Notices - Friday 21 February 2020
Dear Parents and Caregivers, here are this week's notices:
1. From the Principal
2. NCEA Level 1 Press Release and Consultation
3. MGS Centre for Leadership Development and Influence: Creatives Lab
4. School App
5. Middleton Grange School Parent Teacher Association (MGS-PTA)
6. Can you HELP?
7. Watoto Children's Choir - Tuesday 25th February 7pm
8. Bus 67 Timetable Change
9. Don’t miss possibly the best opportunity you will every have!
10. Uniform Shop Updates
1) From the Principal
Kia ora Parents, Caregivers and Whanau,
This week has been a very difficult week for many staff and pupils at Middleton Grange as we have supported two families grieve and farewell loved ones with the funeral of Adam Bisseker on Monday and the funeral of Mina van der Colff on Thursday. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with these families, and I would like to thank our wider school community for the love and support they have shown during this time. Please continue to uphold these families in your prayers.
On Saturday (tomorrow) we mark the ninth anniversary of the devastating earthquake that significantly changed our lives in Christchurch. This is an important day for us to reflect and look at what has happened subsequently. As a city we have been on an astonishing journey and faced many challenges during this time, and it has brought about an increased sense of resilience in us all. As Christians, it’s important to acknowledge that God is sovereign and in control, even if we don’t always fully understand the ‘why’ of what happens.
Ephesians 1:11
“In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will”.
There are events to commemorate those we lost; and places where the communities can come together to reflect and remember including a public civic service at the Oi Manawa Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial. The service begins at 12.30pm, Saturday 22 February, on the north bank of the Memorial site, on the corner of Montreal Street and Cambridge Terrace in the central city.
Where and when other earthquake commemorations are taking place can be found here.
It has also been a busy time of teaching and learning at Middleton Grange and we hope that your children are settling in well to their new routines and classes for 2020. Thank you to those parents who came in for the various parent evenings over the last two weeks to meet with staff. We truly appreciate your support and partnership in the education of your children.
Please note below some of the highlights from last week:
This week
- Adam
Bisseker funeral on Monday
- Parent
funeral on Thursday
- Parent evenings
concluded
Next week
- Business
Studies / including Young Enterprise Kickstart
- Y9
camps commence
- Watoto
Choir / incl Tuesday evening performance
- CLDI
/ Creatives Lab / Wayne & Libby Huirua
- Y5-13
Swimming sports
Praise / Prayer / Other
- Praise
for school community
- Prayer
for those affected by family loss
- Earthquake
anniversary / 22nd February
I wish you all a relaxing and blessed weekend. We continue to value your prayers and ongoing support for Middleton Grange School.
Blessings
Mike Vannoort
Principal
2) NCEA Level 1 Press Release and Consultation
Kia ora koutou,
The Government has now confirmed the final NCEA change package which will strengthen our national qualification; address over-assessment and fragmented learning; promote culturally responsive teaching and learning; and improve accessibility, the support available to teachers, and the information available to pupils and whānau. See today’s press release from the Ministry.
Work has already begun to progress the changes. Subject expert groups comprised of practising teachers and experts from diverse education settings have been established for current subjects. These groups will be developing the new achievement standards and resources that underpin NCEA. In doing so, they will help us to shape the future of our school-leaving qualification, so that it works for all New Zealanders.
We are also asking all New Zealanders for feedback on a provisional subject list which will support Level 1 to become a broader, foundational qualification that allows pupils to keep their pathway options open, while Levels 2 and 3 promote opportunities for greater specialisation.
Please have your say on the provisional subject list by 20 April 2020 https://consultation.education.govt.nz/ncea/ras-provisional-subject-list.
If you have any questions about this work, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the review committee via ras.review@education.govt.nz.
3) MGS Centre for Leadership Development and Influence: Creatives Lab
Friday 28th February
Middleton Grange’s new Centre for Leadership Development and Influence is hosting Creatives Lab next Friday with guest speakers Wayne and Libby Huirua from Auckland.
The purpose of the day is to engage our creatively talented pupils into thinking Bigger, thinking Kingdom, thinking Influence with their gifts – to create an awareness that their creative talents can afford them a voice in our nation to influence the arts/media/entertainment spheres.
Wayne and Libby were founding members of NZ Parachute Band and have a long list of national and international awards, experience and skill sets in the creative domain. From production, sound, lighting to performance, bands, writing, worship… – They will inspire, bless and equip our pupils with some gold nuggets of wisdom, understanding and knowledge.
Leading Worship Lab With Libby Huirua – Year 9 – 13 Period 4
If your son or daughter is involved in worship in your church or another form of worship team/band and would like to spend Period 4 on Friday with Libby Huirua, please fill out the following form. Numbers are limited and all school work missed is the responsibility of the pupil to catch up on.
4) School App
For those who are unaware, Middleton Grange School has a Mobile App for access by the school community. To download the app click this link http://middletongrange.apps.school.nz/share/
This app allows all our schools communication can be in one spot at one time and you can be connected at all times. It has links to our school calendar, makes it easy for you to notify an absence, has contact details for the people you need to talk to most and links to our newsletter and school website. The app also allows us to send out an Alert really promptly if something is happening at school that you need to know about urgently for example a LOCKDOWN.
This is an amazing app and we encourage parents and pupils to download the app today to stay up to date with what is happening in and around the school. It is important to subscribe to the Alert Subscriptions you wish to see. This is done by clicking on the Menu button in the top left corner and clicking Alert Subscriptions and then subscribing to the groups you would like to receive alerts for. We would suggest that everyone subscribes to the Emergency Alert.
5) Middleton Grange
School Parent Teacher Association (MGS-PTA)
We are hoping to have the Middleton Evening Market again this year, as well as other activities and initiatives to help the school. In order to support this, we will be establishing a Middleton Grange School Parent Teacher Association (PTA) or equivalent parent group and are seeking expressions of interest from parents who might like to attend a meeting to hear more about this and possibly be involved in this organisation. If you are interested could you please contact Hillary Carley via email h.carley@middleton.school.nz to provide us with your contact details and any experience or strengths that you may be able to provide.
We would love to be inundated with offers and expressions of interest for parents to join and establish a PTA or parent community group at Middleton Grange School in 2020. We hope to call a meeting for interested parents this term.
6) Can you HELP?
Here in the Learning Centre at Middleton Grange we work to provide a good support system for our pupils struggling with dyslexia and other learning difficulties by providing Reader/ Writers during their assessments. The Ministry of Education approves this programme and we try our best to provide a Reader/Writer for every child who needs one. It makes a huge difference to their results and their confidence. However, we are currently short of volunteers and urgently need more Reader/Writers to keep up with a growing demand.
If you can help, please contact the Learning Centre by email for more information learningcentre@middleton.school.nz
7) Watoto Children's Choir - Tuesday 25th February 7pm
You're invited to be a part of this vibrant worship experience. The Watoto Children's Choir from Uganda will perform their new album "We will go". The Choir will also perform for our students during the school day. Please see the attached flyer for further information.
We need 1 more family willing to accommodate choir members on the 25th February. Please email Rod Thompson if you can help.
Tickets for the 7pm concert will be available from Student Services from Monday morning onwards on a first-in-first served basis. There is no charge for the tickets, but the reason for issuing them is so that we don’t have too many people wanting to get in to the auditorium. The limit is 300.
As well as the Tuesday night concert if parents wish to come to the daytime concerts they are welcome.
Year 7 & 8: 8.50–9.30am
Year 9 & 10: 9.45–10.30am
Year 1 – 6: 11.10–11.50am
8) Bus 67 Timetable Change
The route 67 school services from Burnham/Rolleston to Upper Riccarton have experienced delay issues since the start of this term due to road works and the increased number of passengers. It is likely that the delay will persist until at least mid-year.
As a result, we have decided to move the departure times in the morning forward by 10 minutes for both 671 and 672. The new timetable will be effective from Monday 24 Feb. The new timetable can be found at the end of the notices.
9) Don’t miss possibly the best opportunity you will every have!
APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN!
Middleton Grange School and Christ’s College are members of Christchurch Educated, and together we have formed a partnership with the Tottori Prefectural Board of Education. This partnership means that in March each year the two Christchurch schools host two pupils from Japanese schools in Tottori, who are the winners of the provincial speech competition. In November/December, two pupils from Middleton Grange School and Christ’s College travel to Japan and spend a week at one of the participating schools in Tottori. The pupil from Middleton will also have the opportunity of visiting some of our other sister schools in Japan. The pupils will be accompanied by a staff member from either Middleton or Christ’s College. For the 2020 trip it will be a staff member from Middleton.
At the end of 2018 Macy Hazelden represented Middleton Grange School in Tottori and some of our other schools. In 2019 Ivan Roentgen spent the time in Japan.
We are calling for any Year 10-13 pupils interested in taking part in this exchange. This is an opportunity that shouldn’t be missed. Applications and more information are available from the International College or email Mrs Steyn - inted@middleton.school.nz.
10) Uniform Shop Updates
Blazers, Middle School Skirts and Primary School Pinafores
The last date for kilt, blazer and pinafore orders was 10 February 2020. Any late orders will now incur a $30 surcharge.
Uniform Shop Hours
Summer Hours - Term 1 and Term 4, Monday, Tuesday 12.30-4.00pm and Thursday 3.00-6.00pm
Winter Hours - Term 2 and Term 3, Monday and Thursday 12.30-4.00pm
The shop is closed during public and school holidays.
Second Hand Intake Day
Second Hand Intake Day Hours, Monday 16 March, 12.30-4.00pm
All clothing must be washed and clean. All blazers and kilts must be dry-cleaned and all garments must be in a good condition. All other details are available on our website.
Please bring a completed intake form with you.
Remember to browse our latest newsletter.
God bless
Middleton Grange School
(03) 348-9826
www.middleton.school.nz
Mission Statement
At Middleton Grange School we are committed to a rigorous learning culture based on an understanding of truth as revealed in the whole counsel of Scripture. We equip pupils with the knowledge and skills to understand their heritage and their place in it; and to critique and engage contemporary society. We work with parents to encourage pupils in their gifts and abilities to serve God and others.