We are the Champions!

RGHS Junior Prems Netball Team Winners of the Nita Shannon Trophy

Baywide Under 15 Champions for 2015.

Top left to right: Moerewa Hunt, Grace Watson, Shylah Halley, Taryn Stone, Briana Cardon, Hinei Taute-Collier (Coach)

Front Row: Tayla Earle (Player of Tournament) Kahlia Keil, Siobahn Taute-Collier (Vice Captain), Ariana Halley (Captain), Kataraina Ormsby

Absent: Teina Cassidy

RGHS Junior Prems Netball Team - Winners of the Nita Shannon Trophy

Baywide Under 15 Champions for 2015. This group of young ladies is full to the brim with talent who have been coached by Hinei Taute-Collier for the past few years, from Intermediate through to High School. They are a well-balanced extremely talented group of young athletes. Day 1 results:

RGHS vs Papamoa 63-7

RGHS vs Trident 2 45-10

RGHS vs Reporoa College 49-11 After day 1 we knew that to be successful at this tournament we would have to play as a team and acknowledged that every player on the court is as important as the next. This was the key focus of our mid-week training leading into the finals day where we knew we would be placed in section 1. Unfortunately Taryn sprained her ankle in the last game but she was determined to be back on the court the following weekend and with good rehab during the week she was able to play. Day 2 results:

RGHS vs Mt Maunganui 48-18

RGHS vs WHHS 43-28

RGHS vs Trident 1 59-30

Overall - Winners of the Tournament.

Tayla Earle named Player of the Tournament.

From the coach’s eyes...... “The success of this team is based on just that - TEAM.

We have no ONE person in the team that makes all of the difference because they ALL do. This team of young ladies play for each other and for their families.

They have one goal and that is to WIN. Week in, week out, I see their families come to support them and I know they have watched their daughters grow in speed, fitness, skill

and confidence. They never cease to amaze us. If you ever get the chance to come down and watch these ladies play then do so.

You won't be disappointed”. - Hinei Taute-Collier

Across the Principal’s Desk

Date: Friday, 5 June 2015 Ka nui te mihi ki a koutou katoa Warm greetings to you all On Wednesday 20 May our school community was deeply saddened with the news of a fire in the Maths faculty of H Block. The loss of classrooms, a shared workspace, shared resources, textbooks, student work and exemplars, furniture, IT equipment, personal mathematical resources going back 20 years. Rotorua Girls High School expresses its gratitude to all colleagues and friends both locally and nationally who offered their support with classrooms, teacher and student resources, flowers, practical help, kai , koha, kind thoughts and prayers. As we are still coming to terms with the huge loss of 8 classrooms we have been heartened and overwhelmed with your generosity. The Board of Trustees, staff and students of Rotorua Girls High School remain positive and focussed on turning this senseless act into an opportunity. Recently I asked a senior student what she thought the following quote meant?

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. Aristotle

She replied, “If you do little bits everyday then at the end of the day when it comes to completing assessments, sitting tests or exams, you will know your stuff!” This is a timely reminder to all of our NCEA students who are halfway through their academic year. It is important that our Year 11-13 students realise this as they continue to work hard to complete all of their assessments and prepare well for their Term Two exams in Week 11. NZQA has launched an ‘app’ for smart phones called NCEA Student which enables students to keep a really good track of their credits gained. The standards associated with each school subject are preloaded and just need to be clicked on for the student to build up their own record. Encourage your daughter to engage with this as the inevitable lag between completing assessments and the results appearing on the NZQA Website means that use of the ‘app’ gives a much more current record. You as parents, are able to take the time to have a talk about how things are going, what standards have they passed and whether it was an Achieved, Merit or with Excellence? Are they managing their time and

assessments well, and what support can you give them? Some of the necessities to achieve success at school are that students have good sleep habits, eat well and exercise as well as having regular breaks while doing assignment and study work at home. These habits need to develop now so students are in a strong position at the time of NCEA exams in November. Congratulations to our 21 students who received Excellence and 20 students who received Merit Certificates at our Academic Assembly on Wednesday, 3 June 2015. Excellences

First Name Last Name Level Excellence In Total

Jimmee Brass 1 Mathematics A (2), Physical Science, Sociology (2), 5

Levius Hitchens-Chapman

1 Journalism (2), Mathematics, Physical Science 4

Sophie Jansonius 1 Literature, Mathematics A, Physical Science (2), Sociology (2) 6

Keighley Jones 1 History, Literature, Mathematics A, Physical Science, Sociology 5

Kayla Kautai 1 Literature, Mathematics A (2), Physical Science (2) 4

Dennise Lorilla 1 Food Technology, Mathematics A, Physical Science (2); Sociology (2) 6

Te Waiarangi Manley-Merito 1 Business, Mathematics A, Sociology (2), 4

Mairaatea Mohi 1 Journalism (2), Mathematics A, Sociology 4

Pia Padayhag 1 Literature, Mathematics A, Physical Science (2), Sociology (2) 6

Alyssa Mae Pineda 1 Journalism (2), Mathematics, Physical Science 4

Chelsea Pita 1 Food Technology, Literature, Mathematics A, Physical Science (2), Sociology (2) 7

Kirsten Purdie 1 Literature, Mathematics A, Physical Science (2), Sociology (2) 6

Elsie Spiers 1 Journalism (2), Mathematics, Theatre Performance 4

Sasha Zhukova 1 Literature, Mathematics A, Physical Science (2), Sociology (2) 6

Leana Albert-Packer 2 Biology (2), Chemistry, Mathematics A (2) 5

Jordan Andrews 2 Biology (2), Music, Theatre Performance 4

Chantelle Cobby 2 Biology (2), Journalism, Mathematics A 4

Savani Kannangara 2 Biology (2), Chemistry, Mathematics A (3) 6

Jordyn Tereu 2 Biology (2), Chemistry, Mathematics A 4

Soranan Wantoom 2 Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics A (2) 4

Victoria Thompson 3 Biology, Journalism, Mathematics with Calculus, Sociology 4

Merits

First Name Last Name Level Merit In Total

Raven Kyle Baruelo 1 Journalism (2), Mathematics A, Physical Science 4

Nadia Elers 1 Journalism (2), Mathematics A (2) 4

Billie-Jo Mareroa 1 Journalism, Mathematics, Physical Science, 4

Sociology

Atawhai Ngatai 1 Journalism (2), Mathematics A, Physical Science 4

Chloe Nicholls 1 Business, Mathematics A (2), Physical Science (2) 5

Kaytlin Pinder 1 Food Technology, Mathematics A (2), Physical Science

4

Rose Smith 1 Literature, Mathematics A (2), Physical Science 4

Ana-Marie Conroy 2 Biology, Mathematics B (2), Sport Science and Leadership

4

Sally Haslam 2 Biology, Health, Mathematics B (2) 4

Priyal Jeram 2 Chemistry, Mathematics A (2), Physics 4

Stacee Maki 2 Chemistry (2), Mathematics B (2) 4

Ashleigh Nairn 2 Journalism, Mathematics B (3) 4

Katie Stevenson 2 Chemistry, Mathematics A (2), Music 4

Jordyn Tereu 2 Chemistry, Mathematics A (2), Physics 4

Jesse-Mae Waititi-Wilson 2 Biology (2), Mathematics A (2) 4

Courtney Wiggins 2 Chemistry (2), Mathematics A (2), Physics 5

Nicole Haack 3 E-Chemistry, Mathematics (3) 4

Kanwarpreet Kaur

Kahlon 3 Health, Mathematics (3) 4

Monique Megha Dahya 3 Biology, Geography, Mathematics (2) 4

Kerenapu Winiata-Katting 3 Geography, Mathematics with Statistics (3) 4

Learning needs to be the priority for all of our students and our girls need to think about reducing the ‘distractors’ in their lives e.g. commitment to extra-curricular and employment outside of school. Continuing in this vein is that New Zealand has the least amount of class time of any country in the OECD countries and so it is vitally important that we do not take unnecessary time out from learning. Learning time needs to be protected as much as possible if we say that learning is the priority. I hope as parents/whanau you will appreciate and support our stance on ensuring that your daughter attends school every day, that she is punctual, wearing correct school uniform , has completed necessary assignments and homework and on a daily basis demonstrates our TE AO values.

The willingness to LEARN Engages to ACHIEVE Always shows RESPECT and Offers to SERVE

CACTUS UPDATE . . Winter is definitely here! This morning my car windscreen was covered in frost as I drove into school for our fourth week of early morning CACTUS training sessions. Congratulations to our CACTUS trainees as they continue to Ka Hikitia (STEP UP!) and take part in well organised, military-style physical training sessions, which focus on team work, goal setting , leadership and discipline, followed by compulsory showering and then a delicious breakfast cooked by our parents. Every Friday is an added bonus as our students are addressed by guest speakers

Our inspirational speakers have included:

Master Chef Winners - Karena and Casey Bird

Constable Melissa Mae Ruru

Her Worship the Mayor Steve Chadwick

Tania Tapsell – youngest Rotorua District Councillor

Photos supplied by Senior Constable Viv Sutton of the Rotorua Police

Rotorua Girls High school is the first girls secondary school to be offered this programme which re-inforces the message that regular physical activity, positive engagement with other students and influence from positive role models play an important role in the lives of our young women. I must also acknowledge that CACTUS would not be possible without the support of our parents, our local community and the Rotorua Police .

ATTENDANCE BIG DAY IN COMPETITION- ECASE Initiative

On Wednesday, 27 May 2015, Kelly Sadler the Area Manager for ECASE, along with Max Baird, MaiFM, launched this incentive at our weekly assembly and was received with great enthusiasm and excitement.

Big Day In is in Rotorua this month! Rotorua Girls High School is part of an initiative run by ECASE (Every Child At School Everyday) competing against our other high schools to increase attendance in schools. Every day in June that you attend school gives you points. The school with the most points at the end of June will WIN! Hit 'Like' for more details. We could WIN a lunchtime concert with Sid Diamond, DJSirvere, K.One & Pieter T! Feel free to check out and register / like on this facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/bigdayinnz

Max and the MaiFM Street Team will be visiting our school on Tuesday 9 June, Monday 15 June and Friday

19 June 2015 to promote this incentive and will have “giveaways”.

And remember that ATTENDANCE = ACHIEVEMENT

TWO OTHER REMINDERS FOR OUR GIRLS ARE: 1) Winter uniform is compulsory from Queens Birthday Weekend. Girls need to wear the correct

footwear, black shoes and stocking, our school shorts are not to be rolled up and only the school regulation jacket is to be worn. Puffer jackets and hoodies will be confiscated.

2) Facial piercings and jewellery are not part of the uniform. Students who have pierced ears may wear ONE set of solid / plain gold or silver studs (one in each ear), but other jewellery is unacceptable with school uniform and may not be worn. The only exception is a watch. Diamante and dress earrings of any design are not acceptable.

Note: No visible body or nose or eyebrow studs/rings are permitted under any circumstances as a matter of health and safety

Students and parents are reminded that when they signed the enrolment form, they agreed to follow the school rules. And that it was not Okay now to pick and choose the rules they want to follow. Staff should not need to be dealing with this at school. Also, student lateness is an issue families can help with, as punctuality is both a life skill and essential to getting learning underway. The School Office has an absentee line to record your messages if you have a student absent for the day. This should be recorded before 9am.

THE GENERAL ACTIVITY CONTRIBUTION A reminder to those that have not made the General Activity Contribution of $40 can I encourage you to consider making this payment as the school relies on this additional funding to pay for extra sporting, music and computer equipment. The Stationery General Fee of $50 which is compulsory covers personal ID Card, 2015 Year Book, printing, School Diary and newsletter postage. Bank Account details are: ASB 12-

3155-0090200-03.

NCEA ASSESSMENTS The following assessment has been set down to take place before the end of the term. There may be times where, due to unforeseen circumstances, changes will need to occur. This will be done in consultation with the class(es) concerned

PB4L ALWAYS SHOWS RESPECT Below is part of our Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) matrix that reflects what our students and staff consider to be respectful behaviour all of the time at our school, and specifically in the classroom setting.

Department Subject Level Standard Lit Num Week

Science Natural Science 1 AS 90954 Yes Week 10 – 24 Jun

Science Chemistry 2 AS 91163 Week 10 – 24 Jun

Science Biology 2 AS 91158 Week 10 – 25 Jun

Science Biology 3 AS 91607 Week 11 – 1 Jul

Science Physics 3 AS 91522 Week 9 – 18 Jun

English Journalism 1 AS 90853 Yes Week 10 – 23 Jun

English Essential English 1 AS 90053 Yes Week 11 – 1 Jul

English Essential English 1 AS 90853 Yes Week 11 – 1 Jul

English Literature 2 AS 91105 Reading Week 10 – 25 Jun

English Journalism 2 AS 91255 Writing Week 10 – 22 Jun

English Literature 3 AS 91479 Reading Week 11 – 30 Jun

English Journalism 3 AS 91496 Week 11 – 29 Jun

English Journalism 3 AS 91475 Writing Week 11 – 29 Jun

Mathematics Mathematics with Statistics 1 AS 91029 Yes Week 9

Mathematics Mathematics with Algebra 1 AS 91026 Yes Week 9

Mathematics Mathematics with Statistics 2 AS 91264 Yes Week 9

Mathematics Mathematics with Algebra 2 AS 91257 Yes Week 10

Mathematics Statistics 3 AS 91580 Yes Week 11

Mathematics Calculus 3 AS 91576 Yes Week 11

Mathematics Mathematics for Living 1 US 26626 Week 8

Mathematics Mathematics with Statistics 1 AS 91029 Yes Week 9

Business Business Studies 1 AS 90842 Week 10 – 26 Jun

Business Business Studies 2 AS 90846 Week 10 – 25 Jun

Business Business Studies 3 AS 91385 Week 11 – 6 Jul

Physical Ed Health 2 AS 91239 Week 8 – 12 Jun

Physical Ed Music 1 AS 91091 Week 9 – 19 Jun

Physical Ed Music 2 AS 91272 Week 9 – 19 Jun

Physical Ed Music 3 AS 91418 Week 9 – 19 Jun

Physical Ed Dance 1 AS 90002 Week 10 – 26 Jun

Physical Ed Health 3 AS 91463 Week 10 – 26 Jun

Physical Ed Health 1 AS 91097 Week 10 – 26 Jun

Physical Ed Physical Education 1 AS 90965 Week 11 – 2 Jul

Physical Ed Physical Education 2 AS 91331 Week 11 – 3 Jul

Humanities Geography 1 AS 91013 Week 11

Humanities Geography 2 AS 91011 Week 11

Humanities Geography 3 AS 91430 Week 11

Humanities Classical Studies 3 AS 91397 Week 11

Humanities Tourism 2 US 24731 Week 10

Humanities Tourism 3 US 24725 Week 11

The link between respect, school, and the big wide world. The ideas listed in the matrix also link into what employers are looking for in the workforce. An example is – “Being a good listener”. To be able to communicate effectively in the workplace people must first be able to listen and really hear what others are saying. This is a skill that we all find hard at times. For students lack of listening (or not really hearing what is going on) can result in:

missing instructions in class and getting confused;

missing NCEA credits;

getting the wrong end of the story and ending up in the middle of a situation that has got out of hand;

missing out on things they wanted to be involved in.

ALWAYS SHOWS RESPECT

I WILL BE RESPECTFUL BY: Following instructions

Using polite language

Using my manners

Wearing my uniform with pride

Asking before borrowing equipment

Waiting my turn

Putting my hand up to speak

Entering a room quietly and politely

Asking permission to leave any setting

Letting others learn.

Being a good listener to my teachers and peers

WELCOME – HUAN YING To our Chinese Assistant Language Teacher “Hi. My name is Sai Deng. I come from South of China. I’m the Mandarin Language Assistant at Rotorua Girls High School. It’s really a challenge and a meaningful experience for me. I’m happy that students are interested in Chinese language and culture. I will try my best to help them.”

Chinese International Student “Hello. My name is Jiaxin Shi. I come from China. I am an international student at Rotorua Girls High school in Year 11. Teachers and students here are very nice to me. I really appreciate that I can be a member of a lovely family”.

Ngā manaakitanga Ally Gibbons – Principal

MATARIKI CELEBRATIONS The Marautanga Faculty are celebrating Matariki next Thursday 11 June at the Nina Hogan Performing Arts Centre. Students are asked to be at school by 4.30am for a 4.45am start. Students from the Marautanga faculty who study Maori Performing Arts, Te Reo Maori, Nga Mahi a Rehia and Alternative Education, will have been involved in learning more about this special time of year and preparations for, organising items and will work together to create a special ceremony for our school and Karakia with our Kaumatua.

TEACHER ONLY DAY – FRIDAY 12 JUNE 2015

ASG NATIONAL EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING AWARDS NOW OPEN Communities all around New Zealand can now nominate outstanding teachers for the ASG National Excellence in Teaching Awards (NEiTA). Every two years ASG NEiTA gives school communities, parents, grandparents and boards of management an opportunity to recognise and thank teachers for the crucial work they do and making a real difference in education. Nominated teachers, principals and centre directors have the chance of becoming the regional award recipients, with the national award recipients announced in October 2016. The national award recipients will be presented with professional development grants, helping them to pursue further studies and embark on international study tours. Nominations for the awards close on 30 September 2015. To nominate go to: www.asg.co.nz/nominate. Teachers can be nominated across early childhood, primary and secondary school categories. Almost 30,000 teachers have been nominated by their communities across Australia and New Zealand since the awards started in 1994. ASG NEiTA started in 1996 in New Zealand.

2015 University Graduates Congratulations to the following 18 past students from Rotorua Girls’ High School who have graduated with tertiary qualifications in 2015. These are our first tertiary graduates for 2015. From Waikato University:

Colleen Balzer Master of Education (Second Class Honours – 1st Division)

Christine Hobbs, Shelley Green

Graduate Diploma of Teaching – Secondary Grad Dip

Dona Niethammer Bachelor of Management Studies

Leanne Morehu Master of Business Administration

Nicola Stowe, Roberts Skeoch Bachelor of Teaching

Rahera Kiel Master of Education (Second Class Honours – 2nd Division

Kate Robins Master of Applied Pyschology – Community Psychology – 1st Class Honours; Postgraduate Diploma in Psychology (Community)

Micaela Goldsmith Postgraduate Diploma in the Practice of Psychology

Emma Banham, Stacie Gardner, Amanda Lowe, Meriana Tamati

Bachelor of Teaching – Primary

Holly Miller Graduate Diploma of Teaching – Secondary (GradDip)

Shannon O’Donnell Bachelor of Sport and Leisure Studies with Honours – 2nd Class Honours – 1st Division

Sarah Verran Bachelor of Sport and Leisure Studies

Naina West Bachelor of Social Science

FACULTY NEWS Science Faculty The Whakapiki Ake Project is a recruitment programmeme that actively engages with rangatahi Māori enrolled in secondary schools to promote health and science as a career and entry into Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences’ professional programmemes. We congratulate Year 12 students Jadye Unuwai and Mapihi Kahurangi Tini for being accepted into MASH (Māori Achieving Success in Health). MASH is a four-day, Year 12 academic enrichment programmeme held at Waipapa Marae, The University of Auckland. We wish them an enlighting and enjoyable time. Guest Presenter Junior students had the opportunity to enjoy a presentation by Pascoe presentations on the biological wonders of genetics and birth. The students were full of questions and enjoyed the enthusiastic presentation. They can add onto their learning and answer their own questions when they engage in the genetics course of the science programme. Engineering Futures Evening If Maths and Physics are your passion and making a real difference in the world is your dream: then chose a career in Engineering. Go along to the Engineering Futures Evenings in Auckland and Wellington and hear everything you need to know about studying at the faculty of Engineering at the University of Auckland.

Auckland – Thursday 23 July and Thursday 30 July, 6.30 – 8pm. Venue – University of Auckland City Campus. Biology Alive: Ms Sonia Foote will be taking maternity leave from the end of this term and we wish her all the best on the birth of her third child. The science department is currently advertising for a relief teacher. Also a timely reminder to all senior students that the school preliminary exams are during week 11 (only 3 weeks away!! )and they should all be engaged in an active and robust revision programmeme. Staff have tutorials for students and websites are available for independent study.

NCEA INFORMATION Year 11-13 students have received their hard copy of the NCEA Assessment Procedures booklet. This booklet outlines important items that include what a student must do if they miss an NCEA assessment due to medical reasons or exceptional circumstances. Parents need to be aware of this information as well. The Term Two NCEA Year 11-13 Assessment calendar will be published. The subjects listed in the assessment calendar are coded in accordance with student timetables. The NCEA Assessment Procedures booklet and the Assessment calendar are available by visiting the school website (www.rghs.school.nz) and selecting the Learning and NCEA Information links.

NZQA Fees These fees are collected at the school’s accounts office on behalf of NZQA, they are for all internal and external credits. The last day for paying the fee at the school’s accounts office is Friday, 4 September 2015. Candidates who fail to pay the fee by this date will have to pay the fee directly to NZQA before 1 December 2015. If paid after this date a $50.00 late fee will be charged. NZQA charge an extra $50 for any late payment. They will also withhold student’s results until the fees are paid in full. This could cause problems for any student wishing to gain entry to courses, polytechnics or university in 2016. You are most welcome to make weekly or fortnightly payments so that by the time the fees are due in August your daughter’s qualification fees are paid. If you are interested in doing this, please contact the accounts office. Fees for Domestic Candidates:

Enrolment Fee

Any number of NQF standards $76.70 per candidate

Scholarship entries are now an additional cost as they are not included with your NCEA fee.

$30.00 per paper

Fees for International Fee Paying Candidates:

Enrolment Fee

Any number of NQF subjects $383.30 per candidate

Scholarship subjects (additional to NQF fees) $102.20 per subject

Financial Assistance To be eligible for financial assistance the applicant (normally the parent or guardian of the candidate) must be the fee payer and meet at least one of the following criteria:

- Be receiving a Work and Income or Study Link Benefit (Benefit-Based Applications) - Have a joint family income that would entitle the applicant to receive a Community Services Card

(Income-Based Applications) - Have more than one child undertaking these qualifications in the same year, irrespective of income

and the total fees to pay are higher than $200 (Multiple Candidate Applications) Application forms for Financial Assistance are available from the school office. If you qualify for Financial Assistance please fill in the application form and hand it in at the school’s account office with the fee of $20.00 per individual or $30.00 maximum per family by Friday, 4 August 2015.

Eligible for beneficiary or income-based assistance

Not Eligible for beneficiary or income-based assistance

One child who is a candidate

$20.00 Full fees ($76.70 for NZQF)

More than one child who is a

candidate

A maximum of $30 per family Where fees are payable for more than one candidate, a maximum

of $100.00 per child and $200.00 per fee payer

NB – International Fee Paying students are not eligible for financial assistance For any further assistance or any queries please contact Mrs Raewyn Krammer (Principal’s Nominee NZQA). Please note that as the fees for International Students are different they will be contacted separately. Please see the NZQA website at: www.nzqa.govt.nz/financialassistance for more details or contact Mrs Krammer. If your daughter intends to sit any Scholarship subjects an extra fee of $30 (or $102.20 for international students) per subject is payable this year

External Examination Timetable The external examination timetable can be viewed on the NZQA Website nzqa.govt.nz./Information /Students/Examination timetable Alternatively you can go directly to the page by typing in http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualications-standards/qualifications/ncea/ncea-exams-and-portfolios/external/national-secondary-examinations-timetable/

Course Endorsement

When a student gains 14 or more credits at Excellence in a course in a single year, she will be awarded an Excellence Endorsement in that course. When a student gains 14 or more credits of a mix of Merit and Excellence levels, she will be awarded a Merit Endorsement. At least 3 of the credits that contribute to course endorsement must be from externally assessed standards and 3 from internally assessed standards. Note PE, L3 Visual Arts are exempt from this condition).

Certificate Endorsement Students studying for NCEA Levels 1, 2 and 3 certificates will be able to achieve these qualifications with Merit or Excellence endorsements 1. Merit endorsement = 50 credits at Merit (or Excellence) at the same level or higher 2. Excellence endorsement = 50 credits at Excellence at the same level or higher 3. Credits can be accumulated over more than one year for the purposes of certificate endorsement 4. In any one year a learner will be awarded an endorsed certificate only at the highest level of

endorsement recognised that year except when a learner has achieved two or three NCEA qualifications in a single year

School Contact Mrs Raewyn Krammer is the Principal’s Nominee (NZQA Liaison) at the school. You can contact her by:

Email rkrammer@rghs.school.nz

Phone 07 348 0156 ext 206

Mail: Mrs R Krammer Principal’s Nominee P O Box 518 Rotorua 3040

HOMESTAYS WANTED As part of the on-going exchanges with Collége du Bourail in New Caledonia, Rotorua Girls’ High School is hosting 13 students from this college in August 2015. We are looking for 13 families to homestay these students during the following dates:

1. Three homestays for two weeks from 2 - 15 August 2015 2. Ten homestays for three days from 4 – 7 August 2015

If you are able to homestay a New Caledonian high school student for either of these two periods, please contact the Principal’s PA, Kay Asplin by Friday, 3 July 2015.

STUDENT HEALTH COUNCIL – OFFERS TO SERVE. Congratulations and thank you to Mrs Katu and the Student Health Council for organising a “Pink Breakfast” on Monday, 11 May 2015, and to the teachers who organised a Cheesecake Competition. Together, the Student Health Council made $500 for the Breast Cancer Foundation. Nga mihi nui ki a koutou katoa!!! Below is a picture of the Health Council girls with Kasey and Karena at the Pink Breakfast, along with the receipt for our fundraising effort.

ONECHANCE YOUTH PROJECT 2015 – by Chantelle Cobby The OneChance Youth Project is a ten week course designed as a youth development and empowerment programmeme for year 12 and 13 students, focusing on leadership, communication skills, personal development and the planning and running of a community youth event. The programmeme is in its third year and each year, all Rotorua high schools have the opportunity to select students to attend this course. Over a period of two months earlier this year, myself – Chantelle Cobby and a team made up of six other students from Rotorua Girls High – Leah Stephenson, Savani Kannangara, Emily Foggin, Jordyn Tereu, Leana Packer and Courtney Wiggins and two students from Rotorua Boys High were selected to do this course and we worked together to plan, organise and run the ANZAC Day Kite Festival, held last month. Each Wednesday, instead of attending school, we would spend the whole day at the Youth Centre, planning our event; the ANZAC Day Kite Festival. This meant that each week we would work together to develop our event; this entailed breaking into four teams (venue, management, promotions and entertainment) and completing a variety of tasks, such as arranging stall-holders, budgeting, making posters and other advertisements and sorting the entertainment for the event. Along the way, we also developed teamwork and leadership skills through some exciting team building activities and games and we also undertook additional trainings - for example, we met with Steve Chadwick and Todd McClay to discuss leadership and Deb Bell to develop public speaking skills. As the weeks went by and the Festival came closer and closer, our to-do lists increased in size and the pressure increased a little, but

through this there were three major skills that our facilitator Alan Solomon enforced for our personal development and for the best progress with the Festival - these were a sense of urgency, following up and communication. We didn’t realise how quickly time was passing, so quite often we’d be a little slow in moving and completing tasks. Having a sense of urgency installed in us was very helpful – it taught our team to move quickly and get on with tasks. Communicating with business people and following up was something new to us, as none of us had major experience with event planning. But we learnt that the priorities of the people we were communicating with could be completely different to our priorities and we all have different time pressures, so we learnt to call people back when they didn’t reply to us. And of course, we learnt the importance of communicating – ensuring everyone was in the loop. Seeing the progress that all of us within the team made along this journey was an awesome thing to witness - things like developing a sense of urgency to developing speech making skills; to learning about budgets and money within a business,. I was very proud of how far everyone had come during this experience and I am also so thankful for this opportunity which resulted in my personal development and the development of others in the team. But nothing compared to seeing our two months of hard work all come together on the day! We worked until late the night before – running around picking up items, taking loads of equipment to the venue, putting up signs and doing all sorts of little tasks like this. We were up early on Anzac Day out at the Domain – putting up marquees, setting up the stage and setting up fencing and so on. We opened at midday and honestly, as soon as the gates opened, cars were parking up and already the Festival was buzzing as people wandered around – buying food (everything from crepes to fudge, to coffee and popcorn), having a go on the motorised scooters, bouncy castles, big slides, the chair-o-plane and loving the entertainment by Strangely Arousing, STAVE and Stella to name a few. Many were flying their own kites, making their own wind socks and admiring the big professional kites which were the main draw card of the event. I could see our paperwork, planning and organisation come to life as we all witnessed our festival developing into a real-life event and I absolutely loved seeing so many happy people enjoying everything that our team had put together! In the end we had a turn-out of more than a thousand people. Seeing the kites fly high in the sky was a very special and significant way to honour our fallen soldiers and commemorate 100 years since World War One, which was the aim of our Festival. I loved getting to play a significant part in this event which remembered the ANZAC’s and what they have done for our country – I felt very proud and I know this event and its significance will live on for a long time in my memory. After the programmeme had ended, we received the unexpected, but also very exciting news that our team was chosen as recipients of a New Zealand Ministry of Youth Development Youth Week Award, specifically one of the ANZAC Youth Awards. We travelled down to Wellington together to receive this award at a special ceremony held at Parliament. This was the perfect end to the OneChance Youth Project – we were honoured and grateful to receive this award. Overall, while sometimes it was hard and took a lot of work and time commitment, I loved every moment of this experience and I have to say I think that the OneChance Youth Project would have to be one of the best parts of my high school experience so far and I am grateful for all the skills I have gained – leadership, event planning, communication, and many, many more.

Thank you Rotorua Girls High for giving us this opportunity - I would without a doubt recommend this to any students who are given the chance to take up this programmeme in the future.

SPORTS NEWS Congratulations to Awatea Leach has been selected for the Under 17 New Zealand Women's Basketball World Champions Qualifying Team. This year the World's are being held in Tauranga from 15 – 17 August 2015. The finalists of the Under 17 Women's World Cup qualifying tournament will be the curtain raiser at the ASB Arena for the New Zealand Tall Blacks v Australian Boomers in the Oceania Champs (qualifying tournament for Rio Olympics) on 17 August. BOP Futsal Tournament Congratulations to the following wonderful girls - Aline Cardoso De Oliveira, Fatima El Saka, Kelsey-Rose Falwasser, Sophie Jansonius, Ana Nagera, Maddison Ollington, Chelsea Pita, Kirsten Purdie, Tamar Fitzgerald, Rebecca Cocker who came runners up in the BOP Futsal (indoor soccer) tournament. So proud of these girls. This was good news to end a traumatic week at RGHS.

As winter sports are now in full swing I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the volunteer coaches, managers and supporters for their efforts in supporting our students. We are all too aware that the students would not be able to enjoy participation, competition and success without the support of volunteers.

I want to stress that our school puts many thousands of dollars into sport each year through the provision of uniforms, tournament fees and transport both to midweek games and to tournaments. Please be assured that where a fee is charged that that is an affiliation charge which the sports code demands of players and our role is simply to collect it on their behalf and pass it on. If your daughter is playing a sport for the school please ensure that her fees are paid.

WHO WE ARE? We are a group of athletes and talented dancers combined together through our passion for Dance and Cheerfulness. We are a performance group designed to be cheerleaders, dancers and eventually utilised as a promotional team for our school. As team members we understand that a good leader has several characteristics. A few of them include respect for your teammates, discipline in yourself, pride for your school and community, and optimism, always looking at the good in everything. We aim to exude passion in everything we do; we give everything MAXIMUM effort academically and in extra-curricular activities. Patience, trustworthiness, reliability, Grit, wisdom, and creativity are important aspects we as students of RGHS identify with, and establishing this team creates a world of new opportunities and skills sets that will enable us to further our leadership skills. Project Leaders: Trish Pike & Miss Janaye Biddle-Kite

CAREERS NEWS The Rotorua Careers Expo was held on May 12 and May 13 at the Energy Events Centre. The school took all students in Year 10, 11, 12 and 13 to the expo. The girls spent time talking to various tertiary institutions and other organisations and seeking advice for life after school. It has been a busy few weeks with Year 13 students travelling to Hamilton for Open Days at Waikato University and Wintec.

Up Coming Careers-Related Events Friday June 12: Waiariki Open Day – As Friday is a Teacher Only Day, students will be able to make their own way to the Rotorua-based polytechnic. There are two different times to choose from - 9am to 11.30am or 11.45am to 2.15pm. For more information, check out Waiariki’s website, www.waiariki.ac.nz. Friday June 19: Otago University Visit. A representative from the university will be in Salmond House from 10.40am to 11.20am to speak to students. Friday June 26: Bay of Plenty Polytechnic Open Day. We are planning to take a van or bus over to the Tauranga-based polytechnic at no cost to the students. If your daughter is in Year 12 or Year 13 and would like to go, they need to pick up a permission slip and medical form from the Careers office. Friday August 28: Victoria University Open Day and Massey University (Wellington Campus) Open Days. If there is enough interest, we may join forces with Western Heights High School and take a bus to Wellington. More information to come. Wednesday July 1: The University of Auckland will be hosting its annual STEAM Ahead Campus Day for Year 13 Māori and Pacific students . This year the university’s focus will be on the STEM subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Medical and Health Sciences. For more information, go to www.equity.auckland.ac.nz. A Note from the Careers Advisor Next term is when things start to get quite crazy busy in terms of applying for hostels, and specific courses. Year 13 students need to get online and start researching what they will be looking at doing next year. Whether your daughter wants to go to Uni, polytech or do some other course (ie tourism etc), there are loads of opportunities and training establishments that will train her (and take her money in the process), so make sure she is clear about what she wants to do next year - especially if she is going to be looking at getting a student loan to pay for it. Remember - If your daughter is planning to have a 'GAP' year – she will still need to have a plan of what this looks like for her. Traditionally, a gap year was about going travelling around the world for a year before you settled into University. Nowadays, a gap year can mean, working for a year to save money before going off to the wide blue yonder to travel and explore. Some girls in the past have gone on overseas exchanges, or even volunteered in orphanages overseas (like Cambodia and Vietnam). Our school website has some awesome links to help you get started and provides some basic information about universities, scholarships and so on. Here is the link: http://www.rghs.school.nz/careers/ Over the next term, we will be emailing out loads of information about scholarships, course application dates and so on - as they come to hand. BUT the best thing for your daughter to do - is to start spending some time researching what she wants to do. Talk to people who are already working in the industry that she thinks she might want to work in, find out how they got into the industry, what training they did and what they would recommend for her to do.

Scholarships Mensa New Zealand is offering one or two scholarships of $500 each. For further information contact Annika Thurlow on youngmembers@mensa.org.nz. Applications for the Russell McVeagh School Leavers' Law Scholarship are now open and close on July 3, 2015. Applications are available on www.summerclerk.co.nz. The scholarship includes:

a $1000 grant for the first year of tertiary education, and, once accepted for Law School, $2000 for every year law is studied (subject to high academic standards being maintained), up to a maximum of four years

a $6000 additional payment on receiving, accepting and commencing a graduate position with Russell McVeagh

ongoing mentoring and support from a Russell McVeagh partner or solicitor

the opportunity to have a work experience day at Russell McVeagh during their scholarship

a summer clerk position in either the Wellington or Auckland office in their penultimate year of law study

Quota Clubs in New Zealand are proud to announce a new Education Scholarship for young women in New Zealand. The Scholarship is for up to $5,000 to study at a Tertiary Institute in a full time programme. Full details of the Scholarship application forms are available at Quota’s website: www.quotanz.org/scholarships

UNIVERSITY OF CANTERBURY Scholarships

UC understands that a university education is a major investment for you and your family. A scholarship might just provide the helping hand you need to make university life a little easier.

UC offers a range of scholarships, many recognising factors like academic excellence or sporting achievement. Others have an emphasis on social inclusion and equality and are awarded on the basis of financial need or other hardship.

Explore the scholarships available to you:

Scholarships for undergraduate students - If you are planning to enrol or are currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree then there are a wide range of scholarships you can apply for

Scholarships for postgraduate students - A wide range of scholarships are offered, catering for all levels of study up to doctoral level to assist you to progress your studies through continuing study and research.

Scholarships for international students - If you are an international student who is either planning to study or currently studying at the University of Canterbury, we have a range of scholarships you may be eligible for.

Note: applications close 15 August 2015. More information : Email scholarships@canterbury.ac.nz What is school connect? School, university, work, family, friends, assignments, homework, school, polytech, work ………………… the mantra goes on and on. There’s always a lot of pressure at secondary school to do a million things and do them right! But with so many decisions to make, it can be difficult to figure all of them out on your own. There is one site that can make these decisions easier! www.schoolconnect.co.nz

The website is broken up into three areas; STUDY CAREERS JOBS So check out the website and take the free career quiz. Also check out the great template for building your Curriculum Vitae (CV) VICTORIA UNIVERSITY ACCOMMODATION UPDATE: Applying for accommodation is an important part of the process for students planning to come to Victoria University. With the addition of a new Hall of Residence – Katherine Jermyn Hall – last year, we have more beds than ever! This means that for 2016, we are able to guarantee an offer of accommodation to all students who gained NCEA Level 2 endorsed with Excellence. Students will apply online between 1 August and 1 October 2015. We run halls tours on Study at Victoria Open Day (28 August 2015) and the day before this. Courses Applications for CPIT’s Bachelor of Medical Imaging have been brought forward from 21 September to Tuesday 1 September. For more information check out CPIT’s website, www.cpit.ac.nz.

IMPORTANT DATES TO DIARY 8 – 12 June Last week for Year 9 Rotation #2 8 – 9 June Stage Challenge 11 June UCANDO

5.00am Matariki Celebrations 5.30pm – 7.00pm Celebrating Success Evening (Mentors / parents of our Young Scholars)

12 June TEACHER ONLY DAY 14 – 15 June Gisborne Girls High School Sports Exchange Visit - Rotorua 15 June Sumamoura High School Visit 17 June 6.30pm Theatre Performance – Mid Summer’s Night Dream 18 June BOP Indoor Bowls Champs 19 June BOP Squash Teams Champs 30 June, 1 and 2 July Senior Exams (2 hours) 3 July End of Term 2; Bulletin #6 online; Mid Term Reports posted with Subject

Academic Review Appointment Instructions 6 – 9 July NCEA Holiday Catch Up Programme 19 – 25 July Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori 20 Term 3 begins 21 July 5.15pm BOT Monthly Board of Trustees Meeting

Help build a bright future for Rotorua Girls High School … now and forever!

Rotorua Girls High School has established an Alumni Fund with the Geyser Community Foundation. Donations made to the fund will be invested by Geyser and the capital retained forever. Income earned on the capital will be made available to the School for charitable purposes every year once the fund reaches a minimum of $50,000. To donate go to the Alumni Fund tab on the home page of the RGHS website. The annual income could be used in a number of ways including for the benefit of students such as providing assistance to school students who are in need or suffering genuine temporary or long-term financial hardship. Income could also be used to provide scholarships and prizes, providing or improving sporting and other facilities at the School or promoting public health. In applying the income from the fund, the School will take the wishes of the donors into account.

Giving back to the community – a new solution The Geyser Community Foundation exists for the purpose of ensuring charitable gifts in the Rotorua and Taupo districts are managed as originally intended. Funds placed with the Foundation are invested and the capital retained in perpetuity. Every year the income earned on the capital is made available for charitable distribution. This means that you keep giving forever and the total amount of the gift will, over time, far exceed the original capital donation. This is a very powerful way for individuals, families or organisations to provide long term benefits to their local community.

Find out more about the Geyser Community Foundation at www.geysercf.org.nz

Thank you. Your donation will help build a bright future for

Rotorua Girls High School – now and forever.

Thank you for choosing to support the Rotorua Girls High School Alumni Fund. Your donation will help build a bright future for the

School - now and forever.