Preparing boys for the adventure of life

Tour de Beautiful CHB

2012-01-22T11:55:00.001+13:00

Henry, Jack, Pam and grandad Bill entered the tour de beautiful cycle race. Henry came second in the 25 km mens open and Jack came second in the10km. Very proud dad!

Go Kelvin! Have a Merry Christmas

2011-12-22T07:53:00.002+13:00

Christmas colours by Mr Edwards

2011-12-16T21:31:00.001+13:00

The Dive Camp Video

2011-12-13T20:27:00.001+13:00

What a fantastic camp. Diving in the National Aquarium was the highlight.

Assembly Awards week 6

2011-11-29T09:06:00.002+13:00

Black Badges

Jack Kinder

Angus Tylee

Kent Robertson

Star Badges

Mark Bartlett

Isaiah Pritchard

Jonty Lombard

William Morris

Michael Welch

jacob Dearlove

Taylor Burke

Bruce Donald

Jake Hobbs

Headmasters Colours for Academics

Sam Reddish

Ben Dawson

Daniel Hadlow

Baxter Perry

Colours for Academics

Jack McKnight

Sam Scully

Fraser Martin

Harry Cave

Ben McAlley

Finn Coleman

Tennis Colours
Josh Lennox

Softball Colours

Finn Coleman, Chris Jaggard, Theo McNaughton, Isaiah Pritchard, Mitchell Cremer, Ricky Sharratt

Headmaster’s Softball Colours for Ben Bell, Szymon Dawidowski

Manawatu Cricket reps

Jamie Connell

Trey Bidios

Tom Alderson

Harry Cave

Horowhenua reps

Brodie Hobbs

Jake Hobbs

Taupo cycle race: Darren & Bradley 80k; Hunter Stoneman Boyle 40km

John Key visits the Huntley boys

2011-11-24T20:16:00.003+13:00

Did you see the boys on TV One? Looks like we backed a winner! Well done to old boy Ian McKelvie who is also the new member for Rangitikei. Ian's family have sent four generations of McKelvie's through Huntley. (I believe the 5th ar not far away:) )

Athletic Sports 2011

2011-11-22T22:07:00.000+13:00

What a fantastic day!

Public Speaking 2011

2011-11-09T12:03:00.001+13:00

Junior: Joe Reddish
Intermediate: William McRae
Senior: Angus Tylee

Hunterville Shemozzle Winners

2011-11-02T16:48:00.004+13:00

Left to right
Darren, Jack, Hunter

Well done to Hunter Werthmuller, Darren Hirschberg and Jack Kinder for winning the School Teams event. It is the second year in a row that we have achieved this! It is also, rather amazingly, the second year in a row that Hunter Werthmuller has won the title.

Hut building on Sunday

2011-10-30T11:24:00.001+13:00

The boys are madly building their huts getting ready for the sleepover near the end of the term.

Summer Sport starts

2011-10-26T17:10:00.001+13:00

A great start to the term. The boys are happy to be out in the sun.

Boys warming up for nationals

2011-10-08T11:45:00.001+13:00

The A team came 6th and the B side came a very creditable 10th. Well done boys we are very proud of you all.

Jim Dixon

2011-10-07T17:50:00.000+13:00

Huntley School drum teacher Jim Dixon has sadly passed away after an ongoing fighting with cancer.

Jim was an warm, caring, gentle man and his students had a lot of time for him as he did for them. He was enthusiastic about music and loved the energy the boys brought to his lessons. He was always happy to help with music concerts and quietly went about making sure the boys performed to the best of their abilities.

Our sympathies go out to Jim's family.

Go Tonga

2011-10-01T19:42:00.001+13:00

What a magic game!

Open Day 2nd November 2011

2011-09-27T21:47:00.000+13:00

Your Parentingideas magazine is ready for you to collect!

2011-09-27T21:34:00.000+13:00

Follow this link: Parentingideas.com.au/parent

The second edition of Parentingideas Magazine with great tips and advice to help you raise wonderful kids and enjoy the journey is ready for you to collect.

Parentingideas Magazine is a quality quarterly online parenting magazine featuring some of Australia’s best parenting writers, covering the topics you want to know about. And it’s published by Michael Grose.

Here’s a little of what you’ll read in this issue:

The amazing Dr. Jason Fox writes about motivating kids to learn through gaming
Channel 9’s Morning Show regular Dannii Miller has a great piece on overcoming self-consciousness in girls (it’s great for boys too!)
Fay Angelo writes about helping girls (and you) prepare for their first period.
Fivehive’s Yvonne Adele has some getting to bed tips with a difference
Ninja Dad Malcolm Nix has a cool column for dads! It’s a great read and it’s fun too!

There’s heaps more......................

Best of all it’s FREE!

Please pass this magazine on to your parent community. Oh, and have a good read of it yourself!

Regards,

Michael Grose

Music Concert

2011-09-27T15:46:00.002+13:00

The Music Concert was a lot of fun and the boys once again enjoyed showing their skills.

Boys at the home show

2011-09-24T09:42:00.001+12:00

2011 Golf Day

2011-09-20T20:26:00.000+12:00

What a fantastic day! $38000 approx. Yay looks like the new Turf is getting closer.

ERO Review

2011-09-09T13:08:00.002+12:00

The Education Review Office have been into the school on Monday and Tuesday of this week. Whilst this is a relatively short timeframe I was impressed with the amount of information they were able to process in that time. Key areas they wanted to see was continued improvement to our educational curriculum carrying on from our last outstanding report, our management of the dormitories, and our management of International Students.

I sent them a copy of our procedures and our new curriculum document. On site these were the areas they felt we were doing extremely well in:

Our Curriculum Document. ERO felt in their discussions and observations that our curriculum document was a very comprehensive document that drew in all aspects of the Huntley Ethos and gave staff a solid theoretical platform to launch their teaching from. They felt our staff attestation and professional development practices were of a very high standard and allowed for constant review by using the Teaching as Inquiry process. Staff are using high quality data to develop quality learning programmes. Advancement in nationalised testing was generally well above national standards expected. They felt that the teachers planning was in line with our stated curriculum and there was a clear correlation between planning and identified needs for the pupils at the school. They clearly identified that the boys knew their learning goals and what they were hoping to achieve within their lessons. The Huntley Values were strongly a part of the school ethos and this was apparent in many of the lessons they observed.
Our Dormitories. There was clear evidence of student voice in this area of school with surveys being taken regularly. The pastoral care of the boys is an obvious priority and they also commented on the role of the form teacher in ensuring that all boys have someone they can talk with when experiencing any difficulties. They felt the addition of the new heaters had been well received by the boys and their parents. They were pleased to see we had gone through a process of self review in the areas of Nutrition, Medication Administration, Earthquake and Fire drills and Bullying surveys.
International students were obviously very happy and making pleasing progress within the school. The quality of the pastoral care of these boys was exceptional and Lyn Barnett is obviously doing a fantastic job with these boys.

Lazer Tag THE VIDEO

2011-08-30T09:12:00.000+12:00

Doodle for Google designs

2011-08-29T12:49:00.004+12:00

Our junior entrants into the Doodle for Google competition.

Rourke Fraser

Taylor Burke

2011-08-29T12:49:00.001+12:00

Medbury Matches

2011-08-23T19:46:00.002+12:00

Snow Day at Huntley

2011-08-15T13:07:00.001+12:00

Snow at Huntley

2011-08-15T07:25:00.001+12:00

What a beautiful sight to wake up to!

Blokes Night Photos

2011-08-11T11:52:00.000+12:00

Huntley School’s “Blokes Night”

a huge success!

Our third Blokes night was a great success with 220 blokes (Including boys) involved. The idea for Blokes night is for dad’s, uncles, male friends to spend an evening at Huntley celebrating what it means to be a bloke. In this case it was watching the All Blacks play Australia. The dress was “Black” although a few Yellow jersies seemed to appear. I was overwhelmed by the response of our families. Most boys had a significant male in their lives there on the night. Dads were only too happy to have other boys join them as well so no one was left out.

Many dads, granddads and uncles appeared on the night and sent the message out “Hey son, you’re important and I want to be part of this.” The evening started off with some drinks a meal of hot dogs and chips, followed by a rugby test. We watched the movie “Wild America (1997)”.

I have recently been re-reading Steve Biddulf’s book, Raising Boys and Ian Grant’s Growing Great Boys. Both point out the importance of “male time”. One of the benefits of Huntley is its largely male staff but adding the boys own male role models into the mix is a real winner. Boys at this age love being with their mates but they also like the opportunity to be with older males.

“Without male role-models, boy culture feels lost…Boy culture that is not mentored by spiritually vital elder males is more a gang culture. The elder males provide it with inter-generational magic, discipline, and direction. –

Michael Gurian, The Wonder of Boys

I would like to thank all the men that made the evening such a special occasion. As always it is wonderful working with the Huntley families who understand the bigger picture of getting the best out of their sons. This is just another example of Huntley and families “Preparing boys for the adventure of life.”

Regards,

Brad gay

Headmaster

Capture the flag

2011-08-07T14:56:00.001+12:00

Weekend table tennis

2011-08-06T16:14:00.001+12:00

Boys enjoying a squad tournament Saturday.

Remember Blokes Night on Saturday

2011-08-02T08:58:00.001+12:00

Click on the link below for more information.

Blokes Night

Dormitory Heaters installed

2011-07-28T11:54:00.001+12:00

Parents and boys will be pleased to know we have installed new heaters in the dormitories. This will be warmly recieved, if you can excuse the pun, by the boys. Many thanks to the PFH for their help on this project.

Science Squad Challenge

2011-07-06T18:46:00.000+12:00

Book Week

2011-07-01T15:19:00.000+12:00

Staff introduce their characters

2011-06-27T09:06:00.001+12:00

Book week is here!

2011-06-27T07:31:00.001+12:00

Book week is coming

2011-06-21T06:41:00.001+12:00

Mr Gay tries on his Jedi costume and Jack tries his Iron Man costume.

Lizards at huntley

2011-06-17T10:29:00.000+12:00

Think Differently!

2011-06-16T12:06:00.000+12:00

Cross Country

2011-06-07T11:25:00.002+12:00

Video of the Cross Country

Results for the Cross Country.
Juniors: 1st Patrick Tobin, 2nd Bruce Donald, 3rd Joe Reddish
Intermediate: 1st Harry Cave, 2nd Connor O'Leary, 3rd Ben Pritchard
Senior: 1st Darren Hirschberg, 2nd Harley Transom, 3rd Samuel Henley-King

Left to right: Harry Cave (Int.), Patrick Tobin (Jnr), Darren Hirschberg (Snr)

The tour

2011-06-02T16:54:00.001+12:00

Great Day at Southwell

2011-06-02T13:45:00.001+12:00

What a brilliant day at Southwell. The 1st XI Soccer played extremely well to draw 1-1 against a talented Southwell side. The 1st XV Came back from being down 10-0 at half time to win 15-10. What a great display of GDP. The hockey team were well beaten by a very strong side.

Last photos

2011-06-01T23:33:00.001+12:00

Huntley parents on tour

2011-06-01T20:36:00.001+12:00

Hamilton

2011-06-01T15:31:00.001+12:00

Lunch at Huka Falls

2011-06-01T13:14:00.001+12:00

On the way to Southwell

2011-06-01T12:07:00.001+12:00

The youth of today

2011-05-30T20:25:00.000+12:00

Here's an observation for you. How often do we tend to sit and judge young people today? We think that their impetuousness, rudeness and failure to follow rules is unique to our generation. Were we any better? Apparently not. Look at these quotes and then check out the date:

"I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on the frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words. When I was a boy, we were taught to be discrete and respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly wise and impatient of restraint.” Hesiod 700BC

"The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers." Socrates 460BC

"The world is passing through troublous times. The young people of today think of nothing but themselves. They have no reverence for parents or old age. They are impatient of all restraint. They talk as if they knew everything, and what passes for wisdom with us is foolishness with them. As for the girls, they are forward, immodest and unladylike in speech, behavior and dress."

Who wrote that, and when do you think it was written?... it is an extract from a sermon preached by Peter the Hermit in A.D. 1274!

I have a lot of faith in the youth of today and take for example the group of students that coordinated 2,000 fellow students within 24 hours to help with the Christchurch Earthquake. They had to cordinate and arrange luches for these students and they did it in a 24 hour time span, pretty amazing really.

Boys in maths

2011-05-30T09:56:00.001+12:00

Rugby shirt designs

2011-05-24T17:05:00.001+12:00

These are some of the winning designs for Sundays design competition.
Note some of the earthquake and tsunami designs.

Boys on a wet Sunday

2011-05-22T11:51:00.001+12:00

These photos were taken within 10minutes of each other.

Dayboy Service

2011-05-22T11:28:00.001+12:00

It was lovely to have so many day boy parents at the service this morning.

I hope everyone enjoyed the sermon about dealing with difficult times in our lives and having faith. I used Eric Clapton's song about losing his four year old son to illustrate how he used faith to heal himself. Tears in heaven is the song.

Scootering at Huntley Term 2 2011

2011-05-20T09:59:00.000+12:00

As you can see the boys have been having a ball on their scooters!

Basic Facts

2011-05-17T19:25:00.001+12:00

How fast are you? Here is a typical speed test. As a parent you should be able to do it in less than 4 minutes. My time was 2.29. The best boy in my class was 2.10 so I have a little work to do.

SHOE cleaning competition

2011-05-17T08:57:00.002+12:00

Today in assembly we had a shoe cleaning competition as a fun way of getting boys to clean their shoes. The competition was won by the Polish Polishers.

Max buffs like mad for the Brittish Buffers

The boys are in Mufti today to support Hawke's Bay flood victims

Shooting Club Starts

2011-05-12T14:31:00.000+12:00

Eight boys came to smallbore rifle club. Constable Alan Wright took them for a safety briefing with the help of Mr Gower. The boys were amazed at how small the targets were. They are all trying to beat my 96.3 score.

Huntley Cycling!

2011-05-08T21:38:00.000+12:00

Huntley cycling marketing team!! Team came third out of 26 teams in 160km Manawatu Classic. Old boys Bryce Hirschberg, Jamie Gillespie(Not Andrew Gillespie, he's still young. Current boy Darren Hirschberg.

Jack Kinder in the NZ Polo cross team in Albury Austrailia

2011-05-08T21:29:00.000+12:00

Welcome back to term 2

2011-05-08T07:25:00.001+12:00

Welcome back to term 2. We are looking forward to having the boys back on Sunday evening. On Friday we had a very successful staff development day. Two significant initiatives have been planned for on this day. The first is the development of a peer mathematics programme developmented by Mr McAlley called Buddy Maths. As parents will be aware we have been conscious of improving the basic core numeracy concepts within the school. Something the numeracy project seems not to be helping boys with.
We also had Carol Lynch from Tim White and Associates come and do a session on effective teacher observations. This is to help stregthen our school professional development model based on teacher inquiry. This year our key focus is on comprehension strategies and follows on well from last years focus on vocabulary.

This term a number of boys will be looking forward to our tour to Hamilton to play Southwell School.

Year 7 plays will be another highlight to look forward to.

Remember that the Open Day is on next Sunday and as such all boys are expected on this day. It is a non leave weekend for boarders until after the Open Day when they can have a free leave for the afternoon.

I wish all the mums a happy mothers day as I sit in my duck hide contemplating a lack of ducks. Amazing thing mobile technology.

Warm regards,
Brad Gay

Holiday Storms

2011-04-29T14:47:00.000+12:00

Dear All,
It Certainly has been an eventful holidays. I have been busy ferrying stranded bach owners from Pourerere south in my 4wd across the beach at low tide. We had 420ml in 24 hours! What a mess. Here are some photos that show the damage. Luckily we got away with no damage just a moat in front of out beach house. I am staying on to help with the clean up. Nature certainly can be frightening! I hope the rest of you have all had a wonderful holiday.
Regards
Brad

Have a Great Easter

2011-04-12T14:49:00.000+12:00

Dear All,
Thank you for the continued support of my Blog Page. I have had a number

of very positive responses from it. My challenge to the boys these holidays is to make you breakfast in bed on Easter Sunday! Good luck with that, my toast last year wasn't edible but I had to as two very proud faces watched with high expectations.

Brad

Michael Gross talks on boys education

2011-04-12T14:32:00.001+12:00

I have heard Micheal Gross on a number of occasions and he is talking at our Independent School's Conference this year. The thing I like about Michael is that his ideas are not revolutionary but just plain common sense. I hope you enjoys this short presentation by him.

Boys are wired differently to girls. They think differently and about different things than girls.

They mature more slowly, particularly when it comes to language development, social skills and their fine motor skills.

They are organisationally-challenged as well. They are more boisterous, more self-conscious and more awkward than girls…particularly as they move into adolescence. Managing-Self is a big drive at Huntley and this term, for example, we have worked on getting boys to look after their gear (With mixed results!) and making sure they are on time to class and have books out and ready.

Loyalty is a high driver for most boys. Many will get into arguments and even fights to back up their mates, or because someone said something nasty about their little sister. This is not always a bad thing when channeled in the right way. Look at how Huntley boys cheer on another boy who is struggling as witnessed at the triathlon. The pride they have in the school is another example of a positive attitude towards loyalty. The way they support one another, especially the godfather/godson relationship.

The abiding wish of all boys from school-age through to adolescence is to fit in and be part of a group. They are group-oriented by nature. This is why boarding appeals to boys at this age. They love being part of that boarding community.

Approval is at the heart of working successfully with boys. They will walk over broken glass or hot coals if they sense you like them… which is an important message for teachers too. This sis something I have based my career in teaching on. Show boys more loyalty then you expect to recieve yourself and it pays big time in classroom results. That is why I have a number of boys I mentor and check up on from time to time. Funnily enough these are still the boys that contact me once they leave Huntley.

Boys need specifics. Here are some examples:
They like limits and boundaries. They help them learn. They also like to push against them too so you had better have a backbone if you are raising boys. That is why the boundaries and routines at Huntley work so well for boys.
Boys also respond to think language. If you want to know how a boy feels, just ask him how he thinks... and he’ll probably tell you how he feels.
Boys generally are more impulsive than girls so strategies that help boys think and reflect on their behaviour are really beneficial.
Boys embarrass easily and they generally respond better when they are praised in private, rather than publicly.

I hope you enjoy this little video clip:

Thai night out

2011-04-09T09:26:00.001+12:00

Last night Mrs Gay, Henry, Jack and I took the Thai international students out to a Thai restaurant in Palmerston North. It was a hilarious night as Boom kept us all entertained (Isn't it funny how humour knows no language barrier!) The food was beautiful and the restaurant made it in the original recipes the boys requested. Luckily Nat was able to translate what we were ordering as Boom kept trying to super size his order. Song laughed along and said what can you expect they all come from bangkok except me! We heard a very funny story about Boom dropping a water bomb from the 18th floor to land on the head of the security guard. (Luckily it was during the water festival and the security guard eventually got up again!)

Winter Sports has started

2011-04-08T09:50:00.000+12:00

What a wonderfully enthusiastic lot of boys we have at the moment! They are loving getting into Winter Sports and I enjoyed watching the teams having trials on Thursday afternoon. We can see some new talent already and it is also pleasing to see some of last years boys have really stepped up.

I always turn to the sports pages first, which records people's accomplishments. The front page has nothing but man's failures.
Chief Justice Earl Warren

Picking the right Boarding School for you

2011-04-07T12:36:00.000+12:00

Brad Gay, Headmaster, Huntley School

Picking a boarding school is a difficult decision for a lot of families and it is vital you make the right choice as your son or daughter is going to be working, playing and living there. As Headmaster of Huntley School, a boys boarding preparatory, I am often asked by parents looking for their son’s next step into secondary education, what they should be looking for. Here are some tips I give to these people.

The process of picking a school usually involves sending away for prospectuses and identifying the attributes that either appeal or you are specifically looking for. Writing a checklist can certainly save a lot of time and needless arguing between parents and child.

Things you may look out for are:
Size of school
Co-educational or single sex
Size of classrooms
Educational programmes on offer
Are special education needs catered for?
After school or hostel pastoral care systems
Are you comfortable with the policies of the Hostel?
Quality of boarding facilities
Provisions for clubs or other interests
What is the school’s X Factor? Does it meet the character of your child?

It is especially important to take note of the extra-curricular activities on offer. Facilities on offer can give some insight into the school culture. For example, extensive grounds and playing fields with a near new gymnasium may indicate a preference for sport. A new auditorium capable of seating 500 may indicate strength in performing arts.

The next step is to arrange a visit. Open Days are excellent ways of finding out a wealth of information without the pressure of committing to the school. Take a list of questions with you, as it is far too easy to forget once the tour has started. Often pupils give these tours and they are a mine of information that the Principal has no direct control over. Give the school information about your child and wait and see how good their follow up is. A letter at the very least thanking you for attending should be forth coming, but some schools go much further than this. A personalized invitation to come back and have a closer look is not unusual and gives you the opportunity to return armed with a list of further questions. If visiting an offsite hostel you may want to ask about facilities the boarders have access to on the weekends. Some hostels are very separate from the schools they serve.

Another option is to attend a school function, such as a play or a music concert as this gives you an insight into the culture of the school.

Finally it is important that your child has the opportunity to be part of the decision making process. After all they are the ones living there for the next 4-5 years.

Recent Visitors

2011-04-06T16:56:00.000+12:00

This week I have had a couple of visitors who have spent some time in the school. The first was an Uncle visiting from London, the second a prospective family and the third was a member of New Zealand Boarding Schools executive.

John who was visiting his nephew sent me the following email:
"I just wanted to send you an email to thank you for allowing me to sit in one of Mitchell's lessons yesterday. His progress with you has been an amazing transformation, even in the short time that he has been there. I couldn't help but notice the rapport that Mark and, as I was walking around the school, all the teachers have with the boys. On a personal and professional level your school is such a positive environment (physically and emotionally) for all of the boys to be a part of and it's no wonder that the boys are able to achive the standards that they strive for."

The prospective family from Palmerston North were impressed with the pride and quiet confidence of the boys showing them around. They have many friends who have sent their sons in the past and although they thought the boarding would be hard to get used to I think they could see the benefits Huntley has to offer boys. They also commented that they felt the new Flexi-Boarding option was a great idea.

Cara Ferris from the New Zealand Boarding Schools Association obviously visits a huge number of schools and she was straight away struck by the positive, calm atmosphere in the school. I must admit it was a beautiful day and the boys were doing some exciting things as we walked around but it was good for me to hear her opinions on our dormitory set ups and the pastoral care in evidence around the school.

Like all schools we want to continue to strive forward but it was also nice to stop and see the boys so obviously enjoying themselves.

Regards
Brad

Everyone has the right to feel safe

2011-04-05T20:49:00.001+12:00

Many parents will have seen on the news the latest story about bullying where a boy is continually hit by another boy until he finally flips and throws the boy down onto the ground. Whilst this is certainly extreme it did create quite a stir among the boys who had various opinons about what happened. As a school we decided to follow this up with the boys to talk about bullying.

Every school in New Zealand has some form of bullying and whilst it tends to be minor verbal bullying here it can develop if it isn't stopped quickly. We talked to the boys about how bullying is repeated verbal or physical intimidation of someone else. We used the Huntley value of Honesty as a way for boys to explore whether they were being honest with themselves when they thought about how they treat each other. At times all boys experience one off verbal exchanges and this is quite normal and part of social learning. However, when these one off remarks are repeated this becomes verbal bullying. Generally with children verbal bullying is more noticable around the 8-10 years of age. This is because they are learning what is socially acceptable and coming to terms with the fact that the world does not revolve around them. They will often say things to earn kudos from their peers, not realising that the opposite often happens and they end up isolating themselves.

We encouraged the boys to be proactive about any verbal exchanges by following the steps:

1, Tell them you don't appreciate them talking to you in that way in a firm but calm way. Walk away.
2, Tell a friend or your godfather.
3, Let your teacher know.
4, Let Mr Edwards or Mr Gay know.
5, Let your parents know and encourage them to talk to your teacher.

We have a number of very good programmes at the school to make sure every boy feels safe in our environment.

Huntley a major piece in the education jigsaw!

2011-03-23T20:24:00.000+13:00

Rodney Lyon from Huntley School helps Marton Sculptor, Stuart Welch, install a piece of his art work alongside the school driveway. This piece is on loan to the school and is for sale, a percentage of the proceeds will go to the school. Headmaster, Brad Gay, felt it was an apt piece to have on display as many parents see Huntley as the piece that has been missing from their son’s education.

Year 8 Camp

2011-03-21T10:35:00.001+13:00

Year 8 Camp
The Crossing

The Swim

Swimming Sports

2011-03-07T20:36:00.000+13:00

Ohakea Field Trip for Year 7

2011-03-07T11:04:00.000+13:00

Rugby World cup visit at Wanganui 2011

2011-03-02T16:52:00.001+13:00

Huntley Triathlon

2011-03-02T16:26:00.000+13:00

The Huntley triathlon was a fantastic day. I would like to thank all the Staff, parent helpers and of course the boys for making the day so successful.

Huntervilles Triathlon

2011-02-23T20:41:00.001+13:00

Beach Trip Sunday 13 Feb

2011-02-13T18:52:00.000+13:00

What a beautiful day at the beach.
Great kids, dedicated staff, happy headmaster!

Some Year 8 Camps

2010-12-09T15:51:00.001+13:00

Dive Camp

Chey's High Jump Record

2010-11-17T01:35:00.000+13:00

Here is a short clip of Chey breaking the highjump record at Athletic sports held on Saturday November 14th 2010.

2005 Old Boy Reunion

2010-11-16T13:03:00.000+13:00

The 2005 Old Boys evening at Orlando Country was a fabulous night. Parents and Staff were all so proud of the young men that we had turned out! It was amazing hearing what the boys from that year group have planned to do. Some were going to be lawyers, one a airline pilot, one already a private in the army, a number going to Lincoln, two going to prep schools in England, several to Cantabury, one going to be a broadcaster, another with a building apprenticeship, one doing a PE degree at Otago, one an arts degree at vic the list just went on and on.

It certainly was an evening to remember and as a Headmaster they were a fantastic example of why you send your sons to Huntley.

Fantastic Hunterville Cross Country Results

2010-11-07T21:12:00.001+13:00

On Friday the 5th of November the Huntley boys headed off to Hunterville for the inter-schools competition. In the Year 4-5 race we performed well with Patrick Tobin running a tight third place and Jack Gay coming fourth. In the Year 6-7 race Harley Transom ran a perfect race to win and Darren Hirchberg followed closely behind to finish 2nd. Jack Kinder also performed well to come in 8th place. In the year 8 race Jamie Gillespie ran extremely well to win the senior race comfortably.

Y8 Winner Jamie Gillespie

Y7 Winner Harley Transom
Y7 2nd Darren Hirschberg

Y5 3rd Patrick Tobin
4th Jack Gay

Junior Shemozzle: Werthmuller’s keep it in the family

2010-11-01T17:06:00.000+13:00

Ben and Hunter Werthmuller fought it out for first place in the Hunterville Junior Shemozzle on Saturday. Ben had won the 2008 and 2009 Shemozzle but it was his younger brother Hunter who took the honours on the day. “I was rapt for Hunter,” Ben said. “The best man won on the day and if I had to lose to someone who better than my own brother!” Ben and Hunter were also running for the Huntley School Team on the day and the third place getter was Jack Kinder, also from Huntley. “We have always supported the Shemozzle as sponsors but due to other sporting clashes we have never been in a position to enter a team. It was quite exciting to see the boys win it on their first attempt,” said Headmaster Brad Gay. The boys will want to give it another go next year and defend their title.

As a school we have been focusing more on multi sport events such as triathlons, duathlons and cycling. This year we entered the National Road Cycling Championships for the second time and managed a creditable 5th in New Zealand. Multi sport is another option for the boys who can do it alongside their current winter and summer sports. The Shemozzle is a fun event but the boys certainly give it their all. Hunter can’t wait to try his new Giant mountain bike on the Huntley School bike track. No doubt Ben will be on hand to take photos with the new camera he won!

Huntley’s new Deputy Headmaster is Sam Edwards

2010-10-26T15:06:00.000+13:00

We had 17 applicants for the Deputy Headmaster’s position. We interviewed five applicants and were pleased with the calibre of candidates. In the end it came down to the best fit for Huntley and we have chosen Sam Edwards.

Sam is married to Rebecca and has a four month old son, Archie. He has experience teaching at Falcons Preparatory School for boys and Wetherby Prep School in England. He is currently second in charge at Weber School and his principal speaks very highly of him. He has been receiving professional development in the Aspiring Principal’s programme and has been working with Carol Lynch(Tim White and Associates) in the AP/DP cluster for Dannevirke. (Carol Lynch has been appraising me as a principal this year.) Carol, also, speaks very highly of Sam and felt he would work well in the Huntley environment. Sam has a bachelor of Education Degree from Massey and a Certificate in Leadership and Management in Schools from Sheffield University. His wife Rebecca is also a trained teacher and will hopefully be able to help with relieving.

Sam is also a skilled sportsman and has played rugby for the Nike New Zealand Youth Team, Hawke’s Bay Colts, Manawatu Colts and the Manawatu Development Squad. He has also been an age group representative cricket player in Southern Hawke’s Bay.

He is a friendly and outgoing young man and I believe he will get on well with the boys, staff and parents. We welcome Sam into the Huntley family.
(Photo to come)

Welcome back to Term Four

2010-10-19T06:24:00.000+13:00

What a frantic start to our busiest term of the year. With Open Day, Gisborne Show and now currently interviewing candidates for the Deputy Headmaster position life sure isn't dull. So far I have interviewed two very strong candidates and am looking forward to interviewing two more today. I am extremely confident that we will have a suitable replacement for Andrew. Those of you that know Andrew therefore know the calibre of applicants must be high. I look forward to announcing the appointment within the next week. We had seventeen applicants for the position and of these eight were of an exceptionally high standard. It certainly shows what high esteem people place in a job at Huntley. I often tell Andrew that he was one of the best decisions I ever made as Headmaster and although extremely sorry to see him leave I am also excited for him as he moves into the field of educational leadership. He is certainly well prepared and will do a fantastic job.

The Gisborne Show was incredibly muddy but also showed the spirit of the community up there. Most other cities would have called it off. Not Gisborne. I could have made a fortune if I had taken a truck load of gumboots. It was lovely catching up with past parents and old boys. We have three potential boys for the future and I managed to have a half hour chat with the Education Minister, Anne Tolley. Whilst not promising anything the Governement are conscious of the difficulties facing independent schools at the moment.

I look forward to seeing you at the Music Concert on Thursday. Remember the concert is not just for grandparents, parents are also expected as well. I am sure we are in for a great show.

Huntley Golf Day & the big wet

2010-09-11T13:21:00.000+12:00

What a fantastic Golf day. We raised over $36,000 on the day.

Christchurch Tour

2010-09-02T13:23:00.000+12:00

What great fun we had. Here is a video clip:

A day in the life

2010-08-13T13:04:00.000+12:00

It's a beautiful day:

Huntley Weekend

2010-08-08T20:20:00.001+12:00

People often ask me what boys get up to at Huntley in the weekend. Here is what they did on this Sunday.

Scootering in the Weekend

2010-08-08T15:15:00.001+12:00

This weekend I took some video footage of the boys on their scooters. Fergus Grant helped with the technical assistance. The rest speaks for itself:

G.D.P Value of the week

2010-08-06T12:29:00.000+12:00

This week Guts, Determination and Pride has been the values of the week. Jack Lord introduced this to the boys and gave a brief quote and the reason why he is showing GDP at the moment. (Jack has damaged his knee and can't play rugby)

I also talked about it in chapel and used Rourke Fraser as an example of how GDP doesn't just have to be shown on the sports field. We talked about Oral Assessments and how nervous some boys get before speaking to the assessor as another way of showing GDP.

Today in Chapel i talked about the following family and how they showed GDP.
Follow the link

Featherston Information Evening

2010-08-02T20:32:00.000+12:00

On Wednesday 28th of July Pam and I ventured over to the Wairarapa to the Tylee's house in Featherston for an information evening. We managed to catch up with a number of past families, old boys and prospective families. It was lovely to be able to hear how some of our recent old boys are getting on in their secondary schools.
In total twenty five people attended the evening and many thanks must go to Tina and Dougal Tylee for their hospitality.

The following day we travelled on to Wellesley to watch over a hundred and twenty boys taking part in a prep exchange. We won all the hockey fixtures, lost all the soccer fixtures and lost one rugby game, won the 2nd XV game and drew the 1st XV game so at the end of the day it was a draw for both schools.

Jazz Band - GUITAR

2010-06-29T14:55:00.000+12:00

JACOB PRITCHARD ON GUITAR FOR THE JAZZ BAND

Blokes night

2010-06-20T20:02:00.000+12:00

Blokes night was a successful night with over 200 blokes and boys attending. The All Blacks did their part by giving us a great game to watch. It was quite stiring hearing the boys and men sing the national anthem. The Blokes consisted of dads, uncles, brothers, grandads and family friends. The naming of blokes night wasn't just a whim. I thought long and hard about it because I wanted the night to be a time when boys could identify with a significant male in their lives. Originally I had thought of calling it "Lads and Dads" but immediately I saw the problem with this; not all boys have dads immediately available to them. The idea for Blokes Night came after a conversation with Celia Lashlie who suggested that rights of passage such as this are important for boys in their progress towards manhood. I'm currently reading Maggie Hamilton's book, "What's happening to our boys?" (2010) she devotes a chapter to exactly this type of event called "Young boys in need of good blokes". In this she explores a lot of what I believe is good practice for our boys. Things like the importance of one on one dad time. Making sure that boys have access to good male role models. Encourage boys to enjoy the excitement of boyhood, but also provide the wisdom of approaching manhood.

Lessons on Life from Nelson Mandela

2010-06-10T12:30:00.000+12:00

Over Queens Birthday weekend I read a book called Mandela's way: Lessons on life
I then went through and pulled out the pieces of advice I found thought provoking. These are some of them:

The rarest thing in the world is to come out as a truly mature man.

Courage is not the absence of fear. In fact absence of fear is not to care about consequences. Fear is the day to day facing of ones frailties.

Pretend to be brave and very soon you become brave.

Control, self control, is the mastery of self. Taking measured steps. Self Discipline, and the ability to remain calm. Don’t hurry; think analyze, then act.

His view is that leaders must know when to be seen leading from the front. Sometimes admitting you were wrong when no one else knew you were wrong is the right thing to do.

Leadership at its most basic is making sure people are heading in the right direction-usually by changing their direction or their thinking.

Ubuntu, the ideal that people are empowered by other people, that we become our best selves through unselfish interaction with others.

The greater wisdom of the group compared to the individual, always achieves better results.

Look the part. To be a true leader you have to first look like one. Wear the right clothes be meticulous with what you wear. Stand up straight and command with your presence.

You only have one chance to make a first impression.

One cannot be completely open about ones emotions. Yes, emotions may be authentic and this a modern virtue but one can be authentic without fully showing all emotions.

Have a core principal; Every one has equal rights, regardless of race, class or gender. Pretty much everything else is a tactic. Be prepared to change and adapt as long as it is heading towards that principal.

Seeing the good in people will encourage the good to come out in people.

He assumes other people have integrity and honour and because of this it attracts people with integrity and honour. It can however lead to being taken for granted or a ride.

Know your enemy. Research thoroughly your closest rivals and keep them close to you.

A young man could not decide who he should marry so travelled the world and on return to his village saw the girl; who had grown up in the next hut. “That will be my wife.”
Did he know this because he matured and realised because of his travels that this was the right women for him? Or was he stupid and naïve not to see the beauty living right beside him? Both thing are correct. In life their can often be two truths that seem somewhat opposing but it doesn’t mean they are not both correct or achieve a similar end. Cultivate a custom to think of both or even several sides to a problem. Often leaders think they have to be strong and say yes or no when “Maybe” is the correct answer.

Saying no is something that must be done and when it is better to say it early. Always ask yourself am I putting this off for the right reasons or because I don’t want to have to face the truth.

Think long term. Have a long term vision and continue to aim for it.

Find your own garden a place that brings peace to your soul. (He was given a place for a garden while in prison) For me this is the beach.

Meet my needs first!

2010-06-03T12:26:00.000+12:00

In an informal study in Newsweek (Tyre, Scelfo, & Kantrowitz, 2004) found that children expect to nag parents nine times before getting what they want. In today’s culture boys expect to get what they want when they want it. They do not intend to wait. They come first.

Many schools unknowingly aid this assumption by giving out rewards for dubious efforts because it is that boys turn to get something. This “everyone must feel good about themselves” attitude is exactly what these children don’t need! They get everything at a push of a button, Ipod’s, PSP’s, DVD’s. When boys realise that effort grades are just not given out that they have to earn them there are a fair number who think this is unfair. Who are you as my teacher to expect me to have to put in any effort? Why do you think you should be able to keep me accountable when my parents have never tried?

The boys at Huntley very quickly learn that they don’t always get what they want. They learn to appreciate that some things are worth trying for. They realise that Mum and Dad aren’t always going to be there to make excuses for them, so they face up to their shortcomings and move on. It is very rare for parents not to back the school in this way. Parents that make excuses for their son’s behaviours all the time are generally the reason their son is in the trouble he’s in. In my time as Headmaster, I know of one parent who didn’t believe us when we suspected their son had stolen something. “My son would never do that!” If we had the back up of that parent at the time he may not be now attending his third high school.

Jacob is an example of boy who responds to authentic praise!

At Huntley when boys get praise it is authentic. It means something to him because he knows we don’t just hand out awards to every boy. As I write this I have just had five boys from Mr McAlley's room sent to me for their outstanding effort in the recent examinations. They weren't the top of the class but they all realised that for their ability they had out performed their own expectations. How exciting is that for a boy! This is how you build true self esteem. Don’t get me wrong I am all for praise and guidance. I believe in the inherent good in every boy and work hard to make sure that the boy knows exactly what I think his strengths are. He also understands what his weaknesses are and what I feel he can do to improve. I was horrified a number of years ago when I heard a staff member say I can’t stand that boy. I took that staff member aside and explained that the boy was 10 and had problems. He had social problems but he would never get better if that staff member wrote him off. In other words they had to be the bigger person. As a consequence that boy went on to succeed and I was delighted that he was made a prefect in his last year of secondary school. It was one of the nicest letters of congratulations I have ever had to write. A learning healthy school uses discipline as a learning process rather than a system of retribution. If a staff member really wants to earn the respect of the boys they must be unwaveringly fair and consistent. Boys have a righteous sense of fairness, some of it misguided, but there just the same. A staff member or parent who takes the time to explain what the boy did wrong is a long way down the road to earning that boys respect.

I guess the purpose of this written piece is to emphasise to parents, boys and staff that it doesn’t hurt anyone of us to see the best in all of us. We all make mistakes and this is where real learning takes place. If we live by values, like the Huntley Values: Tolerance, Responsibility, Kindness, Enthusiasm, Service, Respect, Honesty and G.D.P then we can truly “Prepare boys for the adventure of life.”

Book week for the boys

2010-05-31T22:01:00.000+12:00

This week is book week at Huntley and the boys and staff started the week off with our, “Dress up as Characters Day.” This is one of the highlights of the week for the boys and I’m sure a lot of parents heaved a heavy sigh of relief to finally find the costume for their son. The Staff get right into the dressing up as well, but the real objective of the day is to highlight to the boys the favourite books of staff and their peers. The mid-winter Christmas lunch was another highlight of the day and certainly added to the festive atmosphere.

Over the week the school has guest readers and visiting authors such as Stu Duvall. The inter squad book quiz, book mark competition, and reading log challenge are all part of this exciting week.

Book week is all about reading and this is especially important for boys. At Huntley the hallmark of success for a reader is when boys truly start reading for pleasure. It is important that staff are good examples to our students. Headmaster Brad Gay reads extensively. “During term time I tend to read professional texts. This term for example I have already read: James Popham's, "The Truth About Testing", Douglas Reeves, "The Learning Leader", Neila Connors, "If you don't feed the teachers They eat the students", Sheena Cameron, "Teaching Reading Comprehension Strategies". My last great read was Maurice Gladwell's "Tipping Point". I am currently reading Gladwell's, "Blink". I also read a number of boys books so I keep up to date with what they are reading. Currently I am reading Morris Glietzman's book "Then" the sequel to "Once". During holidays I read a variety of novels. I have been reading Robert Jordan's Series lately. 12 Volumes recommended to me by a student two years ago!”

Huntley teaches reading in a similar way to mainstream schools but with some differences designed to especially engage the boys. The library for example has a huge array of non-fiction books, and the fiction section is stocked with boy friendly books. Many of the books are series books as boy's love to read these. Robert Muchamore’s Cherub series is a firm favourite at the moment. It has all the hallmarks of a great series for boys. The character is a boy, he is a spy, he faces danger, and he has a certain amount of power. He is a boy’s boy.

Book week sends out the message to the boys that reading is a worthwhile important part of their education. Research tells us that if children cannot read their ability to comprehend and make sense of what they are being taught is greatly impaired. Book week is fun way of highlighting this to the boys.

Huntley Headmaster wants ugly planning from teachers

2010-05-20T11:16:00.000+12:00

As part of Huntley School’s professional development Headmaster, Brad Gay is asking his teachers to produce ugly planning. What this means is that he wants to see teachers viewing planning as a working, living document that changes constantly to ensure boys needs are met. Sometimes planning can be seen as a legislative requirement to “tick” the box for outside agencies. These plans look beautiful because they don’t change they hide in a clear file and a pulled out for Education Review Office (ERO) audits. At Huntley we want our planning to be reactive to the needs of the boys as they arise. Sometimes this means adapting plans, reflecting on what is working and what is not and making the appropriate changes to best suit the individuals or collective class.

Teachers use school wide data from national tests such as P.A.T.’s (Progressive Achievement Tests) to write their class appraisals and inform their next steps they intend to take with their classes. They then use formative data throughout the year to ascertain whether they are meeting the goals they have set for their class. Ugly planning ensures that teachers are reflecting on their teaching constantly to improve the way they teach. This sees true professional growth and also ensures the boys get the best possible input into their learning.

What drives me?

2010-05-13T22:13:00.000+12:00

On Open Day a parent asked whether I had trouble with pushy or angry parents. To me it was a funny question. Yes, parents can sometimes have high expectations but I don't have a problem with this. In my experience you only get angry parents if you have really ineffective teachers. This explains why we don't get many angry parents! A strong staff leads to a strong school and happy boys and parents. In my view parents send us the best boys they can raise! It is up to us as teachers to build on this. At the end of the day it is not the newest programmes that make a school it is dedicated teachers that make a school great. We have dedicated teachers with an amazing reputation for caring for their charges. Most parents and boys come to Huntley because they have heard fantastic things about the school. As Headmaster my job is to set the tone for the school. If I fail to do this I have also failed the staff, parents and ultimately the boys. This is what drives me.

Open Day

2010-05-09T19:59:00.000+12:00

Open Day saw 25 new families enter the school for tours with our Year 8 boys. Many commented on the confidence of the boys and what great guides they were. It was obvious that the boys really love the school and are proud to be a pupils here. The boys are the ones that convince prospective parents that this is the place for their sons. Their open honest opinions about life at Huntley are a vital ingredient in the decision making process for new parents.

I would also like to thank all the Parents and Staff that helped out on the day.

Ducks and assessment!

2010-05-06T16:55:00.000+12:00

DUCKS
Yesterday we had Buck Gardner visit us.
Buck is a professional Duck Caller, some of you may have seen him on TV a week ago. He is a very nice man and the boys absolutely loved his talk. Many Thanks to Giles Standford for organising this.
Left to right Bradley Gardner, Brad Gay, Buck Gardner, Tracey (Mooses Sports)
Check out his website
http://www.buckgardner.com/
(This was done outside class time)

Assessment Parents and learners have a right to quality assessment feedback that gives indication as to progress made, learning strengths and weaknesses, what the learner needs to do to build on strengths and address weaknesses and what we all need to do to help the learner get there. It is also not unreasonable for a learner to know where their strengths and weaknesses are comparative to their peers. The image of the learning triangle with the child supported by the teacher and the home is a powerful one. We need to engage our school community in the assessment discussion. If we are to truly personalise learning we must ensure that the contexts for learning are truly authentic, that the child’s voice is heard, that our Learning Communities are informed and supported, that our schools are appropriately resourced and that teachers and school principals are nurtured, challenged, informed and most importantly affirmed.

Today we had our first re-vamped Quality Learning Circle QLC as a staff. It was wonderful hearing the staff talking about best practice and new innovations they are trying in their classrooms. The short two week goals they had set for their classes had very positive results and many staff feel the boys are starting to identify vocabulary outside of their lessons. This increased awareness in vocabulary is a positive spin off for all concerned.

National Standards

2010-05-04T15:01:00.000+12:00

On Monday 3rd of May Mrs Shand and I flew up to Auckland to attend the Independent Prep Schools course to look at how we will be implementing National Standards. It was an excellent day and a fantastic initiative by the Independent Schools to use our combined expertise to ensure the National Standards are meaningful for schools, parents and most improtantly the pupils. One of my concerns about National Standards is that they run the risk of teachers teaching to the tests and not teaching in the best interests of the pupils. I left feeling relieved that the other heads agreed that whatever stance we take the National Standards should inform what we are teaching our pupils. The data collected for National Standards should be used by teachers to work out where the needs are for their class and individual students. It should help them plan the next steps for them to help their students make meaningful strides in their own learning.

No one disagreed with National Standards as a concept but many were unstandably worried about how schools data could be used and interpreted by media. We will be looking at what we assess and report to try and make the reporting process more understandable for parents. Our aim is that parents have a clear understanding of where their sons are at and what we intend to do about this. Parents should see progress made throughout the year relative to their sons ability.

Duck shooting fever

2010-04-28T19:32:00.000+12:00

A number of very excited boys are looking forward to duck shooting this weekend. I am looking forward to taking my own two sons over to Hawke's Bay for a shoot. I remember well the excitement when I was a boy. There was the ritual of going and getting our licences, decoys and ammo. Dad would bring the gun out for cleaning and start practising the duck caller around the house, much to mum's disgust. The morning of duck shooting was another ritual of waking up early getting the lunch mum had made and heading to my uncle's house for an early morning breakfast. I remember well the earnest looks to see if it was light enough to go to the dam. The first flutter of wings, the boom of the first shot.

These are all special memories of my time with my father and I am pleased I can offer my own sons these same memories. It is important for boys to have these special times with their fathers or some other significant male role model. These special rites are important for boys to bond with their dads and that is why we try and let as many boys as possible attend opening morning.

Quality Learning Circles

2010-04-23T05:58:00.000+12:00

Quality Learning Circles are opportunities for staff to work collaboratively togther to enhance their professional development. They do this through a series of theoretical and practical readings, classroom observations that are then evaluated and discussed with colleagues. Teachers are encouraged to make changes to their existing programmes to enhance their teaching in specific areas of identified student need.

Over the holidays I have been preparing a series of professional readings for staff as part of our school wide goal to improve vocabulary within the school. The process involves splitting the staff into two groups and having them reflect on the readings throughout the next two terms and then apply this new knowledge using the "teaching as inquiry" model. We have collated data about all the boys and are now using this to inform our teaching. Using ongoing formative data we are going to be constantly evaluating the boys progress and the new interventions we as teachers are using.

The aim by the end of the year is to have raised students vocabulary level and this in turn will have positive spin off effects in their writing, reading and comprehension. I am working with Carol Lynch from Tim White and Associates as part of the Experienced Principals Development Group. I am finding it professionally very rewarding and it has enabled us as a school to inform how we approach our professional development.