Week Ahead: Week 9, Term 3
Monday 20 – Sunday, 26 September
Kia ora koutou
This week is Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week). This has been celebrated since 1975. It acknowledges and celebrates the Māori language as a unique cultural treasure for all New Zealanders. The language is a defining feature of who we are as a country and is an element of what we want to strengthen at Napier Boys’ High School. Te Reo Māori is the indigenous language of Aotearoa New Zealand and plays a significant role in establishing strong identities for all tamariki.
There is a resurgence of te reo, but to remain viable as a language, Māori needs a critical mass of fluent speakers of all ages, and it needs the respect and support of the wider community. At Napier Boys’ High School, we have seen increasing numbers of students taking te reo classes. It is our hope that the conversational usage of te reo Māori becomes normalised in our in daily lives.
How about starting your te reo journey by building your own pepeha. A pepeha is a summary of where you are from and tells people about who you are. If you are interested in giving this a go yourself the NZ Herald has a great little app where you can try it. Build Your Own Pepeha
Ngā mihi
Jarred Williams
Headmaster
Alert Level 2 Update
Thank you to the wider community for supporting the Alert Level 2 Protocols. These include:
- Visitors – we ask that parents / caregivers and whānau do not visit the school site unless it is essential. In the unlikely event you need to visit the school you must scan the QR code or sign-in through the main reception. This includes events that take place after school. If you do have to visit the school site you are required to wear a face covering.
- Sickness – your son must stay at home if he is sick. If your son is at school and feeling unwell we will ask you to collect him, immediately. If he has COVID-like symptoms, please seek medical advice. For information about the public health measures at Alert Level 2 please visit the Covid-19 website.
- School day – This coming week we will revert back to our regular lunchtimes of an hour. The school day will finish at 3.10pm.
- Face coverings – face coverings are not mandated. This an option for individuals and a decision for the individual and whānau. Where an individual chooses to use a face covering they must supply / wear their own.
- Uniform shop – the uniform shop is open regular hours on a Tuesday and Thursday. At Alert Level 2 we prefer that parents / caregivers do not come onsite. Instead we ask that you load funds onto your son’s school account for any extra uniform purchase. The student can collect the item from the Shop. Alternatively, students can use EFTPOS onsite.
Upcoming Events – Stay Informed
We continue to review upcoming events. Planned events and the volume of spectators / visitors are impacted by the Alert Level. Our priority over the coming weeks is to provide the boys with minimal disruption. The priority is learning, face-to-face interaction with their teachers and peers and completing courses and assessments.
We have updated the Term 4 programme. Key changes include:
27 Oct – 03 Nov Senior Benchmark Assessments continue, where required
15 Nov Senior Prizegiving
17 Nov Study Leave for Seniors
22 Nov NCEA examinations start
03 Dec Teacher-only day – NCEA Accord Day 4
10 Dec Junior Prizegiving / final day for Y9 & 10
Please refer to the calendar on the school website.
We will continue to push out changes via the School App and by email, where applicable. We appreciate your adoption and use of the School App.
Benchmark Senior Examinations – Term 3
Benchmark assessments commence on Wednesday, 22 September and run through to Thursday, 30 September. Senior students have one examination / assessment per day. Senior students will complete one benchmark assessment during Period 2, and where required, through interval. The subject they have timetabled for Period 2 on that day will be assessed.
The expectation is that seniors will complete a benchmark examination for one Achievement Standard per subject this term. We will repeat this process early Term 4, with seniors completing an additional benchmark assessment per subject.
The Level 1 Mathematics & Statistics MCAT will occur on Thursday, 30 September.
We see this schedule as causing the least disruption to your son’s learning. Our priority is to minimise interruption and ensure the seniors are in class, completing their academic programmes. With the planned schedule there is no need for study leave. Seniors will have their regular timetabled classes Period 1,3,4 & 5.
The Seniors have been provided with a detailed schedule.
Where required by the course / subject an additional schedule of benchmark assessments will take place next term, 27 October – 03 November.
NCEA Learning Recognition Credits
The Ministry of Education and New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) have confirmed a lowering of the cap for Recognition Credits. This applies to learners that have been disrupted by sixteen days of alert level restrictions this year.
Learning Recognition Credits (LRCs)
- for every five credits a student earns, they get one extra LRC
- students at NCEA Level 1 are eligible for up to eight additional credits
- students at NCEA Levels 2 or 3 are eligible for up to six additional credits.
Endorsements
- no change to normal requirements.
University Entrance
- no change to normal requirements.
NCEA External Examinations – Date Change
A reminder that NZQA has announced that the NCEA and NZ Scholarship examinations have been moved back two weeks. The examinations will now commence on Monday, 22 November and finish Tuesday, 14 December. The changes to assessment dates apply to all students.
NCEA subjects, like Design and Visual Communication, where students prepare a portfolio instead of undertaking a final examination will have the due date for their portfolio pushed back by two weeks.
The updated 2021 National Secondary Examination Timetable can be found here: https://www.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/ncea-exams-and-portfolios/external/national-secondary-examinations-timetable/
KAMAR Parent Portal
A reminder that parents / caregivers can access results and school reports through the KAMAR Parent Portal. Log-in details were posted by mail at the start of the school year. If you have difficulty accessing the portal, please contact Mrs J Gourdie jgourdie@nbhs.school.nz
You can access the KAMAR parent portal here: https://kamar.nbhs.school.nz/
Spectators at Alert Level 2
We are coming to the end of the winter sports season. Several teams are involved in semi-finals and finals over the next fortnight.
As we remain at Alert Level 2, we are reminded that community sport is limited to groups of one hundred in a defined space outdoors and fifty in a defined space indoors. As a ‘single group’ different people cannot come and go under these group limits. These group limits include all players and spectators, but not referees and officials.
A sports venue can have multiple defined spaces by ensuring:
- people in separate groups of up to 100 pax outdoors or 50 pax indoors
- it has measures to keep the groups separate, such as separate entrance / exit if possible
- temporary or permanent walls between groups and separate airflow for each group for indoor facilities.
With the above measures in place, we are required to closely monitor numbers at sports events. In the first instance our preference is for those who transport their son to our school venue, or to another school within the Hawkes’ Bay, to drop their son off outside the school and organise a time and place to pick him up after the game.
If you do intend to be a spectator, please be aware that you may be asked to leave if numbers exceed limits. We understand how disappointing this will be for all supporters who enjoy watching school sport. If you intend to be a spectator onsite at NBHS, you must sign-in – QR codes are at the front of school and one will be placed on the Te Awa Avenue side of the school. Finally, visitors to the site must wear a face covering.
Thank you for your understanding at this challenging time. Your continued support is appreciated by all Napier Boys’ High School staff and students alongside the many community / parent volunteers that contribute to our school’s co-curricular programme.
Super 8 Schools Rugby – Hurricanes Cup
The 1st XV are up against Palmerston North Boys’ High School tomorrow for a place in the final of the Hurricanes Cup.
As outlined above, we must follow Alert Level 2 regulations for visitors to the site.
Kick-off is at 12:30pm. You can follow the action live on Sideline.Live
Summer Sport Registration – Junior
We have been collecting registrations for the summer codes. This includes touch rugby, cricket, canoe polo, tennis and volleyball. We encourage our students to join activities across the school. Please remind your son to actively listen and check the Daily Notices for updates. Also, this is a reminder that you can access the Daily Notices on the School App. If your son has missed registration and wishes to play a summer sport, please contact the Sports Coordinator, Kirsty McCallum by email.
