Nau mai haere mai to another update for Tauranga Girls' College

Summer Tournament

The summer tournament got underway this week. We have several teams competing in a range of codes. Student engagement in extracurricular activities is encouraged, and all Year 9’s are expected to be involved in an activity, club, sport, arts or cultural event outside of class time. I look forward to sharing updates via our social media channels throughout the week.

Vaping

As you will be well aware, young people vaping continues to be on the rise. It is unfortunate that vape stores are selling these products to underage students. Students caught vaping will receive consequences but more importantly, it allows us to have a conversation with whānau. We want to nip this in the bud before the nicotine kick becomes a serious addiction and health issue later in life.

https://tgc.nz.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/ecigarettes-and-vaping-nz

Attendance letter in the mail

In addition to checking the parent portal to view your young person's attendance record, the school will be emailing letters to parents to either celebrate attendance or to update you on any concerns we may have if attendance is not regular. Remember, students should attend school every day and be on time. If your young person is ill or needs to be away from school, please inform the school office.

Pastoral Support

All students belong to a vertical whānau group, a house and have a cohort Dean and Deputy Principal to support them. Along with the Careers advisor, Guidance Staff, Learning Hub and the Director of International Students, our students are certainly well cared for. You can email staff directly if you have any questions or concerns. Email details can be found on our website. Please keep in touch with the correct person to alleviate any concerns.

Strike Action Wednesday, 29 March

We apologise for any inconvenience a second strike day will cause parents. This is the second nationwide strike by teachers. Due to the vast majority of our teachers being union members, we cannot keep the school open for instruction for Health and Safety reasons. Instead, the school will be able to supervise a small number of students under the age of 14 who cannot be at home or with friends. No teaching can take place; this is a supervision offer only. See our social media channels for details. Further industrial action has already been indicated beyond this day, but we hope that over the Easter break, if not sooner, the two parties can meet and reach an agreement.

Teacher Only Day Postponed

Our teacher's only day planned for Monday, 24th April (the first day of Term 2) has now been postponed. This will be a typical school day. PD days like these are counted in the number of days the school must be open for instruction.

Phones and social media

Whānau, keep an eye on your young person's social media use. The time they spend on their phone, what social media they support and their engagement with it. There are some disturbing sites, and whilst TikTok is popular amongst this group, not all content is ‘friendly’.

Summer Tournament thanks

Thank you to all those coaches, parent helpers, and supporters of our summer tournament teams. We know how important that engagement is. Exercise supports healthy minds and healthy living and includes social engagement, building resilience and understanding different perspectives, and supporting camaraderie and lifelong friendships.

The Addams Family

Our TGC-led joint production of The Addams Family is nearing its opening night! Tickets have been on sale for a few weeks now. Remember to buy your ticket. It is bound to be another spectacular performance from our talented TGC and TBC students.

Visiting New World

TGC and New World have had a long-standing agreement that during school hours, unless you are in Year 13 and therefore have a study period, students should be in class and not shopping. Shops can be accessed before and after school. New World staff support a learning focus and spending class time shopping, whilst profitable for them, they acknowledge it is not supportive of good learning habits. Therefore, please remember, no visiting shops, including NW, during class time. The only exception is for Year 13 students who are identifiable by their shirts. Thank you, New World, for supporting learning and engagement.

End of Term 1 and the start of Term 2.

Term one ends on Thursday, 5 April (Fri 6 is Good Friday and a public holiday for Easter) at 1.30 pm. Term 2 begins on Monday, 24th April (Tue 25 is ANZAC Day).

Have a fabulous Easter break, everyone. Lastly, our student leaders will represent our school at the dawn ANZAC service and the service at Memorial Park. Join us if you can.

Ka kite ano

Tara Kanji