Leading Me to Lead My Learning

Taihape Area School

Tuesday 13th February 2012

Term 1 – Newsletter Number 3

Phone - 06 3880130

Email – rmcmillan@tas.school.nz office@tas.school.nz

Website - http://tas.spikeatschool.co.nz

Tena koutou katoa

It has been a very positive start to the year.

Classes are already working co-operatively

and well and there is a nice tone right

through-out the school. The students in this

school really are a pleasure to work with –

they enjoy new challenges, are accepting of

individual differences, and generally go the

extra mile to ensure our School is a happy

and productive place.

An interesting topic of debate is

the categorization of the

teaching profession – is

teaching a job or a life

style? I strongly argue that

teaching is a life style and a

fantastic one at that.

In my formative years I debated

whether to pursue teaching or accounting

as a career. In those days my friends all

seemed to be following the accountancy

option as a career path, with my decision to

opt into teaching contrary to the views of a

few others, and possibly logic, as

accounting was one of my strongest

subjects at High School. My father was less

than impressed with my choice – he

considered that male teachers were “all old

aunties!!” And I suppose in some cases he

may have been right.

I certainly don’t question the choice of my

friends who are now very successful

accountants. A couple are extremely

wealthy, one a millionaire several times

over - a major land owner and property

developer, and owner of a vineyard and

camping ground in Central Otago. And of

course he has all the “toys”.

While teaching provides a reasonable

income, and a much more realistic standard

of living than previously, we are nowhere

near in the same league as accountants,

doctors, lawyers etc. The gulf is enormous.

However, the rewards in many ways are

much more significant. Teaching provides

the opportunity to work with positive

people (teachers are a different breed!!),

and to make massive differences to the

lives of young people. Teaching has many

other benefits as well – we have fantastic

holidays, we are able to take part in a huge

range of activities and

pursuit and although

we are a professional

group, we don’t need

to wear a tie to work

each day (i.e. dress can

be relatively casual).

In the normal course of

a year we have the

opportunity to go on

camps, be involved in a range of sport and

cultural activities, be entertained by visiting

artists and performers, meet a range of

people from an assortment of backgrounds,

and teach a wide array of subjects, skills, or

topics. We have access to an increasing

range of modern tools and equipment. We

Leading Me to Lead My Learning

have the unique privilege of watching at

close hand your children grow as people,

develop as personalities and expand their

range of life skills. In teaching no two days

are ever the same, which is one of the

major pluses – as they say; variety is the

spice of life!!

Of course there can be negative features

such as dealing with behaviour issues, or

battling with parents who have unrealistic

expectations of their children, or parents

who provide no support, but the positives

make teaching a superb life-style option.

In a school as well resourced as ours, and

with such a committed, enthusiastic group

of state-holders, the rewards are huge.

Have a great week!!

Richard McMillan

Bell Times

Block 1 8.45am- 10.25am

Morning Tea 10.25am- 11.55am Block 2 11.55am- 12.25pm

Lunch 12.25pm- 1.10pm Block 3 1.10pm- 2.40pm

Our school day starts at 8.45am ( my apologies for the misprint last week). Children who arrive late miss student notices and disrupt classes that have already begun. It is important that students go straight home after school, and do not detour without parents’ knowledge. It would be wise to warn your children of the dangers of loitering or accepting rides from strangers on the way to and from school.

Term Dates

Term Start Finish 1 30th January 5th April 2 23rd April 29th June 3 16th July 28th September 4 15th October 6th December

School Fees As you are probably well aware, all schools

have difficulty stretching their budgets to

ensure that all needs can be met, and that

children are given the best possible

resources and opportunities. Unfortunately

Government Funding is never sufficient.

Taihape Area School has a nominal fee of

$50.00 per child, or a maximum of

$120.00 per family, for the year. As many

of you will be aware some schools charge

families considerably more than this.

The proceeds will help provide for the

classroom programmes we believe the

children should be receiving, and will be

spent on photocopying for pupils,

classroom stationery and equipment, sports

gear, and extra reading materials. Your

contributions are appreciated and receipts

will be issued.

Leading Me to Lead My Learning

This Week Tuesday 14

th Y10 Meet & Greet BBQ

Friday 17th

Mufti Day

Important Events Remaining This Term February

21st – 24

th Year 13 Camp

Year 1 – 8 Noho Marae

Tuesday 28th

Year 9 – 13 Athletics

March

Thursday 1st TAS School Swimming Sports

Wednesday 7th

Wanganui Secondary Schools Athletics Sports

Wednesday 14th

Celebration Assembly

Friday 16th

Year 4-8 Interschool Swimming Sports

Wanganui Secondary Schools Swimming Sports

Wednesday 21st Weetbix Tryathlon

Friday 23rd

Science Roadshow

Friday 30th

Hunterville Athletics

April

Thursday 5th

END OF TERM

Monday 23

rd TERM 2 BEGINS

Student Leadership

Team 2012 Head Boy Head Girl

Sean Sumich Jessie Anne Sincock

Head of Sport Executive Officer

Chante Rukupo Bruce Cane

Student in Charge of School Council

Eden Scott

Head of Hospitality

Jasmine Ruru

House Leaders Manu Sarah Elwin Nicole Rees

Rakau Bruce Cane Kiri McFarlane

Awa Rhiannon Scott Russ Finn

Maunga Tiana Nepe Renee Sullivan

Leading Me to Lead My Learning

International Students This year we are looking at enhancing

our operation by providing courses

for students from overseas. This

will have many benefits for the

School and our Students, and add a

real cosmopolitan feel to the School.

The opportunity for our students to

rub shoulders with their peers from

other countries is both an

educational and enlightening

experience.

Our unique physical location will

enable us to develop programmes

containing a range of very exciting

and challenging outdoor activities.

To make this possible we are on the

lookout for families who would enjoy the

opportunity to host International Students.

This can be an enriching experience for

both parties. As well the cost of hosting

would be offset by a regular boarding fee.

If you are interested please contact the

School, or Jenny Mower.

TAS Web-site The TAS web site can be accessed

at:

http://tas.spikeatschool.co.nz

This is a relatively new site and is

obviously still a work in progress.

Over time it will continue to develop

and hopefully become an integral

part of what we do at TAS, and a

genuine interface between School

and our Community.

Any feedback and suggestions would

be appreciated, particularly as to

the information you would like

available on the website.

Skateboarding It has just been brought to our attention that

an existing by-law regarding skateboarding

in Taihape is to be actioned. The bylaw

states that a “skateboard or similar

recreational device must not be used on the

footpaths, berm, road, or street, in any

area”, in the Taihape Central Business

District (see map below).

“Any person who acts in breach of this

bylaw commits an offence” and will have

their skateboard impounded. The

skateboard may be retrieved after a week

for a fee of $50.

The Police and Authorised Council

Officers will enforce this Bylaw.

Leading Me to Lead My Learning

Cricket

Cricket for Year 4-8 students will begin

on Thursday at 3.30pm.

Saturday Cricket On Saturday Taihape travelled to

Wanganui to play Premier 2 leading team

Renegades. Taihape batted first and were

all out for a very disappointing 50 runs.

Richard McMillan with 17 (3 fours) was

the only player to make double figures.

This was a very disappointing effort from

the Taihape batsman, with most the cause

of their own demise with poor shot

selection and option taking.

Once again the bowlers rose to the

occasion, and Renegades were made to

work very hard to secure their win.

Tremain Gilbert bowled with excellent

pace, and extracted sharp bounce, placing

the batsman under real pressure. This was

his best spell of the season, an effort

reflected in his figures of 2 for 13 of 6

overs.

Matt Jacobson, although not as economic

as usual also took 2 wickets. The fielders

backed up the bowling well with a

committed effort. Nathan Chaney took 2

catches behind the stumps, while Arthur

Kauika took a sharp catch in the slips.

Once again the players left the field

realising with a few more runs on the

board, who knows what might have been??

Summary Taihape 50 (Richard McMillan 17, Mark Riley 8)

Renegades 51/4 (Tremain Gilbert 2for 13. Matt

Jacobson 2 for 42)

Panui from Learning

Street- Y 1 – 8 NOHO MARAE Years 1-8

Thank you to those of you who have

returned the permission slips for our

Moawhango Noho Marae. At this stage we

are still investigation transport options as

very few parents have been able to provide

transport. Please return permission slips

urgently so we can sort final numbers.

Deb Logan T.E.A.M (Together Each Achieves More)

Year 10 Meet & Greet

BBQ

Tuesday 14th

February

4.30-6pm

On the Deck

Light BBQ refreshments will be provided.

The purpose is for whanau to meet the

teachers of Year 10 and TAS.

Year 7-10 Technology Next Year all Year 7-10

students who take

Technology are required to

have covered shoes or

sneakers (not canvas!!). This

is for safety reasons, and as a

result is non-negotiable

Leading Me to Lead My Learning

PGG Cash for

Communities Any farmer who purchases Balance Agri-

Nutrients fertiliser, or selected agri-

chemicals, or seed, on their PGG

Wrightson Account, between 7th

February

and 31 May, 2012, can earn cash for their

local school.

All you need to do is nominate Taihape

Area School at www.pggwrightson.co.nz

and then your purchases start earning cash

for the School.

Visit the PGG Wrightson web site

(www.pggwrightson.co.nz), and click on

the Cash for Communities button to

download posters, ad templates, and

colouring activities for children.

Last year this programme raised over

$80,000 for schools and community

organisations around New Zealand.

Quotes of the week “A man always has two reasons for doing

anything: a good reason and the real

reason” - J. P. Morgan.

“A man who wants to lead the orchestra

must turn his back on the crowd” - Max

Lucado.

Board of Trustees Casual Vacancy

A casual vacancy has occurred on the

Board of trustees for 2 (two) elected parent

representatives. The board has resolved to

fill the vacancy by holding a bi-election.

Election Timetable is:

Nominations will be called for on:

Friday 17 February

Nominations will close on:

Friday 2 March

Election date will be:

Friday 16 March

What is a board of trustees

All of New Zealand's state and state-

integrated schools have a board of trustees.

The board of trustees is the Crown entity

responsible for the governance and the

control of the management of the school.

The board is the employer of all staff in the

school, is responsible for setting the

school's strategic direction in consultation

with parents, staff and students, and

ensuring that its school provides a safe

environment and quality education for all

its students. Boards are also responsible for

overseeing the management of personnel,

curriculum, property, finance and

administration.

Board membership

A standard board of trustees' membership

includes:

between three and seven parent

elected trustees;

the principal of the school;

one staff elected trustee;

one student elected trustee (in

schools with students above Year 9);

co-opted trustees.

Who can become a trustee

Parents, caregivers and people from

the wider community can be

nominated for election to a school

board.

Leading Me to Lead My Learning

How to get into reading Pick a book on something you are interested in

If you are into sports car racing,

don’t get a book on football to

impress the ladies.

Commit yourself

Don’t daydream while scanning the

words.

Picture what you are reading in your head.

This will help you understand what

is going on

Predict what will happen next

This will keep you interested. Pause

and imagine scenes taking place and

let yourself get excited and frustrated

with the characters. Take it Slow

Today’s culture focuses on the end

result, but with reading this will get

you nowhere. You aren’t reading “to

finish the book” and tally it off. It’s

more about the experience. Understand the benefits of reading

1. Reading boosts intelligence: Those that read

have higher intelligence, and general knowledge than those that don’t. Reading, in general, makes you smarter, and it keeps you sharp as you age. No matter what you want to do or become, you can’t

do it without more knowledgeReading reduces stress: When I’m reading a book, my mind shifts

gears. Where I might have had a stressful day, a book can easily distract me. Fiction is fantastic for this. Reading an awesome fiction book is perfect right before bed time.

2. Greater tranquility: Reading can

soothe like no other. Reading forces people to sit and be still. This daily act of making you be quiet and still is great for anxiety and the “fidgety factor”.

3. Improved analytical thinking: studies have found that analytical

thinking is boosted by reading. Readers improve their general knowledge, and more importantly are able to spot patterns quicker.

4. Increased vocabulary: Reading increases your

vocabulary and improves your spelling, but did you know that reading increases your vocabulary more than talking or direct teaching? Reading forces us to look at words that we might not have seen or heard. In fact, language in children’s books is likely to be more sophisticated than your average conversation.

5. Improved memory: 6. Improved writing skills: This

isn’t much of a stretch, considering that reading improves vocabulary and critical thinking. I feel like a better writer, as I’m constantly surrounding myself with works from people who are better than me. That’s why English classes in High School make you read “the classics”. That’s why art students learn to copy masterpieces, so they know what creating something incredible should feel like.

7. Helps prioritize goals: Many

times we’re certain we know what we “really want” in life. Yet activities like reading show things

we didn’t know about ourselves.

Leading Me to Lead My Learning

School Noticeboard

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Community Noticeboard

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Leading Me to Lead My Learning

gold coin donation

raising funds towards the

Zoe Coles Appeal.

(If don’t know Zoe Coles

needs a lung transplant – she

is an ex pupil and has siblings

in the Junior School).

Points for the wackiest outfit.