Ad Augusta Term 1 April 2013
Dear Parents and Guardians
We are delighted with how well the year is progressing for your students. I thank you for the support role you offer to your students in their learning.
We have already had the opportunity to celebrate many student achievements in a wide variety of pursuits.
Very soon, the school is going to initiate some discussion groups and survey the community as the Takapuna Grammar School Board of Trustees prepares to construct a new Strategic Plan. Our current four year Strategic Plan expires at the end of this year and, in readiness for the establishment of a new four year plan, the Board of Trustees is going to consult widely. These are exciting times as we seek the view of the community in respect to the future priorities of the school. The discussion groups will be representative groups from all parts of the community. The discussions will include students and staff. Various themes will come out of this work and that of the survey. These themes will be used to construct the priorities of the new Strategic Plan.
There have been many supporters of the school over many years. I would like to acknowledge one in particular in this newsletter and that is John Ashton of New World Devonport. John gifts many thousands of dollars each year as part of the loyalty programme he runs in his store. Beyond this he gives on many more occasions relating to various events that occur at the school. Most recently, he has offered some scholarships that will be targeted at Year 9 and Year 10 students. We will be talking to students about this directly later on in the year.
In recognising John, I would like to thank him for the tremendous commitment he has to all the local schools, including Takapuna Grammar School. I think, as a supporter of the school, he has contributed more than anyone could expect, to Takapuna Grammar School already. At a recent Achievers’ Breakfast we acknowledged this commitment.
I encourage parents/caregivers to thank John whilst you are in store and also respect the tremendous amount he has already given back to the school.
Please contact the school if you have any concerns or questions. principal@takapuna.school.nz is a suitable email contact to use if you are unsure who to approach in the first instance.
Regards
Simon Lamb
Principal
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School Dux 2012
The Dux is the most prestigious award in any school as it goes to the top scholar. This award is highly sought after and highly competitive. To be Dux at Takapuna Grammar School is to join a very select and elite group, the highest achievers in New Zealand.
Congratulations to Mattea Mrkusic, the Dux for 2012.
Mattea has had exceptional academic success throughout her years at Takapuna Grammar School. This year she was ranked First, in Art History, Biology and English, 3rd in French and 6th in Mathematics with Statistics.
Mattea’s teachers and classmates comment on her willingness to support others and her positive contribution to classroom activities. She is described as “very intelligent, mature and hardworking”, a student who shows “flair and maturity beyond her years” and that she has “a natural ability to question and analyse concepts and to solve problems logically and systematically.” Mattea sets for herself, and continues to achieve, the highest academic standards. Mattea has exceptional academic talent and a very bright tertiary future. Mattea has also had considerable involvement in the all aspects of the school – sport, culture and service. She has been either winner or runner-up in the school’s speech contest each year from Year 9. She debates with enthusiasm and great persuasion. She was the winner of the Most Provoking Speaker at the Auckland MUNA, in 2012, and was subsequently selected to represent New Zealand at the Hague International Model United Nations as the head delegate. She is a very capable writer, gaining a Certificate of Exceptional Merit in the Rodney Walshe Ireland Essay competition in 2012, and she also is a regular contributor to the “Devonport Flagstaff” as a member of the school’s Journalism Club.
Mattea plays football, has been in school shows and plays, and represented the school at cross-country amongst other things. It is an indication of the way that she can manage herself that she can do so much and still maintain a top academic performance. She has also been a highly visible, enthusiastic and successful school leader.