Tarawera High School Newsletter # 8
29 August 2025
From the Deputy Principal's Desk
Kia ora koutou,
As the deputy principal of learning pathways, my focus for our kura is on empowering every student to succeed in their learning journey and beyond. A major part of this is building a strong foundation in literacy and numeracy.
Why Literacy and Numeracy Matter
Building strong reading, writing, and math skills isn’t just about passing tests—it’s about preparing for life. These skills are the essential building blocks for all learning, whether it’s in science, history, or a practical subject like trades. They are crucial for success in future study, apprenticeships, and the workplace.
A Focus on Year 10 Students
This term, our Year 10 students have a very important opportunity. In Week 8, they will complete the NCEA Co-requisite exams. These exams are a key part of the NCEA framework, as passing them is required to achieve your Level 1 NCEA in Year 11.
The co-requisite exams cover:
- Reading
- Writing
- Numeracy
Right now, the most important thing for our Year 10s is to be focused on preparing for these assessments. Our teachers are working hard to support students in class, but we also have extra help available.
Numeracy Homework Club
To help students prepare for the numeracy exam, we are holding a Numeracy Homework Club every Wednesday after school at 2:30pm in Whare Ako 1. This is a great chance for students to get one-on-one support and build their confidence before the exam.
We know that strong literacy and numeracy skills open doors to future opportunities. Let’s work together to ensure our students are prepared for this important step.
Ngā mihi maioha,
Matt Sheaff
Student Matters
Senior Performing Arts 2026 Production
The senior performing arts students are working hard on this years production - Peter Pan.
Get in now and secure your tickets - last years production sold out and many people missed out! Come and see the office ladies for your ticket!!
Last week of term - Wednesday 17 and Thursday 18 September - TWO SHOWS ONLY!
Important Reminder
Next week is the final opportunity this year for students to gain their Literacy & Numeracy through the Common Assessment Activities.
Work hard over the weekend to prepare
Get a good night’s sleep before the exam
Give it your best effort!
iSport - Lead with Character
Attending the iSport - Lead with Character day was an inspiring and empowering experience for a group of our own senior leaders . Surrounded by like-minded youth, athletes, and mentors, the event focused on building strong leadership skills rooted in character, integrity and resilience.
Throughout the day, they participated in workshops, listened to powerful guest speakers, and took part in team building activities designed to challenge thinking and grow confidence. The emphasis was not just on leading others, but on leading ourselves, making good choices, staying accountable and showing respect.
Our students left feeling more motivated to lead with purpose and to bring those values back to school.
Daffodil Day
Today is Daffodil Day! We had a wonderful time yesterday with a bake sale and other classroom activities to support the Cancer Foundation. A huge shout-out to Whaea Mo for inspiring our tamariki with some creative projects, including Chanel H incredible daffodil origami and Brooklyn T daffodil popcorn box.
Science Fair
Our Junior Science Fair was held in the theatre, showcasing an incredible range of displays and experiments. The event was buzzing with excitement, and it was wonderful to see so many whānau coming along to support our students.
Student Artwork
We are excited to share that our admin area is now showcasing a selection of stunning portfolio artwork from our Level 1 and Level 2 students. The creativity and talent on display is truly impressive – a huge congratulations to these students on their outstanding work!
Chess
We recently sent 10 tamariki to compete in the Junior Chess Competition in Rotorua!
This is an exciting new experience for our Year 7 & 8 students. The tournament was played in quick 7-minute rounds, with competitors rotating tables to face their next opponent.
Huge congratulations to the team for placing 2nd Overall in the Year 7/8 Grade! We’re so proud of their effort, teamwork, and determination.
Ka pai, team!
Tomoirangi Atawhai
The highlight of the last few weeks has to be our amazing 'Lets glow Crazy' disco with our friends from Trident High School.
It was so neat to see everyone having fun and enjoying some music, dancing and some good kai.
Sport
Golf
Pounamu and Levi represented Tarawera in Te Puke for the Eagles Secondary School Competition, where they competed among 94 students.
Here are their results:
Gross Placing (out of 94 students):
Pounamu – 86th
Levi – 87th
Stableford Placing (out of 94 students):
Pounamu – 56th
Levi – 12th
On July 27th, both Pounamu and Levi also competed at the Mount Futures Tournament under the Kawerau Golf Club banner:
Pounamu – 2nd place
Levi – 20th place
Badminton
Our senior boys attended the Bay Champs 2025 held at Queen Elizabeth Centre. We played in Division 2 and came up against some tough competition.
In the first round against JPC, we went down in all our games, and in the second round against ACG Tauranga, we had some very close matches that could have gone either way.
For the 3rd/4th playoff against Rangitaiki, we grabbed a win in one of the singles matches....a great way to finish the day! The boys handled themselves well, played hard, and enjoyed the experience. Always awesome to see the Tauranga schools in action and pick up a few tips from the pros!
New World Sports Scholarships
We are grateful to Clare Gallagher, owner of New World, for her generous support of our students through the New World Sports Scholarships. This year, 10 students applied and were interviewed, with each receiving a $250 scholarship to put towards their chosen sport.