Term 4 - week 9
Kia ora, koutou.
This will be our final newsletter for 2023. It has been another fantastic year at Taupo-nui-a-Tia College! I just want to take a moment to thank you, our school whānau, for your support throughout 2023. There have been challenging periods for all of us this year, especially as we navigated our way through PPTA industrial action earlier in the year. However, our kura could not function the way it does without your ongoing support, so thank you!
On Wednesday we held Effort and Industry awards for our Year 9 and Year 10 students. These awards acknowledged three students per class who the teachers identified as consistently demonstrating the qualities of effort and industry throughout the year. There will have been many other students who just missed out on these awards, so I want to acknowledge all of our Year 9s and Year 10s for making it through this year. Year 9 and Year 10 are arguably the most difficult years at high school. There is so much hormonal change going on, which can make things very difficult in all sorts of ways. These years can also be a tricky time for parents, so make sure you take some time to celebrate the year as a whānau.
Our junior prizegiving was held today. It was another opportunity to honour our junior students for their success in and outside the classroom in 2023. Well done to the award winners. The prizegiving season is my favourite time of year!
As part of the comprehensive uniform review conducted last year, our school has collaborated with the uniform supplier Argyle to enhance our offerings. We are pleased to announce the introduction of a second skirt option. Over the past six years, only one skirt style has been available, and we recognize that it may not cater to all body shapes and sizes. We believe that this new addition will provide more flexibility and better accommodate the diverse preferences of our students. Thank you for your understanding and support as we strive to create an inclusive and comfortable uniform experience for all.
Starting from Term 2, 2024, we are excited to announce the addition of a straight-style skirt, alongside the current skirt which is available for purchase via our website. With the introduction of the new skirt, the older style straight skirt, which has not been available for purchase via our website for over six years, will no longer be a part of our uniform. From Term 3, 2024, it will be considered a non-uniform item.
We want to highlight that Year 12 students for 2024 who currently own the older style straight skirt will be exempt from this change. We understand that requiring them to purchase a new skirt for the final two terms of the year would be unfair. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we strive to enhance and update our uniform options to better suit the preferences and needs of our students.
Thank you to everyone who has completed the phone survey we sent out earlier this week. We are yet to receive formal communication from the government, but we appreciate getting your feedback so far. The feedback so far is relatively even in terms of supporting a total phone ban or not. We’ll be sure to update you as soon as we hear more from the government.
On behalf of all the team here, Meri Kirihemete (Merry Christmas), and all the best for relaxing and refreshing Summer break whenever it arrives for you and your whānau.
Ngā mihi
Ben Claxton
PRINCIPAL
|
