Tēnā  koutou, e te whānau o Howick College,   This week, during a formal assembly, we celebrated our Year 12 excellence and merit students, alongside our 2024 student leaders. These students have worked hard and are truly deserving of such recognition. Nevertheless, there are many students who did not cross the stage but can be equally proud of trying hard and achieving their personal best. This scenario is common in various situations, such as athletics where there is only one winner but many others have excelled and still achieved a personal best.

Introducing Y12 to the 2024 Head Students and House Leaders.

Mr Burden congratulates NCEA Excellence recipients. 

Throughout my career, I've had the privilege of working with some outstanding educational leaders. Simply listening and learning from them has proven as valuable as any postgraduate qualification in educational leadership. While they each possessed unique styles, they all shared the same commitment to encouraging students and staff to strive towards becoming the best possible versions of themselves. One particular leader's memorable catch phrase was, "be better than before."

Striving to be better than before (BTB) means consistently working towards being the best version of yourself. In this journey, teachers play a crucial role by setting high expectations and enabling students to reach their peak potential.

Having high expectations is not about expecting every young person to be the best; it's about helping them reach their potential. Aiming for personal bests and fulfilled potential is crucial. Not everyone can be the top student, make premier sports teams, or land lead roles in shows. But everyone can participate, improve, and even excel. It's reasonable and beneficial to expect fulfilled potential, but pressuring students with precise numbers and ranks can be unproductive and often detrimental.

Supporting students during this process is vital. The best way to do that, to boost their confidence and increase motivation, is to have high expectations. Be better than before.

Have a great weekend,

Dale Burden
Principal/Tumuaki

Tuesday 12 March
School ID Photo Catch Up Day

Wednesday 13 March
Meet the Y9 Tutor Teacher Evening

Thursday 14 - Friday 15 March
Summer Sports, Cultural & Y13 Photos

Monday 18 - Saturday 23 March
Summer Tournament Week

Friday 29 March
Good Friday (public holiday)

Monday 1 April
Easter Monday (public holiday)

Tuesday 2 April
Easter Tuesday (school holiday)

Friday 12 April
Term 1 Ends

Thursday 25 April
ANZAC Day (public holiday) 
 
Monday 29 April 
Term 2 Begins

Thursday 09 May
Po Fiafia Evening

Friday 17 May
Pink Shirt Day

Saturday 18 May
Senior School Ball

Friday 31 May
Teacher Only Day
Uxbridge Fridays@12 Concert

Jewellery Reminder

We would like to remind students that jewellery is to be kept to a minimum. As outlined below and on our website, students may wear a selection of the following items:
one ring per hand, one necklace, two small gold/silver studs or sleeper earrings per ear, one nose stud or clear retainer. 

Please Note: nose rings, septum rings, facial piercings and tongue piercings are NOT permitted.

Pictured above are some examples of acceptable jewellery styles.

Mr Henty, Envirogroup co-TiC, says disposing of pods and pulling out seedlings is vital to preventing spread.

Just some of the hundreds of pods and vines collected by
our dedicated Envirogroup members over the years.

Community Council Supports Local Event

Community Council leaders, Winter Lin and Tara Daniels

Community Council Members from left: Tara Daniels, Harnain Dhaliwal, Rama Balasmeh, Tiffany Su

Last Sunday, March 3, the Community Council took on a significant role supporting the Auckland Brit & Euro Classic Car Show at Lloyd Elsmore Park. From 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, our council members were actively engaged in organizing various aspects of the show, with a primary focus on the ever popular sausage sizzle. Despite the inclement weather, our dedicated council members ensured the smooth running of the stall for the Howick Leo's club, catering to a substantial crowd of 7-8k people. The funds raised during this event will go towards community projects. 

Study Centre - New Location

Where: A4
When: Every lunch time
What: A quiet place to work

Individual tutors will not be available for the first few weeks of term, but all students are welcome to come along and work independently in this quiet space during lunch times.

Howick College Book of the Week

The Hunger of Thorns by Lili Wilkinson
Maude is the daughter of witches. She spent her childhood running wild with her best friend, Odette, weaving stories of girls who slayed dragons and saved princes. Then Maude grew up and lost her magic-and her best friend. These days, magic is toothless, reduced to glamour patches and psychic energy drinks found in supermarkets and shopping malls. Odette has always hungered for forbidden, dangerous magic, and two weeks ago she went searching for it. Now she's missing, and everyone says she's dead. Everyone except Maude. Storytelling has always been Maude's gift, so she knows all about girls who get lost in the woods. She's sure she can find Odette inside the ruins of Sicklehurst, an abandoned power plant built over an ancient magical forest-a place nobody else seems to remember is there. The danger is, no one knows what remains inside Sicklehurst, either. And every good story is sure to have a monster…
 
This fantasy novel is perfect for students in Years 9 – 11.
Come and borrow it from L6.