Nov
3
Last Newsletter for Senior Students
November 3, 2009 |
Dear Parents and Friends of the College
This will be my last newsletter for our senior students who go on study leave after our Senior Prize Giving on Wednesday 11 November. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the seniors for their contribution to Katikati College, not only for this year, but also for the previous years. One of the most significant features of our great school is the contribution the students make in so many areas and what a difference that contribution makes to our college. We are working through the process of appointing the Head Students for 2010 and in the speeches the applicants make, they all talk about the things they want to put back into the school because they benefited from the seniors’ involvement when they were young. It is very positive to hear them want to continue the tradition and to hear that they also value the input their fellow students make.
When the seniors leave for their exams it gives the remaining students the opportunity to step up into the leadership roles within the school. I certainly encourage them to look for areas where they can make a contribution, such as organising lunchtime activities, or helping out with various school events. Leadership is a personal quality we value greatly and we try to provide as many opportunities as possible for students to develop those skills.
What our Year 7 - 10 students need to remember is that their year does not finish until December and so it is important that they maintain the same standards of behaviour and of work completion right up until then. The skills and knowledge learned in the latter part of the year are important for progress in the following year. We encourage all our students to continually review their progress and to look for areas to develop. This process is even more effective if done in consultation with parents as it shows the student that those at home are not only interested but always there to support. For us as parents, it also helps us keep fully up to date with how our child is actually getting on at school.
I am pleased to see we have been able to re-introduce camps into Year 7 and 8. They had been difficult to organise due to health and safety regulations around qualified instructors. While the camps are a bit more expensive, we have been able to come up with a programme that will provide challenges for our students but in a controlled environment. As always, we rely on parents being able to assist at those camps as we need to ensure the correct supervision ratios.
To those of you who have already volunteered, our thanks, however I know of a couple of classes who still need some more adult helpers. If you can help out, please ring the office for the dates of those camps and they will put you in contact with the teachers leading each camp.
We had a very successful Sports Prize Giving last week and have the Senior Prize Giving coming up. These celebrations of success are very important parts of our school and I certainly look forward to those occasions when we recognise the achievements of our talented students.
Peter Leggat
Principal
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