Wisdom through learning : Akona to matauranga kia mōhio 28 SEPTEMBER 2017
PLANTING TREES FOR CANTERBURY
ROUND THE BARRELS IN AUSTRALIA
YEARS 9 AND 10 PRE-FORMAL PHOTO PAGE
AL’S AWAR NCIP DS PRI
Principal’s Comments I attended Year 8 Camp at Mount Hutt Lodge last week and enjoyed an opportunity to see our students participating in abseiling, initiative activities, archery, art, and mountain biking. Year 8 Camp is a busy three days for the students. Thank you to the staff and parents who attended and Mr Dickens who organised the camp. These camps enable students to learn important skills in a unique environment. At assembly this week, the winners of the Big Day Out reward trip were drawn. The Young Achiever Awards give us an opportunity to recognise students who have consistently performed to our expectations, represented the school and been involved in service roles for the school. This year, the students on the Big Day Out will be choosing from a range of Christchurch-based entertainment options such as Mega Air, Laser Strike and Ten Pin Bowling. Thank you to the Malvern Lions who come to the school to raise funds for the Big Day Out. Congratulations to the competitors who participated in the Talent Quest on Tuesday evening. The final showcased some great performances and was an enjoyable and entertaining production. Thank you to Mrs Balchin and the rest of the organisers and helpers for putting on such a good event. If you want to be a successful sportsperson you need to practise your sport regularly, and
very regularly before games. If you want to be a successful musician, you need to practise with your instrument regularly, and very regularly before important performances. If you want to be successful with academic studies you need to practise answering questions regularly, and very regularly before exams. NCEA Exams begin in less than six weeks so, for those sitting them: don’t procrastinate; if you don’t know what or how to study, then see your teacher. There is a wide range of resources and support available for students; however, my top five study tips are:
Tatiana Little Nathan Croy
Student Trustee Election Congratulations to George Brown on his election as Student Trustee until September 2018. Thank you to the other students who were nominated: Callum Jones, Michelle Bruce, and Natasha Young.
Big Day Out
1.
Make a plan of what to study and when
2.
Find out exactly what you need to study for each exam
3.
Do lots and lots of practice exam questions
4.
Ask for help when needed—be specific
At assembly this week, names were drawn from each year level for Big Day Out trip coming up in Term 4:
5.
Start now
Hanel Blom
Alyssa Cruickshank
Students could also try www.studyit.org. nz as a starting point for some useful NCEA study information and support.
Eloise Dance
Tessa Mitchell
Gus Thomas
Adriana Cornelissen
I wish you all a relaxing term break (except for senior students who need to be working hard to prepare for their exams!).
Grace Earle
George Gibb
Bridget Leach
Katie Sharp
James Morris
Selwyn Video Competition Caleb Blackler and Kohen Earl produced a video, Nature can be Beautiful with No Rubbish, for the recent Selwyn Environmental Video Competition. Mrs Oliver, their tutor, attended the Awards ceremony held in Lincoln and was delighted to accept the certificates and prize pack for the students. While they were too shy to appear for a photo, they were proud to have won and to show their certificates.
Congratulations to the following students who have earned five Deans Awards. They are presented with a certificate in assembly and receive a $10 voucher.
Jack Chillingworth Emily Klaassens Ewen Lalor
Edward Manson
Zoe Spinks
Caitlin Gibb
Nik Hodgman
Josh May
Jordan Russell
Mequa Strowger
Tamzin Brunton
Emily Cullen
Ria Kelly
Amanda-Jane Jones
Paula Smith
Travis Abraham
Olly Blackburn
Aneliz Gardner
Jasmine Inch
Callum Summerfield
Rory Perrin
Charlotte O'Reilly
Ruben Serra
Jessica Stead
Nicolas McLaren-Kirkwood
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School Rewards Programme Thank you to all those families who purchased footwear from The Athlete's Foot. Because of this, our school received a large selection of sports gear, including backpacks, gear bags, cricket sets, football and basketballs. Last week, Simon Rells visited us from the Riccarton store and presented all these goodies to James Morris. If you have not heard of this great rewards programme for schools, see the advert in the notices section of this newsletter.
Supporters' Evening
Commerce Students Visit the Darfield Bakery Each year, the Board and staff of DHS like to take time to recognise the contribution made by supporters of our school. It is a convivial evening where we join together, have a bite to eat and a drink, and pause to acknowledge the variety of volunteer support they provide. Across the school, help is provided by coaching sports teams, helping at camps, assisting at assessment time, catering at events, and providing work experience and interview practice. We are humbled by the many members of the community who give freely of their valuable time to help us regularly throughout the year. Last Thursday was recognition of that and it was a great night!
Library Books
The Year 11 Commerce students had the pleasure of having Daryl Collier, the owner of the Darfield Bakery, come in and share his business experiences. During a question and answer session, he shared his knowledge about business successes, and the challenges you face along way. On Monday, the students then had the opportunity to see the operations of the Bakery and make connections to the information they learned during the question and answer session. Some of the highlights included seeing the oven that was large enough to stand in and can bake 240 pies at one time, sampling some of the products and, of course, looking highly fashionable in the health and safety regulation hair nets.
Please check under your bed, in your backpack and around your house for any library books and return them this week.
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YEAR 8 CAMPS
At Year 8 Camp, we did many different fun activities. We played intiative games where we had to work together as a team to complete various activities. We also got to abseil down a rock which was pretty scary, but others in my group helped me get through it. Each group had to do breakfast, lunch or dinner preparation or clean up. It may not have been fun, but it taught us how to make some meals. My favourite thing about camp would have to have been the free time, just sitting on the haybales talking with friends and just having fun. I would love to go back and sit on the haybales with my friends again. I have brought back so many good memories from camp! Rhiannon Alexander-Lamb
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Planting Trees for Canterbury I joined a Te Ara Kākāriki Greenway Canterbury Tust volunteer planting day. I went to three different places and helped to plant 1200 plants. I'd never planted a tree, so I learnt how to first. It looked easy, but it was hard for me because the plastic for covering the trees blew away in the wind and the ground was hard. I didn't think that planting is such hard work, so I thought I have to preserve nature and respect the people that work for the environment. The staff told us why we are planting the plants. 100 years ago, the flood destroyed trees and suddenly a river appeared there. The river changes its course every year. Thus we are planting many plants to stop it. I'd thought it was for typical things such as the environment before I listened to the story. So I was surprised and convinced. I had sandwiches at lunch time. And then, I talked to some of the other volunteers. Actually I couldn't talk so much and I just listened to their talking, but I was happy to learn many things from them. I really enjoyed this event! I'd like to join it again. And I'd like to come to see these trees some years later.
Vodafone Email Vodafone will turn off its email accounts, including Clear and Paradise accounts, on 30 November and will encourage customers to set up free email accounts with either Google or Microsoft. The decision follows months of problems with high levels of spam and delayed mail. The following email providers are affected: • • • • • • • • •
vodafone.net.nz vodafone.co.nz ihug.co.nz wave.co.nz quik.co.nz pcconnect.co.nz paradise.net.nz clear.net.nz es.co.nz
Parents are asked to let us know their new email addresses to so that we can continue to have a smooth experience emailing reports, newsletters and notices, accessing the web portal, etc. Please email admin@darfield.school.nz
Mizuho Iwasaki
Student Teachers We welcomed student teacher, Emily McIntyre (right), to school recently and she has been working with Mrs Lee in the History and Social Studies classes. However, this week we say goodbye to both Emily and Finn LeSueur and we wish them well.
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Brayden Barnhill and Georgie Opie
RED ALERT! The Rolleston Warehouse currently have Darfield High School trackpants priced at $34.98 down from $69.99. You may also be able to purchase these from the school in limited sizes.
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World Vision 40 Hour Famine Awards Night Recently, World Vision held their Awards Night for schools and groups who participated and did well in the 40 Hour Famine this year. Over 30 schools attended from all over the South Island. Representatives for our senior and junior students were Joseph Feltell, Caleb Banks, Katie Sharp, Monique Weber and Tamara McMillan (below left). They were caught by surprise when Darfield High School was the first school announced as a recipient of an Excellence Award! Luckily Caleb gathered his thoughts enough to head on stage to collect it (above left). Alex Hitchmough (School Partnership Manager) said: "Darfield High School has been an incredible partner to World Vision, enabling meaningful, sustainable change for vulnerable children all over the world, and empowering your own students in the process. This is amazing! On behalf of World Vision and the children we serve, I would like to say a huge thank you to you and the school community for such empathy and belief in the work that World Vision does both here and there." She also sent us the data below to showcase how much we have achieved together so far: • • • • •
Number of years in partnership with World Vision: 36 years Total invested over those years: $114,294.10 Average annual donation: $3174.83 Highest fundraising year: $8682 in 2012 Total invested in 2017: $5372.60
Concours de Cuisine Last Thursday, we took part in the 2017 French cooking competition. This is a “Masterchef” like competition for high school students studying French. Teams of three or four students from different schools in Christchurch have two hours to cook a meal and impress the French judges. Students must work with recipes written in French and present their dishes to the judges in French! This year, the competition was held at Shirley Boys’ High. Above: Leah, Rowan, Niamh and Lucy— champions with their cup and prizes Top right: Zara Woodward, Alex Gerritsen, Mme Juhel and Ethan Spence with their presentation Below right: Niamh Guy, Rowan Hickey, Leah Hamilton-Cross, and Lucy Mitchell with Mme Juhel
In the five years the competition has been running, Darfield High has won four times! This is normally a competition for senior high school students; however, this year the competition was opened to Year 9 students, so we were able to enter two teams—a Year 9 team and a Year 10 team. Each year there is a theme. This year's theme was Chocolate, so we had to make a main and a dessert with chocolate incorporated into it. So for our main course we made a beef stew called Daube de Boeuf à la Gasconne; it has dark chocolate and red wine in the sauce! For our dessert, we made Mousse au Chocolat Blanc (white chocolate mousse).
to compete against senior students, but we didn't need to be nervous, as we ended up winning and kept the streak of wins going for Darfield. We all had a really great time in this competition as it was so much fun. We highly recommend you give it a go if you are studying French next year. Thank you and au revoir Niamh Guy and Leah Hamilton-Cross
The second Darfield team made a chicken breast, marinated and served in a chocolate sauce and, for dessert, they served chocolate éclairs. The Darfield Year 9 team members were the only Year 9s competing this year, so we were a bit nervous as we were the youngest and had
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Years 9 and 10 Pre- Formal Night
Photographer: Matthew Grigg
High Achievement Awards—Sporting and Cultural (Replacing Colours and Letters Awards from 2017) Purpose: To recognise students who have performed to a high level in sports or cultural activities. Students will be recognised at the end-of-year Prizegiving for their year level with a certificate that describes the level of achievement and a badge with the year of attainment. Eligibility Criteria
Supporting Criteria
Individual Sports Performance:
Where appropriate:
•
Top three place in Canterbury, South Island or National Competition
•
•
Sporting examples: Athletics, Swimming, Cross Country, Triathlon, Equestrian, Skiing, Cycling, Shooting
The recipient should have demonstrated a high level of sportsmanship eg, showing fairness, playing within the spirit of the game, being willing to accept decisions from coaches and umpires/referees and displaying a sporting attitude towards opponents.
•
Cultural examples: Shakespeare Competition, Theatre Sports, Art Awards and Exhibitions
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The recipient must have demonstrated a high level of dedication to their activity. They must show reliability and a positive attitude to attending practices and training.
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Service to their activity should be demonstrated through willingness to coach, referee, or assist in the organisation of the activity.
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Students should represent the school in their chosen activity where possible.
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In their general behaviour within the school, recipients should have maintained positive relationships with their peers and staff. They should be cooperative, reliable and trustworthy individuals.
Representative Team: •
Selection and participation in a representative team or group in a national or international competition.
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For example: Canterbury Hockey, Canterbury Country Rugby, Canterbury Country Netball, Selwyn Football Representative Team.
Group Cultural Performance: •
Selection and participation in a group who perform nationally or compete in the finals of a national competition.
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Cultural examples: National Youth Orchestra, Sheila Winn Shakespeare Competition, Kapahaka.
Nominations can be forwarded to Mrs Karen Armstrong for sport, Mrs Andie Hanson for Drama, Mrs Rachel Balchin for Music, Mrs Louise Carey for Art and Ms Hiria Williams for Te Reo Maori.
Let's Get Physical!
Year 13 Physical Education students are working on a Health unit about influencing participation in physical activity and lately they have been working with Year 7 students. Dodgeball (above), Capture the Flag, and Touch are some games they have played with them. They then reflect and evaluate how influential they have been.
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with Georgie Sarginson
Recently I was selected with 11 other students from other High Schools around New Zealand, ranging from Dunedin to Kaitaia, to represent our country in the Trans-Tasman High School Challenge in Queensland, Australia. The three rodeos consist of steer riding, barrel racing, bull riding and breakaway roping. During the 10 days we were away, we travelled to Cappella, Rockhampton and Yeppoon to compete against the Australian High School team. The two other barrel racers and I were given different horses to ride at each rodeo; this made it more challenging but also gave me a great experience of riding horses unlike my own. The bulls were certainly another step up from what our bull riders are used to in New Zealand. Unfortunately, Australia came out on top; however, at the last rodeo, I managed to get a win for the team. The Australian rodeo families were extremely hospitable and we were extremely lucky to have Charlie Halley as our coach/manager. Overall, the trip was an amazing experience and opportunity, and I would like to thank Concrete Cutting 2U for sponsoring me.
SI SS Gynastics Championships
Excellent Result for Students at Porters Ski Derby
Primary Ski Derby photos.
Early in September, Blakely BruceSheppard (above centre) competed in the South Island Gymnastics Championship held in Timaru, Out of 60 competitors she placed 1st in Vault and 6th overall.
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On 13 September, over 100 students from local schools took part in this competition with excellent conditions and had a really fun and enjoyable day. Jordan Yaxley placed first in Years 7–8 Boy and Mari Henderson was the fastest Years 7–8 Girl. The Darfield Mixed Team: Jordan Yaxley, Tom Freeman, Mari Henderson and Monique Weber (above) were winners in the Years 7–8 Mixed team and first overall, and the photo above shows them with their trophy. Well done!
28 SEPTEMBER 2017
Koru Games
A group of students from Darfield High School recently competed in the Koru Games, a school tournament for intermediate-aged students run by the Selwyn Trust. The Koru Games is a big sport tournament that schools come from all around the South Island to compete in. It is a fun, active way to bond with your classmates and try different sports. There are many sports that you could do, such as Football, which is what we were involved with. Day One was definitely a wet one which meant mud, mud and more mud, but still we all played as well as we could and had a great time.
Day Two was even better. We began to work better in our teams and had a lot of fun, especially since there was no rain.
Results:
Day Three was definitely the best by far; both teams won most of their games. In the end, the boys' team came 26th which we think was good for our first time in the competition. The girls' team, however, achieved beyond expectations and came 3rd in our grade! We all had a great time playing Football and supporting one another. We cannot wait to play again next year.
Netball: 2nd out of 32 teams
Gabe Wild and Blakely Bruce-Sheppard
Boys' Football: placed 26th out of 32 teams Girls' Football: placed 3rd out of ten teams Sevens: 3rd out of 14 teams Touch: 6th out of 10 teams Volleyball: 16th out of 24 teams
CONGRATULATIONS To Callum Murdoch and Mitchell Longdin who were selected for the Under 16 Canterbury Country Rugby Team for 2017. To Georgi Pander who competed at the South Island Ski Champs in Wanaka and placed 2nd in the Downhill by 0.5 seconds and 3rd in the Cross Country.
Winter Tournament Results Recently, our sports teams travelled away for Winter Tournament Week, competing against other South Island schools for the end of season trophies. Below are the results. Tournament reports will be published in the school yearbook.
Netball: Congratulations to the girls Netball team (above) who finished second place—this is an awesome achievement.
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Boys' Hockey— Coaches Cup held in Oamaru: 1st
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Girls' Hockey—Rosemary O'Brien Cup held in Blenheim: 11th Equal
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Netball—SI SS Netball held in Christchurch: 9th in B Grade
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Girls' Basketball held in Westport: 13th
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Boys Basketball held in Blenheim: 13th
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Under 15 Rugby held in Greymouth: 3rd in division
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DARFIELD’S
GOT
T LENT FINAL Strong performances from accomplished musicians, vocalists and dancers entertained a large crowd, and a great night was had by all. Most entertaining for the night could easily have gone to The Staff of DHS "Equestrian Team" but, for some reason, each year they hold their performance until the judges have left to deliberate registered entries! Maybe next year we should anonymously enter them ;)
kers, Mitch our Youth Wor Many thanks to Wright sh Cossey, and Jo Shaw, Hannah ry difficult ve a g what was in dg ju r fo ) ve (abo across the ith talent from competition w school.
Most Entertaining Overall Winner
Jazz Ensemble 12
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Overall Dance
Best Vocal
Lily Payton, Jaida Banks and Neve Molloy
Kate Morris
Best Mover
Best Group
Best Junior
Liam Morris
Vocal Ensemble
Jandre Fouchee and Shimee Araguas
Runner up Dance
Best Instrumental
Runner-Up Vocal
Aiko Sakurai
Viktoria Derik-Westaway
Kate Morris
Liam Morris and Millie Wilson
Rising Star
Overall Runner-Up
Oscar Gosling 'Darfield Equestrian Team' Staff Entertainers
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Prefect Camp On Sunday 17 September, 30 hopeful Year 12 students arrived at school bright and early, ready to set off for a two-day leadership camp. This would be part of the process which would help decide who our head students would be for next year.
The day began with a presentation from Mr Adams. He spoke about his thoughts on leadership, the things he thought about it, and important points he believed were key for us to understand. One of the key things I will remember from the presentation is that leadership is a journey, one that will forever be changing, and never quite complete. The 24/7 Youth Workers then spoke about the different types of leadership. This was a really interesting way to look at yourself and your peers, and it gave us a very useful insight into what type of leadership styles work best and when. After we’d finished at school, we eagerly jumped into the vans and headed up to the Craigieburn Environmental Centre. Once we had all unpacked, and got a good look at the snow that was falling outside (we got almost 10 cm!), we began a host of activities, all designed to test our leadership and relationship skills. This included things like building a leadership sculpture out of snow, writing a song about self-respect, and throwing around a stuffed elephant known as Spark (or Noris for some of us). Once we had finished our first round of activities, we settled in for the real competition. In our three groups, we were given the task to feed our fellow classmates and our teachers (who were the judges) in a Masterchef-style challenge. We were given an hour and a half
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to do this, with each of the teams coming up with some amazing food, including a bolasagne (yes, you read right, a mince dish that was both spaghetti Bolognese and lasagne in a wonderful combination), Mediterranean lettuce cups, and a cheesy spaghetti bolognese. We were given scores based on things such as creativity, taste, restaurant design and backstory. After dinner, we proceeded to have a miniature dance party whilst all 30 of us did the dishes, jamming to some classic tunes as we did so. Then came the talent quest, where we were given 20 minutes prep time to devise a piece to perform to the group, as well as the self-respect songs we had prepared earlier. What followed were some amazing performances, including a few singing acts, a drink driving skit, acrobatics and a dance to Cotton Eye Joe. After we had finished, we split up into our groups for some more activities and some time to reflect on what we had learnt that day (which was certainly a lot!). This was followed by the announcement of the winner of the Masterchef competition, and then a midnight dance party/jump jam session before we all headed off to bed and what for many of us ended up being a very short sleep. Then it was up again early the next morning for another Masterchef competition, this time with breakfast in mind. After we finished, another dishes sing-along followed, before we settled down to listen to speeches in which our peers presented their cases on why they should get their chosen head role. There were some great speeches presented, so hats off to everyone who was involved. After
this, we split into three groups, based on whether our passion was for Sports, Culture or Wellbeing, and laid out some groundwork for what we hoped to achieve as prefects. This was a really interesting chance to hear some of our peers’ plans for the school next year and, believe us, there is some great stuff on the way! Shortly after, we did a quick pack-up and headed back home to Darfield, where we were to eagerly await the decisions from the teachers on who our 2018 prefects would be. Massive thanks to Mr Adams, Miss Watherston and Ms Blakemore for making this whole camp possible and a really great experience for all of us. Caleb Banks
28 SEPTEMBER 2017
Katie Molloy, Issy Kennedy, Zahara Sutton, Maia Adams, Isaac Earl, Angelo Barrimond, Jack Kennedy, and Will Davidson had a lot of fun and learnt that communication and teamwork paid off as they challenged themselves in the Get2Go Challenge. On Monday 18 September, a group of eight of us—four girls (Katie Molloy, Issy Kennedy, Zahara Sutton, and Maia Adams) and four boys (Isaac Earl, Angelo Barrimond, Jack Kennedy, and Will Davidson)—travelled to Christchurch to compete in the Get2Go Adventure Race Challenge. This event consisted of mountain biking, water challenges, orienteering and problem solving. The weather was not promising and was bucketing down with rain, but we all still persevered. We had worked very hard leading up to this event, training every Monday night, Tuesday lunchtimes and sometimes on weekends and holidays, with the guidance of Ms Kelly. We had great fun and really came together as a team, learning heaps of new skills to become pro adventure racers. To start off the day, all of the 22 teams split into four groups, one for each rotation, and headed off to our first event. We started with Orienteering, which was held at the Groynes. We were told to split into two groups, so we had two girls with two boys. The groups
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were: Isaac, Angelo, Katie, and Maia and then Zahara, Issy, Jack, and Will. Our challenge was to collect as many points as possible. Both teams did very well and placed us well on the points board. We got 5th in this event!
(Angelo, Isaac, Maia, and Zahara) rode many laps and dug deep, riding through the pain of tired and burning legs, while the others gave them rest laps to ease their pain. In the end, we did 25 laps in total. We placed 3rd equal!
Next up, we moved onto the three problemsolving activities. These involved passing marbles through a course with a variety of implements all of which made controlling a marble most difficult. We had reasonable success with this activity; however, the other two we struggled to crack and spent much time contemplating and trialling different options. This event was NOT our strength!
The final activity of the day was a raft obstacle course timed run. This involved carrying the raft to and from the water, paddling around buoys, paddling forward and backwards, and a 360 degree turn. The first attempt allowed for some good learning as it was our first time ever, and then we smashed our first time by two minutes in the second attempt through some improved communication on board and teamwork. In this event, we got 13th.
We then moved on to Styx Reserve for a mountain bike relay; that was definitely far less challenging than what we had done in trainings, as it was only a one to two minute course. This was our most successful event in terms of points scored for the day. We all rode hard around a set course where everyone had to ride a lap and then, after that, anyone could ride a lap at a time for the 30 minutes allocated. Some of our stronger riders
A relaxing spa and soak at the Rolleston pool on the way home allowed us to relive the day, laugh and joke, plus realise what an awesome experience we had just had. Watch out for next year: now we will know exactly what to expect and will be pushing hard for a top spot.
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A Puppet Story Asia Machirus with the Principal's Award she recently received.
Today this group of students, Caleb Steele, Dani Bates, Ben Knowles, Henry Oakley and Brodie Taylor, performed a puppet show for Ms Kelly and her Year 9 Textiles class. Over this last rotation, they have designed their characters, made patterns, cut them out and sewn them all up, with fabulous results. On top of that, they then wrote a play for their puppets to perform. Ms Kelly thought that was really special and beforehand said, "Don't be surprised if you see me cry!" She was clearly proud of her students and their work. Previously, they have made soft toys and hats and next they will be sewing Christmas stockings.
Year 8 CAMP
Unfortunately, Asia Machirus was absent today so clever Dani performed her puppet's part for her.
Workshop with Author David Elliot On Wednesday morning, we had a visit from illustrator and author, David Elliot. David won the top prize at this year's New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. He comes from a Canterbury rural background and, as well as winning the 2017 Margaret Mahy Book of the Year Award and the Russell Clark Award for Illustration, he has had interesting life experiences. His message to our Year 9 students was to take risks and make the most of opportunities, even if they are outside their comfort zone. He encouraged them to value and nurture their imagination through his stories, including one about his time working in Antarctica and his mission to take a garden gnome to the coldest place in the world. David also worked with 15 of our Year 9 and 10 students in a two-hour practical workshop. They were taken on a journey using the same techniques he uses to illustrate books. David's illustrations can be found locally and internationally, and he has worked with a variety of authors, including Margaret Mahy, John Flanagan and Brian Jacques. All our students left the workshop with a how-to sheet they created themselves and the inspiration to put the work in and value their own imagination.
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Nominations are invited for the election of one parent First and foremost a board is accountable for and representative to the Board of Trustees. A nomination form student progress and achievement to its parents and a notice calling for nominations will be posted to all eligible community. The board has the overall responsibility voters from 18 October 2017. You can nominate another for the school. This includes legal obligations covering person to stand as acurriculum, candidate, or youpersonnel, can nominate yourself property, finance and health (make sure you signand both parts of the form). safety. Here forms are some specific things the board Additional nomination can be obtained from thedoes: school office from 18 October. • Sets the strategic direction and long-term plans the on school and monitors the board’s progress Nominations close at for noon Wednesday 1 November 2017 against them. and may be accompanied by signed candidates’ statements. • Monitors and evaluates student progress and
The voting roll will beachievement. open for inspection at the school from 18 October and can be viewed during normal school hours. There • Oversees the management of staff, property, will also be a list of candidates’ names, as they come to hand, for finances, curriculum and administration. inspection at the school. Voting closes at noon on • Ensures that the educational needs and aspirations Wednesday 15 November 2017. Trudy McKay Returning Officer
of Māori learners, Pasifika learners and learners with special education needs are identified, planned for and met.
• Fulfils the intent of the Treaty of Waitangi by valuing
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What skills do trustees need? Trustees are active leaders in their schools and need to work well in a team, ask challenging questions and have good communications skills. Boards need a balance of skills and experiences to ensure effective processes for planning, monitoring, reporting and reviewing the school’s performance are in place. Check out www.trustee-election.co.nz/becoming-a-trustee for more information regarding trusteeship.
Who can become a trustee? Parents, caregivers and people from the wider community can be nominated for election to a school board. Your school will be happy to help you find out more about standing for election or nominating someone else.
How is a board elected? The school staff and parents elect boards of trustees every three years. All parents of students who are enrolled full-time in a state or state-integrated school can and should vote in the elections for parent representatives.
What help do school trustees get? New Zealand School Trustees Association, through a Ministry of Education contract, provides free employment and governance advice, support and resources. NZSTA also provides a variety of professional development opportunities for trustees.
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How to Motivate a Tween/Teen Reader Having trouble getting your tween/teen to pick up a book? Try these six tips to help them discover excitement on the page. In the early grades, parents and teachers focus on teaching kids how to read. As kids get older, we hope they'll want to read. Reading for pleasure has lots of benefits. It builds vocabulary and improves reading comprehension, writing, spelling, grammar, and knowledge of the world. It also boosts test scores. At this age they're social, curious, beginning to pull way from their parents to forge their own identity, and fine-tuning their sense of humour. Thus, books that expand their view of the world or poke fun at the world they know (family, friends, puberty, school social dynamics) hold a lot of appeal, as do imagined worlds of science fiction and fantasy.
Let them choose what they read: Having control over what they read increases kids' motivation to do it. And don't criticise their choices or formats: books, ebooks, graphic novels, and articles. To widen the field, take them to the library or bookstore. Browsing in a used bookstore can be a revelation (and easier on your wallet! (FYI: there is a great one in Hornby)
Mix movies and books: Many books written for kids and teens are adapted into movies, and knowing there's a big-screen version on the way can motivate kids to read the book first, or after, to compare the book and movie versions of, say, Wonder or A Wrinkle in Time. It also gives kids the chance to be the expert who knows more on a subject than their parents.
Feed their interests: Whatever your kids are into—basketball, space exploration, World War II, alien invasions, wizards and dragons, humour, teen romance, social justice, books about middle school (a vast genre unto itself!)—there are books about it. Finding a book on a topic your kid is already passionate about is half the battle.
Follow the series: If your kid likes the first book in a series, keep 'em coming. Adventure sagas and dystopian nail-biters, which kids love at this age, have lots of installments, each ending on a tempting cliffhanger. Getting hooked on a series like Percy Jackson or The Mortal Instruments leads to being hooked on an author, which leads to more books and even spin-off series.
Make it social: Reading the latest hit book lets your kid be a part of what "everyone" is talking about. Many friendships have been formed over a love of Harry Potter or the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Check the middle-grade bestseller lists, clue your kid into book blogs (including ones by kids and teens), and ask booksellers and librarians what kids this age are requesting. And keep your ears tuned to book raves on carpool rides!
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Make time for reading: Model reading at home by turning off the TV and devices and reading a book or magazine yourself in full view. Your kids will be more inclined to follow your lead and read themselves. Try reading aloud—big kids like it too. And when you go out, get kids in the habit of bringing a book or magazine along in the car; they're great boredom killers!
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A global, online open source development & outreach contest for pre-college students ages 13-17
Google Code-in 2017 dates: November 28, 2017 - January 17, 2018
The Google Code-in contest gives students around the world an opportunity to explore the world of open source development. Google not only runs open source software throughout our business, we value the way the open source model encourages people to work together on shared goals over the internet. Over the past seven years, more than 4500 students from 99 countries completed at least one task in the contest. This year we hope to have even more students participate globally. Please help us spread the word and bring more students into the open source family! Participants complete “tasks” of their choice for a variety of open source software projects. Students can earn t-shirts, digital certificates, and hooded sweatshirts for their work. Each software project will name two students as their grand prize winners and those students win a four day trip to Google in Mountain View, CA, USA the next summer. Since open source development is much more than just computer programming, there are lots of different kinds of tasks to choose from, broken out into five major categories: 1. Code: Writing or refactoring code. 2. Documentation/Training: Creating and editing documentation and helping others learn. 3. Outreach/Research: Community management and outreach/marketing, or studying problems and recommending solutions. 4. Quality Assurance: Testing to ensure code is of high quality. 5. User Interface: User experience research or user interface design.
Visit http://g.co/gci for more information!
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FEEDING HUNGRY LEARNERS AT YOUR SCHOOL CANTEEN
Dear Parent and Caregiver Welcome to the future!
TXT-my-LUNCH is here! From right now, the first school tuck shops in New Zealand will be accepting TXT-my-LUNCH virtual meal tickets. This is a World leading game-changer for school food service and starts right here at Darfield High School. Now it’s your turn to try it out. • Want to be sure that lunch money makes it to school and is actually spent on lunch? • Want to make sure that your hungry learner is getting a balanced and nutritional meal? • Your young adult learner wants to make their own lunch purchase choices? Go to www.txtmylunch.co.nz – follow the instructions and have lunch literally texted to your child, who can redeem their meal ticket, device-to-device, at the school tuck shop. This eliminates the need for cash or eftpos cards and ensures that every cent designated to a nutritious payload actually reaches the tuck shop where these great meal combos are available. Our team at the Darfield High School Champion Tuckshop is looking forward to helping you keep your hungry learner fed! Kind regards Johannes Tietze Chief Executive Officer
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28 SEPTEMBER 2017
Spring Adventure Challenge SUNDAY 29 OCTOBER 12PM-2PM Teams of 4 (aged 12-16 years) $40 per team- includes race pack
Put a team together and compete to win! Complete all the team activities the fastest both in the pool and outside. A fun challenge with your friends! Register your team at Selwyn Aquatic Centre’s front reception or email: SelwynAquaticCentre@selwyn.govt.nz
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Nursing and Broadcasting Applications Applications for the Bachelor of Nursing and the Bachelor of Broadcasting Communications, starting in February next year, close on Saturday 30 September. If you are interested in these programmes, submit your application by this date. Applications can be made online at ara.ac.nz. For further information about the Bachelor of Nursing, contact Lisa McKay, Academic Manager, Department of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health on 0800 24 24 76 or lisa.mckay@ara.ac.nz. If you require additional support with your broadcasting application,call 0800 24 24 76.
Design Portfolio Workshop Students who are planning to apply for the Bachelor of Design can spend a day with our tutors and learn exactly what it takes to put together an impressive design portfolio. Past examples of great portfolios will be examined and students will receive tips on how best to show off their talents. Christchurch City Campus 11 October 10 am– pm Cost: Free For more information email Liaison@ara.ac.nz or talk to your Youth and Community Development Rep. Registrations are taken through the Experience Ara Webpage.
University of Otago, Christchurch
Showcase 2017
Health Education & Research Sunday 1 October 2017 1.00pm – 5.00pm University of Otago, Christchurch Building 2 Riccarton Ave Christchurch Hospital campus.
Tour our labs and Simulation Centre Experience interactive medical technology Attend a debate on whether ‘We can all live to 120’.
otago.ac.nz/christchurch
Come learn about working as a summer camp counselor in the USA!
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5TH 6:00PM Informal reception to follow
La Vida Conference & Community Center 34A Hansons Lane Upper Riccarton Christchurch
EMAIL TIM AT TCHATFIELD@INTEREXCHANGE.ORG FOR MORE INFO
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School and Community Notices Visit our website https://darfield.school.nz/
Term Dates 2017
Term 3: Monday 24 July to Friday 29 September
for general school information, newsletters, and our photo gallery.
Term 4: Monday 16 October to Thursday 14 December
Monday 23 October: Labour Day
Thursday 16 November: Staff Only Day
Friday 17 November: Canterbury Anniversary
TERM FOUR WEEK ONE
Start-up dates for 2018 Office opens: Monday 22 January (skeleton staff ) Staff Only : Monday 29 January Year 7: Tuesday 30 January
Lost Property There is a large number of unclaimed items from last year. Please can you get your students to come and take a look if they know something has been misplaced. Parents: you are most welcome to come and check the clothing and items at Student Administration.
If you have changed addresses or phone numbers, please tell the Student Administrator, Mrs Hill. Ph 3188 411
Visitors to the School If you are visiting our school during the school day please visit reception on arrival at our campus. Our friendly office staff will then assist you from there.
Payments for Activities and School Fees Bank Account: All payments to school (school fees, activity fees, NCEA fees, etc) can be made by direct credit to the following bank account. Please include the student’s name and the reason for the payment, eg Camp Fees. Darfield High School, ASB Bank Limited, Riccarton, 12-3147-0207317-00 Remember: If your student is not at school, or arrives late, please phone the school to explain the absence
Uniform Shop Hours for Students
Monday 16 October • First Day Term Four Tuesday 17 October • Attitude Presentations • BOT Meeting, 7.00 pm • PTSA Meeting, 7.45 pm Friday 20 October • Year 13 Rural College Practical Day WEEK TWO Monday 23 October • Labour Day Tuesday 24 October • Year 9 Cricket at Darfield Wednesday 25 October • Year 12 PE Mountain Bike Trip • Year 9 Cricket at Rangiora Thursday 26 October • Design and Visual Communication (DVC) Exhibition in the Hall Friday 27 October • Year 12 Rural College Practical Day WEEK THREE Tuesday 31 October • House Meetings • Yubetsu Group Arrive Friday 3 November • Tabloid Sports, pm WEEK FOUR Tuesday 7 November • Junior Exams (to 8th) Wednesday 8 November • NCEA Exams Begin WEEK FIVE Tuesday 14 November • BOT Meeting, 7.00 pm Wednesday 15 November • Newsletter Thursday 16 November • Staff Only Day Friday 17 November • Canterbury Show Day
Monday: 11.00 –11.25 am Thursday: 11.00 –11.25 am 24
28 SEPTEMBER 2017
PTSA Meeting Tuesday 17 October
7.45 pm
All Welcome
Free Health Clinic for students Public Health Nurse: Pa m Eaden Pam Eaden, our Public Health Nurse, is available every second Monday during lunchtime in the Counsellor's Office, commencing Monday 6 March. Pam is available to discuss confidentially any health concerns, physical, mental and sexual health. This is a drop-in service or you can make an
DHS DISPATCH welcomes any news or photographs you have from events our students have attended outside of school. We love to hear about and share successes and interesting stories. Please email: sheryl@darfield.school.nz
appointment with Ms Mallinder or Mrs Townsend. Parents with concerns regarding their child's health are able to refer to the Public Health Nursing service on www.cdhb.health.nz/phns.
Black and white paper copies are available from reception or Student Administration. Colour and back copies can be ordered by emailing the above address. Please enquire for cost. Advertising: If you would like to advertise in our newsletter, please email for more information. 7 McLaughlins Road PO Box 5 Darfield 7541 New Zealand admin@darfield.school.nz www.darfield.school.nz Phone: +64 3 318 8411 Fax: +64 3 318 8543 Copyright: You are welcome to reproduce material from the newsletter after gaining permission from the school. All reproduced material must be appropriately acknowledged. Photos of school events can be found on our website and may be downloaded for personal use only. There is a download icon at the right of each photo.
Supporting our Teens in their
Health and Wellbeing There has been a lot of public discussion about youth mental health recently. The Ministry of Education has asked all schools to let parents know where to find information to support the mental health and wellbeing of their children. Parents are encouraged to regularly check in with their child about how they are doing and the things going on in their lives. You’ll find links to organisations you can contact for help and advice if you are concerned about your child: www.parents.education.govt.nz/ mental-health/
PARKING OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL Outside the school on McLaughlins Road, is a no stopping zone. We need parents to observe the ‘No Parking or Stopping Zone’ between the School’s front gate and bus bay. To keep students safe, we need this area clear before and after school. There are signs indicating the restrictions. Opposite Darfield High School on McLaughlins Road, car parks are marked out and broken yellow lines are painted outside residents' driveways. Please ensure you park within the allocated carparks and not in front of residents’ driveways. The carparks outside the school hall are reserved for staff and visitors coming into the school. Your co-operation in this matter is appreciated. There is usually plenty of space around the bend towards Bangor Road, or south-west on McLaughlins Road.
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Uniform Reminders Blazers: Blazers are to be worn on Tuesdays. Parents, please remind your students to bring their blazers on Tuesdays for Assemblies.
You need to know this information regarding uniform: •
•
The regulation shoes for boys and girls are black, LEATHER shoes. Boys choices are lace-up or slipon. Girls may wear lace-up, t-bar or d-bar. In terms of keeping warm, you may wear regulation DHS school jersey, DHS blazer, or a plain navy, or black, fully zipped jacket. The jacket must be shower proof.
•
Thermals may NOT be seen at the neck or below the sleeves of school shirts. Be aware that both short sleeved and long sleeve shirts are available for purchase at The Warehouse in Rolleston
•
School Ties: from Term 2 you will be required to wear the school tie with your uniform.
•
Students are permitted to wear a plain navy beanie or the DHS beanie with crest. This is for outdoor wear only.
•
The only jewellery permitted is a wristwatch and one gold or silver stud in each ear. No other jewellery is to be worn.
•
Ensure that your child is wearing the correct socks to school. For both girls and boys, knee-high black socks are required. If your student is playing a winter sport in the following codes, they will need a pair of Darfield High School socks: Rugby and Hockey. These are available from the school office only.
Darfield Girls Rugby Team 2018
GREENDALE GOLF CLUB
We will be training from Term 4 2017 in preparation for the 2018 season.
Could this be you?
All interested girls please make contact with me for more information. Training will be at lunchtime on Tuesdays and Thursdays at this stage.
"SHE LOVES GOLF" Come along and find out A fun introductory event will be held on
Wednesday 18 October 10 am
Gear needed for training: running shoes, shorts and t-shirt for the first few weeks. I look forward to see you all there.
Greendale Golf Course 987 Coaltrack Road
Kathryn Hunter
All equipment will be provided and fun activities guaranteed
hunter939@scorch.co.nz
Contact: Marie Michael 03 3254 128
0211836694
Kath Adams 03 3278 861
WOMENSWEAR • MENSWEAR • CHILDRENSWEAR • HOMEWARE
School Uniform If you need to buy or sell good conditioned second hand Darfield High School Uniform then let Polkadotcom make it easy for you. We can take orders and sell on behalf, taking the hassle out of school uniform. Dont hesitate to contact us.
Thank you to McKinlays for sponsoring shoes for some of our students. Their support has been very much appreciated! 26
28 SEPTEMBER 2017
School Holiday Programme
Golf Coaching Hororata Golf Club Wednesday 4 October Kids Fun Day A free event for ages 3+, everyone welcome. including guardians, come and have a go. Includes SNAG (Start new at Golf target Golf ) 4 x 1-hour sessions to choose from. Learn the basics. Please register on the Hororata Golf Facebook page. Thursday 5th October: Learn to play golf. This event is run in conjunction with Canterbury Golf, 10am, cost $10, this is a brilliant introduction to golf with professional coaching. Please register at on the Canterbury Golf Facebook page.
Darfield Hospital Open Afternoon Sunday 29 October 1.30 pm to 4.30 pm To celebrate 90 years of outstanding service to the community. Musical entertainment, stalls, auction, Christmas raffle, afternoon tea available, and an opportunity to view inside the hospital building until 3.00 pm. Short official ceremony to follow. Members of the community are most welcome to attend. Contact: Brian Davidson 318 8382
Street Talk Defensive Driving Courses Reduce six months off your licence period Cost $175 (includes driving session) Enrol: www.fusiontrust.co.nz txt: 027229 8018 e: office@fusiontrust.co.nz School holiday course held at Upper Riccarton Library 6–8 pm Mon 2, Wed 4, Mon 9, Wed 11 October Held at Rewi Alley Riccarton 6–8 pm Mon 16, Wed 18, Wed 25, Mon 30 October
F
E E R 2017
CultureFest Celebrating Selwyn’s diversity
SUNDAY 1 OCTOBER, 11AM–4PM LINCOLN EVENT CENTRE AND DOMAIN Give your senses an experience to remember! TASTE and SMELL: Food from India, Spain, Germany, England, Nigeria, Malaysia, Morocco, Jordan, Iran, Russia, Ukraine and more. HEAR and SEE: Performances from China, Latin-America, Russia, Poland, Iran, India, Brazil, as well as the Takumi Japanese Drumming Group. TOUCH: Experience games, activities, craft and so much more.
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SELWYN’S
GOT TALENT SATURDAY 14th OCTOBER OSBOURNE STAGE - ELLESMERE SHOWGROUNDS, LEESTON
NNNNNN
2017
SPRING SHOW TALENT QUEST
10.00am until MID DAY
This is a fun talent quest where you can have the chance to win cash prizes, have fun, shine and show your talent!
JUNIOR SECTION SENIOR SECTION OPEN to individual Entrants 14 years and under as of 14th of October 2017.
Entrants 15 years and over
or group entries.
as of 14th of October 2017.
Dance, singing, music, poetry/prose, comedy... Registration Deadline: Monday 25th September Visit the Ellesmere show web page www.ellesmereshow.co.nz to down load registration forms. Send all regisrations or communications to selwynsgottalent@gmail.com Address: 7 McLaughlins Road
PO Box 5
Email: admin@darfield.school.nz
Darfield 7541
Web: darfield.school.nz
New Zealand
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