We were devastated to hear of the death of Old Boy Jade Kahukore-Dixon who was killed by a shark near the Chatham Islands

Jade was a popular student with staff and his peers. He achieved his academic colours and was awarded the Year 12 Design Technology Cup as well as numerous subject awards. Jade played many sports while here including tennis, squash, football, basketball, hockey, chess and rugby.

Our thoughts are with Jade's whānau and many friends.

As part of Mr Barclay's Social Studies class, 10Fa learnt about the famous WWII tactic called "Blitzkrieg" - how the French (to the left) were stuck in WW1 trench warfare thinking (they have formed the Maginot Line in the photo) while the Germans (to the right) had developed a new way of fighting that involved speed and attacking weak points in the line, breaking through and causing confusion and disrupting supply lines. It took just six weeks for France to fall because of this.

On Tuesday our Year 9 Digital Technology class had a visit from seismology scientist, Ms Kate Boersen, who was creating an educational promotional video on a new product sponsored by the Earthquake Commission called 'Shakekit'. She has created a hands-on interactive activity which replicates the movement and intensity of the earthquakes experienced in New Zealand recently.

Our rangatahi were given a group task to build structures, representing a building, on a platform, out of special lego-type building blocks and bamboo skewers. Once constructed, these were to be tested on the 'Shakemat' to see if it could withstand the intensity of the Kaikoura earthquake.

The first challenge was to build a tall structure using the materials provided and then strength was added to the mix so the structures could withstand the Shakemat test. Our groups learnt about magnitude, intensity and bracing on structures, as well as strength and tension. Each group had their building put through the earthquake Shakemat - with differing results and a greater understanding of how buildings fare during large earthquakes. An enjoyable experience and a fun lesson had by all.

Mrs L Arlidge

This week has been very busy for our Junior School as they have been sitting their end-of-year exams. The library has been set up as an exam space overseen by Deputy Headmaster Mr Quentin Crawford.

The New Zealand Canoe Polo Junior National Championships were held at Hastings Regional Sports Park last weekend. Hastings Boys' High School entered teams into both the Division 1 and 2 grades.

Both teams were up against some tough competition. Our Division 1 team found the round robin tough going, but still managed to qualify for the play off for 5th. While they tried their best, we went down to Feilding High School 1-3 so we ended up being the 6th best team in the country.

Our Division 2 team had a great tournament and went through their round robin unbeaten, the closest game being a draw against Lindisfarne's top team. The team then won their Semi Final against St Johns 4-2. This put us through into the final to be played against Otaki. While we managed to beat them earlier in the tournament 2-1, their high tempo pressing game got the better of us in the final and we went down 2-7. This should not cloud what was a very good tournament for the team.

As always, the school would like to thank all of the canoe polo whānau who baked food and supported the boys to the hilt. We are very lucky to have such a strong group of supporters. There are still 3 weeks of Spring League to play this year, so if you would like to see the sport in action, come down to the sports park on Thursday evenings.

Day 1: Loss to PNBHS

Day 2: Win vs Francis Douglas

Tyran Nel: 44 run and Alex Ketel 3 wickets

Day 3: Loss vs NPBHS

Alex Ketel: 100 runs

Alex Ketel is proving to be a very valuable member of the 1st XI Cricket Team. His start to the year has been fruitful with a Century scored a few weeks ago for his club team Cornwall Cricket Club.

Alex is a year 10 student who has proved that he fully deserves his spot 1st XI cricket team.

Congratulations to Alex on scoring 100 runs against New Plymouth Boys' High School this week when he was playing for the HBHS Colts Team during Junior Tournament Week. He scored 100 runs off 101 balls, hitting 14 Fours and 2 Sixes.

Mr L Hall

From Monday to Thursday afternoons this week we have been holding interviews for our Year 8s for next yea, with their Caregivers to meet with members of our Senior Management and Deans.

We had about 100 Year 8's through our doors over those days and it was lovely to meet them and their families. They were able to share information which will make their transition to Hastings Boys' High School a breeze in 2025.

Thank you to Cowan Scotton (Head Boy 2025) and Alex Wilson (Deputy Head Boy 2025) for taking time out of their study break to help.

It was a great day for Professional Learning Development. The Kahui Ako team collaborated with Jenna Crowley from the Cognition Learning group to present a PLD session based around our Ākina Learning model and Russell Bishops Teaching to the North East model. Building positive relationships to get the best out of our ākonga.

HBHS staff are are taking on #Movember!

We only have 8 days left, so help us continue to make a difference by donating to our Movember page today!

https://movember.com/m/15237611?mc=1

Here is a progress photo of a couple of our school's brave Mo' Bros, who are dedicated to showing our students that it's okay to talk about and work on our mental health/wellbeing.

Before and after pics to come...

Hastings 4120

Ph: +64 6 873 0365
email: paoffice@hastingsboys.school.nz

http://www.hastingsboys.school.nz