Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,

The last week has been all about transitions as we welcomed our Year 9 cohort for 2024 and said farewell to many of our senior students who finished their final NCEA examinations ever!

We have had a very settled couple of weeks with juniors sitting examinations for the first time in several years. For many of our young people, the examination process can be quite intimidating which is why we feel it is extremely important for them to be 'trained' into sitting examinations from Year 9.

Under the Cambridge system as well as the new NCEA standards, all students will have to achieve results in exam conditions. Parents and caregivers can support students by doing the following:

Prior to examinations

• Identify times and places where study can happen

• Talk to your students about what they need to learn

• Help support your student by testing their knowledge, this can be done using flash cards, orally asking questions or speaking to them about relevant topics, or even hanging a poster on the back of the toilet door!

• Finding out when the examination is and planning to arrive in plenty of time

• Ensuring they have the appropriate equipment eg pens, rulers etc

After examinations

• Ask about areas where your student felt they did well

• If they failed an exam, speak about this as a learning opportunity and help them to identify what changes they need to make to approach an examination in the future.

As we approach the final weeks of the year, it is important that we stick to routine as much as possible so that we finish in a settled and positive manner.

I was thrilled at the positive and professional manner in which our volunteers welcomed our new students on transition day this week. It was great that we had far more volunteers than we needed and I hope that our new recruits felt that they were welcomed.

Have a great (and hopefully sunny) weekend

God Bless

Jo

Article added: Friday 01 December 2023