Wainuiomata High School Newsletter
February 2010
IN THIS ISSUE:
- Letter from the Principal
- Student News and Achievement
- Junior Prizegiving, NCEA Success, 2010 Head Students, House Leaders, Peer Mentors
- Sports News
- Athletic Sports
- Staff News
- Departures and Arrivals, Senior Leadership Team
- Careers Faculty News
- Board of Trustees News
- BoT Elections, Fundraising Committee
- Other News and Notices
- Complaints Policy, Learning Conferences, Junior Awards, Uniform Standards, Entry to Victoria University, "No Sweat Parenting", Notifying us of Absences
- Coming events
26 February 2010
Dear Parents and Caregivers, Kia Ora, Talofa lava.
Welcome to the 2010 school year, which has started with the usual bustle and a full roll. Special thanks to all of you who have helped the High School by having your child in full uniform from the first day – it’s much appreciated.
Our preliminary NCEA results for 2009 are in, and we’re pleased with them. Level One shows an improvement on the 2008 results; and there were some especially good results throughout the Senior School, which are mentioned later in this newsletter. We will provide further analysis in our next newsletter, by which time the results will be finalised by NZQA.
It’s the start of the year, so I thought I would offer my advice on what parents can do to help their children perform well at school. Being a parent to teenagers is hard work at times, but anything you can do to support your child’s education has a huge payback.
- Always encourage your son/daughter, and offer reassurance that they can succeed, even if they are finding some of the work difficult.
- Show an interest in what they are doing at school (even if your child is a “teenage non-communicator”), including making sure you receive their reports, checking homework diaries, reading newsletters, watching their sport, attending Parent Interviews and - especially - recognising their achievements.
- Help provide a suitable work environment for your child, which may be as simple as designating a bedroom (and a desk) as a no-brother/sister/friends, no-TV and no-phone area for a certain period. If such an area is unavailable, our Library serves as an after-school Homework Centre Tuesday-Friday until 4:30pm, with a teacher in attendance.
- Try and make study and home-learning a habit. A snack and then homework after school, but before tea, is a good habit to get into. Many students are too tired to study at night.
- Sufficient sleep is vital; tired students cannot learn. I also believe it is important TVs aren’t in bedrooms; and I encourage all students to read for 15-30 minutes every night before lights out, which has a huge impact on literacy ability.
- Exercise is important; the High School provides a variety of sporting opportunities that all of our students can benefit from. Also, there needs to be a balance between school, leisure and part-time work; long hours in an after-school job invariably lead to falling academic achievement.
- Support the school in issues such as uniform, lateness and non-attendance, so your child is focussed on being in class and learning.
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Martin Isberg,
Acting Principal
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STUDENT NEWS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
Junior Prizegiving
The Junior Prizegiving, held on 15 December last year, was a great finish to the year. Our guest speaker, HOF Careers and Transition, Sue Ward (in one of her final tasks before leaving to a well-earned retirement) gave a passionate and musical speech about the importance of considering your future pathway.
Top Year 10 Academic prizes were awarded to:
Emily Harris
- Wainuiomata High School Principal’s Trophy and Medal for Top Year 10 Student
- Wainuiomata High School Trophy for Year 10 Science
- Moana Clothing Trophy for Year 10 Soft Technology – Joint winner
- Japanese Embassy Prize for Year 10 Japanese
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Juanita Randall
- Wainuiomata High School Principal’s Medal for Runner Up Year 10 Student
- Cathy Quinn Eady Cup for Senior Maori Language
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Courtney Collier
- Wainuiomata High School Trophy for Year 10 English
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Shaneel Kumar
- Wainuiomata High School Trophy for Year 10 Social Sciences – Joint winner
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Olivia Mok
- Lower Hutt Paper Plus Award for Service to the Library and excellent use of library resources
| Ben Robertson
- Furnware New Zealand for Year 10 Mathematics
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Michael Sheat
- Wainuiomata High School Trophy for Year 10 Social Sciences – Joint winner
| Amanda Valster
- Bruce Little Go Travel Trophy for Junior Hard Materials Technology
- Moana Clothing Trophy for Year 10 Soft Technology - Joint winner
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Top Year 9 Academic prizes were awarded to:
Erika Inocentes
- Wainuiomata High School Principal’s Trophy and Medal for Top Year 9 Student
- Wainuiomata High School Trophy for Year 9 English
- Wainuiomata High School Trophy for Year 9 Mathematics
- Vera Phillips Trophy for Junior Languages
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Toni Angus
- Wainuiomata High School Principal’s Medal for Runner Up Year 9 Student
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Mikaylee Beckham
- Wainuiomata High School Trophy for Year 9 Student of Maori
| Kasey Bircham
- Wainuiomata High School Trophy for Year 9 Social Sciences
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Rebecca Bishop
- Japanese Embassy Prize for Year 9 Japanese
| Elizabeth Marner
- Wainuiomata High School Trophy for Year 9 Science
- Japanese Embassy Prize for Year 9 Japanese
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Cellaise Tuita
- STARS Cup for Junior Commitment
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Top Year 9 Academic Students
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Toni Angus
Kasey Bircham
Katie Bognuda
Ethan Gilsenan
Danielle Kerr
Aaron Martin
Ethan Sheffield
Kajol Singh
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Sheridan Babbington
Rebecca Bishop
Thomas Cooley
Erika Inocentes
Lizzy Marner
Kristen Nicholas
Maxie Packer
Heather Smith
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Top Year 10 Academic Students
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Shannon Adams
Josie De Boer
James Hendry
Loran Jones
Shaneel Kumar
Hayley Markland
Juanita Randall
Michael Sheat
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Courtney Collier
Emily Harris
Anahera Innes
Talalima Kalepo
Shelagh Lote
Olivia Mok
Ben Robertson
Amanda Valster
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Congratulations to all these students. They can be proud of their achievements.
Martin Isberg,
Acting Principal
Academic Successes
Congratulations to the following students for their special successes in the 2009 NCEA results:
Scholarship passes (an external examination, where the pass rate is set at around 3% of the Year 13 students studying for the subject nationally) for:
- Arek Wojasz (Mathematics with Statistics and Economics)
- Hailey Thomson (Geography)
- Morgan Ryan (Art)
NCEA Endorsements at Level 3:
- Arek Wojasz (Excellence)
- Hailey Thomson (Merit)
- Morgan Ryan (Merit)
- Zachary Meech (Merit)
NCEA Endorsements at Level 2:
- Marley Aitken (Excellence)
- Olivia Ryan (Merit)
- Nohokainga Pulekautaha-Lai (Merit)
- Hayley Colgan (Merit)
- Yoshna Reddy (Merit)
NCEA Endorsements at Level 1:
- Colin Williams (Excellence)
- Loren Mancer (Merit)
- Danielle Burdon (Merit)
- Waiariki Koia (Merit)
- Aidan Barrett (Merit)
- Jake Aitken (Merit)
Martin Isberg,
Acting Principal
Head Students 2010
Congratulations again to our new Head Students for 2010:
Nicole Adamson Head Girl
Gabriel Tupou Head Boy
Marley Aitken Deputy Head Girl
Alesana Mene Deputy Head Boy
Left to right: Alesana Mene, Marley Aitken, Gabriel Tupou, Nicole Adamson
House Competition
The House competition was expanded last year (with great success) to include recognition of a wide variety of activities (including sporting, academic and extra curricular activities).
House totals will be announced each week at assembly and the House Shield will be awarded on an interim basis at the end of Terms 1, 2 and 3 with the final presentation to the top house at the Senior Prizegiving in November.
House Leaders have been appointed for 2010 and will work with Teacher House Leaders to organise activities and encourage participation. Congratulations to the following students who have been named Student House Leaders:
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Kauri House Leaders
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| Alesana Mene |
Kayla Randall |
Angela Fa’aaliga |
Chase Peratiaki |
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Rata House Leaders
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| Puhinga Hunia |
Lydia Jones |
Marty Mullin |
Leyton-Leigh Alderson |
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Totara House Leaders
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| Mitchell Duncan |
Sharn Kelly |
Oli Ryan |
Penina Lote |
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Kowhai House Leaders
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| Eden Laulu |
Kylie-Regan Taiapa |
Logan Pepere-Buchanan |
Evander Waitoa |
Peer Mentors 2010
Peer mentors play a valuable role within the school, assisting the Year 9 students to settle into life at the High School. Senior students are selected and trained to mentor junior students and provide support. The following students have been named 2010 Peer Mentors for our Year 9 classes:
| 9AF |
| 9AM |
Marley Aitken
Cameron Bentley
Mitchell Duncan
Nick Hanson
Asinate Hopoi |
Kelsey Mackaness
Eseta Mamea
Thomas Martin
Kayla Ryan
Faimafili Tama’Alii |
Aidan Barrett
Danielle Burdon
Matt Cowan
Brittany Dolden
Cassie Fellows
Katie Gray
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Laura Moffatt
Allan Ryan
Nikita Temple
Sam Tovey
Crystal Williams |
| 9CV |
9JW |
Jeremiah Fatialofa
Kim Hemingway
Jay Henry
Katy Kosega
Eshlyn Naidu |
Jordan Nevalagi
Sam Mitchell
Rebekah Richardson
Chris Simpson
Harema Stowers |
Josh Castle
Dylan Dickson
Michael Fowles
Zoe Haywood
Jesse Hills
Johanna Itula
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Penina Lote
Taiana Pilitati
Kelly Power
Savannah Walters
Melissa Williams |
| 9KN |
9LB |
Logan Buchanan
Jenna Fussell
Paapu Houpapa
Amelia Kirisome
Waiariki Koia
Emma Mawson
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Alesana Mene
Wetini Mokomoko
Kim Nightingale
Rose Tupe
Emily Ward |
Gabrielle Amaru
Angea Fa’Aliga
Seth Gemmell
Sharnye Goff-Sinclair
Izak Hema
Puhinga Hunia |
Sarah Kennedy
Marty Mullin
Kayla Randall
Evander Waitoa
Adam Wilkinson |
| 9LE |
9NL |
Nicole Adamson
Corey Bartley
Marie Edwards
Portia Forbes
Jay House |
Lydia Jones
Lori Mancer
Abby Riches
Gabriel Tupou
Colin Williams |
Jake Aitken
Kristel Esbach
Melanie Grace
Matt Grenfell
Shawn Keil |
Eden Laulu
Nohokainga Pulekautaha-Lai
Mary-Lee Sa’u
Sam Scothern
Jack Thompson |
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SPORTS NEWS
Athletic Sports
The school’s annual Athletic Sports were held on Tuesday 16 February with blue skies and a school-wide “Sevens” spirit, with most students sporting costumes and face paint in their house colours.
Competition for some events was particularly fierce and none more so than the House Relays.
Top Athletes of the Day:
| Junior Boys (Under 14) |
Junior Girls (Under 14) |
Zac TePaa (TOTARA)
(3rd 100m, 3rd 200m, 1st 400m, 800m)
Levi Goundar (2nd), Tiori Daken Spooner (3rd)
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Gemma Krebs (KAURI)
(1st 200m, 400m, 800m)
Candice Kiernan (2nd), Heather Smith (3rd) |
| Intermediate Boys (Under 16) |
Intermediate Girls (Under 16) |
Seth Forbes (KOWHAI)
(1st 100m, 200m, 2nd 1500m)
Shaun Melrose (2nd), Walter Taingahue (3rd)
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Atalina Milovale (KOWHAI)
(1st 100m, 200m, 1st Discus)
Zanetta Solnik (2nd), Lahraine Sagaga (3rd) |
| Senior Boys (Over 16) |
Senior Girls (Over 16) |
Alesana Mene (KAURI)
(1st 100m, 3rd 400m, 2nd 800m, 3rd 1500m)
Jacob Martin (2nd), Evander Waitoa (3rd) |
Melanie Grace (KOWHAI)
(1st 100m, 200m, 400m)
Marina Soloa (2nd), Simorne Roos (3rd) |
New School Records:
Lahraine Sagaga (RATA)
Intermediate Girls Javelin (22.60m)
Denzel Guth (TOTARA)
Intermediate Boys 3000m (11:00.56)
Tem Forbes (KOWHAI)
Intermediate Boys 3000m (11:00.66)
Joanne Daniels (TOTARA)
Senior Girls High Jump (1.40m)
Juanita Randall (KAURI)
Intermediate Girls High Jump (1.33m)
| Place |
House |
Points |
| 4th |
Rata |
259 points |
| 3rd |
Totara |
292 points |
| 2nd |
Kauri |
322 points |
| 1st |
Kowhai |
397 points |
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Thanks to the House Leaders and teachers for organising their athletes and to the PE staff (especially Stuart Berkeley) for arranging the whole event.
Peter Cowan,
Sports Coordinator
CAREERS FACULTY NEWS
The Careers Faculty is very delighted to introduce Mrs Virginia Wilson (right) as our new Head of Faculty. Virginia joins us from Rongotai College and her expertise and experience in Careers and Gateway will be invaluable to Wainuiomata High School.
The Careers Faculty has many exciting programmes planned for the year. Students should ensure that they read the Careers Noticeboard every week for any up and coming events and any job opportunities that may come available.
Janette Tickner,
Careers Assistant
Gateway
Our Gateway class is full for the first intake. There will be a second intake in June for students who would like to join and this will be advertised in the Daily Notices before then.
We have our Health and Safety and First Aid courses being held as follows:
Health and Safety - 18 February 2010 (off site)
First Aid - 25 and 26 February 2010 (on site)
Our Gateway Broker is commencing to find workplacements for the students and all students should be out on work experience by the end of March in their chosen area. Our work experience days are Wednesday or Friday.
If you require any further information please do not hesitate to call our Faculty on 938 3224 Extension 7102.
Virginia Wilson,
HOF Careers and Transition
STAFF NEWS
New Staff
We have a number of new staff starting this year, all of whom were noted in the last newsletter of 2009, except for Tanya Graham, who joined our English Faculty this week. Tanya returns to New Zealand after teaching for the past three years in the United Kingdom.
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Neil Leslie
ICT |
Aisea Masila
Mathematics |
Corrin Vedder
English |
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Suzanne Meijer
English |
Tanya Graham
English |
Kimarina Leach
Mathematics |
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Jennifer Wright
English |
Virginia Wilson
HoF Careers |
Congratulations to Cherie Holmes (Specialist Classroom Teacher, currently on maternity leave) who had a baby girl, Paige, on 20 January.
Katrina Hudson has been appointed the new Head of Faculty English and Languages, replacing Angela Sellwood, and Lauren Percy has been promoted to the position of Assistant Head of Faculty English. Congratulations Lauren and Katrina.
Martin Isberg,
Acting Principal
Senior Leadership Team 2010
You may be aware that our Principal, Rob Mill, is working in the United Arab Emirates – specifically, at a boys’ school in Al Ain, to improve teaching and learning there. The Board of Trustees has given Rob a year’s leave, in recognition of the fact that Rob has a four-year contract in the Emirates, reviewable after the first year.
Accordingly, I am the Acting Principal for Terms 1-3 this year, (and Term 4 last year); and Chris Wood, who is our Head of Social Sciences, is Acting Deputy Principal in my place. Louise Berry will fill the role of Acting Head of Social Sciences. Rob will indicate in the middle of the year whether he will return at the end of his year’s leave; if not, there will be an appointments process to fill the Principal’s position.
Another of our current Deputy Principals, Gael Ashworth, has received a Study Leave award for 32 weeks, and her role will be filled by Melissa Denzler from 8 March.
Finally, we have decided to change our group’s title from a Senior Management Team to a Senior Leadership Team, to better reflect how we see our role in the High School.
The Senior Leadership Team:
Left to right: Melissa Denzler, Gael Ashworth, Martin Isberg, Martin Henry, Chris Wood, Janette Melrose
Martin Isberg,
Acting Principal
BOARD of TRUSTEES NEWS
Board Of Trustees Elections 2010
Wainuiomata High School will be seeking five Parent Representatives for the Board of Trustees.
Would you like to become a member of the Board of Trustees of Wainuiomata High School? The following gives an idea of some aspects of Board work.
- Meetings:
- Main meetings: 8 times a year,
- Finance/Property Committee meetings: Week before main BOT meetings,
- Special Meetings: Variety of times and dates dependent on requirements.
- Board attendance at special functions such as sports, junior and senior prizegivings is expected.
- Training: Training to help understand and find your niche within the Board is encouraged and required.
- There are frequent courses, usually run by STA (School Trustees Association) which cover all aspects of Trusteeship.
- It is envisaged that at least one course a year will be undertaken. Costs are covered.
Information Meeting
6:30pm on Tuesday 23 March
A meeting of people interested in finding out more about being a Board of Trustees member will be held on Tuesday 23 March at 6:30pm in the Staffroom.
If you are considering standing for the Board, or just interested in how the Board works, please come along.
An information sheet is available at the school office.
BoT Election Timeline
| 9 April |
Nominations open (forms posted to parents/caregivers) |
| 23 April |
Nominations close at noon |
| 27 April |
Voting papers posted to parents |
| 07 May |
Voting closes at noon |
| 14 May |
Results of election announced |
| 31 May |
First meeting of new Board |
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Fundraising Committee
The Board of Trustees would like to set up a Fundraising Committee to help raise money for school equipment. This would allow us to buy items that would benefit students, which we could not afford otherwise.
If you are interested in being involved, or have any fundraising ideas please contact Hayley Lawrence (Board Secretary) on 938-3224 or email hayleyl@wainuiomatahigh.school.nz. The Fundraising Committee will be facilitated by Fleur McKean and Richard Hulse on behalf of the Board of Trustees.
Clearly the more ideas and the more people involved the greater the impact we can make. We look forward to your support.
Fleur McKean and Richard Hulse,
Board of Trustees
OTHER NEWS and NOTICES
The Phoenix 2009
The office still has a small number of last year’s school magazine, The Phoenix, for sale ($7.00).
Complaints Policy
If you are unhappy with something the school has or hasn't done we have a procedure to try and address this.
The Board of Trustees has a Complaints Policy which explains how parents can deal with any concerns they have. Complaints are taken seriously and most are able to be easily resolved, but in some cases matters are referred to the Board. The guidelines are:
- Each year the Complaints Policy outlined below will be published.
- All complaints will undergo the following procedures:
- They will be referred, in the first instance, directly to the Principal (or BoT Chairperson if the Principal is the subject of the complaint),
- The Principal or BoT Chairperson will examine the complaint and determine the next course of action,
- At all times relevant parties will be informed of the progress of the complaint and its outcome and will be treated with dignity and respect,
- At all times complaints, their nature and the parties involved, will be confidential to those directly involved,
- Should any party not be satisfied as to the outcome of their complaint then they should be informed of their right to contact the Board of Trustees which will then deal with the matter in closed sessions or contact the Ministry of Education.
Learning Conferences
Staff and students are starting to prepare themselves for Learning Conferences with parents on 25-26 March.
Form teachers will meet with each parent and their son or daughter for a 20 minute discussion.
This will include students discussing their goals, short term and long term, with their parents, showing them a portfolio of some of the work they have produced so far this year, as well as their progress report, attendance report and NCEA or Literacy results to date.
Parents will receive their appointment time in the next couple of weeks.
Janette Melrose,
Deputy Principal
2010 Junior Awards
This year we are trialling a new award into the High School, in Years 9 and 10, whereby two students (a boy and a girl) from each Form Class are named as follows:
Term 1: Most Diligent Students
Term 2: Most Improved Students
Term 3: Most Valuable Students
Certificates will be awarded at Assembly and names will be published in the Newsletter.
Martin Isberg,
Acting Principal
Sniffer Dogs
Because of concerns around the availability of marijuana in the community the Board of Trustees has asked if Police drug sniffer dogs can visit the High School – as takes place at a number of other secondary schools in the region.
This has been arranged, and will take place some time in the next 2-4 weeks, as well as at an unannounced time in Terms 2-4.
Martin Isberg,
Acting Principal
Uniform Standards
We are concerned at how a few students present themselves when out of school, and give a poor impression of the High School by smoking in uniform (e.g. at the Mall), and wearing non-uniform items (we enforce our uniform code thoroughly within the school, but the standard drops outside, especially when students are walking home).
I have talked about pride in the High School, and the need for our students to be positive ambassadors, particularly when travelling to and from school; your support in this is appreciated.
Martin Isberg,
Acting Principal
Victoria University News |
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The following information was received from Victoria University and should be of particular interest to our senior students considering tertiary education in the next couple of years:
Admission to Victoria University of Wellington from 2011
Victoria University, along with all other universities, has to look at ways of managing enrolments because of policies to cap the number of funded places for domestic students in tertiary education.
To enable us to manage our enrolments, should we have more first-year applications than places available, Victoria has decided to adopt a ranking system for new students.
We expect that most of our applicants will be accepted into a programme. The system just means that if we are oversubscribed we are able to place some limits on the number accepted. There will be provisions to ensure that we meet our equity objectives and develop sound pathways to degree study at Victoria for those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
For students applying with NCEA the rank score will be based on the 80 best credits at Level 3 or higher, over a maximum of 5 subjects, with a maximum of 24 credits in each subject, and weighted by the level of achievement (Excellence = 4, Merit = 3, Achieved = 2). CIE and IB will also be ranked. Students will also always need to gain University Entrance. We will establish a Guaranteed Entry Score, which will mean that every student who has applied by the due date, and achieves that score, will automatically be confirmed into their programme when their results are released from NZQA in mid-January. Those students whose results fall below the rank score, but who do achieve University Entrance, will be waitlisted and approved into a programme so long as there are places available.
Susan Harper,
Victoria University
Susan.harper@vuw.ac.nz
Absences
If your son or daughter is going to be away for the day, or late to school, parents are asked to ring Student Services and leave a message. This will save Student Services disturbing you by ringing or texting you at home or work.
Please phone 938-3224, then press 1, alternatively you can send an email to studentservices@wainuiomatahigh.school.nz.
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COMING EVENTS
Monday 1 to
Friday 5 March |
ASPIRE Camp |
| Thursday 11 March |
HPV Vaccination #1 |
| Friday 12 March |
Year 13 Classics trip |
| Monday 15 March |
Civil Defence Team training |
Thursday 18 and
Friday 19 March |
Student Mediators training |
Monday 22 to
Friday 26 March |
Summer Sports Tournament Week |
| Wednesday 24 March |
Paid Union Meeting - school will finish at noon |
| Thursday 25 March |
Learning Conferences |
| Friday 26 March |
Learning Conferences |
| Monday 29 March |
Board of Trustees Meeting |
| Thursday 1 April |
End of Term 1 |
| Friday 2 April |
Good Friday (Term 1 holidays begin)
Newsletter 2 posted home |
| Monday 19 April |
Term 2 starts |
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The newsletter is hand delivered to Wainuiomata High School families and members of our community twice a term, as well as being published on this web site.
February 2010 Newsletter, online 1 March, as the printed version was being delivered. News and views from our Principal, staff and students. The words were processed by Hayley Lawrence. Editing, HTML and publishing by Clive Grainger.
The following organisations and individuals have generously sponsored our Newsletter. Please support them:
Brockelsbys
- for all your plumbing and gasfitting needs
ph. 569-7029
fax 566-5455
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Trevor Mallard
- Wainuiomata's hardworking MP
ph. 564-4988
email: tmallard@ministers.govt.nz
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New World Wainuiomata
- locally owned & operated
Mon-Sun 7.00am-10.00pm
ph. 564-5303
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Wainuiomata Summer Pool
- 50m main pool, learners' pool, water slide...
ph. 564-8780
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Wainuiomata Building World ITM
www.itm.co.nz/buildingworld
ph. 939-4486
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Brians Pharmacy
- for all your pharmaceutical needs, sports medicine, photo processing.
ph. 564-8488
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Wainuiomata Mitre10
- open 7 days for hardware, gardenware, tools, electrical...
ph. 564-8760
fax 564-8761
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The Professionals
- 100% locally owned and operated
Coulter Real Estate Ltd
It costs no more to use the best!
ph. 564-5151 anytime
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Hutt & City Taxis
- Hutt City - Wellington City
ph. 570-0057
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Williams Floral and Gifts
- Megan, Lydean & Ann
ph/fax: 564-8026
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Wainuiomata Ward
Councillor
Ray Wallace
- working hard for Wainuiomata
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Carpet Smart
- your smart choice in flooring
ph. 527-3057
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Get amongst the best
At Victoria University, you'll be surrounded by the best and brightest, on campus and out amonst it in Wellington.
- call 0800 VICTORIA (0800 842-867)
- or visit www.victoria.ac.nz
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©Clive Grainger 2010
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