Kia ora e te whānau,

It’s hard to believe we are already into Week Four of Term Two. Time sure does fly when you’re having fun!

Below is a heads up and a reminder about some things we are doing to ensure we support each and every student to make the most of their time at Albany Senior High School. 

ASHS Behaviour Reset

This week launched what we are referring to as the ASHS Behaviour Reset. This is simply an opportunity for our young people to recognise that the same high standards of behaviour applies to ALL students at ASHS. As I said at the assemblies last week, I want to begin by thanking our young people, the absolute vast majority of our students are consistently in the right place at the right time, stay in the right place and demonstrate very high levels of engagement in their learning. We are keen to do everything we can to ensure this is universal. We are a school that values strong and warm learning relationships and want to support our young people to develop agentic habits of learning to get the most out of their studies here at ASHS. We also recognise that the best learning and the best results are more likely to be achieved by those students who attend very regularly and make the most of their time in their classes. 

To support this we are setting some very simple clear expectations. The full presentation is attached below, but the key changes that may impact your young person are as follows. From today:

• No student can leave class / use the bathroom in class time without a physical hall pass.
• No student can leave class to get a drink – bring your water bottle if you need refreshment. 
• Any students caught going off site or returning to school during break time will be recorded on KAMAR (this will then be sent home). 
• All students must be dressed for learning – not their bed or the beach. 
• All students must remain close to their teacher in the teaching space, not on the benches at the back.
• Repeated entries for ANY behaviour issues may result in a stand down. 

Some students have cited concerns about handling a physical hall pass. We will ensure there is hand sanitiser in each community. Also, any students with yellow or red cards from our Wellbeing Centre will not be affected by these changes. Any questions or suggestions are always welcome.

We will be monitoring and tweaking the strategy over the coming weeks – in the meantime, we appreciate your support in ensuring our young people make the most of their time here at ASHS. 

Acing Attendance at ASHS

Acing attendance at ASHS means that students have increased their potential for reaching personal goals and having better academic results. Being present for learning in all classes ensures that your young person has access to support and feedback on their learning, and it provides them with continued learning relationships with their peers and their teachers. 

Attendance data is available through the Parent Portal under ‘Attendance’. Unjustified absences may be recorded when a student does not attend school and no explanation from whānau is provided, when a portion of a lesson is missed without reason, if a family trip is taken in term time or there is a pattern in absences that is not able to be justified with medical/specialist evidence.

National Attendance Expectations have been set and the Government’s expectation is that students’ attendance must be higher than 80%. Not meeting this expectation, with a focus on unjustified absences, may have significant consequences for your young person and the opportunities they are provided:

• They may not have an opportunity to renegotiate a due-date in Specialist Subjects or Impact Projects, 
• EOTC opportunities may not be available,
• Involvement in Gateway placement or Academies may be forfeited,
• Involvement in sports in competitive teams may be limited or removed, and 
• the opportunity to attend the Year 13 Ball could be denied.
  

Absences from class will be logged and these are visible in the Parent Portal under ’School Life – Pastoral’.

Your young person’s tutor teacher is best placed to support them in managing their attendance – they will be in contact with you if there are concerns. 

Ngā mihi nui 

 

 

 

Claire Amos
Principal | Tumuaki
Albany Senior High School