August 2015
Dear Parents/Caregivers Welcome back to the world of learning at Tauranga Girls’ College as we embark on Term Three of what has so far been an incredibly busy and successful year for so many of our girls. Term Two being eleven weeks long just gave more space for our young women to demonstrate their talents and succeed, something that continued through the holidays for many! As this term gets underway already our active and supportive parent body, our PTA have prepared to stage their annual fashion parade, showcasing local fashion retailers as well as the talents of our students in preparing their items. The return to full function of our hall, Drama and Music suites, is well timed to allow for this significant event in our calendar. On the curriculum front junior students’ parents have been updated face to face on the progress their daughters are making so far this year and coming up on August 12th all students and their families will be welcome to attend our Option Evening and plan pathways through the school for next year. There have also in this early stage of the term been some staffing changes as Mr Richard Hendra departs for two terms of work with the Royal Society in Science Education, having won a prestigious scholarship to undertake this work. We look forward to his return in 2016. We are also this
term without the services of our Deputy Principal in Charge of Year 11, Mrs Philippa Ferguson, as she takes a three month break brought about by health issues. We look forward to her return in Term Four. Two staff members who will leave us later this year are Mr Andrew Chapman, recently appointed to a leadership position at the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic and Mrs Tania Lewis-Rickard who will be going to Papamoa College. We congratulate both these staff on their appointments and wish them well in their new roles. Something we are looking forward to later in August, as part of the cycle of review of our school’s curriculum delivery and outcomes is the visit in week six of this term of a team from the Education Review Office. There will be opportunities for students and parents to meet with the ERO team and have input into the review and a timetable of meeting times will be circulated closer to the actual review date. We look forward to this external confirmation of the progress this college has made since our last (very positive) review in 2012.
Principal
Sponsorship The School is leasing a Mini-Bus for the next three years and there are 2 spots available for sponsorship. For your contribution you will receive your Company Logo/Signage prominently displayed on the Mini-Van and also your logo with acknowledgement in every newsletter. For further information please contact the Executive Officer John Laugesen on 5788114 Ext 704. Thank you Active Schoolwear for your support.
International and National Achievements Beach Volleyball Georgia Coughlan is representing NZ in Beach Volleyball—competing in the USA for the New Zealand U19/U21 Beach Volleyball team Cross Country Kaylee Mudgway has been selected into the New Zealand Cross Country Team and will compete in Melbourne for the Australian Cross Country Championships in August. Judo Jade Tuilaepa represented Tauranga Girls’ College in the New Zealand Secondary Schools Judo Championships on 5th July gaining Gold in U57 and Silver in the Open Weight. Taekwondo Frances Lloyd represented New Zealand at the World Taekwondo Championships in Italy returning with the trophy for the Best Overall Junior Female and collecting 6 medals. In the Individual section Frances won Gold in Special Technique, Silver in Sparring and Bronze in Power Breaking. In the Team section Frances won Gold in Sparring, Silver in Special Technique and Bronze in Power Breaking. Ashley Cundy competed in the North Island Open Championships, winning a Gold medal in Poomsae and a Bronze medal in Fighting. Under Water Hockey Georgia Coughlan and Kirsty Burrows are travelling to Spain to compete at the Underwater Hockey Worlds in the New Zealand U19 Underwater Hockey team. Volleyball Sophie Te Whaiti and Ariana Moffatt have been selected into the New Zealand U21 Women’s Volleyball Squad . They will attend a training camp/trial in August and if selected into the final 12 they will head to Thailand 26 September - 6 October. Jessica Lawrence and Emma Mabbott were in Thailand the second week of the holidays and the first week of term three representing New Zealand in the U19 Junior Women’s Volleyball team. This is a great effort for Jessica and Emma, the team finished fifth out of 16 teams, a very creditable result.
North Island / Bay of Plenty / Local Achievements Hockey Congratulations to the 1st X1 Hockey Team for winning the Elite Secondary Schools Grade in the Tauranga Hockey Competition, and to the Junior A and Senior Reserve teams who both made the final of the School Reserve Grade Competition with the Junior A winning.
Mountain Biking Kaylee Mudgway competed in the Mountain Bike Winter Series in Rotorua and won the Under 16 category.
Netball Minardi Daniels and Britney Emery were selected by Harbourside Netball to join the invitational team for the Under 17 National Netball Tournament.
Tauranga Girls’ College Year 13 Students Receive Acorn Foundation Scholarship Dale Carnegie Course Through the generosity of the Acorn Foundation and donors Roy and Mary McGowan, three Tauranga Girls’ students along with twenty four Western Bay of Plenty year 13 students graduated from the Dale Carnegie Course on 3rd July. The program is one of the most successful leadership development programmes in history, with over nine million graduates in 90 countries over 103 years and is recognised by employers internationally with its ISO 9001 certification. The course has proven to be extremely effective in preparing young people for the next step in their lives, whether that is tertiary education or the workforce. Since 2010, one hundred and twenty six students from Western Bay of Plenty schools have successfully completed the course. “Through a collaborative effort, the Acorn Foundation, Dale Carnegie BOP Waikato, Priority One, Parents and nine western BOP secondary schools, we are now able to offer this opportunity to a total of twenty seven of our young leaders yearly. The Tauranga Girls’ 2015 Graduates are; Jemma Horne, Renee Perry and Leah Nicholas. The program is focused on developing self confidence, communication, and people skills, building leadership and resilience in managing stress and worry.” Andrea Shaw, Franchisee, Dale Carnegie BOP/Waikato .
Congratulations Elisabeth Minards-Black Elisabeth took part in the Federation of Lyceum Clubs Major Speech and Drama Award at Baycourt over the July holidays. She received third place and has a nomination to take part in the Young Performer of the Year at Palmerston North in mid October.
POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR FOR LEARNING: Bullying is not OK There are many different definitions of bullying but almost all of them include three distinct elements:
Deliberately harmful aggressive behaviour Repeated over time Power imbalance between those who bully and those being bullied.
Types of bullying behaviour
Verbal bullying—repeated mocking, name-calling, unwanted teasing, homophobic or racist remarks Physical bullying—repeated hitting or kicking, taking or threatening to take possessions Social or relational bullying—repeated exclusion, spreading rumours or gossiping, withholding friendship, pulling faces Cyber bullying—repeated threats, criticism or unkind comments or images.
Materials from Kids Health for Parents As parents, we need to be alert:
Take bullying seriously. Make sure our children understand that we will not tolerate bullying at home or anywhere else. Establish rules about bullying and stick to them. If we punish our child by taking away privileges, be sure it is meaningful. For example, if a child bullies other children via email, text messages, or a social networking site, dock phone or computer privileges for a period of time. If the child acts aggressively at home, with siblings or others, put a stop to it. Teach more appropriate (and nonviolent) ways to react, like walking away.
Teach children to treat others with respect and kindness. Teach our children that it is wrong to ridicule differences such as race, religion, appearance, special needs, gender or economic status and try to instill a sense of empathy for those who are different. Consider getting involved together in a community group where our children can interact with others who are different.
Learn about our children's social life. Look for insight into the factors that may be influencing our children's behaviour in the school environment or wherever the bullying is occurring. Talk with teachers, guidance counselors, and senior management. What about our child's friends? Are they a strong influence? For the good or for the bad? Talk to our children about those relationships and about the pressures to fit in. Get them involved in activities outside of school so that they meet and develop friendships with other children.
Encourage good behaviour. Positive reinforcement can be more powerful than negative discipline. Catch our children being good — and when they handle situations in ways that are constructive or positive, take notice and praise them for it.
Set a good example. Think carefully about how we talk around our children and how we, ourselves, handle conflict and problems. If we behave aggressively — toward or in front of our children, chances are they will follow our example. Point out positives in others, rather than negatives. And when conflicts arise in our own life, be open about the frustrations we have and how we cope with our own feelings. The good news is that because bullying has made national headlines, schools and communities (and even celebrities) are taking a strong anti-bullying stance.
As parents, we can keep our children from becoming targets — and stop bullying that has already started
Talk about it. Talk about bullying with our children and have other family members share their experiences. If one of our children opens up about being bullied, praise him or her for being brave enough to discuss it and offer unconditional support. Consult with the school to learn its policies and find out how staff and teachers can address the situation.
Remove the bait. If it is lunch money or gadgets that the school bully is after, we can help neutralise the situation by encouraging our children to pack a lunch or go to school gadget-free.
Buddy up for safety. Two or more friends standing at their lockers are less likely to be picked on than a child who is all alone. Remind our children to use the buddy system when on the school bus, or wherever bullies may lurk.
Keep calm and carry on. If a bully strikes, a child's best defense may be to remain calm, ignore hurtful remarks, tell the bully to stop, and simply walk away. Bullies thrive on hurting others. A child who is not easily ruffled has a better chance of staying off a bully's radar.
Do not try to fight the battle ourselves. It is generally best to do speak to the bully’s family members in a setting where a school official, such as a counselor, can mediate rather than approach them on our own. Websites that can help: https://www.facebook.com/help/420576171311103/ http://thelowdown.co.nz www.safekidspro.com Together We Can Make a Difference
Health Week In Week 10 of Term 2, the Sports Council and the Health Committee hosted a brand new weeklong event called Health Week. Throughout the week we encouraged students to be fit, active and to live a healthy lifestyle. Each day of the week we had a different event at lunch time: Monday consisted of Pilates with Mrs Pollard, Tuesday we showed a movie, Wednesday was jump rope, Thursday we sold smoothies, and Friday was yoga with Pene Cameron. The Gate Pa Green Grocer kindly donated all the bananas and frozen berries used for our smoothies, and his help and support for our school is always much appreciated. All proceeds from the smoothies have been donated to the Nepal Foundation. I would like to thank all our sponsors for the spot prizes: Tank Juice Bar, Fit Co Gym, Turkish To Go, The Yoga Collective, and Bethlehem Dental Clinic. Lastly, I would like to thank everyone who helped with the activities and all the girls that came along and got involved throughout the week. Pictured above (left to right) with goods donated for Health Week: Jess Crockett, Sports Council Secretary; Ella Williams, Health Committee Prefect; David, Owner of the Gate Pa Green Grocer; and Naomi Stewart, Sports Captain.
Stage Challenge Congratulations to our Stage Challenge team who won the Tauranga Open Division for their entry ‘Blossoming from Destruction’ based on the Christchurch Earthquake. The judges described the performance as strong and very emotional. Along with the supreme award they took out awards for:
Excellence in Drama Excellence in Stage Crew Excellence in Set design and function Excellence in Visual Enhancement Spirit of Stage Challenge (as voted by students and staff from other schools on the day) Excellence in Performance Skill Excellence in Choreography Excellence in Costuming Character Student Lead Award (awarded to Producer Emma Rea) Environmental or social awareness
Congratulations to Miss Caroline Gill (Teacher in Charge) and the Student Leadership team consisting of Philippa Artus, Emma Rea, Izzy Cameron, Lizzy Kulasingham, Hannah Payne, Ana Morris, Emily Dixon, Bridget Carlson and Ella Williams.
‘Sole’ Senior Dance Troupe Congratulations to the Senior Dance Troupe ‘Sole’ on their accomplishments over the holiday period. The troupe performed two pieces as part of the Auckland dance festival You Dance at the Maidment theatre and received positive accolades for what they are creating in the curriculum dance programme. The girls also competed in the Tauranga Performing Arts Festival in a large category of 17 strong groups. 7 of these were acknowledged, including our girls who received a Highly Commended. They were also invited to perform at the Best of the Best concert on the Sunday night! They really held their own against some very strong Auckland dance schools. Thank you to the PPTA for their sponsorship of the new Dance Troupe Jackets. The girls wore these proudly.
Student Dance successes Congratulations to Aliyah Le’Mon (9GVR) and Hannah Reid (13HND) for their successes in America over the school holidays. The girls competed in Starpower in Las Vegas which is an international dance competition. The girls achieved fantastic results averaging 4-5 in the top divisions for Jazz, Contemporary, and Lyrical. Aliyah Le’Mon
History trip: During the recent school holidays an amazing time was experienced by senior History students in Russia, Germany and Poland. The programme was designed to focus on major topics studied, particularly the Russian Revolution, Hitler’s Germany, World War 2, the Holocaust especially in Poland (we went to Auschwitz), and the Cold War. It also provided an enriching range of cultural experiences, and of course plenty of shopping. Some comments from students : ‘a once in a lifetime opportunity’; ‘an opportunity of a lifetime for me to see the places I’ve been studying’; ‘a trip of a lifetime, it has always been a dream of mine to visit places I’ve learnt about and Russia, Germany and Poland are 3 places I most wanted to visit’; ‘European history is pretty cool, to be able to experience the places where historical events took place and iconic people have lived, being able to travel with people my own age/school is a good experience; ‘not a trip you would go on yourself, I enjoy history and was excited to learn new aspects of the topics we have been studying’; ‘an opportunity of a lifetime for me to see the places we have been studying.’ We covered 45,000 kms, the weather was great and we had a memorable two weeks.
At the amazing Moscow metro
Pin’d Results White on White Khryss Anderson 1st Practical Ends Tabitha Marshall HC Kitsch Hannah Payne HC Avant Pop Zoe Beck 2nd
Colourlab Jerusha Keightley 1st Ashleigh Wright 2nd Mikeely Ivil 3rd Senior Workmanship Mikeely Ivil 2nd Futuristic Formal Brydie Mangos HC Yazzmine Woodhouse 2nd
Convertible / Modular Brydie Mangos 1st
MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT and Maths Week SOME NEWS AND INFORMATION FROM THE MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT Maths Week 2015: Monday 10 - Friday 14 August Yes, it’s happening soon! Maths Week is gearing up for another fantastic year of fun, challenging maths questions and activities. There are activities, games and challenges for all students from Year 1 to Year 11. The aim of Maths Week is to present mathematics in a bright attractive way to all sorts of things which are relevant to student’s lives. It is written to appeal to students and is related to the curriculum with a different emphasis. The Ministry of Education and the New Zealand Association of Mathematics Teachers sponsor Maths Week. More Mathematics & More Challenges! The 2015 Challenges are: ‘Maths Millionaire’, Daily Dollar Questions, Survivor Series, Games. This year a new section has been added. This is an interactive section on rail trips throughout New Zealand. There will be one trip each day. See further details on http://www.mathsweek.org.nz/ One of our school activities will be the annual TGC Mathsmind competition. Each year 9 and 10 class will choose teams of four members to compete in the hall at lunchtime. The Year 10 competition is on Tuesday 11 August and the Year 9 competition on Wednesday 12 August. This year the Bay of Plenty Mathsmind competition will be held in Rotorua Tuesday 18 August. Two Year 9 and two Year 10 teams are sent to this event.
Help with Maths The Maths Department continues to run Maths tutorials every lunchtime in room J209. There is always at least one Maths teacher available to help students at any level. Please encourage your daughter to seek this extra help if needed. Exam Revision In the weeks leading up to the school Benchmark Exams in week 8 – 9 (10 – 16 September) and the End of Year NCEA Exams we will make available commercial revision material. In the past we have promoted books by D & D Resources, which we think are good value for money. These are write-on books which give several parallel assessments for each external Achievement Standard. At Levels 1, 2 and 3 they are a series of booklets, each costing $5 per booklet. A flier has been sent out to students and payments are due by Friday 31 July ( end of week 2). If you have any queries regarding any of the above items, please contact the Head of Mathematics, Lewis Hockings.
Open Night The Open Night for prospective students for 2016 will be held on: qualifications if certain criteria are met. NZQA Fees 2015 This term the NZQA fees are due no later than Friday 28 August for all All senior students have students who are studying been issued with the NZQA at senior level for this candidate information year. If you qualify for sheet along with a printout financial assistance with of the standards they will these fees, then please be assessed against for complete the form issued 2015. in May and get it back to It is important that this school so that we can information has been process your application. checked carefully and any Forms are also available via alterations are sent to the the NZQA website: student office. www.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/ The table shows the fee for-students/fees/ structure for National financialassistance.html Qualification Fee entries for 2015. Entry The government National provides $76.70 Qualifications financial Framework assistance to (NQF) students Scholarship subject entering for school entries are per $30.00
NCEA Candidate Information
subject
Wednesday 05 August at 5.45 pm. If you know of anyone considering sending their daughter to Tauranga Girls’ College in 2016 please pass on this date to them. Please invite them to contact the school reception for further details.
Option Evening An Option Evening is scheduled for:
Wednesday 12 August 5.00pm - 7.00pm in J Block. You are encouraged to attend this with your daughter, so that you can discuss subject choices with staff.
Tauranga Girls’ College Year 8 Pathways Evening: Wednesday 12 August 5.30pm Tauranga Girls’ College Hall For Year 8 students intending to enrol at Tauranga Girls’ College who were unable to attend our Open night. Explore a College that offers learning tailored exclusively for girls to succeed.
Calendar Day
Date
Event
Wednesday
5 August
BOPSS Junior Badminton Open Night
Thursday
6 August
Western Bay at Work & Young Innovator Awards International visit: Wakayama Shinai Junior & Senior High School
Friday
7 August
Year 12 Careers & Business Expo Kaileys Lunch
Monday
10 August
Annette Presley visit Dance NZ Made, Baycourt
Tuesday
11 August
Year 10 Maths Mind
Wednesday
12 August
Option Night Year 9 Maths Mind YE Exam Massey University Soil Science promo
Thursday
13 August
Senior Drama to Auckland
Friday
14 August
Kaileys Lunch
Wednesday
19 August
PTA Meeting, Staffroom 7.30pm
Thursday
20 August
Bloodbank Auckland University Science Careers
Tuesday
25 August
Mufti Day 13ECE 1st Aid Periods 1—4
Wednesday
26 August
13ECE 1st Aid Periods 1—4 Waikato University Scholarship Day (Year 13)
Thursday
27 August
13ECE 1st Aid Period 1—4 Waikato University Scholarship Day (Year 13) Football to Katikati International Food Fair—Lunchtime BOT Meeting, Boardroom 5.30pm
Friday
28 August
Waikato University Scholarship Day (Year 13) 10BET Market Day
Sunday
30 August
NZSS Winter Tournament begins
Friday
04 September
Mid-term break—School closed
Fair Play Promise This is a mid-season reminder of the Tauranga Girls’ College Supporters/Players Fair Play Promise that all players, umpires, coaches, parents and supporters must adhere to. Good sport is about positive attitude, the right tone and support and co-operation. To ensure we support the Fair Play Promise the following are the guidelines that must be adhered to:
Players Code · Play by the rules Never argue with an official Work hard to do your best at all times Attend practices on a regular basis Be a good sport and recognize good players and good play by all involved Remember to thank your coach, the officials, the opposition and supporters Help others in your team when you can Avoid putting people down or intimidating them “Give it heaps and don’t get ugly”.
Spectators/Supporters Code Respect that people are involved in sport for fun and enjoyment Support good play and applaud good performance from all competitors Attempt to understand the rules of the game Learn the difference between supportive and abusive comments and rule out the latter Accept the decision of officials and coaches Display self-control on the sideline. Always be positive. Never shout at or ridicule players Remember that we are all capable of making mistakes “Give it heaps and don’t get ugly”.
Reminder: Mid–term break Friday 04 September. The school will be closed on that day.
Contacting the College for 2015 We encourage parents to contact the College (578 8114) for support at any time during the year. The Pastoral Team includes: Year 9 Senior Leader: Mrs Bird Deans: Mr Andrew Chapman & Mrs Kylie Valentine Ext 769 Year 10 Senior Leader: Mrs Summerville Deans: Mrs Audrey Keightley & Ms Margot Glaser-Brown Ext 770 Year 11 Senior Leader: Mrs Ferguson Deans: Mrs Jackie Gould & Mrs Robyn Mankelow Ext 767 Year 12 Senior Leader: Ms Rowlands Deans: Ms Caroline Gill & Mr Don Wallis Ext 768 Year 13 Senior Leader: Ms Rowlands Deans: Mrs Carolyn Nemeth & Mrs Judith Somerville Ext 766 Guidance Counsellors: Ms Judy Burr Ext 728 & Ms Chantal Stopford Ext 724 If any matter remains unresolved, or is taking too long, please contact the Principal, Mrs Cowens. 930 Cameron Road, Tauranga 3112
Ph: (07) 578-8114
Fax: (07) 578-8447