Upper Hutt College Open Day Tuesday 5 June 2012

Upper Hutt College
May 2012
Dear Parents and Caregivers
Term 1 was a busy term, with two big events on top of the
usual teaching, learning and extra-curricular programmes.
Firstly, the college celebrated its 50th Jubilee over Easter
weekend and a large number of ex-students and teachers gathered to catch up, reminisce and share stories over
three days. A fantastic job was done of collecting and displaying 50 years of memorabilia by Jean and Ivan Bowden
and a wonderful time was had by all.
Secondly, the next major phase of our rebuilding was completed with the new administration block ready for occupation. A blessing ceremony took place before the actual
moving occurred, but we have now moved into the new reception areas, offices and staffroom. When the new student
furniture arrives, we will be moving into the 8 classrooms
and teachers and students are looking forward to that. An
official opening ceremony will take place later in the term.
Construction now shifts to the old administration block, and
this is being refurbished, becoming our new Creative Arts
Centre, housing the Art, Drama, Media Studies and Music
departments. Scheduled for completion at the end of the
year, a new student canteen is part of this area, providing a
focus for students in the ‘heart’ of the school.
And on that ‘heart’ note, a recent fundraising initiative is
worthy of mention. Year 13 student Chelsea Porter organised a number of students and staff to take part in the Heart
Stopper Challenge 2012. Participants spent 5 minutes immersed in ice-cold water to raise money for babies born
with heart conditions. Congratulations to all those hardy
people who took part!
Term 2 is a busy one as senior students start to really focus
on their learning and their assessments. Senior exams at the
start of June are a key time for seniors, and we have again
organised study skills sessions for all Year 11 students. This
year, we are also inviting parents to an evening session to
assist them better help their students with study skills and
techniques.
Finally, winter sports have started and a large number of our
students are involved in at least one winter code. Thanks go
out to all the volunteer coaches, managers, drivers, and supporters for their efforts with our sports teams – we could not
field the number and range of teams that we do without your
support.
Kind regards
Judith Taylor
Principal
Board News
At the April Board meeting, the Board accepted the resignation of Malcolm Frew from the position of Chairperson. He
is standing down because of increasing work commitments.
Malcolm has effectively chaired the Board for 3 years, a time
of great change with the building programme and a high
turnover of Board members. We thank Malcolm for his time
and commitment over this period and are pleased that he
remains a member of the Board.
The new Chairperson is Tanja Wyllie, who has been on the
Board since 2010. Tanja is well experienced with schools
and Boards and we look forward to working with her.
Staffing
We have had several recent changes in staffing:
Willemyn Hoeck, PE teacher, left us to move to Christchurch and has been replaced by Emma Faulding, from
Christchurch.
Jason Jamison, Metalwork, left at the end of last term and is
being replaced by Mike Quill and Robert Bryan.
Peter Versey, who used to be a full-time teacher here and
has more recently been a valued reliever, moved on to
Nelson.
Upper Hutt College is a community, passionate about learning
that encourages pride, participation and excellence.
Moonshine Road, Upper Hutt. Phone 04 527 8749, Fax 04 528 2491, www.upperhutt.school.nz
New
Board
Room
located in
the new
Admin
Block.
Congratulations
Toby Pringle has been selected
as part of a group of 20 secondary
school musicians, to attend an International Festival of Culture and
Arts in China. Toby had to audition
in Wellington, playing his cornet, and
was selected from around 150 other
musicians. Toby will leave at the end
of July to rehearse with the other 19
in Auckland for 4 days. He will then
leave for China, spending 12 days in
and around Bejing and Tianjin. The
festival will include performing groups
of young people from all around the
world.
Japanese Language Students
On March 8 Japanese 101 students from Upper Hutt, Heretaunga, Rathkeale and Solway Colleges joined together to
visit the Featherston Heritage Museum and record their first
conversation for their NCEA portfolios.
Initially the students queried the relevance of a Japanese
trip to Featherston and were surprised to hear of the existence of a POW camp housing over 800 Japanese prisoners
there during World War 2. The camp was in fact New Zealand’s only POW camp. Phil and Joe Dittmer of Featherston
spoke to the students about some of the key events that
happened at the camp as well as showing them the photos
and artefacts on display at the museum.
After visiting the museum we went to the memorial garden to
have lunch, record conversations and play some traditional
Japanese games. To end the day we each folded a paper
crane in memory of the victims of last years devastating
earthquake and tsunami.
Jack Patrick won gold and the Oceania Championship title in the Junior
International Mens Figure Skating
Championships.
Grace Cooper has been selected to compete
for New Zealand in the Oceania Artistic Roller
Skating competition held in April. Grace
was placed 7th in the Youth International
Solo Dance and 2nd (as part of the mini
precision team, Koru Toa) in International
Mini Precision.
Rochelle Plows won the Claybird shooting
championships held in Martinborough in
April.
Lana Comerford came 2nd in the J16
Wellingtons 250m Waka Ama Championship.
Eduan Struwig set a new Hutt Valley shotput
record of 15.69 metres.
The Upper Hutt College girls competed in the Hutt Valley
Athletics meet and won the Brabin Shield for the third year
running. They collected the most points while competing
against 7 other schools.
Pink T-Shirt Day 2012
On the 1st March Upper Hutt College celebrated our second Pink T-Shirt Day. Pink T-Shirt Day originates from a
Canadian school where students were bullied for wearing
pink t-shirts. The next day the whole school rallied together
wearing pink t-shirts.
At Upper Hutt College we have zero tolerance of bullying
tolerance and in support of Pink T-Shirt day, our Year 13’s
donned pink and brought a Year 9 buddy to have a shared
lunch in the library.
There were prizes for the best effort by a Year 13 to dress
in pink with Etienne De Haan and Aidan Flemmer looking
the best.
Ms Tustin and Ms Cribb, the Guidance Counsellors, went
through what to do if you are being bullied or if you see any
bullying, and congratulated us all on our efforts so far.
Pink T-Shirt day was a huge success and a big thank you
to all our amazing Year 9 and Year 13 students, Mrs Bloomfield, the Librarian, Ms Tustin and Ms Cribb.
Sport
Wellington Regional Touch Tournament
Winter Sport Summary
To date we have the following sports taking place at UHC
this winter:
Rugby-7 teams, Football-5 teams, Badminton-14 teams,
Netball-13 teams, Hockey-3 teams, Basketball-5 teams
In addition to these we have Fencing, Sport Aerobics, Self
Defence, and Table Tennis all happening throughout the
winter.
Heretaunga Exchange
This annual winter exchange is set to take place on
Wednesday 23 May hosted by UHC. A full range of sports
will take place throughout the day.
Volleyball Nationals
Our senior girls took part in this event in Palmerston North in
early April along with 150 other teams.
Australian Rugby Visit
We recently hosted Rockhampton Grammar School’s 1st
XV during the term 1 holidays and enjoyed a great postmatch function with them. We lost a close and hard fought
match against the Aussies in this instance.
Silverstream Basketball Tournament
Our Senior Boys took part in this pre-season tournament
recently finishing fourth playing against top basketball
schools like HVHS and St Pats Town.
Sport Aerobics
Like dancing? Like fitness? Like music? This could be for
you. Every Wednesday after school in the River Gym.
Self Defence (Combat Hapkido)
Come and check out this activity and learn some valuable
life-long skills! Friday after school in the River Gym.
Table Tennis
This takes place every Tuesday and Thursday at lunch time
as well as Monday after school where a 6 week inter-school
competition is soon to start. The Wellington table tennis
coach is coming along every Monday to hand out some
playing tips.
Housepoints Update
1st place HILLARY - 90 pts
2nd place BLAKE - 70 pts
3rd place JACKSON- 70 pts
4th place TE KANAWA- 50 pts
Brad Marshall
Sports Coordinator
Rugby Coaches Needed
Rugby Coaches needed: We require a rugby coach for the
U14 rugby open team. Any parents who can help please
contact the Rugby Convenor:
Paul Fairfield - [email protected]
On Tuesday 13 March Upper Hutt sent
a mixed team to compete in the Wellington Regional Touch Tournament.
This team consisted of 14 players from
all year levels. The team had two aims
for the day. One was to make the final,
which meant qualifying for the Secondary School Lower North Island Tournament. The other was winning the tournament. The mixed section consisted
of 2 groups of 4 teams, with the top 2 in
each group going forward to the semifinals. The team went through pool play
undefeated beating Mana College and Kapiti College while
drawing with Paraparaumu College. Due to an inferior points
differential the team qualified second in the group and were
drawn to play Wainuiomata College in the semi-final. The
game was extremely close throughout and at fulltime the
scores were level at 3 all. However, after extra time, the team
succeeded in making the final, thanks to a Mitchell Poole try.
In the final the team was matched again against Paraparaumu College. This was another very close game with the team
overcoming a half time deficit to force the game into extra
time. After a great effort from all the team Upper Hutt ended
up victorious winning the final 5 – 3. This was a fantastic
achievement from the team and they now have high hopes
of qualifying for the Nationals later in the year.
The Lower North Island Tournament was held on Sunday 25
March. The team placed 4th overall in the mixed section of
the tournament. They won their first 2 pool games beating
Flaxmere in the first game but lost to Feilding in their last
game. Despite coming 4th they have been granted a wildcard to the nationals. These will be held in Hamilton in December. It would be unfair to single out individual players as
it was a real team effort. All the players should be extremely
proud of the effort they put into training and the games.
Heartstopper Challenge 2012
On Saturday the 28 of April, 45 Upper Hutt College students
and teachers bravely travelled into Wellington to take part
in a charity event called the Heartstopper. The Heartstopper is run annually by @Heart (formerly Heart Children), in
which the participants jump into an icy cold spa pool for 5
minutes to raise money for young children and infants with
heart conditions. UHC made up ten teams in the event and
our presence contributed hugely to the day. All participants
targeted to raise $100 each and were all very brave to turn
out on the day! We thank you very much for your dedication!
Well Done!
Te Aromatawai
Nau mai, Piki mai
Piki mai koutou nga whiti tua
Piki mai koutou whiti mai
Piki mai nga poutokomanawa o nga
Whare Maire
Kia ora koutou katoa, me nga mihi nui i
te timatanga o te tau hou nei.
Welcome to the “Te Aromatawai” Maori
section of the Newsletter where we will
keep whanau informed of great happenings in the school.
Personal Profile:
Tamara Donnelly: Head Girl 2012
What schools did you attend?
Silverstream School, Fergusson
Intermediate, Upper Hutt College.
Name any special projects and achievements?
Representative Netball
Best Friends and why?
Ashley Clark, because I can tell her anything and just be myself.
What makes you stand out from others?
A.
I think my personality combined with my height, it kind of makes me hard to miss.
Q.
Favourite place to be?
A.
In my bedroom, snuggled up with a good book or watching a movie with my best friend!
Q.
Special awards or recognition significant to you apart from Head Girl 2012?
A.
Leadership roles have always followed me I guess. In Year 10 I got the Te Kanawa House Cup and The Contribution to College Life Cup.
Q.
What are your future plans?
A.
Go to university to study English and Drama.
Q.
Any advice for other students wanting to achieve?
A.
Just make sure that you think of yourself as a role model otherwise people won’t respect/look up to you.
Q.
A.
Q.
A.
Q.
A.
Q.
Tips for encouraging your child’s learning.....
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Take an active interest in your child’s school activities
Read, or do a learning activity with your child
Praise and encourage your child’s efforts in the right direction.
Set up reward programmes for doing the small steps it takes to learn something new or difficult.
Be enthusiastic about your child’s school projects
Start with easy learning activities and gradually increase the challenge as your child seems ready.
Be realistic about your expectations - follow your child’s lead in terms of what he/she is developmentally ready
for.
Focus on your child’s strengths not his/her weaknesses.
Share something that was hard for you to learn.
Project a positive image of your child’s ability in the
future.
Requirements for
Achieving NCEA –
what does your
child need?
NCEA Level One Certificate
Students need to gain 80 credits at Level 1. Of those 80 credits, students will need to have gained 10 credits in literacy
and 10 credits in numeracy. Literacy and numeracy can be
gained from a number of different subject areas, not just English and Mathematics
NCEA Level Two Certificate
Students need to gain 80 credits. Of those 80 credits, 60 must
be at Level 2 or above (students may use 20 credits from
their Level 1 Certificate to fulfil the requirement for Level 2).
NCEA Level Three Certificate
Students need to gain 80 credits. Of those 80 credits, 60 must
be at Level 3 or above (students may use 20 credits from
their Level 2 Certificate to fulfil the requirement for Level 3).
Endorsements
Students may gain Certificates with either a Merit or Excellence endorsement or a course endorsement.
•
Merit: at least 50 merit or excellence credits
•
Excellence: at least 50 excellence credits
Course Endorsement
When a student gains 14 credits or more in one subject (at
least 3 must be external and 3 must be internal) they will gain
a merit or excellence course endorsement.
Gaining credits at the Merit and Excellence level of achievement is now an advantage when applying for most New Zealand universities and some are offering monetary rewards for
endorsements.
University Entrance Requirements
Current University Entrance requires:
•
42 level 3 credits in approved subjects
•
8 level 2 literacy credits
•
14 credits in Mathematics level 1 or higher
For students studying NCEA Level 1 in 2012 the new university entrance requirements will apply. These students will
need to do ALL of the following to be awarded UE:
•
•
•
•
attain NCEA Level 3
achieve 14 credits at level three in each of three sub
jects from the list of approved subjects.
achieve UE numeracy - 10 credits at Level 1 and above from specific achievement standards, or three specific numeracy unit standards
achieve UE literacy - 10 credits (five in reading and
five in writing) at Level 2 and above from specific standards.
If you have any further queries about NCEA the following
website is very useful www.nzqa.govt.nz
“Dream come true”
Dragonboating
The reception was held on Tuesday 20 March at the Parliament offices in Wellington. The evening was a huge success
and to quote Matthew "It was a dream come true to meet my
idols".
The Force had 3 races, winning their first one in a time of
1min 24 sec, over the 250m course. They placed second in
their second race and 2nd in their 3rd race. All bodes well
for both teams to be successfull at the Wellington championship.
Matt Reynecke, captain of Upper Hutt College's 1st XI cricket
team, received a special invitation from the Prime Minister's
office to meet the New Zealand Blackcaps and South African
cricket teams.
Matthew has been playing cricket for 8 years and was part
of the Upper Hutt representative team. He has been part of
the Upper Hutt College's cricket team for Year 9 and Year 10,
on occasion as the team's captain. According to his coach,
Darren Horton, at 14 years of age, Matthew is the youngest
captain of a college 1st XI team.
On Saturday 25 February the 'Force' dragonboat team competed in the annual fun day. This gives crews the chance to
get a feel for racing, prior to the actual race day on Sunday
18 March.
In the Wellington championship, held on Sunday 18 March,
the Storm placed 2nd in the mixed A grade final, and the
Force placed 3rd in the mixed A grade final.
Both teams made the top final and just missed out to Heretaunga’s top team.
Matthew with Prime Minister John Key
Hohepa - NZ Opera Workshop.
with Jean-Paul Duminy (South African Cricketer)
with Ross Taylor (New Zealand Cricket Captain)
On Sunday 4 March, UHC Year 13 student, Grant LeiluaToilolo, spent the day at a singing workshop run by The New
Zealand Opera. The workshop was put on in conjunction
with a new production being performed by The New Zealand
Operatic Society entitled Hohepa, and members of the cast
were enlisted as tutors for the day.
“It was awesome” says Grant. “There were about 12 of us
from different schools around Wellington. It was a really
good experience to see how professional singers work and
to get tips from them about how we can improve as singers
and performers. We got to work as a big group with them,
we learnt a lot.”
A week later, Grant and others from UHC were also able to
see the tutors in action at a rehearsal performance of Hohepa that was put on before the production started its official
run for the season.
(Hohepa tells the story of the friendship between Maori chief
Hohepa Te Umuroa, who was imprisoned for defending his
people, and a Pakeha settler).
By Mike Jensen
Fencing
Fencing results for the New Zealand U15 and Cadet U17
Championships, held in Dunedin over 2 days from April
13. The team consisted of 7 fencers, (Fabian Erdmann,
Stephanie Alexander, Nicole Martin, Rachel Mercer, Andy
McCombs, Alexander Thomas and Michael Parr).
Womens U17 Epee
2nd Stephanie Alexander, 3rd Nicole Martin
French Picnic
Year 10 French took advantage of a sunny Wednesday afternoon to have a pique nique à la rivière by the Moonshine
Bridge.
The learning focus was following directions in French on
how to get there. For homework they labelled the picnic
foods into French using languageperfect.co.nz.
On s’est bien amusé
Womens U17 Foil
2nd Stephanie Alexander, 3rd Rachel Mercer
Mixed U17 Sabre
1st and National U17 Champion Alexander Thomas
2nd Andy McCombs, 3rd Michael Parr, 5th Rachel Mercer
Mens U17 Foil
3rd Fabian Erdmann, 8th Alexander Thomas, 13th Michael
Parr, 20th Andy McCombs
Mens U17 Epee
1st and National U17 Champion Alexander Thomas
Cupcake Day
On May 4 2012 Upper Hutt College hosted its first annual
Cupcake Day in support of the SPCA. Over 25 entrants
tried their luck at making animal themed cupcakes, spending hours on mini mammal masterpieces. From barnyards to
jungles, giraffes to gorillas, the judges had their work cut out
for them. Kate Neighbours, Hazel Smith, Jason Lockwood
and Mrs Young took out first place in their respective categories. The school also held an animal themed mufti day which
saw Michael Badart win Best Dressed as a parrot! Prizes for
the cutest pets and
an animal themed
performance
from
Awhina topped off
the day. $1000 was
raised for the SPCA.
A huge thank you to
all who participated.
We hope to see you
next year!
Entertainment Books
Fencing Results for the Wellington Central U15 and U17
Championship, held on 5 - 6 May,
U17s Foil
1 Fabian Erdmann (U17s Champion), 2 Alex Thomas,
3= Steph Alexander, 8 Michael Parr, 9 Nicole Martin
U15s Foil
7 Taine Macnee, 10 Jason Lockwood, 11 Kevin Askew
12 Amy Wilson, 13 Hazel Lockwood, 16 Reed Browne
17 Tiffany Tsang
Epee
2 Fabian Erdmann, 3= Steph Alexander, 3= Alex Thomas
7 Nicole Martin, 10 Amy Wilson
Sabre
1 Alex Thomas (U17s Champion), 3= Andy McCombs
3= Nick Stevens (U15s Champion), 6 Thomas Loftus
Discover the best deal of all! Choose what you want to do
and when you want to do it with hundreds of valuable offers.
If you would like to purchase an entertainment book please
contact Don Hancox ph 527 8749 or hancoxd@upperhutt.
school.nz.
Dates to Remember
15-18 May
23 May
23 May
4 June
5 June
6 - 8 June
11-15 June
13 June
19 June
26 June 26 June
26-29 June
29 June
Year 12 Drama Production -”Too Much Punch for Judy”
UHC & Heretaunga Annual Exchange
Study Skills Evening for Parents
Queens Birthday
Year 8 Open Day
Exams - Senior Assessment Week
Fashion Week in Library
Open Evening
Market Day
Year 12 Careers Expo
Japanese Trip Departs
Year 13 Drama Production - “Macbeth”
End of Term 2
Upper Hutt College Open Day
Tuesday 5 June 2012
An Open Day for all 2013 Year 9 students will be held on this date. Information will be sent to interested and prospective students via their present schools in the next few weeks.
Upper Hutt College Open Evening
Wednesday 13 June 2012
We invite 2012 Year 9 students and their parents, caregivers and whanau to our Open Evening.
Starting at 6.15pm, the evening will provide information on the school, subjects for Year 9 and
include a tour of the new classrooms and Sports Centre.
Upper Hutt College operates an enrolment scheme and we welcome enrolments from all students in and out of the enrolment zone. Please be aware that the deadline for enrolments is 30
July 2012 and out of zone enrolments MUST be received by that date.
For further information, please contact the college.
Study Skills Seminars for Parents –
How you can support your child in their learning.
As part of our focus on raising student achievement, all
Year 11 students will participate in a programme designed
to develop students’ study skills and motivate them to work
to their full potential. Students will be shown some of the
skills they require to become independent, self-regulated
learners. These skills are essential for NCEA assessment
preparation and studying for tests and exams. This 1-2 hour
seminar will be facilitated by Stuart Wright, who has worked
in education for 25 years and is
highly regarded nationally for the
workshops he presents.
Although there will be a cost for
students, Stuart will present a
one hour seminar for parents on
Wednesday 23rd May at 7pm,
in the College Library. This
seminar will be open to parents
of children at any level not just
Year 11.
Year 12 Drama Production
Too Much Punch
for Judy
When:
Tuesday 15 May, Wednesday 16 May,
Thursday 17 May, Friday 18 May
Where:
Fergusson Intermediate Hall
Time: 7.00pm
Tickets:
$10 from the School Office or at the door.
Library Student Book Reviews
Elaine Tsang 10H-LL Book Review:
Erebos by Ursula Poznanski
Erebos is a German novel written by Ursula Poznanski, with a translation by Judith Pattinson, being first
published in 2010, with the translation in 2012. It is a contemporary thriller based in London, and has
proved to be a highly addictive and unputdownable book. The story starts off when the protagonist, high
schooler Nick Dunmore, receives a game called Erebos. The game is like nothing he has ever seen before, as it requires him to do real life events in order to get further into the game. Nick easily gets absorbed
into doing nothing else but playing the game. Doing the events at first seems trivial, but as they get more
precise, and more dangerous, even Nick starts to wonder… What is the true purpose of Erebos? And is
there a possibility that it is alive?
The novel is very imaginative and pulls some ideas together that aren’t usually seen in novels, which is
probably why this novel was awarded the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis (the German Youth Literature
Prize). There are a few discrepancies in the novel, but since this novel isn’t perfect it isn’t too much of a downfall. This book
is full of suspense, surprise and lots of action in-between. I would definitely recommend this book.
Tiffany Tsang 10H-EF Book Review:
Legend by Marie Lu
Legend is Marie Lu’s debut novel, written in 2011 and is the first in a series. It’s a pretty enjoyable read,
for those who like dystopian settings where the authorities have essentially messed up the world and the
younger generation is left to clean up the mess. The book is relatively fast-paced, so those who enjoy action
scenes that could come straight out of a movie will like this.
The setting is America, the future. The government has long been replaced by a Republic and it is constantly
in war with their neighbours, the colonies. Day, a notorious criminal, has been falsely accused of murdering
Metias Iparis, a Republican soldier, so he has to stay on the run from his prosecutors – and worse, Metias’s
sister June, who’s dying to get her revenge. Of course, he knows he didn’t do it, so what reason could there
be to falsely charge him with murder? Later on, June is shocked to find irrefutable proof that there is some
kind of government conspiracy that is linked to Day’s false prosecution. Now she must find a way to set him free and stop the
Republic before they execute their master plan.
Overall, Legend is a pretty good action/adventure novel that I think people should read, but not so good that I’m dying to get
everyone in on it. Marie Lu has created an interesting story that, with time, will hopefully improve up to the standards of the
‘greatest’ young adult dystopian novels.
Georgiarose Wells 9T-CB Book Reviews
Skinned by Robin Wasserman
Lia Khan had a perfect life. She was beautiful, smart and popular until she died and came back to life in a
mechanical machine that appears human. As she tries to fit back into her normal life she is cut off from her
friends, her sister hates her and her boyfriend betrays her. Lia’s mechanical body can never feel pain or
temperature. She will never age and she will die in a dark death filled futuristic world. This is a sad,
gripping story with characters that you will get angry, happy and anxious alongside.
The Mortal Instruments; City Of Bones by Cassandra Clare
When fifteen year old Clary Fray witnesses a suspicious murder in a nightclub she soon finds out that only
she can see these mysterious teenagers covered in tattoos. She gets sucked into a world of werewolves,
vampires, fairies and warlocks where shadow hunters watch over. When she finds out she is one of them
her world gets turned upside down. If you are into an intriguing world of magic, love and drama then this is
the book for you. There are four more gut wrenching books to follow in this amazing series.
Tayla Andrew 9B-RY & Jayde Aiono 9H-LL, Book Review
Fruits Basket
Fruits Basket, is a comical romance yet full of a suprising amount of angst. This tale is based around the
"Chinese Zodiacs" where the years are represented by an animal who each have a human host. The story
starts with the three main characters; Tohru (girl), Yuki (guy) and Kyo (guy). Tohru's mother has recently
passed on, and now she is made to stay with her elderly grandfather; however the grandfather has to do
some renovations to his home, leaving Tohru stuck with no place to stay.
Now camping out in a private residence, she stumbles across the owner's house and who is occupying said
house? Yuki Sohma, the prince of her high school, is staying with his relative, Shigure Sohma. They soon
find out about her situation (which Shigure finds extremely comical) and convince her to stay with them...
Volume One Fruits Basket really gets you hooked onto the series. Don't be put off by the silly name (like I
was) or you'll soon regret it as your willing friends get ahead of you!