Newsletter 23 February 2018

Tena Koutou Whanau. We are settling into the pattern of our Kamo Way. It always takes a little time at the beginning of the year to get all students into the right courses – depending on results or mind-set changes. We have a calm school with high attendance and good solid teaching and learning taking place. The staff are all learning about e-portfolios; an electronic record of your young person’s school work in each subject, their goals for the learning in each subject and their reflections of their attainment. We are currently checking that every student has been guided into setting up a portfolio in every subject they are taking. You are welcome to join this e-portfolio and make comments on your own young person’s progress – and view the comments from the teacher in each subject. By getting our students to ‘own’ their work, we hope to see them more connected to their learning and become intrinsically motivated to succeed. We will be sharing files and embedding links for you to click onto and be taken directly to the website where you will be guided step by step into these portfolios. I thank the parents, whanau and caregivers who attended this week’s Year 9 meet the teacher evening. The stormy day cleared into a lovely evening which was enjoyed by all who attended. I spoke to the whanau present and reminded them that making a close connection with the school is a recipe for success. I likened our situation to a triangle – the triangle of success. At each apex there is a vital person involved – the student at one point, teacher at the second point and the parent/whanau at the third point. The next opportunity to come and chat to the staff is in Term 2 at mid-year reporting time, with the Whanau teachers for the junior school, and with the subject teachers for the senior school. Working together we have the best chance of keeping your young person happy, healthy and wise.

Another way to join in with the school is to join the Parent and Caregivers Support Group. Formed last year, we are a group of parents who meet twice a term and plan with us in a support role. Our first meeting of the year is 13 March at 6pm in the staffroom. A second opportunity to help keep this school focused and directed on students is to volunteer to be a member of the Board of trustees. Nominations are now open for the by-election of 3 members. A nomination form will be posted to all eligible voters together with the appropriate information. Nominations close at noon on 1 March 2018 after which the voting roll is open for inspection at the school during normal school hours. Voting closes at noon on 15th March 2018. In early March we hold our annual Yr 9 camps. Students who don’t attend camp with their core class will not be required at school. Please don’t be put off by cost – we are completely open to a $2 weekly payment for the year to cover this cost. It is a fantastic time, hot weather, beach paradise, paddle boarding, snorkelling, tenting with your friends, laughing eating and having fun. I implore you all to get organised and get your young person to camp. It helps them with getting to know all the other students, feel a sense of belonging, builds confidence, meet new people and be challenged to do things they haven’t tried before. The fun of it all is the fantastic food in abundance, the location and the energy of 80 Yr 9 kids, all excited and doing something different. Please make this a priority – we need all of our tamariki to feel proud to be at Kamo, have a sense of belonging here and of feeling valued and respected by each other and the staff.

Nga mihi Joanne Hutt

KHS ATHLETICS - Friday 2nd March The whole school will be participating in our Athletics day here at Kamo High next Friday 2 March. Each child will take part in the field and track events in their age groups. Junior girls and boys, Intermediate girls and boys and Senior girls and boys. Whanau classes will receive information on events and the order of the day. Students are allowed to wear mufti to school - however please ensure that their clothing is suitable for taking part in athletics events: Sunhats and bucket hats are allowed, but please no caps to be worn. Bags: Will not be locked away this year and each student will be responsible for their own possessions. Due to the nature of the day any items lost, broken or stolen will not be able to be looked into - please ensure all valuable items are left at home for the day. Each student needs to bring enough food and drink to get them through the day. Any queries can be directed to the Sports Office or the Whanau teachers.

Scholarship Recipient Year 12 student, Jordan Dwight, has been awarded a fully funded scholarship to attend Outward Bound. He will travel from Whangarei to Picton where he will join the Outward Bound team for a 21 day wilderness expedition based at Anakiwa in the Marlborough Sounds from 2 March to 21March. Outward bound is one of New Zealand’s leading organisations for showing people their full potential through outdoor challenge and adventure. Jordan will be pushed to his limit physically, mentally and emotionally to overcome the many challenges he will face. He will build transferable skills and attitudes that will remain with him for life. We are proud to have Jordan represent our school and look forward to his safe return.

Assessment Statements The assessment statements for every Year 9-13 course that we teach in 2018 are on the school website. They are organised by Year level, then alphabetically by the course codes. These outline all the assessments for each course, the kind of assessment, the number of credits for senior assessments, if the assessments count for literacy and numeracy NCEA credits and an

approximate timing for each assessment. These should help you to work with your student to manage their time effectively so they can prepare fully for each assessment. If your son/daughter is going to be away for a NCEA assessment, for a justified reason, they need to complete an extension form and submit it to Mrs Lockyer, Deputy Principal - Teaching and Learning. In next week’s newsletter I will explain about the learning e-portfolios that every student has set up to record their learning journey and outline how you can access these from home.

Yr 9 Camps - 5/7 March and 7/9 March

The final date for Yr 9 students to indicate they wish to attend camp is Tuesday 27 February. Please ensure your young person has returned their completed permission slip to the school office by then. The cost for camp is $70. This can be paid in full or arrangements made with the school for instalments to be paid over a period of time. We do not want money to be a barrier that restricts attendance to camp. There is an expectation that all students attend camp but we know for some they are unable to for a variety of reasons. We acknowledge it is not for us or their peers to make judgement on whether they attend, for some it is just not possible. Students who do not attend camp when their core class is at camp will not be required to attend school. They will complete school work from the comfort of their home. Instruction at school for their core class will not take place. Monday 5 March - students from 9 Pare, 9 Paepae, 9 Raparapa and 9 Whakawae will go to camp. They will assemble in the school hall from 8.45am and travel by bus to Bland Bay. They will return back to school at 2.45pm on Wednesday 5 March. Wednesday 7 March - students from 9 Amo, 9 Koruru, 9 Maihi and 9 Roro will go to camp. They will assemble in the school hall from 8.45am and travel by bus to Bland Bay. They will return back to school at 2.45pm on Friday 9March. Please contact Darryl Davies, Deputy Principal – Students, if you need further clarification or have any issues phoning the school office on 09-4351688 or email [email protected].

BOARD OF TRUSTEES BY-ELECTION Nominations are invited for the election of three parent representatives to the Board of Trustees. A nomination form and a copy of this notice will be posted to all eligible voters. You can nominate another person to stand as a candidate, or you can nominate yourself (make sure you sign both parts of the form). Additional nomination forms can be obtained from the school office. Nominations close at noon on 1st March 2018 and may be accompanied by signed candidates’ statements. The voting roll is open for inspection at the school and can be viewed during normal school hours. There will also be a list of candidates’ names, as they come to hand, for inspection at the school. Voting closes at noon on 15th March 2018. Patsy Yearbury Returning Officer

SCHOOL DONATIONS A reminder that the school bank details to pay school donations are as follows: KHS BOT, account number: 12-3093-0154474-00 Please put your young person’s name and ‘P/Con’ in the reference box so we know who the payment is from and what it is for.

Date 26 Feb

27 Feb

28 Feb 1 Mar

2 Mar

Event Marae Trip Junior Assembly Senior Assembly L2TRPRI - Taratahi L3TRPRI - Taratahi Marae Trip Leaf Cup Girls’ Cricket MSSS Snr Boys Volleyball Homework Hub Leaf Cup Girls Cricket Adam Blair League NSSS Snr Girls Volleyball Scholastic Surfing #1 L1, L2, L3 TRPRI Dargaville Field Day KHS Athletics Champs

Date 5 Mar

6 Mar

7 Mar

8 Mar

9 Mar

13 Mar

Event Year 9 Camp 1 TRPRI101-US497 Workshop L2TRPRI - Taratahi L3TRPRI - Taratahi Senior Assembly Year 9 Camp 1 TRPRI101-US497 Workshop L2TRPRI - Taratahi L3TRPRI - Taratahi Homework Hub NSSS Girls Futsal Year 9 Camp 1 (returns) Year 9 Camp 2 Adam Blair League NSSS Mountain Biking Year 9 Camp 2 L1 TRPRI - Taratahi L 2/3 OED NSSS Futsal Boys Year 9 Camp 2 (returns) L 2/3 OED NSSS Senior Touch Pop Up Shakespeare Parent/Caregivers Support Group 6pm

Your Contact Information If you have had a change in your contact details, i.e. address, phone number (home, work or mobile), emergency contact, email address, etc., please let us know either by phoning the school office on 09-435 1688 or emailing [email protected] . If you are unsure about any of the details you have provided so far, please don’t hesitate to contact us to discuss. We look forward to hearing from you. Thank you.

Student Absences If your child is going to be away from school for any reason, including illness or tangi, please ensure that you contact the school office on telephone 09-4351688 (or text 027 751 3277 or email [email protected]) to let us know first thing each day. The office has an answer phone and you can leave a message outside of school hours. Any planned absence, e.g. holiday, graduation, etc., needs to be approved through a written request to the Principal. In the case of illness, please make sure that you ring each day your child is sick, as children recover at different rates and for your child’s safety we need to know whether to expect them at school or not. Please also note that medical absences for periods of three days or more require a medical certificate upon your child’s return to school. Thank you.