Sunday 11 November marks the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day, the day world war one ended. Every year we acknowledge Anzac Day however the centenary of the day on which the “war that will end all wars” ended is not always observed as widely in New Zealand. It is an important day for us because while the sacrifice shown by the Anzac Forces in Gallipoli cannot be underestimated, New Zealand soldiers also contributed greatly to the Allied war effort on the Western Front in Europe. In total 16 697 New Zealanders were killed in the war, 2779 during the Gallipoli campaign.

Indeed a casualty rate of 58% was one of the highest of any countries involved in world war one. The impact on such a small country was significant and it took many years before the country recovered.

Again we are reminded of the courage of those men and women who served their country, too many giving the ultimate sacrifice. And we appreciate the relative safety and stability we enjoy here in New Zealand. Perhaps a relevant message is that we still need to have the courage to stand up for universal values which uphold and preserve our humanity.

I trust the students of MHJC never have to face the horrors of war but will be prepared to face the challenges of the future with confidence and compassion.

Growing greatness/Kia mana ake!  

My thanks to the almost 200 parents who have responded so far to my invitation to complete the survey. I also appreciate the many positive comments and constructive suggestions you have shared.

Owing to initial problems with connecting to the link I will keep it open for another few days – closing Wednesday 7th November – lets see if we can hit 300!

Growing greatness/Kia mana ake!

We extend a warm welcome to our international travellers. Our first group of students returned from a very enjoyable trip to China where they experienced a wonderful cultural experience at Xian Lin Intermediate School in Nanjing. We wish this new connection to grow and perhaps host students from this school next year. The opportunity to meet students from another country, visit important cultural and historic places and see another school system provides our students with valuable personal insights. We thank Mrs Dada and Mrs Gao who planned, arranged and supervised the trip for their time and efforts.

Our second group was the national Tournament of Minds winners who competed in the international competition in Darwin. To the group’s disappointment they did not place however they emerged with great credit and we are proud of their achievement in this the first time MHJC has entered the event. Thanks to Mrs Lal who entered the school in the competition and supported the team to achieve and achieve an amazing result. We also extend our appreciation to everyone who supported the trip as the last minute fund-raising efforts (which reached the goal of covering all costs) was as much a success as any other!

In both cases our students have grown and learnt valuable life lessons.

Growing greatness – Kia mana ake!

One of the responsibilities of a Board of Trustees is to provide for the special needs of gifted and talented students. Recently I asked two members of our senior leadership team, Mrs Lal and Mrs Kilpatrick to attend a conference which provided new perspectives on this important area of our curriculum. As a result we will be reviewing our existing programmes in 2019 and introducing some modifications which will be trialled early next year.

The review will include:

1. A shared definition and understanding of the phrase “gifted and talented”;
2. A clear and comprehensive identification process of gifted and talented students;
3. The modification of curriculum opportunities for gifted and talented students.

It is pleasing to note that we already have a well established programme for GATE students which include the accelerate class in year 9 and 10, a large number of extra curricular activities (4 Cornerstones) and a number of Extension courses within the DEEP programme which give students the opportunity to develop their gifts and talent in a number of areas.

I wish to signal a trial for Year 8 students next year. Current Year 7 students who will be identified as gifted or talented by teachers, themselves and parents will remain in their whānau in 2019 but come together for inquiry learning in 2 hour sessions with specially selected teachers. We wish to see the benefits of this model compared to our traditional model of moving identified students into one class within a whānau in Year 9 and 10.

Invitations to be considered for the 2019 Year 9 accelerate class have been sent to parents and this class will proceed as before. The class is rotated around the school and it will be Forest Whānau’s turn to accommodate the class next year. The Year 10 class will continue as before in Water Whānau.

Our gifted and talented students already enjoy a great deal of support and success at the school in a variety of ways ranging from Academic Competitions, STEM related challenges, cultural performances, sporting activities and leadership forums. Our intention is to broaden these opportunities so that even more students are able to experience this level of performance and involvement.

Growing greatness/Kia mana ake!