Kia ora tatou Welcome to the last newsletter of 2017! We had a very enjoyable 2017 Leavers Ceremony on Thursday evening.  Every Year 13 student, who was present, was celebrated with a short biography read out by their form teacher outlining their highlights and favourite recollections of their time at Taieri College.  Whilst the amount of high level achievement our Year 13s attain is spectacular, what also impresses me is the amount of service our Year 13 students give back to the college.  Their willingness to assist our younger students is recognised and greatly appreciated. Good luck to our team of seven athletes who are in Hastings this weekend to compete in the New Zealand Secondary Schools Athletics Championships.  It is a highly talented and very strong team.  I wish them all the best. The year winds up for our junior students next Friday 8 December 2017 with their formal prize giving ceremonies.  Students who have excelled, both inside and outside the classroom, will be revealed and rightfully rewarded.  I always enjoy the opportunity to listen to the quality and quantity of accomplishments our junior students have achieved during the year.  Our Year 7 and 8 prize giving begins at 9.30am and our Year 9 and 10 prize giving follows at 11.00am.  Both ceremonies are in the Indoor Training Centre (ITC) and should take approximately one hour.  Parents and whanau are more than welcome to attend.  College closes, and buses depart at 12.30pm. Next year’s start dates are now confirmed.  Our course confirmation day for 2017 Year 12 students is on Thursday 25 January 2018 followed by the Year 13s on Friday 26 January 2018.  Years 7, 8 and 9 students begin on Tuesday 30 January 2018 with the Year 10s joining them on Wednesday 31 January 2018. The whole school (Years 7 to 13) come together on Thursday 1 February 2018.  Our roll is looking very healthy and I am looking forward to meeting and getting to know our new students, as well as catching up with those returning. My thanks to everyone who was involved in the publication of our 2017 Magazine.  In particular, the amount of time and effort our English Department put in.  This year we decided to go to a full colour publication and we are very pleased with the final product.  It is an excellent portrayal of the immense number of exploits, endeavours and events that have taken place during the year.  Please enjoy reading this when it is distributed next week. Finally, an appreciation to everyone who helped coach, manage, feed, transport, cheer and inspire our students during the year.  Please accept my thanks and gratitude.  The cooperation we get from our parent community is sincerely treasured and plays a big part in making us a true community college. I wish everyone a safe and relaxing holiday.  Merry Christmas. Noho ora mai Dave Hunter Principal