h.g.h.s April 2013
Underpinning everything is the school motto “A wise woman shapes her own destiny.�
Dear Parents / Caregivers Nga mihi nui ki a koutou. Term 1 has been a whirlwind of a term as staff, students and parents adjust to the change of Principal. I have been particularly pleased with my transition into the community of Hamilton Girls’ High School, and certainly my role, has been one of observing how things are down around here – the culture of our school. We began the year fully staffed and our school roll is settling at around 1590 students. The Hostel is full with 130 boarders and we have 16 international students from a range of countries. Thank you to the many parents and whanau who attended our powhiri to welcome our new students and staff, as well as my formal welcome into the school. Creating a culture of excellence is a priority for me over the next 3-5 years. Hamilton Girls’ High is a good school with many wonderful students. It is my intention to work with staff, students and parents to consolidate and lift the bar for raising achievement across the four cornerstones of Academic, Leadership, Cultural and Sporting excellence. This begins with instilling school pride in our students at Hamilton Girls’ High School. The small things count. Wearing our uniform with pride, using our manners, being prepared for class and taking responsibility for our actions are important to being a student at our school. We need to lift our public profile and this starts with ensuring that we all encourage our students to step up to the mark. In time, I will be drawing your attention to the Fundamental Rules of the School that will apply to all students attending our school. Many of our staff encourage students to think, create and develop knowledge through inquiry and making sure they become the best that they can be. Motivation is always high at the beginning of the year. It is important for students to remain focused on their goals and committed to achieving them. It is one thing to have a purpose, but it is equally important to know how you are going to achieve it. Attendance every day is important to achieving academic aims. Within this monthly newsletter, we hope to showcase our talent and celebrate the achievements of our students and participation within school. It is important that we also utilize this e-newsletter as a means of communicating our expectations, up and coming dates and to give you a snapshot of our school life. Marie Gordon Principal
Welcome Welcome to all staff, Year 13 girls’ and our new Year 9 students. I’d like to take this opportunity to officially welcome you, new Year 9 girls’ as well as our other new girls’ of different year levels to our beloved school. First of all, Congratulations! You have each been individually accepted to join our team here at Hamilton Girls’ High School and you are now one of us, you are a Girls’ High Girl! This is the best team you will ever be a part of and it all begins here. While being a member of our HGHS team you will be offered endless opportunities to participate in sporting, academic and cultural events as well as community activities and these all help to develop desirable attributes among all the young women in our school. I look forward to leading you as Head Girl for 2013. Abbe Meads Head Girl
Congratulations to our high achievers... Mikaela Jefferson National Hurdles Champion, she also broke the Waikato Zones 300m hurdle record and also placed in Silver position in the 100m W18 hurdles. At the North Island Secondary Schools Champs she obtained Gold in the 100m Senior Girls’ Hurdles and Silver in the 300m Senior Girls’ Hurdles.
HGHS Basketball Prems
Named Team of the Year at the Waikato Secondary Schools Sports Awards earlier this year.
HGHS Touch Team Placed 1st in their Regional competition. They have qualified for NZSS Touch Nationals.
Georgia Allen for being named as a NZ Junior Trialist for rowing. Brenda Woods for attaining her Grade 8 in Flute. Anna Dawson making the Under 19 NZ Lacrosse team. HGHS Softball Team for being placed 3rd at Nationals in Auckland.
Introducing New Staff for 2013
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Name: Val Rolfe Subject: Mathematics My name is Ms Val Rolfe and I have been teaching mathematics for 30 years. I have recently returned to teach at Girls’ High again after a three and a half year break training teachers in the Middle East. I had previously taught at HGHS for ten years, before I left. I love teaching and especially teaching mathematics so enjoyed my sojourn in Qatar, Abu Dhabi Emirate and Kuwait helping the local, untrained teachers to develop their teaching practice. It also gave me the opportunity to find out that our perceptions of Arabic culture, here in NZ, are quite different to the reality. Living in a different culture has been a good learning curve for me personally and I bring back many more skills than I had before. I also, more recently, got to do some teacher training in Kazakhstan, which was an amazing experience.I have a grown up family of two daughters, both of whom were students at HGHS. They are now a Solicitor for a Family Law firm and a Retail and Functions Coordinator for an Art Gallery. I am enjoying working again with the Girls’ High team and looking forward to an interesting year ahead.
Name: Halana Leith Subject: Mathematics My name is Halana Leith, this is my first year at HGHS. My interests include sport (netball, basketball and volleyball) but I also enjoy camping outdoors, and wakeboarding on the lake. Before teaching I have been working in the building industry and fitness industry. I have a passion for working with youth and working with numbers which lead me to teaching maths. I firmly believe that my role is to provide learning opportunities for all students and to provide them with life long skills to become independent learners.
Our New Buildings Drama & Dance Department The Drama and Dance Department is now located in the new Performing Arts Centre Nga Puawaitanga and we are enjoying working in the beautiful new spaces. The Performing Arts calendar in the first half of the year: Sheilah Winn Shakespeare in Schools Competition is on Friday April 5th and 20 students will be performing a scene from the little known Shakespearean play “Sir Thomas More”. Talent Quest heats will take place at lunchtimes in weeks 8 and 9 and the Grand final will be in Nga Puawaitanga on Tuesday April 9th. Stage Challenge is late in term two but auditions will
take place at lunchtimes in Week 11 of this term. Times will be in the daily notices and on the Drama notice Board. Year 13 students are working hard on their full length performance of Twelfth Night which will be the inaugural production in the Black Box Theatre in the middle of Term 2. We have a great number of costumes to make and very much appreciate donations of fabric. If you have any old fabric lengths in your cupboards that you would like to get rid of, they will find a very good home in the Drama Department. We save a lot of money by using fabrics which people donate us.
Music Department The beginning of the year has been a very exciting time for the Music Department. It has been a pleasure to be in such wonderful surroundings, after a year of being slotted into buildings and spaces that were not at all suitable for teaching music. Some of the highlights of the new music suites are: sound proof rooms, practice rooms, storage space, and of course, the fantastic new recording studio, all of which have brought a whole new dimension to teaching music at Hamilton Girls’ High School.
Academic
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Languages Learning Area Term One has been a busy one for the Languages Department. Classes are well under way, with students making great progress already. Now is the time for senior students to pay their subscriptions to Language Perfect, the vocabulary learning website. The subscription only lasts for the calendar year so you need to pay now so you are able to start using the site. As loyal subscribers to Language Perfect our school is able to offer a discounted rate of $15 per student, regardless of the number of languages studied.
Recently we hosted a group of students from Shizuoka Eiwa Junior High School from Japan. Several students were involved in hosting this group. A special thank you to 9HA who performed at the powhiri for these students, and who were especially helpful and friendly to the Japanese visitors. We are expecting another group of students from Japan early in Term Three, so if you missed out on hosting this time and would like to be involved in the future, we will provide more information for interested homestay families in a future newsletter.
French fashion show
Social Sciences Report The start of 2013 sees the Social Sciences Department welcoming back two returning teachers, Miss Healy and Mrs Sayer who are teaching in Social Studies and History. We also welcome back all our senior students who are studying in a huge variety of subjects, from Geography, Social Studies, History, Economics, Tourism, Media Studies, Classics, Business Studies, Accountancy and Legal Studies. There is also a newly revised course, called Civics, for students in year 12 and 13 who wish to take a Social Science. We also have courses for recreation, this includes courses in Film and also Philosophy. As you can see we have a diverse set of subjects in our Learning Area, which seems to suit the many different interests of our students. There is a niche for everyone in the Social Sciences! Year 9 Social Scientists Need Your Help!!!! Next term the year 9s will also move onto researching about a migrant group to New Zealand. They need to interview someone who has migrated to New Zealand, so you can help them by finding a friend, neighbor or workmate who they could use for this important project. The senior students have started the year with a field trip to the museum for L2 Social Studies students, an investigation into the crisis in northern Mali for L3 Social Studies and the L3 History students are studying important New Zealand women.
Year 9 Social Studies students have just been completing a unit about the history of our school and what the school today offers. Here are some snippets of the writing from the students: “Hamilton Girls’ High School has a new principal for the New Year. Her name is Mrs Marie Gordon. We will have the special memories of starting the same day as her and learning about our school together. “ Macayla Sinclair 9X1 “Swimming sports on the 26th of February 2013 was a fun day for everyone at HGHS. We had competitive in the morning and the fun activities in the afternoon. The competitive in the morning was very intense to watch. Wilson house came first in the house relays. They swam like fishes in the water. Overall Campbell won the most point in the day but everyone had fun with their teams and house groups.” Ariana Kim 9X1 “The buildings at HGHS are the same as the original buildings from the 1911’s. In 2012, they built a new auditorium and a block of classes for music and dance. The classes are average about 8 metres wide and 13 metres long. In total, we have 77 classes, 4 food rooms, 2 gyms, 1 auditorium, 1 canteen, an administration building, 8 offices, and many more rooms and storage units.“ Kaleah Clarke 9X1
Scholarship Biology Scholarship biology meets every Thursday after school with Mrs Bergman. There are approximately fifteen students attending these sessions. In our first session we were introduced to the scholarship exam and what work will be required. During our second session were learnt about Allan Wilson ( a famous New Zealander) and all the advances he made in molecular evolution. The scholarship biology group offers a great opportunity for the Y13 students to expand their knowledge and develop critical thinking skills. Last year after attending these sessions and sitting the exam four students were awarded scholarships in Biology. Pictured from left, Hayleigh Frost, Sayuki Pandram, Ingrid Lindeman and Marie Quale. Marie Quale received an outstanding scholarship.
English Rich Task
“I’ve got something to say”
In Term 4, 2012 the English department offered a rich task that gave students the opportunity to create a story through words and/or pictures. Three different groups of students over three days were involved in this school based activity. Each day, story teller Jennifer Douglas, visited our group to provide a catalyst for creative inspiration. Her stories included some from Margaret Mahy and others from a series called Kiwi Corkers. Kiwi Corkers incorporates universal fairy tales into a New Zealand setting. All the students loved this series as well as Ms. Douglas’ creative delivery of the stories.
After story time, the groups walked around the lake observing the fauna and flora. The main attractions were the ducklings and a number of baby Pupeko. An ice cream at the end of the walk was an additional surprise for the students. Some students took the opportunity to take photos of the surrounding area. The afternoons were an opportunity for students to create their own stories through words and/or pictures in the computer labs. The afternoon offered a creative outcome after a morning of inspirational activity.
Mathematics Department A reminder to all mathematics students! Bring a scientific calculator to every lesson. (Y12 & Y13 need a graphics calculator.) If a student only intends to sit for NCEA Level 1 in mathematics and not go on to Levels 2 or 3 then a scientific calculator is sufficient. If there are any queries regarding this please contact the HOD of Mathematics. Calculus Scholarship tutorials Calculus scholarship tutorials have begun for both Levels 2 and 3. The times for these tutorials are as follows: Level 2: 3.30pm – 4.30pm on Monday Level 3: 3.30pm – 4.30pm on Friday Venue: M21 or M20
Food Technology On the 1st March the senior Food Technology students went on a trip to meet their new clients, Monavale Organic Blueberry Orchard and take a tour around the largest Certified Organic Blueberry Orchard in New Zealand. Not only will the girls be working on developing products for the orchards ” Irresistiblue Café”, but they also had the opportunity to learn about bio-diversity and its benefits to both well-being and the sustainability of the environment. The students tasted over 5 major varieties of blueberries (22 sub-varieties), not realising that blueberries could be so very different in flavour
and size and have varying uses.The girls went on to enjoy a video telling the story of the de Groot family and how the orchard was established. They also tasted a full range of products that are made and sold on site at the Café and online via a retail site. This trip has given a new perspective on how the students view food and how they will develop products for other consumers with good health in mind. The students thoroughly enjoyed the experience and are very excited to be working with this organisation in the development of their projects throughout the year.
Chemistry Assessments The Year 12 and 13 Chemistry students have been busy preparing for internal assessments. Year 12 Chemistry students had to carry out a practical task and write equations for any reactions that occurred.
Congratulations to those students who have worked hard and achieved their personal best in these assessments. Special thanks to the Chemistry staff and the Science technician who has enabled these assessments to run smoothly.
Here are what some of the students said: “It was a very fun assessment and interesting to see what happened when chemicals were added to certain solutions” “The assessment was straight forward even though it was hard to see when the precipitate dissolved but it was fun and interesting.” “This topic was interesting as we got opportunities to see reactions that were many times intriguing. “ “The assessment was good and has taught me alot” “The assessment was easy and a bonus to be practical, making it interesting.”
1AP/APS Beach Education
Physical Education 1AP/APS BEACH ED This year the year 11 outdoor education and sport classes spent the day in Raglan learning to be life guards and competing in ‘Flags’ and run swim run races. They spent the first 6 weeks of Term one training so be able to compete on the actual day. It was a beautiful day for all classes and I am sure there are many that are now inspired to become life guards. 12APS As a requirement for Achievement Standard 91332 “Coaching a Team” the Year 12 APS students have been asked to coach a group of Year 6 students at Hamilton West Primary School. The Year 12’s have group of 12 students and are coaching them in a range of sports and activities. They are required to take a minimum of 6 lessons with the focus being on the application of leadership strategies to improve the functioning of their groups. We have currently taken four lessons with the remaining two lessons to be completed in the next fortnight. At the conclusion of each lesson students are required to analyse and evaluate their lesson and their effectiveness as a coach.This Achievement Standard is always a challenging one as the Year 12 students really get a taste of what it is like to try and teach a group of students who are not their peers. Comments from the class have been quite similar in content. One student stated “The kids can be quite hoha. They don’t always listen”. Another said I have found the experience to be eye opening because, even though I have younger siblings, I have had to use more patience with children I don’t know. And another commented “ I have learnt that managing students is challenging and being a teacher is really hard work”.While the girls all have very different teaching styles and methods, they are all doing a fantastic job and their energy and enthusiasm certainly motivates the primary students to give their best.
13APO/APS Term 1 has seen some changes to the course for level 3. With NCEA alignment comes some activity changes for the girls. Level 3 Sport are taking part in Tennis coaching at the moment, their first assessment is playing a game against a “professional” tennis player to showcase their tactical awareness as well as their skills. Level 3 Outdoors has been in the pool learning to eskimo roll a kayak. The assessment for them is to comment on how and why the can or cannot complete the skill. Many hours hanging upside down, under water trying to get back up! We have had 4 girls manage to successfully complete the skill so far. Week 6 saw the introduction of a new assessment for level 3. The impact of physical activity on lifelong well being and participation. For the first part of the assessment we had a field trip for half a day which consisted of taking part in a Bikram (Hot) Yoga class and competing in teams in archery, paintball target shooting and outdoor laser tag. The girls are to write an assessment around reason for and against participation in team, individual, competitive sports and physical activities. Many of the girls had never attempted the activities before and so it was an interesting learning experience for them. Remember to work study and practice hard for your upcoming practical assessments!
Top Scholars 2012 We would like to congratulate the following top scholars for their excellent results in NCEA 2012. These students have their certificate endorsed with Excellence which means they have 50 or more credits at Excellence at that Level.
Level 3 Top Scholars Tess Benseman Ingrid Lindeman Harpreet Singh
Hilary Capon Rachel Porteous Angela Teow
Kittida Lallu Marie Quayle
Kenna Horsfield Kelly Le Quesne Kate Ritchie-Lawless Amokura Tautari
Yi Song (Christine) Jin Kerrianne Lindsey Shantelle Roulston
Georgia Allen Charlotte Gordon Savannah Jennings Tessa Leong Ashleigh Miles Monica Orbe Sophie Smith Maria Yoon
Yasmin Brinkworth Hye Bin Han Neha Lal Cecelia Lockley Sunni Nasmith Holly Robins Bree-Anna van der Oest
Level 2 Top Scholars Krystal Geraghty Eszter Le Couteur Lauren Nasmith Aimee Short
Level 1 Top Scholars Zinab Al-Khaleefa Hannah Frost Jennifer Hsi Portia Lancaster Alex Mayer Anna O’Hara Asheelta Singh Emily Weiss
In addition we would like to congratulate the following students on gaining Scholarships. Marie Quayle Kauthat Al-Bahar Georgia Boden Hayleigh Frost Sayuki Pandaram Marie Quayle Hilary Capon Holly Wallbank Ingrid Lindeman Clementine Lambert
Outstanding Scholarship in Biology Scholarship in Painting Scholarship in Physical Education Scholarship in Biology Scholarship in Biology Scholarship in Geography Scholarship in Classical Studies Scholarship in History Scholarship in Biology Scholarship in French
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Arts & Cultural The Art Department has been a flurry of events so far this term. The opening of the Family, Food, Faith exhibition at the Waikato Museum was opportunity to revisit the photo journalist essays of 40 Hamilton Girls High School students from 2010. It was amazing to catch up and reacquaint ourselves with the girls and their stories. We thank Mrs WallaceWard for showing us what our girls are capable of. At Level 1 the students spent a beautiful day at the Hamilton Gardens drawing from nature and gathering photographic resources.
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The Level 2 and 3 Art and Art History students are looking forward to visiting the Auckland City Art Gallery later in the term where they will study firsthand the work of National and International Artists. The junior courses are well underway with the Year 10 students competing in an illustrative character design competition and the Year 9 students developing planar relief masks.We welcome new students into the department and look forward with optimism to what 2013 will have in store for us.
Pasifika Department Talofa and warm Pasifika greetings to you all. 2013 promises to be a positive and energetic year for Pasifika students at HGHS. Some of our Pasifika leaders have already participated in a fieldtrip to Auckland to enjoy the atmosphere and cultural offerings at the biggest secondary schools’ Pasifika cultural festival in the world – the ASB Polyfest. Our leaders came away with a few avant garde ideas in performance and costuming for our upcoming Pasifika by Nature Festival. On our immediate horizon we have two events that the girls are preparing for. The Pasifika performing group have been invited to participate in the Nesian Festival held in Garden Place on Saturday April 13. We are happy to take this opportunity to showcase our girls and their talent. Our second invitation is to participate in the Pasifika by Nature Festival. We invite you to set aside Saturday 25 May as a family day to come and support your daughter. As in past years, the event will be held at Founders’ Theatre. Our two Pasifika mentors, Ms Jo Belgrave and Mrs Mere Meha-Uelese, have begun the mentoring process for the senior Pasifika students. This is in line with the school’s recent academic mentoring sessions. We encourage you to speak with your daughters about their aspirations and how both the family and the school can work together to help them achieve success. We have enjoyed the meetings held so far.
We know that many of the activities in which the girls participate cannot be held without your support – so we thank you for this. It is much appreciated. Therefore, we express a heartfelt “fa’afetai tele lava” from the Pasifika students and teachers. Soifua Jo Belgrave and Mere Meha-Uelese
Family, Food & Faith Exhibition Our Centenary photojournalist exhibition Family, Food, Faith is on show again at the Hamilton Museum from the 31st January until 14th April. This exhibition was created as part of our Centenary in 2011 to celebrate the cultural diversity of Hamilton Girls’ High School. 43 students were asked to photograph their lives outside of school. The result was a rich photographic essay of the students’ home environments, family, friends, religious ceremonies, weddings and meal times.
Kapa Haka Nga mihi ki a tatou! Led by tutors Frankie and Toti, the vision for Te Maurea Whiritoi Kapa Haka 2013 is really exciting. The rangatahi are hungry to learn, are well-behaved and the parent support is the best we have seen in years. The feeling within the roopuu is one of harikoa, whanaungatanga, kotahitanga and aroha tetehi ki tetehi. E kotahi ana te hoe o tenei waka truly inspiring! Nga mihi nui ki a koutou katoa. We are working hard towards preparing for the Kapa Haka Camp in April. Special thanks to Whaea Hollie for her ongoing support and to the parents for their ongoing support. Nga manaakitanga o te atua ki runga i a tatou katoa.
The exhibition has received great reviews so far. The New Zealand Ethnic Trust is sponsoring a prize of $250 to be awarded to the three most popular photo essays voted in the people’s choice vote at the end of the exhibition. If you have not yet seen this exhibition it is well worth a visit. We have also been asked to exhibit the show as part of the National Social Studies Teachers conference in July. Photos by: Nellie Wallace-Ward
Arts & Cultural Samba Band Students from the Samba Band joined forces with ‘Sambatron’ (Hamilton City Community Samba Band) to perform at the ‘Childrens Day Carnival’ in Garden Place on 23 February 2013. This was a wonderful way of sharing their musical talents with the wider community, and enjoyed by all.
Barbershop Choir Students from the Barbershop Choir took part in a training camp at Marion School on 1 & 2 March 2013. They spent the weekend with Lynn Jamieson and Joanna Dickinson learning and perfecting vocal parts of songs that they will be performing at the Regionals, and all going well at the National Finals later in the year. This year the numbers of students has grown to over 60 students, up from 45 last year. They ended the second day with a well-received Concert for the family and friends.
International Film Club This year HGHS has its first ever International Film Club! Thanks to inspiration from the Hamilton Film Society teachers Josephine Maplesden, Carol Jarmen and Brittany Kenny have come together in an attempt to cultivate a love for international film amongst the girls at HGHS. The first screening featured a French film called Amelie by director Jean-Pierre Jeunet.
Sport at HGHS
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Mikaela Jefferson National Hurdles Champion, Mikaela also broke the Waikato Zones 300m hurdle record and Anna Dawson making the Under 19 NZ Lacrosse team. Summer Tournament week had Rowing, Waka Ama Softball, Rugby 7’s, Touch, Water Polo, Dressage and lawn bowls. A huge thank you to all those that have taken time to get these teams ready to take on their National Tournaments. Our Junior Triathlon team with Olivia Warlow Swimming, Fenella FinlayYates Cycling and Renee Allan running came in third in the Waikato Teams triathlon event and our senior girls with Tegan Fyers , Tessa Leong and Eileish Hayes came in 4th in the seniors event .
This year sports is being guided by Hollie Reid (pictured above) as Sports Captain with Danielle Paenga and Kayla Cassells as her prefects and a very active council to help with sports here at HGHS. Sport has started the year with great some great results. Touch making finals at 2012 nationals
Winter sports teams have starting trialling for their up coming seasons. A huge thank you to all those people that helped with trials cannot happen without your support. We are always looking for coach’s managers and umpires for all sports if you are interested please contact Jacqui Sutton if you are interested in helping HGHS develop sport. We are looking forward to a fantastic year of result for HGHS.
Zone Athletics at Porritt Stadium On Tuesday 5th March our amazing athletics squad arrived at Porritt stadium ready to run, jump and throw at the Zone Championships. Wonderful weather and excellent support from family and friends set the tone for a very successful day. We started with a bang and Mikaela Jefferson broke the championship record in the 300m hurdles open event. This was the first of many brilliant performances from our squad of 36. In the junior team Michaela Foster showed her talent with 3rd in the 100m and 2nd in the shot. Keely Jennings won the triple jump in style and Stephanie Lualua won the javelin, beating her nearest competitor by over a metre. Renee Allan ran a tough 1500m with girls up to five years older than her, but she persevered and battled to come in 4th which is a great achievement. Olivia Hooker placed 3rd in high
jump in a close fought event. Onto the intermediate age group and we were treated to an amazing race from Meg Reid who finished 2nd in the 800m. Eden Bates showed she had a spring in her step with 3rd place in the high jump, 2nd in the long jump and 4th in the triple jump. There were also notable performances from Laura Macnab in the 3000m, Stacey Littleworth in the discus and Peaches Fletcher in the javelin. Our senior girls were also out to impress. Mikaela Jefferson, despite running with an injured foot managed 2nd in the 100m and she absolutely flew in the 100m hurdles beating her nearest competitor by almost 2 seconds. Aliitasi Tagaloa came third in the shot and Mereanna Monk followed this with 3rd in the discus. These athletes were selected to compete in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty Championships.
Waikato Secondary Schools Sports Awards Team of the Year - HGHS Premier Basketball
Earlier this term the HGHS Premier Basketball team were named Team of the Year at the Waikato Secondary schools sports awards. Girls’ High faced tough competition from Boys High, Dio and St Peters to take the award. The amazing result is due to all the hard work put into the 2012 season with the girls taking the National title in Nelson over the October term break.The girls set a number of records including having the highest point’s margin.
The team was coached by Tyler Wilkinson and Tiwai Parai. Kim Herewani was manager for the season. The team consisted of Tahlia Te Kiri, Shemaia Parai, Jaylene Hawea, Kendall Hawea, Veshae Wilkinson, Dionne Martin, Dani Paenga, Maia Heke, Raearna Parai, Chelsea Savage, Chevahn Morris and Azure Anderson.
Swimming Sports Champions. Senior Runner-up
Summer Kendall Stephanie Miles
Intermediate Emma Ballard Runner-up Megan Whitburn Junlor Runner-up
Olivia Warlow Kelly Ballard
House Points Heads MacDiarmid Campbell Edgecumbe Wilson
533 422 388 353 279
Hostel v Day girls Relay was won by Day girls
Athletics Day Champs. House Points Athletics
Athletics Afternoon
Mikaela Jefferson Edgecumbe 558 Kelly Dockery Campbell 482 MacDiarmid 472 Intermediate Meg Reid Heads 444 Runner-up Eden Bates Wilson 310
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
Senior Runner-up
Junlor Runner-up
afternoon
Keely Jennings Parearua Graham
Campbell MacDiarmid Edgecumbe Wilson Heads
Hostel v day girls relay was won by Day girls by a close margin
Softball Division One Congratulations to the HGHS Softball team who place 3rd in New Zealand at the 2013 NZ Secondary Schools Softball Tournament in March. The team worked very hard over the week and displayed some excellent softball skills. Mereanna Monk was named in the Tournament team as Catcher, Tyler Downs as Pitcher and Stirling Walker-Pittman in Outfield, a real achievement from such a high quality tournament.
HGHS won 7/9 games that were played over the 5 day in Auckland. A big thank you to the Coach Haiti Te Wani, assistant coach Marcus Fletcher & Manger Kirstin Fletcher, the team could not achieve such amazing results if it wasn’t for these key people. Also thanks to those parents who came up to watch and cheer us on. We are looking forward to next year and taking out the title.
Waikato Bowls Championships Waikato Bowl single and pair’s championships were competed for on the 20th and 21st March, We had Terina Walker and Ashleigh Jeffcoat competing in the singles held at Claudelands Bowling club with the support of their members to guide the girls through their day. They both had some big wins in the early games with Terina taking out the semi finals with the last bowl. She then took on Fraser High for Waikato Champion taking over the match in the last half hour winning convincingly, as she defended her Waikato Singles Championship for 2013. In the Pairs we had 3 teams, Terina And Ashleigh teamed up with Mikayla Ensor and Jacqui Devenish, Cassia Ngaruhe and Louisa Godinet making up the other teams. The heat certainly made the day hard with another 5 hours of bowls to be played. Terina and Ashleigh had some great wins with a well deserved finals slot with them taking out Pairs championship also. This had Hamilton girls High School holding singles and pairs championship titles. Ashliegh was also named in the Waikato Secondary Schools squad, Ashleigh is also a member of the Waikato Under 19 team.
Old Girls’ Update
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Congratulations to Kate Bryant who has been awarded a Dairy NZ Scholarship for 2013. This involves having her tuition fees (to a maximum year. The success of Kate in being Business Learner of $5750) paid by DairyNZ this Number owner cruncher selected is a great achievementfocussed and a wonderful testament to the quality of the education at the school. The scholarship will assist Kate to meet the costs of university study at Massey and continues until course completion as long as grades continue to be acceptable. This significant support to outstanding young scholars is part of the Dairy Industry’s determination to encourage the best people into the industry as the future research scientists, farm advisers, farm managers, farm owners and rural professionals. Thank you also to the HGHS 1988 Rowing Team that joined our Rowing team at the Maadi Cup at Lake Karapiro this year.
Team player
Enquiring mind
Creative thinker
If you can share your skills you can be a trustee Becoming a school trustee could be one of the most rewarding roles you have. Being a school trustee is an important role that needs people with a range of skills and experiences, who believe in making a positive difference to our children’s learning. Step forward and nominate yourself or someone you know by filling out a nomination form available from your school.
Learn more at www.trustee-election.co.nz
YOUR RETURNING OFFICER IS: The Returning Officer Hamilton Girls' High School PO Box 1267 Hamilton 3240 07 8391304, supportservices@hghs.school.nz
Gateway & Careers
Sarah Lee at New Zealand Veterinary Pathology Laboratory. On the 7th March I participated in our schools Gateway program. My placement is at New Zealand Pathology Laboratory in Hamilton. During my placement I was able to watch the Laboratory Technicians test animal bloods for various infections and parasites. I helped prepare the slides using samples of this blood. I have only just started my placement in the lab, having been twice, but I can imagine that it will be a thrilling experience and I am already enjoying every minute of it. I encourage anyone thinking of participating in the Gateway program to go in and give it a go.
Yr13 students – All Yr13 students will be invited to attend a careers interview with either Ms Calder or Mrs Lander during Term 1 & 2. The intention of this is to assist the students with their future plans for 2014 and beyond. You can support your daughter by encouraging her to attend the interview and discussing what her ideas are for her future. The CareersNZ website www.careers. govt.nz is a very good resource for both parents and students. Those unsure about their plans are encouraged to complete the activities that may give them a starting point – CareerQuest, Skills Matcher, Managing work in life. The results of these can then be discussed at a second interview time if necessary. All Yr13’s students also have the opportunity to complete a Red Cross First Aid Certificate and bookings are presently open in the Careers Room for a range of different dates. This is a very good addition to a CV. Yr11 & 12 students – These students will be completing a Careers Module through the PDP programme during Term 3. They will have the opportunity to consider their interests, skills and future plans. These years are the perfect time to begin exploration of their various career ideas and they can do this through participating in STAR courses, Gateway work placement scheme and career specific days. They can also make appointments to speak with the Career Counsellor. Yr10 students – These students will begin a Careers Module through Social Studies Term 2 & 3. This module is focused on expanding the student’s knowledge of careers and familiarizing them with tertiary study pathways. They will also have the opportunity to participate in STAR courses during Term 3.
Raechel Popping at Waterworld Learn to Swim This year during my Gateway placement I was amerced into the life of Learn to Swim, Swim School Teaching. This amazing opportunity granted to me by the Gateway office has opened my eyes to the different things I can do with my life, and has set me on my pathway to become a qualified Swimming Teacher. Through this programme I have gained a lot of practical experience, gained some unit standards, and I have been privileged enough to see first-hand the effect we can have in the lives of others and witness the change in kids as they go from fearing the water to never wanting to leave. The program has opened many doors for me, including a potential job and I would highly recommend it to anyone willing to put the effort in.
Tertiary Liaison Visits - All eight NZ Universities are scheduled to visit the school during Term 1 & 2 to present an overview of courses. The timetable for these will be advertised through the daily notices and the various notice boards around the school. The students are also encouraged to start visiting the various institution websites and familiarizing themselves with closing dates, scholarships and course requirements. If any students or parents have concerns they are more than welcome to make an appointment with Ms Calder the school Career Counsellor.
PB4L
Positive Behaviour for Learning
Hamilton Girls’ High School began working with the Ministry of Education last year on a project offered to all secondary schools. It is called Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L Schoolwide). So far there has been consultation with students, staff, community whanau consultation to discuss what student actions are regarding as most desirable, and least desirable to foster a our school as a great learning environment. Our next work in PB4L involves: • checking alignment of attitude for all staff through a survey; • having meetings with randomly selected teachers, as part of data gathering for 2013; • teasing out exactly what student actions are considered minor or major events for the different layers of behaviour support to work with; and •staying true to the goals for PB4L, but in addition, finding ways that the project supports all HGHS stands for with our students (respect for diversity, working restoratively, natural justice, incorporating Maori kaupapa and methods) • then training teachers into data entry of classroom student behaviours in order to gather more accurate information about what is happening at our school. This leads to changes in emphasis for us in where we focus energy and resources. We are very happy to hear from families/whanau at any time regarding our work in PB4L. Please contact either Katrina Whaanga or Kerry Jenner for this. These two Deputy Principals lead the project along with a group representing many aspects of our community. At Hamilton Girls’ High School we focus on our Charter for guidance is supporting all our girls to engage in their learning and achieve their personal best.
Flipping The Classroom More and more technology is playing an important part in our students’ learning. Technology is a tool much like a pen was seen as a new tool back in the 1930’s. The concept of flipping the classroom has been around for a little while now. Many people have experienced the Khan Academy (www.khanacademy.org/) which has thousands of videos that students are accessing to enhance their understanding of work being covered in class. This is an example of a “flipped classroom”. Students can access the lectures for a lesson before the lesson then participate in discussions and hands-on activities when in class. Podcasting is a way some teachers give the students access to the content for a topic – this comes in many forms. Andrew Douch, an Australian educator, has created many wonderful podcasts for his senior Biology students to help them with their learning. (http://www. evolveducation.com.au/biology.html). Students like the time to process the information. Flipping the classroom gives them this time. Students can use moodle to “flip the classroom” when teachers provide notes and other resources so students can come to class prepared for rich discussion to enhance their understanding as they have already sourced the content for the lesson. Too much time can be wasted in a class where the content is the focus and not the richness of the discussion and development of higher level thinking that can occur in a “flipped classroom”.
KEY NZQA DATES 2013 NZQA Fees
School’s deadline – 28th June 2013
Financial Assistance
School’s deadline – 28th June 2013
Last Date to Withdraw from External Exams Last Date to Withdraw from Internal Standard
School’s deadline – 23rd August 2013
School’s deadline – 22nd November 2013
NZQA Fees are due the Finance Office by the 28th June 2013 Unless you have been given to an adequate
assessment opportunity NZQA will charge an extra $50.00 fee for any late payment. They will also withhold student’s results until the fees are paid in full. This could cause problems for any student wishing to gain entry to courses, polytechnic, or university in 2014. NZQA Fees are due to the Finance Office by the 28th June 2013
NZQAfee Fees for Domestic NZQA will charge an extra $50.00 for any late payment.Candidates They will also withhold student’s results until the fees are paid in full. This could cause problems for any student wishing Entry Fee to gain entry to courses, polytechnic, or university in 2014. Entry for all NZQF standards including Scholarship subjects $76.70 NZQA Fees forFees International Fee Paying Candidates NZQA for Domestic Candidates
Entry Entry for all NQF NZQFstandards standards including Scholarship subjects Entry for each Scholarship subject
Fee
$383.30 $76.70 $102.20 per subject
NZQA Fees for International Fee Paying Candidates Financial Assistance Entry Fee
To be eligible for financial assistance the applicant (normally the parent or guardian of the $383.30 Entry for all NQF standards candidate) must be the fee and meet at least one of the following criteria: $102.20 per subject Entry for each Scholarshippayer subject x Be receiving a Work and Income or Study Link benefit. (benefit-based applications) xFinancial Have a joint family income that would entitle the applicant to receive a Community Services Card. Assistance (income-based applications) To be eligible for financial assistance the applicant (normally the parent or guardian of the xcandidate) Have more than childpayer undertaking these qualifications the same year, irrespective of income must be one the fee and meet at least one of theinfollowing criteria: and the total fees to pay are higher than $200. (multiple candidate applications) x Be receiving a Work and Income or Study Link benefit. (benefit-based applications)
x Have a joint family income that would entitle the applicant to receive a Community Services Card. Applications are due to the Finance Office by the 28th June (income-based applications) To apply: Please obtain a financial assistance form from the student finance office. x Have more than one child undertaking these qualifications in the same year, irrespective of income and the total fees to pay are higher than $200. (multiple candidate applications) Applications are due to the Finance Office by the 28th June
To apply: Please obtain a financial assistance form from the student finance office. Eligible for beneficiary or income-based assistance
One child who $20.00 is a candidate More than one A Eligible maximum $30.00 per or forofbeneficiary child who are family income-based assistance candidates One child who $20.00 is a candidate International fee paying students are not eligible More than one A maximum of $30.00 per child =who NZQF Neware Zealand family Quantifications Framework candidates
Not eligible for beneficiary or income-based assistance Full fees ($76.70 for NZQF and 3 Scholarship subjects) Where fees are payable for more than one candidate, a Not eligible for beneficiary or$200.00 income-based maximum of $100.00 per child and per fee 1 assistance payer Full fees ($76.70 for NZQF and 3 Scholarship subjects)
for financial assistance.
Where fees are payable for more than one candidate, a maximum of $100.00 per child and $200.00 per fee payer 1
Assessment Procedures
Senior students are expected to read and follow the school’s assessment procedures. NZQA INFORMATION AND ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES for Senior Students for 2013 is contained on the school’s website (www.hghs.school.nz) under Curriculum.
External Examination Timetable
The external examination timetable can be viewed on the NZQA Website. nzqa.govt.nz./Information/ Students/Examination timetable Alternatively you can go directly to the page by typing in http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-standards/qualifications/ncea/ncea-exams-and-portfolios/external/nationalsecondary-examinations-timetable/
Course Endorsement
Students will be able to have their strengths in individual courses recognised with a course endorsement at Merit or Excellence. Students will gain an endorsement for a course where they achieve: 1. 14 or more credits at Merit or Excellence at the lower level that supports the endorsement 2. at least 3 credits from externally assessed standards and 3 credits from internally assessed standards (Physical Education, Religious Studies and level 3 Visual Arts will be exempt from this) 3. sufficient credits in a single school year.
Certificate Endorsement
Students studying for NCEA Levels 1, 2, and 3 certificates will be able to achieve these qualifications with Merit or Excellence endorsements. 1. Merit endorsement = 50 credits at Merit (or Excellence) at the same level, or higher. 2. Excellence endorsement = 50 credits at Excellence at the same level, or higher. 3. Credits can be accumulated over more than one year for the purposes of certificate endorsement. 4. In any one year a learner will be awarded an endorsed certificate only at the highest level of endorsement recognised that year except when a learner has achieved two or three NCEA qualifications in a single year.
Other NZQA Information
Also enclosed with this newsletter is a NZQA pamphlet. This pamphlet includes information on NZQA Fees, Financial Assistance, Special Assessment Conditions, requirements for NCEA Levels 1-3 and university entrance.
School contact
Principal’s Nominee (NZQA Liason): Martin Mitchell E-mail:
mitchellm@hghs.school.nz
Phone:
07 839 1304 EXT 893
Parent Conversations Parent conversations are on from 4-7pm on 9th May and from 8:30am – 3:30pm on 10th May at school. We invite you to book 8minute conversations with each of your daughter’s teachers using our online booking system. Go to www.schoolinterviews.co.nz and use the school code 3EPPY. Students are expected to attend the conversations in school uniform with their parents.The bookings will open on 19th April. There will be no normal classes for students on 10th May. If you have any difficulties with the booking system please contact the school office or come in and we can help you with the bookings.
Attendance We have had a number of queries regarding attendance this year. Some key points to note: The Education Act 1989 states that every student who is required to be enrolled at a registered school shall attend the school whenever it is open. Parents are responsible for their child’s regular attendance at school. Further information is available on the Ministry of Education’s website under “Attendance Matters”. We believe attendance at school is very important to foster engagement and achievement for students. At HGHS we have set a goal for all students to have 95% attendance. Students who do not achieve this will not be able to attend school functions (e.g. School socials, School Ball, Leavers’ Dinner ) , represent the school at summer and winter tournament and other events. This attendance is calculated by adding the percentage actual attendance in class plus any other justified absences (e.g. medical, bereavements, regional representations). • If you know in advance that your daughter is going to be away e.g. national tournament, overseas trip, family holiday you need to write to the Principal (or email) principal@hghs.school.nz requesting leave. Be clear as to the reason for the absence and remember to include all relevant dates. • Each school has to determine their own justified reasons for an absence. If a reason is justified under our school policy, the attendance will not count against our school goal for 95% attendance for each student. E.g. representing your region in a Touch national tournament (please provide proof of participation in the event); bereavements, tangis. • By writing into the school you are explaining the absence but the reason may not be a justified reason. E.g. going to Fiji for a week’s holiday is explained but unjustified and will count against the 95% attendance goal. • If your daughter is requesting leave during the day for an appointment she needs to bring a note which includes details of the appointment time, her tutor group and her parents signature and phone number. The student leaves this note at student reception in the morning of the appointment and collects it when she signs out to attend the appointment. She must give the leave note to the teacher the next day so her attendance can be completed on our system. The more information you can give us the better as far as the appointment goes the better we are able to code it correctly. E.g. Doctor or dentist is a justified absence and does not count against her 95% attendance. “appointment” is explained and unjustified absence. • All notes for absences must be handed in within two weeks of the absence. E.g. an absence on February 10th will not be justified if it received after February 24th . Please attend to absence notes promptly.
Key Dates April & May Thu 18th April Fri 26th April Mon 29th April
Kapa Haka Camp NZSS Waterpolo Prems NZSS Waterpolo Divs
Fri 3rd May
Te Maurea Whiritoi Noho Marae
Sat 4th May
Drummers Workshop
Mon 6th May
Senior Leader Training Teacher Only Day
Thu 9th May
Parent Conversations
Fri 10th May
Parent Conversations
Sun 12th May
Te Maurea Whiritoi Day Practice
Mon 13th May
NZSS Hilary Challenge 12SCI Wintec Visit
Tue 14th May
Excel School of Performing Arts
Fri 17th May
2GEO F/T Waikato Uni Open Day Y13 Te Maurea Whiritoi Noho Marae
Tue 21st May
Mufti Day Atrium Recital Series 2ARD Photoshop
Wed 22nd May
SELL (1ACC/1ECO)
Thu 23rd May
Road race
Fri 24th May
2APO F/T Te Maurea Whiritoi Noho Marae
Sun 26th May
Equestrian Show Series 1 1APS Huntly 1/2 Marathon
SA P IE N S
FORT
UNAM FINGIT
SIBI
In next months newsletter this space will be available for advertising, any enquiries regarding this please email administration@hghs.school.nz.
Hamilton Girls’ High School Ward Street, Hamilton, 3204 Phone: 07 839 1304 Email: administration@hghs.school.nz