Principal's Welcome 

19th February 2021 (Friday)

Tēnā Koutou Katoa

Well, Covid-19 and lockdown has affected us again. Unfortunately, it looks like we may be in and out of lockdowns this year with the associated effects on learning and involvement in co-curricular activities. For everyone’s benefit, we need to focus on the positive, be thankful that we are not living overseas and take advantage of any opportunities that arise.

The Scholarship results for last year will be shared with you later in the newsletter. We gained 59 Scholarships including eight ‘Outstanding’, our best result ever, and above our target of 50 Scholarships. Some of our students also gained national awards.

When looking at both the NCEA and Scholarship results for 2020, lockdowns had minimal effect on academic results for the school as a whole. The table below compares Glendowie College’s results with New Zealand schools and other decile 10 schools. After lockdown, all our subject teachers reviewed their courses to ensure students could achieve success. As you can see below, the results are excellent and reflect the hard work put in by our students and staff. I am very proud of the effort and commitment made by teachers to support our students.

NCEA COMPARISONS 2020

Start of Year

Apart from this past week, the school year has started well. On the first day, all new students and staff, including a number from Sommerville School, were welcomed with a pōwhiri. Special thanks to Ruapotaka marae for their ongoing support of the college in training our students. We value their input and the relationship we have developed with them.

Year 9 students spent their first day at school with their Year 12 and 13 Peer Support Leaders. A Peer Support programme will run in term one. This programme not only helps our Year 9 students settle into the college with senior students to relate to, it also provides senior students with leadership opportunities. Year 9 camps, which will be able to take place under Alert Level 2 restrictions, are another part of this transition process. The feedback I have received from Year 9 students and parents about their start here has been very positive.

Students have settled into class quickly. One of our first priorities was for teachers to set up Google Classrooms for all their classes. Although there were a few students still needing to sign up, most students were ready to go online when the lockdown occurred.

We are aware that a number of school events as well as opportunities for parents to meet with staff have been affected by the lockdown. Once we have more certainty about when we will return to Level 1, we will reschedule these or provide other opportunities to connect.

Managing Uncertainty

The current uncertainty and restrictions can increase stress levels and anxiety. We know this may have a detrimental effect on student motivation and learning. Although we are a learning institution, the wellbeing of our students is equally important. In fact, wellbeing is integral to learning taking place. Last year, we shared coping and management strategies with students and we will continue to do so. If you have any concerns about your child, please contact either your child’s form teacher, Dean or the Guidance staff at the college.

Kia kaha

Ngā mihi nui 

Gordon Robertson

Principal

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