DHS Dispatch the ISSUE 7 THURSDAY 16 MAY
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DHS Dispatch The ISSUE 7 THURSDAY 16 MAY 2013 NZ Sign Language Week Page 2 World Vision Update Page 4 Sign Language Week Welcome to Term Two from the SPEC Class Sport Update Pages 8-10 Property News People will have noticed, when driving past, that the poles are now standing around what will be the new multi purpose playing courts. This will allow the courts to be lit for evening use, as well as fi lling in some dark Sign Language Week areas of the bus bay and car parks. As a lead in to Sign Language Week, This is exciting progress as it means Pictured above and below - the Lara Draper from Deaf Aotearoa the Turf project, long talked about, is SPEC class in action learning how to came out to Darfi eld High School to likely to happen this Spring. sign the famous Old McDonald song. give a free 45 minute Taster Lesson With various delays we have with Mrs Gregory-Hunt’s SPEC class. missed the chance for this winter Mrs Gregory-Hunt used this lesson season, but are now on track for as a lead in to a Unit of Work on Sign spring completion. Turf, fences and Language. By the end of the Taster markings will be happening as soon Lesson and Unit of Work the students as it is practical. will be able to greet another person and say who they are, as well as The turf will be available for tennis, some other small conversation bits in netball, football and hockey use and Sign Language. will have the potential to be a great local asset for the wider community as well. An additional area for use as a cricket practice net may also be a possibility. The 2013 Student Librarian team, acknowledged in Assembly this week and presented with their badges. At the end of last term Andrew Free School Shoes! Parkin from BIC NZ came to present Darfi eld High School with the $2,000 prize for winning the ‘schools over James Morris accepting the Prize 400 students’ category for the South Cheque from Andrew Parkin, BIC (NZ) Island. High School to support with their Each Year BIC NZ run a competition pen-points. We received 14,350 amoungst all the schools in the points when the competition Free school shoes are available to country inviting them to register for concluded. those families/students in need of support. BIC PenPoints and the opportunity to One of six schools nationwide, DHS win one of six $2,000 cash prizes. accrued the most PenPoints in one Please contact your Dean, who can Our students went to www. of the three categories and we are apply on your behalf and receive bic2school.co.nz and entered their delighted with the $2,000 prize. a voucher for you to spend in your own purchases, choosing Darfi eld local Dowsons Shoe store. 2 Issue 6/7/ DHS Dispatch Principal’s Comments Thank you I am pleased to announce that the two (the hangover), recent research school will receive a $43,000 grant into brain functioning shows that from the Red Cross Earthquake brain functioning in adolescents Appeal Schoolchildren’s Fund. The can be signifi cantly affected for grant is to support students and four weeks after taking high levels families in our community over the of alcohol. The effect is primarily next two years and will be used to on the ‘higher’ levels of the part provide additional hours for guidance of the brain that is important for counselling services; resources for learning at school. Heavy drinking student life skills courses; facilitation (defi ned as more than four units of Christina Clarkson and resources for Teens and Tweens alcohol in a session) affects learning Christina has had a long association parenting programme; training for for many weeks. If we want, and with Darfi eld High School. She peer mediators; and equity funding expect our teenage children to be began her involvement as a to support families in fi nancial stress as successful as they can at school, supportive parent in 1998, seeing her with school costs. then supporting them to make good four children complete their education decisions about alcohol use is here. Since 2009 she held the A reminder that there is a clearway critical. What are we as parents and position of Chairperson of the PTSA, zone between the bus bay and as a community doing to change the and during this time she led the main gate on the school side of culture of binge drinking? How can PTSA in many fundraising events and McLaughlins Rd from 8am till 9am we work better together to protect activities, including the Entertainment and 3pm till 4pm. The purpose of the the still developing brains of our Book, which has become a regular clearway is to support student safety adolescents? feature of the school year; the Quiz by improving visibility for pedestrians Nights, which promise to be a much as they cross McLaughlins Rd before anticipated social event as well as a and after school. We appreciate your fundraiser; and the always delicious support with this safety measure. Formal Supper. Christina has also Continuing on the student safety been responsible for catering for theme, I would like to build a Malvern and Courtenay shows and greater awareness of the harm our regular parent evenings and that excessive drinking does to the other special events. The funds brains and hence the ability to learn raised under her leadership have of teenagers. We will all be familiar been used to support and enhance with the extreme risks associated the educational opportunities at with drink and driving and the link Darfi eld High School. between drinking and unsafe sexual This is a huge contribution to behaviour. What is less familiar is our school and community and the signifi cant effect binge drinking we extend our sincere thanks has on the adolescent brain and the to Christina for her effort and resultant effect on learning. Whilst commitment. the obvious physical effects of James Morris excessive drinking last for a day or ANZAC Day Service EEx-Students’x-Students’ UpdatesUpdates Simon Roper has been awarded The Leigh and Judith Pownall Scholarship from the University of Canterbury in recognition of his “advancement of education” in Geography and Music at the University. This Scholarship was established in 2012 from a bequest of Mrs Judith Pownall, widow of Dr Leigh Pownall who was Professor of Geography at this university and is considered “the father of urban geography in New Zealand”. Gordana Rodden, Henry Oliver and Brock Hatton represented DHS at the early morning service. Issue 7/ DHS Dispatch 3 THANK YOU Famine Weekend Mufti Day was a great success 7-9 June raising $731.60 for the cause and Ever wondered what it’s like to enabling us to continue to sponsor have to live in a slum? Heard of Immanuel our sponsor child for Cardboard city? ... This year’s famine another year! Thank you to you all. weekend why not think about joining the World Vision team in the school Gymnasium where they are setting up a SLUM-ber party ... you’ve got to create your very own Cardboard accomodation - prizes for the most At assembly on Tuesday we were creative, best dressed house, etc. kindly visited by Chris Davis and What will your creation look like? Lauren Stewart from World Vision. They came to tell us directly about this .... the plight of those less fortunate and introduced us to the people of Bougainville who suffer on a daily basis and where one in three of their child population are malnourished. They are the recipients of this year’s World Vision Famine sponsorship. Last year, DHS achieved such fantastic results we were ranked in the top fi ve in the country and took second place here in the South Island amoung all the schools who participated in raising funds for this .... World Vision. That is an awesome achievement and one you should be justifi ably proud of. Can we do the same or better this year? $40 sponsorship is all that is needed to enable World Vision to provide a kitchen garden in Bougainville that will feed fi ve children. Could you raise that? Grab your sponsorship booklet now and get fundraising and Go Hard for the Hungry this Famine Weekend. 40hr Famine Team or this .... Comprising Tom de Rooy, Gordana DISCO Friday Henry and Tom’s Masterpiece Rodden, Genevieve Jebson, Henry (tomorrow) Oliver, Rosie Forbes, Ben Ridgen and Kennedy Evans. If you have any White and Bright Disco tomorrow questions at any time contact any night, Friday 17 May, at 6.30pm. one of us or come and see Mrs Guy DJ Singhstar will be spinning some in the Offi ce. discs and has plenty of competitions Events and lots of prizes to be won, all in aid of this great cause. If you’re only A White and Bright Disco for Years getting around to it now ... be fast 7-10 on Friday 17 May and grab a ticket - $5 from the offi ce. SLUM-ber party on Famine Weekend of 7-9 June. 4 Issue 6/7/ DHS Dispatch International News During the fi rst week of the term Wuhan University Students who Some international students also holidays, 14 students, including are currently attending Canterbury took the opportunity to spend a day two from Ashburton College and University had a day in the country at Hanmer Springs in the hot pools. one from Kaiapoi High School, recently. They went jetboating at The youngest member of this group went on holiday with Colin Pander Rubicon Farm, watched a farm wasn’t able to go into the pools, so and Sarah Rawson.