We really have been blessed with the most beautiful weather conditions to get the 50th year of our school’s existence underway, and as Term 1 concludes, we can reflect on what has been a very successful start.
For many, that success can be attributed to positive attendance rates, with averages exceeding 90% daily. We have been working extremely hard in this area and thank you for ensuring your children are at school whenever possible.
Recently, I reviewed an Education Review Office document that highlighted the negative effects of attendance on student outcomes. Key takeaways included that those with chronic absenteeism (students who attend less than 70% of the time—a figure that has doubled in recent years):
- Are half as likely to attain NCEA Level 2
- Are eight times less likely to gain University Entrance
- By 20 years of age, they are four times more likely to be on a main benefit, three times more likely to have a custodial/community sentence, and twice as likely to be a victim of crime.
- Projected earnings by age 25 are:
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- $16,000/year for chronic truants
- $65,000/year for those without attendance issues
I recall being a student and a teacher explaining that a wall is 85% brick and only 15% mortar, but without the mortar, the bricks are weak and useless. The 15% is just as—if not more—important. I have never forgotten that analogy, and I believe it still holds true today: the closer to 100% attendance our students have, the stronger their likelihood of success!
We have had some fantastic successes in recent weeks, not least of all the performances of some of our students: three gold, two silver, and two bronze medals at the Auckland Athletics Championships; a New Zealand title in BMX and a bronze in Oceania; a bronze medal in the pool at the Queensland Swimming Championships; a silver and bronze at Surf Lifesaving Nationals; two golds at Tag Nationals; two silvers at Touch Nationals; and selection for New Zealand football and cricket squads, to name but a few.
Perhaps two of the star efforts of this term, though, go to our Kapa Haka group, ‘Te Kapa Haka o Te Kāreti o Oneroa,’ and our students who participated in ‘Relay for Life’.
Our kapa haka roopu performed for the first time in our 50 years of existence on the ‘Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi’ Māori Stage at Polyfest. Coincidentally, it was Polyfest’s own 50th anniversary. Much hard work and effort went into preparing our roopu for this event, and the dedication of our 34 students, tutors, and teachers is to be heralded. Not to be outdone, our Chinese group performed their Dragon Dance on the Diversity Stage too. From no groups at Polyfest in 50 years to two in one year—fabulous!
And congratulations go to our community, who have raised over $26,000, and climbing, for the Cancer Foundation’s ‘Relay for Life’. We held numerous mini events leading up to the 12-hour walk on Saturday, 5th April, where over 160 of our community walked and ran distances of up to 60km to raise awareness and money for this noble cause. Seeing so many students provide service to our community is truly heart-warming.
The first 11 weeks of the school year have been fantastic, with our students undoubtedly the stars! I do thank our teachers, support staff, and wider parent/caregiver community for your support and wish you all a safe and relaxing term break.
Ngā mihi nui,
CJ Healey
Principal
