Principal's Panui - 6 June 2025

Dear Parents and Caregivers

SEVEN SKILLSEMPLOYERS WANT

At the most recent Year 9 assembly Mr Jefferies went through the following 7 skills checklist.

WHAT ARE EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS?

Employability skills, or soft skills, are the personal qualities and attitudes you have that make you ready for work, such as getting to work on time or following instructions. Employers tell us they need young people to be work-ready- if you have the right attitude, the technical skills can be taught.

Employability skills include:

    1.    POSITIVE ATTITUDE

 It means showing that you'll happily the work asked of you, and you’ll stay upbeat when the work gets hard.

    2.    COMMUNICATION

Good communication skills are when you follow instructions well and ask questions when you're confused. 

    3.    TEAMWORK

Playing or working well with others is a must do. Together Everybody Achieves More

    4.    SELF-MANAGEMENT

Getting to work on time and dressed appropriately is just one part of self-management. Not getting angry at others when you're frustrated and managing stress are the top skills that will get you a job.

    5.    WILLINGNESS TO LEARN

Learning doesn’t stop once you leave school. Are you willing to learn new technologies and skills. An understanding that improvement and better never stops is what they want.

    6.    THINKING SKILLS

Employers rate thinking skills the highest, when looking at your CV. Do you like to solve problems? Can you make a good decision? Do you think before you act?

    7.    RESILIENCE

Have you got grit? When something knocks you down, do you get back up again? This is resilience. Employers need you to have this skill to cope when things go wrong at work.   

When I read through these seven skills I could see clear links to our school values. Tohea and striving for personal excellence being the most obvious but there also clear links to Integrity, Responsibility and Respect. What links can you make?

Mr Jefferies also drew a comparison to the ten things that require zero talent and when present in the daily and weekly actions of people, we know good things will happen.

Attendance and Reporting an Absence

This is just a reminder that if your son or daughter is away sick or not able to attend school, please report the absence via the School Portal. This also includes when you are going on a holiday during term time. You should note that this is recorded as an unjustified absence. Use the "other" section in the Absences Tab for reporting holidays.

If you need to pick your son or daughter up during the school day for an appointment, please make sure you request an exit pass the day before. You can do this via the Report an Absence function on the School Portal, by choosing 'exit pass' under the absence tab. This will ensure you son or daughter is available when you need to pick them up. If you do not do this, you can expect a delay of up to 20 minutes while we locate them and arrange for them to sign out.

For a explanation of what is a justified or unjustified absence, click here.

Events coming up

• 12 June - Parents Breakfast - Book your ticket here- 7.30 to 8.30am $20 pp
• 16-19 June - International Languages and Culture Week
• 18 June - International Languages and Culture Evening - School Hall
• 20 June - School Closed for Matariki Day
• 26 June - School Ball - School finishes at 1.30pm (last day of the school term for all)
• 27 June - School Closed

Gary Moore