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Kia ora te whānau
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Congratulations to the cast, crew and production team for a truly remarkable performance of Miss Saigon. Audience members were ‘blown away’ by the quality of the show, stunned that school students could deliver such a professional performance. A musical production of that calibre reflects the hard work and talent of the staff and students involved. A big thank you must also be given to the parents who supported their sons and daughters through many late nights and long days of rehearsals.
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The whānau house system is a key feature of our school and plays a major role in developing important values and attitudes in our students. Each whānau supports a charity for which students give time and raise money. As an example, a large group of Te Kanawa staff and students recently travelled to Ronald McDonald House at Starship Hospital to entertain the children and prepare dinner for the patients and their families. This act of service is to be congratulated.
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It was a pleasure to acknowledge at school assembly a good deed of Year 12 Rutherford student Ashley Faulkner. Ashley came across a member of the public who had fallen and was injured. Ashley calmed the lady, called for help and remained at the scene until the situation was safely resolved.
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Three of our brightest scholars were recognised at an awards ceremony at Parliament earlier this month. Ben Zhang and Janice Ho were presented Premier Scholar Awards for being in the top ten students in New Zealand in the 2017 NZQA Scholarship examinations. Jessica Kwong was presented a Top Scholar Award for being top in New Zealand for Japanese. Ben also earned a Top Scholar Award for being top in Chemistry.
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Congratulations to Yang Fan Yun and Joyce Chan on their selection to the New Zealand Biology Olympiad team. Selection in the team followed rigorous testing at Auckland and Massey Universities. The two students are travelling to Malawi and Tanzania in July to take part in a research project.
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You may be aware, the second season of “13 Reasons Why” was released May 18 on Netflix and all episodes are available for viewing.
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This show was widely watched by teenagers last year. Themes of suicide, sexual assault, consent, bullying and other issues made some viewers feel distressed and in need of support. Similar and equally confronting themes are present in season two.
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Young people feel the show represents the issues they face. Our advice is that restricting young people from watching the series is unhelpful, as they may hide their distress from adults. Where a young person is already in a vulnerable place, it may be wise to suggest they delay watching the series or watch it with an adult to allow ongoing-shared conversation around the topics in the series.
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The issues raised in the series are significant and offer an opportunity to talk to young people about these difficult life events – but it is important that those conversations are safe ones.
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The Mental Health Foundation has a resource hub https://www.mentalhealth.org.nz/get-help/13-reasons-why/ which includes information on where to go for assistance.
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“13 Reasons Why” is not the only challenging series young people are watching but it is one of the most talked about. The Office of Film and Literature Classification has released a guide for parents: Talking with young people about what they are watching https://www.classificationoffice.govt.nz/news/latest-news/challenging-media/.
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If you need further information on helping people in times of crisis the Mental Health Foundation have a list of contacts https://www.mentalhealth.org.nz/get-help/in-crisis/ you may also contact the school Counselling team [email protected] or your child’s House leader.
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Senior examinations take place in Week 5, followed by junior examinations in week 6. Study advice is available from subject teachers and through the House Tutoring system.
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We have developed a new premier sports uniform, which is already being worn by the 1st XV rugby team, the boys’ and girls’ 1st XI hockey teams and the boys’ and girls’ 1st XI football teams.
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The remaining premier teams will be issued with the new uniforms as they are delivered to us. The redesign of the sports kit is to bring a consistent and unique look to all of our teams, rather than the broad range of outfits it has become over the years. The junior and grade team uniforms will also be redesigned to align with the premier kit. These uniforms will be rolled out next year.
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Steven Hargreaves
Principal
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