TAWA COLLEGE
Issue 4
This newsletter is arriving approximately two weeks after the changes to the Metlink bus services. I would like to take this opportunity to thank parents and caregivers for your understanding, patience and feedback. It has been a challenging situation for everyone involved, and is still a work in progress as Metlink fine tune their operations.
August 2018
Kia ora whānau It has been a frenetic start to Term 3 with a great deal happening. I first want to acknowledge the tragic sudden death of Year 13 student Levi Baxter. Levi will be sadly missed by his fellow students and staff. Our school leavers data has just been released. We have achieved our highest ever results both at NCEA Level 2 and 3. In 2017, 92% of our school leavers achieved NCEA Level 2 or better and 68% achieved NCEA Level 3 or better.
Staffing At the end of Term 2 we said farewell to English teacher, Ms Rose Cook who has been replaced by a former English teacher at Tawa College Ms Monica Rogers. Murray Lucas Principal
PARENT PORTAL & SCHOOL APP
Last term the Tawa College Formal was held at Shed 6 in Wellington. The evening was a fabulous success. The students who attended brought huge credit on themselves, their families and the school. I would like to congratulate our Kapa Haka, Samoan and Tongan groups for all their hours of practise and preparation for the upcoming Regional Polyfest. The Tawa College auditioned choir, Blue Notes has been selected for the fifth year in a row to attend the Big Sing National Finale which is to be held in Wellington later on this year. Recently the Tawa College rugby community hosted Merchant Taylors College from Liverpool, United Kingdom. My thanks to members of the Tawa College community who assisted with hosting the visitors by providing accommodation and support during their visit. In the matches played Tawa College’s 1st and 2nd XV teams had comfortable wins over the Merchant Taylors College team. In winter sports competitions Tawa College teams continue to achieve at a high level. The Girls 1st XI Football team are unbeaten in Premier 2 grade and our Girls Rugby team are currently leading their competition. The Boys Hockey 1st XI have performed very well in their competition.
Parent/Student Portal: portal.tawacol.school.nz The Parent Portal was introduced in 2015 and enables parents and caregivers to access information including: timetable, notices, check contact details are correct, attendance, reports, assessment information, mentoring and fees. The Portal opened to the students in 2018 and allows student access to all the same information. Student Online Environment: https://e2learn.school.nz/ is Tawa College’s student online environment, linking to their learning through Hapara. It allows your student to have access to a number of important features from home as well as school. On the front page you will find important messages in the slideshow. The School Calendar and Daily Notices can be accessed from here.
TAWA COLLEGE “DO JUSTLY”
College Website: www.tawacollege.school.nz This is the main site for information that prospective caregivers may need; particularly the Join Us page. The notice banner on the main page is used in times of emergency. School App Tawa College has a School App which you can download to your mobile device. The School App provides a quick and convenient way to communicate student absences. It also provides links to the school calendar, daily notices, portal, e2learn and staff contact details for Senior Leadership, Deans and Heads of Department. Caregivers are encouraged to sign up for the notification alerts, as this is a main conduit of information in times of emergencies. The School App can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.
REPORTING STUDENT ABSENCES
If your child is going to be absent from college, please ring 232 8184 and push 1 for the absence line. Please state your child’s name, form class and the reason for the absence. Please also ring the college office if your child plans to sign out at any time during the school day for an appointment. An automated text message is sent by the Absence Manager each day after Period 1. LEAVING SCHOOL GROUNDS YEARS 9-12 Some students are making their own arrangements with parents or caregivers to leave site and be collected during the day. If you make plans with your child, please ring the office to confirm in advance of their sign out. This saves the office doubling-up on calls and ensures students are not held up when wanting to sign out urgently. Students must wait at the office until we have heard from parents. We cannot accept text messages from parents on students' phones to confirm signing out.
Course Selection:
Information about course selection is available on e2learn. There is a new system for making course selections this year. Please guide your children while they are undertaking this important process. Course selection is about pathways to the future. With this in mind, using as many of the links we have included, and students using their Careers Central as a platform to work out their strengths and interests, they can be supported to make selections now that will have value to them in the future. Course Selection is open from Monday 30th July until Friday 17th August 2018.
BYOD and E-LEARNING Information Evening Monday 27 August 2018 from 4.45pm to 6pm Tawa College Hall There will be an information evening for incoming Year 9 students and parents to outline our ELearning programme and to display commonly used devices.
LOST PROPERTY
If your child has misplaced any items, please ask them to call at the college office to check to see if we are holding it. We have a number of school jackets, hoodies and mufti items that we would like to see returned to their owners. At the end of each term, any unclaimed items are disposed of or donated to charity.
FRONT OFFICE REQUEST
We are always in need of unwanted towels and sheets. If you have any that are surplus to your requirements, we would be grateful for them. Please bring them to the school office at your convenience. Thank you.
NZQA FEES
Year 11, 12 and 13 Students – a reminder that NZQA fees are due, if they haven't been paid already, the last date for payment to Tawa College is 30 August 2018. For families who require financial assistance, there is a form to complete, which is available from the school office or via the NZQA website.
TAWA COLLEGE “DO JUSTLY”
SUCCESS STORIES
Tawa College Science Fair In Week 8 of Term 2 the Tawa College Science Fair was held. We had an outstanding 57 students involved who had all worked really hard throughout the first two terms to present their investigations and findings in the field of Science and Technology. Our top projects on the day were: 1st Kevin Ye (Year 12) with his project, “Effects on increased UVB exposure and time on broccoli seedlings.” nd= 2 Zoe Hollier (Year 9) with her project, “How Childproof is Childproof?” Nathan Cornell (Year 9) with his project, “Bridging The Gap” 3rd= Charlotte Heath (Year 9) with her project, “Why Dads Don’t Listen” Victoria Li & Emma Crow (Year 9) with their project, “When dance turns into physics” Very Highly Chanelle Xu, Tayla Ewens, Sarahn = Commended Windle & Anais Hendrikx (Year 10) with their project “Sustainable Bags” Chelsea Walter (Year 10) with her project “Staying Alive” Seren Rix & Rhiannon Keith (Year 9) with their project “All eyes on you” These students have also received a nomination to enter into the NIWA Wellington Regional Science & Technology Fair in September. Congratulations! Innovative Young Minds Rem Thatkhup and Nina Brown attended the Innovative Young Minds Camp in the first week of the holidays. If your son or daughter is interested in Science, a number of opportunities like this exist for students. Attending events such as the Otago Hands on Science, the Canterbury University Science summer camp, Auckland University Rotary Science or entering in the Science Fair is a great way to have fun, meet others, crystallise career ideas, and have material to include in your CV when it comes to applying for scholarships for tertiary study. This is what Nina had to say about the Innovative Minds Camp she attended:
Innovative Young Minds is a week-long camp where girls from around the Wellington region interested in science and technology meet to deepen their knowledge and explore future careers. Throughout the week, all 40 girls participated in activities ranging from making ice cream with liquid nitrogen at GNS Science, meeting a Tuatara at Victoria University to a networking reception at Parliament. The week was both challenging and inspiring, with my favourite parts being the Fraser Engineering tour and looking at the 3D printers at Callaghan Innovation. Overall this experience was amazing and I would like to thank Tawa Rotary for sponsoring me. Also, I would like to encourage everyone to take advantage of awesome opportunities like these, it’s definitely worth applying!
MAJOR PRODUCTION 2018: OUR TOWN
Cast L-R: Alexander Walker, Tom Sweeney, Matt Crane, Sophie Turley and Helen Oliver
Tawa College takes on a timeless classic! Written in the 1930s, and set in the early 20th Century, Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer prize-winning play has remained a mainstay of popular theatre, with a staggering 4000 productions world-wide in the last decade alone. Here is what some of our cast have to say: Nick Bryant - “This play has allowed us to explore the idea that life is very short lived. The little things we take for granted as we get older will not always be there. The cast is really fun and enjoyable to work around and with. It’s been a great learning experience.” Helen Oliver - “The play makes you question how you are living and appreciate the small things in life.”
TAWA COLLEGE “DO JUSTLY”
Tickets on sale at Drummonds Pharmacy and through the college office. Adults $15, students/children $10. Performances at 7.30pm in the College Hall on Tuesday 7th August Wednesday 8th August Friday 10th August Saturday 11th August
In their latest newsletter, Common Sense Media introduced 10 Must Listen Podcasts for Tweens and Teens - it is definitely worth a read. Check it out here: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/10must-listen-podcasts-for-tweens-andteens?j=6782730&l=512_HTML&u=110602033&mid=7 000332&jb=301&utm_source=070418+Default&utm_m edium=email&utm_campaign=weekly
TAWA COLLEGE LIBRARY
This link is also available on our Library Web page on E2Learn.
Podcasts What do you know about Podcasts? A Podcast is a series of digital audio files which a user can download and listen to. They are designed to inform, inspire, educate and entertain and most importantly are free!
We have purchased some new resources and created a display in the Annex to help those students who are studying History and the topics - The Mai Lai Massacre and the September 11 Terrorist Attacks. We hope the students find these additional resources useful for their assessments this term.
Many are available as a subscription, so that new episodes are automatically downloaded to the users listening device such as a mobile phone or computer etc. Like many things that are available online, it can sometimes be hard to locate information and entertainment where the content is suitable for our teens. A great place to start is a website called Common Sense Media https://www.commonsensemedia.org/ “Common Sense is the leading independent non-profit organization dedicated to helping kids thrive in a world of media and technology. We empower parents, teachers, and policymakers by providing unbiased information, trusted advice, and innovative tools to help them harness the power of media and technology as a positive force in all kids’ lives. Common Sense Media helps families make smart media choices. We offer the largest, most trusted library of independent age-based and educational ratings and reviews for movies, games, apps, TV shows, websites, books, and music. Our Parent Concerns and Parent Blog help families understand and navigate the problems and possibilities of raising children in the digital age.” (https://www.commonsensemedia.org/about-us/ourmission#about-us).
We have also set up a Self Help section in the Non-Fiction area. Books in this section cover topics such as self esteem, identity, self-belief, anxiety and stress, and GTLBQ issues. All books are located at the Dewey number 155. Lastly from us, if your teen tells you they have nothing to read. No problem! Check out the books we have available on our eplatform. We have a large selection of both eBooks and eAudio books for them to loan. Type this address into the address bar on your computer: http://wheelers.tawacollege.co. You can also use the link on our Library Web page.(Located on E2Learn). Alternatively, if you are on a mobile phone or ereader, or have Windows 10 loaded on your computer, you can simply download the Wheelers Eplatform App. (Its free from the App store on your device). Everyone is able to search the eplatform as a guest but to download and issue a title, students need to sign in with their school username and password. “Books give a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.” ― Plato Elaine Smith Library Manager
TAWA COLLEGE “DO JUSTLY”
TRANSITION AND CAREERS DEPARTMENT
Week of Engineering Expo come along and get inspired! Interested in learning more about engineering or just want to learn more about how the world works? If you’re looking for a fun family day, are considering engineering as a career pathway or wish to answer your child’s tricky questions about how things work, head along to the Week of Engineering public open day. There’ll be drones, robots and virtual reality to get involved with!
Scholarships Scholarships are open now for most Universities. Please check online with your University of choice and remember the majority of scholarships close at the end of August. University Course Planning at Tawa College Canterbury University will be at school for first year course planning on Tuesday 28th August from 1.15pm in the library annex. Otago University will be at school between 8.30am and 10.30am on Tuesday 28th August for Health Science degree first year planning and again on Wednesday 29th August from 1.15pm for all other degree course planning. Victoria University course planning day is Tuesday 11th September - time and venue to be advised. Waikato University will attend Tawa College to help with course planning if we have sufficient numbers of interested students. Please let the Careers Department know if you are looking to attend Waikato University.
Find out more at: www.weekofengineering.co.nz/engineer-expos-2018 When and where: Shed 6 4 Queens Wharf, Wellington Halls of Residence Applications Applications open on 1st August and close on 1st October. Students can start the application process now by requesting a CCRF, Common Confidential Reference. This needs to be completed by the school as part of your application for a Hall. You can request this at ccrf.dotnous.com TC Beanies We are open in the PTA Centre (behind the canteen) from 8am to 9am on Wednesdays and Fridays. We have had great feedback from college and intermediate students, staff, family and friends. Please come and try the great coffees; $2.50, with a flavour shot add an extra 50c.
PATAKA Job Fest 22 August 2018 1.30pm to 3.30pm Tawa College will be taking buses of Year 12 and 13 students to this event in Porirua. This event is for students who would like to find work/apprenticeships when they leave school. You MUST bring copies of a CV with you. Please come and see us in T10/T11 if you need any help at all with getting your CV looking good! Tawa College Careers Department and Facebook A reminder that the Career’s Department have their own Facebook page for all students and families to “Like”. This is proving to be a great communication tool for the students to keep up to date with what is going on with short courses, career visit dates and open days etc.
Tawa College Talent Quest 2018
TAWA COLLEGE “DO JUSTLY”
TAWA COLLEGE COMMUNITY EDUCATION
Parenting Children and starting August 6th at 7pm
Teenagers
Courses
Parenting children and teenagers is harder than ever for most parents today. The Salvation Army Johnsonville is offering two courses over five weeks for any parents, step-parents, or carers of children aged 0-10 or teenagers aged 11-18. Most classes have started during week two of the term but there are still shorter courses coming up later in the term. A new course which is sponsored by the Tawa Lions Club is the “Staying Safe Senior Drivers Course’.
The course has been written by the NZTA and will be delivered by our defensive driving instructor Peter Sheppard. It will be run over three Wednesday mornings in September starting on the 12th at a fee of only $10. The course is designed to help senior drivers refamiliarise themselves with traffic rules and safer driving practices as well as increase their knowledge about other transport options available to help them stay mobile for as long as possible. There will also be a repeat of the Parents as Driving Coaches seminar on Thursday 9th August. Weekend courses to be held in Term 3 will include Advanced Defensive Driving, Cake Decorating, DIY, Xero, Metal Jewellery and Recycle & Produce Bags. Further information is on the website www.tawacomed.co.nz
For more information please visit our website: www.sajchurch.com, and click on the programmes tab. You'll be able to register online. The courses are presented by industry professionals and practitioners in DVD format, and is followed by discussion in facilitated groups where you can draw on the experience of other parents also. The course costs $25 per person and includes a course manual. Dessert and a copy of The Parenting book which are graciously provided free of charge through a grant from the Tindall Foundation. Spaces are limited so please book early. Massey University is conducting a study looking at the different types of asthma in children aged 8-18. The aim of the study is to improve the understanding of childhood asthma and develop better treatment options for all asthmatics. The study involves a lung function test and a short questionnaire. If your child is between 8 and 18 years old, the researchers would be very grateful if you could take part. They are looking for children with and without asthma to participate. Please contact: Jean Feary McKenzie 05 08 ASTHMA or asthma@massey.ac.nz
COMMUNITY EVENTS and NOTICES
Fun Run On Sunday 5th August 2018, in conjunction with the National Cross Country Championships, a community fun run is being held. The events are between 10.20am and 2.30pm, with the 4km fun run at 12.30pm. Entry is free with the venue local, at Grenada North Park. Students, parents, family and friends all welcome to enter. Survivor Challenge 2018
TAWA COLLEGE “DO JUSTLY”
Bigair Gymsports At Bigair Gymsports, kids love Gymnastics, Trampolining, Tumbling, Parkour, and Cheerleading. As children learn new gym skills they will increase their flexibility, balance, coordination, strength, and fitness. The benefits are incredible and include; increased self-confidence, selfreflection, listening skills, persistence, self-pride and so much more! To find out more, please call our Bigair Gym Tawa on 2323508 or email office@bigairgym.co.nz
Wanted: Part Time Swim Teachers Easyswim Swim School (with locations in Khandallah, Tawa & Johnsonville Wellington) is looking for part time staff to join our fast growing private swim school. Our friendly team of 50 teachers will provide an enjoyable and professional working environment. Experience preferred but not essential. Full paid training in our proven successful learn to swim program will be provided. Regular internal and external professional development opportunities ensures constant learning and improvement of your teaching skills. Hours are available seven days. Improve your time management, planning, communication skills and swimming knowledge by learning from a well-established and respected swim school. For an application form including job description please contact: The Manager at recruitment@easyswim.co.nz.
Year 11 Market Day
Mosaic 2018
UPCOMING EVENTS (can be subject to change)
Please refer to the school calender for a full list of all events on the e2Learn website August 2018 Friday 3 Tuesday 7 Wednesday 8 Friday 10 Saturday 11 Thursday 30
Regional Polyfest Our Town, 7.30pm College Hall Our Town, 7.30pm College Hall Our Town, 7.30pm College Hall Our Town, 7.30pm College Hall Last date for payment of NZQA fees
September 2018 Monday 3 Winter Tournament Week begins
TAWA COLLEGE “DO JUSTLY�
Mosaic 2018
TAWA COLLEGE “DO JUSTLY”