Friday 9 December 2016

End Of Year


Today we got to celebrate at our end of year formal assembly. Part of this was to present students with Personal Excellence awards. A Personal Excellence award is awarded to a student who achieved to their highest potential in a particular subject. This means the students worked hard continually all year and always tried their best each and every lesson. These differ from our Academic Excellence awards which are awarded to students who were the top scholars in each subject. Academic Excellence will be awarded at our Junior School Prize-giving.


I also had the opportunity to address the year group for one last time in 2016 and a transcript of my speech is below for all to read. As well as the speech there is an awesome End Of Year Video which shows all the fun we have had this year. 2016 has been a blast.




SPEECH:

Kiaora Year 9's


2016 has flown past in a blur and here and now we sit in anticipation ready to celebrate success in our final year group assembly. Before we do so, I would like to reflect on aspects of this year that have been the most enjoyable from my perspective. Things I have enjoyed the most this year (each with a reason why) have been:
  • Peer Support Camp: The Reason: Hot summer days in Waikanae.
  • Hairspray: The Reason: Good things take time and effort. The students who rehearsed for 4 months were part of a spectacular and phenomenal show.
  • 3 Day Discovery Tramping in the Tararuas: The Reason: Getting away from technology, watching students overcome challenges and learn outside the classroom. Also the tale of Borris, Morris, Lobs and Ricky Baker (thanks Ella & Hannah).
  • Teaching 9WR Mathematics: The Reason: Seeing amazing progress from students over the course of the year and picking up a unique nickname (thanks Ella, Timara, Tiana, Cimon & Neve).
  • Inter Form Class Sports Competition: The Reason: Basketball, Dodgeball, Football, Table Tennis, Chess, Netball & Cross Country, 95% participation, 9CN Champions, have I said enough?
  • Year 9 Mathswell Team: The Reason: I love when Newlands Students go above and beyond the expected level, in this case coming 4th across 25 High Schools in Mathswell 2016.
Whilst 2016 was at times unpredictable, terrible, and dismaying for people around NZ and the world, it was a huge success for our year group here at Newlands College. If 2016 was a video game it is now Game Over; the good news is We All Won.



Now I’d like to wrap up the year with a thoughtful message…

But first, you need to know right now that I care about you. And I care not just about your grades or your test scores, but about you as a person. I also think you should understand the truth about education. You see, the main event of school is not academic learning. It never has been. It never will be. Yes, algebra, essay writing, Japanese, the structure of atoms — all are important and worth knowing. But they are not the main event.

The main event is learning how to deal with the harshness of life when it gets difficult — how to overcome problems as simple as a lost locker key, to annoying peers, to gossip, to people doubting you, to asking for help in the face of self-doubt, to pushing yourself to concentrate when a million other thoughts and temptations are fingertips away. It is your resilience in conquering the main event — adversity — that truly prepares you for life after school.

But, you shouldn’t be worried about the fact that you will face great challenges. You should be worried because you may be setting yourself up to fail at overcoming them. Here’s the real reason I lose hours of sleep worrying about you: You may be failing the main event of school. You may be quitting. You may not think you are quitting, but you might be.

For some, you quit by throwing the day away and not even trying to write a sentence or a fraction because you think it doesn’t matter or you can’t or there’s no point. But it does. What you write is not the main event. The fact that you give your best effort, overcome barriers, and seek help when you are challenged — That is the main event.

Some of you quit by seeking out distractions such as gaming and social media during class time. The main event is delaying your temptation and investing in your own intelligence — understanding that sometimes short-term pain creates long-term gain.

I see some of you quit by choosing not to take opportunities to work harder and achieve success, no matter how far behind you are. The main event is not getting a number (or a letter) in a test to tell you you are worthy. The main event is pulling your stuff together and making hard choices and sacrifices when things seem impossible.

What you need to see is that every time you take the easy way out, you are building a habit of quitting. Quitters are the most difficult part of my job. Luckily for me the majority of our Year Group understands and enthusiastically pursues the main event.

As long as you are at Newlands College, I am not going to let quitting be easy for you. I am going to challenge you, teach you, push you, and coach you. You may not reach the grades you set goals for. You may not get selected for the number one team. You might not top the year group for French. You probably will be upset, deflated, or resentful if one day these things do happen. And the next day, guess what? I, along with our teaching staff, will be here waiting — smiling and patient — to give you a fresh start. Because you are worth it.

So, do yourself a favor: Step up. No more excuses. No more justifications. No blaming. No quitting. Pick your head up. Rip the cords out of your ears. Put your cellphone away. Grab a pen or keyboard and try each and every lesson to give your best effort. Next year I don't expect everyone to achieve to the highest level, but I do expect you to give your best every day.


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