Information from the Principal

Kia ora koutou

The term is flying by as we come to the end of Week Eight and as always, there is a lot to celebrate. In fact, a lot more than I can squeeze into a short newsletter but here are some key notices from me this week.

It has been a privilege over the past fortnight to meet a number of prospective students and their whānau during our new entrant meetings. It is always a pleasure seeing existing whānau returning with younger children, alongside welcoming new families into our Horomaka community.

Academically, our Year 10 and senior students continue to work through their ongoing literacy and numeracy assessments and have done so with real effort and determination. Well done to everyone who has completed these, and keep up the good work if you still have assessments ahead.

A highlight over the past fortnight was seeing our sports teams represent Horomaka with pride and hard work during Winter Tournament Week. We had 12 different teams across the South Island incredible successes across the board but here are some highlights:

• Junior Boys Basketball: South Island Champions!

• Senior Boys Hockey: 1st place in their tournament in Greymouth!

• Senior Boys Football: 2nd place in their tournament in Nelson.

• Senior Boys Basketball: 2nd place in the South Island, finishing runner-up in a tough final against St Andrew’s College. They are off to Nationals in the holidays.

• Senior Girls Basketball: 5th place in the South Island and also qualifying for Nationals, the first time for this team.

We look forward to acknowledging all of tournament teams and achievements more formally during our whole-school assembly at the end of the term.

Beyond the sports field, our students have been shining in the community. It was a joy to see all the primary and intermediate schools in our cluster perform kapa haka during the Culture Festival at Halswell Primary School. Our amazing rōpū closed the event, giving the younger students a performance that was truly aspirational. Ka rawe koutou!

Looking ahead to next week, best of luck to our Hip Hop dancers who head off to Dunedin to represent our kura at the National Championships. We are all cheering you on! And good luck to our kapa haka rōpū who head to Tūhono next weekend to represent our kura. We are super proud of you all and wish you all the best. You can buy tickets to come and support them by going to the official website. Hopefully we will see some of you there.

I hope you have a great weekend enjoying the start of spring and thank you, as always, for your ongoing support of our school and our young people.

Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou

Sam Ainsworth

Tumuaki | Principal

Upcoming Events

Monday 14 September

• CAAs Year 11-13 Numeracy examination 9:00 am -11.30 am

• Korfball Tournament Year 7/8 8:30am – 3:00 pm Christchurch Netball Courts

• Duke of Edinburgh Community Service 12:50 am – 2:15 pm (Lyttelton Street Playcentre)

Tuesday 15 September

• CAAs Year 10 Numeracy examination 9:00 am -11:30 am

• Year 7/8 CAIMS Weekly Sports 12:40 pm -3:00 pm Ngā Puna Wai

• Duke of Edinburgh Adventurous Journey 2026 (Upland) 9:15 am – 2:20 pm Godley Head

Wednesday 16 September

• Te Huinga Manu – weekly swimming (Greg Williamson / GWM) 9:30 am – 11.00 am

Thursday 17 September

• Year 11 and Junior Drama Performances all day rehearsal 9:00-9.00 pm

• Year 11 end-of-term Celebration Assembly (Pania Wadsworth / PWT) 9:00 am

• Senior Commerce Sales 11:15 am

• Rowley School trip – teaching dance unit 12:50 – 2:50 pm Rowley Primary School

• Year 12 Coaching Level 2 Physical Education / 2PED 12:50 – 2:50 pm Hoon Hay Park

Friday 18 September

• Shave for a Cure

• House Assemblies

Monday 21 September

• Duke of Edinburgh Tuesday’s Community Service – 12:50 – 2:15 pm Lyttelton Street Playcentre

• Board Meeting 6:15 pm

Tuesday 22 September

• Year 7/8 Koru Games (all day)

• Year 7/8 CAIMS Weekly Sports – 12:40 pm – 3.00 pm Ngā Puna Wai

Wednesday 23 September

• Year 7/8 Koru Games (all day)

• Te Huinga Manu – swimming 9:30 am – 11.00 am

Thursday 24 September

• Senior Drama Court Theatre Trip (TBC)

• Year 7/8 Koru Games (all day)

• Senior Commerce Sales – 11:15 am

• Rowley School trip – teaching dance unit 12:50 pm – 2:50 pm Rowley Primary School

• Year 12 Coaching Level 2 Physical Education / 2PED 12:50 pm – 2.50 pm Hoon Hay Park

Friday 25 September

• Last day Term Three

• Whole School Celebration Assembly 9:00 am – 10:30 am

• Whānau House Event – Film Festival – 11:15 am

• Whānau House Event – Film Festival -1:35 pm

Term 4 starts: Monday 12 October at 9:20 am

School Drop-Off and Pick-Ups

Students should be dropped off and picked up outside the school grounds. Roads around the school will be very busy at drop off and pick up times, please be mindful of students crossing, neighbouring houses and premises.

Please do not park on yellow lines, block access ways or use driveways, be mindful that you must leave at least a 1-metre gap between your parked car and the edge of a driveway or vehicle entrance.

The Chris Ruth Centre opposite Hillmorton High School requires clear access for their clients with significant disabilities, please do not use their car park or access ways as a drop–off and pick-up point.

Blood Drive

Hillmorton High School will be supporting NZBlood. Giving blood can save up to three lives per donor. This is taking place at our kura, on Thursday 15 October 9:00 am – 2;00 pm. Students will be able to sign up to slots to donate blood, preferably in their study periods or break times, but during class time if need be. In New Zealand, students aged 16 years and older can choose to donate their blood without parent/caregiver consent; but we do strongly encourage students to discuss this opportunity with their whānau.

If students or their whānau have any questions or concerns, please contact Kat Jordan-McGrath, email: jordank@hillmorton.school.nz

Hayfever season is upon us!

As we move into spring, hayfever season is here!

If your child suffers from allergies, please administer their antihistamine before they leave for school in the morning.

School does not supply antihistamines; we only administer Panadol for general pain relief.

• Antihistamines: if your child needs allergy medicine, we can safely store it on their behalf. Bring the medication to the main office and sign the permission to administer form.

SchoolBridge

If you haven’t started using the SchoolBridge app there is a flyer attached with instructions on how to download it. You can report absences, check attendance and so much more.

Contacts

If parents have any concerns regarding their child please direct these to the your child’s manutaki /dean, contact details below:

Attachments

SchoolBridge   PDF, 334.3 KB