Issue 8, December 2014

Onslow College
Newsletter
Issue 8, December 2014
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Ko Tarikākā te maunga Ko Waipāhīhī te awa Ko Onslow College te kura
Tarikākā is the mountain Waipāhīhī is the river Onslow College is the school
From the Principal
Dear Parents and Caregivers
The theme of my editorial is a celebration and as a school I
believe we have a lot to celebrate.
The first aspect is to celebrate the completion of yet another
superb year for Onslow College. Our students, staff and
community can all be proud of how we have worked together to
provide outstanding educational opportunities for our students
and every encouragement to be successful. We enjoy a school
culture that is based on respect, inclusion and a sense of
community. Our students are superb and parents can be proud
of them. Their attitude certainly makes our job as teachers a lot
easier and they generally respond very well to the challenges
provided by their teachers.
We can also celebrate the success of various school groups in a
wide range of activities. The win in the Stage Challenge by our
group, the win by our Physics Teams in regional, national and
international competitions, the music group performing in the
Sydney Opera House, the performances of our sporting teams
especially rugby and cricket and the outstanding performances
of academic groups in competitions such as the Treasury
Challenge, are just a few. I am fiercely proud of Onslow College
and it is great to hear comments from the community about
how well the school is doing and how its reputation continues
to grow.
We can also celebrate that after many years of haggling we
have finally got some action on addressing the generally poor
condition of our buildings. The new Student Centre will be
ready in February and out Maths classroom refurbishment to
modern learning environment standards. We hope this will be a
start to a complete overhaul of our property.
We have continued to develop the way we celebrate academic
success for our students. This year we have continued our Top
Achiever certificates in the senior school and now included the
juniors with teachers nominating students in Year 9 & 10 who
have achieved to a high standard.
The student led Celebration of Success was well received and
something we hope to develop further. I would like to
congratulate the Year 13 students who organised that event and
they have established an event for future students to build
from.
We were also able to celebrate formal recognition of two of our
staff. Esme Danielsen was awarded a prestigious Woolf Fisher
Fellowship in recognition of her work in Maths. That award
allows Esme to have a 3 week overseas trip looking at latest
developments in Maths teaching.
To cap off the year, just last week it was announced that
Terry Burrell was awarded a Prime Minister’s Award for her
outstanding leadership of Science teaching and learning. The
fact that there was only 1 teacher among the 5 recipients
highlights what an amazing achievement that was. Not only do
we benefit from having Terry leading our Science area, we also
receive a $100,000 grant to spend on Science at Onslow College.
I am sure you would all join with me in congratulating Terry.
This is a wonderful list of celebrations and reflects what a great
school we are all fortunate to be a part of. Thank you everyone
for your contribution.
Finally I hope you all get to celebrate having time together with
friends and family over the summer break. I look forward to
seeing you all again in 2015.
Best wishes
Peter Leggat
[email protected]
Term Dates 2015
Term One – 26 January to 2 April
 Office re-opens from Tuesday 20 January
 26 January course confirmation for Seniors
 2 February new Students’ Powhiri
 3 February Year 10s start
 4 February all students at school
Term Two – 20 April to 3 July
Term Three – 20 July to 25 September
Term Four – 12 October to 11 December
You can find this newsletter and other information,
including a calendar of school events, at:
www.onslow.school.nz
Please e-mail any success stories for students of Onslow College to:
[email protected]
Celebrating Staff Success
You will have seen in the bulletins over the last few weeks that
we have had the great privilege to see two of our staff members
being recognised for their contribution to teaching.
Esme Danielsen has received a prestigious Woolf Fisher
Fellowship. The Woolf Fisher Fellowships were set up by Sir
Woolf Fisher and are now administered by the Woolf Fisher
Trust.
Designed to send leading secondary teachers and principals
overseas to examine different teaching practices, the
Fellowships are now awarded to secondary, intermediate and
primary principals and secondary teachers. Through the
Fellowships, the Trust acknowledges and encourages excellence
in educational leadership and ‘in-school’ practice in New
Zealand.
Terry Burrell, our Learning Area Leader Science has been
awarded The Prime Minister’s Science Teacher Prize as part of t
The Prime Minister’s Science Awards.
Judges described Terry as having an infectious love of learning
which excites and stimulates both students and other teachers
to perform at their best, a statement that everyone here at
Onslow College most certainly agree with.
Her recipe for achieving that is to tap into students’ innate
curiosity about the world and then work with them to shape
study programmes that deliver the ‘must cover’ learning
outcomes in ways that are relevant and interesting to the
students.
One example is exploring cell processes such as respiration with
senior biology students through sports sprints and endurance
training. Another is an Earth Science unit for which Terry
developed a self-guided do-it-yourself field trip that allows Year
11 students to learn about the geological processes that formed
the areas across which they drive, bike or walk to school.
Terry believes in a collaborative style. “I see myself as working
with my students—we are on a journey of discovery together
with a focus on developing the ability to observe and think
critically about evidence. Then they can make meaning from the
data mountain.”
Terry has undertaken a number of initiatives to extend and
enrich students’ learning including a socio-scientific unit based
around the newly released Thin Ice video
(www.thiniceclimate.org) that took students to meet some of
the scientists working at the front line of climate change and
developing an annual biology workshop with Victoria University
of Wellington for students intending to sit the biology
scholarship exam.
Terry’s success makes Onslow the first secondary school in New
Zealand to have been associated with two Prime Minister’s
Science Prizes—the inaugural Prime Minister’s Future Scientist
Prize, worth $50,000, was presented to Stanley Roach in 2009,
for research he carried out while a Year 13 student at Onslow
College.
Terry says she never saw herself as a teacher but “fell into” the
profession after being inspired by colleagues during a stint
working part time at the Correspondence School.
During Terry’s time at Onslow College, the number of students
studying science at NCEA level two has increased 31 percent
while the numbers staying in science through to level three are
up 32 percent. Onslow College’s NCEA achievement statistics
consistently exceed those of comparable schools nationally.
“I’m a great believer in being able to say something is good
enough, you don’t have to be a perfectionist. I don’t know all
the answers and never will. The day I stop learning is the day I
stop teaching.”
“While that’s important,” says Terry, “it’s not our only focus.
Ultimately, the best outcome we can wish for our students it
that they remain curious, see themselves as capable and stay in
science longer.”
Being awarded the Prime Minister’s Science Teacher Prize sees
Terry receive $50,000 and Onslow College $100,000. Peter
Leggat says the money will be used to build capacity in the
science learning area including purchasing equipment and
releasing Terry from some teaching responsibilities so she can
work alongside other teachers.
Celebrating Student Success
Staff News
The inaugural Student led Celebration of Success evening was
held on Thursday 27 November. This event was entirely student
devised and organised and is a credit to the Onslow way of
student led change!
We have made the following appointments to positions for
2015.
 Art/Graphics/Mandarin – Jimmy Wang
 Katy Cottrell – Design Technology - Workshop
 Regan O’Neill – Mathematics
Congratulations to all the students nominated for the various
awards.
We are also welcoming back from leave Denise Judson,
Jenny Blake, Melanie McIntosh, and Hamish McWilliam.
Onslow College Foundation Onslow Spirit Award
Julie Hillel
Ryan Palmer
We are fare welling Mike Williams, Shane Fairhall, Rachel Bate,
Viv Dalrymple, Jess Simons, Jenny Botting, Leila Goddard,
Vai Mahutariki and Erwin Loeffellechner. We wish them all the
very best in their new endeavours.
Parent Teacher Association Onslow Community Award
Brittany Young
Taking leave next year are Liana MacDonald and Andrew James.
Onslow College Cultural Group of the Year
Stage Challenge 2014
Onslow College Cultural Individual/Pair of the Year
Luke Ross and Ben Reason
Onslow College Academic Group of the Year
Junior Young Physicists Team - Matthew Randle, Toby Messerli,
Sammy Bicknell and Catherine Pot
2014 Year 11 Onslow Award for Academic Excellence
Cameron Wright
Catherine Pot
Patrick Kan
Georgina Sim
2014 Year 12 Onslow Award for Academic Excellence
Thomas Holmes
Rebecca Grant
Shay Graham
Samantha Hughes
Sean Stevenson
2014 Year 13 Onslow Award for Academic Excellence
Fergus Bramley
Alex Ker
Luke Ross
Connor Moody
Josh Blackmore
2014 Award for Outstanding NCEA Performance
Josh Blackmore
Top Achievers Certificates
Senior students have received High Achiever certificates with
66 Year 11 students receiving 116 awards across their subjects,
81 Year 12 students received 126 awards and in 70 Year 13
students received 116 awards. This year we are introducing
High Achiever certificates at Year 9 & 10, these certificates will
be presented at the final form time on Thursday. 94 Year 9
students will receive awards in 231 subjects and 107 Year 10
students receiving theirs in 252 subjects.
NCEA Examination Results
Available on 14 January 2015
To allow for the loading of results and final system testing, the
student Learner Login section of the NZQA website will be
unavailable from Friday 9 January 2015 through to Wednesday
14 January 2015 in the lead up to the release of results.
Students should have a practice run using their Learner Login
well before Christmas so that they are not held up on the day
results are released by having to find login details or change
passwords.
Answer booklets will be available for all candidates from late
January.
Accessing NCEA Results
The Learner login will be NZQA’s primary medium for publishing
results.
Printed result notices will only be sent to learners on request.
Only those students without internet access to view their results
should request a summary printed result notice.
The facility to request a result notice will be available on the
Learner-login area from the beginning of October to 31
December 2014.
New Zealand Scholarship results
Candidates will be able to access their results and booklets
online from February 10, 2015.
This is the first year that Scholarship candidates will not also
receive a hard copy of their booklets in the post. However, the
scanned copies will be available both to view and to download
and print.
Certificates, School Results Summaries, Records of
Achievement
From Thursday 15 January 2015 (the day after results are
released) all students who have paid their fees and completed
NCEA or University Entrance will be able to order their
certificates online.
Certificates, School Results Summaries and Records of
Achievement can be requested from your Learner login for
standard delivery in 15-20 days.
The first copy of each of these documents is free, but additional
copies will cost $15.30 each.
Change of address and return of examination booklets
Students who have a permanent change of address after 1
December 2014 need to contact NZQA on 0800 697 296 before
31 December in order to update their details to ensure their
booklets get sent to the correct address.
Reconsideration and review applications for 2014 NCEA and
Scholarship external examination results.
Candidates will be able to apply online for NCEA and Scholarship
reconsiderations using their Learner login.
Students who do not have access to a computer should contact
NZQA on 0800 697 296 for a copy of the reconsideration
application form.
There are no changes to the review application process.
Students should go online and print off a copy of the NCEA or
Scholarship review form from their Learner login.
Access to the reconsideration and review forms will become
available shortly after the return of examination booklets.
Return of examination answer booklets and Level 3 and
Scholarship Visual Arts portfolios to overseas addresses
Students who live overseas may have their examination answer
booklets and/or Level 3 and Scholarship Visual Arts portfolios
returned to an address outside New Zealand. This process only
applies to candidates who have an overseas address recorded
on the NZQA database.
There is a fee for this service.
Students must apply in writing to the New Zealand
Qualifications Authority (NZQA) on a copy of the form and pay
the appropriate fee by 1 March of the year following the exams.
Introduction of a New Zealand Scholarship fee in 2015
A fee of $30 (GST incl.) per subject will be charged for entry into
New Zealand Scholarship from 2015. The $76.70 NCEA
assessment fee will no longer cover entry to any New Zealand
Scholarship subjects. International students will continue to pay
the full fee of $102.20 (GST incl.) per Scholarship subject
entered.
Students entered into Scholarship cannot withdraw after 1
September and will be required to pay the fee.
Candidates who have not paid the fee will not be eligible for a
New Zealand Scholarship Award.
Around the School
YEAR 9 ENVIRO PROGRAMME
Last week our Year 9 students participated in our Enviro
Programme, a sustainability/environment based programme
designed to increase awareness of how they interact with the
world around them. The programme is aimed at developing an
understanding of the students’ power as consumers and
inheritors of the future, so that they are able to participate
actively in developing a more sustainable world. By enjoying the
outdoors we hope students will have a greater appreciation for
the need to conserve our natural environment.
. Students will be given an opportunity to learn about
important aspects of our city’s infrastructure. They will be
exploring positive action that they and the school could take to
decrease our demands on the environment.
10TXA (Textiles and Design : Advanced) Neonatal Intensive
care unit quilt project.
Parent Portal
If you are in the Parent Portal, please check your contact details
and if there are any details that need updating please email
changes through to [email protected]. This includes
telephone numbers and addresses.
Parent Teacher Association (PTA
We are grateful for your support and wish everyone a safe and
happy summer break.
A huge thank you to all the people who answered our request in
a past bulletin and donated fabric for our NICU quilts. They are
being finished as I type and will be handed over to the hospital
in the next few days ready for the Christmas delivery to Mums
of babies in the NICU at Wellington Hospital.
Here are some 'work in progress' photos - Can you spot your
fabric?
We look forward to seeing you around College again in 2015.
PTA Committee
Happy Christmas
Sue Hannaway & the 10TXA class
Special thanks to all those who have supported the PTA during
2014 by buying raffle tickets, attending events or lending a
helping hand.