Kia ora, School. Please be seated. 

I now invite Patrick Hoyt-Swinburn forward to deliver today’s reading 

Today’s reading comes from the Proverbs 4, Verses 25-26 

“Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. 

Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure.” 

This is the word of the Lord…….. (Thanks be to God) 

Rectors Comments:    

Thank you, Patrick 

Today’s reading was all about maintaining your focux, and with the Year 9s and 10s starting exams next week, I thought it would be a good idea to remind you about some really helpful exam study tips before you head off for the weekend to get ready for next week.  

Year 9s this will very much be last minute reminders for you, and Year 10s have a more days to be build these ideas into your study routines if they aren’t already part fo your plan. Yr 7/8s you can reflect on whether you put any of these strategies into action when you did your exams last week. 

1. Plan a study timetable 

• Over the weekend and for each day and night next week, make a plan of what you’ll study so that you cover everything. The plan should cover a variety of subjects. Allocate more time to subjects you find challenging. 

• Plan difficult tasks for when you work best, easier ones for when you’re more tired. 

• Set yourself a goal for a given amount of time e.g. one topic for an hour. Focus on one task at a time. 

• Include important things like sleep, exercise, breaks, meals in your study plan 

Life at Lindisfarne made reference to some strategies you an use during your study.  

Active Learning 

• Actively engage with your study material by summarising, teaching a friend, or creating flashcards. 

• Practice by testing yourself on what you've learned. This reinforces your memory and understanding. 

Practice Past Exam questions or papers: 

• Past exam papers are invaluable resources for understanding the format and types of questions that may appear in your exams. 

• Use these papers for timed practice to simulate exam conditions. 

2. Prepare your study area 

• Give yourself the best environment to work in, preferably a quiet private space where you can shut the door to keep out noise, with enough light, a comfortable chair, and little to no distractions.  

• Sit down at a desk of table with all that you need – and only the things you’ll need - like any books, notes or stationery 

• Remove what you don't need. A rule of thumb is if it doesn’t help you study, it shouldn’t be on your desk.  Eg lots of irrelevant notes and books or cell phones 

• Have some water and healthy snacks on hand. This is something so simple but really effective to help you concentrate and avoid interrupting your study time.  

3. Keep healthy: eat, sleep and move 

• Taking care of your health and wellbeing will really help you study at your best by improving your memory, mood and energy levels 

• When it comes to sleep, get enough – seven to nine hours is a good benchmark.  Avoid screens for about an hour before bed 

• Staying hydrated, eating three meals, and sticking to healthy snacks throughout the day will give you the fuel you need to focus. If you’re feeling a bit lethargic, try getting outside for some fresh air and get moving.  

• A good 20-30 minutes of exercise but even a walk around the block between study sessions will do you good! 

4. Minimise distractions and Don’t Procrastinate 

• To study effectively you need to avoid distractions as much as possible.  

• Keep your phone on silent and well out of the way. 

• If you do find yourself turning to your phone to procrastinate, stop and take a proper break instead.  

• Procrastination often creeps in because you’re having trouble starting a task – it seems too hard, too boring or maybe too much. The best thing to do is to break it down! Small, achievable steps will get you going and stop you procrastinating. 

• If you’re still having trouble starting sit down and commit just 10 minutes. Aim for starting, not perfection, and remember that something is better than nothing. 

5. Take breaks 

1. Take regular breaks away from your study area and do something different to rest and reenergise.  

1. Studying hard means having reasonable goals and rewarding yourself when you achieve them.  

1. If you can stick to your study plan and get though the day, give yourself a reward at the end of the day because you need a balance too. 

1. And, remember if you're feeling overwhelmed or stressed, be sure to chat to a friend, family member or your teacher.  

Don’t forget to make the most of your teachers in these last few days before examination. I’ve had 4 or 5 or my students asking to spend a little bit of extra time out of class going over tricky topics and that’s great when students ask for that help It shows that you really care about these exams and you can be certain that your teachers want you to do well. 

A few practical things for next week: 

1. Make sure you know the day and time for each exam. Keep your exam timetable safe. Report to the hall at least 5 minutes prior to the start of each examination. Do not go to tutor time for your morning exams. 

1. Make sure you know the venue. If you’re getting reader/writer help make sure you know where you’re meeting. 

1. Have all your equipment for each exam. This weekend you may have to ask Mum or dad to take you to the shops to pick up stationery. Make sure you’ve got pens and spare pens. Rulers, Pencils, erasers, calculators. 

1. Make use of the study time you get during the week. Yr 9s you get pd 3 Mon and Tue. Year 10s you have a few days of normal classes to work with your teachers before exams start. 

All the very best for your exams next week boys and I look forward to seeing how you all go when the results start to come in. 

Please join me in singing the National Anthem.  

Rectors speaks. 

Thank you, please be seated. 

We will now have a musical item from Year 9 Liam King and Mr Dave Boston.  

Rector speaks – thank you Liam and Mr Boston.  

I’ll now ask Mr Petersen to come forward to present today's Sports report.  

Sports Report 

Rugby League 

A couple weeks ago Ardie J Smith, Waikariki Hunia, Jed Bruce, Hunter Manaena and Fergus Benefield, played in a HB rugby league tournament for Bridge Pā Grizzlies and they won their grade.  A fantastic effort boys. 

Derek Ward Secondary School Tennis Champs 

On Tuesday the Derek Ward Memorial Trophy Secondary Schools Championship and Hawke’s Bay Junior Residentials was held in Havelock. 

Congratulations to Saul Ramonteu-Chiros for winning both competitions. In the final he had a hard fought 3 set win decided by a super tiebreaker winning 10-4. Other players to feature from Lindisfarne were Harry Reed finishing 4th, Hunter Reed finishing 5th, Cooper Ellingham finishing 7th and Lachlan Foley finishing 8th. 

Sports Pr 

izegiving 2023 

Would the following boys please come forward: Nate Solomon and Jake Dickey.  

Nate Solomon – NZ Softball Rep U14 

Will Worthington-Thin – Intermediate Champion in Swimming 

Jake Dickey – NZ Optimist Yachting Rep and Cup winner for best intermediate school sailor. Jake also recently returned from competing for NZ in the Asians and Oceanic Sailing Championship in Abu Dhabi. There were 170 sailors from 29 countries competing.  Jake made the gold fleet in a strong position and after a very competitive finals day with 4 races back to back finished 44th overall being the 2nd Oceanic sailor and top New Zealand sailor at event. The NZL team also received a gold medal for Oceanic first equal on the teams racing day. 

Thank you, Mr Petersen. I’ll now ask Taurere Whiunui (Year 9) to present this week’s Cultural report. 

Cultural report 

Pipe Band Play Out 

Yesterday our pipe band performed in the community in both Hastings and Havelock North. Eight pipers and five drummers played first at the clock tower in Hastings, they then traveled to the top of Te Mata Peak and played in stunning weather while walkers and visitors enjoyed listening to the music. The band played very well, and it was great to see our youngest pipers from years 7, 8 and 9 perform with the band.  Pipe Major Fergus Morunga led the boys excellently. Thank you to Mr Dunnett and Dr Kristensen for organizing the trip and driving vans. 

Music Instrument Try Out Day 

On Tuesday there were a lot of boys that took the opportunity to try out a musical instrument in the music room. They got to see what it’s like to play a trombone, saxophone, guitar, and drums. Thanks to Fergus Morunga who taught a group of juniors how you start learning to play the chanter and bagpipes. Thanks also to the other junior musicians who helped on the day with demonstrations of instruments.  

Have a great weekend. 

Thank you boys and thank you Taurere.  

Rector speaks 

I wish you all a safe and enjoyable weekend and all the best to Yr 9 & 10 for exam preparation. 

I’ll now invite Year 9 student Liam McEntee to close our assembly in prayer. 

Article added: Friday 17 November 2023