06 3880130 26 Huia Street Taihape, 4720 www.tas.school.nz TAS Radio - 88.1FM [email protected] Principal: Richard McMillan Lead Me to Lead My Learning

Taihape Area School

Monday 26th March, 2018 Term 1 – Newsletter Number 9

Important Dates

This Week Next Week Monday 26th Year 1-8 Athletics Day Monday 2nd Easter Monday Mon-Tuesday Health and Safety Course Tuesday 3rd Easter Holiday Tuesday 27th Year 9/10 to Army Museum Friday 6th Interschool Athletics (Year 4-8) Thursday 29th Celebration Assembly Thursday 29th Year 7/8 Immunization Paid Union Meeting

Tena koutou katoa The last few weeks have been incredibly busy. However as the saying goes “variety is the spice of life”, and we are justifiably proud of the huge range of opportunities inside the classroom, and out, that we offer all our students - from Year 1 to Year 13. These opportunities are enabled by our physical location, and our proximity to a wonderful natural resource. However we also endeavour to ensure they are able to participate in mainstream events and activities involving other schools, such as the Young Leaders Days, various Sporting and Cultural Events, and the Weetbix Tryathlon.

Reality is our students get the best of both worlds, in particular the opportunity to live and learn in what is a unique environment. As an example students taking the EOTC (Education Outside the Classroom) Option have experienced a range of activities this term including, camping, tramping, caving, mountain biking, rafting, rock climbing, and river crossing.

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Options days are always lively, exciting, and vibrant, with groups of students out and about on an assortment of adventures. Of course safety is paramount, and we are fortunately to have personnel who are highly competent, well trained, and very experienced, in the Outdoors.

This year we have had a large number of new enrolments, and new families joining the TAS Community. We are delighted with the positive impact this has had on the School, and the new energy they have brought with them.

We have a short but very busy week ahead with the Primary (Year 1-8) Athletics Sports today, a Health and Safety Course running today and tomorrow, a trip to the Army Museum for our Year 9 and 10 Students on Tuesday, the first Celebration Assembly for the Year on Thursday, and also an early finish on Thursday before the Easter Break.

Please note that School is closed from Friday until Tuesday, reopening on Wednesday, for the Easter Break. It seems a long time since the Christmas Holidays, so the extended weekend comes as a welcome opportunity to have some downtime and catch the breath.

Have a great week, and a fantastic Easter Weekend!!

Regards

Richard McMillan Principal

The TAS School Wide Behaviour Expectations are: - Rangatiratanga: Wairuatanga: We are Learners We are Reflective We show Rangatiratanga We show Wairuatanga

Whanaungatanga: Manaakitanga: We are Caring We are Respectful We show Whanaungatanga We show Manaakitanga

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Tall Poppies A number of Taihape Area School students rose above the crowd last week as outstanding achievers, and members of our Learning Community.

Tall Poppies from Learning Street – Week 8

Savannah Cashell and Violet (Room 1) - for being enthusiastic learners:

Wairanaki Rata-Hoete (Room 3) for showing Whanaungatanga and helping others;

Teihungaru Steedman (Room 3) - for working hard with reading;

Cruz Wirori (Room 4) - a great Rangatiratanga student. Very good work in all curriculum areas;

Jaxon Tiseli (Room 4) - a great Rangatiratanga student. Very good comprehension skills and understanding of the text;

Grace Fannin (Room 5) - for showing an amazing improvement in her Reading Comprehension;

Kelaee Toto (Room 5) - for her outstanding ability to ask questions in her Reading; . Cyrus Steward-Graham & Benjamin James (Room 6) - for outstanding learning in maths; 3

Corban Murrell and Nailul-Hafiz Saifudin (Room 79) - for consistently displaying our TAS Values;

TAS Senior Touch Teams – both in Competition Finals to be played tomorrow.

Easter Weekend N.B. School is closed from Friday until Tuesday (reopening on Wednesday), for the Easter Break. Have a fantastic Easter, and not too many Easter Eggs!!

Early Closure On Thursday School will finish at 12.30pm to enable our Primary Teachers to attend a Paid Union Meeting. Buses will leave from School @ 1.00pm as all Primary Schools will close early.

We regret any inconvenience this may cause, but the Education Sector is confronting a number of issues that are having serious ramifications for Schools, and Education in New Zealand, generally. These issues include chronic Teacher shortages, a lack of people entering the Profession, conditions of service and the growing need to meet the challenges of student learning needs.

In light of this it is crucial Teachers, and the Community, are pro-active and work together to ensure the Education Sector is able to deliver a quality education for our Students.

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Helmets We are very encouraged with the number of students wearing helmets at the Skatepark. While it is not a legal requirement to wear helmets on skateboards or Scooters, we strongly encourage students to do so. Concrete is a very unforgiving surface, and a helmet can help avoid a nasty injury.

Celebration Assembly When: Thursday @ 11.00am Venue: MFC Hosts: Maugna 11.00 – 12.30pm CELEBRATION ASSEMBLY

Year 9/10 Trip to Army Museum Tomorrow the Year 9/10 Students are travelling to Waiouru to visit the National War Museum. While at the Museum the students will be involved in a range of exciting activities including:-

 Attending a Writing Workshop with an Author;  Analysing Historical Documents;  Learning about the conditions faced by Soldiers in World War 1;  Cooking lunch using a Modern Day Ration Pack;  and of course having a Guided Tour of the Museum. This looks like a stunning day in prospect with many exciting learning opportunities. They leave at 9.00am, and will be back in time for the buses.

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Uniforms Parents we need your support!! Please ensure your child/ren are dressed in correct uniform when they leave home in the morning. This can avoid starting the School Day on a negative as we negotiate uniform issues.

Year 12 Students are permitted to go up Town on Thursday for lunch. However, this privilege is withdrawn if they are not wearing the correct uniform.

Junior Soccer Registration for playing Junior Soccer for Taihape, Monday 26th, from 4pm-5pm, outside the St.Joseph's school hall...inside if wet. This is for all age groups. We will take names and have a kick around. All schools in the area are welcome to play for one of the three teams we will be looking at putting into the local competition (Waiouru, Raetihi, Taihape, Ohakune and Hunterville) - Carla Wilson (Taihape Soccer. - 021 122 6522).

Get involved with your Child's School Learn what the School offers: Read the information the School sends home, and ask to receive information in your native language if necessary. Talk to other parents to find out what programs the School offers. Maybe there's a music program, after-school activity, sports team, or tutoring program your child would enjoy. Remember to keep track of events throughout the School Year.

Volunteer Child's School and/or join your School's Parent-Teacher Group: Teachers appreciate it when parents help out at the School! There are many ways you can contribute. You can volunteer in your child's class, or in the School Library. You can make food for a School Event. If you work during the day, you can attend "parents' night" activities, or your child's performances.

How to Get Involved in Your Child's School Activities? offers some more ideas that you can get involved, especially for busy parents.

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Year 9 Health Assessments Year 9 Health Assessments will start from this week, your child will have received a handout with an opt off Form to return to School a few weeks ago. If you do not want your Child to have this Health Aassessment, you need to return the Form to their Year 9 Dean - Narisa Sargison (Public Health Nurse)

Youthline Youthline was created in 1970 and forms a collaboration of Youth Development organisations across the country. Youthline works with young people, their families and those supporting young people. Youthline organisations are made up of volunteer and paid staff members – and have centres based across the country. It was established to ensure young people know where to get help, and can access support, when they need it.

At the core of Youthline’s work is the development of leadership and personal skills in young people. They do this by involving young people; both those who seek assistance and those who wish to develop themselves.

Mike King Visit Last Wednesday Mental Health Advocate Mike King visited as part of his “I am Hope” Tour. The Tour is part of a month long Scooter ride from Bluff to Cape Reinga during which he ia visiting more than 70 Schools in 50 Towns, and speaking to over 20,000 Students about Youth Suicide. 7

Mike was accompanied by 7 Experts riding Scooters decorated by Famous New Zealand Artists.

Mr King says it is about creating openness to talk about these issues. "If you're in crisis, I'm your hope, come and talk to me. I won't judge you, I won't shame you, I won't gossip about you, I won't try and fix you ... I'm not qualified to fix you.

"All you'll get is unconditional love and hope, and if you want to talk to someone I'll come with you."

The session was excellent and well received by a captive audience that contained a large number of community members as well. He had a number of critical messages, and reached out for people ask for help if they needed it, and for

Wanganui Secondary Schools Athletics Championships 2018 A small team of only 9 students travelled to Wanganui Cooks Garden on Wednesday 14th March to compete in the Annual Wanganui Athletic Championships. The entries were down on previous years but there were a total of 7 schools competing; Wanganui Collegiate, High School, Cullinane, Nga Tawa, Rangitikei , Ruapehu & TAS.

Here are some results: Hanipale Mariner 2nd Junior Boys Shot Put Nikora Sullivan 2nd Junior Boys Long Jump Jacob Sciascia 2nd Intermediate Boys Shot Put Kayden Bennett 3rd Intermediate Boys Shot Put 3rd Intermediate Boys Discus

A very special thank you yet again to Michael Andrew and Barrie Randle for giving up their day and being the officials at the high jump event. Also to Danae Sciascia our Team Manager, for not only driving a van, team Mum, being the photographer and collating the results but all her help and support for the team. Also to our number supporter Sharyn Adams, for not only organising a rugby meeting on the same day at the same event but always being there for our students.

Many thanks to all the competitors who not only represented TAS to a high ability but also never giving up and I look forward to your positive steps to ensure that you will be part of the team for 2019!! - Jude Hardwidge (Sports Coordinator). 8

TAS Interschool Year 9-13 Athletics TEAM 2018 (and helpers)

Hockey Training for Years 4-6 We are going to run a short hockey training series for children in Years 4-6. Each session will start with skills and then we’ll play a short game. All your child needs to bring is a mouth guard, and ideally shin pads. There will be a small charge of $5 to go towards buying a uniform for the Taihape Team.

Training Series When: Tuesdays, 3.30-4.30pm Where: TAS Turf Dates: 27th March, 9th April, a date TBC during the holidays, 1st May, 8th May, 15th May

Your child doesn’t need to commit to play for the team, they can just come to the training series.

Please could you let us know if your child would like to attend the Training Series so that we can make sure we have enough sticks - contact Susan at [email protected] or text to 027 3333 060.

The reason for limiting the training to just Years 4-6 is that we found younger children find it too intimidating if they are playing with much older and stronger children. And the reason for picking Years 4-6 is that we will enter a Year 5-6 team in the Rangitikei competition so

9 we are concentrating on this age group (we could potentially have a Year 4 child if he/she would cope).

Last year we had a Team in the competition and the children really enjoyed the season and improved so much. At the end of season prize giving, the team was awarded a trophy in recognition of how much the team improved during the season.

A few quick details about the Year 5/6 Rangitikei Competition for those who are interested:- - It is a six a side competition with two twenty minute halves. Being six a side, the kids all get the ball, never as much as they hope of course, but they all get involved, which is great. - Games are on Fridays, starting on 18th May and this year they will be held at both Feilding High School and Rangitikei College. I expect that the Taihape team will mostly play at Rangitikei College and will play either a 4.30 or 5.20 game. - If you can’t transport your child to the game, there would always be someone that could take him/her down.

Regards Susan Benson and Jenny Hintz

Being on Time A massive frustration for teachers is students arriving late to class. This is disruptive, and impacts upon teaching and therefore learning in classes. We ask that you support your son/daughter to get into the habit of being punctual. Why??

Being punctual shows respect for other people’s time and effort; Being late is therefore rude; Being late once or twice may be unavoidable; Being late consistently makes you unreliable; Being on time means you make the most of every opportunity; Being late means you miss out; Being on time is not in your DNA, it’s not a personality trait; Being on time is a good habit, a positive way to live life - (from the Cromwell College Newsletter).

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Quotes of the Week

“The things you do for your-self are “Only I can change my life. No gone when you are gone, but the one can do it for me” - Carol things you do for others remain as Burnett. your legacy” ― Kalu Ndukwe Kalu.

Dorman’s Seven Needs of Young (Year 9-10) Early adolescence, it is generally agreed, coincides with the middle years of schooling, which are characterized by rapid physical, emotional, and intellectual development. Patterns of thinking and behaviour are being established. It can be a difficult period in which achievement gaps may widen, especially as they collide with inter-sector transitions.

It is widely recognized, and statistically validated, that Years 9 and 10 are those in which there is a spike in student disengagement. Suspensions, stand-downs, and general loss of interest in school clearly rose in those years.

General agreement in the literature suggests the following prerequisites for Middle Year Education:

1. The need for diversity: Different opportunities for learning; Different opportunities with a variety of people; Different opportunities to refine thinking skills.

2. The need for self-exploration and self-definition: Opportunities to establish a positive self-concept, and a sense of identity.

3. The need for meaningful participation in school and community: Opportunities to become independent and to have a role in making the rules affecting them.

4. The need for positive interaction with both peers and adults: Opportunities for association, companionship, and criticism regarding new social roles.

5. The need for physical activity: Opportunities for physical exercise and proper rest to avoid high energy levels, and fatigue.

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6. The need for competence and achievement: Opportunities to try out new physical, psycho-social, and cognitive abilities.

7. The need for structure and clear limits: Opportunities for increased independence and self-direction, yet clear limits.

- (From Dorman, G. (1984). Middle Grades Assessment Programme, Centre for Early Adolescence: University of Carolina)

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TAS Behaviour Expectation Wairuatanga We reflect on the consequences of our actions. This looks like :-  We take responsibility for our actions, good or bad;  We use an SWSW analysis sheet, if appropriate, to organise our thoughts;  We put steps in place to rectify any mistakes;  We do everything we can to restore relationships which have been damaged due to our actions.

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Science Roadshow Last week we hosted the Science Roadshow. The National Science-Technology Roadshow Trust (The Trust) has been in operation since 1990. As time has moved on, and the operations have broadened, the Trust is taking on a more public profile as the umbrella organisation to our programmes. This web site outlines the majority of the programmes and operations which we are now involved in, though smaller projects, of shorter duration often never quite make it here. Enjoy your visit to our site, we hope you find it useful to you. The Trust is about: Providing quality interactive learning experiences in science, technology and innovation to Aotearoa, New Zealand. About the Science Roadshow The Science Roadshow offers school children, their teachers and accompanying parents and wider public visitors an opportunity to explore various Science and Technology Concepts by ‘touch and feel’. It provides a unique, informal learning opportunity that:  excites and enthuses visitors;  nurtures curiosity and discovery;  improves motivation and attitude;  adds to teacher knowledge;  supports numeracy and literacy;  encourages social interaction and co-operative learning;  provides memorable real life contextual elements and exemplars.

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One of the great things about the Science Roadshow is that we provide Student Helpers (Explainers) who are entrusted with assisting on specific exhibits. This task generally falls to our Year 10 Students who this year did a superb job. Well done to them!!

Activities from the Science

Roadshow

Canteen Week 9

Snickerlicious will be available from the canteen this week for $2 a slice.

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