Principal's Foreword

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Tēnā koutou,

It’s been another busy and exciting week here at John McGlashan College, with students and staff involved in a wide range of assessments, events, professional learning opportunities, and much more!

Our Year 10 students experienced their first taste of NCEA this week, completing their Reading, Writing, and Maths pre-requisite assessments. Many of the boys felt confident in their efforts, and we look forward to seeing how they did when results are released in about six weeks’ time.

A special thanks to Drew Campbell, who helped host the New Zealand Boarding Schools’ Association (NZBSA) Conference in Dunedin. Some of our staff were fortunate to attend and take part in some excellent professional development sessions. At this week’s assembly, Mr. Hunter shared some stories about his sabbatical journey. He certainly visited a lot of schools and had some great old boy stories from other boys schools.

We were proud to see a strong representation from our Kapa Haka and Te Reo Māori students at Ngā Manu Kōrero on Wednesday and Thursday. A special mention to Noah and Kura, who spoke with great confidence and were wonderfully supported by haka and waiata performances from our boys.

Kimberly Fridd had a big decision to make this week as the Senior Drama boys had a Theatre trip to Christchurch to see 'The End of the Golden Weather' at the Court Theatre and our Shakespeare group competed in Nationals in Wellington, both on the same day! Meanwhile, our Year 8 boys enjoyed a field trip to the Toitū Otago Settlers Museum, and our Year 12s took part in a valuable driver safety workshop at the Edgar Centre.

Congratulations to Leo, Reuben, and Ollie, who are currently recording an album of original music with their band Sogg at SouthLink Studios. Our classical musicians are also hard at work preparing for the upcoming NZCT Chamber Music Contest on June 3 and 4, showcasing instruments including piano, violin, cello, viola, and clarinet. Best of luck as well to Caleb Ung, who will be competing in the National Piping Solo Competition this weekend, hosted here at JMC.

Finally, we are looking for John McGlashan parents interested in joining a group focused on discussing key challenges facing young people today, particularly around building healthy relationships. This group will be called The Clear Voice Initiative. If you’re interested in learning more, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me directly.

Kā mihi,

John Veitch

Acting Principal