Principal's Panui

As we head towards the break it is a good time to reflect on a busy and productive term at Geraldine High School.

Week one had a number of students participating in the Riccarton sports exchange. This was keenly contested with two wins each, unfortunately, due to the count back this event went to Riccarton.

Week three we had our annual School Council quiz night. This was well attended and expertly MC'd by our own Mr Boon. A significant amount was raised which the school council will use to further enhance our school environment. In this week we had a number of sporting and academic opportunities including; Epro8, AMT Australian Maths competition, Aoraki boys and girls badminton and Aoraki trap shooting.

The highlight of week 4 for the students and whanau would have to be the school formal. This was attended with a magnificent entry of students who came in various transportation options including, tanks, boats and a horse.

Week 5 allowed the staff, students and whanau to meet for school interviews. This is always a great opportunity to meet face-to-face and work as a team to enhance the learning of our students.

Week 6 had the Year 7/8 students participate in the annual ski trip. To be this close to the local ski fields is a unique advantage for our students. This week also had our annual Vibes competition. I was impressed with the engagement and talent of our students as well as the turnout of whanau and community members.

Week 7 we had a number of sports teams represent Geraldine High School with pride during Winter Tournament Week. I was fortunate to see the Rugby, Basketball and Netball teams in action. Well done to the Senior Netball team that ended up coming third in section B earning a return to section A in 2025.

Week 8 was crammed full of opportunities with our Year 8 camp, Year 10 challenge day, speech contests and Music Festival. Congratulations to Jazz Watson (Senior Speech champion) and Charlotte Walker (Year 7/8 Speech champion).

Week 9 brought assessment pressure for the first time for some of our Year 9-11 students who experienced the Literacy and Numeracy corequisite assessments for NCEA. Sophie Pascoe came to speak to our Year 10-13 female students about her journey to becoming a paralympic gold medalist. We also had a fabulous performance from our Kapa Haka group during Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori.

Finally, in week 10 the senior students are sitting their derived grade examinations. These are very important for our students as they give a clear indication to students of areas to improve before the external examinations in Term 4 and provide evidence if derived grades are needed.

These opportunities for our students come at a huge expense either financially or time given by staff, whanau and students. Thank you to all the teachers, coaches, managers and parents who have enabled our students to engage in rich learning experiences inside and outside of their classes.

This points to an important idea that I hold close to my heart. Our students do not succeed in isolation and it takes a village to raise a child. We are all in this together and we will strive as a school to be consistently improving what we do, keeping students at the centre of all decision-making.

Have a great Term 3 break! We can't wait to see the students back on the 14th of October.

Nga mihi nui!

Marcus Cooper

Tumuaki/Principal

Geraldine High School

Te Kura Tuarua o Raukapuka