Year 13 CampWritten by: Samantha Foster (Year 13)I’ve had the privilege of going on year 13 camp for 4 days at the Tongariro regional park with some of the other year 13s.
We all knew that we were heading down south with the main goal of tramping the Tongariro crossing, a 19.4 km tramp. So it's like the distance of walking from Stanmore Bay to Albany in the freezing cold wind and snow up to your ankles.
We were one of the first cohorts to tramp the crossing in the snow, which I hope I can speak for the other year 13s that it was an incredible experience.
Although mentally and physically challenging, the buzz after completing it was incomparable.
Aside from the pain of the tramp we shared the evenings in the lounge room making new friends with people you’ve kind of known for years but never really connected with. Drinking hot chocolate, playing cards…or poker, watching our short films that we had created over the week, with an intermission of yoga, chatting in the hallways and just so many good laughs.
I'm sure we all created some kind of new friendships or even strengthened old friendships which was so beautiful to reconnect with everyone. As well as feeling more like friends with the staff and actually really enjoying all of their guidance and company.
So to everyone who has the opportunity to go on this camp, bite the bullet and go for it.
Trust me you will not regret it!!
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Learner Led Conferences (LLCs) & PPTA Rolling StrikesLearner Led Conferences, 20 - 21 June 2023
PPTA Industrial Action, 12 - 30 June 2023Learner Led Conferences for Years 7 -13 - Tuesday, 20 June 12:00 – 8:00pm
- Wednesday, 21 June 2.15 – 5:00pm
You can make bookings via the new School App or School Bridge
(details on how to download the new School App are at the end of this newsletter).
The LLCs do involve changes to the usual school timetable and a full and updated schedule covering those changes, as well as the scheduled industrial action is detailed again in the image below.
We appreciate that school closures related to LLCs, on top of the rostering home, will be frustrating for both learners and families. However, as a school, we also strongly believe in the importance of the LLCs and that they should proceed as scheduled, despite the disruption caused by the PPTA industrial action.
 School BallArticle written by: Lexie Ferguson (Year 12)Our high school ball is supposed to be a time for us hardworking students to ‘let loose’ in a sense and a golden opportunity to be ourselves and have a great time. A time for teachers and students to come together and bond over this traditional experience in our school years. This was exactly what happened on June 10th 2023, at the Pullman Hotel in Auckland City. As a year 12 student, my arrival time was 7 pm, compared to the year 13’s arrival time of 6:30 pm.
Even as soon as I stepped through the hotel lobby door, all I could see were colours, and all I could hear were heels clicking loudly on the shiny floors and the repetitive snapping of the photo booth and cameras from White Door Photography. We were greeted at the door by the polite and hospitable hotel staff, offering a small glass of grape juice to everyone.
The entrance to the ballroom was packed with people in meter-long lines for the photo booths and the back-drop photography stations. Then you get inside the ballroom, and there’s double the number of people than before and all the great hits from when we were kids and even from before those days were blasting! There were multi-coloured spotlights that beautifully illuminated the room, daring new arrivals to come over to join the fun on the dance floor. In my personal experience, the heels only lasted a record-breaking time of 45min before they were under a chair at my group's table, and we were all dancing barefoot without a care in the world.
Dinner was served buffet style at 8 pm, with options such as pasta salads, nacho mix, sushi and chicken kebabs followed by a very wide range of desserts (same buffet style). There was even an ice cream bar! The prizes were a funny addition to the night's agenda, as some of them were quite odd. I’m pretty sure the prize ‘best fake tan’ got the most laughs.
All in all, to all our younger students reading this: going to the school ball has got to be the most fun thing you’ll ever experience in your two senior years here. As a first-time attending student as well as a new student, I couldn’t put into words how nervous I was. But honestly? By the time I got there and found my friends, it all disappeared. I didn’t care what people thought when we were jumping around and screaming the lyrics to classic hits, and we didn’t care that people were taking photos. Some of those photos are hilarious, and I don’t regret them one bit. Just be yourself and have a great time. You’re there to have one of the most memorable nights of your life, so make it count! It is worth your time, and believe me, every single dollar counts.  Bugsy MaloneWGP College is proud to present the Musical Comedy Extravaganza - Bugsy Malone.Join us for a toe-tapping night out, 16th & 17th June.Prohibition era, New York. A city full of mobsters, showgirls and dreamers. Rival gangster bosses Fat Sam and Dandy Dan are at loggerheads. Dandy Dan’s gang has gotten the upper hand since obtaining the new-fangled “splurge” gun. Now, Fat Sam and his bumbling buffoons are in real trouble!
Enter Bugsy Malone, a penniless one-time boxer and all-round nice guy. All Bugsy really wants to do is spend time with his new love, Blousey, but will he be able to resist seductive songstress Tallulah and stay out of trouble long enough to help Fat Sam to defend his business…?
Tickets from Eventbrite: Bugsy Malone Tickets  Uniform ReminderAs we move into the colder winter months we wanted to send a reminder of our school uniform. From the school website:
Footwear - Plain black flat-healed shoes or black flat-heeled sandals worn with a heel strap. All footwear must be neat and tidy. No writing on shoes or sandals. All shoes are to be below the ankle.
Socks - Plain black socks above the ankle, with shoes only (not sandals).
Stockings - Black opaque or flesh coloured stockings worn with skirt.
Trousers - Black dress trousers for seniors only (Years 11- 13).
Optional - Whangaparāoa College embroidered cap can be worn (no plain caps).
General Notes
- Learners are expected to wear the correct school uniform at school, to and from school.
- All uniform items can be purchased at NZ Uniforms or online .
- All clothing is to be clearly named.
PLEASE NOTE
Jackets - Learners should only be wearing the school uniform jacket. On wet days learners are permitted to wear a plain black waterproof jacket.
Hoodies - The only hoodies that can be worn at school are the school uniform hoodie. Hoodies and jackets issued by sports teams are not school uniforms, these are only to be worn for sports games and training.
Shoes - Crocs are not allowed to be worn as school shoes. Sandals can be worn if they have a heel strap, socks are not to be worn with sandals. The shoes should be all black.
Thermals - Thermals are permitted to be worn under the school uniform, these must be white, black or navy.
School TVFriendship & Belonging“The ability to obtain, maintain and retain friendships is, according to all the childhood psychologists in the whole wide world, the greatest predictor of wellbeing. Having a rich repertoire of friends is a true indicator of whether your child is travelling ok.”
Dr Michael Carr-Gregg It is not always easy for children and teenagers to always know how to manage friendships. Learning how to make new friends and keep them involves a number of skills every young person needs to understand and develop. For some these skills will come very naturally, allowing them to easily move between different friendship groups, sharing their experiences and opening up to new people. For others, this can be much harder to navigate. Belonging to a group that is like-minded with similar interests is highly beneficial to a child’s wellbeing. Friendships are full of ups and downs and it is better for kids to learn how to manage and build their own friendships, even though as an adult carer you may be tempted to interfere.
To view, please visit: Friendship & Belonging  Lifting LiteracySet an example- Do you keep reading material around the house?
- Does your child ever get to see you absorbed in a book?
Making literacy visible and accessible at home is one way to bring reading into your child’s periphery. A tactical scattering of reading material (whether it’s books, magazines, graphic novels or newspapers) in various rooms may entice the curious turn of a page, while keeping a watchful eye on what gets read will give you clues on what your child is interested in. It can be hard to find time to read for pleasure, but doing so at home will set a strong example. See if you can set aside time for reading in your routine, even if it’s a quick chapter in the lounge after dinner. Best case scenario; your child will develop a greater interest in reading. Worst case scenario; you’ll get some time out to read a good book!
 Kaitiaki Tangata(EnviroGroup)Over the past few weeks, Kaitiaki Tangata has been hosting Bead and Proceed workshops during Friday lunchtimes. Bead and Proceed is a programme which aims to teach people about the UN’s sustainable development goals, through workshops which encourage interested individuals to read about these goals, and pick five out of the seventeen they want to personally strive for. This also raises awareness about these goals, and their importance. In the Bead and Proceed Workshop, everyone gets five wooden beads to paint, with each colour being associated with an individual goal. Once you pick your goals, you paint each of your beads one of the matching colours, and make a necklace out of them. Additionally, with each kit purchased, another is given for free to a low decile school, so that the benefits of this programme are better spread across students, regardless of circumstance. This commitment to fair treatment can also be seen in the production of the beads, which are manufactured by artisans associated with Silence in Kolkata, India: an organisation which aims to give safe, quality work to those who have hearing, speaking, or physical disabilities. In addition to this, the kits and beads are made from recycled materials, and the paint is eco-friendly, as well as made by the Nature Paint Company which works to save the Amazon Rainforest. So far, Bead and Proceed’s work with Nature Paint has saved over 1,000 square metres.
Students can come on down to S13 Friday lunchtimes, new members are always welcome in Kaitiaki Tangata, from Year 7 to 13.
 SportsAuckland Boxing ChampionshipOn Saturday, Noah competed in the Auckland Boxing Championships and is now the Light Welter weight Auckland Champ (63kg). He has now made it into the Auckland Boxing team and will be representing Auckland at the Nationals in July in Tauranga.
Hard work does pay off! Well done, Noah!  Nurse UpdateCOUGHS/COLDS/ VIRAL ILLNESS SEASONIts winter illness season please encourage your young people to:
- Carry a packet of tissues
- Practice proper cough/ sneeze etiquette
- Practice good hand hygiene
- Stay home in the acute stages of illness. Normally learners can stay home for 2/ 3 days, then be well enough to return with lingering symptoms (such as a cough which may take a while to resolve)
As part of the assessment process the school nurse may offer your child a RAT, so we can reduce the spread of covid at school.
PROCESS FOR LEARNERS LEAVING SCHOOL DURING THE DAYLearner has an appointment - Parent/Caregiver contact reception (09)424-9177 or email [email protected] ( min 2 hours in advance) or via our new school app and a runner slip can be sent to the classroom.
- Learner must sign out at reception
Learner becomes unwell/injured
- Learner goes to School Nurse
- School Nurse will contact Parent/Caregiver if they are too unwell/injured to remain at school
WE WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT…
IF YOUR CHILD FEELS UNWELL AT SCHOOL AND CONTACTS YOU
PLEASE ADVISE THEM TO VISIT THE SCHOOL NURSE WHO WILL CALL YOU IF WE HAVE ANY CONCERNS.
 Careers UpdateCAREERS MINI-EXPO – for all year levelsTuesday, 20 June during the LLCsCome along to our Careers Mini-Expo
Location: TKP 1, 2 & 3 (ICT Suite).
Talk with experts from all of our Auckland Universities, as well as, Unitec, The Defence Forces, Private Training Organisations, and Trades. YEAR 13 LEARNERS - Are you intending to study at University in
2024?Now is the time to be looking at applying for scholarships. This can help
you with your study costs and are not just for the smartest students.
The Complete New Zealand Scholarship Directory 2023-24 for Year 13 Students Attending University in 2024
For any assistance, please see Mr Davies in the Careers office. YEAR 13 LEARNERS - Have you had a Careers Appointment with
Mr Davies?All Year 13 learners should be having a one-on-one appointment with
our Careers Advisor, Mr Davies. Parents are also welcome to attend.
Book an appointment (in your study period) at: Book in with Mr Davies STAR (free) courses coming up in July holidays for Year 12 & 13
learnersLimited places left!Sign up now at: STAR (free) Courses
Or see Mrs Mulvaney in the Careers Department.
- Barista Coffee Course - 2 days held at Whangaparāoa College.
- Beauty Course - Elite School of Beauty, Auckland City.
- Jewellery, Fashion Sustainability, Fine Arts and Digital Media/Animation courses - Whitecliffe Design School, Auckland City.
 New School AppPlease installWe are transitioning to our new school platform. This platform consists of integrating our website, intranet, mobile app and access to KAMAR (parent portal).
Our new school app allows us to have more streamlined communication with our caregivers, as well as learners. It not only has access to the school calendar, notices, attendance and academic grades but will also be a one-stop solution for permission slips and notifications.
Allowing you to get the information you need with fewer clicks!
Click here to download the new school app: School App Link  School app | |  Download instructions |
 Hosting an International StudentKia Ora Whānau
We are very excited to be welcoming a large number of International's for term 3 and beyond.
This is a great opportunity for you to experience hosting a student from another country and share with them your family and community.
If you would like to be considered for this opportunity please email Sue McKay [email protected] to discuss further. Alternatively, you are welcome to visit our college website and explore the information listed in the International tab.
We would love to hear from you.  Community Notices |
