E ngā mātāwaka o Aparima, tēnā koutou katoa

Welcome back to the 2020 school year ! It has been great to have the students back this

week and we look forward to this being another very successful year at Aparima College.

We have welcomed two new staff along with all the new students this year – Mr Kelvin

Goodall – HOD Science, and Mr Rodney Jackson – HOD P.E. Kelvin, Rodney and their

families are enjoying the lifestyle in the riviera of the south and look forward to being part

of the community.

A few reminders from us for the school year;

DONATIONS.

As we communicated last year, the Board of Trustees has opted into the Donations scheme

for the government and received $150 per student. This means that there will no longer be

any charges for any curriculum-related items, including the school donation itself. There

will still be charges for sports trips, optional camps and some other activities, but we hope

that by opting into this scheme we may take some pressure off our parent community in

terms of the cost of schooling.

If you would like further information on donations please visit this website -

https://www.education.govt.nz/assets/Documents/School/donations/MOE-Donations-

Scheme-Info-A3-FA-Web-2-DEC.PDF

PHONES.

There was a lot of discussion regarding phones last year and while we have not made the

decision to ban phones at school, we are looking at ways of restricting their use where we

feel it is impacting on student learning. Phones are definitely not the recommended device

for learning and we will be reviewing the rules around use of phones in the classroom

during Term 1, with particular focus on the junior school (Years 7 – 10). Until such time, it

remains the school policy that use of phones in class is at the teacher request only, and if

this rule is not followed the phone will be confiscated from the student for a period of time.

Aparima College

33 Leader Street

RIVERTON 9822

Telephone: 03-234-8900

Email: office@aparima.school.nz

Website: www.aparima.school.nz

Aparima Matters

January 2020

BYOD.

We remain committed to ensuring there is equity for all students by maintaining a suite of

Chromebooks for student use but encourage families with students in the senior school

(Years 11 – 13) to investigate options for purchasing a device to bring to school as having

your own device to use is more beneficial for those students. We posted on Facebook

recently an option for families to look at that is very cost-effective – and if you would like

further advice about BYOD purchases please don’t hesitate to contact us. Currently, there

is no requirement for students in the junior school (Years 7 – 10) to bring a device.

NOVEL CORONAVIRUS

You will have seen information on the news regarding this virus and what is happening

overseas. Currently there are no reported cases in NZ but the likelihood of importing a case

is very likely. If you have travelled in Asia over the holidays or been in contact with

someone who has, please be vigilant and if you have ANY flu-like symptoms please stay

away from school until you are COMPLETELY symptom free. If your child is showing

symptoms at school, we may ask for them to be picked up. If you want any further advice

please consult your GP and you can see more info from Ministry of Health at the following

site; https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/novel-coronavirus-

2019-ncov#symptoms

Once again, welcome back to 2020 – we look forward to working with you to ensure your

child has a wonderful year at school!

Nāku noa nā

Cameron Davis

Principal

NCEA Endorsements Congratulations to our senior students who passed their respective NCEA Levels with

endorsements:

Excellence: Olivia Black, Briana Blasco, Courtney Loveridge, Jack Halder, Alexis Halder,

Dom Riddell

Merit: Teagan Ashley, Casey Halder, Lisa McWilliam, Thomas Black, Jackson Bevin

These students gained 50+ credits at merit or excellence over all of their subjects. The

hard work has paid off, well done!

EnviroSchools Our EnviroSchools learning experiences continue this term. If you have walked through the

Tree Project recently you will have been amazed by the tremendous growth that has happened

over the summer. The small trees and shrubs are flourishing, as have the wildflowers and

grasses. There are apples on the early fruiting heritage trees and the koru maze is beginning to

take shape. We still have much to do, for example, completing the outdoor classroom and

removing broom and thistles, but it has been a real pleasure just to spend time in the area and

to meet the people who walk the walkway.

We have an exciting creative project about to begin and will provide more detail next month

when it is well underway. In the school grounds our School Gardens have produced new

potatoes, beans, tomatoes, lettuces, strawberries, radishes, basil, mint, sage, parsley, and

sunflowers, and we will be planting autumn crops during the next couple of weeks. The raised

beds, compost bins and tunnel house certainly make things easier.

Our student-led EnviroCouncil is also managing projects around waste reduction and

recycling, energy usage and potential production, and environmental campaigns.

Peer Support Leaders Our Year 13 peer support students have been looking after our Year 7 students and were

showing them around yesterday. The Year 7 students seemed to be settling well in

College life.

For Your Information SCHOOL OFFICE: The office hours are 8:00 am – 4:00 pm. All general enquires,

appointments with the Principal and Deputy Principals’, communication with staff or

students must be made through the office.

College Phone: 03 2348 900

Email: office@aparima.school.nz

College Website: www.aparima.school.nz

Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/pages/AparimaCollege/176201749211254

Information will put onto our Website, Facebook and in our

monthly newsletter.

Messages to Students If you wish to leave a message for your child, this must be phoned through to the College

office by 11:30 am. We cannot promise that messages will get to your child if left after 12

noon.

Attendance Students should ensure they are at school and in their Form Class by 8:40am and leave by

3:05 pm unless otherwise indicated. If your son or daughter is absent please contact us by

9:00 am on the day of the absence, with your child’s name, reason for the absence and the

name of the person phoning/texting in. Texts will be sent to parents/caregivers for

unexplained absences. Students arriving late MUST sign in at the office when they arrive.

There are personnel in the office from 8:00 am onwards, or a message may be left on the

answer phone.

Visitors to Aparima College For the College to comply with the Heath and Safely Laws and the Vulnerable Children’s

Act any person coming onto the College grounds whether it be parents, and caregivers,

contractors, etc, ALL must sign in at the College office and permission will be given from

there regarding access to the school.

Leaving the College Grounds All students who leave the college during the day MUST have permission from the school

as well as their parents/caregivers contacting the college office. The students MUST sign

out through the office. Late students and those returning to the college MUST sign in at the

office. Exeat passes are available to town students who wish to go HOME ONLY FOR

LUNCH on a regular basis. Reminder to Senior students – if you wish to drive a vehicle

to school you must collect a permission form from the office and get this signed by a

parent/caregiver and return to the office. Note that you need to bring your driver’s

licence to the office to be copied. (A new form needs to be filled in every year so

although you did this last year you need to do it again this year).

School Stationery All stationary is now purchased through OfficeMax either online or at their Invercargill

store. You will find your child’s stationary list online at www.myschool.co.nz/aparima.

Simply search for our school, select your child’s Year level and/or subject lists and follow

the instructions on the website. If you have any questions or need help about OfficeMax

MySchool please don’t hesitate to contact the College office on 2348 900. It is important

that the students have their stationary as soon as possible so they can resume their lessons.

Please note the school office only stocks a small about of stationary for one of purchases

during the year if needed.

School Canteen – Lees Canteen Aparima College’s Canteen is now run by Lees Catering, you will find the Menu on the

back page of this newsletter. Most things are available at morning teatime, however if you

are wanting a panini, wrap for lunch this is best to be ordered at morning tea time. Any

questions or queries please visit www.facebook.com/leescanteen and message the team for

further information. The menu is constantly changing so check out their Facebook page.

Please note messages/enquiries for Canteen must go directly to Lees Catering not via

the College office.

A reminder to students - Please name all

uniforms,

sports uniforms,

drink bottles and school stationery.

HPV The HPV vaccine is funded for girls and boys aged 9-26 years (inclusive) with all students

in Year 8 able to have the HPV immunisation at school. The HPV vaccine protects against

future infection from nine types of human papillomavirus that lead to cervical, anal,

genital, mouth and throat cancers, as well as genital warts. The HPV vaccine is the final

immunisation given as part of New Zealand’s free childhood immunisation programme.

All year 8 students will be given a form to take home which includes detailed information

about the immunisation. Please complete the form, either consenting or declining the

school-based immunisation programme and return the form to school before Friday

February 14th.

The first HPV vaccine will be administered at school between late February and mid-May

2019. The second and final HPV vaccine will be administered at school a minimum of 6

months after the first. If a student is absent on the vaccination day, the HPV Immunisation

Team will revisit school on a later date to vaccinate.

Further information about HPV and the vaccine can be found at: www.health.govt.nz or

www.immune.org.nz or you are welcome to contact the local HPV Immunisation Team

by emailing hpv@wellsouth.org.nz or phoning (03) 214 6436 or 0800 800 249.

Year 7/8B doing some team building activities

COMMUNITY NOTICES

No community Notices

UP AND COMING EVENTS

6 February 2020 Waitangi Day – No School

20 February 2020 Creatives Field Trip Wakatapu Y10

4 March 2020 Lincoln University Liaison

4 March 2020 Otago Polytech Liaison

6 April 2020 ANZAC Assembly

9 April 2020 Last day of TERM ONE

10 April 2020 Good Friday – No School

Sports

13 February 2020 Secondary Schools Wanaka Challenge

14 February 2020 Southland Athletics

16 February 2020 Southland Softball Champs

16 February 2020 Southland Surfing Champs

21 February 2020 Southland Triathlon Champs

23 February 2020 Southland/Otago Water Skiing Champs

25 February 2020 Southland Tennis Teams Champs

7-8 March 2020 Paddles Up Challenge

10 March 2020 Southland Touch Tournament

9 April 2020 Swimming Sports

Aparima College

33 Leader Street

RIVERTON 9822

Telephone: 03-234-8900

Email: office@aparima.school.nz

Website: www.aparima.school.nz