Thursday 9th November | Term 4 Week 5 |
Kia ora e te whānau,
And just like that, we are half way through the final term of the year!
The big focus for our Year 11-13 students at the moment are their external examinations, which began on Monday. It has been so good to see a good number of senior students taking up the opportunity to attend tutorials - either to finalise preparation for their exams, or to finish off any outstanding assessments. We hope this final push pays off for them.
Last week we had a very successful Middle School Disco. This was such a well-organised event - thanks to M3's Lulu - with a movie and photobooth alongside the dancing. There were some great outfits, that matched the 'Back to the 90's' theme. Hopefully we can manage to make another similar event in 2024.
Last Friday we also had our Y1-3 students representing our kura at the Upper Waitaki Schools Athletics Skills Day, held in Kurow. Our tamariki joined with Omarama, Duntroon and Waitaki Valley schools for this day. It was a great opportunity for our students to collaborate with some of our local schools, and to really challenge themselves to learn and develop some new skills. Thank you to the huge number of parent helpers who were so willing to help in transporting students to Kurow.
This week we have had Jayne from DMIC (Developing Mathematical Inquiry Communities) working with our Year 1 to 8 teachers and classes. We are coming to the end of our second year working with Jayne and implementing DMIC in our Maths programmes. Jayne spends her time observing our classes and helping to provide pointers that support how our ākonga are completing their Maths learning.
As I have mentioned in previous newsletters, this Friday is the final day for Denise Arkless. Denise begins her new role at Mackenzie College next Monday. We are so grateful for all the work Denise has done for our students, and the time she has given to making so many things at TAS a success. We are pleased to announce that Nyree Schaar, currently Middle School Dean, will be moving into the Senior Dean (Y10-13) position. Taylor McGifford will be taking on the Middle School Dean (Y7-9) role. This will be a gradual transition over the remainder of the year.
I want to finish this week with a whakatauki that is particularly relevant for our Seniors as they work through their exams:
Kia mate ururoa, kei mate wheke.
This means 'fight like a shark, don’t give in like an octopus'. This whakatauki encourages us to not give up. When fishing, a shark will fight the whole time it is on the line. In comparison, an octopus will surrender once it’s been hooked. No matter how hard things get, let us fight like a shark - even when we feel like our exams may get too overwhelming, we can't let them get the better of us.
Noho ora mai,
Charlotte Saunders
Acting Principal |
Farewell to DeniseAfter 30 years, this week we say to goodbye to one of our longest serving teachers, Denise Arkless. Thank you, Denise, for your years of service and inspiration! | |  |
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TAS Holds Adapted Upper Waitaki AthleticsLast Wednesday, we held an adapted version of Upper Waitaki Athletics after the weather prevented the event from happening the week before. It was great to see all our TAS students trying their hardest. 👍 | |  |
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NCEA Exam TimetableThis year's NCEA Exams are underway. You can download your timetable here ⬇️ | |  |
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Juniors Shine at Year 1-3 AthleticsOn Friday, our Year 1-3 students went down the valley to Upper Waitaki School to participate in an awesome Athletic Skills Day. Students got to participate in a range of activities. | |  |
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Room 9 & 13 | Native NZ BirdsStudents in Rooms 9 and 13 have been immersing themselves in the fascinating world of New Zealand's native bird species and their survival challenges. 🦅 | |  |
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Caretaker VacancyWe are seeking a Caretaker to join our team at Twizel Area School. | |  |
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Twizel Athletics RegistrationTwizel Athletics is back for 2023/24!
For more information, including how to register your child/children and to make yourself available as a parent helper, click the link. | |  |
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Scholastic Book Club | Issue 8The final issue of the Scholastic Book Club for 2023 is now available, orders need to be placed by Tuesday 12th December. 📚 You can order through the Scholastic website or the Book Club Loop app, available through the App Store and Google Play Store. | |  |
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StudyIt Forums Open for StudentsStudyIt forums for NCEA students are now open. The online learning platform has moderated forums for students to discuss NCEA achievement standards with other students and facilitators. | |  |
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Keeping Calm and Coping With Term FourThe pressure can mount as the year wraps up. Check out some survival tips from Parenting Place for enjoying the ride. | |  |
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 → Monday, 13th November | Power Off - No Classes
→ Tuesday, 14th - Wednesday, 15th November | St John in Schools
→ Monday, 20th November | Y9-10 Aoraki Junior Tournament
→ Wednesday, 22nd November | Accord Teacher Only Day - No Classes
→ Thursday, 23rd November | Board of Trustees Hui
→ Monday, 27th November - Friday, 1st December | Outdoor Ed Week
→ Tuesday, 12th December | Year 1-10 End-of-Year Reports and provisional class placements published
→ Tuesday, 12th December | Prizegiving
→ Tuesday, 12th December | Last Day of School for 2023
*All dates above are subject to change* |
 Planned Power OutageAlpine Energy have advised us that in order to complete necessary work in Twizel, they need to turn off the power at school on Monday, November 13th.
As a result, we will need to close the school for the day. Please see the attached 'Power Off Notice' from Alpine Energy. 💡 | |  |
Mackenzie Scholarships | Applications ClosingApplications are clsing tomorrow, Friday, 10th November, for Senior students to apply for the Mackenzie County Scholarships and Bruce Scott Memorial Prize. More information can be found by clicking the link below.
MDC | Grants and Scholarships Uniform Shop SaleThe Home and School Committee are running a School Uniform Shop Sale.
Date - Wednesday, 15th November
Time - After School
Where - In the main office corridor
Come and grab yourself a bargain! | |  |
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