Principal's Message
Tēnā koutou katoa e te whānau o Craighead
Topics covered in this communication:
- NZQA examinations
- Teacher-Only Day 24 November
I orea te tuatara ka patu ki waho
A problem is solved by continuing to find solutions.
NZQA examinations
You may be aware from media articles that NZQA experienced major issues with their Level One English digital examination on Friday morning last week. Fortunately, our students were not affected by this. All of our external examinations have run smoothly to date, thanks to Principal’s Nominee Mr Martin Kane and Centre Manager Mr Steve Godsiff. Schools have since received assurances from NZQA that the issue with their digital platform reaching capacity has been ironed out.
Teacher-Only Day Friday 24 November
Four Teacher-Only days were allocated to schools by the Ministry of Education through 2023 and 2024. These were made available because of the significant changes to both the New Zealand Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) system and the wider school curriculum (formerly known as the New Zealand Curriculum, now called Te Mātaiaho). New literacy and numeracy standards are also part of the wider changes to NCEA, with students needing to achieve both co-requisites to pass their NCEA. We envisage that most Craighead students will have achieved these by the end of Year 10.
The MOE has recognised that schools need time to plan for these changes by providing opportunities for professional learning and collaboration. Schools in this region are holding their Teacher-Only day on the same day, next Friday 24 November. This allows for collaboration within and between schools, which is especially important for those smaller subjects where there may be only one person teaching in that Department. All subjects are undergoing significant changes, beginning with the Social Sciences in 2023, with the other Learning Areas gradually being implemented from 2024-2027, as their curriculum areas are developed and confirmed. At Craighead, we will use this time to collaborate with teachers in other schools, further develop our Year 11 Diploma programme, develop our literacy and numeracy strategies, and plan and prepare courses of study for 2024 and beyond.
Two more teacher-Only days are planned for 2024 - with the first being Friday 31 May, which is also King’s Birthday weekend.
Notices
All Current Bus Students
No buses will be running on Friday the 24th of November due to the South Canterbury wide Teacher Only Day.
2024 New Families
UNIFORM Fitting & Purchasing appointment information – sent out Wednesday 8 Nov, also on the Uniform webpage.
2024 Stationery – lists available soon.
2024 School start information – available in December, will advise.
Uniform News
YEAR 12 - Please get your Blazer drycleaned before the final week of school.
This is so Blazer's can be dropped into the school office after Prize-giving to be braided over the holidays.
CDS Uniform Shop:
♦Friday Open hours 3.30pm – 4.30pm.
♦For Uniform enquiries – Mrs Tracy McLeod, Uniform Shop Manager at uniformco@craighead.school.nz
Uniform Order Forms online:
♦Uniform webpage direct link: https://cds.craighead.school.nz/uniform
♦OR Access also from the Craighead website: go to ‘Parents‘ menu, then select 'Uniform shop'
Uniform Guidelines and Expectations:
♦Including information on jewellery, hair ties, makeup/nail polish etc can be viewed at the above website link.
Old Girls’ Assoc. Second Hand Uniform Shop:
♦For further information on selling and purchasing second hand uniform please contact Kate Moore at: katemoore06@gmail.com
Dates
Nov 15 to 17 - Year 7 Camp
Nov 15 to 16 - Year 10 BP Challenge
Nov 17 - Canterbury Anniversary Day
Nov 18 to 19 - Junior Rowing Camp
Nov 21 to 23 - South Island Junior Volleyball
Nov 23 - Junior Speech Cup – Auditorium
Nov 24 - Teacher Only Day
Nov 24 - Y11 Semi Formal 6.00pm to 10pm
Nov 27 to Dec 1 - Year 10 camp
Nov 30 to Dec 7 SCHOOL CAFE CLOSED for Daygirls
Dec 2 to 3 - Rowing Camp
