Phone: 063880130 email: rmcmillan@tas.school.nz or office@tas.school.nz Website: tas.school.nz

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Taihape Area

School

Term 3 – Newsletter Number 7

Monday 31st August 2015

Tena koutou katoa

This week is Winter Tournament week for

New Zealand Secondary Schools.

Secondary Students are participating in a

variety of sporting codes, and competing in

some very prestigious tournaments, right

across the Country.

We have two teams taking part this year,

the Senior A Netball Team, and the Mixed

Hockey Team. The Netball team is playing

in the Lower North Island Secondary

Schools Netball Tournament in Palmerston

North, and the Hockey Team in the North

Island Mixed Hockey Tournament in

Stratford, Taranaki. Both teams left

yesterday for their respective events.

The students involved are all looking

forward to this unique, and hopefully

enjoyable experience, and the opportunity

to test their skills against peers from other

Colleges. As well the opportunity to focus

on their chosen sport for a whole week will

give them the chance to really push the

boundaries, and test themselves at a higher

level.

NCEA Mid-Year Exams finished last

week. This was a very useful exercise, and

a real eye opener for some students, who

now realise that they have considerable

hard work to do to prepare for externals, as

well as to accumulate credits in the lead up

to the end year.

While it is important that students take

personal responsibility for monitoring their

progress and “leading their own learning”,

support and encouragement from the

significant adults in their lives is also very

important. Our Deans do a superb job

working with the students in their cohorts,

and are readily available to meet with you

if you have any concerns, or just require

confirmation about how they are tracking.

Please remember that you have access to

KAMAR (the School Student Management

System) to enable you to track the progress

of your child/ren.

For those still based at School this week,

life carries on as usual. With the Winter

Sports Season virtually over, things are

quieter after school, as practices for most

codes are now finished.

Over recent times there has been

considerable anguish in the media about

literacy levels in New Zealand.

A major issue most schools face, a real

challenge in fact, is that many new entrants

arrive at Primary School, without pre-

school experience, and without some of the

basic skills they require for a successful

education. Many lack skills such as

alphabet knowledge, book knowledge, are

unable to recognize numbers, and even

colours. This core knowledge is essential

for their growth and development in the

crucially important areas of reading,

writing, and numeracy.

Schools allocate huge amounts of resource

to bring these children up to speed. In an

ideal world all children would arrive at

Phone: 063880130 email: rmcmillan@tas.school.nz or office@tas.school.nz Website: tas.school.nz

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school ready, and well equipped, to begin

their learning journey. Sadly for an

increasing proportion of children, the gap

between those who are ready for school,

and those who need support and assistance

to catch up, is widening.

As has been mentioned in previous

newsletters (because it is important!!), it is

vital all children are at school every day –

with the obvious exception of when illness

strikes. Poor attendance goes hand in hand

with poor achievement, and if gaps already

exist, the problem is compounded.

Have a great week.

Richard McMillan

Principal

The TAS School Wide

Behaviour Expectations are: - Rangatiratanga:

We are Learners

We show Rangatiratanga

Whanaungatanga:

We are Caring

We show Whanaungatanga

Wairuatanga:

We are Reflective

We show Wairuatanga

Manaakitanga:

We are Respectful

We show Manaakitanga

Tall Poppies The following Taihape Area

School students rose above the

crowd last week as outstanding

achievers, and members of our

learning community:

Kierah Hay-Martin (Room 4) - for

hardwork and perseverance in all learning

areas;

Kasey Hurinui (Room 4) – for awesome

ideas and structure in writing.

Room 5 - the whole class for displaying the

value of Manaakitanga by showing respect

for property and people;

Olivia Lincoln (Room 9) - for working

quietly and well;

George Abernethy (Room 9) - for being

helpful and writing a good story;

Meryne Hirst and Annalise Ziarno (Year

10) - for showing Rangatiratanga, being

prepared for learning in every class,

completing tasks, and progressing well in

the electricity unit;

Emma Fellingham - for excellent and

consistent use of wairuatanga in English

writing;

Courtney Fannin -for determined effort

and consistent wairuatanga control in

English writing;

Helaman Nepia - for determined effort

and consistent rangatiratanga in English;

Ari Hall - for determination and consistent

wairuatanga in English.

PB4L 100 Club

Thomas Goodman, Michaella Simpson

Phone: 063880130 email: rmcmillan@tas.school.nz or office@tas.school.nz Website: tas.school.nz

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Tall Poppies from Learning Street –

Week 6

Mokai Patea Curriculum

Consultation The Board of Trustees has a Community

Goal to enhance the partnership between

the School, whanau, families, and the wider

community. Over a period of many years

the Iwi of Mokai Patea have developed an

Education Strategy.

The vision of this strategy is “Mokai Patea

enjoying educational success as Mokai

Patea” through his/her (the learners)

language, culture, and identity.

The School Values – Rangatiratanga,

Whanaungatanga, Wairuatanga, and

Manaakitanga - are encompassed within

the School, and the Mokai Patea Education

Strategy, to create a strong Mokai Patea

Learner

Hockey This week the Taihape Area School

Hockey Team is playing in the Annual

North Island Mixed Hockey

Tournament, in Stratford, Taranaki. A

total of 16 Teams from all over the North

Island are participating this year. The first

three days involve Round Robin play,

before cross-over, ranking games, on

Thursday and Friday.

This is a massive challenge for us as we are

always one of the smaller schools involved.

However our goal is to better, or emulate

our best (and totally unexpected) result, an

exciting 4th

placing in 2011. Whatever the

result however, we will return better

players, and better people.

North Island Mixed

Tournament

Draw for the Round Robin Section:-

Monday 31st

TAS v Henderson High @ 2.20pm

Tuesday 1st

TAS v Te Aroha College @ 9.00am

Tuesday 1st

TAS v Putaruru College @ 4.20pm

Wednesday/Thursday/Friday

Cross-over Games

Phone: 063880130 email: rmcmillan@tas.school.nz or office@tas.school.nz Website: tas.school.nz

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Supporting Your Child The most important lessons your child

needs for success aren’t taught in the

Classroom, they’re taught at home.

Children’s performance in School has more

to do with parents than with their natural

brainpower or even their teachers.

One recent study claimed the parental

effect on exam results at 16 is 5 times

greater than any other factor. So what

should we be doing to maximise their

chances? This is one of 25 practical ideas

from the Next Solutions Magazine:

3. It’s not a Competition. Don’t get

sucked into peeking into other children’s

bags to see if they’ve got a harder reading

book. Children’s progress isn’t steady or

linear – many are late starters, and an early

mastery of a subject is a poor guide to

future brilliance. Professor Joan Freeman ,

who has worked with hundreds of gifted

children, says initiative, creativity,

motivation, and a certain “twinkle in the

eye” can be a far better indicator of future

cleverness.

Supporting Your Child at

Home: Numeracy

A lot of emphasis in Numeracy teaching is

placed on using mental calculations where

possible, using jottings to help support

thinking.

As children progress through the

school and are taught more formal written

methods, they are still encouraged to think

about mental strategies they could use first,

and only use written methods for those

calculations they cannot solve in their

heads.

It is important that children are secure with

number bonds (adding numbers together

and subtracting them e.g. 10-6=4,

13+7=20) and have a good understanding

of place value (ten and units etc) before

embarking on formal written methods.

Check this site out on Number Bonds to

help your child:-

http://www.amblesideprimary.com/ambleweb/menta

lmaths/numberbond.html

Quotes of the Week “How much I missed, simply because I was

afraid of missing it” ― Paulo Coelho, Brida.

“Life is not a problem to be solved, but a

reality to be experienced” ― Søren

Kierkegaard

Phone: 063880130 email: rmcmillan@tas.school.nz or office@tas.school.nz Website: tas.school.nz

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Be Safe in Cybersafe Cyberspace is the environment created by

communication technologies such as the

internet, mobile phones, and other devices.

Communication technologies are extremely

useful tools. However, you need to know

how your children might be at risk and how

you can protect them.

Risks children and young people may

face:

They may meet people online who

may want to frighten, bully or harm them.

They may take part in chat and

possibly agree to a face to face meeting

with someone they have only been

communicating with online.

They may be cyber bullied by text,

pxt, instant messaging, video or mail. The

effects of this can be devastating and many

victims are not reporting the abuse;

They may post photos or

information about themselves or others

online and lose control of it.

They may not question the truth of

what they see in cyberspace. Anyone can

post information on the internet.

Things parents can do:

Explore cyberspace yourself, with

your children.

Keep the home computer in a family

living area rather than a private area such

as the child’s own room. This will help to

monitor home use.

Talk with your children about their

use of mobile phones and the internet –

discuss family rules and strategies for

dealing with online risks.

Computer security is essential such as

antivirus and firewall software. For help,

information, and advice, contact NetSafe

(0508 632723) or visit www.netsafe.org.nz

This information was provided for parents

and caregivers by the NZ Police, Netsafe

and Telecom

Prize Giving Cups

and Trophies Please can all students who

received cups and trophies at

last year’s prize giving return

these to school before the

end of this term. Thank you

2015 School Prize Giving

Wednesday 9th December

Phone: 063880130 email: rmcmillan@tas.school.nz or office@tas.school.nz Website: tas.school.nz

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Student Trustee (BOT) Elections

Nominations for the Board of Trustees Student Elections are now being sought. Voting in these elections will take place on Friday 18 September 2015. Student Trustees are elected by their fellow students. If you are interested in becoming a Student Trustee, please collect a Nomination Form NOW from The Library. Nominations close at noon on Friday 4th September. Candidates should prepare a statement setting out their goals and state why fellow students should vote for them.

Zarn White - Student Trustee, 2014-15 could this be YOU? - Student Trustee 2016 What is the Role of a Student Trustee? A Student Trustee represents the views of students. They must attend all Board of Trustee meetings. These meetings offer an important forum where the Student Trustee should raise issues suggested by fellow students in relation to making Taihape Area School a better place. Prior to these meetings, the Student Trustee should make themselves available to receive suggestions and feedback from students through a variety of forums, such as Student leadership meetings. The timeline is:

• Now – calling for nominations; Friday 21 August 2015

• Nominations close at noon on 4th September 2015

• ELECTION DAY Friday 18 September 2015

• Count votes 24 September 2015

• Announce results 24 September 2015

Phone: 063880130 email: rmcmillan@tas.school.nz or office@tas.school.nz Website: tas.school.nz

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Taihape Area School

Student representative election for the Board of Trustees

Nominations are invited for the election of one student representative to the board of trustees.

A nomination form and a copy of this notice is being distributed to all eligible voters on the student roll.

Further nomination forms can be obtained from the school library

Nominations close at noon on Friday 4th September and may be accompanied by a signed candidate’s statement.

The voting roll is open for inspection at the school and can be viewed during the hours the office is open.

There will also be a list of candidates’ names for inspection, as they come to hand, in the Daily Notices and on the election noticeboard in the Library.

The poll closes at noon on Friday 18th September 2015

Signed

R L Somerville

Returning Officer

Phone: 063880130 email: rmcmillan@tas.school.nz or office@tas.school.nz Website: tas.school.nz

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OPPORTUNITY FOR STUDENTS TO EXPERIENCE ANOTHER CULTURE, MAKE NEW FRIENDS

AND IMPROVE THEIR LANGUAGE STUDIES AT HOME

In January 2016 we will be receiving exchange students from Bolivia, Austria, Germany, Italy and the USA. Our new arrivals will live with a host family and attend a local school for 3, 5 or 10 months. As we plan for their arrival, we are keen to hear from suitable families who might be interested to host a student.

Host families come in all shapes and sizes, backgrounds and ages. To this end, we would be grateful if you would place a notice in your newsletter or mention it on your website. You can download two variations of the newsletter notice here in Word format or as a pdf .

Hosting an exchange student can be a truly rewarding experience. It allows a family to experience a foreign culture first hand, be exposed to a new language and pass on a bit of our own culture. They might even make a friend for life!

All students have at least basic levels of English, would attend a school in your local area and live the life of a local. Below is a sample of students who will be arriving.

Austrian student, Iris, who is 16 is looking forward to living in New Zealand and developing an understanding of the country, it's culture and the people. Iris loves horse riding, play the piano and reading. She hopes to meet new people and improve her English whilst here. Iris is looking forward to making new friends and would like to try surfing, continue her horseriding and see what it is like to kayak if possible.

Maria, aged 16, from Bolivia enjoys studying, going to the gym, drawing and taking singing classes. She is the youngest of 3 children, can speak Spanish and has been studying English for 11 years. Maria's dream has always been to visit New Zealand to meet new friends, adjust to her new family life, achieve good grades and become a better person. She would like to try skiing whilst on exchange and is looking forward to exploring

New Zealand with her host family. Maria describes herself as a responsible, generous and sociable person.

For 17 year old Italian student Alfonso, studying, playing tennis, soccor and the piano are activities that take up most of his time. He is looking forward to gaining a cultural experience whilst in New Zealand and improving his English. He is concerned about the environment and is interested in conservation. His family describe him as friendly and sociable as well as sensitive and kind.

Paige is a 16 year old student from the USA. She is intrigued by the Maori culture and how well New Zealand has preserved its integrity. As a sports lover, Paige enjoys lacrosse, softball, soccor and ultimate frisbee. Books and music are very important to her as well. Describing herself as energetic, and curious, Paige is not afraid to try new things.

You can view more profiles of students arriving soon from our website. Please note that this is just a handful of the

students who will be arriving. If families would like a selection of student profiles sent to them to review and decide

which student may fit into their family best, please contact us or reply to this email.

The Stuart family were thrilled to have Danish student Simon stay with them for 8 months. As commented by host mum

Victoria, "it has been a fantastic experience. Simon has been an awesome role model to our two young children, he

has been like an older brother to them." Victoria continues, "the experience has benefited us too, as it has allowed us

to have greater free time and flexibility as a family. I was very impressed with Simon, as within the first couple of days

he was here, he asked what should his chores be?"

"Just give it a go, the benefits will surprise you. I highly recommend it", mentions Australian Host Dad Andrew, from

the Stuart family. "Not only do your children benefit, but the benefits exist for the parents too." Host Dad, Andrew

continues, "We are so lucky to have Simon come stay with us. He is a fantastic student, easy going and not very

Phone: 063880130 email: rmcmillan@tas.school.nz or office@tas.school.nz Website: tas.school.nz

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demanding. He has fitted into the Australian way of life so easy. He even obtained his Bronze Medallion. We are so

proud of Simon."

The Stuart family talk about their hosting experience further and discuss the ups and downs of hosting, why they

hosted and the benefits of being a volunteer host parent. Please check out their video here. You can also watch a

selection of videos of the Cain family from our host family testimonials page on our website.

Student Exchange Australia New Zealand is a not-for-profit organisation that is registered with all state and territory

Departments of Education around Australia and with the Ministry of Education in NZ. We are the first and only

secondary exchange organisation in Australia and New Zealand to be certified to ISO 9001 (Quality Management

System) and we ensure the highest standards of care and support to our participants. You can find out more about our

organisation by visiting www.studentexchange.org.au.

If your students, families or language teachers have any questions about hosting an exchange student or would like to view profiles of students arriving from other countries, they can respond to this email, call our office on 1300 135 331 or visit our website. Our staff members will be happy to discuss which student might be best suited to their family. No obligation.

Please note that the purpose of this email is to find families to host international exchange students. Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Yours sincerely,

Sandra Harders Hosting Coordinator

Student Exchange Australia New Zealand Ltd

PO Box 1420, Mona Vale NSW 1660 Australia

T: (02) 9997 0700 F: (02) 9997 0701

W: www.studentexchange.org.au

Suite 2590, PO Box 83000,

Wellington 6440 New Zealand

T: 0800 440079 F: 0800 440077

W: www.studentexchange.org.nz

ABN: 49 101 489 356

Phone: 063880130 email: rmcmillan@tas.school.nz or office@tas.school.nz Website: tas.school.nz

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Phone: 063880130 email: rmcmillan@tas.school.nz or office@tas.school.nz Website: tas.school.nz

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Term 3

August

Monday 31st – Friday 4th Tournament Week

September

Friday 11th Ohingaiti Cross Country

Monday 14th – Friday 18th Year 12 Leadership Camp

Wednesday 16th Krypton Factor

Saturday 19th Sports Evening

Friday 25th Tough Kids Challenge

End of Term 3

Phone: 063880130 email: rmcmillan@tas.school.nz or office@tas.school.nz Website: tas.school.nz

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