One of the responsibilities of a Board of Trustees is to provide for the special needs of gifted and talented students. Recently I asked two members of our senior leadership team, Mrs Lal and Mrs Kilpatrick to attend a conference which provided new perspectives on this important area of our curriculum. As a result we will be reviewing our existing programmes in 2019 and introducing some modifications which will be trialled early next year.

The review will include:

1. A shared definition and understanding of the phrase “gifted and talented”;
2. A clear and comprehensive identification process of gifted and talented students;
3. The modification of curriculum opportunities for gifted and talented students.

It is pleasing to note that we already have a well established programme for GATE students which include the accelerate class in year 9 and 10, a large number of extra curricular activities (4 Cornerstones) and a number of Extension courses within the DEEP programme which give students the opportunity to develop their gifts and talent in a number of areas.

I wish to signal a trial for Year 8 students next year. Current Year 7 students who will be identified as gifted or talented by teachers, themselves and parents will remain in their whānau in 2019 but come together for inquiry learning in 2 hour sessions with specially selected teachers. We wish to see the benefits of this model compared to our traditional model of moving identified students into one class within a whānau in Year 9 and 10.

Invitations to be considered for the 2019 Year 9 accelerate class have been sent to parents and this class will proceed as before. The class is rotated around the school and it will be Forest Whānau’s turn to accommodate the class next year. The Year 10 class will continue as before in Water Whānau.

Our gifted and talented students already enjoy a great deal of support and success at the school in a variety of ways ranging from Academic Competitions, STEM related challenges, cultural performances, sporting activities and leadership forums. Our intention is to broaden these opportunities so that even more students are able to experience this level of performance and involvement.

Growing greatness/Kia mana ake!

We are very excited about an important event at the school which will take place on Friday, 7 September at 2 o’clock on the tennis courts. For several weeks staff and students have been learning the school haka – Kia Mana Ake and it will be performed by each whānau and as a whole school on that day.

I have been delighted with the energy and enthusiasm the school has shown during the learning process. It was emphasised that the performances would not be a competition but a celebration and the spirit of the haka has shone through as a result. I have also been impressed by the leadership shown by our Māori students who have led the learning of the haka within their whānau.

It will be a most enjoyable and heart-warming celebration of Ti Kanga Māori; whānau and school unity and an excellent way to reinforce our commitment to and promotion of our bi-cultural heritage.

My thanks goes to Mr Jason Tuhaka, author of the school haka who has, along with his whānau, done so much to promote both Māori language and culture at our school and to our new Te Reo Māori teacher, Mr Brent Dunn who has worked tirelessly to teach the haka to our students.

For your interest the words and English translation appear below:

Last week was one which highlighted so much of what we strive for at MHJC – providing opportunities for our students to display their talents, to compete against others or simply be the best they can be.

Finalists for the school Public Speaking competition impressed me with their confidence and assured delivery of a wide range of topics. How courageous to talk of issues which directly affect them commenting on issues ranging from race, religion, gender, sexual and cultural identity to genocide and the personal impact of civil war. The external judges reinforced the generally held view that our students show a maturity and honesty beyond their years.

Then passionate Mathematicians showed off their skill at our annual Mathex Competition. What an exciting evening this was as the energy built to a crescendo before the final buzzer sounded and put the cream on the top of Maths Week.

On the same evening and following day several groups competed in a technology competition, hosted at the school – EPro8 Challenge which presents groups with a series of tasks to complete within a time limit. Again our students stepped up and showed how well equipped they are to take on the technological challenges of the future.

Early on Thursday morning our guest speaker at the Man Up breakfast spoke of the importance of finding a sense of purpose and living a life of integrity to our boys accompanied by significant male role models in their lives.

And on the sporting front, our senior boys competed in the Auckland Regional Basketball Championship, top Cross Country runners qualified for Auckland Championships and our weekend warriors – senior netball and football teams emerged victorious in their league games.

Then on Friday I witnessed something magical. At the end of the day during Learning Advisor time, one whānau rehearsed the school haka under the bike shelter, another heard it and could not resist responding and before we knew it, student led renditions were threatening to cause structural damage to the buildings!

On Wednesday I met graduating teachers who are interested in teaching at MHJC – none of them could believe what we do and the opportunities we provide our students to grow their greatness. None of this would have been possible though without passionate, committed teachers and parents – thank you for your continued support.

Growing greatness – Kia mana ake!

Once again Ms Shields and her team have produced a musical of outstanding quality. I am sure you have read publicity surrounding the event but I wanted to encourage you all to take a trip down memory lane and join us next week to celebrate the wonderful singing, dancing and acting students of our talented students (and staff!)

Here is the You Tube link for the show:

https://youtu.be/g83xlfnX8m0