Dear Parents and Caregivers,
We have been advised that the Executive of the Post Primary Teachers’ Association has directed members covered by the Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement, the Secondary Principals’ Collective Agreement, the Area School Teachers’ Collective Agreement and the Area School Principals’ Collective Agreement to attend a round of branch-based paid union meetings held under the provisions of Section 26 of the Employment Relations Act 2000.
The meeting of PPTA members at our school will be held on 28 FEBRUARY from 1.50 PM TO 3.00 PM at SHCS, and all teachers who are members of the PPTA and are covered by the Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement, the Secondary Principals’ Collective Agreement, the Area School Teachers’ Collective Agreement or the Area School Principals’ have a right to attend.
Consequently, although school will officially remain open until 3:00 pm that afternoon, we will not be able to run timetabled classes for that time. However, there will be supervision in the Library for students who need to stay at school until the end of the school day.
Please notify the school office if your daughter will need to remain at school on this afternoon.
(Contact Karen Mowat on 477 0989 or email admin@shcs.school.nz)
Timetable
The timetable follows a structure of two periods, chapel/assembly/Whanaungatanga followed by interval then two periods followed by lunch and then sustained silent reading followed by one period.
This structure also allows for a second version of the week featuring double periods to allow for extended learning time. This is identified on KAMAR and the calendar as Timetable B.
Key Dates for 2020 Term 1
Saturday 7th March – School Fair (see below for further information)
Wednesday 11 March – Years 7-13 Goal Setting Conversation with Whanau teachers (2.30-6.30pm)
Friday 13th and Saturday 14th March – Wanaka Show
Friday 20th March – Staff Only Day
Monday 23rd March – Otago Anniversary Day
Reporting
Throughout the year we will communicate about your daughter’s learning through Learning Conversations (which allow a three way conversation with the teacher, student and parent), Interim Reports on Learning which focus on learning behaviours and Academic Progress Reports which give specific comments on the progress being made in the curriculum and next steps for your daughters learning. The final report for the year is a summary record of your daughter’s learning for the year. This includes a comment from her Whanaungatanga teacher which gives you an overview of her year’s learning and involvement in school activities.
Our aim, with this combination of reports, is to give an accurate and timely overview of your daughter’s learning dispositions, next steps and progress.
2020 Reporting Timeline
Term 1
Week 6 Year 7-13 Interim Report on Learning
Week 7 Wed 11 March Years 7-13 Goal Setting Conversation with Whanau teachers (2.30-6.30pm)
Week 11 Years 7-13 Academic Progress Report
Term 2
Week 1 Years 7-13 Learning Conversations with subject teachers
Week 5 Years 7-13 Interim Report on Learning
Term 3
Week 1 Mon 20 July Years 11-13 Learning Conversations with subject teachers (9.30am – 6.30pm)
Years 7-10 Junior House Day
Week 2 Years 7-10 Academic Progress Report
Week 7 Years 7-13 Interim Report on Learning
Weeks 8-9 Years 11-13 NCEA benchmark examinations
Week 10 Years 7-10 Learning Conversations with subject teachers
Years 11-13 NCEA Progress Report
Term 4
Week 9 Years 7-13 End of Year Academic Summary Report
Guidance
TikTok is the social media app of choice for young people at the moment. Click here for advice from Netsafe about how to maximise your child’s safety when using TikTok.
Netsafe’s latest research, Ngā taiohi matihiko o Aotearoa – New Zealand Kids Online, is now available. The report from their Global Kids Online study uncovers important insights about New Zealand’s children’s experiences (aged between nine to 17) of online risks and their perceptions of harm. It provides details about a variety of topics including the online interactions kids are having with people they don’t know and how frequently they are exposed to concerning online material. See the attached document for the full report.
Perth Exchange
We have an annual exchange programme with St Hilda’s in Perth, Australia. We are now beginning the process for the 2020.
This exchange is open to girls in Year 10.
The exchange student from Perth will come to St Hilda’s in Term 3 of 2020. She will be timetabled into our school programme and weekly board at Tolcarne. The St Hilda’s student will travel in exchange for Term 2 to St Hilda’s Perth. Further information and application forms for this exchange have been shared with the girls as a Google form.
Year 9 Technology tower building competition.
Year 13 DVC trip to Architecture van Brandenburg
Year 9 – As part of the Greenbelt traverse the girls visited Olveston and took part in some period drama – The Dunedin weather had deteriorated after a warm morning spent walking the greenbelt.
Achievements
Tolcarne News
Week three at Tolcarne has been full of activity, with the juniors trying out Laser Tag and their optional morning fitness starting, organised by the year 12 Boarding Leaders. The Secondary Schools Tennis Tournament was also held, with Hayley King and Ella Perkins winning the B Grade – Congratulations girls!
The new Tribe value cards were introduced, where students receive a card with six spots that can be signed for acknowledgement of the values. Once filling their card, each girl will receive points for their Tribe!
On Wednesday night Sarah Menlove came and talked to Year 12’s about body acceptance and food freedom. Sarah is a former triathlete turned Holistic Health and Body Image Coach, focusing on leaving behind the cycle of dieting and body shame. Some key messages the girls took from the session were;
“You don’t need permission to express yourself and listen to your body”
“Be respectful of your body and what you put into it”
“Appreciate yourself in your own skin”
Chapel Matters
One of the students’ favourite songs in chapel is “This Little Light of Mine.” The idea behind the lyrics is that we all have a spark of divine light inside us that we need to let shine, and that this is something that shouldn’t be hidden from others, which is based on a parable that Jesus told to the crowds (Matthew 5.14-16). Marianne Williamson, a writer and Oprah Winfrey’s spiritual advisor, wrote about this idea that we all have a light to shine and that we shouldn’t hide it (although her quote is often misattributed to Nelson Mandela!).
She says, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
But perhaps our spark is smouldering and hard to ignite and keep going. Or perhaps the light was there and some hard things have happened in life which have put it out, and it is just smouldering and we have almost given up hope that there can be light again. The Bible tells us that God is compassionate and merciful, and will not snuff out a smouldering wick (Isaiah 42.3). God will persevere, and never give up on us. God can relight that wick, and fan the flame back into fullness, so we can shine again.
So let your light shine, don’t hide it under a bushel, and let it bring light and life and hope to others, here at school, in our communities, and in the world just as God’s light has brought life and hope to us all.
The Very Reverend Dr Tony Curtis would like to extend an open invitaion to the staff, students and families of the St Hilda’s community. Below is an invitation with further details for all who might be interested.
BLUE RIBBON INSTALLATION
This is a fundraising initiative that current families, Old Girls and past families can support – purchase a Blue Ribbon plaque with your/your daughter’s name on it, to be displayed permanently in the foyer of the new Arts Building.
Please contact the Director of Development at aburke@shcs.school.nz to reserve your Blue Ribbon today.
Information regarding Coronavirus
With recent concerns raised regarding the spread of coronavirus, we wish to inform you that we are following the Ministry of Health Guidelines regarding best practice for public health.
We have taken the necessary precautions to ensure the wellbeing of all our international students, when they arrived at school and at Tolcarne, and as most of them have been in NZ for at least a week prior to the start of school, they are at minimal risk of infection, however we will continue to monitor their health. We have no students from the Wuhan region.
The school and Tolcarne will be vigilant with hygiene instruction as well as providing masks as required, and hand sanitiser. They are all the necessary equipment to isolate infection. Frequent hand washing and practising cough etiquette will be encouraged.
Recognising that coronavirus is now a global issue, if you or your family members have been travelling in Asia or currently infected areas over the holidays, or have been in contact with international visitors, we trust you are monitoring your family’s health and following the Ministry of Health guidelines.
As stated we have in place precautionary measures, and are advised that the risk of infection is still very low. We will continue to monitor the health of any students currently considered to be low risk. The Ministry of Health has advised that there is no specific action to be taken at this time. Should the situation change, we will follow our pandemic plan for managing illness as we do with other infectious diseases such as measles, mumps, and influenza.
For those of you concerned about possible infection, the Ministry of Health has provided practical information on their website which we encourage you to read –
NoNovel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) guidance – Ministry of Health website:
included in there is some advice to help reduce the general risk of infection:
– avoiding very close contact with people showing symptoms
– frequently washing hands
– practicing cough etiquette (maintain distance, cover coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues or clothing, and wash hands).
the Ministry of Health will continue to update that content, as further information becomes available
Reminder –
Eliabel Eliabel Legrand, Evie Rose Grace, Hanna McCoubrey
