doesn’t really impact you until you need to use that knowledge to solve problems. Likewise with most school learning – much of it is in preparation for the future so we don’t necessarily see the impact of lost opportunities until much later down the track and although never too late to rectify, it is often much more difficult and perhaps costly to capture that which has been lost. The most significant area contributing to ‘lost opportunities’ is no secret, and one which I am sure you are all aware of – this is the area of attendance at school.

Attendance (absenteeism) is a huge area of concern for us and one which needs us all to be actively engaged with to bring a positive change. If it is true (and I am convinced that it is) that education is fundamental to future opportunities, then absenteeism is the opposite to that – it is the biggest barrier to future opportunities. The drivers for absenteeism are many but they all have one result in common – students, our children, miss out. They miss out now and they miss out on future possibilities that require foundations to be laid now. Additionally, the impact of absenteeism on our young ones is one that likely leaves them feeling that they are out of place or disconnected in the school environment – disconnected relationally, disconnected from learning success, disconnected from their peers, not quite feeling they are part of what is happening. In this way, it’s not difficult to see why students who are regularly absent don’t feel like they ‘belong’ – absenteeism becomes a sort of spiral that feeds itself because when students do return to school, they are out of step and don’t want to stay there, and the pattern becomes established.

Looking to how we resolve the matter for our young ones who are frequently absent, to restore them to that full sense of belonging and success, we need to be really fussy about making sure they attend school regularly – to create the habit of being at school every day that they possibly can. I like to make the point that if it is easy for a student to stay at home, they probably will. Let’s make it a priority to get our young ones to school every day.

1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain.

Nga mihi maioha

David Rogers

KEY DATES:

IMPORTANT SCHOOL DATES

SCHOOL TERMS

 PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

Minutes: 

• Minutes 13th February 2024
• Minutes 17th October 2023
• Minutes 28 November 2023
  

TEACHERS NOTICES

ACKNOWLEDGE

Danielle had her first Business Tourism Academy trip day at Waitangi – Looking awesome in her ITC uniform 

JUNIOR OCEANIA CUP

We would like to wish Tumu, Khody, Kayden, and the U16s Māori Tag Team on their tournament coming up on Friday 8th – Sunday 10th March. They will be competing in the 3 day tournament at Bruce Pulman Park for Aotearoa Maori U16s. Furthermore, a big mihi to Amoron Phillip (present student) and Rangatira (pass student) who has been coaching the team and will be taking them through to the tournament. 

WHAT ARE ATTENDANCE DUES?

The Ministry of Education does not fund building related costs at our School. Attendance Dues are only used to pay for building related costs. They can not be used for any other purposes.  Paying Attendance Dues is a condition of enrolment for all students attending our School. Attendance Dues are compulsory – there is a legal requirement for parents and caregivers to pay Attendance Dues under the Education and Training Act 2020. They are not a donation.

Mike Shaw

CEO Celebration Trust

COMMUNITY NOTICES

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Deuteronomy 31:8-9