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Kia Ora Tatou
It is the end of term and I have been clear to both students and staff during the next two weeks that there is an opportunity to take a break, rest, relax and prepare for the new term ahead. For senior students in particular, when they return they will have just ten weeks and then a very short term 4 with most senior students going on study leave from early November.
During this last term there has been a lot of activity about the school with the term starting with the SNOB and most students participating in the winter sports codes. There have also been a significant number of school trips like the Geography trips to Mount Cook and Fiordland National Parks as well the History to hear Minnijean Brown Trickey who was one of the Little Rock Nine who defied the Arkansas State by attending the segregated Little Rock High School in the 1950’s
The opportunities for students to participate in these activities is a privilege that relies upon the goodwill and enthusiasm of teachers. South Otago High School is so fortunate to have teachers who recognise the value of these opportunities.
School values and expectations
As a school we want students to participate in as many activities as possible. The school will work to remove barriers, be they financial or transport. But we do expect that in return students will have demonstrated the values that are important to us all. They are Respect, Excellence and Perseverance. Students who attend regularly, are helpful, cooperative and polite are respectful. We do not expect every student to be an outstanding scholar but we do expect that every student will aim to be the best that they can and will perform to achieve personal excellence. Finally, we want students who will not give up. Who will continue to try hard even when the work is difficult or the competition is tough. We want students who accept that it may be cold or wet and still come to school and try their best even when they are finding the going tough. This is perseverance.
Manu Pounamu Awards
On Thursday afternoon a group of students travelled to Dunedin to support two recipients for this prestigious award which recognises a junior and a senior Maori student who have demonstrated their potential in excellence in either sporting, cultural or academic fields. I am proud to announce that for 2024 the South Otago High School recipients are:
- Senior student, Paige King
- Junior student, Rashaun Melvin
Congratulations to both recipients and I look forward to seeing and hearing about your success in the future and being able to share this with our community.
I would also like to acknowledge our kapa haka students who supported Paige and Rashaun with a rousing haka as they received their awards. It was a very proud moment when students from other schools joined in to recognise the achievement of these two outstanding students.
Achievers Breakfast
This morning we hosted the achievers breakfast for our junior students who are achieving at or above our expectations. The last time that we were able to host this event was in 2019 prior to the pandemic so it was extra special to this morning to welcome so many students and whanau and acknowledge the achievement of akonga.
We will be returning this event to our calendar and I look forward to hosting future events.
Matariki Breakfast and whanau hui
Whilst we were pleased to see so many students and whanau join us for the Matariki breakfast last week we have been reviewing the event. We would be interested to hear from our parent community if an evening event such as a hangi would be more preferable to an early morning breakfast. We do note that those who did attend enjoyed the breakfast and would like more opportunities for the school to host these in the future! Below is a link to a very short survey and we would appreciate any feedback to help us improve this event in the future.
https://forms.gle/sJq9CJ66SRpQwDKHA
Furthermore, thank you to whanau and students who attended that whanau hui on Monday evening and provided feedback on the development of a wharenui for students, teaching and learning on site at South Otago High School. The feedback provided has been invaluable and we will be continuing with this consultation process in the future. There will be further opportunities for community input into the design and use of this facility and I hope that all whanau will join in the ongoing work for this exciting project.
Australian Netball trip
On Wednesday the senior girls netball team headed away to Australia for their bi-annual competition. We wished the team well and I am sure that they will have a wonderful time and enjoy competing with teams from outside of our region. I look forward to hearing about the trip on their return.
Host families for international students
With the end of term we have said farewell to two students from Brazil, Anna Julia and Anna Beatrix as well as Monet from Thailand. They will each be returning home to continue their studies in their respective countries.
Whilst we say farewell to them we are looking forward to welcoming a group from Japan early next term. The success of our international student programme does rely upon the support of homestay families. As such we are looking for families who could take a Japanese student from 27 July to 14 August with the middle weekend being free as they will be travelling to Queenstown. The school does pay $300 per week to families to host an international student.
If you would like to be considered as a host family please do contact:
John Douglas [email protected]
Pam Hannah [email protected]
Finally
I wish everyone a safe and happy holiday. During the holiday and for the first seven weeks of next term I will also be undertaking some study and leave to visit other schools. Whilst I am absent I will be continuing to work on a number of projects for the continuing development of the school. During my absence, Mr Scarth will be the acting principal.
Ka kite ano
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Recent News
Australian Netball Trip
What a great start to the international festival. Players participated in a netball clinic with Josie Bingham from the futures Firebird Team & Katrina Rore a former Silver Fern. | |  |
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Special Olympics
The SOHS Panthers travelled to Dunedin to compete in the annual Special Olympics Football tournament and defend their 2023 title. | |  |
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Wellbeing and Student Support
There are many agencies in our wider community that support our students and their families. Schools that have effective wellbeing practices offer layers of support. | |  |
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Otago Regional Reader’s Cup
Reader’s Cup is a national competition run in regional heats to share and celebrate the love of reading. | |  |
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From the English Department Week 10 Term 2
Over the term we have had a big focus on vocabulary. | |  |
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Korimako Group Performs in Assembly
Our school vocal group is called Korimako which is the te reo Māori word for bellbird. | |  |
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