I hope everyone has had a chance to watch the some of the Olympic events over this busy time of year. Congratulations go to all the athletes representing our country in particular the Rugby 7’s with Captain Scott Curry, a former student bringing home the silver medal.

Well done !

We are now over halfway through the year and it is going to be a very busy term for both students and staff. With winter sports tournaments, sports camp, AIMS games, GetPro8 and more. We also have our Duke of Edinburgh students off on their different adventures in order to gain that international qualification.

A big thank you to the Kay Dean Trust for sponsoring Nate Kiwi-McGregor the opportunity to attend the Spirit of Adventure during the July School Holidays. He had an awesome time and not too many days of seasickness. There are 3 other students heading off this year to the Spirit of Adventure and Outward Bound, all sponsored by the Kay Dean Educational Trust.

It was a pleasure to present to the board at the beginning of the term, the mid year results. There has been significant progress made by the students of Years 7 to 10. Our Ministry of Education advisor who was present at the meeting made the comment that the progress of our students was some of the best she has seen and as a school we should be very proud of these results. Well done to the hard work of our students and staff.

I would like to congratulate Year 13 student Krupali Patel, who has been awarded the Rotorua Young Achievers Award for Excellence in Academics. She is a student that works to the highest level and is a well deserving recipient of this award. We look forward to her framed photo being showcased in Pak n Save Rotorua alongside students from other schools.

Lastly, we are on the countdown to the Otamatea Exchange, which is the longest running overnight inter school exchange in the country. This exchange forms a real point of difference for our school. It was brought about when both schools were established in 1965 with the exchange beginning at that time and has continued successfully ever since. I look forward to heading up there myself and supporting our students.

Thank you all for your support and if you are in the midst of calving good luck !

Brendan

This notice is to advise parents about the Staff Only Day this Wednesday the 11th August. School will not be open to students so as to students so as to enable staff to complete professional development for NCEA.

Thank You in advance dor your co operation in these arrangments.

Reporoa Lions Club offer a scholarship of to $2000 to a school leaver or leavers who is about to embark on a trade related or agricultural qualification, to assist with the financial costs associated with this. The Scholarship may be used on course fees and/or purchasing tools or required course materials.

Thank you

Also please feel free to make an appointment via your child's whanau teacher if you have any concerns in any subject area.

Dear Parent/Caregiver

Our school is participating in a healthy relationships education programme called Mates & Dates.

This letter provides you with information about the Mates & Dates programme, and how we are continually evaluating its content to ensure that it remains a useful tool for students in todays' evolving environment.

About Mates & Dates In Aotearoa New Zealand, 15% of secondary school students report experiencing unwanted sexual contact, including sexual assaults. Over half the students say their first unwanted sexual experience occurred before they were 14 years old, About 3-6% of students also report forcing someone to do something sexual. Teens years is also a time when young people start forming romantic relationships for the first time.

Mates & Dates was created, in line with the NZ Curriculum, to support young people navigate happy and healthy relationships as they grow into adults and to prevent sexual violence. International research confirms that working with young people is one of the most effective ways of preventing sexual violence. It equips them with relationship skills and behaviours that they can carry with them throughout their life Mates & Dates is about all kinds of relationships - including friends, family and whānau.

The programme teaches students how to: - have healthy relationships built on respect, equality, and consent. This includes communication skills,

problem solving and decision making skills - exercise their rights and responsibilities related to consent and safety. - be critical of ideas in media about equality, gender, body image and sexualisation identify inappropriate and abusive behaviours - access help from trusted adults and professionals in their community. Help seeking is for more than

just abuse - safely intervene in situations that could lead to harm.

Mates & Dates is aligned with the Ministry of Education curriculum. An expert advisory group developed the content, along with input from students and it has been evaluated by an independent research company. Mates & Dates is taught at each year level and developed to be appropriate for that age group. It is delivered by trained facilitators to cover five key learning outcomes over 3 --5 lessons. The lessons use various teaching methods to engage and meet students' learning needs such as small groups discussions, audio/video media, role playing, anonymous question box, problem solving through scenarios etc.

There are no fees or charges as it's fully funded by ACC The content includes material and discussion regarding issues that young people face in today's environment. This includes consent, dating, relationships, identity, attraction pornography, alcohol/ drug use and sexual and relationship violence. The programme takes a harm minimization approach by openly discussing topics so young people are empowered with information to make safe choices.

Participating in the programme - We highly encourage participation in the programme, however, attendance in lessons is not compulsory. If at any time you decide you do not want your child to attend Mates & Dates, they will be placed in other classes for those lessons. Students will also be informed that they can opt-out at any time,

As a parent/caregiver, you can help your teen stay informed by showing them you're OK talking about sex and relationships. Mates & Dates is a great opportunity to carry on discussions with your child about sex, consent and relationships. What teens learn at home helps reinforce what they learn at school. A simple thing you can say is, I'm here if you want to talk about anything you learned in the Mates & Dates programme?

Helping us to evaluate Mates & Dates We'd like to gather feedback from students on what they found useful from the lessons. This is not an assessment and students will not be graded So, at the end of the last session, your child will be given a short 5-minute survey to complete. The information gathered is anonymous - it won't identify your child and it will only be used to improve the quality of the programme.

What you need to do?

If you do not want your child to attend this programme please contact:

Sharon Mulingani

smulingani@reporoa.school.nz

If you have any questions about the Mates & Dates, please don't hesitate to contact matesanddates@acc.co.nz

Yours sincerely,

Sharon Mulingani
Rangatira

Seniors travelling on the Otamatea Exchnage must pay the full amount of $140.00 by Week two. We are collecting ties to distribute and have several pairs of Black dress pants and white long sleeve dress shirts if anyone requires any of these items.

Thank you in advance

13th August BOP Basketball

15th-17th August Otamatea Exchange

3st1Aug - 4th Sept Regionals

6th -10th Sept AIMS Games

15th Sept Open Day

20th - 24th Sept Sports Camp

29th Sept Spirit Day

1st Oct School Closed

2nd Oct School Ball