Tēnā koutou katoa students and whānau Ka mahuta a Matariki i te pae, ka mahuta ō tātou tūmanako ki te tau When Matariki rises above the horizon, our aspirations rise to the year ahead.
The first sighting of the Matariki star cluster, marking the Māori New Year, was celebrated on Friday 24 June with a public holiday, a first for Aotearoa NZ. It made me very proud to be both Ngāi Tahu and a New Zealander.
Matariki is the time to reflect on the past, to celebrate what we have, and set our sights on new goals. Matariki also marked the end of my Woolf Fisher Fellowship in Australia. The 4 ½ weeks of study leave provided a wonderful opportunity to rest, reflect and reset my personal and professional goals. I attended a National Secondary Principals Conference in Brisbane, met with key educators in Brisbane and Melbourne, and visited schools in Melbourne and Adelaide. A wonderful experience indeed. Thank you to Andrea Griffin, Acting Principal, and Alan Robertson, Acting Associate Principal, who covered my absence superbly; and to Divisional Principals, Sally-Ann Goodman, Suzanne Baldwin and Darryn Findlay who shared additional responsibilities over this period. We are fortunate to have such a strong, cohesive and capable Senior Leadership team.
As you will see from activities highlighted in this newsletter, Term 2 has been busy and successful. I acknowledge students and staff for their hard work and commitment in the face of ongoing challenges in this COVID world. Returning to hybrid learning models for the last 6 weeks meant students have again experienced a combination of face-to-face and remote learning. This sustained disruption, particularly the four days of home learning to finish the term, is not what we hoped for, nor wanted. I feel it was the only way to manage the high numbers of staff (and student) absences brought about by positive COVID cases, home isolation requirements, and sickness caused by the winter flu. We know how difficult this has been for everyone. We know it is tiring and that we’d all much rather just be at school every day. I am proud of how everyone has responded and adjusted.
STAFF UPDATE
At the end of Term 2 we farewelled Mikaere Greenslade, Head of Student Support Faculty and Head of Counselling. Sadly, Mike leaves us after 12 years’ service. His contribution has been significant and he will be sorely missed. We wish Mikaere well with his plans to work as a consultant.
Robbie Cave, Counsellor of Te Puna Tonga South Division, has also resigned her position after nine and a half years’ service. She will leave us early in Term 3. Robbie is an outstanding counsellor and we wish her well in her new venture in private practice.
Congratulations to:
Carl Burr who received the prestigious Outstanding Teacher in Technology Education Award (TENZ) to acknowledge his expertise and continued contribution to teaching Technology. A thoroughly deserved award.
CAMPUS DEVELOPMENT – Construction Stage 1 Update
- Demolition of F Block and F Extension completed with minimal disruption to the school. Construction of Pukehinau has been delayed due to planning consent issues, with building likely to start in Term 4.
- H4 prefab (previously H1A) has been relocated to its new site next to H Block. It is expected this room will be back on timetable by the start of Term 3.
SWIMMING POOL UPGRADE
The contractors have completed the water supply and return pipe work. Next on the programme is:
- New power supply installed during the holidays
- Concrete path surrounds late July/early August
- Wall membranes fitted in August
- Installation of floor membrane in early September
The pool filtration and heating plant are being installed at present; and it is still anticipated that the project will be completed ready for the swimming season in Term 4.
STUDENT SUCCESSES
Congratulations to Carol Khor 13SRT - The Prime Minister’s Future Scientist Prize
Carol has been researching the improvement of drug treatment for skin cancer with the possibility of her research being published this year. She attended an award ceremony in Wellington on 31 May 2022 with her family and Tim Schumacher.
Students achieved notable success in various competitionsincluding the Oxford University Computing Challenge, The Computational and Algorithmic Competition and NZ Physics and Mathematics Competition. Recently we won theYear 11 Calculator Competition for the 5th consecutive yearfighting off competition from St Andrew’s College and St Margaret’s College.
CO-CURRICULAR LIFE
Thank you to all the managers, coaches, tutors, staff, and parents who help make these opportunities available to our students. To highlight a few of the local, regional and national successes:
MUSIC
Big Sing Regional Gala Concert:
At the Town Hall on 10 June, Bel Canto, Aurora Voices and Magna Voce performed. Bel Canto with Naomi Hnat as Director was awarded the University of Canterbury School of Music Trophy for best overall performance of a New Zealand Work. Bel Canto and Aurora Voices also received awards for outstanding contributions from a student accompanist and Aurora Voices was awarded the Best Recital by a Junior Choir.
Congratulations to all students and to Emma Summers, Director of Aurora Voices, Charlotte Ensor (Arts Coordinator), Director of Magna Voce, Naomi Hnat, Director of Bel Canto, and Lois Johnston, Vocal and Choral Coordinator.
Congratulations to Naomi on the selection of Bel Canto for the National Finale, to be held in the Christchurch Town Hall from 26-28 August.
Regional Chamber Music Competition:
Recently 50 groups from across Canterbury and the West Coast competed over 2 days. This included 17 groups from BHS with the Kaleidoscope Quintetbeing selected for the South Island Regional Finals on Saturday 2 July.
The Burnside Brass Quartet won the Woolston Brass Cup for best brass ensemble,Reiss' Pieces won the Jody Keehan award for most promising saxophone group andKhortet won the Adjudicators' Award.
The standard of performance from all groups in the regional final was exceptional. Congratulations to these top musicians and thank you to the tutors: Ms Helen Renaud and Mr Chris Petch, HOD Music, for their outstanding work.
Ara Jazzquest Combos Competition:
Our 5 combos earned 3 Gold and 2 Silver awards, as well as all of the 10 individual awards. A first ever for BHS. Congratulations to their tutors and thanks to Mr Cain Hood and Mr Cameron Oswin for their outstanding work.
Tauranga Jazz Festival:
Our senior jazz combo Chicks for Corea cleaned up at the Tauranga Jazz Festival, an outstanding result from these talented musicians. Feedback from the judges was that they were on a different level to all the other participating schools.
WINTER SPORTS COMPETITIONS
Recent highlights include:
● Cross Country:
Our team of eight competed in the NZ Secondary Schools Championships in early June on a Saturday in Nelson, then most students competed for Canterbury the next day in a regional event, with one senior student receiving a bronze medal. Thank you to Mrs Sandra Pooch for organising and accompanying this team.
● Ashburton Winter Sports Exchange:
Ashburton College travelled to BHS for this exchange on 14 June. 116 Burnside High students in 12 teams participated in seven sports. a further 16 students helped officiate on the day. With a final total of seven wins to four, we retained the trophy for another year.
● Swimming:
Early this term Burnside High School was awarded the cup for Top Co-Educational School at the Canterbury Secondary Schools’ Championships. At the recent South Island Secondary Schools’ Championships in Dunedin, our team of 25 competitors did exceptionally well. They received 128 medals and three trophies – the Top South Island Secondary School (out of 43 schools in attendance), Top Boys Relay School (out of all the single sex and co-ed schools in attendance) and Top Girls Relay School (out of all the single sex and co-ed schools in attendance). Congratulations to these students for their amazing feats and a huge thank you to Mr Bill Boyd and Mrs Rozz Guillemot for their work with these students, including accompanying them to Dunedin.
● Badminton:
At the recent South Island Secondary Schools’ Championships, held in Christchurch, the Burnside HS Boys 1st team won the Gold medal while the Girls team won Bronze. Our Senior Boys team will compete at the NZ Secondary Schools’ tournament in Porirua during Winter Tournament Week in late August/early September. Thank you to Ms Karen Warnock, Mr Murray Paull and Mr Victor Ji who organise and manage these teams.
● Squash:
Congratulations to our Senior Boys team of 3 students who finished 3rd at the recent South Island Secondary Schools’ Championships in Nelson. These boys, plus two others, will compete in Auckland in August at the NZ Secondary Schools Championships. Thank you to the parent managers of this team.
Congratulations to all students who are participating in sport. We wish you well for the local, South Island, and National competitions next term. Thank you to our Sports Coordinators, Mrs Tracy Taylor and Mrs Rozz Guillemot, for their superb organisation; and to all of the coaches and managers of our teams.
REPORTS
Thank you to the many parents who took the opportunity to talk to teachers at the recent online Year 11-13 Parent Teacher Conferences. Your interest and input does make a difference. Together with the Senior Reports, students should have a clear focus for the rest of the academic year.
On 5 August all junior school Fortnightly Grades will include an academic progress summary for each subject; and Year 9 students also receive a report for their Semester One options. Planning is underway for a further round of online Parent Teacher Conferences for junior students. This will occur in Week 3 of Term 3, with more details to follow.
We are really looking forward to returning in Term 3 with all students and staff and students onsite! No matter what is thrown at us, we will deal with it in a positive, constructive fashion; and I can assure you that every effort will be made to recover lost time and teaching opportunities. As the July holidays end, we all know what we must do to continue to keep ourselves, our families, and our communities safe. It is also a time to rest, recharge, and take some time out.
Ka whati te tī, ka wana te tī, ka rito te tī - When ti kōuka is tested by the elements, it builds inner strength, then begins to grow again.
Let’s continue working together to make 2022 a successful year.
Ngā mihi nui
Phil Holstein
Principal