I remind our Year 12 boys of the requirements necessary in order to wear Senior Uniform (the white polo shirt) in Year 13, and enjoy the related privileges of permission to leave the school grounds at interval and lunchtime, and use of a motor-vehicle to and from school.  This is a privilege gained through either achieving NCEA Level 2 or by application.  This means a minimum of 60 Credits at Level 2 or above and 20 Credits at any other level.  The 20 Credits can be carried through from Level 1.  Those students who do not achieve NCEA Level 2 will need to apply for permission to wear the Senior Uniform.  The criteria for permission to be granted will be based on effort, attendance and behaviour.  Not achieving NCEA Level will not prevent a student from being granted permission to wear the Senior Uniform, provided the other three criteria have been met.  

Where boys have worked at a satisfactory level to achieve their academic potential, attended school regularly and met expectations of behaviour, they will be given permission to wear the Senior Uniform.  Those who have made minimum effort, have irregular attendance and / or have not met expectations of behaviour, will not be given this privilege.  This policy has been introduced to further motivate our senior boys to achieve their academic potential and not to penalise those who struggle to reach this level of achievement.  A large number of boys are not motivated sufficiently by academic achievement alone and hence fail to make the necessary effort to achieve their academic potential while at secondary school.  A number of our Year 13 boys this year say this requirement was a motivating factor to work harder to achieve Level 2 NCEA.  Those who find achievement at this level more difficult will not be disadvantaged provided they are making the required effort to achieve.  Year 13 students who have not gained permission to wear Senior Uniform will have the opportunity to apply for permission at set intervals throughout the year.  The first opportunity to do this will be after the first set of senior reports are issued.  Those who meet the criteria will then be entitled to wear the uniform and receive the related privileges.  This policy is also in recognition of NCEA Level 2 as a minimum educational requirement for entry into tertiary institutions.

With NCEA external exams approaching quickly, and only 6 days left before Seniors are released on Study Leave, the College is a busy place.  We are working to maximise the last remaining school days to ensure our boys are well prepared for the upcoming external exams.  I would encourage parents to ensure their sons are focused on revision and preparation for the culmination of the academic year.

Reports for senior students will be posted online on Friday 1 November.  These are accessed through the parent portal on our website (https://www.tbc.school.nz/kb).  Log in using your user name and password, then select "reports" from the menu on the right-hand side.  If you have any problems accessing the report please contact the college or email w.taylor@tbc.school.nz  For those who do not have email addresses, reports will be posted out to you next week.  Should you require a hard copy of the report please contact the College Office. 

The boys also have a number of commitments to meet with their year at the College ending, and I would ask you to ensure they attend to these.  A number have outstanding Subject Fees or Sports / Cultural fees that need to be paid prior to the end of the year.  These outstanding fees will be brought to their attention by Class and Form Teachers.  As well as fees they will need to ensure textbooks, sports uniforms and other resources are returned to the College.

I look forward to acknowledging and sharing in the achievement of our boys in Academic, Cultural and Sporting endeavours over the next few weeks.     

A team of 11 boys attended the Secondary School Clay Target Nationals in Hamilton.  The A team of Shaun Gwillim, Luke Miles, Alex Williamson, Jerramiah Hay and Thomas Box placed 4th in both the NISS and the NZSS events competing against 40 other teams.  The B team of Adam Hollis, Kaden Graham, Thomas Kehely, Davis Ward and Sam Finlayson placed 15th in the NISS event and 29th equal in the NZSS event.  Khol Soultar attended as an individual shooter.

Congratulations to Shaun Gwillim, NZSS Skeet National Champion and Shaun Gwillim and Thomas Box who placed 1st in the NZSS Skeet Team event. 

\We are proud to announce the following nominations from Tauranga Boys' College for the 2019 Bay of Plenty Sports Awards.  The Awards evening will be held on 22 November 2019 at the Rotorua Energy Events Centre - tickets are available at:

Congratulations to Josh Baxter and Jialan Campbell-Luo who have received offers for internships at KPMG starting in April 2020.  These are highly coveted positions and this is a tremendous opportunity for these young men which enable them to complete their tertiary qualification whilst simultaneously working in one of the worlds Top 4 Accounting firms.

Year 13 Business Studies students were tasked with setting up and running a sustainable and innovative business throughout the year. During 2019, one of our success stories was Colder Card Holders. This group built on the idea of developing a product that enables students to show their good man qualities through allegiance to Tauranga Boys’ College and support for the Movember Foundation. Having gained permission from both parties to use their branding, the group then went through the business planning, designing and development process, communicating with overseas suppliers to source a product that both they and their customers would be satisfied with. The end results were pleasing, exceeding their initial sales targets, raising $200 for the Movember Foundation and also developing client links for future sales.

Photo: Group members from left: Tyler Creighton (Communications Director), Mitchell Kale (Marketing & Sales Director), Harry Lowe (Finance Director)  and Josh Tish (CEO).  Absent: Jayden Green (Production and Operations Director)

At the end of term 3 both classes were involved in parent student conferences, focusing on possible future pathways for each student.  Most of the boys will be transitioning into the workforce or will begin their tertiary studies in 2020.  Mr Hind and Mrs Williams' class has been involved in practicing their interview skills with Ms Jones in preparation for job or tertiary course selection and Mr Smith's class has been finishing their various projects - dog kennel, playhouse, ride on mower restoration.

The Trades Academy Food Manufacturing course continues, as does the Gateway Chorus course on Tuesday and the flight course on Wednesday afternoons.  The SEEDS Countdown programme is also all go through the 3 local stores.  We even have a student out on the Red Shirts in Schools Gateway programme at The Warehouse, Papamoa.

Seven boys were involved in a speed-meet session with local employers last Thursday, at Otumoetai Atrium Cafe.  Employers from a range of businesses and ITO's were available, looking for prospective employees using a speed dating style.  Matches are then put in touch after the event and potentially job offers are made.