WHANGAPARĀOA COLLEGE NEWS - TERM 4  ISSUE 1

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Kia ora e te whānau o Whangaparāoa

As we started Term 4 with the sad news of our Year 8 learner, Ethan Hall’s tragic passing, his friends and family have been on our minds. Staff and learners have used the support available to them during this difficult time.

With our Curriculum Review team finalising their findings and recommendations, one of the requests that came through from our Māori whānau hui and our Pasifika Fono was a pod-style Māori learning option. Next year will see the implementation of our Whare Wānanga where learners will be able to provide learning that is designed, delivered & disseminated from a Te Ao Māori paradigm. More information on this will come very soon, alongside further initiatives and focus areas for 2023.

Our Year 12 and 13’s have only a week of school left before they go on study leave. They have a fun few days planned to see their year out.

Our Year 11 learners will enjoy an end of year programme between 2 and 11 November which will focus on skills and knowledge to support future academic success at Level 2 and 3 NCEA. This will require learners to visit Rangitoto Island on  8 November and participate in a learning opportunity in either Science and Social Science focusing on Geology or Outdoor Education and English focusing on planning an outdoor education trip. Year 11’s will be on study leave after 11 November.

To all our senior learners leaving us at the end of this year, we wish you well with your new exciting adventures. Please join our Alumni Foundation so that we can keep in touch and follow how you’re going. 

Year 7-10 learners will continue with lessons as normal until Friday 9 December when they start their summer break.

Term 4 is a short but busy term so please have a look at our calendar section in this newsletter.

He waka eke noa - we’re all in this together.

Ngā mihi

Steve McCracken

Tumuaki/ Principal

Upcoming Events

 


October
27 - Mufti Day - Gumboot Thursday

     - Year 7 Maritime Museum (7KNO, 7MCM)

     - Enrolment Evening

     - L1BUST Rainbows End 

     - Year 7 & 8 Boys Tennis Zone Day

     - Year 12 Girls Wānanga

     - Cultural Arts Prize Giving

28 - Year 7 Maritime Museum (7TURK, 7RST)

     -  L2PE Matakana Action Ninja World

31 -  SENHEED Eat my Lunch


November

01 - Touch Rugby Zone Day

     - Pod Presentations 4.30 pm

     - Leavers Dinner 

02 - Last Day for Year 12 & Year 13

     - Year 9 & 10 Ki o Rahi Zone Day

04 - Gulf Harbour Yacht Club Music 5 pm

07 - NZQA Exams Start

08 - Badminton Girls Zone Day

     - Year 11 Rangitoto Trip

     - Mathex Year 6 - 8

09 - Badminton Boys Zone Day

     - Year 9 &10 Tag Zone Day

     - Year 7 Enrolment Evening
16 - Last Day for Year 11

25 - Staff Only Day

28 - Staff Only Day


December

06 - NZQA Exams Finish

     - Year 11 -13 Prize Giving at 7pm

09 - Last Day of Term 4 for Year 7-10

     - Year 7 - 10 Prize Giving at 10:30am, School dismissed at 12:30pm

12 - Staff farewells

Grief: Supporting our young people. 

Grief is a natural response to loss. As our community mourns the sad passing of Ethan Hall, many of our rangatahi and whānau will experience forms of grief. Grief is experienced and expressed in many different ways and many of us are wondering how to support our young people at this time. It is most important that as adults we seek to recognise changes in behaviour as possibly stemming from grief. Taking time to listen and support our children to process their feelings can really help. Keeping routines and as much stability and normality as possible is also recommended. The two articles linked below also offer sound information and advice for parents. 

6 Ways That Adolescent Grief Is Different

Grieving adolescents are often left to fend for themselves or are offered support from counsellors outside their community immediately after an event. Such support may be unwelcome, particularly by adolescents. Read the article here: 6 Ways That Adolescent Grief Is Different | HuffPost Life

Bereavement Reactions Of Children & Young People By Age Group

A child's reactions to grief can depend on many things, including their developmental stage. Bereaved children and teenagers will need ongoing attention, reassurance and support. Find out more about the common reactions to grief and ways to support children at different ages and stages: Bereavement Reactions Of Children & Young People By Age Group | KidsHealth NZ

In addition to our school counsellors, who you can simply email for an appointment, there are a number of helplines available to support youth.


Lockers

Be in quick – limited lockers available

If you wish to reserve a locker for 2023 or keep your current locker, you will need to fill out an online order form at http://www.stowawaylockers.co.nz/order-form/ as soon as possible.

If you no longer require your locker for 2023, please let us know by email [email protected]. You will need to return your key at the end of the term, sellotaped to a piece of paper with your details on for your bond refund. Ensure the locker is left empty, as any remaining items will be disposed of at the end of the year. Keys will need to be received within one week of term 4 ending and can be posted to: Stowaway Lockers, 475 Crane Road, RD1, Kamo 0185.  Refunds will be direct credited to your bank account in January 2023.



Auckland Middle Schools Exhibition

Congratulations to the following Year 7 and 8 learners who are exhibiting art in the Auckland Middle Schools exhibition which opens next Sunday 30 October 2022. It is held at Silo 6 in the Wynyard Quarter in Auckland City and showcases work from Year 7 and 8 learners across the Auckland region. The exhibition closes on Sunday 6 November 2022.

Holly Foster

Mary Musson

Ariana Fowler

Seryah Bentu

Indy Brown

Piper Middleton

Ana Walker

Charlea Cannell

Mabel Cao

Mine Rossouw

Ralphie Loudon-Holmes

Moesha McKinley Morris

Ella Treloar

Ashley Coultard

Olivia Rua

Charlotte Timmer

Tadeo Martinez

Heidi Newman


Graci Kim visiting our learners

Graci Kim, the award-winning and New york times bestselling author of the Last Fallen Star, spent time with our learners sharing her inspiring life story and how she became a bestselling novelist.

Words from Graci, “ Thank you so much for having me at your school today! I had a blast :) 

The learners were fantastic, and I really enjoyed getting to answer their questions. What a great bunch! “

Below are some learners who were gifted a copy of the book by the school Library and some learners who purchased the book to have it signed on the day.

Notice from the Library

Senior learners please remember to return any library books or school books you have borrowed during your time at school. These can be returned to the library. Thank you.


EnviroGroup

The Year 9 and 10 Food Tech classes are participating in a food waste programme over the next 2 weeks that aims to reduce the amount of compostable food waste we send to landfill. Instead, it will be redirected to a farm in Dairy Flat that composts the waste and uses it to grow food such as bananas. The funded programme is called Zero Waste Zero Carbon and is run by our amazing local community recycling centre on Whangaparaoa Rd.

Normally done in intermediate schools, we have taken up the challenge to eliminate food waste at WGP College by starting off small with the Year 9 and 10 Food Tech classes and eventually hope that the whole school will get on board so that we don't send any food waste to landfill. 

Last week, an audit of the waste produced by all the junior Food Tech classes predicted that we probably send over 1.5 tonnes of food waste to landfill each year!! This week, the learners are learning about the importance and structure of soil and how soil is built by the natural recycling of organic waste. Then they will learn about the bokashi system that uses microorganisms to decompose nearly all kinds of food waste. Food waste from the Food Tech classes will then be collected each day, put into a central bin containing the bokashi activators, which will be collected regularly and replaced with a fresh bin to fill. 

The photos show some of our Year 9 learners examining and learning about different types of soil. On the left are Jess, Hamish and Yvette who are classifying soil based on colour, grain size and smell, while Isla and Issie are getting their hands dirty and testing the soils on their flexibility and water content.


Sports Awards Night

On Tuesday 25 October the college celebrated its sporting success for 2022, the guest speaker was Olivia Merry from the NZ Blacksticks.

In 2022 over 300 learners from Year 9-13 represented the school in a variety of sports and the most valuable players from the top senior teams were recognised, as well as those individuals who had achieved at a regional or national level.

On top of this, we recognised the contribution of the coaches and staff and awarded overall top awards for the year. 


Sports

Congratulations to Dylan Blanchard who has had amazing success in the recent Northern Regional Indoor Surf Lifesaving Championships.

Dylan won 7 medals: 3 Gold, 2 Silver and 2 Bronze. 

He now holds a NZ record for Tube Rescue as well.



Grapple Event

 

William Mueggenburg and Angus MacLeod were selected with 20 other Y12 & 13 learners nationwide to participate in an all-expenses paid engineering challenge at the 4C Centre in Christchurch.

The Grapple event involved a week-long competition where groups were presented with a current global issue on Day 1 and they had the rest of the week to create a solution. Rising sea levels causing coastal flooding was the scenario and William and Angus built a prototype of modular farming. Their scaled model of a vertical structure was constructed with CAD and 3D printing and powered by Arduino to provide temperature/pH/water sensing and lighting. It was marked by Canterbury University lecturers and other international guests. Apparently, they were only a couple points short of the $1500 first prize.

With the guidance of industry mentors and access to a well-equipped workspace, they could experience the true process of engineering. William and Angus are also looking forward for the chance to attend and compete again next year.

Young Inventors, Changemakers, Creatives, Big Thinkers…. Grapple 2022. Yr12-13


WGPs Got Talent

Congratulations to  all the finalists of WGPs Got Talent.
 
Winners : Lily Stiven and Hollie Brennan, Runner up Eden Gibbons, and third place Amelie Che

Alumni Corner 

 

 

Courtney Spicer

WGP Learner 2010-2016

My highlights at Whangaparāoa College were Stage Challenge, designing and making costumes, being a junior hockey coach as well as playing in the 1st XI.

My most cherished memory has to be the Production - The Bold, The Young and The Murdered in 2016. I costumed the entire cast as well as being on stage!

Since finishing school in 2016, I moved to Wellington and attended Massey University and received my Bachelor of Fine Arts, with my dreams of becoming an Art and Drama teacher.

I was so inspired by my teachers; Joanne White, Danielle Savage, Mel Brown, and Katherine Boyd. They all pushed me beyond my potential at school. While encouraging and supporting me to never give up on my dreams and to be my most authentic self.

My best advice for students is the same as my teachers gave me - Dream Big and be YOU!

**Are you a former learner of Whangaparāoa College? Click this link to register with us and stay in touch** https://lnkd.in/giiS3hHh


Starship Foundation

Kia ora,

I am a teacher trying to fundraise $2000 to support the Starship Foundation and help to raise awareness of the value running has for young people in life.

Running has taught me perseverance through adversity, things can get tough but to keep moving forward one step at a time will see you reaching the finish line. To run just for running clears my mind and helps me gain perspective. Having a goal in mind gives purpose to my day to day, my goal is to run the Auckland Marathon in under 3 hours and 15 minutes, this will be my personal best for a good cause. Please help me by making a donation through my page.

It only takes a minute to donate and the effect will be lasting. Donate big or small, it all adds up!!!

Click here to Donate.

I really appreciate your support.

Stefanus.


Nurses Notice

Recently 150 Year 9 learners received a FREE hearing test. 29% of those learners had abnormal results and a further 29% of learners reported ringing in their ears - tinnitus.

Unsafe listening habits mean listening to personal devices such as smartphones at higher volumes than recommended and for long periods.  At Whangaparāoa College, 65% of learners that were screened are listening at unsafe levels, for a long period and therefore may develop hearing issues in the future.  

Once your hearing is gone you cannot get it back.

The Make Listening Safe Education initiative is an important part of the Hearing Screening programme and aims to educate learners and their parents on safe listening practices. Available on our website are resources that parents and young people can read through to protect their hearing, https://www.nfd.org.nz/school-programmes

 

 

Meningococcal vaccines available for learners going to university next year.

It is recommended for learners going into university halls and or flats to have a meningococcal vaccination. Please ring your family practice to arrange as they may need to order them in.

Physiotherapy and Hand Therapy

We have a physiotherapist onsite 3 days per week to treat learners and staff. Under ACC and with a referral from the school nurse, the first treatment is free and further treatments are $10. 

We have a hand therapist onsite 2 days per week. All treatment under ACC is free.

If the school nurse is referring a learner to the physio or hand therapist, she will get permission from parents/caregivers. 

The number to call to make an appointment to see a hand therapist or physiotherapist at school or clinic is 09 426 6619