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06 3880130

26 Huia Street

Taihape, 4720

www.tas.school.nz

TAS Radio - 88.1FM

Principal: Richard McMillan

rmcmillan@tas.school.nz

Lead Me to Lead My Learning

Taihape Area School

Tuesday 19th June, 2017 Term 2 – Newsletter Number 8

Important Dates

This Week Wednesday 21st 9T to Te Papa and War Museum

Thursday 22nd Celebration Assembly - Awa

Next Week Wednesday 28th METH Awareness Meeting

Saturday 1st School BALL

Tena koutou katoa

Welcome back after the Weekend. We have another week to look forward to, including a

Celebration Assembly on Thursday afternoon.

As a Staff we continually reflect upon life at school, the things that are going well, areas for

improvement, and whenever possible implement changes that promote positive outcomes.

However we live in times of rapid change, primarily as a result of the impact of the

unprecedented growth and development of technology. For example the influence of social

media has been profound, and has changed the way people communicate with each other.

One massive challenge many schools face, particularly

those from lower decile areas, is the disheartening impact

of high rates of student transience. Transience is the arrival

and departure of students, apart from those who enrol at

the beginning or end of the year. Over the past few years

our transience rate has been consistently well over 30%

The Centre for Research, Evaluation and Assessment

(CRESA) has completed research into the issue of

transience, which causes major problems for schools.

Many transient children have multiple issues - academic,

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behavioural, and otherwise. As a consequence schools pour resources into these students, at

the expense of other less mobile students.

Often the children who are transient are the ones who are in the greatest need. One of the

major problems schools face is obtaining information about children from their previous

school/s. This can be a real issue, and teachers spend many meeting hours discussing how to

support them. As well a large amount of time is spent by teachers assessing students,

discussing entry information with parents, setting up students with books and resources, and

welcoming them into classrooms.

It also takes students time to settle into a new school, and to learn how “we do things”. All

schools are the same but different, and they all have their own characteristics and nuances.

Sadly in some cases, no sooner has a child settled, the family moves on and the whole process

is repeated, and the issues heightened.

Another issue is that teacher time and attention, as well as resources, are absorbed by the

transients to the detriment of those students who are not transient. This is a natural response

as teachers work hard to ensure a smooth transition of all students into their class, and into a

new school.

It is a fact of life that families generally are more mobile than previously, and unsurprisingly,

the lure of employment and work is a massive incentive for families to move. Unfortunately,

at times children, and their education, can suffer.

Have a great week.

Regards

Richard McMillan

Principal

The TAS School Wide Behaviour

Expectations are:- Rangatiratanga: Whanaungatanga:

We are Learners We are Caring

We show Rangatiratanga We show Whanaungatanga

Wairuatanga: Manaakitanga:

We are Reflective We are Respectful

We show Wairuatanga We show Manaakitanga

Speak up! Stand together! and Stop bullying!

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Tall Poppies The following Taihape Area School Students rose above the Crowd last

week as outstanding achievers, and members of our Learning

Community:

Kenzie Pilato and Haylin Hetaraka - for a great start to school;

Cleveland Whiu - for making a fantastic start in room 4;

Aaron Sime (Room 5) - for showing amazing effort to complete his story about "Richard the

Non Stopping, Working Robot";

Kiana O'Loughlin (Room 5) - for always working very hard in all her learning areas;

Taylor Hay-Martin (Room 6) - for always being a great role model for others;

George Abernethy (Room 6) - or outstanding text responses in Reading;

Kaya Bowers, Pia Huxtable, Tayla Nathan, Emma Squires, Jack Squires and Whetu

Thompson (Room 79) - for displaying our TAS Values by showing leadership and helping

others.

Paddy Fleury (Year 9) - for producing good art work with controlled skill;

Kasey Hurinui (Year 9) - for participating very well in Science.

Tall Poppies from Learning Street – Week 7

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Celebration Assembly When: Thursday @ 1.15pm

Venue: MFC Hosts: Awa

Bell Times

8.45 – 9.00am Deans and Notices

8.55 – 10.05am Block 1

10.05 – 10.30am Interval

10.30 – 11.30am Block 2

11.30 – 12.30pm Block 3

12.30 – 1.15pm Lunch

1.15 – 2.45pm CELEBRATION ASSEMBLY

Parents and Caregivers An excerpt from the STA (Schools Trustee Association) News Magazine:

“And speaking of parents/ caregivers -

One of the interesting things about parents/caregivers is that their

expectations of the schooling system are actually quite simple. They want their

child(ren) to achieve to their potential in a happy, supportive, and fulfilling

environment, well prepared to be able to move on to higher education or to get a

good job, and live a happy, productive, and fulfilling life.

By and large, parents/caregivers do not get into the ideology, protection,

arguments, power games and positioning that characterises much of the

education sector, simply because from a parent’s/ caregiver’ point of view, it’s

the meeting of their expectations (call it outcomes, if you wish) that matters,

not the inputs, the outputs, or indeed the particular views of sector groups. And

yes, some of us still have children /young people at School … and it is certainly

true for most, if not all of us.”

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Supporting Your Child’s Learning - Time Time is a challenging concept for children. Frequently ask them what the time is and support

them in reading the time. If it’s digital, ask them to describe what that would look like on the

clock face.

This skill takes a lot of practice and you can add to the practice they get

at school by encouraging them to look at clocks and read them for you:-

Is it PAST the hour, or coming up TO the hour?

How many minutes to what hour?

Or how many minutes past what hour?

Encourage them to move back and forth between digital and traditional

clocks.

Hockey Last week the TAS Mixed Team lost 4-8 to the City Mixed Team.

Although losing, the TAS Team played very well in patches, actually

leading 3-1 at one stage, and showed encouraging signs for the future.

Players to perform well were David Frankham, Aden Tapu, Levi

Garmonsway, Paddy Fleury, Renee Linton, and Samantha McGhie.

Special mention to Peita Law for an excellent first up effort as Goalie.

Goal scorers were David Frankham (3) and Josh Hammond.

Draw – This Week TAS v Otaki College, on Turf 1 @ 5.30pm.

Draw – Next Week

TAS v Cornerstone on Turf 2 @ 4.15pm

Quotes of the Week

“Anybody who thinks there

aren’t two sides to every

argument is probably in one”

– The Cockle Bar.

“A Philosopher is a

person who gives other

people advice about

troubles he hasn’t had”

– William Lewis.

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Toys for Room 1 The Junior School is on the lookout for any unwanted toys for children to

use at interval and lunchtimes in Room 1.

This has been set has been set up as a

Playroom, providing opportunities for

Play Based Learning.

Any contributions appreciated.

Room 1 Playroom

The Room 1 Playroom in Action during a Wet Morning Tea Break - Room 79 Children

Supporting our Students from Room 3

Anxiety We all feel anxious at times - it is a normal state. Anxiety that is too constant or too intense

can cause a person to feel preoccupied, distracted, tense, and always on

alert. Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health conditions. They affect

people of all ages — adults, children, and teens.

Here are things you can do at home to help your child manage his or her anxiety

disorder:

Pay attention to your child's feelings;

Stay calm when your child becomes anxious about a situation or event;

Recognize and praise small accomplishments;

Don't punish mistakes or lack of progress.

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Most parents would move mountains to ease their child’s pain. Parents of kids with anxiety

would move planets and stars as well. It hurts to watch your child worry over situations that,

frankly, don’t seem that scary. Here’s the thing: To your child’s mind, these situations are

genuinely threatening. And even perceived threats can create a real nervous system response.

We call this response anxiety and I know it well.

I’d spent the better part of my childhood covering up a persistent, overwhelming feeling of

worry until, finally, in my early twenties, I decided to seek out a solution. What I’ve learned

over the last two decades is that many people suffer from debilitating worry. In fact, 40

million American adults, as well as 1 in 8 children, suffer from anxiety. Many kids miss

school, social activities and a good night’s rest just from the worried thoughts in their head.

Many parents suffer from frustration and a feeling of helplessness when they witness their

child in this state day in, day out.

What I also learned is that while there is no one-

size-fits-all solution for anxiety, there are a

plethora of great research-based techniques that

can help manage it — many of which are simple

to learn. WAIT! Why didn’t my parents know

about this? Why didn’t I know about it? Why

don’t they teach these skills in school?

Here are 9 ideas straight from GoZen that parents of anxious children can try right away:

1. Stop Reassuring Your Child Your child worries. You know there is nothing to worry about, so you say, “Trust me. There’s

nothing to worry about.” Done and done, right? We all wish it were that simple. Why does

your reassurance fall on deaf ears? It’s actually not the ears causing the issue. Your anxious

child desperately wants to listen to you, but the brain won’t let it happen. During periods of

anxiety, there is a rapid dump of chemicals and mental transitions executed in your body for

survival. One by-product is that the prefrontal cortex — or more logical part of the brain —

gets put on hold while the more automated emotional brain takes over. In other words, it is

really hard for your child to think clearly, use logic or even remember how to complete basic

tasks. What should you do instead of trying to rationalize the worry away? Try something I

call the FEEL method:

• Freeze — pause and take some deep breaths with your child. Deep breathing can help

reverse the nervous system response.

• Empathize — anxiety is scary. Your child wants to know that you get it.

• Evaluate — once your child is calm, it’s time to figure out possible solutions.

• Let Go - Let go of your guilt; you are an amazing parent giving your child the tools to

manage their worry.

2. Highlight Why Worrying is Good Remember, anxiety is tough enough without a child believing that Something is wrong with

me. Many kids even develop anxiety about having anxiety. Teach your kids that worrying

does, in fact, have a purpose.

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When our ancestors were hunting and gathering food there was danger in the environment,

and being worried helped them avoid attacks from the saber-toothed cat lurking in the bush.

In modern times, we don’t have a need to run from predators, but we are left with an

evolutionary imprint that protects us: worry.

Worry is a protection mechanism. Worry rings an alarm in our system and helps us survive

danger. Teach your kids that worry is perfectly normal, it can help protect us,

and everyone experiences it from time to time. Sometimes our system sets off false alarms,

but this type of worry (anxiety) can be put in check with some simple techniques.

3. Bring Your Child’s Worry to Life As you probably know, ignoring anxiety doesn’t help. But bringing worry to life and talking

about it like a real person can. Create a worry character for your child. In GoZen we created

Widdle the Worrier. Widdle personifies anxiety. Widdle lives in the old brain that is

responsible for protecting us when we’re in danger. Of course, sometimes Widdle gets a little

out of control and when that happens, we have to talk some sense into Widdle. You can use

this same idea with a stuffed animal or even role-playing at home.

Personifying worry or creating a character has multiple benefits. It can help demystify this

scary physical response children experience when they worry. It can reactivate the logical

brain, and it’s a tool your children can use on their own at any time.

4. Teach Your Child to Be a Thought Detective

Remember, worry is the brain’s way of protecting us from danger. To make sure we’re really

paying attention, the mind often exaggerates the object of the worry (e.g., mistaking a stick

for a snake). You may have heard that teaching your children to think more positively could

calm their worries. But the best remedy for distorted thinking is not positive thinking; it’s

accurate thinking.

Try a method we call the 3Cs:

• Catch your thoughts: Imagine every thought you have floats above your head in a bubble

(like what you see in comic strips). Now, catch one of the worried thoughts like “No one at

school likes me.”

• Collect evidence: Next, collect evidence to support or negate this thought. Teach your child

not to make judgments about what to worry about based only on feelings. Feelings are not

facts. (Supporting evidence: “I had a hard time finding someone to sit with at lunch

yesterday.” Negating evidence: “Sherry and I do homework together—she’s a friend of

mine.”)

• Challenge your thoughts: The best (and most entertaining) way to do this is to teach your

children to have a debate within themselves.

5. Allow Them to Worry As you know, telling your children not to worry won’t prevent them from doing so. If your

children could simply shove their feelings away, they would. But allowing your children to

worry openly, in limited doses, can be helpful. Create a daily ritual called “Worry Time” that

lasts 10 to 15 minutes. During this ritual encourage your children to release all their worries

in writing. You can make the activity fun by decorating a worry box. During worry time there

are no rules on what constitutes a valid worry — anything goes. When the time is up, close

the box and say good-bye to the worries for the day.

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6. Help Them Go from What If to What Is You may not know this, but humans are capable of time travel. In fact, mentally we spend a

lot of time in the future. For someone experiencing anxiety, this type of mental time travel

can exacerbate the worry. A typical time traveller asks what-if questions: “What if I can’t

open my locker and I miss class?” “What if Suzy doesn’t talk to me today?”

Research shows that coming back to the present can help alleviate this tendency. One

effective method of doing this is to practice mindfulness exercises. Mindfulness brings a child

from what if to what is. To do this, help your child simply focus on their breath for a few

minutes.

7. Avoid Avoiding Everything that Causes Anxiety Do your children want to avoid social events, dogs, school, planes or basically any situation

that causes anxiety? As a parent, do you help them do so? Of course! This is natural. The

flight part of the flight-fight-freeze response urges your children to escape the threatening

situation. Unfortunately, in the long run, avoidance makes anxiety worse.

So what’s the alternative? Try a method we call laddering. Kids who are able to manage their

worry break it down into manageable chunks. Laddering uses this

chunking concept and gradual exposure to reach a goal.

Let’s say your child is afraid of sitting on the swings in the park.

Instead of avoiding this activity, create mini-goals to get closer to the

bigger goal (e.g., go to the edge of the park, then walk into the park,

go to the swings, and, finally, get on a swing). You can use each step

until the exposure becomes too easy; that’s when you know it’s time

to move to the next rung on the ladder.

8. Help Them Work Through a Checklist What do trained pilots do when they face an emergency? They don’t wing it (no pun

intended!); they refer to their Emergency Checklists. Even with years of training, every pilot

works through a Checklist because, when in danger, sometimes it’s hard to think clearly.

When kids face anxiety they feel the same way. Why not create a Checklist so they have a

step-by-step method to calm down? What do you want them to do when they first feel anxiety

coming on? If breathing helps them, then the first step is to pause and breathe. Next, they can

evaluate the situation. In the end, you can create a hard copy checklist for your child to refer

to when they feel anxious.

9. Practice Self-Compassion Watching your child suffer from anxiety can be painful, frustrating, and confusing. There is

not one parent that hasn’t wondered at one time or another if they are the cause of their

child’s anxiety. Here’s the thing, research shows that anxiety is often the result of multiple

factors (i.e., genes, brain physiology, temperament, environmental factors, past traumatic

events, etc.). Please keep in mind, you did not cause your child’s anxiety, but you can help

them overcome it.

Toward the goal of a healthier life for the whole family, practice self-compassion. Remember,

you’re not alone, and you’re not to blame. It’s time to let go of debilitating self-criticism and

forgive yourself. Love yourself. You are your child’s champion.

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Watch Renee’s video diving deeper into these ideas and other techniques for anxiety relief for

children here.

Find more of Renee’s work and programs at www.gozen.com

The School Ball and Alcohol The School Ball season always raises questions around alcohol

and young people, so we suggest parents read the following

commonly asked questions in regards with supplying alcohol to

under-18-year-olds.

Q: If I decide to supply alcohol to under-18s, what do I have to do?

A: Before supplying the alcohol you must get express consent from the under-18-year-old’s

parent or legal guardian. You must have good reason to believe the consent you’ve been

given is genuine. Unless you are certain you have permission from a minor's parent or legal

guardian, don't give alcohol to anyone under-18. The law applies to everyone, irrespective of

their age, who supplies alcohol to a young person. This includes friends, relatives and other

parents and adults. You must also supply the alcohol in a ‘responsible manner’.

Q: What does supplying alcohol in a ‘responsible manner’ mean?

A: Responsible supply involves taking steps such as supervising

the consumption of alcohol, providing food, offering low-alcohol

and/or non-alcoholic drinks and ensuring safe transport options are

in place. When supplying alcohol you should also think about what

might be appropriate for a person under 18-years-of-age, the

volume and strength of the alcoholic drinks, and the duration and

type of event you are hosting, or that your son or daughter is

attending.

Q: What can I do if someone has given my under-18-year-old alcohol without my consent?

A: The person who supplied alcohol to your child or teenager may have committed an

offence and could be fined up to $2,000. You could follow up with the person who provided

the alcohol, and/or contact the local police.

The Health Promotion Agency has a website for those wanting information on alcohol and

young people.

For more information, visit alcohol.org.nz or call the Alcohol Drug Helpline on 0800 787

797.

- Health Promoter (Wanganui District Health Board)

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TAS Behaviour Expectation

Wairuatanga

We put plans in place to have better

outcomes in learning and behaviour. This

looks like ……..

We set achievable goals;

We work towards our goals by showing

effort in our learning;

We reflect on next steps;

We celebrate our successes.

TAS Caps and Beanies for Sale We have a range of Caps and Beanies for Sale. Caps and Beanies are very popular items with

young people, and a decision has been made to provide a viable option for students who often

choose to wear fashionable, but non-uniform and non-compliant options.

Both come in two different styles (decided after consultation with a sample of students), and

the cost is $26 for an embroidered TAS Cap (2 styles), and $29 for an embroidered TAS

Beanie (2 styles).

Rippa Rugby Results In the morning both TAS Teams went to the two vans, one boys van and a girl's van. Then we

went to Wanganui, and went to Springvale Park, to play Rippa Rugby. We were all nervous

and our feet were freezing cold.

The Tyrannosauruses played first at 10:00 o’clock vs Wanganui East Wassabi - it was a win

for TAS Tyrannosauruses. Then at 10:30, both of the teams played. The TAS Titans played

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Western Cluster 4, and the TAS Tyrannosauruses played Carlton. They both got a draw. Then

at 11:15 the TAS Tyrannosauruses played Durie Hill Dinosaurs and won.

Then it was lunch time, so everyone went to get a free sausage sizzle.

After lunch the TAS Titans had a game at 12:15 and played

Western Cluster 5 and won. After that was the last game at

12:30 - TAS Tyrannosauruses played South Mak Magic and

won.

Then we went on the vans. Arapeta’s Dad took the boys to

Mc’Donalds to get a frozen coke, then we went home.

THE END

- BY Ezrah & Taylor (and thank you to the coaches Tyrese and

Tyronne)

Taihape Neighbourhood Support - Meth

Awareness Hui Is Meth a Problem? This is a community collaboration to provide an opportunity to listen and

learn. Venue - Room 79, Taihape Area School, on Wednesday 28th June, 6.30 - 8.30 (Supper

provided).