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Principal's Blog: Term 1 Week 3
Friday, 10 February 2023
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Kia ora whānau The best bit about starting the school year before Waitangi weekend is that we prioritise days to deliberately managing and supporting new student induction, transitions between schools and year levels, and timetable and qualification anomalies prior to the luxury of the long weekend. The net result of an early school start is the calm, settled routine we already find ourselves in. Students are already entrenched in school routines, which brings comfort and reassurance, and our renowned curriculum rigidity and high learner engagement levels are immediately evident. There is a happy hive of activity about the place, which feels delightful. We hope that you can join us in celebrating the beginning of the year with the whole school Picnic on the Lawn on Friday 17 February from 5pm. Gather with friends and family for fun and fellowship; BYO picnic, non-alcoholic beverages and something to sit on. Looking forward to seeing you there! Punctuating last year’s set of stellar academic results, we are thrilled to learn that our students performed incredibly well in the NCEA Scholarship examinations, the results having been published this week. Not only did Marsden students secure Scholarship passes across a range of subjects, but a highlight is also the five Outstanding Scholarship passes from Louisa Boyer, Senanya Gamalath and Hayley Wong in Biology and Mia Vachon and our 2022 Dux, Jade Stapleton, in English. Additionally, three Scholarship recipients, Sifan Huang, Chloe Sim, and Louisa Boyer, earned their Scholarship passes as Year 12 students. Congratulations to all students who brought their very best to the Scholarship examinations opportunity, and to their teachers who go above and beyond the call of duty in their preparation of the candidates, much of which happens outside of dedicated curriculum time. Marsden students thrive and flourish with the wide range of co-curricular activities on offer, and our smaller size means that there are so many activities and opportunities for our students to be involved with. Our student-led Clubs Expo shone a light on the wide number of activities available, and our Give it a Go sports afternoon gave students an opportunity to try something new. This weekend alone our auditioned choir, Altissime, have their start of season camp and our rowers, who are firmly in pre-season mode, are also away. Meanwhile, here at school, Production rehearsals have begun. Our Year 5 and 6 students have participated in Beach Ed at Worser Bay and our Year 13 students have enjoyed Leadership Camp, and a taste of life beyond the school gates, at Vic Hall on The Terrace. Year 13 student leadership induction will be held on Monday morning, with communion, kai and assembly. Our Year 6 Term 1 student leaders will also be inducted at their own service simultaneously. A very exciting time for all involved. There has been a steady flow of visitors to the school with our Primary Meet the Teacher evening, and our Arrowsmith conferences having been held. We look forward to welcoming Y7-13 caregivers to our Information Sharing Evening with Form Teachers/Tutors on Wednesday 15 February. We are incredibly mindful of the importance of the value of a highly reciprocal home and school partnership and look forward to walking alongside caregivers in support of every student’s Marsden journey. Ngā mihi nui Paula Wells Principal |