h.g.h.s

Hamilton Girls’ High School

Underpinning everything is the school motto “A wise woman shapes her own destiny.”

2013 Academic Dux Kystal Geraghty

DECEMBERISSUE 2013

2013 has been an incredible year. I would like to thank the Board for the confidence they have shown in my appointment and for the ongoing support they give me. I am honoured to begin my tenure as Principal at Hamilton Girls’ High School and believe that the perspective I bring to the school will continue to move the school in the right direction. I thought I would take this opportunity to reflect on some amazing highlights from this year:

• My welcome into HGHS was memorable. Being represented by the kaumatua of Ngati Tuwharetoa was indeed an honour, and I will be honest, I was a little nervous about the powhiri. HGHS were indeed the perfect hosts, and the powhiri was held in high regard by our kaumatua, family and friends.

• Announcing the Head Prefects to the school and the opportunity to work with three fantastic young women: Abby Meads, Nicole Porima and Kelly Le Quesne.

• Open Day – it was wonderful to see the support from students and staff to present our school well, and the large number of visitors who attended.

• A great improvement in students getting to class and getting to class on time.

• HGHS being awarded the National Condors 7’s award and being recognised as the best school in Girls’ Rugby in New Zealand.

• Attending the Te Kupenga graduation night to celebrate the achievements of our young women.

While there are many great memories, I know that there are many special moments this year that may

have been memorable for the wrong reasons as well but it is important to reflect, review and reset goals for all concerned. I am a firm believer that every student enters our gates with talents and it is our role and responsibility to provide an environment where these can be identified, nurtured and then extended. Creating opportunities and realizing our students aspirations is our responsibility as teachers and educational leaders, and this means that the focus is on future possibilities…not past mistakes. If I am to be honest…I know some of our students have struggled with my arrival, some have embraced my standards and some have just got on with the job at hand. In term 2, one of our students said to a Board member… Mrs Gordon has brought in all these new rules….and what are these new rules he asked….her response… “ things are different, we have to be in class on time and we have to pick up our rubbish”? The rules have always been there…we are all just working together to ensure we are following them. While I had intended to sit back and watch how things were done around here, I have found that this was not the case. My intention is to continue as I have started, and that is to continue to raise the expectations and standards of our school to be the school of choice for girls’ education in the Waikato. To our students who are leaving our school this year….. leave knowing that you have been part of something very special. You entered this school as girls and are departing as accomplished young women who we hope have been extended academically, challenged physically and ready to leave the safe haven of secondary school.

It is easy to be proud of the girls who make Hamilton Girls’ High School what it is, particularly at a time

PRINCIPAL’S COMMENT

Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou

SCHOOL NOTICESALL SPORTS TEAMSNext year all sports trial dates and registration forms will be advertised on the website. A registration form will be available for parents and caregivers to download. All registration forms plus payment to trial must be made to the finance office prior to the trial date. Any questions please contact the sports office on 07 8391304 ext 847.

JOHN CRONE RETIREMENTBerkley Normal Middle School Final Assembly, 16 December 2013, 9.00am start, School Rec Centre.

Our BOT advise that there will be an opportunity for the wider Berkley community (past and present), to attend the 2013 final assembly, to celebrate and acknowldege the significant contribution made by John during his 27 years as the outstanding leader of Berkley.

After the student led assembly there will be an opportunity for the guests to share conversation and light refreshments with John. If you wish to join us for this event, could you please RSVP to Alison Cronin 07 8566537 or alisonc@berkley.school.nz by 9 December.

HOSTING INTERNATIONAL STUDENTSAFS NZ has host students arriving into NZ at the end of January 2014, ready to begin their AFS exchange experience. So we’re currently searching for host families who would be keen to accommodate them.

We need to find host families before Christmas so students have time to get their visas processed before arrival. If you are interested, profiles of all our incoming students are available to view online and Host Families can apply to host via our AFS website - www.afs.org.nz. It’s a really easy process.Or call me directly for a chat 0800 600 300. Regards, Michael van Dyk, AFS Intercultural Programmes.

when there seems sometimes to be disarray in our communities and the world. Thank you for your contributions to Hamilton Girls’ High School. I wish you all well in fulfilling your goals and dreams. I would like to say thank you to the staff for their ongoing professionalism in their role this year and for the ongoing commitment you give our students. To the Senior Management team: Mrs Carter, Mrs Jenner, Mrs Whaanga and Mrs Gray – thank you for your support and putting up with all my questions. To Mrs Malcon, thank you for stepping into some very big shoes to fill this term and to Mrs Sutherland (PA), Mrs Purdie-Raill (Finance Manager), Mrs Scutts (Support Services Manager), Mrs Witehira (Director of Boarding) and Mr Jordan (Property Manager) – many thanks for all the work you do for the school – you are well appreciated by all.

Special farewell to Mrs Christophersen, HOD Mathematics, as she leaves Hamilton Girls’ High School after 23 years of service for a life of fun-filled adventure in retirement. On behalf of many students, thank you. Mrs Purdie-Raill also leaves after 12 years of service as Finance Manager to spend more time with family. Ms Giles from our Business Studies Department has decided to leave teaching, to join the private sector. We wish to thank Ms Giles for her ongoing commitment and dedication. My final word this year: “No matter how small you start, always dream big”

Marie Gordon PRINCIPAL

Senior Prizegiving 2013 Congratulations to all recipients

ACADEMIC DUX - Krystal Geraghty

Congratulations to our 2013 Dux Krystal Geraghty. Krystal also received the Exscite Trust Science Award, Middleton Chemistry Cup, Gail Bergman Biology Cup, Statistics Cup & New Zealand Geographic Society Cup. We wish Krystal luck in her future studies.

PROXIME ACCESSIT - Kelly Le Quesne

Congratulations to Kelly Le Quesne, our 2013 Proxime Accessit. Kelly recieved the New Zealand Geographic Society Cup, Macky-Johnston Optima Cup & Deputy Head Girls Award. We wish Kelly all the best for her studies in 2013.

LOUISE TURNER CUP

For excellence in Mathematics in Year 13, awarded to Heidi Zhou (pictured left) and Christine Jin (pictured far right)

DAVE HEWITT CUP

For excellence in Senior English, awarded to Shantelle Roulston

For excellence in Senior Visual Arts, awarded to Brianna Hamilton

LILEY AWARD

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Excellence in Advanced Outdoors, awarded to Rylee McMullen. High academic achievement throughout the year but also winner of the Year 13 Multisport race, highest achiever in the practical element.

Highest achievement academically throughout the year, awarded to Rachel Maidment.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

JUNIOR PRIZEGIVING - IS HELD ON THE 10TH OF DECEMBER 10.15AM @ Ngā Puawaitanga

Prizegiving 2013

Our Year 13 Biology Scholarship is focused on thinking critically and writing concisely about different biological concepts from Years 12 and 13. A bunch of about 12 girls attend regular tutorials every Thursday evening with Mrs Bergman. There is a lot of hard work put in by the girls but we all enjoy the discussions and laughs.

Hopefully there will be a few biology scholarships for 2013! But even if we don’t get a scholarship, we have all learnt so much which will also be helpful for our Level 3 exams and it’s made us think more critically and open mindedly about life. Thanks Mrs Bergman!

ACADEMIC NEWS

MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENTThis year is drawing to a close. Currently, the Year 9’s are working on the topic Probability ~ much fun and games with throwing dice and twirling spinners! The Year 10’s have been completing an Achievement Standard in Measurement for credits towards NCEA Level 1. They are to be congratulated for their endeavours. For the Year 10’s, successful results will appear on their academic record in 2014. No fees are required at this point in time.

The Mathematics Department sadly farewells Head of Department, Sandy Christophersen, who is taking an early retirement, Assistant Head of Department, Monika Cross who is taking a year’s leave in 2014, and Nalini Maharaj who has resigned after a year’s leave to move to Melbourne, Australia. We wish them all the best. We would also like to thank Mohini Singh and Val Rolfe, who have been long term relieving for the year.

SCIENCE DEPARTMENT BY KELLY LE QUESNE

LANGUAGES DEPTYear 10 French students recently enjoyed participating in “French Master Chef” (pictured left) Congratulations to all those who took part.

Dia de los Muertos is is a traditional celebration in Mexico that takes place on the 1st and 2nd of November. This year the Embassy of Mexico has organised a competition for juniors studying Spanish to construct a traditional Altar to commemorate a deceased person. A group of 5 students from Year 10 Spanish: Krystal Lin, Charlotte White, Kaitlyn Ellery, Sapna Pandaram, Tegan Ranstead have constructed an altar consisting of 5 different levels with fruit, lollies, Pan de Muerto (bread of the dead), toys, candles and traditional marigold flowers. The person commemorated was Margaret Mahy- a well-known writer who passed away last year.

They have learnt about a Mexican tradition and enjoyed making the decorations. (photo above)

9EA recently enjoyed making sushi in Japanese, with some interesting and creative sushi being produced. We are hoping to take a small group of senior students to Japan next September. More details will follow next year if this trip is approved by the Board of Trustees.

YEAR 9 & 10 SPEECH COMPETITION

Over 40 students represented their class and their year in the recent Speech competitions held in Hepburn 3. The wonderful range of topics were thought provoking, humorous and sometimes even a bit quirky. Congratulations go to all who were chosen to compete, and special awards were won by the following students:

YEAR 9 WINNERS

1st = Sarah Bahr (Words we overuse and which dumb us down) Amelia Macnab (The difference between City girls and Country girls)2nd Lillee Morgan (Siblings – you’ve got to love them)3rd Litara Allen (Racism is an ugly disease)

YEAR 10 WINNERS

1st Tara Given (Gaming is good for you) 2nd = Charlotte White (Animal testing is cruel) Anahera Takuira-Mita (Spend your life well)3rd = Rachel Li (Asian Stereotypes) Ritika Ram (It is OK to be different)

There have been a lot of changes recently to the way NZQA and the University Entrance Board view success in writing. The most noticeable is the increased focus on ‘publication ready’ work, which requires fully developed ideas and accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Now, when we mark work according to a curriculum level, we must also be confident that it will align with the new NCEA levels. Some students may see a change in the grades they have been ‘used’ to getting, as we bring this new alignment into play at all year levels.

Overall however, students can now start to confidently develop an understanding of what is required as they work towards the University Entrance Literacy requirements in Years 12 and 13. We in the English Department are excited about focusing our students towards producing accessible, accurate and fluent writing which could be published outside of our school.

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

NCEA, WRITING & ENGLISH

SARAH BAHRYEAR 9 1ST PLACE EQUAL“Words we overuse which

dumb us down”

JUNIOR SPEECH COMPETITION

WINNERS

AMELIA MACNABYEAR 9 1ST PLACE EQUAL

“The difference between City girls and Country girls”

TARA GIVENYEAR 10 1ST PLACE

“Gaming is good for you”

LEVEL 3 DVC URBAN RETREAT: A holiday accommodation for tourists and visitors. Designed near the heart of Hamilton City and overlooking the Waikato River. Students explored the architecture of retreats, considered the environmental aspects of the site and designed a scheme which they presented in the “My Exhibition Space” project. Only samples of student work are shown.

LEVEL 2 DVC SURREALIST GARDEN: Surrealism could be described as fantasy or dreamlike images presented in a realistic form. Students explored the “Hamilton Gardens” site Surrealist gardens, and considered the geography and environmental aspects of the area before they started their design. They produced a landscape plan plus designed the structural elements and planting for their garden.

LEVEL 1 DVC INFLUENTIAL DESIGNER: Students used a well-known designer’s style to generate and develop a Boutique store (Architectural) and Component (Product). For their end of year project, students designed a poster promoting the research they had completed of their designer.

What is this subject? Formerly known as Graphics; Design and Visual Communication (DVC) is a newly developed programme that focuses on Design skills through the use of freehand sketching, technical drawing and modelling. However unlike Graphics, DVC has grown more popular because there is more emphasis on getting students to express their ideas visually.... as opposed to written.

Where does this take students? The power of Design is training oneself to being creative and innovative in problem solving. We can’t just turn it on like a button, so this course motivates students with fun and exciting tools to flicking that switch on. Career-wise the opportunities can lead into any Design subject ie: Architecture, Engineering, Media Arts, Visual Arts, Graphic Design and Computer Design.

What’s the latest for DVC 2013? For each year level, students select parts of their portfolio work to present to an audience. The images on the following page are a showcase of what they did for 2013. Well done ladies, an excellent effort overall.

DESIGN & VISUAL COMMUNICATION

BY MR W.TEPANIA AND MS J.HARRISDVC TEACHERS 2013

During Terms 2 and 3 the Year 9 Physical Education classes participated in a Dance Unit. This involved students learning a number of dances from different genres, then being allocated a few lessons to create and perform their own dance. I was fortunate enough to teach this Unit to 9H1.

Having taught dance for a number of years now, I would have to say that this was by far the best class I have worked with. The girls displayed such enthusiasm

and energy for every lesson and worked willingly and freely with their peers. The result was a variety of dance performances including Hip Hop, Funk, Line Dancing and even a Hindu dance.

I would like to thank the girls for making this an enjoyable unit for me, for making it so easy to teach you all and for sharing your awesome ideas with each other. You should be proud of your performances.

DANCE DEPARTMENT BY LYNN HODGKINSON

LEVEL 3 - Claudynn Lee

LEVEL 3 - Zoe Pennell

LEVEL 3 - Jeanette Gordula

LEVEL 3 - Reema Singh

LEVEL 3 -Stacey Coromandel

LEVEL 3 - Kayla Cassells

LEVEL 3 - Lara Mei Villavicencio

LEVEL 2 - Giselle Newport

LEVEL 2 - Courteney Searle

LEVEL 2 - Hennesy Kear

LEVEL 1 - Paige Wyatt

Level 1 - Alicia Laing

LEVEL 1 - Vanessa Baledrokadroka

Level 1 - Ederlyn Perolina

We are very proud to announce that our 2012 Sports Captain Shiray Tane has been named in the New Zealand Women’s 7’s Team. We always knew Shiray was destined for the international sports world! We wish Shiray all the best with her sporting future .

sports at hghs

BOWLS

On Thursday the 28th November, I was in my first ever bowling competition. It was the Year 9 & 10 Secondary School Outdoors Bowls Championship.

We had to play indoors on Frankton Railway’s indoor greens because of the rain. My Year 10 partner was Ashleigh Jeffcoat (who is an awesome bowler) and together we came third in the competition, very exciting for me!

It was a really fun day. There was some amazing bowling and it was great to meet students from other schools. Can’t wait to do it all over again next year!

SHIRAY TANE

BY LUCY YEOMANATHLETICS

TOUCH

Hamilton is hosting the NZ Secondary Schools Athletics event at Porritt Stadium. Students competing in their chosen events are: Eden Bates, Vienna Beattie. Peaches Fletcher, Olivia Hooker, Mikaela Jefferson, Keely Jennings & Meg Reid.

The HGHS Touch team competed at the NZ secondary touch tournament held in Auckland. The majority of the team had competed at the NZ secondary 7s tournament the weekend before. The girls tried their best to back up their winning performance at 7s but, due to injuries and fatigue, the girls finished 4th which is still a fantastic effort. All the girls involved Whaea Hollie, and Ms Ritchie should be proud of their achievement.

RUGBY 7's

The HGHS Rugby 7s team won the National title becoming NZ’s second girls team to win the title. The National Condors championship was held at Kelston Boys High School where 16 girls teams from all around the country competed in a two day tournament. The first pool day saw HGHS score 145 unanswered points, displaying a high level of skill and fitness that they have worked hard to achieve. The hardest game was the semi-final against last year’s champs, Fielding High School, where the final score was 20 – 10 after a rocky start. The final which was broadcast on Sky TV was against New Plymouth Girls’ High School and the score was 34 – 5. Four of the HGHS team made the NZ tournament team, putting up there the best 12 players nationally at secondary school level. These players are; Tenika Willison, Te Awatea Whitiora-Te Uira, Ariana Hira-Herangi and Terina Te Tamaki. Well done to all the girls and also the the Coaching Team who have dedicated much time and energy. We look forward to Rugby in 2014.

BY ALEX RITCHIE

WATER POLO

The Junior Water Polo girls had four great days in Auckland at the North Island Secondary School Junior Tournament.

We were entered in the first division and we had an awesome first game against Baradene which we won 3 – 2. As the tournament went on the harder we found the games. This resulted in us coming 10th overall. However, it was a good experience for us and the girls.

Results: Game 1 – HGHS 3 v Baradene 2 Game 2 – HGHS 1 v St Mary’s 7 Game 3 – HGHS 1 v St Cuthbert’s 7 Game 4 – HGHS 3 v Westlake Girls 9 Game 5 – HGHS 2 v Waikato Dio 4 Game 6 – HGHS 3 v Wellington East 11

Goal scorers at the tournament were: Katie Lush - 5 Danielle Patterson - 4 Kelly Ballard - 2 Gaia Bridge - 1 Monique Van De Ven - 1

BY DANI AND KATIE

SANTANA NGAHERE AT INDIEFILM

Santana had the amazing opportunity to work with Indiefilm on two filming projects this year. They were very different projects which gave her a good look at the diversity of the industry. The first one was a music video “Never Be The Same” for the band “The Latest Fallout”.

Later in the year Santana was then taken to Raglan to assist with the filming of the Bar Crossing Educational film. This will be used in courses to train Coastguards.

Santana really enjoyed her experience with Indiefilm and appreciated them taking her on board for work experience.

FUTUREFORCE ACTION NETWORK LAUNCH

Futureforce Action Network (FAN) is the ground-breaking Smart Waikato Trust initiative uniting and equipping employers to more effectively incorporate young people into the workplace. Over 200 people attended the launch at a special function at the Gallagher Group building on the 6th November.

Four of our students, Alexandra Simpson, Courtney Summers, Yasmin Simpson and Nesra Wale, assisted with the launch. They carried out a variety of tasks, including meeting and greeting guests, and did a fabulous job. They were very good ambassadors, not only for the school but for all young people. Well done girls.

GATEWAY

TERTIARY STUDY

A reminder to those intending to study for 2014 to check closing dates for courses and also to be aware that there are still scholarships available to assist them. They can access the site www.breakout.org.nz at school for all scholarship information throughout New Zealand or look at each tertiary institution’s website.

Student Loans and Allowances – students still wishing to apply for student loans can do so by visiting the Study link website www.studylink.govt.nz as this is an online application.

If students have enrolled with a tertiary institution and are looking for work over the summer, then they are eligible to register at Student Job Search www.sjs.co.nz

EMPLOYMENT

Also note that 2013 leavers can access careers advice and assistance from the Careers NZ website once they have left school www.careers.govt.nz. They can chat online to a Careers Adviser or use many of the interactive tools and resources available.

For those looking for full time employment, the site provides CV and cover letter writing templates and also a number of links to employment opportunities. The school Careers Office will be open until the 10th December and students and parents are more than welcome to make an appointment at any time.

CAREERS UPDATE

CAREER EVENTS

BEAMS Day - This is a day run by the University of Auckland aimed at Year 10 Maori and Pacific students to encourage them to consider science related courses and continue to take mathematics and science subjects up to Year 13. On the 27th November we sent ten very excited young women to this event where they were involved in five interactive workshops in five different degree programmes. They came away with a greater understanding of tertiary opportunities and the relevance of achieving well at school to be able to access these opportunities.

Kia Ora Hauora Careers Roadshow - On Monday 2nd December a team of bright young Maori tertiary students studying health sciences came into school to run a fun, informative and interactive workshop. The aim of this was to showcase the many opportunities the health profession has to offer but also talk about their own individual pathways. Our students had the chance to learn about – CPR, tendon reflexes and human anatomy. They hopefully gained a greater understanding of the wide range of health careers available and how they can access these.

NZQA

Getting Your Record of Achievement and NCEA Certificate

NZQA will NOT post your Record of Achievement or NCEA Certificate to you unless you register online and request them.

You can only request your Record of Achievement or NCEA Certificate when

they become available. NZQA allows you to have one free Record of Achievement each year and one free NCEA Certificate at each level. You are only allowed one free School Results Summary in your life. Most senior students will order this when they leave school. NZQA will charge a fee for every School Results Summary you ordered after the first one. Students can request a University Entrance certificate when they qualify for this qualification. However NZQA does charge a fee for this. Challenging Exam Results: If you are going for a review or a reconsideration of your external examination results then it is best to hold off requesting either a Record of Achievement or NCEA Certificate until your results have been finalised. NCEA Certificates endorsed with Merit or Excellence: Some students may want to hold off requesting their NCEA Certificate for a year as they may want to use Merit and Excellence grades gained in future years to get a NCEA certificate endorsed with either merit or excellence. You can order your Record of Achievement and NCEA Certificate in January when they become available by following the instructions below: Please follow these steps:

1 Go to www.nzqa.govt.nz 2 Click on “LOGIN” (Top right-hand corner) 3 In the section Students and Learners

4 If you have not registered your password then click on “register now”

Enter your NSN and date of birth (DD/MM/YYYY) then register If you have registered then click on “Login” Enter password

5 Then click on Order Documents

6 Then click on what you want to order

Special Assessment Conditions for 2014

- Students with significant learning/physical issues may apply to have special assessment conditions for the external examinations held at the end of the year.

- - This includes, but not limited to, students:

o will poor sight who need enlarged examination papers, o who have physical difficulties in writing and need a computer, or o with learning issues who may need a reader, writer, or reader and writer.

- Special assessment conditions may include:

o reader assistance, o writer assistance; o computer assistance, o enlarged papers, o extra time, o separate accommodation or a o combination of the above

- Students who are granted special assessment will receive their results just like any other

student. There will be no mention of the special assessment condition on their results; it is a private issue between the student, school and NZQA.

- To apply you must contact Mr Mitchell, refer to his contact details below. School contact Mr Mitchell is the Principal’s Nominee (NZQA Liaison) at the school. You can contact him by:

E-mail: mitchellm@hghs.school.nz

Phone: 07 839 1304 EXT 893

Mail: Mr Mitchell Principal’s Nominee PO Box 4082 Hamilton

with poor sight who need enlarged examination papers,

KEY DATES

DECEMBER 2013

TO JANUARY 2014

3 DECEMBER NCEA Ends. Document Day Year 11-13 Year 13 Leavers’ Dinner4 DEC-6 DEC Year 9-10 Junior Activities10 DECEMBER JUNIOR PRIZEGIVING (Reports handed out, students released at lunchtime 12.50)23 JANUARY Course Confirmation28 JANUARY Teacher Only Day29 JANUARY POWHIRI Year 9 and 13 attend30 JANUARY All students attend

Ronald W. Ritchie B.Sc., D.M.DMark S. E. Harris BDS(Otago)

(07) 839 4080 1 Hill Street, Hamilton teamdental@wave.co.nz

Dental Wellness, Orthodontics, Facial Beauty

Free high school dental care until your 18th birthday