WAIMATE HIGH SCHOOL 2020

Phone: 689 8920 Fax: 689 8925 www.waimatehigh.school.nz Email gen@waimatehigh.school.nz

Principal: Mrs Janette Packman Email principal@waimatehigh.school.nz Deputy Principal: Mr David Shea Deputy Principal: Mrs K Tagiaia

Useful contacts: BOT Chairperson: Mr S Duncan NCEA / NZQA: Miss T Dollan Learning Support Co-ordinator: Mrs S Geaney Pastoral Managers 11, 12 & 13 Mrs J Simpson 9 & 10 Mrs A Nicolson 7 & 8 Miss K Jarvis Guidance Counsellor: Miss J Fisher Careers Counsellor: Mrs M Donaldson Uniform Co-ordinator: Mrs V Scott Bus Controller: Mr S Albrey Learning Advisors: CSH Mr N Schumacher CSM Mr M Simonsen GLD Mr B Liddy GTS Mr M Thomson

LAL Mr S Albrey LSO Miss N Solomon PHA Ms A Harvey PNC Mrs A Nicolson

22 May 2020 The Principal’s word It has been so great to welcome our students back to school on Monday. Lockdown has been a strange time and I know that many of our students have been looking forward to coming back to school. I know the staff have! Thank you to you all our families for the wonderful support we have received as our staff worked through the various challenges of the last seven weeks. Your positive, encouraging messages of support were very much appreciated. We understand that some students and families have felt uneasy about the return to school, but we wouldn’t have the students back if we didn’t think it was safe. Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield has said “The risk is very low, if there at all, and schools have done an enormous amount to ensure they are keeping students and staff safe.” We are committed to doing everything we can to keep our students and staff healthy and safe during Alert level 2, and to ensure it is safe we have exceeded all distancing and hygiene requirements. The main health and safety protocols in place are:

• Sanitising hands on entry and exit of every learning space

• Washing and drying hands thoroughly in the toilets and before eating

• Sneezing and coughing into your elbow All classrooms have disinfectant to wipe down hard surfaces during the day and additional cleaning is taking place at the end of each day. Most importantly, if students are unwell they should not come to school and the usual absence procedures should be followed with parents phoning the school office to explain.

“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter that you think.” Christopher Robin

We have numerous other safety requirements in place and these were outlined in more detail in the letter emailed to all families on 12 May. If you have any queries about these please don’t hesitate to contact us. It is essential that all students bring their chromebook or laptop to school each day, to use in classes, as the desk top computers in the school are not available for use due to hygiene issues. Moving into level 2 has been another transition for us all, another period of change where it has been understandable and normal for us to feel a bit unsettled and unsure. The last few weeks have been immense for us all. When I think back to the start of level 4 – it has been an emotional rollercoaster. Our staff have worked incredibly hard to quickly move into online learning programmes and make available creative and innovative learning opportunities. As well, our focus throughout has been on providing pastoral guidance and support. Now that we are back at school our teachers are continuing to work with students as individuals and identify how we can best meet their learning needs moving forward. Please let me know of any further support that we can provide. Nga mihi nui Janette Packman

Zoom staff meetings under lockdown Well done to our Prefects on their awesome organisation of Arts Week during lockdown. ARTS WEEK AND RESULTS

Monday-Create a piece of artwork in the medium of your choice. WINNER: Kate Melville

Tuesday-Instagram photogram challenge. WINNER: Katelyn Ronson & Nikita Goodger Wednesday-Create a comedy skit with those in your bubble WINNER: Harry & Abbie Joyce & Billy Boyne

Thursday-Colouring Competition WINNER: Enya O’Donnell

Friday-Don't Rush It Challenge (Group Challenge) WINNER: WHS A Netball Team & Teachers

Talent Quest: WINNER: Arwen & Enya O’Donnell Congratulations to Lucy Matheson, Georgia Soper and Meeah Bailey who entered the Brain Busters Quiz during lockdown. They were delighted to chat by video call with Grace Palmer (aka Lucy Rickman from Shortland Street), and are now waiting to hear if they

go through to battle with the best Year 9 brains in the country. Welcome to Mike Thomson

We are pleased to welcome onto our staff PE teacher, Mr Mike Thomson. Mr Thomson completed his early schooling in Papanui, then went on to the University of Otago. His teaching experience has taken him to positions in both the South and North islands, including at a Health Camp in North Otago and the Open Polytechnic in Masterton. His last teaching position was at Kaikoura High School. As expected, Mr Thomson is a very keen sportsman having played such sports as rugby, badminton, cricket, and golf. He is also keen on DIY projects and enjoys hitting the tracks on his mountain bike. NCEA Changes The Ministry of Education and the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) are making changes to NCEA this year in a two-step process designed to help mitigate the impact of COVID-19. The changes, effective immediately, are to:

• delay external NCEA examinations and New Zealand Scholarship examinations so they start on 16 November instead of 6 November, allowing another week for teaching, learning and internal assessment in Term 4

• extend the submission date for subjects that require students to submit a portfolio, such as Design and Visual Communication, from 28 October to 12 November 2020, giving students more time to prepare

• waive the requirement for NZQA verification of Level 1 and 2 Visual Arts portfolios, allowing students more time to complete their portfolios and teachers more time for marking.

NCEA examinations will now finish on 9 December 2020. An amended examination timetable is available on NZQA’s website You can read more about changes to NCEA and what we’ve been doing to support students in Education Minister Chris Hipkins announcement from 13 May. Winter Uniform – the Uniform Room is open Thursdays 3.10 till 4pm or parents could phone and speak to Vicki Scott. SCHOOL PHOTOS Orders for individual and class photos have been extended until Wednesday 27th May. Please leave your orders at the school office. If you have misplaced your order form please contact Sandra at kolourcare@xtra.co.nz .

Ngā Umanga / Careers Corner Year 13 students - Dunedin Tertiary Open Day (Otago University/Otago Polytechnic) Monday 10 August 2020 Please see Mrs Donaldson if you are interested or contact by email mdonaldson@waimate-high.school.nz University Scholarships for Year 13 Students MoneyHub, a consumer finance website, has published a guide to hundreds of scholarships for any student planning to start university in 2021. The comprehensive list includes scholarships offered by every university as well as those specifically available to local students. A list of privately-funded, Maori, Pacific and International university scholarships completes the list. Applications close throughout the year, with tens of millions of dollars available. MoneyHub has also published a list of tips for scholarship success. For more details and to find suitable scholarships, visit the MoneyHub Scholarship page SPORTS CORNER: School, Community and Regional sports groups are waiting eagerly for the green light for things to start to progress back into action. However all Organisations are on the same page that they will not rush back into school or community sport and that time must be taken to ensure all safety measures and protocols are in place. However, most competitions that commence will be in some sort of modified format. At this stage we know the following: RUGBY: No rugby Training or games can commence until after the government update 25th May, further

advice will be released on the 26th May. Updates are placed on the SC Rugby Facebook Page. BASKETBALL: All forms of competition and tournament basketball remain postponed during this 'Prepare to Play' period from 14 May – 4 June. This time enables Associations and clubs time to ensure all appropriate measures are in place before returning to competition. Sport NZ are indicating a possible return to competition from 30 May (depending on the 25 May government review of the number of people allowed in gatherings). To allow for more time and account for the uncertainty around this date, Basketball New Zealand recommends that competitive basketball does not resume before Friday 4 June. Please note that this is subject to change based on government direction and advice. NETBALL:

Netball NZ will implement a three-phased approach to return to Netball:

PHASE 1 Get Ready for Netball Commenced on 15 May, 2020 No Netball activity is to commence including trainings and workshops.

PHASE 2 Prepare to Play Netball activity may start on or after 29 May, 2020 This includes trainings and workshops. This does not include the delivery of competitions.

PHASE 3 Return to Play All Netball activity may start on or after 19 June, 2020. This includes the delivery of competitions. Centres moving into the delivery of each of these phases must ensure they are compliant with all requirements as outlined in the guidelines

These are all subject to the next government announcements on 25th May. You may start to receive notices home for indications around what you and your child’s thinking is in regard to them playing sport so staff can begin to plan and make preparations in this area.

SPORTS HOODIES:

We are still hoping to place a sports hoodie order in the near future. These were suspended with them coming out of China. If you would like to order a Sports Hoodie, please complete the order form that is available on the school website and get it into the office with payment before Wednesday 3rd June. There is minimum of 5 required for an order to be placed separately. In the

event we do not receive 5 orders, we will place a smaller order alongside the leavers’ jersey order in the coming weeks.

HELP - COACHES/MANAGERS: If you are interested in helping out with school Basketball in a coaching or Managing capacity or know someone who is can you please let Ms Tagiaia know by email: ktagiaia@waimate-high.school.nz If there is anyone interested in being involved in any other sport, we welcome you to get in touch.

💫 WELLBEING 💫 Learning Advisories have started a new programme this term. Each Wednesday LA period students will be able to choose from a matrix of activities to enhance their own wellbeing. Activities are organised into categories that include: give, be active, keep learning, connect and take notice. This unit is designed to be responsive to students needs each week and they have more control of their LA lessons.

Year 11 boys from PNC decided to learn a new skill and worked hard to perfect a backflip. This was good for their physical and mental wellbeing.

Calendar Mon 1 Jun Queen’s Birthday Holiday

Tue 2 Jun Yr 7 Annual Vision Screening

Mon 22 Jun Board Meeting

Fri 3 Jul End of Term 2

Mon 20 Jul Term 3 starts