Newsletter - WE 13.11.20

Janine Jack

— Nov 12, 2020

Football Tour

Last week I had the pleasure of taking a mixed Year 9 and 10 team on a four day football tour around the top of the South Island. The tour included games against Murchison Area School, Motueka High, Queen Charlotte College and Kaikoura High School.

First I would like to thank the hosting schools for the extraordinary welcome we received from Murchison for arranging a whole night of sporting competition then to Motueka for arranging our evening meal and Queen Charlotte for the stunning Mihi Whakatau welcome. I would also like to thank Shane Dwyer who gave up his valuable time and came along as parent support for the week.

I would also like to acknowledge the students who came along who were in every sense of the word, exemplary. They were a credit to the school and their parents and I could not have been more proud of them as the week progressed.

The tour ended with a 2 win/2 loss record against varied opposition with Queen Charlotte College providing the strongest competition for us in what was in my opinion, our best game in spite of the losing score.

The rain was a factor, however, it always seemed to know when to stop just in time for kick off or whenever we wanted to do something outdoors. I have included some pictures in this newsletter.

Trail Ride

The rain was once again a factor here, however, a hardy team still managed to put the event on and I would like to thank the awesome PTA team and all the parents, students and staff who contributed to this day. I know setting up this course takes the most part of a week and the behind the scenes planning is substantial to run such an event safely. This really is a community effort and is part of what makes it a special place to be.

HPSSA Athletics

You guessed it… rain was again in the picture with the event postponed on Monday! Our primary sports co-ordinator, Emily Shaw, puts a huge amount of effort into making this happen each year for the schools in our district and I would like to thank her for her time and energy. The weather did however behave and Wednesday was a great day of competition. Those students moving to the next stage of competition at Canterburys will be notified.

New Board member

I would like to welcome Wally Jamieson to the Board and thank him for volunteering to support our school into the future. I would also like to acknowledge Ben Frame who has stepped down from the Board and thank him for his service and expertise. We are truly fortunate to have a committed and capable Board at Amuri who have the interests of students at the forefront of their thinking.

Reading Together

This week we saw our latest group of graduates from the Reading Together programme receive their certificates from our Mayor Marie Black. Our Reading Recovery teacher Alison runs this four week course supported by other members of staff for parents from our school and from our contributing schools each year to help them to make the very most out of home reading time with their child. This is a powerful programme with proven positive outcomes and I would like to thank Alison for another great course completion. Congratulations to these parents on their completion and we look forward to seeing the very real positive outcomes that will be reflected in the reading skills of your children.

Long weekend

Show weekend is here so lets hope the weather forecast comes to fruition and we all get a chance to see some sunshine. Please also remember school is closed on the 19th November for the mandatory Ministry Teacher Only Day where the secondary staff will be working on the upcoming changes to NCEA and the primary staff have a comprehensive day of curriculum development. Our support staff are also using this day to upskill in their knowledge and understanding to support our students with learning difficulties.

Have a wonderful long weekend.

Kia Kitea Toikaka

James Griggs

Principal

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Senior School News

This is the final week of instruction for our Year 11-13 students before external exams which start on Monday. We wish the exam students every success and trust that the hard work and study they have done leading up to this will deliver expected results. At this point of the year we also congratulate and acknowledge “the NCEA class of 2020’ especially those students who, despite the lockdown and associated challenges, showed real resilience by remaining focused on their learning goals. Perseverance has and will be rewarded, and you have also shown that challenges are there to overcome not give up at. Of course, some did not rise to the challenge and lost their way, but failure is a lesson as well and we hope students can learn from that.

Any students who are attending tutorials over the next couple of weeks will already know when these are. Please be aware that senior staff will be involved in Year 10 camp and relief cover during exam times, so do not just drop in and expect to be able to see a teacher. Requests for study assistance would need to be done in advance.

Year 10 head off to camp at Windy Point on Tuesday where Mr Cate and his team have a great programme organised for the three days so hopefully the weather is not as unpredictable as this week!

Year 9 will be business as usual up until the end of term and our expectation is that they will stay focussed and not squander learning opportunities for themselves or others. The upcoming NCEA changes will mean that consolidating and building on knowledge at every level is very important to ensure students are well prepared for success with NCEA which will have a greater external exam component than it does now.

All the best to the students who have completed their schooling and are moving onto further tertiary training, apprenticeships or employment. While the future employment situation in NZ is changing rapidly, there is no shortage of work out there for the willing. Remember that we learn important transferable skills from jobs that we do not like, and it is very rare we get to our ‘dream’ job without having to do some hard yards along the way. The employment market is dynamic and volatile, and we need to be adaptable and flexible to prepare for this.

To finish, I will include a few useful tips on how to get a job – nothing new, more a timely reminder.

HOW TO GET A JOB

There is no iron-clad way to secure yourself a job if you are in the 18-24 age bracket, but these suggestions are a good starting point.

· Make sure your CV is up to date. High school extracurricular activities look good and can show employability skills even if you do not have work experience

· Practice your interview skills with family and friends

· Take work experience if offered, have a positive attitude, and turn up punctually every day

· Show enthusiasm and initiative and be prepared to do the dull jobs first

· Link up with organisations working with young people in your area

· Learning is lifelong – no-one knows it all so be willing to take instruction and guidance

· CV drop, walk into premises and tell employers that you are keen to work and that you are looking for work

· Remember, you do not have to commit to a job forever, so give things a go.

Penny Mossman

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Roll of Honour

Brody Batchelor

Max Cater