HAMILTON GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL

August NewsletterPhotos: Barbershop Quartet - Aspire. 3rd in NZ.

Throughout the year we have devoted a considerable amount of time to ensuring our students understand that the small things count at Hamilton Girls’ High School: being in class, being in class on time, wearing correct uniform and displaying positive behaviour for learning. Further discussion by the Board has continued regarding our school uniform and the image and presentation of our students both in and out of school.

As a result, our consultation survey showed that our school community were clearly in favour of wearing a blazer and tie, as part of our compulsory items of uniform. An implementation plan for each year level has been confirmed for 2015 and we have provided a summary of our uniform items with starter package prices in this newsletter. A more detailed plan with a full price list will be e-mailed out shortly. Comparatively speaking, we believe these prices are very competitive. Please take the time to read this carefully.

In addition, term 3 is the term we start planning in detail for 2015. Enrolment applications are being received and curriculum handbook information for subject selections for 2015 will be available shortly online and copies available in tutor groups. We have three important dates in relation to this latter activity – Subject Decision evening is 10th (2015 Yr 12 & 13) and the 11th (2015 Yr 10 & 11) September, and the deadline for students to hand in their option choices for 2015 will be 18th September. To assist decisions, please encourage your daughter to discuss her options at home with yourself or at school. A good starting point will be her recent school reports, senior school examinations, curriculum handbook and access to

career websites such as http://www.careers.govt.nz or New Zealand University websites. We do set pre-requisites for every subject as a guide to the minimum level of achievement a student should at least aim for if she wishes to be successful in subsequent years. This is a minimum, and as we all know, aiming for the lowest possible is never enough in the long run – it’s always best to aim for the best possible.

Finally, congratulations to our “Aspire” Barbershop Quartet for their stunning performance at the NZ National Finals in Wellington and gaining 3rd place, and to our choir for their 6th placing. It is pleasing to hear that our students were outstanding ambassadors for Hamilton Girls’ High School.

MARIE GORDONPrincipal

PRINCIPAL’S COMMENT

Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou

Personal SuccessThe person who expects the most from you and the person who is toughest on you - should be YOU!!

Set the highest standards for yourself

Never make excuses

Never blame other people

Never feel sorry for yourself

The harder you are on yourself, the more successful your life will be!!

At Hamilton Girls’ High School our eVision is for: students to be confident, responsible digital citizens who are collaborative, critical thinkers, able to construct knowledge.

In order to do this we aim to provide students with the skills, knowledge, confidence and guidance to be an effective, ethical and safe user of ICT.

BYODOur BYOD policy was implemented at the beginning of this year, starting with our Year 9 students; the expectation being that all Year 9 students will have their own device. Having said this, many students in all year levels bring their devices and use them in the classroom. Students who have their own device have access to:

• Information at their finger-tips for research purposes;

• Further explanations or clarification of topics;• Accessing relevant information on Moodle;• Collaboration tools to work easily with peers at

school and at home;• More creative opportunities, including use of

creative apps;• Digital files, as subjects are saved in folders or

saved in other tools.

Elearning ToolsThere are a variety of elearning tools used by our HGHS community. Our most commonly known, and used, elearning tool is our Learning Management System (LMS) of choice, Moodle. Moodle is widely used by all learning areas for daily class tasks, assignments, notes, quiz’s, resources, digital footage and more.

As well as Moodle, there are a number of other tools that are used at school. These include: Google Apps, Edmodo, Mathletics, wikis, ETV, EPortfolios, Office365 and various apps.

Within our school environment we are protected by ‘watchdog’; a sophisticated filter system that blocks undesirable sites and anonymous proxies, and filters images and digital footage. Social network sites such as facebook, twitter, askfm and tumblr are blocked as they would be a distraction for many students and if not used sensibly can lead to issues at school such as bullying.

CybersafetyAs a parent/caregiver cyberspace (the electronic medium of computer networks, in which online communication takes place) can be daunting. It is better to lean on the side of caution, we cannot assume that learners know everything on how to keep themselves safe on the web just because they know how to tweet or text. For information on cybersafety and digital citizenship check out netsafe.org.nz. There are also 18 tips to keep teenagers safe online here: http://tinyurl.com/nxt4fel

APPS: Useful and Free

DROPBOXAllows you to access files from any computer with internet access or any device with the Dropbox app installed on it. Using this app eliminates the need for a USB flash drive completely. Pictures, video, PDF files, and more can be stored completely free.

DICTIONARY.COM (DICTIONARY & THESAURUS)No need to carry around a bulky dictionary and thesaurus in your backpack. This app also has a fun “Word of the Day” feature that helps increase vocabulary.

IBOOKSWith a huge selection, you’ll likely find any book assigned in English class on iBooks. Many textbooks are also available. Quizzes, videos, and other additional content is available to extend the learning process.

GOOGLE TRANSLATE If you’re studying a foreign language, this app is a must-have. With the ability to translate into dozens of languages, and

audio pronunciation assistance, this is a

wonderful resource for students.

Written by Sharleen Nathan Deputy Principal

eLearning at HGHS

UNIFORM 2015

Year 9 Starter Package Deal - $4601x Junior Blazer, 2 x Blouses, 1x Jersey, 1x Skirt, 1x School Tie and 1x Physical Education (PE) Uniform.

Year 10 & 11 Blazer Package Deal - $1251x Junior Blazer, and 1x School Tie.

Compulsory Uniform for Year 9 Students in 2015 Charcoal grey skirt Plain white blouse (new tailored shape) Black school tie Jersey (new tailored shape) Junior blazer (maroon & grey pinstripe with black trim)

Year 10 Uniform The Year 10 uniform is essentially the same as the Year 9 uniform. In 2015, Year 10 students can continue to wear their current core uniform. However, the addition of a school tie and junior blazer in 2015 is compulsory. The new soft shell jacket is optional and Year 10 students can instead continue to wear their current school jacket.

Year 11 Uniform In 2015, Year 11 students can continue to wear their current uniform. However, the addition of a school tie is compulsory. The addition of a Junior Blazer is optional for year 11 students in 2015. The new soft shell jacket is optional, and Year 11 students can instead continue to wear their current school jacket.

An implementation plan for each year level has been confirmed for 2015. We have provided a summary of our uniform items with starter package deals.

All prices include GST.

Roman Sandals Black shoes (specified styles) Black stockings or black mid-calf HGHS socks Soft-shell jacket (see next page) Physical Education (PE) Uniform

Year 13 UniformIn 2015, Year 13 students can continue to wear their current skirt, blouse and jersey. The addition of a senior tie is compulsory for Year 13 students in 2015. The senior pinstripe blouse and senior blazer are optional. The soft shell jacket is optional, and Year 13 students can instead continue to wear their current school jacket.

Year 12 Starter Package Deal - $1951x Senior Blazer, 2 x Senior Blouses, 1x Tie

Year 13 Starter Package Deal - $1251x Senior Blazer and 1x Tie

Compulsory FootwearBlack Roman Sandals Permissible inTerm one and Term four

Black Polishable Shoes Permissible all year Below the ankle Enclosed; covering back, sides and front of feet Lace-ups or over straps Worn with plain black stockings or black mid-calf HGHS socks Sports, canvas, boots or ballet shoes; jandals, or shoes without a durable sole are not permitted. Shoes are not yet available for purchase from the Uniform Shop but may be later in 2015.

Softshell Winter or Sports Jacket $125 Compulsory for Year 9 students in 2015, usually worn in winter or for sport. Optional for year 10-13 students as an alternative to the existing jacket. Track pants also available for sport or as a winter option for Physical Education.

Year 12 UniformIn 2015, Year 12 students can continue to wear their current skirt and jersey. However, the addition of a senior pinstripe blouse, school tie and senior blazer is compulsory for year 12 students in 2015. The soft shell jacket is optional, and Year 12 students can instead continue to wear their current school jacket.

HAMILTON GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS BLUES AWARDS AND RECOGNITION OF OUR FINEST ATHLETESWe have a number of girls each and every year who compete and excel in sport. Whilst we try to keep abreast of all of our sporting achievements we know that in some instances, we may have missed your successes. All girls who are eligible for HGHS blues and those who have represented Waikato or New Zealand in any sporting code are asked to complete the HGHS Sports Blues Awards Form which can be found on the HGHS website. This will ensure that our students are acknowledged in the appropriate manner and we can celebrate their success.

WINTER TOURNAMENTBetween Monday 1st September and Sunday 7th September we have a number of teams heading to various destinations throughout the North Island to compete.

The Senior Premier Basketball team will be competing at the Zone 2 Girls AA Premiership Tournament in Tauranga at the ASB Arena and Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre. The Senior Premier Basketball team have had fantastic results in the Waikato competition and are ready for the next step. The 1st XI Football team head to Taupo for the Lotto Premier Girls Tournament. After a strong 3rd place last year and an outstanding season in the local competition we know that the girls have the ability to push on for higher honours in 2014.

The 1st XI Hockey Team will be competing in the Chica Gilmer Tournament in Napier. They have had a good lead in to this tournament highlighted with a strong performance against New Plymouth Girls’ High School. NPGHS earned promotion to the Federation Cup in 2013 which is the top girl’s secondary school hockey tournament, so we know our girls are in good stead.

The Premier Netball team are competing in the Upper North Island Secondary Schools Tournament in Auckland. The Premier Netball team is a young team who have shown huge growth and development this season and are ready to show their new strengths.

The 1st XV Rugby Team has a journey to make it through to the Top Four Girls Tournament in New Plymouth. They must first defeat Manurewa High School and if successful will then go on to contest Opotiki High School. If successful in both of these matches they will then head to Palmerston North for the Girls Top Four. They have had an exceptional season and we have every faith in their ability to make it through to this tournament and finish the season on another high.

We wish the students, coaches, managers and staff safe journeys all the very best for a successful week.

RUGBY SUCCESSES CONTINUEWaikato Women’s Squad:Ariana Bayler and Ariana Hira-Herangi have been selected for the Waikato Women’s Squad. The WPC is a National competition consisting of eight round robin games so it is great to see these girls gaining these opportunities.

U18 Girls’ Rugby Representative Honours:Following an outstanding season for our 1st XV and solid performances from our 2nd XV it was fantastic to see a number of our students named in the Waikato U18 Representative team. A big congratulations to these girls Kaitlin Bates, Hope Fraser, Nyesha Hamilton, Saffron Hedges, Stacey Littleworth, Muri Martell, Makaia Riki-Te Kanawa, Terina Te Tamaki, and Savon Tovio-Smith (Photo above of the Waikato U18 Representative Team, supplied by Mrs Tovio).

sports at hghs

NEW PLYMOUTH EXCHANGEOn Wednesday 6th August 80 excited but somewhat nervous students boarded the buses for an overnight sports exchange with New Plymouth Girls’ High School. Many of our girls have not had the opportunity to have an exchange where they are billeted with host families and there was certainly a high degree of trepidation about the prospect.

On Thursday morning Premier Reserve Netball and Senior Basketball were the first to take the courts. Premier Netball rose to the occasion and came away with the win 35-27. Senior Premier Basketball put on a challenging performance. They pushed NPGHS throughout and when the final hooter sounded New Plymouth Girls’ took the match 66-60.

1st XI Hockey also had a very strong performance showing their potential and this match was certainly a great build up to Winter Tournament. Whilst a 1-1 draw the girls’ were proud of their performance. 1st XI Football continued their winning form and although the pitch was a little smaller than a regular pitch they were able to use it to their advantage and control the game with a 3-0 win.

Our 10 A Netball team were bursting with vim and vigour as they took the court. Their defensive play made it difficult at times for HGHS to off-load and on this occasion they were out-played by a slick NPGHS side who won 37-16.

Premier Netball were the next and the NPGHS team were exceptional in the shooting circle and their 6 foot 4 inch Goal Keeper was able to send any

rebounds back down the court. New Plymouth won the match 35-14.

Our hopes of drawing the first exchange rested on the shoulders of the Junior Premier Basketball Team which was a tight match. Leading into the final quarter we were one point down so our hopes were very much still alive. NPGHS had a decisive final quarter with the final result 51-41.

We all returned to NPGHS for presentations and final farewells. It was a fantastic Exchange with challenging opposition and all aspects of it will certainly help our girls to develop and grow, we look forward to hosting NPGHS in 2015. Written by Maree McCarthy

On the 7th August Hamilton Girls High School participated in an exchange with New Plymouth Girls High School. This exchange meant we were billeted out to girls from New Plymouth High School on Wednesday night. This gave us the chance to meet with some of the girls from our opposition. This was different to our usual exchange, which meant we got to experience another culture of our chosen sport. After a cold and shaky start with our passion on our mind we played to the final whistle. With three goals in the net we hold on to our undefeated season. Sadly we didn’t get to take home the overall shield, but it was definitely an awesome trip. Thanks to Mrs. Perry and everyone who made this event possible. Written by Roberta Wigelsworth

2014 BARBERSHOP NATIONALS

The Hamilton Girls’ High School barbershop singers travelled to Wellington from August the 11th to the 14th and competed with other schools from around NZ in the Young Singers in Harmony 2014 competition. Aspire took out 3rd place in the women’s quartet competition and Uptown Girls took out 6th in the women’s chorus competition. All the girls enjoyed the experience, making friends from the other schools and getting immersed within the barbershop culture that is growing in NZ. Grateful thanks to Lynn Jamieson, our former Head of Music and vocals tutor extraordinaire.

The HGHS quartet ‘Aspire’ are Kelsey White, Charlotte Gordon, Ranita Menezes and Alex Mayer, dressed in sparkly costumes they commanded the stage for a fabulous performance. The HGHS Chorus performed at the Michael Fowler Theatre on the following day, with ‘Break My Faithful Heart’ and ‘Chordbusters’. They all looked amazing with matching French plaits and sparkly tops

Many thanks to everyone who helped, especially Cecelia Lockley, and parents, Verity Lockley and Gabrielle Whitu who accompanied the group as well as Joanna Dickinson and Alison Gray.

ORCHESTRA FESTIVAL ADVANCE NOTICE:

PASIFIKA FONO

The Orchestra festival is on Friday 29th August at The University of Waikato.

The Groups that are playing are:HGHS and HBHS combined Orchestra under the leadership of Joanna Cakebread and Stewart Stanbridge;

The Guitar group “Trouble Clefs“ under the leadership of Mike Anker;

The Samba group under the leadership of Grace Mayer and Adrian Heyward;

And new this year, The Pacific Island Drummers “Wahine Aulele” under the leadership of Tereiha Hapi and Sulimoni Tyrell.

Aaron Nonoa, the Chief Advisor for NZQA, will be presenting ‘NCEA ma le Pasifika’ which is addressed to Pasifika parents as an information session about NCEA and includes discussion about how parents can help their children through this journey. This is scheduled for Tuesday, 9 September at 6pm, in Ngā Puawaitanga.

THEARTS

ALICE IN WONDERLAND:

The 1600 people who attended the seven performances of Alice in Wonderland were astounded by the quality and professionalism of the show. This was the first HGHS and HBHS show to be held in our new hall, Ngaa Puawaitanga. The show was written and work shopped by Margie Wynne Jones and the drama students of the two schools with a support team of wardrobers, constructors, lighting and sound experts and was a resounding success.

THEATRE SPORTS:

Theatre Sports is a completely improvised series of games that students play to win points. The junior HGHS Theatre Sports team have won through to the final on the 1st of September at the Waikato University Performing Arts Centre in the Concert Chamber at 7pm.

In order to get in to the final they had to be in the top four teams of all the schools in the greater Waikato area (including intermediate schools). They have competed in three rounds throughout the year and practise twice a week.

Junior team is Briana Ranstead, Kayla McFarlane, Hannah Riddle-Pelchen, Chelsea Kelly, Ellen Bisley.

Hope to see you there - Vicki Wenham.

TE MAUREA WHIRITOI - 2014 KAPA HAKA NATIONALS

At the beginning of the year our Kapa Haka group, Te Maurea Whiritoi, had over 70 excited girls join our 2014 campaign. Our wānanga, where we stayed at school to practice, and our camps were hectic with our combined group, with Hamilton Boys High School, reaching just over 100 students.

Every campaign has an elating build up and this year was just as anticipating as our girls prepared for selections to compete in one of our most important events of the year, the 2014 National Secondary Schools Kapa Haka Competition held in Gisborne from 28th July to the 1st August.

During the campaign we were lucky enough to have two camps. We had a great four day camp in Raglan where we stayed in Poihakena. Despite the huge number of students and potential for absolute mayhem logistically, we went through the four days with nothing but positive vibes. Our second camp we had was in Parawera on the sites where great Māori war battles were fought against the British Troops in 1863, including the great Pā site, Orakau.

The journey to Nationals was hard yet totally worth it, and there was a pivotal time in our campaign when we discovered that we had been placed in what was known as “the death pool” where the nation’s best secondary kapa haka groups were competing in the same pool to gain a spot to compete in the finals. Our girls, however, used this information and kept working hard by setting goals. Our most important goal was to be the best Te Maurea Whiritoi there has and ever will be and after a successful dress rehearsal our goals were guaranteed. As quickly as the campaign had started, we left Hamilton early on the 27th July for the beautiful township of Manutuke outside of Gisborne. We were lucky enough to stay at the Manutuke marae where D-Day finally arrived on the 31st July. We had a 5am start and the 4 month long journey was finally about to pay off. It was time to really believe in ourselves and our abilities. We had an incredible performance where we placed 15th overall nationally which is the best placed Te Maurea Whiritoi has achieved, which is a truly rewarding placing for our girls.

We would like to thank our tutors Toti and Frankie West, as well as their support crew of many other

devoted tutors, who dedicated so much time for us. A special mention to Whaea Hollie, our teacher in charge who we cannot thank enough for running around after our girls, without them we would not have experienced as much as we have this year. Last but not least, we would like to thank all our parents and supporters who have been with us throughout the whole campaign and especially to Whaea Lisa who has fed all 100 of us for over 10 weekends.

Te Maurea Whiritoi are forever grateful for all the support we have received and without the school and our supporters we would not be the proud group that we are today.

YES BUSINESS STUDIES TRADE FAIR 2014

On Saturday 16th of August, the senior Business Studies students launched their products at the Hamilton Night Markets at the Kmart car park as part of their Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) competition. All students involved got the hands on experience of marketing and selling the products they have developed to the general public. One group sold out of their products within two hours of selling. Thank you to all those who came to the Night Market and supported our business groups.

ACADEMIC NEWSBUSINESS STUDIES

BUSINESS STUDIESCan you hear the buzz? That relentless, underlying, electrifying frisson of excitement in the air? Just to jog your memory, it’s that time of year again….. Junior Business Studies Product Launch and Market Day!!! This is the time for our junior Business Studies classes – Enterprise Studies and Economics, to strut their stuff on the commercial stage. These classes are proving to the world what fantastic entrepreneurs they are.

For Product Launch our clever Business Studies students are creating their own companies. This includes allocating and learning about roles such as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Marketing Manager and Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

Our new companies start with the creation of a business plan, devised during their official company meetings, complete with minutes. Each company chooses a product that they will make and sell. This is not just an academic exercise, these are real products being sold for real money.

The chosen product must be researched using surveys of the target market (that’s you) and analysing the results. Products are being planned as to components, cost, coordination of production and presentation.

And everyone knows that you can’t sell something that a) no one has heard about, and b) doesn’t look super pretty. In comes the marketing, advertising, creation of a logo, product placement, dressing the stalls and maybe even a little bit of extra enticement to attract customers.

But it’s all a bit pointless unless there is some pay-off, right? That’s where we learn how to calculate profit….. oh yes, PROFIT!! Income less Expenses = Profit. And who gets to keep that Profit? The owners of the business keep that - the students themselves! Any profit (i.e. MONEY) that is made by our Business Studies students is split between the members of the company. And it’s not just a “prize winning” company, it’s ALL the companies participating in Product Launch and Market Day.

But wait… there’s more! Not only do the Business Studies students get to keep all of the money that they make, but there are also prizes awarded on the night. There will be a number of judges circulating and awarding points (and prizes) for Most Innovative Product, Outstanding Customer Service, and Best Advertising and Promotion. We are extremely lucky to have had sponsorship from our local community in regards to prizes, so they will be highly sought after.

So when do we get to sample the delights of our budding commercial superwomen? Product Launch will be held in Ngā Puawaitanga on Wednesday September 3rd starting at 5.45pm. Everyone is welcome, so bring friends and family to support our Business Studies girls. For those of you unable to attend the evening extravaganza, the companies will be presenting their wares for your enjoyment at Market Day. This will be held at lunchtime on Thursday September 4th.

As you can see, there’s a lot that goes into a Product Launch and Market Day, a lot of hard work and planning. It could be that we have some Year 9’s who are interested in this “real world” experience (or maybe just interested in making money), and we welcome you to consider either Enterprise Studies or Economics in Year 10. We can also remind our Year 11 and 12s that we have senior Business Studies classes in both Year 12 and Year 13. These senior classes allow you to able to do the same type of exercise in a more developed way, also keeping any profit, AND be able to achieve 24 NCEA Achievement Standard credits per year.

We’ll keep you posted as to who our winners were on the night, what products were available, as well as their prizes (and maybe even a peek at their profits). We hope that you can support our Business Studies students, and we look forward to seeing you at Product Launch and Market Day.

ENGLISHSPEECHES AT HGHS In Term Two, the annual Year 11 Speech Finals for the Senior Speech Cup were held in Ngā Puawaitanga. The speeches chosen were those which had already been awarded an Excellence for Level One English, and so the standard was incredibly high.

Throughout all ten speeches, the invited audience were able to clearly see how to present a successful speech in the senior school, and congratulations go to Mirella Willson, HCO for her winning and very persuasive speech: Celebrities are public property. Her performance was polished and fully engaging to the audience.

In second place was Tara Given, CCH with Storylines, and in third place, Sumayyah Gordon, MBE with Who we are.

We also acknowledge all of the finalists. It was so great to see so many girls take up the opportunity and the judges, Deborah Hunt, Jill Carter and Yasmin Brinkworth, found it incredibly hard to choose. In Term Three, it was the turn of the Year 9 students. With topics ranging from “Chocolate is EVERYTHING” to “We are living a Zombie Apocalypse of language” to “Living your dream”, the multiple classes in the audience were thoroughly entertained over three periods. Special mention must go to the judges,

Sharleen Nathan, Sarah Neal, Sarah Bahr and Amelia Macnab, for paying close attention to twenty-two speeches throughout the morning.

In 1st place was Morgan McLellan, EDN, with Homework is bad for your health. The 2nd place went to Jessica Goldsack, WSI, who exhorted us to Move to the country, and 3rd equal was awarded to Reegan Leppien, WCP, and Lauren Clothier, WMW, with The greatness of older brothers and Perceptions and first impressions respectively. Special mention was also made of Christina Neale EML, with her hilarious speech about When my brother and I swapped bodies.

Public speaking is something that many girls find challenging, but with it being an integral part of success in English at NCEA level, and a key component in many professions, it is a skill that we are committed to developing and strengthening all through the school. We encourage you to remind your daughter that she has something worth saying, and will always have a platform on which to do it, at HGHS.

Congratulations to our Year 13 student Portia Lancaster who is the third place winner for the for the Senior Prose in the Tauranga Writers supernatural mystery competition.

Top Row (from left to right): Mirella Willson, Tara Given, Sumayyah Gordon and Morgan McLellan Bottom Row (from left to right): Jessica Goldsack, Reegan Leppien, Lauren Clothier and Christina Neale

SCIENCEYEAR 10 SCIENCE PROJECT

10CA have been doing projects on some of the systems in the body. These girls showed real creativity in their projects and had fun while working on them.

Top photos (from left to right): Ellen Bisley with her skeleton, Fenella Finlay-Yates and Summer Douglas with their project on the circulation system, Arieta Lek investigated muscles and Alicia Ordonio did her project on the brain.

Y10 SCIENCE

This term Y10 students are studying “How the human body works”. Some of the topics being studied in this unit are the digestive system, the circulatory system and the respiratory system. As part of this work the students dissect a sheep’s heart.

EDUCATION PERFECT COMPETITION

We wish to congratulate 1MXT, the class winners for the pizza party prize.

Also, congratulations to Danielle Moyes from 9WW, the winner of the 2GB iPod shuffle. Every 20 points a student earned, entitled them to 1 entry into the draw to win the ipod shuffle and Danielle was the lucky winner of the draw!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING STUDENTS WHO HAVE DONE AMAZINGLY WELL IN THE MATHS CHAMPIONSHIPS AND WILL RECEIVE GOLD, SILVER AND BRONZE AWARDS:

MATHEMATICS

GOLD AWARDS:

AWARD STUDENT POINTS

Gold Sabrina Cuellar 3,553Gold Sara Tattley 3,062Gold Rachel Li 3,000

SILVER AWARDS:

AWARD STUDENT POINTS

Silver Monique Gooch 2,695Silver Melissa Montante 2,438Silver Sapna Pandaram 2,399Silver Danielle Moyes 2,086Silver Summer Douglas 2,067

BRONZE AWARDS:

AWARD STUDENT POINTS Bronze Isabella de Wit 1,852Bronze Anna Gallaher 1,826Bronze Eden Poihipi 1,746Bronze Dipshaya Maharaj 1,482Bronze Deliya Jose 1,454Bronze Hannah Woodbridge 1,448Bronze Jessica Tran 1,209Bronze Aya Iihoshi 1,200Bronze Melissa Wilkinson 1,100Bronze Ann Danansuriya Arachchige 1,066Bronze Hreepika Singh 1,037Bronze Kate Steere 1,000Bronze Aimee Todd 1,000Bronze Erica Bullen 1,000

WAIMATHS QUIZ – 14TH AUGUST, 2014

This year Hamilton Girls’ High School entered one team at Year 9, 10 and 11.

This is always an exciting event in our Mathematics calendar and many of the girls compete to be included in the teams that represent our school. Our Year 9 team this year was composed of three promising mathematicians, Tiana Birnie-Selwyn, Anna Gallaher and Katie Powell, while our Year 10 team, who are also talented mathematicians, was comprised of Manpreet Singh, Savanna Weller and Jessica Weaver.

Our Year 11 team was a highly skilled and focussed group of girls Rachel Li, Krystal Lin, Nazifa Raman and Nodirakhon Askarova (reserve). They were a pleasure to watch puzzling over some dazzling but quite crazy maths questions.

In the competition they were running about 3rd or 4th, but at the end a couple of schools pushed them out into 5th place. This is a fabulous result, but heart wrenching as they wanted to do so much better.

All three teams represented HGHS with pride and were co-operative and highly competitive.

Congratulations to our teams and all our girls!

ESOLOur ESOL students did a fantastic job helping out with the ESOL display for Open Day. The department is really very grateful to the following students for their help. Kun Hai, April Liang, Atifa Abbassian, Hinano Tanaka, Mele Nginingini, Karen Tomizawa and Fionna Roma. We were all very proud of them. We were especially impressed with the hard work Atifa did during the presentations. She gave a minute long speech about being an ESOL student every 7 minutes for 4 hours. Well done, Atifa.

The photo shows Atifa and Fionna demonstrating the Linguascope programme.

SOCIAL STUDIES10C1 SOCIAL STUDIES – MISS CAMPUSThis term in Social Studies 10C1 has been learning about Water. The focus of the unit is the disaster of Global Warming and the environmental refuges that are going to be the consequence. Our class worked in groups to create a variety of 3D Models to display Global Warming and its impacts using a limited range of provided resources. They could also bring other desired resources from home to complete this task. Students worked diligently in their groups and produced some amazing final pieces of work to present to each other in class!

STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE 2014 – 2015 ELECTION FOR THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Nominations are invited for the election of one student representative to the Board of Trustees.

A nomination form and a copy of this notice is being distributed to all eligible voters on the student roll.Further nomination forms can be obtained from the school office.

Nominations close at noon, Friday 5 September and should be accompanied by a candidate’s statement.

The voting roll is open for inspection at the school and can be viewed during the hours the office is open.

There will be a list of candidates’ names for inspection as they come to hand, on the student notice board.

Voting closes at noon on Friday 19 September.

Lorraine SutherlandReturning Officer (Student Representative Election)Hamilton Girls’ High School

OPTION EVENINGS - 7.00PM IN NGAA PUAWAITANGA

WEDNESDAY, 10 SEPTEMBER - 2015 Year 12 & 13 StudentsTHURSDAY, 11 SEPTEMBER - 2015 Year 10 & 11 Students

There will be displays an information about all subject areas. This is your opportunity to come with your daughter and talk to teachers about the subjects she is interested in. Options forms and Curriculum handbooks will be available from Friday, 3 September

POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR 4 LEARNING

GOLD CERTIFICATE RECIPIENTS

Students who complete five Student Affirmation Cards in a term are recognised with a Gold PB4L Certificate. At a recent Assembly we were delighted to recognise the following Gold Certificate recipients:

Arshpreet Kaur XSPGeorgia McArthur HMPKarina Lasso Fory MRAHarneet Singh Khangura WCLGeorgia Adams HHAHeidi Thomas WSIDarshana Raman WSHErica Bullen WCL

Since this Assembly, the following students have also earnt their Gold PB4L Certificate and they will receive their award shortly after Senior Examinations.

Laura McCurran ECIRachael Hayward WSIThida Cheum WKYOlivia Shaw WMWUrvarsee Lallu HPL

Over the past four weeks, our students have completed 462 Student Affirmation cards as part of our School-wide Positive Behaviour for Learning initiative. In order to complete a card, the girls needs to demonstrate the qualities of a WISE woman. WISE stands for Willing to Learn, Interacting with Respect, Striving to Understand and Engaging to Achieve. This is a tremendous effort.

YEAR 9 YEAR 10 YEAR 11 YEAR 12 YEAR 13

100 Cards 82 Cards 181 Cards 81 Cards 18 Cards

Afia Tieku MKRSideqa Sharif XHDJazmin Middleton-Ward CHPEden Pohipi WKYBrooke Baldwin WSAIsabella de Wit CHYRenee Peat HDT

Hiralben Patel MBYTatiana Fankhauser HWJSara Elgoran HRYKawthar Mauveen WSISwetha Kolluru EPA

Hannah Black WSIPriyanka Singh HMPRachel Li HCCRachel Powley HJC Holly Woolston HPL

POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR 4 LEARNING BADGES

Students who consistently demonstrate the qualities of a WISE woman and who complete ten Student Affirmation Cards in a school year are awarded a PB4L Badge to pin on their lapel or their jersey. We are delighted to report that the following students have achieved this goal within a term and a half. This is a tremendous achievement and we are thrilled to be honouring these students in this newsletter.

The following students received their PB4L Badge for completing ten Student Affirmation Cards at a recent Assembly:

Harneet Singh Khangura WCLKaitlin Wolfe WLGGeorgia McArthur HMPOlivia Hooker WWSSideqa Sharif XHDArshpreet Kaur XSPOlivia Shaw WMWThida Cheum WKYHeidi Thomas WSIDarshana Raman WSH

Since this Assembly, the following students have also earnt their PB4L Badge and they will be receive their award shortly after Senior Examinations.

Molly Ives HMPMele Nginingini XSPHannah Black WSI

This term is a busy one for Yr13 students deciding where to next.

For those enrolling in tertiary study they can now start applying for courses, as August generally signals the opening date for applications.

It is important the students check the closing dates for courses, in particular ones requiring additional information such as portfolios, interviews, references, auditions. These usually have an earlier closing date. Universities will be in school this term to assist with course planning.

Students looking at employment for next year should start to update their CV and consider work experience through volunteering as a way to increase their network contacts.

Workshops are being held every Tuesday and Thursday lunchtime in H12, to assist students preparing their CV’s and offering advice about how to find jobs and prepare for interviews.

Websites that could be useful are:www.careersnz.govt.nz - advice on how to write a CV, plus interactive tools to help with some of those career decisions.www.volunteeringwaikato.org.nz - register for volunteer work if over 16 years old.

Subject choices for 2015 are coming up this term. It is important for students to think carefully about their choices, especially with regard to possible career pathways. If students are not sure what career pathway interests them, it is best to choose a variety of subjects.The CareersNZ website, www.careersnz.govt.nz, has excellent advice for parents helping their daughters choose subjects’ I highly recommend an article there about avoiding subject choice mistakes, http://blog.careers.govt.nz/2014/08/08/how-to-avoid-nine-subject-choice-mistakes/ .

CAREERS UPDATE

KEY DATES AND EVENTS- 8th Sept AUT course planning visit- 11th Sept Victoria Uni course planning visit- 17th Sept Auckland Uni course planning visit- 23th Sept Massey Uni course planning visit- 17nd Oct Otago Uni course planning visit

Scholarships – students are still encouraged to seek out financial scholarships to assist with studying costs. www.breakout.org.nz is a scholarship database that is accessible from school that has many scholarships not specific to universities. Students should also check each tertiary institution’s scholarship site. Assistance with any application is available from the Careers staff.

ZOE LONERGAN AT FARMERS TRADING CHARTWELL SQUARE

As of mid July this year I began a course of work experience at Farmers Trading in Chartwell.

I was excited when I was given the opportunity for 8 weeks to gain 80 hours of retail work experience with Farmers. I have never before had the opportunity to work in a strong retail environment with regular hours and responsibilities so it was something very new and exciting for me.

My goals in taking on the job at Farmers were to gain experience working for a large retail business

and hopefully even obtain permanent employment with the company eventually. I was really pleased 2 weeks ago when the manager approached me and offered me a permanent part time job.

The staff at Farmers are very accommodating and friendly, really making my experience enjoyable. I have gained numerous customer service skills and working in the Health and Beauty section has widened my knowledge and passion for Personal Health, Nutrition and Beauty.

I am grateful for my work experience opportunity and I am excited for the next chapter as being an employed member of the Farmers team.

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SUMEDHA GARG AT DAIRY GOAT CO-OPERATIVE

In my Term 2 break I was provided with the amazing opportunity to gain some work experience, through the Gateway programme. I was placed at a food technology firm known as Dairy Goat Co-operative.

I was provided with an insight into the differenct aspects of Food Technology. Topics such as Food Safety, Quality Control, Product Development and Research. Through this it helped me understand what Food Technology is all about and what Research and Development occurs in order to produce the food that we see on the supermarket shelves.

From this experience, my passion for working in the Food Technology industry became even stronger and I was able to clear off any doubts that I previously had. It helped with my choices for the future and provided me with a great and enjoyable experience

TAYLOR PASCOE AT SEDDON PORTRAIT HOUSE

Last holidays I did work experience at Seddon Portrait. The experience was great as I got to see how a boutique photography studio works. Through the two weeks I was there I learnt how to interact with clients when doing portrait photography, the different types of shoots they did and some technique sides to using lighting.

I also got to watch preparations before photo shoots (such as how professional make up is done for studio lighting) and how to deal with all sorts of clients to meet their needs. It was amazing and made me realize that I want to pursue photography as a career.

On July 31 we welcomed a group of 14 students and two teachers from Kenmei School, Himeji, Japan. The students spent a little over a week with us during which time they took part in a PE lesson, learnt some Maori Arts and Craft, attended the matinee performance of “Alice in Wonderland” and spent some time interacting with Japanese classes.

The group also had two days out of school, one a day trip to Rotorua, and the other a day trip to Lakewood lodge, where the students were able to ride horses and try kayaking, both of these being first time experiences for nearly all of the students.

The purpose of the trip was for students to gain an understanding of another country’s culture, and for the girls to improve their spoken English. We would like to thank the host families who welcomed these students into their homes. The girls

are very grateful for the hospitality and care shown by their New Zealand families.

Photos show the Kenmei girls giving a presentation to Year 9 Japanese students about various aspects of Japanese culture.

KENMAI WEEKco-

curricular

CONGRATULATIONS

Congratulations to Amokura Tautari, one of our 2013 Year 13 Students. Amokura’s art board forms part of the Top Art Exhibition that tours the North Island. Her board is in the Field of Printmaking and is the first in recent years to be included in the exhibition.

Photo: HGHS Students Monica Jarkiewics and Leah Nicholson viewing the Top Art Exhibition Board.

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NCEA - Key NZQA DatesStudents should check their results on the NZQA Database using their Learner Logon Updated on the 5th day of each Month

NZQA Fees Were due on 13th June 2014 Unpaid fees are now overdue

Financial Assistance Were due on 13th June 2014 The school is still accepting late applications

Last Date to Withdraw from Internal StandardUnless you have been given an adequate assessment opportunity

School’s deadline – 21st November 2014

Unpaid NZQA Fees are now overdue, they were due to the Finance Office on the 13th June 2014.NZQA will charge an extra $50.00 fee for any late payment. They will also withhold students’ results until the fees are paid in full. This could cause problems for any student wishing to gain entry to courses, polytechnic, or university in 2015.

NZQA Fees for Domestic Candidates Entry FeeEntry for all NZQF standards including Scholarship subjects $76.70

NZQA Fees for International Fee Paying Candidates Entry FeeEntry for all NQF standards $383.30Entry for each Scholarship subject $102.20 per subject

Financial AssistanceTo 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)Applications were due to the Finance Office by the 13th June To apply: Complete the “Application for Financial Assistance” form. You can obtain a financial assistance form from the student finance office or download it from the NZQA website (http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/assets/qualifications-and-standards/qualifications/ncea/Application-For-Financial-Assistance.pdf)

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 and 3 Scholarship subjects)

More than one child who are candidates

A maximum of $30.00 per family

Where fees are payable for more than one candidate, a maximum of $100.00 per child and $200.00 per fee payer1

International fee paying students are not eligible for financial assistance.

NZQF = New Zealand Quantifications Framework

MONITORING RESULTS: Students can check and monitor thier results directly on the NZQA website after the 5th April using the learner login facility.

To use Learner Login, students need to register, if they have not already done so, and set their own password. To do this:

1 Go to www.nzqa.govt.nz

2 Click on “LOGIN” (Top right-hand corner)3 Go to the Students and Learners section

If you have registered before then click on “LOGIN” Or if you have not registered your password then click on “register now”Student enters their NSN and date of birth (DD/MM/YYYY) then register

4 Then follow the instructions on screen.

Once registered, students can login and view: their personal details their entries and results (click on the name of your school) including:

o their internally assessed results that your school has reported to NZQA so far o their entries for external assessment (exams and portfolios)o their results for external assessment once they are available

their Record of Achievement (all previous years’ results).

LATE WORK AND HANDING WORK IN AFTER THE STATED DEADLINE: Late work will not be graded if:

The student does not have an acceptable reason for your lateness and The student does not follow the process detailed below.

Acceptable reasons for handing in work late (factors beyond the student’s control) include, but not limited to: medical grounds, family bereavement, accident, illness or similar legitimate events. Students will have to provide evidence of this, e.g., medical certificate.

Reason known in advance: Students may then apply for an extension of time to the HOD/TIC three full days prior to the completion date, except in exceptional circumstances.

Reason occurring on the day of the assessment deadline: Then apply for an extension of time by completing an Application for a Further Assessment Opportunity or an Extension of Time Formand give this to Mr Mitchell (NZQA Liaison). These forms are available from Mr Mitchell. This must be done within one school week of the event.

Note: Computer failures will not necessarily constitute a reason for an extension to be granted. Students are required to back up your computer based work regularly and store a copy of it in a separate physical place to where the original was saved.

Late work without an acceptable reason: This work will not be considered. If a student has been given an adequate assessment opportunity then they will be awarded a grade, based on the legitimate evidence they provided before the deadline, either; not achieved, achieved, merit, or excellence. All grades are based on the evidence provided.

Handing Work in after the stated deadline If a student is handing in work after an assessment deadline then you must submit this to the student office and complete the signing in process. The school will take no responsibility for late work not submitted in this manner.

Note: This does not necessarily mean the students work will be graded, refer to details above.

School contact Mr Mitchell is the Principal’s Nominee (NZQA Liaison) at the school. You can contact him by:

E-mail: mitchellm@hghs.school.nzPhone: 07 839 1304 EXT 839 Mail: Mr Mitchell - Principal’s Nominee

PO Box 4082 Hamilton

KEY DATES SEPTEMBER 201425 AUGUST Senior Assessments until 2 September1 SEPTEMBER Winter Tournament until 7 September3 SEPTEMBER 10ECO/EPS Product Launch Evening4 SEPTEMBER NZSS Rugby Top 3 Finals until 7 September 5 SEPTEMBER NZSS Swimming Champs until 7 September6 SEPTEMBER NZSS Cycling Individual until 7 September NZSS Swimming Champs until 7 September9 SEPTEMBER 13APS/APO Fitness Day L1 MUO Assessment10 SEPTEMBER Australasian Problem Solving L2/3 MUO Assessment Option Evening Y12/13 201511 SEPTEMBER 2HOS Restaurant Option Evening Y10/11 201512 SEPTEMBER 2APS Leadership Day13 SEPTEMBER NISS Adventure Racing15 SEPTEMBER Y9 Starlab until 18 September16 SEPTEMBER 12SCI Practical Assessment MCAT Maths Exam 1 DRM Field Trip17 SEPTEMBER French Trip until 9 October18 SEPTEMBER 2HOS Restaurant L2/3 MUO Assessment Whanau Hui19 SEPTEMBER 2PTR Fitness Day22 SEPTEMBER Sports/Cultural Photos 2DRM Performance25 SEPTEMBER Talent Quest Final27 SEPTEMBER Europe Art trip until 12 October NZ National Road Cycling until 29 September