TAURANGA GIRLS’ COLLEGE
October 2016
Tauranga Girls’ College
Message from the Principal Dear Parents Welcome back to the start of Term Four! It is good to re-join the Tauranga Girls’ College community after being away for hip surgery and to pick up where my very capable team of Senior Leaders finished at the end of Term Three. I come back at a time when for our senior students only two weeks remain until study leave begins for their NCEA external exams, two weeks to prepare thoroughly for the best outcomes in November. Our juniors have another seven weeks remaining until our Junior Diploma celebration assemblies on December 14 (Year 9) and 15 (Year 10). Much to be done before those occur!
There has also been much to celebrate across the curriculum in the last few weeks, with Sports Prizegiving on Thursday October 13 and Arts Prizegiving on Wednesday October 19. The lists of achievements and the levels of performance have been
outstanding. Celebrations continue with our, Academic Prizegiving on Wednesday November 02 and our Maori community Prizegiving on Friday November 11. Our guest speaker for Sports Prizegiving was Makayla Daysh, ex-pupil, star basketball player in the United States and now a Rugby 7’s player, for Arts Prizegiving Stephanie Adams, singer and for Academic Sophia Frentz, scientist. It is a feature of the leadership development for students at this school that the House and Arts Councils take full responsibility for the Sports and Arts evenings, annual highlights for us and for them. While our senior students focus in the upcoming two weeks on external examination preparation our junior students will be focussed on the Junior Examinations that begin in the sixth week of Term Four, as they prepare for their Junior Diploma certificate and graduation outcomes. Once the junior examinations are over the Deans at
both Year 9 and Year 10 levels have been working hard on organisation for the period of time before the end of year, putting in place some extra learning opportunities both in and out of the school. Students are all encouraged to make the most of the next few weeks, to invest time and energy in learning, to seek help to fill any gaps in their understanding as they develop their talents and study skills, and to ensure that they are ready for the next steps on their learning journey into 2017.
Pauline Cowens Principal Head Girls Tate Fountain: Head Girl Georgia Coughlan: Sports Captain Molly Alton: Deputy Head Girl Sarah Coleman: Arts Director
TAURANGA GIRLS’ COLLEGE
|OCTOBER 2016
Achievements International and National: Congratulations
College Creative Catwalk Annual Wearable Arts Award. She was also named as the overall competition "Supreme Winner" and "People's Choice" from all the categories. Zoe took home around $1000 in various prizes and a glass NZ Koru Trophy for her supreme win.
At The World Taekwondo Championships Frances Lloyd achieved Gold in the Individual Female Special Technics in Black Belts Female Junior Competition. She also got Silver in the Individual Female Sparring in Black Belts Female over 65kg Junior Competition.
Congratulations
Congratulations Zoe Beck entered the secondary schools category "My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding" and she was the Secondary Schools’ overall winner of that section with her design, "Dorothy's Afternoon Tea Party" in the Taupo-Nui-A-Tia
On Tuesday 01 November Tauranga Girls’ College will finish teaching classes at 2pm. The programme for that day will be 50 minute periods: Tutor time Period 1 Period 2 Interval Period 3 Period 4 Lunch Period 5
8.40 9.00 9.50 10.40 11.00 11.50 12.40 1.10
9.00am 9.50am 10.40am 11.00am 11.50am 12.40pm 1.10pm 2.00pm.
A supervised programme will be available for the remainder of the afternoon for those students whose parents are unable to make alternative arrangements.
North Island/Bay of Plenty/Local
Bus transport will operate at the usual time.
Congratulations
Prizegivings
Four of our girls have been selected and are in the top 10 films for the International Youth Silent Film competition. They are: Julie Lamont Ram Sprouts Kelly Tucker-Sands The Truth is Out There Nathalia Luna Sanz and Tina Jeong The Other Side of the Mirror
Congratulations We had 5 girls who scored extremely well in the University of Otago Junior Maths Competition: Holly Topp Top 200 Alexandra Kennedy Merit Kelly Park Merit Skye Schlebusch Merit Taylor Graham Merit
Wednesday 02 November 6pm Holy Trinity Church
Maori
Medea Jones Medea is part of the New Zealand team competing at the Indo Pacific Trampoline and Tumbling competition in Napier New Zealand 18-25 October.
Early Closure
Academic
Frances is the World Junior Champion
NZ Tiki Ahua Fashion Show: Zoe entered a total of 5 garments for the selection panels consideration for the final show, 3 of which were chosen by the judges. The whole event was such a fantastic opportunity for all the young designers, with Zoe's garments being shown on national TV as well as various other media sources.
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Friday 11 November 5.30pm Tauranga Girls’ College Hall
TAURANGA GIRLS’ COLLEGE
|OCTOBER 2016
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Year 10 Japanese language students off to Japan for 10 days.
Tauranga Girls’ College Summer Reading Club
Tauranga Girls’ College Year 10 students (left-right) Keely Pakes, Leah Howard, Hayley Ellison and Anneliese Darby are off to Japan with Let’s Homestay for their “Japan Cultural Experience 2016”. They leave New Zealand on Friday 23 September and will return on 02 October. They have ten days in Japan and will visit Tauranga’s sister city Hitachi, and will also spend time in Tokyo and visit Tokyo Disneyland.
International trip to Taupo On Saturday 10 September 32 International and Exchange girls headed down to Taupo for an adventure activity day. We did a huka jetboat ride, visited the prawn farm, Huka Honey and Craters of the Moon, finishing the day off at Taupo Bungy. Some of the girls did a daring Cliffhanger Swing, including Wilna Human and Pam Foyle, and five were brave enough to take the plunge and do a bungy jump- well done to you all!
An exciting reading opportunity has come up for Tauranga Girls’ College Junior students. This year our library invites juniors to sign up for our Summer Reading Club. Students get to take home up to 10 books (fiction, nonfiction or a mixture of both). These can be read over the long summer break & be returned in Term One, 2017. To sign up, students will need to take a permission letter home to parents/caregivers and return it signed by 25 November. Books can be chosen on Monday 12 December and Tuesday 13 December.
Calendar Day
Date
Event
Monday Wednesday Thursday Tuesday Wednesday
24 Oct 26 Oct 27 October 01 Nov 02 Nov
Thursday Wednesday Friday Monday Tues-Fri Mon-Fri
03 Nov 09 Nov 11 Nov 14 Nov 15-18 Nov 21-25 Nov
Tuesday Thursday
22 Nov 24 Nov
Labour Day Senior Reports Issued Mufti Day Last day for Year 13 Academic Prize-giving: Trinity Holy Church 6pm Last day for Year 12 & 11 NCEA begin Maori Prizegiving Junior Study Day Junior Assessment (Y9 & 10) Junior Production NISS Volleyball Jnr Champs Year 9 Activities Day Orientation Day
TAURANGA GIRLS’ COLLEGE
|OCTOBER 2016
Careers Feedback on BECA day:
“I feel much more informed about career pathways available in the Engineering field. The day was well organised, interesting and informative.” Sarah Tortoiseshell, Physics teacher TGC “I really enjoyed my day at BECA. The people were friendly and encouraging and I learnt a lot of useful information that will help me with my subject choices and a future career path. I would definitely recommend this day to anyone with an interest in a career in engineering in the future.” “I really enjoyed the day! Helped me to understand the range of jobs in the engineering field.” “It was a really good experience and really enjoyable. It was good to find out exactly what is required of an engineer and what different types of engineers are responsible for.” “I absolutely loved the BECA Engineering day. It has made me more certain about my career pathway. The day was well run, the food was delicious, the bridge building challenge was also really fun. Thank you so much for the day.” “I found the day really informative and a fun way of experiencing what engineering
would provide for me. I also liked how the presenters made us students feel involved.” “I found the day really beneficial as I learnt a lot more about engineering and how broad the field is! It was really interesting to see what each person did in their job and where they had studied. The layout of the day was really cool too and the field trip to Hairini was wicked! Thank you so much ” Physics students TGC
Special Assessment Conditions for the NCEA Exams 2017 You can apply for Special Assessment Conditions for the NCEA exams if; your daughter has a sensory, physical, medical and or learning difficulty that affects the assessment of their classroom learning, and might be able to overcome or reduced with appropriate assistance. New applications open 1 October 2016 for the 2017 school year. The deadline for new applications closes for Special Assessment Conditions for 2017 in mid-February. What are Special Assessment Conditions? Special Assessment Conditions (SAC) provide extra help for approved students when they are being assessed for their NCEA so that barriers to achievement can be removed and they can have a fair opportunity to achieve credits. The support is used for internal standards and external standards (exams). Examples of SAC are use of a writer or a computer, extra time,
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braille or enlarged papers, or a reader. How is an applications made for Special Assessment Conditions? Your daughter will need to complete a student application for entitlement to SAC form. These are available from the Deputy Principal in charge of NCEA, Ms Rowlands or from the NZQA website. The application will need to be supported by a report written by a registered professional, certifying the medical condition and or learning disability and making recommendations for the assessment of learning (SAC). The report must have been completed within the last three years. What happens then? The school applies online through a very secure portal providing data and other information showing the need for the SAC requested. Applications close in midFebruary 2017. NZQA assessors may approve or amend or decline all or any of the SACs requested for your child on the basis of the information provided. Approval means that they are entitled to use the SCA for internal and external assessment (exams) for that year. Who to contact at school If you think your daughter may be eligible for SACs contact one of the following people: Glenda Rowlands, Year 13 Deputy Principal in charge of NZQA Mrs Mordue, SENCO Tuesday 01 November – early closure 2.00pm
TAURANGA GIRLS’ COLLEGE
|OCTOBER 2016
Positive Behaviour for Learning Revision During Term Three Break for students Bradley Busch Psychologist@Inner_drive The weeks and months leading up to exams can be challenging for you. So how can you revise better? Which techniques really work, and which don’t? What can you do to improve your memory, mood and concentration? Before you do any revision - Eat breakfast It is estimated that around 39% of girls skip breakfast some or all of the time. It’s not called the most important meal of the day for nothing: research has found that skipping this meal significantly reduces students’ attention and their ability to recall information. Simply having a bowl of cereal will give you the concentration and memory boost you need. During revision sessions Start early and spread it out Actors don’t leave their rehearsals until the day before opening night. Athletes don’t only train the day before a match. To commit something to memory takes time. Spreading out your revision sessions on a particular topic (eg one-hour sessions over 10 days) is more effective than spending the same amount of time in one go (ie 10 hours in one day). This effect, known as “spacing”, helps because it allows time in between revision sessions to forget and re-learn the material. Test yourself Leading researchers in the field of memory consider testing
yourself as one of the most effective ways to improve your ability to recall information. Testing yourself also helps you check for any gaps in your knowledge. Practice papers provide a good starting point, as well as quizzing yourself at the end of your revision session. Look at previous NCEA exam papers online. Teach someone After you have tested yourself, teach the material to someone else. This has been found to help aid memory and recall: it is known as “the Protégé Effect”. Teaching someone else requires you to learn and organise your knowledge in a clear and structured manner. Think twice about using highlighters Despite being the favourite weapon of many students tackling revision, research suggests they don’t work very well. People learn and recall information better if they connect it to other pieces of information. Highlighters don’t do this. They isolate single pieces of information. Quite often, you end up highlighting whole chunks and passages of text, which can give the appearance of having worked hard, but is of little value. Don’t listen to music Students who study in a quiet environment can recall more than those who revise while listening to music. Extroverts, and those with an exceptional ability to control their attention, are not negatively affected as much: but it doesn’t help. At best, for these students, it just doesn’t hinder them as much as everyone else. Don’t fool yourself by thinking you work better with music. Get some fresh air and exercise You cannot work all day,
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every day. Nor should you. Revision has to be about quality, as well as quantity. Going outside and getting some fresh air will help you feel refreshed and better able to focus a fterwards. Doing a little bit of exercise will also help you to deal better with stressful situations: it reduces anxiety and increases selfesteem. This must be good when preparing for exam. Sleep Students are encouraged to work hard and revise a lot before their exams. However, there comes a time when you need to stop and go to sleep. Knowing when can be tricky. There is a link between being a perfectionist and struggling to sleep. If you are falling asleep within five minutes of your head hitting the pillow, you should probably be going to bed earlier. Other sleep tips include having regular bedtimes, not being on your mobile phone in bed, but if you are, you should turn down the backlight. As research into psychology continues to develop, we learn more and more about how best to help students learn. Revision time can be challenging as it often requires students to monitor their own behaviour when working independently at home. Hopefully, by sharing what helps improve your memory, mood and concentration, we can better equip you to meet the challenges head on.
All the best for your NCEA exam
TAURANGA GIRLS’ COLLEGE
|OCTOBER 2016
Arts Prizegiving 2016 Congratulations to the Arts Committee and award recipients on a very successful evening. The items were varied and entertaining; showcasing the Arts at Tauranga Girls’ College. Stephanie Adams was the guest speaker, who enthralled the audience with a song dedicated to her mother.
Supreme Awards Communications
Tate Fountain
Design Arts
Zoe Beck
Music
Soomin Kim
Nga Toi Maori
Pita Phillips
Visual Arts
Molly Alton
Performing Arts
Sarah Coleman
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TAURANGA GIRLS’ COLLEGE
|October 2016
Sports Prizegiving 2016 Congratulations to all involved in our Sports Awards Ceremony, the first big celebration for Term Four and the culmination of a very successful sporting season. Makayla Daysh, guest speaker was inspirational in her advice to the girls to appreciate all the support they have had to be where they are, and to be humble. She spoke from the heart and connected with everyone present as she role modelled her own advice.
Junior West Bay Credit Union Performers Trophy for All-round Year Nine Sports Performance: Olive Pearce Active Outdoor Clothing Award for Outstanding Achievement at Junior Level: Medea Jones House of Travel Trophy for Junior Sport: Ella Steenson Hynds Trophy for Junior Sportsgirl of the Year: joint winners Minardi Daniel and Holly Topp
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ANZ Bank Trophy for Team of the Year: finalists Rugby 7’s U19 Team, Senior A Volleyball Team, winner Senior A Volleyball Team.
Senior Eves Realty Trophy for all-round excellence in Sport: Kaylee Mudgway Chica Gilmer Trophy for Outstanding Sportswoman at Year 11 or 12: Frances Lloyd Rowlands Trophy for excellence in - B Individual Sport: Brooklyn Storey Christine Hammond Trophy for commitment, assistance and Fair play: Angel Haeata- Burrows Aneta Rewiti Cup for Sportsgirl of the Year: Georgia Coughlan
TAURANGA GIRLS’ COLLEGE
|October 2016
Contacting the College for 2016 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: Mrs Carolyn Nemeth & Mrs Judith Somerville Ext 766 Year 10 Senior Leader: Mrs Millar Deans: Mrs Bridget Prendiville & Ms Kylie Valentine Ext 769 Year 11 Senior Leader: Mrs Ferguson Deans: Mrs Audrey Keightley & Ms Margot Glaser-Brown Ext 770 Year 12 Senior Leader: Ms Rowlands Deans: Mrs Jackie Gould & Mrs Robyn Mankelow Ext 767 Year 13 Senior Leader: Ms Rowlands Deans: Ms Caroline Gill & Mr Don Wallis Ext 768 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 Senior Deputy Principal: Ms Millar or the Principal: Mrs Cowens. 930 Cameron Road, Tauranga 3112 Ph: (07) 578-8114 Fax: (07) 578-8447 info@tgc.school.nz www.tgc.school.nz
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