Newsletter - Epsom Girls Grammar School
Transcription
Newsletter - Epsom Girls Grammar School
Newsletter September 2015 To the Epsom Girls Grammar School Community INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Dear Parents and whanau BOT news 2 This week I have informed the Board that I would like to retire from the Principal position at OGA news 2 the end of this year. This has not been an easy decision but I knew that if I did not intend to General news stay until the Centenary in 2017, I had to give enough time for a new person to be appointed and to know the school before the celebrations. 3-5 6 Arts & Cultural news 6-8 Sports news Next year we shall have a number of changes on the Board of Trustees as people who have served for many years leave because their daughters have graduated from the school. The new Board elected in May/June will not be experienced enough to appoint a new Principal straight away. For this reason I have decided that I shall aim to finish at the end of this year. EGGS Foundation Office 11-14 Raye Freedman Arts Centre 15 Important Dates & Notices 17 This means that the present experienced Board can make the appointment and guide the new person for the beginning of 2016 before they leave in June. When I was appointed to the position of Principal in 2008, I promised that I would stay three to five years. I have now been here three plus five years and feel that the school is in a strong position for a new person to take over. The academic results are the highest they have been, we have a second five year ERO review and a strategic plan leading to 2018. I am proud of what has been achieved in that time and would now like a little more time for myself and my family. Leading such a large school is very timeconsuming! I thank all parents and whanau for your confidence in and support for me over the past Madeline Gunn with Prime Minister John Key and Paul Goldsmith on a recent visit to the school. eight years and look forward to seeing you all again next term before I leave. Be assured that all will continue as normal next term and there will be a strong Board and Senior Leadership Team to guide a new person in 2016. Madeline Gunn - Principal From the Board of Trustees The Board has been advised by the Principal, Mrs Madeline Gunn that she wishes to step down from the role as the Principal of Epsom Girls Grammar School at the end of this school year. Whilst the Board do not wish Mrs Gunn to step down we respect her reasons that she feels that it is an appropriate time for herself and the school. Mrs Gunn is an exemplary Principal who has fulfilled the many roles required of a Principal conscientiously and with distinction. She has been instrumental in raising the student achievement standards of students at EGGS. She has introduced new initiatives such as e-learning to improve teaching and learning and championing achievement improvements for EGGS Maori and Pasifika students. Mrs Gunn has brought to fruition the Joyce Fisher Sports Centre to improve the amenities of the school. She has been a tireless supporter of the school’s many extracurricular activities; in the audience and on the side-lines. She has been a leader of leaders within the school delegating to and encouraging and supporting the development of staff. Deputy Principals that Mrs Gunn has appointed have continued their career progression and been further promoted as Associate Principals and Principals of other schools. Mrs Gunn has been a fine ambassador for the school in the wider community, representing the school with resolve, reason and intelligence. She has always provided sage advice to the Board of Trustees and often given more than could be expected or required of her in terms of contributions to the BOT and its various sub-committees. As the Board Chair I have really appreciated such a competent and supportive Principal as our Chief Executive Officer. Mrs Gunn has not advised us if she has anything planned after EGGS, apart from a well-earned break, but I am sure many in the education sector will be seeking her advice as they should. The Board have appointed Dr Kay Hawk from “The Education Group Limited” to assist the Board in the search for the new Principal. Once again although we are saddened that Mrs Gunn has chosen to end her tenure we wholeheartedly thank her for her considerable contribution to Epsom Girls Grammar School over the years and wish her the very best for her future endeavours. Dr Gerald Young - Chair Board of Trustees Exciting Employment Opportunity We are looking for an Accounts Manager to lead a small team in our Finance Department. This is a part-time position 9 - 3pm with most school holidays off. We are seeking someone who has: • accounts experience and appropriate qualifications • good communication skills • a willingness to be involved in professional learning. Please contact Fiona Merritt, Business Manager for further details. Email [email protected] Application forms are on the school website. Closing date is Friday 16 October. STOP PRESS Please note that there will be a Paid Union Meeting on Thursday 15 October and the school will be closed for instruction from 12.25pm. Supervision will be provided at school for those unable to leave after period 3. The school apologises for this disruption, but as you will appreciate we have no control over the timing of this meeting. 2 OLD GIRLS ASSOCIATION Scriptor Series 4 - An evening with Diane Foreman On September 2 the OGA completed its 2015 Scriptor Series. Diane Foreman spoke about her latest book ‘In The Arena’, where she maps her meteoric rise from single mother to creating a successful multi-million-dollar export company. The OGA has been delighted to join forces with Paper Plus and The Raye Freedman Arts Centre to present four evenings with inspirational women authors. We would like to thank the Epsom Girls’ community for the support you have given us to make the inaugural Scriptor Series the success it has been. Graduation Dinner Planning is underway for the 2015 Graduation Dinner for the current Year 13 students on Thursday, 3 December. Tickets will be available in the first week of Term Four, so don’t miss out on attending this popular function. Left to right: Sally Blyth (Co-President OGA), Donna Corse-Scott (OGA Committee), Kathryn Seagrave (Co-President OGA), Diane Foreman, Lynley Sheweiry (PTA Chairperson & BOT Parent rep), Dr Gerald Young (Chair, BOT) Graduation rings will be on display at the beginning of Term Four. All details for purchasing tickets and rings will be given to Year 13 students this week. We hope that all staff and pupils have a safe and well earned break over the holidays. Per Angusta Ad Augusta Kathryn Seagrave & Sally Blyth, Co-Presidents - EGGS Old Girls Association GENERAL NEWS NCEA Notices • NCEA Fees - these are now payable directly to NZQA. They need to be paid before 1 December. • Year 13 students’ study leave begins on the morning of Friday 30 October after their final assembly. • Year 11 and 12 students will have their last school day for the year on Tuesday 3 November and will leave the School at the normal time of 3.15pm. They will then be on study leave. News Tertiary Scholarships We are delighted to see so many students gaining scholarships to attend university. It is a real credit to the calibre of the candidates, as scholarship criteria include high academic achievement, participation in co-curricular and service activities and leadership experience. This ‘whole person’ view is something that we value at Epsom Girls Grammar School and it is heartening to see it reflected in the selection process for scholarships which provide such valuable help with fees and resources for tertiary study for our leavers. Strong NCEA results in Year 12 provide a student with the basis of the academic part of scholarship applications, with some applications also requiring current Year 13 final and preliminary assessment grades. 3 Looking Ahead NCEA Examinations 2015: NCEA Levels 1, 2 & 3 Monday 9 November – Friday 4 December Scholarship Friday 6 November – Friday 4 December For a 2015 NZQA Examination Timetable go to: http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/assets/qualifications-and-standards/qualifications/ncea/exam-timetable-2015.pdf Preparation for the external examinations Over the holidays students should make sure that they have some time that is down time, when they have a complete break from schoolwork and study. We also suggest that they set aside a portion of time to start a steady programme of preparation for the external examinations which start in November. Revision Things that may help: • Study sessions should focus on one part of a topic within a subject – eg: English Hamlet character change. This provides a clear focus, rather than a wide ranging idea to study ‘English’. • Study sessions should be 40 – 50 minutes long. • Three sessions in a morning could be broken up with short (maximum 5 minute) breaks between. • Cellphones should be off while studying – giving them to someone else in the household to look after can help if your • The internet can be a source of real help when studying – students just need to watch that they are being honest with daughter struggles with this. They can then text and phone after having achieved something. themselves about what is helpful and what is distraction. • Varying what they do is important. The brain likes novelty and lots of endings and new beginnings. Simply reading notes is not very productive – doing something active with material – eg: making up a quiz to answer later; writing some jeopardy type answers that they will later make the questions for; making up a mnemonic or a rhyme of NZ’s best song! Telling the dog or cat all about a topic works well - if they can talk about it, they know it. Drawing a process; mindmapping; adding corny sketches to summaries; constantly working to reduce the amount written down to summarise a topic and using easy to remember initial letter prompts are also effective methods for studying. Each student in Years 11, 12 and 13 has been given material on Successful Study and a number of resources are available on Elearn to help them with the month of preparation before the examinations begin in mid-November. Parent Teacher Association Firstly, I would like to thank the wonderful families that have donated to the PTA this year. It has enabled the purchase of a new barbeque and trestle tables that many of our girls sporting and community groups use throughout the year for their own fundraising, contributed to the Year 13 Graduation Dinner once again and continued the support of scholarships for our high achieving girls. This would not have been possible without your help. A big thank you to our PTA committee members and helpers that kindly provided such beautiful nibbles for the Little Art Show held in the RFAC. The perfect amount and variety were provided. Our next meeting on Wednesday 28th October at 7.30pm in the staff room, will feature a presentation from our Science Department and students, outlining all the wonderful opportunities and experiences that are available. If you are unable to attend, then join our list of helpers by email as we really appreciate if parents can either give hands on help or make a salad or slice for upcoming events. A useful tool for connecting with our school community is the PTA Facebook page. Please search: Epsom Girls Grammar PTA and “Like” the page so you can easily access the latest news, photos, minutes and meeting times. Lynley Sheweiry, PTA Chairperson [email protected] or [email protected] 4 5 ARTS & CULTURAL NEWS Eden Young Artist Awards Evelyn Tautakitaki winner of this year’s Eden Young Artists Award The Eden Young Artist awards were held on Saturday 5th September at the Mt Eden Village Centre, Mt Eden. The judges this year were Mt Eden Artists Claudia Pond and Peter Lange. Year 13 student Evelyn Tautakitaki was the competition’s overall winner, taking home $3000, Stella Burns and Sally Hong won highly commended placings taking home $1000. Albertine Lello a Year 13 student last year also won highly commended. Congratulations! SPORTS NEWS Ultimate Frisbee During the second term this year, Ultimate Frisbee moved indoors where Epsom combined with Auckland Boys Grammar to make four mixed teams to compete in the AKSS Central Indoor league. After playing two games every week our A team won the Central Zone taking them through to the Inter-Zone finals where they beat both Avondale and Green Bay High Schools placing them 1st in Auckland. The second EGGS/AGS team placed 2nd in the Zone and went on to come 3rd in the Inter-Zone beating Green Bay by just one point in a nail-biting semi-final. Our third team also did extremely well however they just missed out on a chance to play in the Inter-Zone finals as they placed 3rd in the Central Zone. Our final team placed 18th however the Epsom girls in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th teams only started playing Frisbee this year so their placements were an amazing effort. In Term 3 the AKSS Central Girls’ Indoor league began which Epsom entered three teams into. Our top team maintained its undefeated run and won the Central Zone. They are going on to play in the Inter-zone finals against Avondale next week. This same team also won the Best Team Spirit which is a very prestigious prize in Ultimate. The other two teams have also been playing very well especially as some of the girls only played their first game of Frisbee this term. I would also like to mention that the following five girls from the Epsom squad were selected for the New Zealand Under 20 Ultimate team earlier this year; Anna Crosby, Elena Kroon, Bianca Mercer, Lucy Parsons and Raven Stevens. This is an amazing accomplishment and will take them to Poland to compete in the World Junior Ultimate Champs next year. 6 Thank you to Mrs Quedley our TIC and Coral Huang our coach, your input has been much appreciated. AKSS Central Zone Mixed Indoor: A Team 1st Place B Team 2nd Place C Team 3rd Place AKSS Inter-Zone Finals: A Team 1st Place B Team 3rd Place AKSS Central Zone Girls Indoor: A Team 1st Place + Spirit of the game winners Bianca Mercer, Ultimate Frisbee Captain Hockey Federation Cup/Marie Fry Tournament Our 1st XI Hockey team competed in the Federation Cup/ Marie Fry Tournament on 31st August - 5th September. In pool play the team came away with a 2-2 draw to St Hilda’s and a narrow loss to Wanganui and Rangitoto. From pool play, the team went into the Marie Fry competition. A close match against St Peter’s School ended in a 1-1 draw. The game went into “Golden Goal” extra time, and in the second round of extra time a stroke was awarded to St Peter’s School and was converted. After this match there was a narrow loss to Burnside, 1-4. This meant Epsom was playing off for 11/12 in Marie Fry, and after a hard fought match, sadly had a narrow loss to Western Heights High. The girls all played their hearts out and had an amazing tournament, overcoming many obstacles in our way. We would like to say a huge thank you to Jo Hazard, our coach and Cath and Yolanda our managers. Fencing Nationals and North Island Teams It’s been a busy few weeks for the girls in EGGS fencing. It was non-stop all day competitions from the 3rd-6th September but our efforts have paid off. The results for this year’s Nationals have been unbelievable and I’m filled with great pride in recounting them. Thank you to all those who competed and those who supported us along the way. A special thanks to Miss Harvey our teacher in charge and Judith Fliszard our coach. We couldn’t have done it without you. North Island Secondary School Teams (1st, 15th & 29th Aug): Mixed Foil: 3rd= EGGS 1 (Christine Chen, Jess Gracie, Sara-Louise Williams, Yerin An) Mixed Epee: 3rd = EGGS (Jess Gracie, Sarah Lesiak, Yerin An) National Secondary Schools (3-4 Sep): Girls Foil Individual - 1st place Christine Chen, 2nd place Jess Gracie, 3rd= Sara-Louise Williams Girls Epee Individuals - 1st place Jess Gracie, 6th place Sarah Lesiak, 7th place Yerin An Girls Sabre Individuals - 1st place Laura Jacks, 3rd= Isabelle Pawley and 3rd= Christine Chen 7 Girls Foil Teams - 1st EGGS Foil 1 (Christine Chen, Jess Gracie, Sara-Louise Williams) Girls Epee Teams - 1st EGGS Epee 1 (Jess Gracie, Yerin An, Sarah Lesiak), 3rd= EGGS Epee 2 ( Sarah Gatland, Jean Zhang, Annika Siegers ) Girls Sabre Teams - 1st EGGS Sabre (Laura Jacks, Isabelle Pawley, Olivia Ou) National U20’s (5-6 Sep): Girls Sabre: 1st place Laura Jacks Girls Epee: 3rd = Jess Gracie Girls Foil: 2nd place Christine Chen, 3rd= Jess Gracie, 5th place Sara-Louise Christine Chen and Jess Gracie were also selected to represent Fencing North in the National U20s Girls Teams competition and their team placed 1st. GUEST SPEAKER: HAYLEY HOLT 21/10/15 Tickets on sale at the cashier Location: Tasman Room, Alexander Park Time: 6pm Start Ticket: $60 Come along and celebrate your fantastic sporting achievements with all your friends and family. A night of recognition and celebration for all to enjoy. 8 BNZ Newmarket. Proud to support Epsom Girls Grammar School. Contact us today Dennis Edel Jacob Russel Partner - Private Banking Partner - Business 09 924 4688 [email protected] bnz.co.nz BNZS6264 09 522 4719 [email protected] bnz.co.nz 6264 EGGs Newsletter Ad A4 4.0.indd 1 23/09/15 12:46 pm 9 Distinctively smooth, mild and creamy, the new Food Snob Danish Havarti cheese is the ultimate cheese lover’s cheese. This authentic Danish cheese with its soft buttery taste, is deliciously divine on toasted sandwiches, partnered with roast beef in a sandwich, on a cheese board paired with a fruit paste, sliced pears and assorted crackers, or diced into a fresh garden salad. Look for Food Snob Danish Havarti in New World and Pak n’ Save Supermarkets nationwide. 10 LEADING WOMEN in Sport SPORTS COMPLEX JOYCE FISHER SPORTS CENTRE | ARENA | COURTS Support . Donate . Participate 11 LEADING in WOMEN Sport SPORTS COMPLEX JOYCE FISHER SPORTS CENTRE | ARENA | COURTS Support . Donate . Participate SPECIAL OFFER Family portraits by top NZ photographer Michael Overend Create beauty. with a $100 donation for Epsom Girls Grammar School Foundation Read the full brochure ALL PROCEEDS DONATED TO THE SCHOOL! Michael Overend, a leading professional photographer has generously offered to support EGGS by donating family portrait packages valued at $785.00 per package, but costing you only $100.00. Michael will donate the portrait sessions to EGGS as a fundraiser.We are now offering parents the opportunity to take up this offer by paying $100.00 to EGGS in return for the package (consultation, portrait session & photos) below. The $100.00 comes directly to the School! EDE . S AVE BROA GILLIE RA UE M BOUR KE ST . N ST . A consultation appointment with Michael Overend NEW MA PRIM RKET A professional portrait sitting A SCHO RY OL MOR ROW ST.x 8”) prints Two 150 x 200mm (6” RE • • • DWA Y The portrait package for $100.00 entitles your family to: RP NUFF MOR TIME IELD ST. 7 This is a genuine offer. There27are no extra costs and $100.00 is the total you will be charged for this session! ASS TO MAKE A BOOKING CONTACT: BALM STUDIO or [email protected] ST H. Phone: MO520 5323 TO RW A PAYMENT:Y Please contact the Foundation Office on 970 6753 [email protected] • T: 09 520 5323 www.michaeloverend.co.nz 2 Mortimer Pass, Newmarket, Auckland 1023 Your family 12 portrait package includes: • A consultation appointment with Michael Overend. Limited offer- book your sitting now. To book your family portrait package, please click on the LEADING WOMEN in Sport SPORTS COMPLEX JOYCE FISHER SPORTS CENTRE | ARENA | COURTS Support . Donate . Participate Leading Women in Sport Campaign - Centenary Challenge *** Last chance to get your EGG plaque - limited numbers available *** Only 24 Gold, 23 Silver and 25 Bronze plaque spaces remain available. Once these are filled no more will be allocated so if you would like your family name or your daughter’s name on the board for the Centenary in 2017 please purchase your plaque today! Gift opportunity Support Epsom Girls Grammar School by purchasing a fundraising ‘EGG’ (a named plaque) that will be on an acknowledgement wall within the Joyce Fisher Sports Centre. Give a gift that will keep your family or friend’s name displayed for decades to come while supporting the completion of the Joyce Fisher Sports Centre and state of the art Sports Complex. Support . Donate . Participate www.eggs.school.nz Post my gift certificate to: Name Address BRONZE SILVER GOLD Number ordered Phone Gold EGG @ $2,500 each Recipient Name Silver EGG @ $1,000 each Recipient Years (for certificate and plaque) (if applicable) Bronze EGG @ $500 each All donations are tax deductible and will be issued with a donation receipt. Thank you for your support. 13 Foundation Office: 09 970 6753 [email protected] 14 Silver Rd Epsom, Auckland 1023. LEADING in WOMEN Sport SPORTS COMPLEX JOYCE FISHER SPORTS CENTRE | ARENA | COURTS Support . Donate . Participate We are very grateful for the generosity of all the individuals, trusts, sponsors and businesses for their support throughout the year. Our special thanks to our major donors and supporters for their valuable contributions. Joyce Fisher Charitable Trust Woolf Fisher Trust Raye Blumenthal Freedman Trust M.F.E. Adams Blackwell Estate O&A Chen Chenery Memorial Trust Lois Dalley Trust Chica Gilmer Estate Jill Mandeno Janice McAdam & Jean Lang Macdonald Family Peter Thompson – Barfoot & Thompson J.M. Thompson G&A Wadsworth John Williamson Estate Major Commercial Partners BNZ –Newmarket branch Blueriver Creative JASMAX Fuji Xerox Major Funding Partners Auckland Council The Lion Foundation EGGS Old Girls Association Four Winds Foundation Freemasons New Zealand Jones Family Charitable Trust North & South Trust NZ Community Trust Potter Masonic Trust Southern Trust The Ted Manson Foundation Trillian Trust 14 What’s on at the Raye Freedman Arts Centre? The Raye Freedman Arts Centre is buzzing with a number of exciting events over October that will interest the school community. To keep up to date with what’s happening at the RFAC, sign up for our newsletter here and like us on Facebook. The Secret Life of Glee University of Auckland Glee Club • • Saturday 3rd & Sunday 4th October There’s something for everyone in our latest annual performance! Featuring songs from Taylor Swift, Chicago, P!nk, Ed Sheeran, Avenue Q, ABBA, Fall Out Boy, Disneyand more! Ronisch Piano Competition 2015 Presented by APO & University of Auckland School of Music • Saturday 17th & Monday 19th October • Auckland Secondary Schools Piano Competition ACO6 Auckland Chamber Orchestra • Sunday 8 November • Eliah Sakakushev-von Bismarck/Peter Scholes for more info on these and other events visit www.rayefreedmanarts.co.nz Bookings: Raye Freedman Arts Centre Joanne Kelly Theatre Manager Ph (09) 970 6800 Mobile 0274 196 079 Email [email protected] Phone: 09 970 6800 www.rayefreedmanarts.co.nz 15 TA H I T I • L O S A N G E L E S • PA R I S • TO K Y O • A U C K L A N D • S Y D N E Y Maeva • Bienvenue • Welcome www.airtahitinui.co.nz ▶ PAPEETE TAHITI EXPLORER 4 night package ▶ PAPEETE TROPICAL BREAK 4 night package ▶ 10 Things To Do On The Big Island of Tahiti 16 DATES TO REMEMBER TERM 4 WEEK 1 WEEK 2 Mon 12 Oct Tue 13 Oct Wed 14 Oct 9:20 Thur 15 Oct 12:25 Wed 21 Oct 9:20 Thur 22 Oct WEEK 3 Mon 26 Oct Tue 27 Oct Wed 28 Oct Thu 29 Oct 9:20 19:30 19:30 Fri 30 Oct WEEK 4 Term 4 begins Gateway Prizegiving Late start Learning Awards Celebration Paid Union Meeting - School closed for instruction from 12.25pm Late start Sports Dinner Community Awards Celebration Labour Day Summer Uniform compulsory Late start PTA Meeting (Staff room) Senior Prizegiving - Marjory Adams Hall. No senior classes pm. Prize winners remain until 2pm Year 13 leave Year 13 Reports online Year 11 & 12 leave Year 11 & 12 Reports online Teacher Only Day Junior Exams Junior Exams Tue 3 Nov Wed 4 Nov Thu 5 Nov Fri 6 Nov WEEK 5 Mon 9 Nov Wed 11 Nov Fri 13 Nov 9:20 NCEA begins (Mon 9 Nov - Fri 4 Dec) Late start Pre Enrolment Day WEEK 6 Mon 16 Nov Wed 17 Nov Thu 19 Nov 9:20 NCEA continues Late start Pasifika Fono WEEK 7 Mon 23 Nov Wed 25 Nov WEEK 8 Mon 30 Nov Wed 2 Dec Thur 3 Dec Fri 4 Dec WEEK 9 Mon 7 Dec Wed 9 Dec Fri 11 Dec 9:20 9:20 9:20 10:00 NCEA continues Late start NCEA continues Late start OGA Graduation Dinner NCEA Final day Year 12 Leadership Training (7 - 9 Dec) Late start Last day term Junior Prizegiving - Marjory Adams Hall Junior Reports online Uniform Shop Hours Additional Hours for the School Holidays Friday 9 October Saturday 10 October Normal Hours – Term Time Only Monday to Friday 10.00 am – 3.00 pm 11.05 am – 11.25 am 12 noon – 1.30 pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday Summer Uniform 3.15 pm – 4.00 pm We would like to remind you that summer uniform is optional from the beginning of Term 4 and compulsory after Labour Weekend from Tuesday 27 October (Week 3). Homestay Families URGENTLY required Epsom Girls Grammar School has International Students arriving from Asia, Europe and South America who require Homestay accommodation. $265 per week is paid to cover full board. If you would enjoy hosting an international student and are able to provide a caring and supportive environment to make her part of your family life, have a spare room, live within close distance to Epsom Girls Grammar School and speak English as your first language we would look forward to hearing from you. Please call Jo Ivory on 970 6757 or email [email protected] 17