Nga mihi nui kia koutou katoa. Welcome to the Westland High School October newsletter.

Kia ora koutou e te whanau,

Wow term 4 is now into its third week with our seniors heading off for study leave and NCEA from the 6th November. Planning for next year is well underway with our Year 7 and 8 classroom renovations starting to take shape, Evan Jones Builders are doing a sterling job with this wonderful resource for your students and puts us ahead of the game for education on the West coast. We have now advertised for additional staff due to an increase in enrolments which bodes well for the future of the school.

Student Achievement
At the end of term three, our year 7 to 10 students had been undergoing further academic testing. The purpose of the testing is to look at the next steps for learning and also to gain an understanding of how successful our revised teaching programmes have been and how much progress each student has made during the year, particularly in Mathematics and Reading comprehension. Writing is being tested next week.

The results of our testing have shown considerable progress for most students between term 1 to term 3. In most instances students have made at least a years progress by the end of term three, credit must be given to the staff and the students who have worked particualry hard this year as we continue to refine and extend our students.

Solid progress made by our students bodes well for their ongoing education and progress as they get older and move toward NCEA.

NCEA internal achievement and unit standards also show a significant increase in students success toward NCEA level 1, 2 and 3.

Friends of Westland High School
A big thanks to all our school supporters, the staff thoroughly enjoyed your company at the Friends and supporters of Westland High School morning tea held last Wednesday, thank you again for all the help and support you have given to Westland High School, staff and students over the last year it is greatly appreciated.

Student Awards
Our last assembly saw the first of the Manaakitanga badges awarded to students, this is part of a reward and recognition system being introduced school-wide, students will receive badges if they have met particular conditions, some awards are for living and demonstrating the school’s values, others for sporting and academic achievement. The awards to come next are the Tuakana, Performing Arts, Kapa Haka, Music and Academic badges, more details to follow. A further range of awards will be announced available in 2020.

International
During the last school holidays, a contingent from Westland High School traveled to Vietnam to take in a cultural experience, new food, people, and engage with a world very different from our own. Mr Wickett teacher of History and Tourism organised the trip which was highly successful. The next international trip will be in 2020 with a large contingent travelling to Italy for both rugby and classics classes. Fundraising is well underway, so if you can support the trip in any way please do make contact with Mr Mike Waller, trip leader.

NCEA
It is now crunch time for our senior students as NCEA looms, with external examinations commencing on the 7th of November and senior students taking leave the day prior.

Parents, please continue to support and encourage your children / young adults to remain focused as they move into exam mode, this can be a stressful time and your support and encouragement will assist tremendously as they prepare for their exams.

The schools last day is on Wednesday 11th December, we will be celebrating prior with our Senior, junior and middle school at our prizegivings including a special year 13 leavers supper (see calendar dates for these events).

One of the great privileges of working in schools is that we get to share in the success of our students. Although it is lovely to see the ‘outstanding’ achievement in sports, culture and academia, it is the ‘everyday’ success that provides us with the most satisfaction. Be it the student who finally is able to stand up and deliver that speech they were initially too filled with anxiety to do; or getting their best mark yet in a test; or finally nailing a three-pointer.

"Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts."

Winston S. Churchill

Ngā mihi nui
Iain Murray
Principal