Inspiration from the past, learning, contributing, empowering for today and tomorrow ISSUE 19, 24 November 2017

Message from Our Principal Tēnā Koutou For us, this time of the year is an exciting but demanding time. We are in the midst of planning for 2018 as well as pursuing current responsibilities. It can also be a mixed time emotionally, as our sadness for our leavers’ departure mixes with our joyful expectation of another cohort: after all “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end”. There is no doubt that relationships and experiences are cyclical and interconnected. In anticipation of a new year, we have had our student interviews for the 2018 Year 9 cohort and a delightful hostel orientation day. These new students symbolise the perpetual linking of one year group to another. As we welcome them as part of our school community, a new chapter begins. Also anticipating a new chapter in their lives are our current Year 13 students. We look forward to celebrating with them at their soiree. We should also be mindful that the completion of another academic year means so much for every girl. It marks another transition in her learning journey. We are preparing for our special end of year traditions and celebrations, in particular, our gift service and whole school prize giving, where we join together to celebrate the successful achievements of our students and pay tribute to another fine year at Napier Girls’ High School. Nga mihi nui

Mrs Dawn Ackroyd Message from Our Board Chair

We had our November board meeting at the start of the month. The Languages learning area presented their Annual Report to the board showing great success within the learning area and outlining their focus for the future. We discussed the staff scholarship proposals for 2017/2018. As a board we consistently review the current policies for the school. This month, we reviewed our governance policies and finalised the recently reviewed Health and Safety policies. We were pleased to welcome to the meeting our new Student Trustee, Jaimee Curtin.

Mr Jude Minor

INFORMATION FOR SENIORS END-OF-YEAR ARRANGEMENTS Years 11, 12 and 13

All students are required to attend end-of-year activities. Session Date Time A Monday 4 December 8.40am – 12.45pm B Tuesday 5 December 8.40am – 11.40am (2017 Form Captains and Deputies are required for a training session from 11.40am – 1.10pm) C Wednesday 6 December 8.40am – 2.30pm Awards Ceremony D Thursday 7 December 8.40am – 11.55am. Students go home Prizegiving Rehearsal 6.40pm – 9.30pm approx. Prizegiving – Municipal Theatre E Friday 8 December 9.40am – 2.15pm Gift Service (at midday) Year 13 students are required to be in uniform on Wednesday, for the Prizegiving evening, and on Friday. The formal uniform for these days is: kilt, summer blouse, sandals or black winter shoes with plain white ankle socks. Attendance at Prizegiving is compulsory for all students.

Phone: 06 835 1069 Fax: 06 835 8164 Web: www.nghs.school.nz Principal's Secretary Email: [email protected] Main Office email: [email protected]

2018 AFFORDABLE ART EXHIBITION The school’s annual fundraiser, the Tremains Affordable Art Exhibition, will be back for its fourth year in 2018 with more artists and more affordable artwork on sale for $1000 or less. The fundraiser will be held over the weekend of 9-11 March 2018 and will give art lovers the opportunity to view and purchase over 300 pieces of artwork created by more than 80 professional artists from throughout New Zealand, as well as art by NGHS students and teachers. FYI: Student artwork for the exhibition will be accepted for selection from February 2018. This could be a great school holiday project for art and design students! There will also be a Popup Gallery with hundreds of art and design items priced between $5-$150 along with an On-Site Cafe, Event Raffles, Silent Auctions and, of course, the Opening Gala Night event for sponsors and ticket-holders. Tickets will be available for the opening night from Friday 15 December by searching ‘affordable art’ on www.eventfinda.co.nz You can also stay in the loop via our Facebook and Instagram pages, and in the next few weeks our brand-spanking-new website will be up and running where you can find out about the featured art and artists, our fantastic sponsors, and plenty of other important details about the event. www.affordableartex.nz – facebook.com/affordableartex – instagram @affordableartex

LIBRARY NEWS We have a dazzling addition to our walls, thanks to the mural painted by Year 10 students that portrays women who have been under recognised for their accomplishments. The library has been a popular place for senior students to study during external examinations, and junior students have been particularly respectful of seniors' need for a quiet space. Finally, thank you for following up on your daughter's overdue books. While we cannot issue books until the beginning of the next school year, students are encouraged to borrow ebooks from our school library collection of over 1000 books for their holiday reading.

CAREERS UPDATE Work Experience: Year 10 During work experience students see first-hand what happens in a typical day on the job. Students get a realistic idea of the positive and negative parts of a job which helps them to make a more informed choice about their future courses. All Year 10 students are expected to participate in work experience. Students need to organise their own work experience. The scheduled day for work experience this year is Friday 1 December. Students have been issued a work experience booklet to complete. If students need a letter for their employer they must collect this from the Careers Centre. If students cannot arrange their work experience themselves they must see Ms Myra Storey in the Careers Centre prior to the work experience day. If parents have any concerns please contact Mrs Caroline Johnson: cjohnson@ nghs.school.nz. Year 10 Rangatahi Futures Programme He waka kore hoe, he tangata kore huarahi. A waka without a paddle is like a person without direction. The Rangatahi Futures is a careers education programme that reflects the identity, language and culture of Maori learners, and supports them to explore key careers through culturally affirming contexts. Twenty Year 10 Maori students were involved in this three-hour programme on Tuesday 21st November. There were a range of activities, including group discussions, games, a video presentation, problem solving and short written exercises that culminated in the completion of a career plan for each student. Our students reflected on the waka journeys of their ancestors and explored the key career management competencies (Developing self awareness, Exploring opportunities and Deciding and acting).

Mrs C Johnson - Careers Adviser

INTERNATIONAL TEAM NEWS Our non-NCEA students have been having a great time over the last few weeks, continuing with their November Programme. Last Tuesday they spent a day at Splash Planet with Miss Danielle Rieter and went surfing again on Wednesday with Mrs Firman at Waimarama Beach. The girls also continued work with Mrs Linda Bruce on the Women Across the World Tile Project. This ongoing tile project is designed by our international students. The original design imagery is based around hands reaching out across the world and the girls make tiles which represent their culture. This week the girls have been on a Gannet Beach Adventure to Cape Kidnappers with Mr Ben Himme and enjoyed a day in Havelock North with Mrs Catherine Kelsey, visiting Arataki Honey, climbing Te Mata Peak and visiting Birdwoods sweet shop. There was more surfing yesterday and work on the tile project today. Our grateful thanks to staff members who have generously given of their time so that our international students get to experience life outside the classroom. We enjoyed an end of year dinner in Hewett House Hostel with our homestay families on Tuesday night. A big thank you to all our homestay families for all they do to create a safe, comforting, “home away from home” for our girls. Chihori Matsuoka’s painting folio board is pictured. Chihori is from Japan and has been with us for nearly three years. She leaves us shortly to begin university in Japan.

Ana van der Linden, International Dean

ENGLISH NEWS John McKenzie Writing Competition

Congratulations to Ursula Lee, Year 12, for winning the runner up (poetry) prize in this competition for her poem, 'Woman in Yellow' inspired by a painting by Doris Robertson Reid.

Woman in Yellow Today, the grave swallowed my son whole, The dirt forming a perfect opening as his coffin floated toward the ground. Faceless men covered the hole with dirt, The earth being restored once again, Except for the five-year-old boy who now lay in the ground. Dead. Panic within, the emptiness in my heart grew like a ravenous beast, Fingernails gnawed to the bone as I think of the boy Who I carried. At birth, his delicate body cast in a harmless yellow tinge: Jaundice. Yellow hands, yellow feet, yellow belly, yellow face. The boy born yellow, who died yellow. He grew up in an amber nursery room, Drank lemonade, ate custard pie, Favoured toys of canary coloured clowns, and banana scented stickers. He smiled like pure sunshine, Unrelenting sunshine, A beaming face that challenged the billows of sadness in his presence. But alas, the yellow fever came out of the blue, The city of New Orleans under siege. Perfect till naught, a blood-sucking assassin in the night. Regardless of innocence, of youth, It chose its target, A killing shot. The nausea came first, then the chills and fever. After, he crunched over grunting from abdominal pains. In anguish, I stood at his bedside, As useless as water on a grease fire, Watching the yellow stain his skin as his liver started failing.

Death, the last stop on the train of suffering came swiftly, ending all grunts, all screams, all moans of pain. Gone were the days of laughter, of pure blissful joy. Gone. Destroyed by the yellow. Now I stand over his grave, Wearing every piece of yellow I own: A saffron shirt for the jaundice that greeted him As his life began, A mustard blazer for the lemon pie and sunshine smile, And an amber headband for the yellow fever that swept him away As his life ended. I walk away, the emptiness growing still, threatening to swallow me whole. The fire greets me, its finger-like flames call me. I rip off the amber headband, toss it into the haunting heat And watch the flames Swallow it, burning it to dust. I cleanse the house of all yellow, every bit of Gold, Amber, Lemon, And bronze. It all went into the eternal flames. Including me. We all go in, Burning.

Ursula Lee

THEATRESPORTS Six junior students made up our Theatresports team which was entered in the Interschool Theatresports Competition. This event was held at Woodford House on Wednesday 22nd November. The girls played three rounds in the competition and did outstandingly well. Theatresports is an improvised theatre form where storylines are made up on the spot. We competed against Karamu High School, Napier Boys’ High School, Iona College, Woodford House and Havelock North. Napier Boys’ High School – with the team name: “Nunofus have an idea” and dressed as Nuns, won the competition and will house Iggy the Improv Imp trophy for a year. Our girls – “The Shady Fairies” consisted of: Lily Gichard, Stella Hammond-Olsen, Sam Goodchild, Ella Ford, Melissa George and Aria McKee, and they did a spectacular job placing 3rd. We look forward to getting that trophy next year! Well done, girls. We are all very proud of you.

SPORTING ACHIEVEMENTS TENNIS Our school Novice Tennis Tournament is being held for the first time over the next week. It is open to all our students who are new to tennis and those who have been having lessons this year. Good luck to all the girls who are competing in this! LIFESAVING Next week our registered Year 9, 10 and 11 girls will be participating in their Lifesaving training with our highly trained staff of Mrs Mannering, Mrs Bassett-Foss, Mrs Verhoeven and Ms Stichbury. Monday: Year 10 - Award of Merit CPR training and theory Tuesday: Year 9 - Bronze Medallion CPR training and theory Wednesday: Year 9 - Bronze Medallion CPR training and theory Thursday: Year 11 - Award of Merit CPR training and theory, followed by Lifesaving practical VOLLEYBALL Our Junior Volleyball team are about to head away to the National Tournament in Auckland, to compete against the best in the country. Over the past week they have been involved in seeding games to determine their level of grading in the tournament. They were very successful in all their games, and have qualified to be placed in the top 16 of all teams at the tournament. WELL DONE and GOOD LUCK TEAM! FUTSAL Futsal is one of the fastest growing sports in the country, and numbers this year at Napier Girls’ High School have increased to three teams across Junior and Senior grades. This term the Futsal teams have been playing at the Pettigrew Green Arena, on Tuesday nights. With two more weeks to go, supporters are welcome to attend and cheer on the girls as they take on local schools in this exciting and fast-paced competition. Our senior A team are doing particularly well, with amazing goals and big wins. A special thank you to Danielle Reiter for the fantastic organisation and support of all the ATHLETICS We are very fortunate this year to have the National Secondary Schools Athletics Championships located on our doorstep in the Hawke’s Bay. These championships are to be held at the Hastings Sports Park on 1st-3rd December. Schools across the Hawke’s Bay will be assisting in the running of this event, and Napier Girls’ High School is helping on Saturday 2nd December. If you are able to assist please let Sheila Smidt know - [email protected] You don’t have to be a super athlete, or know much about how the events are organised - helpers will be given easy instructions on the day! Development and Feedback for Sport at NGHS As part of improving the information available to our players, parents, coaches and managers, there will shortly be a sports page available on the school website. A link to this will be sent out to all students and parents before the end of the year. The NGHS Sportspage will give information about the many sports available to students in 2018, and an online enrolment form that can be used to register interest before Term 1 begins. Thank you to all the players, parents, coaches and managers who have responded to our Feedback survey about sport at NGHS. There have been over 250 responses to date, and we will be working through these over the next few weeks to ensure that all feedback is considered in our planning for 2018. If you have not yet responded, you are still welcome to complete the form that was emailed directly to you.

Jo Owen, Head of Sport

PRIZEGIVING ARRANGEMENTS Parents and Caregivers are invited to the Napier Girls’ High School Prize-giving at the Napier Municipal Theatre, 7pm on Thursday 7 December 2017. Prize winners will be issued with tickets for upstairs seating for family members. Please be seated by 6.45pm. In previous years there has been seating downstairs in the auditorium and on the stage for all other parents and caregivers. Tickets for these seats will be available from 6.30pm from the ticket office on prizegiving night. There is no charge for the tickets. It would be helpful if all ofthese ticket holders were seated by 6.45pm and remain in the auditorium. Theatre staff will not allow people without a ticket to enter any of the seating areas. This system of allocating seating has worked extremely well in the past and has alleviated any anxiety about getting a seat. The school appreciates your efforts in following the above guidelines and looks forward to an evening of celebration. REMINDER All school leavers must have their school fees paid and books returned before they sign out at the of the year in order to receive their Leavers’ Certificate and Record of Achievement.

START DATES FOR 2018 JANUARY

Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri

22 23 24 25 26

WEEK 1 JANUARY Mon 29 Tue 30 FEBRUARY Wed 31 Thur 1 Fri 2 WEEK 2 Mon 5 Tue 6 Wed 7 Thur 8 Fri 9

Course confirmation Year 12 and 13 - 9am to 12 noon Students with surnames A-M. Course confirmation Year 12 and 13 - 9am to 12 noon Students with surnames N-Z. Prefects Leadership Day + Peer Support Leadership Day. Teacher only and course confirmation Year 9 start at school with Peer Support Leaders. New International students orientation day. Year 9 hostel lifesaving after school. Whole school in attendance. Day begins with Powhiri for new staff, students and families. School photographs all day - full formal uniform required with tie and hair up Whole school in attendance. Whole school in attendnace SCHOOL CLOSED SCHOOL CLOSED WAITANGI DAY