PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR ADVERTISERS •Padi Dive Courses •Dive Equipment •Air Fills & Servicing •Spearfishing Gear NEWSLETTER Dive HQ Hibiscus Coast • Open 7 Days 627 Whangaparaoa Rd • Ph 424 8513 DRAMA DEVELOPS KIDS! We Teach Young People To • act confi dently • speak clearly • develop life skills Phone Joy Thomson on: (09) 444 7457 Helen O’Grady Drama Academy Hibiscus Coast Real teachers, real learning, real progress! • Experienced, qualified primary and secondary teachers • Individualised PlaceMakers Silverdale & Whangaparaoa, programmes • Supportive learning environment • Free assessment • Year 1 to Year 13 • Professional Tutoring in Numeracy and English • Dyslexia programme proudly supporting our local community. Phone 09 4210022 Mobile 021 863 273 Silverdale Ph 09 426 5710 WHANGAPARAOA, OREWA AND WAIMAUKU Whangaparaoa Ph 09 424 9000 www.kipmcgrath.co.nz Give your child a brighter future. AFTER SCHOOL SPECIAL! Whangaparaoa Purchase a regular six inch or footlong sandwich, salad or wrap and receive a FREE 12oz fountain drink. Conditions: purchaser must be in school uniform or show student ID. Valid only Monday-Friday at Subway Whangaparaoa. Phone (09) 445 0557 424 9177 Email: [email protected] TARGET ADVERTISING PHONE/FAX (09) 445 0557 EMAIL: [email protected] Dear Parents, I would like to welcome back all the learners to the school for Term 2. There are a small number of new arrivals so a special welcome to them. Term 2 is a time when the weather can be difficult and I would encourage parents to make sure that their children go to school with adequate warm clothing. If children do get a cold please keep them at home for a day or so as they will get better more quickly and are less likely to spread the virus to others. At the southern end of the school there is an entrance into the school from Berdinner Ave. This entrance is not intended as access for parents to pick up their child. There is simply insufficient space for this to occur safely. We are requesting that you pick up children from the main entrance on Delshaw Ave where there is more hard paved area. The Berdinner Ave access will be locked to vehicle traffic from 2.30 to 3.30 every afternoon. This is being done to ensure that the learners can leave school safely. In the holidays the New Zealand Herald presented the NCEA results of all schools in the North Island. It was great to see that Whangaparaoa College stacked up very well. What was most significant was the major improvement in our results from the previous year. For our school which has only been doing NCEA for three years it was good to see us ahead of schools with considerable more experience. Our results at NCEA Level One were excellent but it also indicated more work needs to occur with our Year 13 learners. All of our learners in Year 13 are over 16 years of age and are able to leave school; so it is disappointing that a small number choose to have poor attendance and an attitude that will not lead to success. Over Term 2 we will be talking to learners and their families about ways to ensure that the year is successful. I look forward to seeing many parents on the sidelines of the sports fields over the winter season. The sports programme is extensive and starts this Saturday. An especially important start to the season is for the 1st XV Rugby team who play a local derby at home against Kingsway School. If you able to come along and support I know the team will greatly appreciate it. Brian O’Connell Principal Whangaparaoa College 6 May 2011 6 May 2011 1 Term 2 Week 2 Whangaparaoa College 2011 Important dates for the rest of the month... Term 2 May 6 - 8 Mediators Camp May 9 Whanau Support Hui 6 - 8pm ALL WELCOME May 9 - 13 Book Week May 12 Year 9 - 13 X Country May 15 and 22 Bellissimo Concert May 16 - 19 Year 8 Camp Term Dates Term 2 May 2 - July 15 Term 3 August 1 - October 7 Term 4 October 25 - December 7 Key Assessment Dates Practice School exams May 30 – June 3 (Year 11-13) September 30 – October 6 (Year 11-13) October 31 – November 2 (Year 9 & 10) Exam feedback day October 7 (Year 11-13) Last Day for internals September 23 (Year 11-13) NCEA external exams November 10-30 (Year 11-13) Whanau Support Hui and Matariki Celebrations May 9 6 - 8pm ALL FAMILIES WELCOME Please RSVP to [email protected] and state any other agenda items you would like added. At Whangaparaoa College our Whanau Support Group usually meets once per term. Our main focus is to ensure that our Maori and Pasifika Learners (and hence all learners) are achieving to their potential and gaining the most from their time at our school. During Term 2, on Thursday 14 July, we are having Matariki Celebrations at the College and one agenda item for this Hui will be to begin planning those celebrations. The agenda so far is below: · Karakia/mihi · Introductions · Whanau support: · Kaupapa/purpose of ‘whanau support’ · Support available at the college for learners and whanau · Support available outside of the college for learners and whanau · Who to report issues to for learners and whanau at the college · Thoughts on ‘whanau support’ network · Matariki Celebrations at Whangaparaoa College - Thursday 14 July · Maori Achievement · Mihi/karakia We look forward to seeing you all there. 3 Lisa Ballantyne Deputy Principal Notice from the nurse... The links between water, dehydration, health and learning. How does drinking water improve learning? • The key to boosting the capacity to learn is to keep well hydrated throughout the day. • When we are thirsty, mental performance including memory, attention and concentration can decrease by about 10 per cent. • Pupils concentrate better because they are not distracted by the effects of dehydration such as thirst, tiredness and irritability. • Can aid behaviour management by helping to settle pupils in the classroom. Please ensure your child brings a full water bottle to school each day - it's amazing how many of them don't! There are also water fountains accessible to the learners around the school grounds should they need to re-fill their bottles. Thank you. In response to a rise in the number of scooter-related claims, ACC has launched a campaign encouraging young scooter riders to cover bare skin to reduce the seriousness of injuries in a crash. Lots of young scooter riders currently wear inappropriate clothing such as t-shirts and jandals. As part of the 'Add another layer' campaign, scooters clad in fabric will be sent out on the streets in Auckland, Hamilton, Palmerston North and Wellington, taking the message to young riders that 'bare skin and tar seal are a bad mix'. For more safety tips and information about the campaign go to www.scootersurvival.co.nz Notice from the counsellor... EVENING EVENT -GUEST SPEAKER Members of the Whangaparaoa College Community are invited to an evening event with Lesley Elliott. Lesley will be speaking about unhealthy dating relationships, and the warning signs to look for to ensure your child is protected from abusive partners and relationships. Lesley is a mother who lost her own daughter to dating violence, and has set up The Sophie Elliott Foundation to educate young women on how to keep themselves safe. This event is a MUST for mums and daughters especially, but everyone in the youth community is invited. We will have a panel of local agencies who can answer questions and address issues you may have. Gold coin donation. Wednesday May 25 7.30pm in the Auditorium. Enquiries to Kim Osborne, Guidance Counsellor. 4 UNIFORM • Learners are expected to wear the correct school uniform at school and to and from school. • Learners may wear a watch and no more than one plain stud in each ear. No other jewellery may be worn. • Make-up is not to be worn at school. • All uniform items except shoes or sandals can be purchased from the uniform shop at the College. • All clothing is to be clearly named. • Learners are not permitted to wear other clothing beneath their uniform which is visible. • Hair is to be a natural colour. PE uniform • Shoes – running shoes or multi-purpose athletic shoes. • Whangaparaoa College PE T-shirt. Whangaparaoa College PE shorts. Optional - Learners may wear a dark blue or black cap with no writing. **Please—if you have any second-hand uniforms you are able to donate to the school, bring them in to reception. Some of these items may go towards helping Christchurch families who have enrolled at our school. 2011 Uniform Shop Opening Hours Mon & Wed 8am - 8.45am Tues & Thurs 3pm - 3.45pm Attendance We expect all learners to attend the college every day. If your child is unable to attend please contact the college by phone or email as soon as possible. The email address to use is [email protected] Newsletters If you do not already receive the newsletter link via e-mail, and wish to do so, could you please e-mail [email protected] 5 6 From the Careers Department Scholarships. Year 13 learners can now access Breakout. Breakout holds details of over 2200 funding schemes. Breakout is a searchable database - the database will give learners the best matches of scholarships, awards and grants learners are eligible for in terms of criteria, level of study and discipline along with closing dates, application requirements and contact details. Breakout is available FREE OF CHARGE at your local library.