Dear students, parents and caregivers, With Easter now a distant memory, we are into our final two weeks of term one already. I would like to express a huge thank you to all of the parents and whanau who have attended our recent year level huis. They have been warmly received and the feedback we have gained has been invaluable. As I’ve always said, ‘we don't know what we don't know’, meaning we are happy to work to improve what we are doing, but first we need to be told you believe this should be. The input and suggestions that are made at the huis don't just get filed away, they are collated and then an action plan is created to ensure we are following through. Thank you so much to our wonderful PTFA who coordinated our recent school gala. Just over $6700 was raised. This included a huge effort, not only on the teachers’ part but also from our students and their parents. It was great to see so many of our school community involved and the donations received were amazing. You will have noticed a big transformation of the frontage of our school along Anzac Parade. The usual comments have been "wow it looks fantastic" or "why have you cut down the trees?". We have had to remove the trees for a number of reasons: leaf drop, potential roots under the turf, to open it up to better showcase the school and also for security reasons. We are intending to replant, but with lower, metre-high bushes so watch that space. Our first round of Academic Interviews are coming up on Friday 8 April. It is expected that all parents and their daughters will meet with their ASTRA teacher on this day. It is really important that we meet face to face, so please do take the time to book in for an interview. To make a booking please go to www.schoolinterviews.co.nz (refer to the box

In and about Whanganui Girls’ College Vol 20 No 2 31 March 2016

at the bottom of this page). Our school production RISE is coming along well, with lots of rehearsals taking place. If you daughter is involved in this please continue to remind her of her commitment to turning up to rehearsals. The effort required to pull off a polished production is huge and one of the main factors is commitment to rehearsals. If your daughter is unable to attend for any reason, she is required to tell Mr Collins in advance, not after the fact. We are certain the production is going to be awesome and are looking forward to the opening show! I ask that parents take an active role in their daughter’s schooling. Ask them what they are doing in their classes, what work they need to complete, what is their next assessment task, what support they need and how the school can provide this support. Do they have a quiet study place in which they can do homework or revise notes? While the amount of homework is variable depending on subjects, it is expected that all students, regardless of year level, at least read through the notes taken that day in class. I would expect your daughter to be spending a minimum of 30 minutes a night just revising notes if not completing set homework tasks. As you will know I am very keen for every student to be actively involved in an extracurricular activity. Is your daughter? I believe it is really important as it allows girls to meet others at different age levels, keeps them busy and off the street and improves their health and wellbeing, particularly if it is a sports activity. Please encourage your daughter to be involved in something, whether it be sporting, cultural or academic. We have already published two online reports for all students through our student management system called Edge. The reports are only accessible through this portal and are not printed and sent home.

Therefore it is essential that you are able to access Edge. All we need is your email address and then you can log on through the portal and see a range of information including reports and attendance. Please contact Ms Rachel Conley if you have any queries. We are looking forward to term two, which always includes lots of House activities and also academic assessments. We trust the girls will have a well-deserved break and enjoy family time during the holidays but will also continue with their study and revision. See you in term two! Mrs Tania King M.Ed.Admin., B.Ed., Dip. Bus. Std. Principal

Please note : all of our newsletters are available online through our school website.

Academic Mentoring Day: Friday 8 April 2016 1-7pm There is no school instruction on this day instead please ensure you have made a booking with your daughters ASTRA teacher.

To make a 20 minute booking head to: www.schoolinterviews.co.nz EVENT CODE: pcwjp

Or contact the school office on: 06 349 0944 and they can make a booking for you.

Monday 11 April School finishing at 1.45pm On Monday 11 April, school will close for instruction at 1.45pm (after period 4) to allow for staff to attend an important professional development session on developing literacy skills in the classroom. The Learning Centre will be open for any students who require supervision and bus students will be informed of any changes to the buses closer to the time, via the notices.

‘Loves-Me-Not’ Programme The Year 13 cohort will be undertaking the

‘Loves-Me-Not’ education programme around

understanding healthy relationships on

Wednesday 6 April.

If you have any questions regarding this

please contact Ms Nita Pond via the school

office.

NCEA fee payments 2016 Fees for NCEA assessments this year are $76.70 per student. This will enable all credits to be recorded against a student’s name and a Certificate of Educational Achievement at the relevant level to be issued. Without this fee payment, students will not receive recognition of the credits they have obtained through the year or in the external assessment at the end of the year. For families who are likely to experience difficulty in meeting this fee, there may be financial assistance available. Applications for this assistance may be made through the school. Payment is due in early August, however we would encourage parents to act on this as soon as possible to avoid last minute inconvenience and the possibility of having to pay the late fee of $50. After the cut off date, all fee payments need to be made directly to NZQA who charge a late fee which is not negotiable. Please see the NZQA web site for further information or contact the school. Rachel Conley (Principal’s Nominee)

Academic League 2016 Mrs Sandra Friedel (Teacher in Charge)

Congratulations to all those who have received subject and level endorsements and made it into our Academic League this year. One of the main aims of the Academic League is to build a programme for students to foster a high level of self-motivation, self-confidence and the ability to see outside the box. Academic League students are encouraged to strive for high standards of personal achievement through their academic potential. As part of our Academic League awards assembly at the beginning of the year, academic badges, bars and certificates were presented to our students who have consistently worked hard and achieved excellent results in all of their subjects last year.

Our Academic League for 2016 is : Year 10 Trinity Broughton, Keely Fitzgerald, Helena Hazelhurst, Mikaela Kenny, Nikita McDonald, Jorja Plane, Emma Rennie Year 11 Jasmine Anthony, Nikita Barns, Jennifer Churchouse, Chantelle Gunther, Sarah Kirk, Jessica La Roche, Brooke Rhodes Year 12 Nicole Ede, Tayla Flight, Monique Howley, Caitlin Limpus, Mel Logue, Jessica McDonald, Elleira Tubayan, Sara Walters-Gray Year 13 Selena Cao, Georgia Caskey, Alyssa Le Lievre, Clare Maxwell, Hayley McConachy, Sinead McLeod, Helaina Phillips, Shannon Te Kira, Janelle Weraach, Layne Winiata, Ayesha Zaidi

Lifesaving News Mrs Glenys Gilberd (Teacher in Charge)

A hardworking group of girls trained for their Lifesaving awards for most of the first term . Practices were at first break and after school and this year we were lucky to have mostly fine weather. Many girls also had other commitments but worked hard to fit everything into their day. As well as our great seniors, we also had some very enthusiastic juniors. The girls then learnt for and sat their CPR and theory exams, all passing very credibly. They are all to be congratulated for their enthusiasm and effort. I wish to thank Mrs Baker, Mrs McGowan, Jacinta Crafar and Mrs Mackay for taking the time to come along and examine our girls. We also had 24 girls compete in the local Interschool Lifesaving Competition. All of our girls swam very well and were a credit to the school as always. Our senior team came 2nd. Grace Macnab was asked at literally the last minute, to instruct a mixed boys/girls team for Wanganui High School and did a magnificent job. Great credit to her for her calm control under pressure. Thank you to Mrs Howard for all of her organising for the event. The support of our parents and grandparents is also greatly appreciated.

Athletics day was another fantastic event at Cooks Gardens this year, with Warwick the overall winner. Our champions this year were:

Sprint Cup: Runner Up: Kesaia Siganisucu 1st: Georgia Caskey Day Girls v Bus Girls v Boarders 1st: Bus Girls Open 3000m Trophy: Shannon Te Kira Junior Champion: Runner up: Ella Chapman 1st: Fynn Rees Intermediate Champion: Runner up: Shaniqka Wall 1st: Hinerangi Taite-Thompson Senior Champion: Runner up: Tayla Flight 1st: Georgia Caskey We had several records broken this year, Tayla Flight in javelin (Senior) 28.95m & shot put (Senior) 10.18m and Catherine Nauga for Shot put (Intermediate) 10.96m.

Whanganui Secondary Schools Athletics was held on a cold and windy day and due to many of our intermediate & senior athletes being away at Hillary Outdoor Centre, we had a predominantly junior contingent this year. Around 15 girls competed over the various sports. Results from the day: Georgia Caskey: 1st= High Jump Catherine Nauga 2nd Shot Put Nikita McDonald: 2nd in Triple Jump Whanganui Girls’ College netball trials have been held, with 23 girls selected in a squad to undertake further training before we select our A teams. We have a strong bunch of contenders this year and expect to do well in the netball arena. Volleyball has two strong teams competing in the term one competition on Wednesday nights at Jubilee stadium. Thank you to Mrs Williams for her management of the Volleyball teams, and to those girls who stepped up to assist with umpiring. We have had an enthusiastic bunch of mainly year 13 students participating in twilight softball. If has been a lot of fun watching them improve each week, and the teams in the competition were great to play against, always encouraging and supporting our girls. Thanks Softball. Don’t forget to check out our Whanganui Girls’ College Sports Facebook page, draws and info will be posted here, so please “l ike us” on Facebook and follow our girls as we do all things sporty. The Sports Council would like to thank all those people who supported our firewood raffle, the winners were: Jules Le Lievre 139 and Moir 014.

Whanganui Girls’ College Board of Trustees Election 2016 Our Board of Trustees election is being held this year. We will be calling for nominations for parent representatives at the end of the first week of Term 2 (by Friday 6 May). Forms will be posted out to everyone that is eligible. If you are interested or would like further information, please contact the school office.

Future Leaders Intermediate Leadership Course

Do you: Aspire to be a school leader or team captain? Want to improve your leadership skills? Want to better yourself and increase your future opportunities? On our five day course you will:

Gain 10 NCEA level 2 credits

Learn the qualities and values of a leader

Practice how to lead a team in any situation, and know what it takes to lead by example

Receive a course certificate for your CV, and improve your confidence and communication skills

Our practical, fun and effective training will have you ready to take on leadership roles within school, work and family. Based on the NZ Army Leadership Framework. Book now! Spaces limited to 14 students. Call 0800 FUTURE or go to www.futureleaders.co.nz for more info. Dates are 25-29 April (term one holidays). Cost $600 per student.

Secondary Schools Sports Stacking Champs

On Friday 18 March, the school competed in the Secondary Schools Sports Stacking Champs. Whanganui Girls’ College finished second overall, with Jasmine Anthony from Year 11 finishing overall female champion. The other team member, Stephanie Johnston (also Year 11) and Jasmine won the relay and doubles. Well done girls.

Remember—’Like’ us on Facebook to get updates, reminders and information about what’s happening in the school.

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