From the Principal

Kia ora, koutou,

On Monday our senior student leaders had a visit from Tama Potaka who is our local Member of Parliament. The seniors were involved in a leadership forum run by our DP Naomi Bates. It was a wonderful opportunity for our students to engage with our local MP with issues that mattered to them.We have some very articulate leaders on the way.

We are coming to the end of the first term. This is an eleven week term so the last day for Term One is April 11.

Senior reports will be coming out for you in Week 10 so keep an eye out for those. In Week 11 there will be whānau hui for all senior (Year 11 to 13) students. The hui are with the whānau teacher and will last for 20 minutes. It is an opportunity for you to find out how your student is going with NCEA, and what we can do to support your student. We would love for you all to attend, of course, but if you are unable to make it your student will still have a 20 minute hui with the whānau teacher and we will email you the results of that hui. School will finish at 12:45pm on Wednesday 9 April to allow teachers to run these whānau hui.

As you will know, last week we had a lockdown practice and an evacuation practice. Harrison Tew, an emergency planning organisation, organised the day. A representative spoke firstly with the staff, then the students in two assemblies. She made the processes very clear. I am pleased to let you know that the drills went very smoothly. The students took them seriously and Harrison and Tew were very impressed.

Congratulations to our senior student, Sahri Tichbourne, who represented Mangakōtukutuku College at the waka ama National Championships in Rotorua. Well done Sahri we are so proud of you!

Have a wonderful weekend. 

Barbara Cavanagh
Principal - Tumuaki

Fashion & Textiles

Our first rotation of Fashion and Textiles is finishing and we created PJ shorts! Our students did an amazing job and I have been extremely impressed with the accuracy and forward thinking of our year 8 ākonga.
Throughout the project, students followed the design process and were tasked with ensuring the PJ would be suitable for the intended social and physical environment. 
Not pictured are students who learnt to crochet, knit and weave throughout the rotation. 
These students deserve a huge pat on the back for their efforts! 

Year 9 Kea English Students

Last week, our Year 9 students embarked on a fantastic literary adventure to the school library! It was wonderful to see them immersed in the world of books, each choosing titles that sparked their individual interests. From thrilling adventures to fascinating facts, our students discovered the joy of reading. We encourage everyone to continue exploring the library's vast collection and nurture a lifelong love of reading. A big thank you to our library staff for their support in making this visit so enriching!

Library

Exploring Fiction Genres During Library Class Visits
Our library uses genre stickers to help students find fiction books more easily. Over the coming weeks, students will have the opportunity to explore the various genres available in our library and discover which ones they enjoy reading. In Week 8, we focused on four exciting genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Horror, and Mystery. Students learned about the key features of these genres and had the chance to browse and borrow books that matched their interests.

NCEA

If you're new to the NCEA system, we encourage you to check out this Google Slides presentation to help you get familiar with how it all works. These slides were presented at our NCEA Information Evening for parents and caregivers earlier this term.
If you have any questions about NCEA, please don’t hesitate to contact our Principal's Nominee, Monika Bali, at [email protected].

Year 12 Chemistry

Students engaged in a full-day titration practical on Tuesday, 25/03,
demonstrating precision and analytical skills as they conducted their assessment.

Uniform Blitz

Uniform Checks – Health, Safety & Ongoing Expectations
This week, our Kaitiaki team will be on gate duty each morning to ensure students are arriving in the correct uniform. The main reason for this check is health and safety—it’s important that we can easily identify our students while they are at school. Maintaining a consistent uniform standard helps create a safe environment for everyone.
This uniform check is part of a wider effort to lift our standards, and these expectations will continue beyond this week to maintain the improvements we make.
What happens if a student is in incorrect uniform?
They will be asked to remove the item (if appropriate), and it will be stored in the Kaitiaki office until the end of the day.
If a replacement item is available, it will be provided with clear return instructions.
If a student refuses to comply, whānau will be contacted to arrange for them to be collected.
Need Black Shoes?
Shoes are not part of this uniform check, but students who need black footwear can collect a free pair of black Converse-style shoes from the Kaitiaki office.
We appreciate your support in ensuring all students wear the correct uniform—it helps keep our school safe and reinforces pride in our community. These expectations will remain in place beyond this week to continue improving our uniform standards.

Reporting Absences 

Please report absences before 10am on the day of absence. Attendance can be checked
through SchoolBridge, which can be downloaded from the iPhone App or Google Play stores.

Absences can be reporting by using one of the following options:
1) Sending through SchoolBridge (preferred)
Online: https://mkt.bridge.school.nz/
2) Email [email protected]
3) Calling (07) 899 8057 ext. 2106
4) Calling (07) 899 8057 option 1
5) Replying to the absence notification (via email or text)
Please note this option is not for ongoing use, please use one
of the above options 1-4.