Thursday 2nd November | Term 4 Week 4

Kia ora e te whānau,
What a week - from snow last Friday to the beautiful Spring sun, we truly have been experiencing four seasons recently.

This is our last week of timetabled classes for our NCEA students before their exams begin next Monday. On Wednesday, students were given their admission slips and the final information they need. Teachers will be running optional tutorials in the lead-up to exams, and this timetable will be shared with students and whānau by the end of this week. It is important that students use this time well, and they they are proactive in revising notes and completing previous exam papers. This is also a time for students to come in to school to complete any outstanding assessments. We wish all our students the very best for their exams and hope they are rewarded for their efforts when results are released in January. Haere tonu, Seniors, you are nearly there!

This means it is also the last week for our Year 13 students. This is always an emotional time, particularly for the 'lifers' who have been here for all 13 years of their schooling. Though we know they are excited for their next adventures, and that they are really looking forward to getting their final school exams finished. We are looking forward to celebrating all of our leavers at their end-of-year dinner later this month.

Next week is also the final week for Denise Arkless, before she moves to her new role at Mackenzie College. This will be the end of an era for us at Twizel Area School, and we have such huge boots to fill - both in the classroom and with her vast involvement in activities outside the classroom. We will spend time as a school farewelling her next week, so she knows how much of a treasured taonga she has been to us.

We are incredibly pleased to announce that we have employed Heather Dixon as our new Science teacher. Heather is a very experienced, passionate teacher who is moving to us from Wakatipu High School. We are looking forward to welcoming Heather into our TAS whānau and know you will also help her settle in next year.

Some of our Year 10 students completed their Reading and Writing Literacy Co-Requisites this week. They were joined by some Year 11 students in their first attempt at the Numeracy standard. This can be daunting for them, especially as a reminder that they are that little bit closer to beginning their Level One journey. There is quite a redesign of NCEA coming, starting next year with the introduction of a new Level One. For our learners to gain the Level One qualification, they now need to achieve these Co-Requisite assessments. These results are released in late January, at the same time as other NCEA results.

Last week I had the pleasure of supervising Room 8 on their trip to the fire station. This trip came about after the fire at the end of last term. Students wrote thank you cards to the team at the fire station, so the firefighters wanted to show their thanks by giving the students a tour. This was such a great opportunity for Room 8 to get up and close with all the equipment, including the lights and sirens, and ask all sorts of questions. We are lucky to have such an awesome brigade, and the students were absolutely buzzing from this experience.

We have had a busy week, with Artz in Action last week, printmaking sessions this week, and a successful Non-Uniform Day and the M3 students selling ice-creams on Tuesday. With the unexpected cold snap on Friday, we had to reschedule and create an adapted Athletics for Years 4-8. It was great to see all the students having a go, and challenging themselves to push through and try new things - even when they were new or challenging for them. Tonight, is the Middle School Disco, which has been entirely organised by Lulu Dodds and her team of student volunteers.

A final reminder for the whānau of our Year 1-6 students. Now we are term four, as part of our Sun Smart policy, students need to be wearing a hat when they are outside at break time. Please take a moment to check that this hat is at school, as otherwise students need to spend their breaktimes in well-shaded areas.

Noho ora mai,
Charlotte Saunders
Acting Principal

Mackenzie Scholarships Up For Grabs

Applications are open until 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 links below.

→ Thursday, 2nd November | Back to the 90's Middle School Disco
→ Friday, 3rd November | Junior Athletics, Kurow
→ Monday, 6th November | NCEA Exams Begin
→ 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

*All dates above are subject to change*

Planned Power Outage Alpine 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. 💡 READ MORE

Hats for Term 4 | Sun Protection

Don't forget your sunhat or drink bottle! Sunhats are a compulsory item for students in years 1-6 during Terms 1 & 4, please make sure they are named. Water bottles are also essential to make sure students can keep hydrated during the school day.

For more information regarding uniform at Twizel Area School, look at our website here: TAS Uniform. You can read our Sun Protection Policy here: Sun Protection Policy

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