HAMILTON GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL

April Newsletter

Underpinning everything is the school motto “A wise woman shapes her own destiny”

PRINCIPAL’S COMMENT

Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou

Time and time again you may have heard from our school, or other school’s, that your support as a parent is essential in order for your daughter to achieve her academic, sporting, cultural or personal goals. The question for many of you in these changing times is “how do we support our daughters’?”

Many of our students who do well have clear boundaries at home with a set of values and morals that support their teenager’s physical, social, mental and emotional, and spiritual growth and development (hauora). Each of these four dimensions of hauora influences and supports the other.

Dr Mason Durie’s whare tapawha model compares hauora to the four walls of a whare, each wall representing a different dimension: taha wairua (the spiritual side); taha hinengaro (thoughts and feelings); taha tinana (the physical side); and taha whanau (family). All four dimensions are necessary for strength and symmetry. (Adapted from Mason Durie’s Whaiora: Māori Health Development. Auckland: Oxford University Press, 1994, page 70).

In my view, students need to find school/life balance to feel good about themselves and to have a sense of fun amidst such a busy life. This in turn fosters a positive attitude towards school, family, work and home. Your daughter was not born knowing how to achieve this and often the only way they learn is to pick up ideas from role models around them. Initiating discussions at home is important. Building resilient and reflective dispositions in our students will be of great benefit to their hauora and learning to regularly take stock and reflect on how well they are progessing is a habit well worth cultivating in our students, as well as ourselves, for a balanced life. In today’s society, where electronic means of communication such as texts, social networking sites, twitter, emails and mobiles, overshadow face to face interactions, we must be vigilant to ensure that students engage in real conversations and activities with real people often. To support your daughter’s learning, please take the opportunity to meet with her teacher’s in Week 1 of Term 2 or to make contact with her teacher via email. Information regarding Parent Interviews will be sent home with reports and available on the website.

On another note, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our families a relaxing, enjoyable and safe Easter Break.

MARIE GORDONPrincipal

Monday, Wednesday - Friday8.45am - 9.45am Period 19.45am – 10.45am Period 210.45am –11.05am Tutor Group11.05am – 11.30am Interval11.25am Warning bell11.30am – 12.30pm Period 312.30pm – 1.30pm Period 41.30pm – 2.15pm Lunch1.50pm Half Bell 2.10pm Warning Bell2.15pm – 3.15pm Period 5

CONGRATULATIONS TO CHESKA SAAVEDRA Cheska won the United Nations Association of NZ Speech Competition. She will now compete against other schools in Wellington, at Parliament, representing the Waikato.

NEW BELL TIMES – COMMENCING DAY 1, TERM 2In response to the request to add five minutes to interval, the bell times will change as follows:

SCHOOL NOTICES

Tuesday Timetable8.45am – 10.00am Period 110.00am – 10.25am Tutor Group/Assembly (Period 2)10.25am – 10.50am Interval10.45am Warning Bell10.50am – 12.05pm Period 312.05pm – 1.20pm Period 41.20pm – 2.00pm Lunch1.40pm Half Bell1.55pm Warning Bell2.00pm – 3.00pm Period 5

Please note that BLACK PUFFER JACKETS are not a uniform item. They will be confiscated if worn.

EATING HABITS Please encourage your daughter to maintain healthy eating habits. This includes eating breakfast, morning tea and lunch. With the new timetable, most of our student’s have cottoned onto splitting their lunch over interval and lunch, but if not, this is something that should be encouraged.

The past month has been incredibly busy in the Drama Department. Talent Quest heats were held over five lunchtimes, and students were treated to a delightful variety of very entertaining performances. The Talent Quest Grand Final will be held in Ngā Puawaitanga on Tuesday May 13th at 7 p.m. Year 12 Drama students gave a very good performance of the Greek play Lysistrata in the Hamilton Gardens amphitheatre, and a large number of students gained Excellence grades for their performance. Auditions for Alice in Wonderland took place over two weeks, in which we auditioned over 300 students. We have an excellent cast of boys and girls, and the two Alice roles will be taken by Tara Given and Monica Orbe. In the last week of the term, a group of students will compete in the Waikato Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Competition. They will present a 15 minute teacher directed scene from Hamlet, and a student directed scene from Macbeth, directed by Samantha Fowler.

Theatresports Interschools Competions have begun, with our Junior team winning a first place in the first heat. Term two sees rehearsals for Alice In Wonderland begin in earnest, and early in the term the Year 13 Drama students will present full production of Twelfth Night.

Margie Wynne Jones - HoD Drama

ACADEMIC NEWS

DRAMA

MATHEMATICS

SCHOLARSHIP CLASSESStatistics Scholarship classes have started and are run by Mr Eltringham on Fridays from 3.30pm. Calculus Scholarship classes are after school on Mondays from 3.30pm. The Level 2 class is taken by Ms Chan and Level 3 by Ms Leong.

MATHS TUTORINGThe Mathematics Department is running lunchtime tutorials in the first half of lunchtime for all year levels and the schedule is as follows in M11. There will be a current teacher of that year level taking the tutorials.

A MESSAGE FROM THE 2014 MATHS PREFECT The Mathematics Prefect has the responsibility of promoting Maths to the students of Hamilton Girls’ High School. I will do this by organising a fun Maths day and enjoyable activities to encourage interest. There are many Maths competitions inside and out of school throughout the year that I would like to promote and encourage students to give it a go. A weekly Maths tutorial system has been set up and I would like to make sure students know that these tutorials are available to them if they need any help with Maths. Through this Mathematics Prefect position I would like to encourage participation in Maths competitions and events, and assist students in enjoying and understanding Maths at Hamilton Girls’ High School. - Holly Robins

3D CREATIONS BY 9CCOur wonderful Year 9 students have created these amazing 3D geometric shapes. Maths is fun!! Well done!

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5

Yr 9 Yr 10 Yr 11 Yr 12 Yr 13

Day 6 Day 7 Day 8 Day 9 Day 10

Yr 9 Yr 10 Yr 11 Yr 12 Yr 13

Yasmin Brinkworth has been appointed the English Prefect for 2014. In that role Yasmin’s voice in English matters is an important one, and her first official duty will be co-judging the Year 11 Speech Competition at the beginning of Term Two.

Assessment has occurred against AS 90857 (a speech to the class) for most Year 11 students. The students who presented the most effective speeches will have the opportunity to compete for the Senior Speech Award which is presented at the academic prize-giving in November.

All of our Years 11, 12 and 13 students have been involved in a NCEA assessment in Term One. The assessment process is still underway for a number of these standard but we do commend the students for their efforts to date.

The Writing Club will commence at the beginning of Term Two under the auspices Yasmin and Ms Hunt (the HoD). Students in all year levels are welcome to attend.

FRESH AIR BY ISABELLA LEIROS-ANDERSON

A whiff of fresh air. The sudden speed change from a relaxed stroll to a cheetah in dead sprint. That’s all it takes. That’s all it takes for me to become totally engrossed in the simple hobby which is biking.

As I pull the stand away from the ground, I kick the pavement to ensure a nice start to my ride. The first 150 metres are easy. Too easy. I gather up all my energy and set a target. Down the street 400 metres at 23 kilometres per hour. Better. In my peripheral vision I see tuis, gardeners, dogs sniffing the occasional tree and fellow cyclists. I smile. Total serenity.

I reach the river with a new personal best. Feeling pleased with myself, I drop my bike and rest on the dry, empty river bank, listening to nature. Trees whistling in harmony, cicadas chirping their forever-

lasting song and, most of all, the slightly annoying quack of the ducks. I check my watch. 10:38am. I should get back. Nah. Just a few more minutes. I slide myself down the steep drop onto the sand and lie there.

It’s amazing how little this area has been affected by the ‘moderness’ of today. There are concrete paths framing the sides of the river, weather-worn, wooden benches, but that’s it. Glancing around me, I see what beauty the banks of the Waikato River hold. The clouds taking up hardly any space in the near perfect, stunning blue sky. Trees the size of skyscrapers shooting upwards into the air. The lush vegetation with countless numbers of green shades. The ripples along the water rolling onto the sandy bank. A perfect sight to end a perfect morning. This is happiness.

NETBALL TRIALS BY ASHLEIGH

My heart beating rapidly and my feet pounding against the ground.Girls all around me running as fast as they can to impress the selectors.Parents cheering from the side lines.Whistles sounding to start the games.Selectors roaming around the courts like it’s their territory.The sports teachers reading out people’s numbers so they can get ready for the next set of games.Beads of sweat on everyone’s faces.

Puddles of water evaporating on the ground.Girls as bright as fresh strawberries running around the courts.The sun beating down on us.The whistle blows to signal the end of the game.Hungry girls scramble off the court running towards their bags.The sports teachers yelling for everyone to sit down in a group so they can read the next numbers.Parents fast walking to the white board to see if their daughter’s number is on it.

ENGLISH

TRIUMPH BY MAIA BARBUZZAThe gentle breeze brushes my hair back as I study the lake. The wind is close to nothing, but since it’s managing to force ripples onto the surface of the water, it should be enough to work with. I’m best in light winds. There’s not a definite explanation to it. I just am.

Today is the day when I can prove to the others that I’m not just another boat on the lake. Today, I am competition.

With my boat rigged and gear on, I launch my boat and head out to the starting area. It’s a simple course today: Mark 1, to 2, to 3, to 1, to finish. I sail around, watching the Open, 3.7, Laser and Starling fleets begin their races. The next boats to start are the P Classes. That’s us. There are only 5 boats in total, including the one that always wins.

After three long minutes, our hooter goes off.

Yes! I think to myself. I am first so far, covering the others’ wind with my sail. Soon I am ten metres ahead.

I round the first mark, second, third. Still in first place. I glance behind me. Oh no! He’s caught up! It’s him, the guy who always wins. Think, Maia, think! I try to remember what my coach yells at me at training. “Maia! Sit forward when you’re going upwind! Pull on your kicker.” I obey him, and it’s working! I’m beginning to lose him again. Soon, I’m rounding the first mark again, coming as close to it as I dare, and begin to drift towards the finish line.

“Come on …” I say under my breath.

I’m about 200 metres from the finish line when I see it. My last hope in confidently defeating him. A gust. It’s moving towards me, and I can already sense the cool air on my face. I sit forward, check everything is in its right position and I’m off.

I look behind me. He’s still stuck in the windless wind hole. Good. I make my way through the finish line and the horn signalling the first boat from that fleet sounds. I beam in triumph.

ESOLIf you ask Cheska Saavedra her cultural background, you probably will not get the answer in a short sentence. She will tell you America, China, the Philippines, Irish, Spanish Jew and now a little bit of New Zealand. Cheska joined us in February, a petite Year 12 student with a love for the poet Keats, a great passion for life and lots of energy for a heated debate anytime. She is a picture of internationalism.

In term two, Cheska will take part in the United Nation Speech Competition for the Waikato region for which the topic is Education-The maintenance of peace. Cheska is very enthusiastic about using this opportunity to express her point of view on the issue and has done extensive research. At times, she has had to battle with writer’s block in the middle of the night. Despite all this, the speech is shaping up nicely. Let us wait to be inspired by an international young woman, to see how education can be interpreted through her unique eyes.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

The bus trip was very entertaining thanks to Meg’s speakers and lovely loud singing from all sorts of notes. We arrived at Tihoi around 11:30am, after sorting gear and groups we set off into the blazing sun. After four and a half hours of trekking with sheep and all our mates, we reached our destination: Waihaha Lagoon. We pitched our tents, cooked our dinner and tried to find the toilet. Imagine sitting in the bush on a barrel with a toilet seat, that is what we found. Once it was dark we met in a little circle, listened to the mountain radio and talked to the other team. Happy and content and with bellies filled with everything from sausages to rice we climbed into our tents curious to find out what the next day would bring.

Day two brought lovely sunshine and happy, tired but excited faces. We packed up camp and set off up the track to Waihaha Hut. We went up mountains, through cutty grass and blackberries. At the half way point we met the other class (who was walking the opposite way). Singing along the way so we did not completely lose hope, we arrived at Waihaha Hut

at around 5:15pm on Thursday the 20th of March. Some courageous girls went for a dip in the icy stream before we prepared dinner and got ready for another chilly night.

Or third and final day of tramping started with a deja vue of the previous morning, happy, tired and, maybe a little less excited, girls emerged from their tents at around 7:30am. Everyone was pretty eager to get back to Tihoi for some R&R. After waiting a little while for the Tihoi bus we were reunited with the other class, set up on the Tihoi rugby field and got ready for a quick swim before dinner, small talk and sleeping.

On day 4 we met with rock climbing and abseiling instructors, Sam and Cam for some real rock climbing, before we packed up and had a quiet ride home, too tired to care.

All and all it was a great experience!!

2APO 2014

On Wednesday 19th March the Year 12 APO girls jumped on a bus and travelled to Tihoi for an excellent tramp along the Waihaha track.

1APO CONQUER MOUNT PIRONGIA

Our 1APO students have recently taken part in a tramping assessment up Mount Pirongia as part of one of their Achievement Standards. Day 1 started early with a few nervous photos on the eastern side of Mt Pirongia. We tramped up lots of steps to the Ruapane point at 723m above sea level, which was tough with a 20kg pack on our backs. We then continued using the rope chains to haul ourselves up the rock face and over the lava tower to the caves. After 5 hours we made it up to the summit and were treated to some amazing views over Waikato. We then descended to our first camp where we pitched our tents and made dinner. We went off to bed early after milo and biscuits before the temperature went down to 2 degrees! Highlights of day 1 included Ari falling into the bush and rolling down the hill but saving her butter chicken lunch, Tayla sharing her snacks and all the fresh air we breathed. Day 2 started at 6:30am. Although still

dark we crawled out of the tents and made a shared breakfast. We then packed up and made our way back over the summit and onto the Tahuanui track. This track was overgrown and steep with lots of tree roots to avoid, so concentration and team work were key. After another 6 hour day we made our way to camp by the river, swam in the water hole and then pitched our tents and made dinner. The sky was clear and we opted for some star gazing before milo and timtams and then bed. Highlights of day 2 included swinging from the rope swing into the water hole, Ari running through the swamp and losing her shoe, Teaghan, Morgan and Natalie’s slightly alternative looking tent and the wedding that we stumbled upon at our camp. We travelled home on Saturday morning, ready for a well-earned shower and to rest our weary bodies.

3APS TENNIS

The Advanced PE class has been working hard Term One at improving upon their tennis ability and analysing the Biomechanical Principles involved in the tennis Serve. They have received some tennis coaching this term to assist their understanding of the game. The class has a practical assessment on Thursday 3rd April where they are assessed on their playing skills against a professional tennis Coach.

Good Luck Girls, I look forward to seeing you play.Mrs Perry

10 SPORT TRIATHLON

The weather was fabulous on Tuesday 1st April, for our two 10 Sport classes to put all their hard training into practice for the annual 10 Sport Triathlon.

The course consisted of 12 lengths in the school pool, 12km cycle and 4km run.It was pleasing to see the girls testing the boundaries and pushing their levels of mental toughness. Well done to all the participants.

A big thank you to the parents that came along to support their daughters and assist with marshaling duties, this makes the event run more smoothly and was greatly appreciated by the teachers and students.

The top 3 places overall goes to:1st – Renee Allan 1:02:072nd – Rebecca MacPherson 1:02:463rd – Georgia Nixon 1:03:30

Miss Hodgkinson & Mrs Perry

2PTR FITNESS DAY

Our two Personal Training classes have been working very hard this Term, learning how the body functions and different ways of training. Within their lesson time they have been able to carry out a few sessions at Any Time Fitness as part of a Unit Standard they are currently completing.

On Wednesday 26th March, the classes ventured out of school on a ‘Fitness Day’ that allowed them to try a Les Mills RPM & Shabam class, followed by a river run. The afternoon consisted of an informative class at the Pilates Studio.

They are currently studying for the anatomy test that is coming up near the end of this Term. Mrs Perry & Miss Williams

TE REO MAORIThere have been lots of exciting things happening for the Maori department and whanau tutor groups this year.

WHANAU TUTORSWe welcome Allanah Ashwell to the LTR position as Te Reo Maori teacher and XWU’s tutor class, Lyanire Williams as XWS’s tutor teacher, Halana Leith as XLH’s tutor teacher and welcome back to Alex Ritchie as XRI’s tutor class. We are lucky to have a whanau tutor class in 4 of the 5 houses at school. At Athletics day the whanau tutor groups won all of the relay races for their houses and the final was run against all whanau tutors and 1 Wilson house. It was very exciting and the winner was XWS followed by all the whanau tutors getting 2nd, 3rd and 4th. We were very proud as teachers as these girls did extremly well and represented whanau well.

MAORIWe have a new subject this year- Tikanga Maori. This has been an exciting change and Whaea Larns

has been doing some cool stuff with the girls. The girls performed a Contempoary Maori Perfomance and this is really enabling the girls to step out of their comfort zone and challenge themselves.

Level 3 Maori had a trip to the Waikato Museum where they learnt about Nga Pou whenua and traditional stories of Waikato history. They were also able to see the exhibition on Te Puea. This was a real eye opener fo the girls and will be valuable for them in their studies.

KAPA HAKAWe are well in to the swing of things with Kapa Haka and have started wananga and a camp coming up in Raglan. We have a record of 70 girls who have joined the group this year. This is an exciting time for HGHS as we prepare for this year’s nationals in Gisbourne.

MUSICOver the last few weeks we have had amazing people visit the school to work with our talented students in Music.

Firstly, Lynn Smith visited the Barbershop Girls to help with their work for the regional competition in June. Lynn is a well respected International Barbershop Judge and often coaches other choruses. We were really fortunate to have Lynn work with the Uptown Girls and many thanks to Lynn Jamieson for organising this!

Lynn Smith came straight from the airport to Girl’s High to coach our students in the art of performance techniques

Secondly, Mihirangi Fleming visited school on Tuesday and Wednesday from The New Zealand Music Commission’s mentoring scheme. Mihirangi was a finalist on New Zealand’s Got Talent last year with an amazing performance using a looping

machine.

Selected Music students worked to Mihirangi to develop their song writing skills and present the end results as a viable radio song. Everyone worked hard and eventually songs written by Shavaughn Stanley-Williams along with Vaughan Bennett, Jayda Te Hira and Kaea Ruawai were chosen by Mihirangi to be performed.

We were also able to persuade Mihirangi to talk to the Whanau group at Tutor Group time and demonstrate her amazing performance skills. All were fascinated by her talk about success in the Music industry.

All the students involved in the two days worked really hard to succeed in completing a fantastic performance. Mihirangi could not stop talking about the dedication of the students to complete work in such a short length of time.

Year 12 Chemistry students have been analysing solutions to find out how much acid or alkali is in them. They do this by carrying out a titration. To carry out a titration students must learn to use a burette and a pipette accurately. The process of titrating and the calculations associated with it can be quite challenging.

SCIENCE

BY MANAIA WILLISON – HOSTEL HEAD GIRLMy goals for 2014 as Hostel Head Girl are:

• To encourage girls to participate in Hostel activities;

• Be a good role model by excelling academically; and

• Give my support to the younger girls.

We have had many activities already in our hostel like Waitangi Day where we had a huge waterslide with a BBQ lunch and swam in our school pool. This was my first activity to organise and so by the end of the day I was very pleased with the amount of fun we all had.

Each Term we have events with Hamilton Boys’ High School Argyle House and this term we had tabloid sports at Argyle and an outdoor movie night at Sonninghill. The big projector showed the movie ‘Now you see me’ while we ate ice-cream cones made by the Year 13s and popcorn from a popcorn maker. These activities are hostel life at its finest and that is why I love being Hostel Head Girl.

ROBERTA WIGELSWORTH – DEPUTY HEAD GIRL As a deputy head girl at Sonninghill Hostel my goals for 2014 are to make sure my hostel girls participate in as many boarding and school based activities as possible, strive to be a good role model for my younger sisters at my boarding house and also for the younger girls at school and lastly to just enjoy the last year of my high school experience and participate in as many activities as I possibly can with 100%. Sonninghill Hostel is my second home. It has made me shape into a young woman and has given me opportunities for the future. I love my hostel family and they will be my sisters forever.

TEGAN FLYERS - DEPUTY HEAD GIRLHi, my name is Tegan Fyers and I am deputy head girl of Sonninghill hostel for 2014. Having this role is very important to me as I want to be looked up to as a role model for the younger girls. Part of being a role model is setting goals for myself this year. One of my goals i have set myself is to be more confident and project my voice and opinion towards hostel life and rules to improve the relationships within our Sonninghill family. Another goal I have is to see the positives in hostel life and teach the girls around me to get involved at school, whether it be sporting or academically and to help make every ones time at Sonninghill as enjoyable as mine has been over the past 5 years.

SONNINGHILL HOSTEL

sports at hghs

Golden girl on the water, Georgia Allen, continued her success adding a Maadi Cup U18 Single Scull Gold medal to her haul for the season. This is an outstanding accomplishment and a culmination of years of hard work and dedication. The rowing successes at the AON Maadi Cup did not end with Georgia and the entire team had a very successful week. The U18 Girls Pair of Georgia and Leah Scott placed 6th in the A final and the Girls U18 2X (Novice Pairs) of Brooke Baldwin (stroke) and Tayla Duff finished 8th in the A Final. Hamilton Girls’ also made two B finals, three C finals and D and E finals. A huge thank you to Nellie Wallace-Ward, Scott Wilson, Abbe Banks and all the parents who give up their time and energy.

The softball team had an exciting week at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Division 1 Championship in Christchurch, winning some games with huge margins and others coming down to the wire. After a points count back they made the final against a very slick Wellington East (who they had already beaten in the round robin). Hamilton Girls’ started strong in the final before Wellington East showed their class to take out the final, leaving the girls in a very credible and well fought 2nd place. To top off this placing of 2nd in NZ, we had four players make the tournament team: Pania Monk, Casey Downs, Kanyon Paul and India Fletcher. Thank you to Brittany Kenney, Kirstin Fletcher, Haiti Te-Wani, Marcus Fletcher for your hard work and dedication and also to the parents who made the trip south and those who supported the team all season.

Our Waka Ama team competed at the idyllic Blue Lake in Rotorua over four days at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships. This sport continues to grow in popularity at Secondary School level and this event attracted 95 schools and 1560 competitors. Mel Henry was placed third in the one person waka 250m U19 Girls Plate Final and the U19

Girls team consisting of Mel, Diamond Henry, Aaliyah Wade, Haven Garisau, Madison Mahara-Sullivan and Devena Ruwhiu-Edmonds placed 2nd in the W6 250m Plate Final.

Triathlete Katie Lush qualified to attend the NZ Secondary Schools Triathlon Championship. There was some extremely close racing at this event held in Gisborne and Katie finished 16th.

The North Island Secondary School Rugby Sevens Tournament was held in Mount Maunganui and our sevens team continue to show their talent and class. They were convincing winners at this one-day tournament. Thank you to Alex Ritchie, Crystal and Brent Kaua for the time they dedicate to this team.Hamilton Girls’ High School Senior Water Polo team set off to Auckland for the 2014 North Island’s Secondary Schools Tournament. Whilst the girls are top of the Waikato League they were very aware that the quality of the opposition meant there were going to be number of very challenging games. The team finished 14th and were able to come away from this tournament, being able to take away parts of the game where they played equally as well as the opposition as well as key things to work on for the future. A big thank you to Sue Oppert for her ongoing support of these girls, Manager Chrissy Hunger and coach Kelsi Prendergast for their hard work.

The Waikato Championships Outdoor Bowls was held on Wednesday in Hamilton. Congratulations to Terina Walker & Ashleigh Jeffcoat for being placed 1st in their event and Alice Davies and Lucy Yeoman who finished 4th. Terina, Ashleigh, Alice and Lucy have been invited to trial for the Waikato Secondary Schools Team of 12.

On Saturday the 5th of April, the Hamilton Girls’ High Adventure Racing team (H.A.R.T) competed in the New Zealand Secondary Schools Adventure Racing Championships. This event was a 12 hour adventure race which consisted of an 18km mountain bike, a 26km trek and then three optional activities, after that- a 3 hour rogaine, 5 problem solving challenges and another 16km mountain bike ride to a 45m abseil.

Katrina Gaskell, Harriet Gaudin, Olivia Carter and Laura Macnab were the 4 girls who travelled with their Coach, Lynn Hodgkinson, to Napier to compete in this event. These girls competed in the girls’ division against other girls’ teams from around the country. All in all, there were around 40 teams competing in this event.

At 6 am on Saturday morning, the girls were lined up, waiting for the start signal. First up was the 18km mountain bike. They travelled approximately 8km on road, up and over huge hills and then had to travel the rest of the way by following a river. It was impossible to ride their mountain bikes over the loose stones and through the freezing cold water so the girls had to push there bikes as far as they could. After going up another big hill, the girls met Miss Hodgkinson at their first transition point. After a quick rest and talk, the girls set off for their 26km trek. The girls had to get to 5 check points out on their trek and to get to them, the girls went through and along a river, up and over hills, along the top of a sparse, bare ridge. The tracks were sometimes so steep that

the girls had to crawl on their hands and knees and use ropes to climb up the hill. They reached a height of around 1400m which is around one and a half the height of Mt Pirongia!! Coming down the hill was not much easier. Often, they were following goat tracks that were so narrow and steep. At the end of this mammoth trek, after around 8 and 1/2 hours on their own, the girls got back on their bikes and headed back to the transition area that was the finish line, and the problem solving challenges. When they got there, the girls jumped straight into the challenges. They did a sudoku type puzzle, displayed first aid skills by splinting a leg, made a tripod out of sticks and ropes for a billy can and tried to make a rescue whistle and a stove out of two cans.

Right to the very end of the 12 hours, the girls worked so hard and as a team, they accomplished some really tough things- the biking, the trekking, the problem solving. This was one of the toughest things they had ever done and the girls’ were placed 5th in New Zealand- an amazing achievement considering this was only their second year of competing in this event. Over the 12 hours the girls travelled approximately 55kms and didn’t stop racing until they crossed the finish line. The next event for these girls is the Sir Edmund Hillary Challenge held in week 2 at the OPC centre in National Park.

ADVENTURE RACING

MAADI CUPThis was the largest Maadi cup held to date with 3000 competitors attending the event from all over New Zealand. Hamilton Girls High School took a team of fifteen rowers to Twizel and have achieved excellent results. Our rowers are Georgia Allen, Cassidy Armishaw, Brooke Baldwin, Jessica Bishop, Deanna Capon, Izzy Clark, Tayla Duff, Esme Gulliver, Rachel Hartstone, Meg Hendl, Tia Kendall, Leah Scott, Rachel Scott, Jaimie Wilson, Holly Woolston. Coaches Scott Wilson and Abbe

Results:• Georgia Allen Under 18 single Gold• Georgia Allen and Leah Scott Under 18 Double A

final 6th place• Brooke Baldwin and Tayla Duff Under 18 novice

Pair A final 8th place• Brooke Baldwin and Cassidy Armishaw Under 16

Pair B final 2nd place

• Jaimie Wilson, Leah Scott, Deanna Capon, Cassidy Armishaw and Izzy Clark Under 16 Fours B final 3rd place

• Holly Woolston, Rachel Hartstone, Esme Gulliver, Tayla Duff, Rachel Scott Under 17 Fours C final 3rd place

• Leah Scott Under 16 Single C final 6th place• Jaimie Wilson Under 16 Single C final 7th place• Cassidy Armishaw Under 16 single D final 1st place• Holly Woolston and Rachel Hartstone under 17 pair

D final 4th place• Jaimie Wilson and Tia Kendall Under 15 pair D final

8th placeWell done to all the team Following Maadi, Georgia Allen and Leah Scott have both been invited to attend the under 18 New Zealand rowing trials.

TOUCH

STUDENT VS STAFF

The HGHS touch has been played by lots of girls this term. We have had 2 Year 9 teams, a Year 10 team, a Social team, a Development team and our Senior A Team. This is great that so many girls are wanting to play touch at HGHS. All teams have done extremely well in the Waikato Secondary school competition. It is a shame that there is no points system and semis and finals for this competition as I know we would have been contending for first place in every grade. We would like to thank our two student coaches who took the time to coach this term, Stephanie Hunia and Brooke Baldwin, as well as our teacher coaches- Allanah Ashwell, Naomi Tovio and Wheturangi Tepania.

The Senior A team have done very well- coming 3rd in the Women’s module competition that they enter, 1st at the Waikato Regional Competition and 1st in the Waikato and BOP Zone qualifying tournament for Nationals in December this year.

Going in to the touch game, the Student Executive/Sports Council had the passion and the desire to get a win over the staff who had already taken out the swimming and athletics titles. The girls started strongly in the first half, showing their skill and certainly put up a real challenge to the staff. As the game progressed and it went into the second half the staff got their team work together and finished strongly to take out the overall title. Whaea Hollie is even eying up the staff as potential opposition for senior touch team training. It was a fantastic lunchtime event, complete with all the trimmings of a competitive sporting match and both students and staff are looking forward to the next challenge, which is rumoured to be football. Apparently “the staff can’t play football.” We will wait and see.

The HGHS Foundation has invited Ian Taylor CNZM to speak at a fundraiser on 14 May 2014.

Emmy nominated Ian Taylor is the brains behind video animation for the America’s Cup, motor racing and world golfing championships, to name just a few areas of expertise.

From growing up in a small rural town to taking on the world’s best animators, Ian has built a successful company that is now world renowned. Ian was named Maori Businessman of the year for 2013.

Ian is keen to encourage girls into computer sciences, animation and videography. He sees vast opportunities for women in the industry and will explain the pathways to get into this growth field, some of the exciting opportunities that exist and his experiences travelling throughout the world.

You will kick yourself if you miss this chance to get acquainted with Ian Taylor. His presentation is riveting. See www.arl.co.nz for a few examples of what Ian does.

We are excited to have such an innovator and pioneer in this industry to speak at HGHS.

Tickets are available from Curnow Tizard. Phone 8383232 or email admin@curnowtizard.co.nz. Alternatively, tickets can be purchased from the schools finance office.

The HGHS Rugby 7s team competed in the inaugural tournament named after the great NZ 7s coach Sir Gordon Teitjens in Palmerston North over the weekend of 11/12th April. After beating their arch nemesis Feilding High School in the play offs 47 – 0, the team went on to win all their games without a try scored against them. Opotiki put in a great effort in the final and managed to get one try in to make the final score 27 – 5. The 14 girls who competed were: Ariana Bayler, Nivana Gallagher-Rupapere, Violet Hapi-Wise, Ariana Hira-Herangi, Carmen Mataira, Leah Meagher, Jhanaya Nathan, Kanyon Paul, Makaia Riki-Te Kanawa, Kennedy Simon, Terina Te Tamaki, Awatea Whitiora Te Uira, Manaia Willison and Tenika Willison. They would all like to say a big thank you to the coaches Crystal and Brent Kaua, trainer Zara for all their effort and support and to Mrs Gordon for coming all the way down to cheer the team on.Alex Ritchie - TIC Rugby

THE FOUNDATION

RUGBY 7’s

When:From 5.15pm to 7.15pm14 May 2014

Where:Ngā Puawaitanga Auditorium, HGHS Ward Street Parking

Tickets include:Welcome drink and canapés by award winning Kerr & Ladbrook

Cash barAuction Items

$50.00 per head

Fundraiser for the HGHS Foundation

JESSICA LUSBY AT WATERWORLD

At the beginning of the year I had an idea of what I wanted to do when I left school in relation to sport, but did not have a clue on how to apply it to the real world. Over the term I have been doing Gateway at Waterworld Te Rapa in Swim Teaching by shadowing a teacher once a week. This allowed me to see a different part of sport in a working environment.

Gradually over the weeks, I have moved up in confidence and am now starting to take part in teaching the lessons and am now considering applying for a job as a Swim Teacher.

Through my experience I have learnt different methods of teaching and communicating with children and it has been rewarding to see them progress week after week.

It was an amazing experience that I would recommend and has allowed me to see where I can take my interest in sport later on in life.

HANNAH SARCICH AT INDIEFILM PRODUCTIONS

Working with IndieFilm Productions for Gateway has been an awesome experience. It’s really opened my eyes to the film industry.

I’ve really enjoyed learning about the equipment, planning and working alongside an awesome crew of people. One of my highlights so far, is travelling to Auckland to help film a New Zealand T.V. commercial.

I would strongly recommend Gateway to other students, especially those wanting to gain experience in a career they have a passion for.

GATEWAY

NEHA PRASAD AT FRANKTON PRIMARY

Working at Frankton Primary is an amazing opportunity that I got through Gateway. Gateway isn’t just work experience, you can gain credits as well and it also gives you a good idea of what working in a specific field is like.

I have been doing it for a few weeks now and I’m really happy to get the chance of experiencing what becoming a teacher is like. It’s really different for me as a student to take the role of becoming a teacher, because the level of responsibility immediately increases.

The staff at Frankton Primary are really encouraging. They are also very informative and share the positives and negatives of teaching.

WHEN SHOPPING AT THE WAREHOUSE STATIONERY

Please ask the cashier for Hamilton Girls’ High School to receive

Support Your School Points. The best thing is you will receive points

on virtually all products and you can give Support Your School Points

at anytime of the year.

GATEWAY

NCEA

Key NZQA DatesStart checking your results on the

NZQA Database Updated on the 5th day of each Month

NZQA Fees School’s deadline – 13th June 2014 Financial Assistance School’s deadline – 13th June 2014

Last Date to Withdraw from External Exams School’s deadline – 15th August 2014 Last Date to Withdraw from Internal Standard

Unless you have been given an adequate assessment opportunity

School’s deadline – 21st November 2014

NZQA Fees are due to the Finance Office by the 13th June 2014NZQA will charge an extra $50.00 fee for any late payment. They will also withhold student’s results until the fees are paid in full. This could cause problems for any student wishing to gain entry to courses, polytechnic, or university in 2015.

NZQA Fees for Domestic Candidates Entry FeeEntry for all NZQF standards including Scholarship subjects $76.70

NZQA Fees for International Fee Paying Candidates Entry FeeEntry for all NQF standards $383.30Entry for each Scholarship subject $102.20 per subject

Financial AssistanceTo be eligible for financial assistance the applicant (normally the parent or guardian of the candidate) must be the fee payer and meet at least one of the following criteria: Be receiving a Work and Income or Study Link benefit. (benefit-based applications) Have a joint family income that would entitle the applicant to receive a Community Services Card.

(income-based applications) Have more than one child undertaking these qualifications in the same year, irrespective of income

and the total fees to pay are higher than $200. (multiple candidate applications)Applications are due to the Finance Office by the 13th June To apply: Complete the “Application for Financial Assistance” form. You can obtain a financial assistance form from the student finance office or download it from the NZQA website (http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/assets/qualifications-and-standards/qualifications/ncea/Application-For-Financial-Assistance.pdf)

Eligible for beneficiary or income-based assistance

Not eligible for beneficiary or income-based assistance

One child who is a candidate $20.00 Full fees ($76.70 for NZQF and 3 Scholarship subjects)

More than one child who are candidates

A maximum of $30.00 per family

Where fees are payable for more than one candidate, a maximum of $100.00 per child and $200.00 per fee payer1

International fee paying students are not eligible for financial assistance.

NZQF = New Zealand Quantifications Framework

ABSENCE from (or UNABLE to do) ASSESSMENTS When a student is absent from an assessment they can apply for a further Assessment Opportunity to Mr Mitchell. Absence (or inability to do the assessment) beyond student control, e.g., medical

grounds, family bereavement, accident, illness or similar legitimate events. - Courtesy Step: The Office staff, on or before the day of the assessment, should receive

notification either by phone call, e-mail, or letter/note. This is only a courtesy step and it will not result in automatic termination of a student’s application if they fail to do it

- Student Application: The student is to apply for a further assessment opportunity. They should see the Principal’s Nominee (Mr Mitchell) and give him the appropriate documentation within two weeks of the absence/incident occurring.

School activity outside the classroom. Approved extra-curricular activities take priority over an assessment (i.e., EOTC events

published on the school calendar, e.g., field trip, sports exchange – students should ask their teacher if unsure). In such cases teachers should grant a further assessment opportunity only if it is practical to provide one

Other extra-curricular activities, assessments take priority over these GATEWAY work placements: GATEWAY work placements take priority over an assessment.

In such cases students should be granted a further assessment opportunity only if it is practical to provide one.

Approved leave. Application: Students who know that they will be absent from school during an assessment

period must request leave in writing from the Mrs Cater (Deputy Principal) prior to their departure.

Granting of a further assessment opportunity or the collection of supplementary evidence HOD/TIC Decision: If the absence has been approved, then the teacher assessing the

standard is to seek the HODs/TICs decision on whether it is practicable to either grant the student a further assessment opportunity or for the gathering of standard specific evidence (refer to Collecting evidence over time in the section on Gathering Further Evidence for Achievement)Note - It may be impracticable to grant a student a further assessment opportunity if:

o the assessment was part of an activity that would be difficult or impossible to replicate. For example a field tip, lab experiment, sports exchange, school production, etc,

o if there is no other quality assured assessment activity to administer,o there is insufficient resourcing to administer an assessment. For example, the

assessment required hiring equipment, employing relief staff, organising extra time, oro sufficient time has passed since the assessment was initially administered that it would

prove to complex and difficult to offer another assessment opportunity (e.g. one week) Communication and documentation: The HODs/TICs decision must be noted and directly

communicated to the student. For example the date on the student’s assessment script or a handwritten note on the e-mail sent by the Principal's Nominee. This document is to be filed centrally.

School contact Mr Mitchell is the Principal’s Nominee (NZQA Liaison) at the school. You can contact him by:

E-mail: mitchellm@hghs.school.nzPhone: 07 839 1304 EXT 893 Mail: Mr Mitchell

Principal’s Nominee PO Box 4082 Hamilton

KEY DATES MAY 20142 MAY Kapa Haka Noho til 4 May3 MAY NISS Horse Trials6 MAY Senior Music Field Trip 7 MAY Parent Interviews8 MAY Parent Interviews9 MAY Level 1 Geography Field Trip Year 12 & 13 Science Wintec Visit HGHS & HBHS Kapa Haka til 10 May Kapa Haka Noho til 11 May12 MAY Hillary Challenge til 16 May Level 1 Geography Field Trip13 MAY Talent Quest Final Waikato Bay of Plenty Cycling15 MAY Year 11 Speech Competition16 MAY Waikato Uni Open Day WSS Lacrosse19 MAY Level 2 Geography Field Trip20 MAY Sports & Groups Photos21 MAY 2APO High Ropes Senior Japanese Field Trip Pasifika Fono22 MAY Cross Country Mufti Day23 MAY 2APO High Ropes24 MAY Choir Workshop NISS Swimming27 MAY Senior Assessments til 29 May30 MAY Mid Term Break (School Closed)31 MAY Hostel Set Leave