Term 1 - Week 3

Tēnā koutou,

Excitingly, this week I have been able to get out and about to observe our Year 9 Head Start programme and see some of the student preparation for Colours Day (held on Thursday 27 February).  Our Year 13 students and house leaders have completed a great job over the past week to continue to build school culture, spirit, and pride at Taupo-nui-a-Tia College.  The Head Start programme for Year 9s has included games, activities and school haka designed to build connectedness with the Year 9s.  Our House assemblies this week, led by our house leaders and Year 13s have been focused on learning House chants for Colours Day.  Points towards our overall House trophy are awarded on Colours Day, and the House chants are one important part of the points which are awarded.  It’s great to see our students getting so immersed in their individual House culture, as well as the overall culture of the school.  Our four houses are named after our maunga (mountains) in the Taupō region - Ngauruhoe (blue), Ruapehu (green), Tauhara (red), and Tongariro (yellow).

This year we have invested in two pieces of software to help accelerate our students’ learning in the areas literacy and numeracy - Education Perfect will utilised predominantly within our Mathematics faculty for students in Year 9 and Year 10, and Writer’s Toolbox will be used across the school for students in Year 9-11.  We will be providing you with more information about how you can support your child’s learning with Education Perfect and Writer’s Toolbox in future newsletters.  Consequently, it is important for our students to have their own digital device for the 2025 academic year and beyond.  Please encourage your child to bring their charged device to school everyday.

Numeracy & Literacy Update
To support our akonga (students) to develop their Numeracy and Literacy skills, we are providing weekly tasks for students to complete for homework or in Whanau time if available.
For Numeracy, this will be through the online tool Education Perfect. Students have their own accounts and have already accessed these in class so will be familiar with the tool. The tasks will concentrate mainly on using number, measurement and statistics skills in context.   
In terms of Literacy, we have invested in the Writer’s Toolbox to support our students from Years 9-11. This is an online tool that develops students’ understanding of writing—from sentences to paragraphing—by providing immediate feedback. 
As parents / caregivers / whanau, please talk with your children about their learning and encourage them to complete these tasks each week.
Ultimately, our aim is for students to develop their Numeracy and Literacy strategies which will not only help them in all areas of the curriculum but help prepare them for the Co-requisite Exams.

A link to our annual plan for 2025 can be viewed by scrolling to the bottom of the page using this link. 

A reminder - school photos will take place on Monday 3 March.

Have an awesome weekend!

Ngā mihi

Ben Claxton
PRINCIPAL

Sporting News

Winter Sport Information: 
Hockey
SKILL AND DRILLS - Monday 24th February - 5:30pm-7:0pm - All players 
TRIALS - Monday 3rd March- Time TBC
 
Basketball - For those wanting to play competitively, there will be sign ups for social teams later
Junior Boys - Tuesday 24th February, 5:00pm-6:30pm
 
Netball - For those wanting to play competitively, there will be sign ups for social teams later
SKILLS AND DRILLS
Monday 3rd & 10th March, 3:30-4:30pm Juniors + 5:00pm-6:00pm Seniors 
TRIALS - Monday 17th & 18th March, 3:30-4:45pm Juniors + 5:00pm-6:15pm Seniors 
 
Rugby - SKILLS AND DRILLS 
Monday 17th, 24th, 3rd March- Under 14 boys, 3:30pm-4:30pm
Tuesday 18th, 25th, 4th March- All girls, 3:30pm- 4:30pm
Tuesday and Thursday- 1st XV Boys players, 3:30pm-  5:00pm 
 
Football - SKILLS AND DRILLS  
Boys - Wednesday 26th February, 3:30-4:30pm
Girls - TBC 
 
Upcoming Events:
BOPSS Tennis Championships- Wednesday 26th February, Papamoa

                                              Careers Information

                                                    
These University visits have been booked for the College to date.
They are at lunchtimes (12:50 - 1:40pm) in D16.
Parents and caregivers are welcome and they are very informative about what degrees and qualifications they offer and how the University system works and the benefits of higher learning. Any Yr 12 and 13 student can attend these information sessions.
 
24th Feb - Massey University
27th Feb - Victoria University
6th March - Auckland University
10th March - Waikato University
17th March - Canterbury University
24th March -Toi Ohomai
3rd April - Otago University

HUT BUDDIES WANTED!!
 
Want to make a positive difference for outdoor education at your school…?

Our school is a member of the Central Plateau Schools Alpine Charitable Trust (CPSAT), which administers Memorial Hut on Mount Ruapehu.  The Trust is looking to assemble a group of 10-15 outdoor education enthusiasts from member school communities keen to help maintain and develop this unique outdoor education resource.  “Hut Buddies” will be invited to:
 
Volunteer for a hut check-up roster – a good excuse to enjoy a walk or ski while you’re up there!
Help with “spring” cleans and working bees, typically held once or twice a year. 
Support fundraising efforts and leverage relevant networks.
 
In return, Hut Buddies will enjoy great company amidst breath-taking views, connect with fellow outdoor and education enthusiasts, and have the opportunity to hire Memorial Hut after school / education group bookings have been locked in.  Most importantly, Hut Buddies will help ensure this unique outdoor education resource remains available for their own children and for future generations. 

For more information about Memorial Hut, CPSAT trust, and how to become a Hut Buddy, please read the attached flyer.
 

Mancraft Barbers
Model required for training with apprentice 'puma'.
Thursdays between 1pm & 4pm
All cuts supervised by master barber, Devarney, at no charge.
Call by the Salon to book in a time.