INSIGHT Newsletter Term 2 2016

Motueka High School
Whakarewa Street
Private Bag 1001, Motueka 7143
Telephone 03 528-9050
Fax: 03 528-6906
www.motuekahigh.school.nz
[email protected]
From The Principal
Dear Parents and Caregivers
Tena Kotou Katoa
Our students continue to excel in many areas, academically in a range of areas
including great work recently in music and drama, in sporting and co-curricular
activities and also in leadership and I’d like to make particular mention of our
Head Students, Hine Markham and Aaron Bunn who represented the school so
well at the Woodlands ANZAC service and again at the Motueka Dawn Service,
ably supported by the school choir.
A career and personal highlight for
me happened in the first week of the
term when I joined Stella Bogdanoff
and her family as she received two
Top Scholar Subject Awards at an
NZQA ceremony at Parliament. This
was a fantastic experience and a
proud moment for Stella and
Motueka High School.
You will be aware that there have been some
changes to the health and safety laws in New
Zealand. There is some impact on schools in terms
of systems and policies and we are working
through these. The reality is that the safety of our
students and staff and visitors to the school, have
always been our responsibility and there have
been stringent measures and processes in place
for quite some time. One key part of the new act
does revolve around it being everybody’s job to
consider safety, so, as with students and staff, if
you have any concerns about safety at Motueka
High School please contact us about them.
I’ve been in the school for a little over two terms
now and many parents and community members
have been giving me some time to settle in. If
you have feedback, good ideas or points of view
you’d like to raise, please feel free to come in and
see me, e-mail, call or catch up with me if you see
me around town or on sporting side-lines. I try
not to be hard to get hold of, but I know that
sometimes this is a reality.
As someone wise said, the only constant is change.
We have had several staff changes and very sadly
waved goodbye to Peter Leathley and Rebekah
Wolfreys, both heading off with their partners for
adventures overseas. These teachers were huge
assets to the school and are greatly missed by
colleagues and staff. Peter’s classes have been
taken over by a combination or teachers: Oakley
Salton, Andrea Phillips and Lizzie Graham, and
we are pleased to welcome Amadia Didsbury who
is taking over from Rebekah. Sarah Fyfe has also
gone travelling and is on leave for the next three
terms. Her class is now being taught by Emily
Tait. Postcards have already started rolling in and
we wish them all a safe and exciting time away.
While not travelling as far, Paula Dempsey will be
missed no less and leaves just as large a hole in
the administrative area of the school. Paula has
been an integral part of the Leadership Team and
her loyalty, expertise and incredible knowledge
are very much our loss and Waimea College’s gain.
We are very lucky in securing Nicki SaundersLoder as Paula’s replacement.
You will have received nomination papers for the
upcoming Board of Trustees Elections and I would
encourage you to consider putting your name
forward. Motueka High School has great
community support and has been incredibly well
served by the current Board members. Ian Palmer
has been Chairman of this Board for many years
and his experience, commitment and passion for
the school has seen Motueka High School through
some tough times and into the very strong
position we are now in. His support of the current
and past Principals, has provided a fantastic
environment that has meant the school can
develop and grow be the school that this
community needs, wants and deserves. Ian has
now finished his time on the Board of Trustees.
Miriana Stephens and Alistair Smart also will not
be standing at the upcoming elections and both
brought incredible knowledge and great
perspectives to the Board and this has been hugely
appreciated. Evan Garland, Brent Maru, Lealofi
Pouri-Lane and Gary Fitzgerald have also been
faithful and very effective Board members and
have either accepted nominations to stand again
or indicated their willingness to be on the Board if
required.
Te Whare Taikura o Te Maatu. Work on this
exciting addition to Motueka High School has
been progressing very well and every day brings it
closer to completion. At this stage an opening
ceremony will be held at 6:00am on Friday 5 th of
August with a powhiri for visitors and celebration
of the opening involving all students, planned for
9:30am. This will be a very significant event for
Motueka High School, iwi, our partners and the
community and will signify the realisation of the
vision and commitment of a huge number of
people. It would be great to see you there. More
details and times will be confirmed soon.
To finish, a message I’ve given to students and
staff already. This term is all about getting stuff
done. The frantic pace at the start of the year
along with the many activities students have been
involved in, now morph into the drive to apply
what has been learned and achieve the best results
possible. Seniors have already been surprised by
how fast the year is going and this term is the one
which can lead to a manageable and successful
rest of the year or one of increasing stress and
pressure. The value of keeping on top of things
now can’t be overestimated. As always, encourage
your students to ask for help early if they seem to
be under too much strain. There is sure to be time
for fun and excitement. Have a great term.
Nga mihi
Term dates 2016
Term 2 Monday 2 May – Friday 8 July
Term 3 Monday 25 July – Friday 23 September
Term 4 Monday 10 October – Friday 9 December
Calendar Term 2, 2016
May
17 & 19
18
20
23-27
30
Parent Evenings 4pm-6pm
Manu Korero
Rock Quest finals
Talent Quest heats
Teen Health Fest
June
1
3
6
7
7
8-10
18
22
26-27
Talent Quest final
National Young Leaders Day
Queen’s Birthday Holiday
Slave Auction Hall 1.20pm, Hall
Chamber Music Concert
Jazz Combo/Band in Wellington
International Ball 7pm
Mufti Bay & Big Sing
Buller Exchange
July
1-2
3-6
6-7
8
8
Art Exhibition & Cabaret, School Hall
Brain Bee
Year 12 play 7-9pm
Last day of Term 2
Music assessment evening
JOIN
MHS ‘FRIENDS OF THE SCHOOL’
The MHS ‘Friends of the School’ is an informal
group that meets to support and co-ordinate
upcoming events at school.
Meetings take place at the Sprig & Fern and the
next meeting is scheduled at 7pm on Thursday
26 May. All welcome.
John Prestidge, Principal
Any queries please ring Gabrielle Bell
ph 744-1102 (local Motueka number)
Motueka High School staff and
students thank Konica Minolta and
Wakefield
Print
for
their
contribution to Insight magazine
Board of Trustees
Parent Information
BOARD ELECTIONS
2016 Timeline
Nominations close noon
Fri 20 May
Voting papers sent by
Wed 25 May
Close poll election day noon
Fri 3 June
Count votes
Thur 9 June
Board takes office
Fri 10 June
Board of Trustees Elections
Parent Information

Every state and state-integrated school
in New Zealand must have a board of
trustees. The board of trustees is a crown
entity, part of the public sector.
 Parent representatives are elected for a
term of 3 years by school parents. The
trustee elections are the biggest
democratic event in New Zealand.
 First and foremost a board is
accountable for student progress and
achievement to its parents, school
community and the Crown.
 The board is the employer of all staff in
the school and is responsible for setting
the school’s strategic direction in
consultation with parents/caregivers,
staff and students, ensuring that the
school provides a safe environment and
quality education for all its students.
 The board is also responsible for
overseeing
the
management
of
personnel, curriculum, property, finance
and administration.
 Trustees are active leaders in their
school and need to work well in a team,
ask challenging questions and have good
communication skills.
 Boards need a balance of skills and
experiences to ensure effective processes
for planning, monitoring, reporting and
reviewing the school performance are in
place.
HAVE WE GOT YOUR
There is a huge pile of lost
property at school. Please
call in to check if your
student is missing items.
Please name all your
students items to allow the
school to return them please
Please let us know if you have a
new email or have changed any
of your contact details.
Please call in, telephone the
office on 528-9050 or email us at
[email protected]
PARENT PORTAL
The Parent Portal is on the MHS website under Sign in and
Links. To access this you will need a password from school.
Please contact your students form teacher or the office to
obtain this. The Portal has useful information about your
student including: attendance, pastoral (discipline matters),
timetable, fees, as well as daily student notices.
Motueka High School Facebook Pages
http://www.facebook.com/motuekahigh
http://www.facebook.com/motuekahighinternational
www.facebook.com/Motueka-High-School-Art-Department
www.facebook.com/motuekahslibrary
Dance
A big welcome back to Emily Tait who has re-joined
the Dance department after taking maternity leave.
Emily will be teaching the Year 9 Dance and the Level
1 Dance program. An exciting time for the Dance
department as we now have two Dance teachers.
Christchurch Trip
On March 12th the senior Dance students went to
Christchurch to see the live performance of ‘Speed of
Light’ performed by the Royal New Zealand Ballet. As
part of this trip the students took part in
Contemporary and Hip-hop workshops with top
performers/ choreographers. The trip was busy,
inspiring and lots of fun. A big thank you to the
parents that supported us on the trip.
The year 10 students’ workshopped in the afternoon
learning the repertoire from Speed of Light. The
students were required to think on their feet as they
quickly learnt all three dances in 90 minutes.
Boys Only COMING SOON!
A ‘Boys Only’ dance group which will be run in lunch
time. Listen to the notices to hear when this group
will be starting or see Mrs Tait or Miss Salton to
signal your interest. The group will focus on many
types of dance such as b-boying and hip-hop.
Gifted and Talented Education
A primary school Gifted and Talented workshop is
being organised for students showing promise in
dance. This could be through performance or
creativity. More information will be sent to the
schools about this exciting opportunity.
Taiaha
Kia ora. All students who would like to learn Taiaha,
please see Mrs Tait or put your name down on the list
in the Dance Studio. Kia kaha beautiful dancers!
Above: The group of 25 students who came on the Christchurch
trip with the teachers from Moorhouse Dance Studio
2016
Performance
Dates
“I loved the RNZB show and thought it was great that
the dance was mostly contemporary because we are
also doing a lot of contemporary work in our classes
and it got me inspired for my own choreographic
process”- Lilly Pfennig, Year 12 Dance
July 1st and 2nd
Cabaret
“It was good to get out of my comfort zone and try
something new in the Contemporary Dance
workshop”- Macey Barrow, Year 12 Dance
August 31st Vast
RNZB Visit
In week 9 of Term 1 an educator from the Royal New
Zealand Ballet came to Motueka High to run
workshops for our senior and junior students. The
senior students learnt Cacti and Salon Desir- dances
from the Speed of Light tour students saw in
Christchurch. Additionally the senior students were
taught the male and female excerpts from
Passchendaele a dance choreographed by Black Grace
choreographer Neil Ieremia. Passchendaele was
performed in Salute, the show the RNZB premiered
in 2015 as part of the ANZAC commemorations. The
dance students are able to use these dances as part of
assessment and live performances.
August 5th
Momentum
Right and below:
Students dancing at the
two workshops in
Christchurch
Art
Geometric compositions done by the Year 10 Painting class last term
Art
We have a busy term coming up! On the 1st
and 2nd of July the Cabaret will be on and in
addition to the usual performances, there
will also be an Art exhibition this year. Our
Year 10 classes are all doing a piece based
around the theme of the four elements.
There will be paintings, sculptures and all
sorts of other things. All work will be for sale
and the students will be setting the prices
themselves and get to keep the money. We
will also be exhibiting some of the Senior Art
folios that are in progress so you can see
what they are up to.
If you haven’t seen it yet there is also an Art
Department Facebook page: search for High
School Art Department or follow this link:
www.facebook.com/Motueka-High-SchoolArt-Department – please Like the page and
see what our classes have been up to.
The photography competition continues this
Term too, check out the poster for themes
and due dates. It’s a good way for anyone to
have a go at photography no matter what
kind of camera they have.
Right:
Matthias
Palla’s
winning
entry for
the last
round in
Term 1
Most senior students are well into their
externally assessed folios by now and to
keep on track the first board needs to be
finished by the end of this term. We will
keep you posted with official due dates later
in the year.
We would also like to congratulate these
students who have gained Excellence in
various assignments.
Year 9 – Excellence in all tasks: Niamh
Pelling, Charlee Scott, Natalie SixtusFenemor, Rhea Symonds, Tavania Thorn,
Michael Uri, Katelyn Young
Year 10 – Excellence in all three tasks: Sarah
Fitisemanu, Sapphira Harrington, Jessica
Simpson, Tui Soochoon, Haere-Po Te MihaBarlow, Jasmine Wood
Year 10 – Excellence for two tasks: Emily
Bryan, Susana Cameron, Amber Goodall,
Toby henry, Isabel Neal, Thomas Pearson,
Lucia Piggot, Jake Walker, Alissa Yang
Year 10 Design portfolio assignment:
Carmelita Matheson, Freeman Payne,
Jessica Simpson, May Takahashi, Olivia
Troughton
Year 10 Arts Academy: Peri Beech, Leah
Bullock- Lindegger, Crystal Richardson
Year 11 Art first internal: Jasmin Mosimann
Year 12 Photography: Sofie De Blauw, Lily
Grant, Anna Knittel, Jana Tiedeke
Year 13 Design: Heidi Grainger
Mathematics
Otago Junior Problem
Solving and Casio Senior
competitors
Left back row: Harsh
Kansara, Jacob Bowdler,
Simon
Vincent,
Cody
Robinson,
Casey
Boyes,
Stanley Griffith.
Middle
Row:
Cordelia
Woodhead, Pamela Currie,
Alex Brogan, Raven August,
Thomas
Pearson,
Ryan
Bensemann, Natalie SixtusFenemor.
Front
Row:
Rowena
Mosimann, Jade Heath-Keen,
Jade
Hartlaub,
May
Takahashi, Miriam Vincent.
Absent: Isabella Cranshaw,
Jamie Jones.
The Otago Junior Problem Solving Competition was
held in the first week of this term. We invited 18 of
our top mathematicians to enter (Year 9, 10 and 11).
Results always take a long time – we expect to hear
back early in Term 3. As well, two outstanding Year
12 mathematicians are having a go at the Casio Senior
Competition in week 3. The aim here is to give them a
taste of the very sophisticated questions this year so
they can really give it a crack in Year 13.
The Australian Mathematics Competition is on
Thursday 28 July – first week Term 3. All students
entered for this competition should now have
practice papers (available through the AMC website).
A big thank you to our senior students who are
working one-on-one with students in our Thursday
morning tutoring slot (8.30-9.00am).
Right: Year
13
tutor,
Hannah
Gordon
working
with one of
our international
students
Lilly
Pfennig, at
a Thursday before school tutorial.
We also have Y13’s helping out in several of our Y9
and Y10 classes starting this term.
All our Y11 students have now received their grade for
the first Internal. There were some great results so it
is now onward and upward for the rest of the year!
2016 Cross
Country
Results
Year 9 Girls: 1st Joelle Post, 2nd Jessie Fa’avae,
3rd Dayna Kenning
Year 9 Boys: Top 5: Casey Irons,Riley O’Connor,
Ryan Martin, Jocob Brooks, Andries Pienaar
Junior Girls: 1st Peri Beech, 2nd Jasmine
Wood, 3rd Isabel Neal
Junior Boys: 1st Fletcher Pickworth, 2nd Alex
Brogan, 3rd Andries Pienaar
Senior Girls: 1st Corina Borgardt, 2nd Sydnee
Wilkins, 3rd Jana Schewior
Senior Boys: 1st Jacob Bryan, 2nd Billy
Bathgate, 3rd Jade Brown
Environment Committee
This is the first year that Motueka High School has
Environmental Captains as senior leaders. This year
our leaders are Hayley Garlick and Conor Kennedy.
Project Janszoon
Motueka High School is still highly involved with
Project Janszoon and we now have over 5 different
classes going to our adopted section at Anchorage to
carry out studies.
Above: Conor and Hayley – Environment Captains 2016
Hayley and Conor are supported by an enthusiastic
group of students from all year levels. If anyone is
interested in becoming a part of the environment
committee then come along to meetings – listen to
the notices for information.
Above: Year 10 Science-X students at Anchorage
Four students were selected to represent Motueka
High School on the Student Advisory Board (SAB).
Each term they meet with other schools and plan
events in the Abel Tasman National Park.
Right:
SAB
representatives
Conor Kennedy,
Joe Cunningham,
Awatea
Teaukura, May
Takahashi
Above: Environment committee students at the Moturoa Mission
Moturoa Mission
On March 16th our environment committee ran
activities and helped out at the Moturoa Mission.
This is an Eco-Challenge for Primary Schools run by
Enviroschools and the TDC.
Hayley and Conor created and ran an activity called
“Save the Tuatara” which was a success and aimed to
teach the primary students about pest management
strategies. The other students helped other providers
run their activities, from looking for spiders to
explaining what is in poison bait.
Going for Silver!
Motueka High School is currently a Bronze Level
Enviroschool. 2016 is a year for review, however the
committee was not satisfied with staying at Bronze,
and they are now aiming to achieve Silver Level! The
reflection will be at the start of Term 3.
Fundraising
Thank you to our sponsors who helped us raise over
$400 by providing items for our raffle! This wouldn’t
have been possible without the support of: Beefair
Butchery, Countdown, Essential TouchReflexology, Floral Affaire, Life Pharmacy,
Pied Stilt Winery and Potters Patch.
Outdoor Education
Navigation and trip planning are currently the focus
this term as most year levels prepare for upcoming
trips into neighbouring National Parks. Fingers are
crossed that the weather will continue to ease into the
beautiful settled autumn conditions that make it ideal
tramping weather in the top of the South.
The Term 2 Adventure Skills extension class trip to
Abel Tasman NP is Week 10, Wed 6/7 to Fri 8/7.
The Year 10 Adventure Expedition, where they get
the opportunity to put into practice all they learnt the
past two terms, is Week 8, Wed 22/6 to Fri 24/6.
Yr. 11 OE have been busy learning bush-craft,
navigation and tramping this term and have an
expedition heading into the Cobb Valley in Week 4,
Wed 25/5 to Thurs 26/5. This programme continues
to go from strength to strength under the leadership
of Mr Greg O’Donnell and Ms Sarah Cumming. There
is a strong, motivated group of students producing
practical and written work of a high standard.
as they have put them to use in NZ and around the
world in careers as diverse as movie set construction,
oil rigs, industrial rope access, safety consultants for
Adventure Races, SAR and adventure industry. The
rest of Term 2 is devoted to an introduction to Sport
Lead Climbing so that students can prepare for their
assessment in Term 4. Jade Brown completed a very
successful apprenticeship with Abel Tasman Canyons
where by all accounts he did himself and the school
proud. Here’s a sample of his thoughts and learning:
“What makes a good canyon guide?
To be a good canyon guide, everything needs to be slick. You
need to be confident and competent, be able to tie and dress
your knots perfectly while blindfolded, (NB do not canyon while
blindfolded). Explain briefings clearly and most importantly don’t
eat the customers’ muffin. Another important part is attitude,
being able to chat freely with customers and keep them relaxed
and happy, but also being able to switch to guide mode when
needed - when the guide becomes serious and strict to ensure
everyone is listening and will be safe during the activity. It
always happens during briefings and before a dangerous
activity. I would like to thank the team at Abel Tasman Canyons
for choosing me to be a part of their apprenticeship experience. I
have had an awesome time, learnt a lot, not only about
canyoning and the outdoors but also about myself. I will take a
lot away from this opportunity and will be applying this new
knowledge and experience to future personal missions”
See his full report and pictures on the School website.
Year 12 OE students were fortunate to have enjoyed
the last of the great summer weather prior to the
holidays whilst in the Abel Tasman NP on their sea
kayaking expedition. Not a breath of wind, mirror
calm seas (well, except for the rain on the last
afternoon!), lots of seal pups, plenty warm enough to
swim, play touch on the beach and do a great job fish
counting and preparing/maintaining the school’s
Project Janszoon site at Anchorage.
At the end of Term 1 the Yr 13’s travelled to
Murchison to kayak the Buller River and its
tributaries. This was a particularly successful trip as
the group juggled where to paddle and how to “be
cool at all times” under the guidance of professional
kayak instructors. Their skill level and positive
attitude impressed, “not only good paddlers, but good
people to go paddling with!” They move now to
Caving and a particular focus on safety, leadership,
rope-work, rigging and Single Rope Technique (SRT).
These skills have stood MHS graduates in good stead
Term 2 Outdoor Education Trip Dates:
Yr 9: Adventure Camp Abel Tasman National Park,
Week 10, July 6-8
Yr 10: Adventure Exped Canaan, venue TBC, Week 8,
June 22-44
Yr 11: Expedition, Week 4, May 25-26.
Yr 12: 3 day Tramp Kahurangi National Park, Week 6,
8-10 June.
Yr 13: Caving, SRT and Rock lead climbing training
every Thurs!
The Base
Thanks to the wonderful summer we enjoyed in
Motueka this year, our students enjoyed a lot more
time than usual in the school pool. They were well
prepared when they competed in the Special
Olympics Swimming Event in March. They were a
credit to our school, each one of them behaving
beautifully and expending maximum effort in their
races. Congratulations
to Michael Tideman
who not only gained a
first in all of his
individual events (the
fourth was for the
relay), but was well
ahead
of
his
competition every time.
Right: Michael with his welldeserved certificates
Recently we have been learning about hobbies. We
were most impressed by Emma all dressed up in her
St John uniform showing us her expert marching
skills. It was great fun watching our attempts after
she taught us a few basic moves. She has been
involved in St John for six years now and has worked
hard to earn a lot of badges. The students enjoyed
learning a few
skills from her;
sitting the tests
she devised and
receiving
the
certificates
and
fake badges she
had made for
them.
At right: Emma
demonstrates her
first aid skills
Left: Sophie and Laura
with the rubbish they
collected around the
school grounds
Above: John in the walking race and right: Mr Laing with Laura
Every Wednesday morning our students walk to the
supermarket where they learn about money and
shopping. This is followed by a visit to a café where
they practice the skills involved in eating out, always
the highlight of the week for everyone, staff included!
Above: Luke, John and Sophie enjoy morning tea at The
European Bakery
Visits to the school
gym are another
regular
weekly
event enjoyed by
everyone. We are currently preparing for our next
Special Olympics event, football.
Above left: Reuben works on his football skills and at right: Paige
helps Alice with her balance
Science
Left: Michael and Jacob
with their crumple zone
design in Level 2 Physics
Simon and Mitchell work
on their winning crumple
zone design in Level 2
Above: Level 3 Physics ‘field trip’ to dance learning how to perform the
fouetté, a quick whipping movement of the raised leg in ballet usually
accompanying a pirouette involving some good rotational dynamics!
Physics
Above & left: A
real hands on
learning
experience for
Year 12
Biology
students
dissecting rats
Science
Science Brain Bee
Congratulations
to
Mamie Mikaere, Jayde
Heal, Ethan Penman,
Susie Adams and Jamie
Jones on being selected to compete in Round 2 of the
South Island Brain Bee. This takes place at Dunedin
Museum on July 5th and includes a visit to Otago
University. We wish them luck with their studying.
Science Roadshow - Tue 18 October - Year 9 only
The Science Roadshow is a mobile science discovery
centre that will be set up in our school hall. All Year 9
will attend as part of their Science studies. The cost is
$8 payable to the office by end of Term 3. Please let
the school know if you need financial assistance.
ASB Bright Sparks is New Zealand's most exciting
technology competition. Winners have gone on to
amazing careers and involvement in exciting projects.
Every year kids from schools all over New Zealand
submit their inventions to win their share of $10,000
prize money. Entries are now open, closing on 28
September, 2016. If you have an idea for an invention
in the fields of science, hardware, environment, and
engineering, ASB Bright Sparks is the place for you! See more at: http://www.brightsparks.org.nz
Cawthron Science and Technology Fair
All students are encouraged to enter this - an online
search will give you more details. It is perfectly
acceptable for parents to help their children. Some
classes will be expected to work on projects both in
class and at home. There are some great (financial)
prizes to be won.
Skydiving
Senior Physics students learn the principles of
projectile motion. With this in mind we are
organising a trip to the local skydiving outfit. The cost
for a jump is at reduced rates of $200 for 9,000 ft,
$300 for 13,000 ft and $350 for 16,500 ft. payment
can be made in instalments at the school office. The
jump is scheduled for Wed Aug 31 from 12pm
onwards. Spectators welcome.
Biology
Field trip
On 4 April,
Year
12
Biology went
to Anchorage
to research
and observe
the growth
patterns of
Hakea,
Manuka and
Kanuka
Above: Callum on the Biology field trip
plants.
We
to Abel Tasman National Park
motored into
Anchorage on a pleasant, sunny morning, unloaded
onto the beach and marched up to the top of
Anchorage Hill, where we measured and counted the
different bushes and trees at various points on the
slope. The weather was beautiful and there were
gorgeous views out over the park. Coming into
anchorage and wandering around we could see the
massive beneficial impact Project Janszoon has had
on the Abel Tasman’s forests such as the removal of
wilding conifers and the introduction of native robins
on Adele Island. Having such an amazing and diverse
area to study and explore on our doorstep is a huge
privilege. We are one of four schools helping to look
after a section of the park and hold onto its natural
beauty for future generations. I know I will be back to
help take care of this gorgeous place. Back in the
classroom, we collated our data and have used it to
complete an assessment worth 4 credits, where we
identified
and
explained
the
plants’ zonation
pattern.
Ra Buchanan
Left: Rose on L3
Biology field trip
to Abel Tasman
National Park
Te Whare Taikura o Te Maatu
The MHS Community Cultural Centre has been gifted
a name by Ngati Rarua and Te Atia Awa of “Te Whare
Taikura o Te Maatu”. Whare means house and
Taikura has two meanings, literally the heartwood of
the totara and also cohort of young people. Te Maatu
was the traditional name given to this area that we
now call Motueka. Te Maatu was known as ‘the
garden’ where cultivations took place under large
native trees providing produce to eat and to sell.
Members of the Board of Trustees, MHS staff, the
project manager and local iwi recently had a site visit
and everyone was pleasantly surprised by the
spaciousness, available light, and the clear line of
sight from the main entrance to Pukeone. We all
agreed it would be a great place to welcome our
visitors, for our student learners and a wonderful
venue for any community groups using the facility.
Shave For A Cure
2016 saw a record number of participants with 15
amazing students who had their heads shaved at
lunchtime on Friday 8 April. We are delighted to report
that over $5,500 was raised by Motueka High School.
All funds received go to Shave For a Cure, the major
fundraiser of Leukaemia and Blood Cancers NZ.
A massive thanks to Ange from Rev, Faiga Siaki, Mr
Mills and all the amazing people who helped shave the
heads including the awesome organiser Ms Wolfreys.
We have had tremendous support from the
community, our iwi and our funding partners. We
couldn’t have succeeded without their enormous
contribution. The job is not finished and we still need
funds to outfit the kitchen and furnish the space. If
you have any funds or resources to donate, your
support would be extremely grateful.
Powhiri - Students and staff are preparing for a house
competition with four waiata and two haka to be
performed. The goal is to have an inter-house mini
kapa haka competition towards the end of term 2.
Our expert waiata and haka teams will then perform
for the opening of Te Whare Taikura o Te Maatu. It
will be an amazing day. Ka kite ki ko! See you there!
Participants in Shave For A Cure
front row: Hayden Wordsworth, Hayley Webley, Tavania Thorn,
Selena Christie, Emma Arp; second row: Kaleb Walker, Edward
Morris, Renee Currie, Pounamu Soochoon; third row: Taylor JarvieBrown, Isaac Bensemann, Bright Mueangmi, Josh Giles, Tane
Guerrero; back row: Cameron Bradford.
Food and Nutrition
Year 9 and 10
Year 12
The new Year 9 class has made a great start this term.
The two-term Year 10 classes are progressing well.
Students have just completed a mini research
assignment on an unfamiliar vegetable, finding a
recipe featuring the vegetable and cooking it up.
Next up we will start our section on Family Meals
where students will choose their
own
recipes
based
around
breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert
and baking/treats.
Left: Laura and Shanae’s Kale Chips
Year 11
Term 1 Field Trip – Village Milk. Year 11 checked in
with the good, the bad and the ugly microorganisms
at Village Milk on Holdaway Road, Lower Moutere.
What interested
us most were
the bad ones, as
we
were
studying
food
safety practices.
We met Gracie, Ruby and Lucy
and the rest of the girls, and
didn’t leave until we had milk
moustaches from their fresh raw
milk.
Right: Devin
11 week Vegan Challenge ‘Challenge’ being the operative
word as we learnt about this
specialist diet. Cooking up
vegan storms pushed the boundaries of most in the
class. Nevertheless, vegan burgers with homemade
bbq sauce received a universal ‘thumbs up’.
One a penny, two a
penny…
Not
exactly vegan, but
we couldn’t resist
getting into the
Easter spirit on
Good Friday eve.
The real deal - hot
cross buns.
Above: Master bakers – Krystina and Lily
For term 2, Year 12 is
dedicated to sustainable
food practices.
Right: Dried organic apples
Year 13
Term 1 has been spent delving into a nutritional issue
affecting the well-being of NZ. With negotiation, the
students opted to put under-nutrition under the
microscope. Their investigative reports will shed light
on this growing issue before implementing an action
plan to respond to the need, later in the year.
Tuesday morning Breakfast Club - Every Tuesday saw
something different for breakfast for Year 11’s. The
students cooked up eggs benedict, oaty cinnamon
waffles with fresh berries, French brioche toast….and
more.
Left:
Pumpkin
soup with
homemade
wholemeal
bread.
Our very own Trindi Walker, the community
ministries manager from the Salvation Army,
generously gave up an hour of her precious time to
share her insight on this issue in our community.
Year 13 cooking highlights have been vegetable
lasagne, soft shell tacos, pork ‘pot stickers’, and
spinach ravioli.
Looking ahead in Term 2 and 3
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A visit to the Motueka community gardens
Cabaret catering
Te Maatu opening function
Lunch for our favourite teacher
Tersha Coppell and Heather Olds
International
Youth Enviro Forum
Many of our International students are beginning to
realise that they will soon be returning home and
already we have a few tears. I imagine it will get a
little worse over the next few weeks!
We do thank the students though for getting so
involved with what is on offer here at school,
especially
with
regards to music
opportunities and
the many sports
teams
that
welcome
new
players. It has
been great to see
the
students
involved in the
annual cross country, the International Netball Team,
rugby, volleyball and in regular class activities, such
as dissecting rats in Year 12 Biology (photos available
on the school Facebook page). All adding up to
make the wonderful experience of being at MHS.
We continue to sincerely thank the amazing host
parents who open their homes to International
students. Your support is appreciated.
We are also
looking at the
July
change
over and the
requests from
the new intake.
As always we
are asked for
host
families
with horses, or
who live by the sea, and we would love to hear from
anyone who is considering hosting, now or in the
future. Please contact the school office for a
Homestay information pack.
Youth Enviro Leaders
Forum
I was lucky enough to be selected for the Youth
Enviro Leaders Forum through the Sir Peter Blake
Trust along with 58
other students from
all around NZ. It
was a six day
experience
filled
with all sorts of
activities
and
workshops based
around pest eradication, biodiversity and ocean
health. We stayed in Nelson and did projects like
working on the fences for the Brook Waimarama
Sanctuary, Kayaking and Snorkelling at Cable Bay,
Workshops with Cawthron Institute and SpatNZ.
A real highlight for me was going kayaking and then
out of nowhere four orca came swimming right in
front
of
the
kayak.
This
opportunity was
a once in a
lifetime for a
young
person
like me to be a
part of and I
highly recommend that other students should apply
for this program in the future. I came away from this
experience with the drive and passion to give
insightful knowledge of how our generation need to
start caring more about our impact on the planet, to
sustain it for
future
generations to come.
By Conor
Kennedy
Equestrian
Horticulture/Trades
Tasman Secondary School Equestrian Event
Four MHS Teams competed in the event on Friday 13
May. Riders and horses all represented us with pride
and competed hard ending with some great results in
dressage, show jumping and cross country.
Year 11 students from left: pricking out seedlings, visiting
Mac Hops, and pictured below in the horticulture gardens
Individual Results:
Cordelia Woodhead - 4th in 65cm dressage class
Imogen Agnew - 3rd in 80cm dressage class and
2nd Overall in 80cm class
Anna Knittel - 2nd in the 65cm class
Kimberley MacLean 3rd overall in 65cm class
Jasmine Barker - 4th overall 80cm class
Team Results: Motueka High School White 5th
overall. The team consisted of: Kimberley MacLean,
Antonia L , Anne-Claire de la Bretesche.
Left: Rachael Wood
show jumping on
Buoy and at right:
Kimberley MacLean
and Pilgrim on x
country jump
Right: Year 10
Rural Studies
students’ garden
progress
PAYMENT OF SPORTS FEES
All sports fees must be paid PRIOR to competition commencement.
Students will be unable to play and uniforms will not be issued if sports
fees are outstanding.
Please ensure all sports fees are paid if you wish students to participate
in sports. Please enquire at the school office for further information.
Sports
Football - Congratulations to Kelsey Barrett in her
selection to play for the Tasman United Women’s
Football team competing in the Mainland Women’s
Premier League this season.
team go down 6-4. As we were the top qualifier we
then played East Otago and at full time 6-6. The team
has now qualified for the NZSS Nationals in Auckland
in December.
D’Arcy Cup Cricket– Our 1st X1 Cricket team
mainly made up of Junior boys played a pre Gillette
Cup qualifying game against Queen Charlotte College
at Memorial Park. Top scorer was Liam Hobbs with
25 and top bowler Harsh Kinsara 4/12. Motueka High
School winning the match on the last ball 97/6 Queen
Charlotte College all out for 96. Well done boys.
Tuna e Hoe Nelson Region Waka Ama
competition held at Lake Rotoiti saw Canaan Neha
Manihera win the Best Steerer Award. We entered
two teams into this competition.
Rep Cricket - Fergus and Alex played in a rep
fixture for Nelson U15 team v Marlborough. It was a
50 over match (the first they had ever played) and 7
hours long! Alex had to open the bowling into the
wind and had figures of 1/38 off 9 overs. Fergus had
figures of 2/29 and took a catch. Marlborough made
231/6 so our boys took half the wickets and were the
most economical. Alex batted Number 9 and was 24
n/o at the end. Fergus was not out on 3. Nelson lost
by 60 runs. The next fixture will be a trip to Levin for
the Central Districts U15 tournament in December.
Indoor Cricket - The Year 9/10 boys' Indoor
Cricket team started in a new league on Friday night
in Richmond. They played against Nelson College
Year 10s and won 82-58. There are 8 games this term
then a semi and a final. The best batting combination
in our first game was Liam Hobbs and Blake Barrett.
Touch SISS tournament Christchurch: Thank
you to Weesung Paaka, Bevan Thompson, Mark Kelly
and Anne Campbell for coaching and managing our
Senior Mixed team at this tournament. The first day
of competition saw our team win 4 from 4 games. In
the semi-final against Lincoln High School saw our
House Sports - was another fun and super excited
day with the four houses only having 10 points
separating them before they hit the pool activities.
Winning House overall was Nuku (Green) Ahi
(Red)second, Angi (Yellow) third and Wai (Blue)
fourth. Great day had by all.
MHS Swimming Sports Champions: U14 Girls
Shannen Smith, U15 Girls Charlie Thain, U16 Girls
Jenna Heywood, U19 Girls Samantha Trevurza, U14
Boys, Willem Pienaar, U15 Boys Daniel Trevurza, U16
Boys Ben Cudby, U19 Boys William Davis. We would
like to congratulate Samantha Trevurza and Daniel
Trevurza for the number of records that they broke
on the day. Daniel achieved a record in all but one of
the races he competed in. Congratulations to Ryan
Heywood, Bryn Boyes and Luke Cunningham for
their fastest times in the new events.
Coaching – Yr 13 and Sports Captain Samantha
Trevurza has come to the rescue for a number of
Rudolf Steiner students in offering to coach them
swimming. Sam is doing this twice a week.
Athletics – Congratulations to Amanda Fitisemanu
and Conor Bithell for their selection into the Tasman
athletic squad and went to Dunedin for the National
Champs. Congratulations to Amanda for taking out
the GOLD medal in the U20 age group for the 400m.
This must be a dream come true for Amanda who
now will be competing at the Oceania Championships
in Tahiti in April. We wish her all the best.
Touch - Ben Johnston represented Tasman in U15
Touch
TSS Triathlon results: Mr Stow took a very
talented team of triathletes to Rabbit Island to
compete. In the Individual grade Willem Pienaar was
placed 2nd in the U14 with Kevin Schueckhaus placed
6th in the U16. The top team placings were U19
Samantha Trevurza, Culainn Stringer, Scott Dixon 1 st.
U14 Liam Ryder, Dayna Kenning, Casey Iorns 3rd,
U16 Jenna Heywood, Jacob Bryan, Riley Warrander
3rd, U16 Charlie Thain, Izzy Neal, Camryn Smart 3rd.
NZ National Swimming Age Group Champs
held in Wellington recently with Samantha Trevurza
swimming in the 17/18 year age group, won bronze in
the 50 butterfly, 7th in the 100 butterfly , 4th in the
50 back and 8th in the 100 back. Recording personal
bests in all but one event!! Samantha also broke the
Nelson Marlborough 17 year age group records, in
both the 50 back and 50 fly.
Daniel Trevurza swam in the
15 year age group. He made 3
finals with personal best
times, 7th 50 breaststroke, 6th
100 breaststroke, 8th 200
breaststroke. He also broke
the 15 year old boys, Nelson
Marlborough
age
group
records in the 50m and 100 m
breaststroke events.
Netball – Geraldine Hodgson Tournament The
A Team and 10A Netball teams competed in the
Geraldine Hodgson Netball Tournament held at
Saxton Courts. The 10A team won all their games in
College Grade and looked very slick. The A team
placed well in a tightly contested C Grade
Competition displaying some excellent defensive
play. Thanks to umpires Caleb Binns and Stacey Fry.
Judo: Congratulations to Risaleaana Pouri-Lane for
winning Gold at the Oceania Judo Champs in
Australia. Risaleaana was in the Cadet Women’s
U63kg team that took the Gold off Australia.
Tennis –MHS Tennis Champions
Junior Boys
Alex Brogan v Logan Ogilvie - Alex won 6-1, 6-0
Junior Girls
Laura Inglis beat Natalie Sixtus-Fenemor 9-1
Laura Inglis beat Lila Scholes 6-2
Senior Boys
Alex Brogan beat Matthias Palla 9-0
Alex and Logan
represented
Motueka High
School in
doubles next
Friday at the
Nelson Junior Open and came second.
Alex's team the Tasman Terrapins beat Logan's team
Motueka Maestros in the final of the Nelson Mens' B
grade. There were 14 teams in the grade. Alex was
undefeated all season in singles and Logan and his
dad John were undefeated in doubles.
TSS Golf tournament: This year our Lila Scholes a
Year 9 student participated along with all the other
colleges. This was a great experience for Lila.
TSS Mountain biking Championships: Results
were: U14 Boys Ryan Heywood 5th, U16 Boys Hunter
Chung 3rd, U19 Boys Kendall Spark 16th
Volleyball: It was sad to see Volleyball Coach Peter
Leathley depart. This year we entered 4 teams into
the TSS tournament where our Snr Boys were placed
5th, Senior Girls Div 1 placed 3rd=, Snr Girls Div 2
placed 6th and the Junior Girls Div 1 placed 2nd and
5th. The Senior Div 1 Girls team travelled to
Christchurch to the Satellite tournament and placed
4th. A great effort and thanks to Mr Leathley and Mrs
Lizzie Graham for coaching and managing the team.
There were 48 players that competed in the
Volleyball Premier League each Thursday night.
GODZONE: Congratulations to Team Motueka, who
included our own staff member Mr Jake Stow. This
team provided our school, and the WHOLE
community with a real buzz of excitement. Following
their every
step of the
way
was
extremely
exciting.
To
see
them cross
the finish
line made us all very proud!!! Well done Mr Stow and
team for completing this extreme race in 8th position.
Student Support
Annual Focus on Preventing Bullying
YOUth Health Day
The school focus of Term 2/Week 3 will be on the
anti-bullying message. This year it coincides with the
inaugural “Bullying-free NZ week” which has the
theme “Together we can prevent bullying in
Aotearoa” and culminates in Pink Shirt Day. Students
who respect the diversity of our school population
and believe that every student has the right to feel
safe and welcome at school, are invited to swap their
school shirt/blouse for a pink shirt on Friday, 20th
May. It’s not a mufti day and no donation is required.
This is a regional road show organised by Lee-Ann
O’Brien, the adolescent nurse specialist with Nelson
Bays Primary Health. Her team of a doctor,
physiotherapist, optician, audiologist, sexual health
nurse and other health services are offering free
private consultations for any students who wish to be
seen. Several health service providers will set up
information stalls at lunch time and a sausage sizzle,
music and dance demonstrations will complete the
carnival atmosphere.
Bullying is based on power over and control of
another, usually more vulnerable, person. As such, it
raises its head in most, if not all, schools from time to
time and can also be present in teams, clubs and
workplaces. Our school policy defines bullying as
behaviour that causes hurt to another person in a way
that is usually repeated, intentional and targeted.
Bullying thrives on secrecy, so we encourage students
to report any bullying that they see or experience so
that the victim can be kept safe and empowered
whilst the bully is educated and counselled, or
punished if there are further incidents. Students can
fill in a Bullying and Harassment form at The House,
Library, Student Office or from any teacher or
Student Contact. “Post” back via boxes at the Student
Office, Library and The House, or give to a teacher.
Our Policy on Bullying is on the school website, and
the Bullying and Harassment form can be completed
confidentially on-line via Moodle, and viewed only by
the school counsellor, Lorraine Mullings.
Upcoming Sports events
20 May
TSS Swimming Championships –
Aquatic Pool Richmond
25 May
TSS Cross Country – Rabbit Island
13 June
TSS Indoor Climbing – Nelson
18/19 Jun SISS Squash – Nelson
22 June
TSS Badminton Competition, Motueka
23 June
TSS Junior Netball Supernet, Motueka
26/27 Jun Buller Exchange at Buller High School
6 July
TSS Squash – Blenheim
Senior students will be offered the opportunity to
attend one of several workshop activities prior to
lunch time. At the time of writing these will hopefully
include a mass fitness class similar to Zumba, and
smaller workshops such as “’Strapping for sports
injuries”, “Outdoors life skills to safely enjoy the
bush”, Yoga, Mindfulness, and a Health Quiz with
prizes. The YOUth Health Team will visit Motueka
High School on Monday 30 May from 12.30-3.30 pm.
Music
Nelson Big Band and Youth Jazz Orchestra . It
was a fantastic evening’s entertainment and
well attended by parents and supporters.
Left: Thorben & Amanda on Tour
Above: Sound
Technician Michael
Term 1 ended with two very successful
Primary School Music tours. Both the primary
and secondary students enjoyed the tours
with a wide variety of groups performing.
Above: Jazz Band on tour
Coming up May – July
Above: Tagan, Keilah, Saskia and Callaghan on Tour
Take a deep breath –Term 2 has a very full
calendar of events for our musicians.
We were fortunate to have David Squire , the
Music Director of the NZ Youth Choir, come
and coach our auditioned choir ‘Suono
Bellissimmo’ as they prepare fo r Big Sing 22
June in Blenheim. Both Suono Bellissimo and
the Motueka Singers will be attending the Big
Sing this year so about 50 students will be
heading east to experience that event.
 NZ Music Month lunchtime concerts at
the Public Library 13, 20 & 27 May ,
1.30pm
 Rockquest – Final 20 May
 Fundraising quiz nights Mapua Sprig
and Fern 25 May 7 pm to help send our
jazz musicians to NZSM Jaz z Festival in
Wellington June 8–11. Get a team together,
come and support our jazz students.
 Chamber Music Competition – 7 June,
Nelson, 7pm.
 Talent Quest heats 23 – 27 May
lunchtimes school hall
 Talent Quest final 1 June 7 pm MHS
hall
 NZSM Jazz Festival 8 – 11 June
Wellington
 Nelson Youth Jazz Competition 19
June The Boathouse
 The Big Sing 22 June TSB Centre
Blenheim
 MHS Cabaret 1 -2 July MHS Hall
Above: Suono Bellissimo with David Squire
We had a very successful visit from
musician Rodger Fox who shared
extensive knowledge with our students
later performed with them in a concert at
Playhouse on 9 May. Bands from Waimea
Nayland also performed along with
jazz
his
and
The
and
the
Above: Jazz Combo with Rodger Fox
If you have any queries please contact Hilary
Sinclair by phone 528 9050 x 822 or by email
[email protected]
Drama
Shakespeare Festival 2016
This year the festival was held at Nayland College and
for the first time in many years was a Nelson/Tasman
regional festival. Motueka High School entered 5
pieces but did not get any awards as most of our
pieces were too short to be competitive. This was a
shame and was confirmed by the judges who praised
several of the pieces heartily.
Above: Lady Macbeths: Eden Meser, Hayley Garlick
Judges said this was a compelling performance and
students did not get recognition they deserved due to
the short time.
Above from left: The Witches: Jennifer Guthrie, Lily Grant, Paige
Jarvie-Brown
Above in Hamlet: Jemima Meegan, Dasha Thomas-Marshall, Alex
Watson
Below: Macbeth Kiiani Tengu
Above: in The Tempest: Charley Tuuta, Shania Pascoe, Laura
Wilkinson
Drama
Above: the whole cast of Spilt Milk
Year 11 Drama show: Spilt Milk
Above: The whole cast of Spilt Milk
Well done year 11’s and special shout-out to Luise,
Celine and Alina. Great show which was well enjoyed.
Above: Stella Stevens and Floris Mersmans
Year 10
Above from left: Joe MacLennan, Jack Westenra, Brendon Barton
Our Clown shows are ready and we are off on “tour”,
bringing shows to Laura Ingram, The Base and Oasis
Kindy.
Term 2 Agenda
Year 10: Melodrama
Year 11: Poetry Performance
Year 12/13: Major Role
Revenge of the Amazons
July 6th/7th School hall
A hilarious feminist twist
Midsummer Night’s Dream
on
Shakespeare’s
Shakers
Above from left: Zion Perry and Floris Mersmans
August 3rd and 4th Location TBC
Four girls perform multiple characters in this funny
yet thought provoking piece about life working in a
posh cocktail bar
Below: MHS Drama Year 10 clown show, Laura Ingram Kindergarten, Term 2, 2016
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