The DHS Dispatch

The ISSUE 4 THURSDAY 21 MARCH

DHS Dispatch

2013

Courtney James proudly displays her finished project from the

Technology Hard Materials - Wood Year 9 Class.

Become a School Trustee Page 2

Camp Fun Pages 4, 16

Shave for a Cure Page 7

History in Arrowtown Page 8

wtimber

technology

2 Issue 4/ DHS Dispatch2 Issue 4/ DHS Dispatch

Leading up to the triennial elections this year, current trustees, who will not be standing this time, will share their experience of being on the Board. The first article is from long-standing trustee Gavin Henderson:

After a phone call and a lot of discussion with the caller, I decided to stand for the BOT in the 2001 elections. I was elected as a parent representative in 2001 and have been on the Board since then.

I had one son who had already been at DHS for six years and, with three more children to come, I thought it would be a good opportunity to give something back to the school. Coming from a farming background, I have a number of skills from the practical to the financial perspective to run a business.

Since I joined the BOT in 2001, there have been many changes around the school. The roll has grown from 550 to 750 students, so there have been numerous building projects overseen by the BOT to accommodate the rising roll. A new music and drama block, new student services block, a new gym with a climbing wall, an upgraded administration block, an upgraded science laboratory, and an upgraded technology block have all been completed.

The Board has also overseen the introduction of a new school uniform and the appointment of a new principal.

Being in a rural community, I also wanted an agricultural course added to the curriculum. The Board investigated the possibility of a rural

Board of Trustees

Gavin Henderson

programme and it was introduced in 2004. The Rural College has been very successful and is one of the highlights of my term on the Board - agriculture is an important sector of our community.

Improving student achievement is always high on the Board’s list of priorities and it is pleasing to see students achieve to their potential, as shown by our NCEA results.

If you are a person who can work in a team environment and want to have an input into the future direction of our school, then you should consider standing in the next BOT elections.

Election Timeline15 April Nominations open

16 May Nominations close

30 May Voting closes

Our Returning Officer, Shona Staddon, will be

sending information to all parents/caregivers. In the meantime, if you have any

queries, you can contact her by phoning the school or at

[email protected]

PRINCIPAL’S AWARD

Congratulations to

Emma KellockYear 8

who has earned a Principal’s Award.

She will be presented with her certificate at Assembly and will

also receive a $10 voucher.

Issue 4/ DHS Dispatch 3

Principal’s Comments

2013 Cross CountryDarfield Domain, Wednesday 10 April, 9.15am

Cross Country is compulsory for Years 7-10 students and optional for Years 11-13 students. There are House Points to be earned. All students are to

wear the correct sports uniform. Students come to school in normal school uniform and walk to the Domain in groups after Form Time.

All families and caregivers are encouraged to come along and support their children.

Families will shortly be receiving an invoice for school fees and a request for a school donation. We recognise that it is expensive to have a child at school and so want to make sure the reasons for any charges are clear. A subject fee is a charge for materials where the end product belongs to the student and is taken home, for example technology projects and course workbooks. Parents are made aware in the course handbook that charges for materials are a feature of courses.

A stationery fee is charged to pay for the school diary, school calendar and some student printing.

An activity fee is a charge for a school activity in order to cover the actual costs of the activity, for example transport and entry fees. Activity fees are charged for activities such as camps, sports teams, subject field trips, and performances. Any activity where an activity fee is requested will be notified by a school

letter. Activity fees need to be paid prior to the event and are usually returned with permission slips. If a family has concerns regarding their ability to pay any fees, they should contact the Bursar to discuss options available.

The school donation is an important source of support for the school and enables us to provide a range of learning resources for students. About 70% of families gave a donation in 2012 and this provided $44 000 for additional computers, sports equipment, and Library books. Although the total budget for the school is large, once the fixed costs are taken into account the total discretionary budget is limited. As such, the school donation remains an important way to provide better resources for students.

In 2012, the school donation requested was $95 for a single student and $160 for a family. Students whose family has paid

the donation have previously been provided with a school magazine. This has resulted in the perception that the donation was a fee rather than a donation. To remove this perception, the Board of Trustees has decided to make the school magazine as a separate, optional charge. To reflect this change, the requested school donation will be reduced by the printing component of the school magazine cost. This means that, in 2013, the requested school donation will be $80 for single students and $140 for families.

In other developments, our ultrafast broadband (UFB) fibre connection has been recently ‘lit up’ and is now being trialled by staff before being available across the school. It is intended that the UFB will provide us with the internet speed and bandwidth to support the growing learning and administration needs of all school users.

James Morris

Rochelle Does It Again!

Once again, Rochelle Waters has excelled in her swimming. Yesterday, she attended the Special Olympics New Zealand event held in Rangiora.

She entered two events and gained two major placings:

• First in the 25m Backstroke

• Second in the 50m Freestyle

Rochelle and her swimming friend, Charlotte, have a bit of fun competing against each other and it was Charlotte this time who took out the first place in the 50m.

You’re awesome, Rochelle!

Around School

Above: Mr Chalk with his class of Term One, Year 9 Hard Materials-Wood finished automaton projects.

4 Issue 4/ DHS Dispatch

On Wednesday 6 March, 7SE went to Lake Lyndon for Year 7 camp.

“It started with a massive rush in the morning plus you had to hand in your food and medicine.” - Blake Stevenson

When they arrived the students had to take a 3 ½ hour walk over and around the hills and back to the lodge. This gave the Year 7s from the first camp time to clean and leave for home.

After the walk, the students got to have a look around the lodge and then they had some down time.

Day Two was the main day of camp. This was when the skiffing, mountain biking, bush craft, and camera book happened.

“My favourite was mountain biking because we got to go down shingle scree on the bikes.” - Jesse Frew

On the last day the students had breakfast while they waited for the

teachers to put out the orienteering flags.

Then they were off. There were three teachers stationed around the course in case any team members got injured or hurt. Two teams beat the existing record, one by five minutes the other by two minutes.

“It was a great feeling when we beat the record.” - Rhys Clatworthy.

“The overall experience was wonderful... I had loads of fun and learned lots of new and exciting things.” - Kieran McKay

By Jack Curle

Year 7 Camps


It was 7 March, the second day of the annual Year 7 Camp at Lake Lyndon Lodge. The room was so quiet you’d think the Queen was about to walk in. Instead, on came some boys dressed sort of like the Queen. They introduced their act for the camp concert as “The Granny Dance”, and proceeded to bust some 1960s moves and hit each other with their handbags, to loud giggles from the campers of 7SE, 7CC and 7GC.

A few hours before the concert, I asked Cassandra Hart if her team was prepared for their act. “Yeah, definitely,’’ she replied, but afterwards teammate Michelle Bruce mentioned that it didn’t go as planned. “It was still really fun though”.

This was the story for most of the people I interviewed, despite lots of preparation, bringing all the props and practising. Apart from this, the night was hilarious fun, with 15 acts taking to the stage. There was great variety, from rapping and riddles to 1D mocks and Harlem Shaking. Viewers got to know the modern teletubbies (Cinderella, Mr Bean and Lady Gaga), found out who the ugliest person in the room was (Nigel Clatworthy, a camp parent), watched some very messy eaters and saw many a teacher or prefect making fools of themselves participating in the students’ acts.

The usually reasonable and kind Mr Jermyn had transformed for the night into Darfield High School’s very own Simon Cowell, bashing a pot with a spoon any time he was dissatisfied.He got much the same reaction from the audience as Simon when he presses the buzzer. “He was really brutal,” complained Sarah Kellock.

“I really liked the Prefects’ act, because it was really funny and messy,” Lucy Glassey said, and quite a few people agreed with her. Others had mixed thoughts on who the best was, and many liked all of them.

Logan Seaward commented, “The camp concert was great and everyone had lots of fun.”

By Kate Morris

A Night To Remember

Year 7 Camps


David Mueller-CajarDavid has now finished his Music Studies in Performance French Horn in Germany, where he studied under Michael Hoeltzl, and also played for a short time First Horn for the Shen Yun Performing Art Orchestra in the State of New York. One of his highlights was the performance in the Carnegie Hall last October.

If you would like to hear David, don’t miss:

Oliver Mueller-Cajar• PhD The Australian National

University 2007

• BSc(Hons) (Biochemistry) University of Canterbury 2003

Oliver undertook his PhD studies under the supervision of Dr Spencer Whitney at the Australian National University in Canberra, studying the artificial evolution of the

Ex-students’ Updatesphotosynthetic CO2-fixing enzyme Rubisco. Subsequently, he joined the laboratory of Dr Manajit Hayer-Hartl at the Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry near Munich, Germany, where he discovered a novel molecular motor that activates Rubisco.

Oliver’s group at NTU started in August 2012. Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Sinagapore, has a premier scheme, the elite Nanyang Assistant Professorship (NAP), launched in 2007 to attract exceptional young academics throughout the world to work at NTU, further strengthening NTU’s commitment to research excellence. Not only do the NAP recipients receive start-up grants of up to S$1 million, they also have the chance to help lead NTU’s next wave of multidisciplinary research. The scheme is opened on an annual basis and each year up to 10 appointments are made.

Currently, there are 24 Nanyang Assistant Professors working at NTU. Ex-student Oliver is now one of those prestigious Assistant Professors working in the Division of Structural Biology and Biochemistry.

‘The Horn in Concert’Saturday 23 March

Nut Point Gallery at 7.30 pm(Langdales Road, West Melton)

Cost: $25 includes a light supper

Book at www.nutpoint.org or phone 03 342 1033

Oliver Mueller-Cajar was in Year 13 in 2000. He was NZ Top Scholar in Biology.

Robin Mueller-Cajar was in Year 13 in 2001 and was Dux.

David was in Year 13 in 2005. He is an accomplished musician.

Here are updates on two of the brothers.

“I won these ribbons and trophies at the Southern Circuit, which is a Western Riding event held over 10 days at different venues. I won High Point Junior Youth, High Point Senior Horse, High Point Grade Horse and Runner-up Horse of the Show.”

Lily travelled south during the school holidays with her horse, Joe Calico, to take part in the above events, in Invercargill and various southern towns.

A journey not for the faint-hearted, because, “Joe will not pee in the horse float, so we need to stop every two hours for him.”

Lily has been riding since the age of three and concentrating more on Western Riding for the last two years.

She travels all around New Zealand with her Mum and the Smith family

Ride Like a Cowboy!from Hororata. Lily purchased Joe from Debbie and Claire Smith who had trained him for Western Riding.

Next stop is Blenheim for the end of the Buckle Series. We look forward to hearing more from Lily and Joe.

Above: Joe Calico and Lily Barrett-Power - proud winners


I did the shave for a cure as it was for a good cause and for Liam

O'Callaghan.

I received around about $115, which was more than the $50 I was hoping

for.

I have had enough people playing with my hair (well, what’s left of it) to

last a life time.

I'm happy I took part in this event as it is rewarding taking part in a great

cause like Shave for a Cure.

Thanks to everyone who donated.

By Jonas Meyer

The first ever Shave for a Cure event held at Darfield High School was a huge success. Those students and staff (below) who took part can be undeniably proud of themselves and the money they raised for the Leukemia and Blood Cancer Foundation.

How brave to step up and do something so out there!

What will I look like? What will my mates say? Will people think I have cancer? Will my head be cold and what will my family think?

All valid questions and yet they still went ahead and in front of an audience of their peers, sat on stage and had their heads shaved. And very entertaining it was too, with some humourous designs cut into their hair before total removal, and a lot of fun and entertainment during the process.

It would be very unusual these days not to know anyone, or have a family member, who has been affected, and this gave many of the participants a great reason to sign up for this cause. Danny said he was doing it for his Nana, Aunty and for his friend, Liam. Jayden thought it was a great cause, as did Jordan, but also for his Grandad. Mrs Curtin was amazing too, remembering her good friend as she had her hair removed.

Students and staff gave generously and made it all worthwhile.

After the final tally of online pledges and cash donated, Mr Adams was blown away by our total of $3,074.50!

$3,074.50!

Yes, you did read that right:

Above: Jordan Lancaster, Bruno Deans, Jonas Meyer, Chevvy Roberts, Mrs Curtin, Tom Wilson, Mr Maude, Caleb Banks, Danny Hynam, and Jayden Ball

Thanks to everyone who sponsored me.There were some great sponsorships.

Someone even gave me a hundred dollars! All of my friends and family were

really supportive and gave me lots of encouragement.One thing I have noticed is it is really cold in the morning walking to

school!

By Caleb


chance to do some research. Here we continued with our research from Tuesday, making use of the huge wealth of information in the museum archives and in the museum itself. Most of us focused on our second focus questions.

The class researched a wide range of aspects of life on the goldfields of Central Otago, from the role of women, to the state of law and order, from the life of the Chinese to the role religion played in the region’s history.

After spending the morning researching, the class was taken on a tour around Arrowtown, viewing the many historic buildings in the town such as the old jail, cemetery and the various churches. By the time we finished this walk, it was around three o’clock, and it was about time to leave. We quickly walked back to the lodge, piled into the van and set off back to Darfield. The weather was significantly better than on the trip down, with the views of Mt Cook from Lake Pukaki being particularly stunning. After a brief stop in Geraldine for dinner, we were soon home, exhausted but inspired after the last few days and the experiences we shared.

By Genevieve Jebson and Calum Gray

Due to the early start at 6:30am on Tuesday 12 March, the Year 13 History class left for Arrowtown, tired, but excited, as many of us had never ventured further south than Geraldine. Despite this, many of us slept, snubbing the beautiful scenery of the south for an extra nap.

We stopped for lunch at the iconic giant fruit statue where Miss Handley and Miss Kidd excited us with the news about the jet boating trip that was to follow, once we arrived in Arrowtown. After the hold-up at the rock blasting, west of Cromwell, our arrival in Arrowtown was rushed as we were running late for the first part of our adventure – the jet boating trip.

Peter, who drove us to the jet boating site along one of the top 10 most dangerous public roads in the world, kept us sane with his casual attitude and soothing voice, pointing out different things to us as he drove. We were all on the edge of our seats, staring over the edge at the huge drop below us, gazing at the path which the gold miners took through Skippers Canyon to the Shotover River many decades ago. The highlight of our interesting drive was when Peter pointed out to us two rocks, which at first we didn’t think much of, until he informed us

these rocks were used for the ‘Gates of Mordor’ in Peter Jackson’s, ‘The Lord of the Rings’.

When we finally reached the bottom of the Canyon, we split into two groups, and took two jet boats on an exhilarating ride up the Shotover River, to what was previously the highest Bungee jumping bridge in the world.

After taking an exciting walk around the local museum, we tried our luck at gold panning. Many of us were successful, however some of us would never have survived in the mines!

Tuesday morning began with an early start: our alarm clock, Miss Handley, who was banging on each of our doors. After a delicious breakfast, we headed off to the Lakes District Museum to begin a full day of research. We were welcomed, and shown where everything was, before being let loose to use the resources the museum had to offer. Using special white gloves to deal with real life archives was really interesting and exciting, as we had never before touched objects that were so old.

On our final day, after an early start (although not as early as the two days before) we walked down to the now familiar museum for our final

History Gold in Arrowtown


Empowering young Kiwis to lead the fight against global hunger

The last thing I thought I’d be doing at a World Vision Leadership day, was sitting in a group, cutting out paper huts, land and crops, and putting my life and soul into a massive Farmville type game.

The Global Leadership Conference is a day for students to learn more about World Vision, and to guide us into leading 40 Hour Famine at our school.

Firstly we got heavily into a simulation that was basically a complex Farmville game. The purpose of this was to show us about the inequalities between countries, and how we as people cause them. Because we are the problem, it means we can also fix it.

We then had various speakers, who told us their ideas of leadership, and more information about World Vision. The videos shown were soul destroying. I’m sure every student had a pang of guilt inside them.

The youth ambassadors inspired us with their journey to Papua New

Above: Mrs Guy, Henry Oliver, Tom de Rooy, Rosie Forbes, Genevieve Jebson, Chris Davis (World Vision), and Ben Ridgen

Guinea; they gave us a true insight in to these villages and how they are struggling. One of the ambassadors, Mandy, put tears in my eyes by the way she spoke.

After lunch, we were taught how to approach famine week at school, and ideas were tossed around. The money raised is going to Papua New Guinea this year, towards kitchen set-ups, and educating communities on a balanced diet.

Some schools have done crazy things, from living in a shop window for 40 hours, to bringing donkeys in to school.

We have a strong team of Gordana, Tom, Henry, Genevieve, Ben, Cassie and I, and we are going to come up with wacky ideas for an amazing cause. Our goal for this year is to raise $15,000. We can do this if everyone helps out! Big thanks to Mrs Guy for supporting us, and driving us in and out.

By Rosie Forbes


AGE CHAMPION RUNNER-UP

U12 - Boys Sam Clarke Caleb Longdin

U12 - Girls Aaliyah Van der Heyden Zoe Spinks

U13 - Boys Harry Bampton Michael Dempsey/Simon Seelen

U13 - Girls Willow Trolove Laura McLean

U14 - Boys Isaac Proud James Doherty

U14 - Girls Courtney O’Callaghan Chelsea Wilson

U15 - Boys Ben Millar Edward Searle

U15 - Girls Ciara Rayne Caitlin Thistoll

U16½ - Boys Angus Wilson Harry Pringle

U16½ - Girls Leanne Feary Katelyn Manson

O16½ - Boys Danny Hynam Robert Stewart

O16½ - Girls Bobby Lee Ross Claudia Thomas

Athletics Champions


RECORDS BROKEN 2013 JAMES DOHERTY:

Under 14 Boys High Jump (above)

Old Record 1.565 m (set 1988), New Record 1.595 m

Under 14 Boys 100 metres

Old Record 12.90 sec (set 1974), New Record 12.89 sec


Years 7 and 8 students have been battling it out in the kitchen in an effort to determine who will represent Darfield High School in this year’s Maggi Kitchen Showdown national competition.

Thirty-two teams have competed in heats and they have been whittled down to the top six. The final is coming up where the teams will create a chocolate brownie served as if in a restaurant.

The calibre of the meals has been outstanding, and the Year 12 judges, Matt Redmond, Waimaria Ross-Marsh and Alisha Forrester-Rolton, have been impressed with the level of skill and creativity displayed by students in the junior school. The students have enjoyed the competition and we are looking forward to the finals.

Maggi Kitchen Showdown

On their return, they will accompany six French students back to New Zealand and host them for another nine weeks, immersing them in DHS and the Kiwi way of life.

This has been made possible, in part, by a grant we have received of $500 per student. The grant of $2000 in total is from the NZFFF to whom we are extremely grateful.

The New Zealand-France Friendship

Joshua Cook, Erika Pander, Courtney Hughes and Ruka Ishikawa, are about to embark on a fantastic opportunity. On Sunday they leave for France where they will spend the next nine weeks.

Accompanied by French teacher, Ms Scott, for the first two weeks of the trip, they begin their adventure with four nights stay in Paris, visiting all the major tourist attractions but, more importantly, living and fending for themselves in an apartment and learning how the French do things.

They will then travel west to Brittany where they will stay with a French host family for eight weeks and attend the French school Lycée Félix le Dantec in Lannion. Settling into this new environment, foreign culture and speaking french 24/7 is all part of the experience for these Year 11 and Year 12 students.

A French ExchangeFund (NZFFF) was established in 1991 to promote friendly relations between the peoples of New Zealand and France. It awards grants to projects which meet the Fund’s philosophy of promoting friendly relations and understanding – often school exchanges, historical research, and cultural activities; and particularly targeting young people.

We look forward to catching up with Erika, Joshua, Ruka, and Courtney, hearing their stories and sharing with them some of their experiences.

Pictured left: Erika Pander, Joshua Cook, Ruka Ishikawa, Courtney Hughes and Miss Scott


Do you have the skills to help run the country? Would you like to go to Wellington to join the whole parliamentary experience?

“I’m looking for someone with a passion for the future of New Zealand, who is willing to stand up and have their voice heard,” says MP Amy Adams.

Amy has been visiting the various schools in Selwyn, talking to students about the qualities they would need, what the role involves, and how they can be the voice for young adults. Students aged 16-18 will go through a selection process to choose the lucky person.

“This is a rare chance for a young person to step into my shoes and

experience life as an MP for a few days. It’s an interesting position, with long hours and difficult decisions, but a real opportunity to make a difference,” she says.

The selection process is now open for a Selwyn constituent, aged 16 – 18 years old, to take their views all the way to the Prime Minister when Youth Parliament is held in Wellington this July.

During Youth Parliament, the selected teenagers will have the opportunity to debate legislation, sit on select committees and ask parliamentary questions of Cabinet Ministers. At the same time, their Youth Press Gallery colleagues will report on their activities and make

sure they are held accountable to the public.

When Youth Parliament finishes, the selected youth will keep the title of Youth MP for six months, to continue acting as eyes and ears for youth in the area.

www.amyadams.co.nz

If you are aged 16-18 and interested in representing Selwyn as a Youth MP at Youth Parliament this year please email [email protected] by Monday. The school can select two students to go to the Selwyn final selection evening on 3 April.

Below: Amy Adams speaks to interested students in the Library.

Selwyn Student Sought

Every year, the Malvern Community Board and Yubetsu Township offer scholarships for students to stay in Japan for three months, with subsidised airfares.

This is a wonderful opportunity to experience a whole new culture, or, if you have visited Japan on one of the shorter trips, to spend time living a real Japanese lifestyle.

If you would like to know more, please see Mrs Hayakawa, or you can pick up an application form from the International Office. Applications close 5 April.

Parents may also email queries to Sumi Hayakawa: [email protected]

Yubetsu ScholarshipEvery year, two lucky students are selected from Darfield High School for the three-month Yubetsu Scholarship. Yubetsu is a town in a fishing and dairy district and is located in Japan’s northern island Hokkaido.

In 2004, I was one of the students selected for the scholarship. During the three months, I stayed with a host family and attended Yubetsu Junior High School.

This was my first long trip away from my friends and family in a totally different country, so I had no

idea what to expect. When I got there, everyone was so kind and welcoming, I was able to quickly settle in and make new friends. Before I knew it my three months were over and I didn’t want to return home.

During the experience, I learnt so much and my Japanese improved rapidly. When time came to return home, not only was I bringing the memories of an amazing experience back with me, but also my host sister, so that she could experience New Zealand and DHS for three months.

If you are interested in the scholarship or have any questions, please see Mrs Hayakawa. We are fortunate to have this amazing opportunity at our school; it changed my life. I highly recommend you apply.

By Rowena Duncan

Rowena’s Yubetsu Experience


Michaela and I had the crazy idea of running Stage Challenge this year, so, after racing around trapping teachers and choreographers, we sent in our application just before the cut-off date.

Stage Challenge is a four-to-six minute performance, conveying a message through songs, lights, costumes, dance and drama.

With much excitement we planned frantically with our amazing team: Megan Cunningham, Chevonn Walker, Ashley Corden, and Claudia Thomas. We are assisted by Mr Jermyn, Ms Blakemore and Miss Rawson, through this crazy conga line of preparation.

Our theme for this year is self-image, and how subconscious thoughts can possess your mind. If all goes well, we will have one scene in complete UV light. We have a sweet soundtrack with a full range of songs to represent the mood of the scenes.

We are in the midst of auditions, with rehearsals starting soon. We need support for fundraising as it will cost to get us all there with smiling faces and stunning costumes, so look out for upcoming fundraisers.

By Rosie Forbes

Stage Challenge 2013

Congratulations to the above students, Hunter Benbow (left) who passed his Grade 3 Flute Royal Schools of Music London Exam, and Alicia Bradley-

Taurua for passing her Grade 3 Trinity College London Flute Exam. Both students are taught by Julia Evans-Brant. Well done to you both!

Congratulations!

During the last two weeks, many of you will have noticed the scaffolding and scissor lifts, and tradesmen working around the school hall.

We have had contractors removing the old roof which was an old Super 6 fibre cement product, and replacing it with coloursteel corrugated iron. While the old roof was still serviceable, it needed regular maintenance to retain its water- proofness, and the spouting was beginning to fail, and was linked to the roof. The roof had been identified as a project on our property plan.

This work was done with all care taken, considering it was during the school term. With similar work happening in Canterbury as part of the “rebuild”, specialist contractors are in demand.

Thanks to Harcourt Insulation and Newfield Roofing for their quick and thorough work on this. There is still spouting to be replaced and some painting to be done before the scaffolding can be removed.

School Hall - What’s Happening?

Dr McKenzie’s Year 11 Science class have been investigating the use of microbes in the making of Ginger Beer.

Pictured above are students enjoying the fruits of their labour!

When Mrs Morgan was asked what her impressions were she replied, “I think it burned a hole in my stomach; two litres of Coke didn’t get rid of the taste!”

Ginger Beer creates a fizz!

Darfield High School PTSA is looking for any donations of unwanted presents or treasures that you meant to put on Trade Me and you haven’t. We would like to use them as prizes for the up and coming Quiz night. Please drop any donations in at the school or email [email protected] and declutter your space.

What HAVE YOU GOT hidden away ??????


Good luck to Josh Cook, Erika Pander, Courtney Hughes and Ruka Ishikawa who are leaving this Sunday for nine weeks in France. They leave on Sunday, stay four nights in Paris and then travel to Brittany where they will stay with a French host family for eight weeks and attend the Felix Le Dantec School. Our students will be accompanied by Ms Teryl Scott who will stay with them for the first week and then return home.

We will look forward to welcoming six French students from Felix Le Dantec in Brittany in May.

Mito Agricultural High School students, accompanied by Akihiro Nagayama and Hiroko Tadokoro, visited our school for nine days recently, for the first time. The activities they were involved in included a visit to Gowanlea Apiaries at Whitecliffs (thanks very much to Rochelle and James), Glenbogle Alpaca Farm where they were hosted by Gary and Barbara Johnson, Rubicon Farm, Fonterra Processing Plant (thanks to Richard Gray) and the Antarctic Centre.

In school, the students attended Rural College classes which they really enjoyed, made lovely lemonade scones and brushed up on their English with Mrs Mary Helson, ESOL Teacher.

International Department News The days went by very quickly and the group have now returned to Japan.

On 3 April, Amy Musson and Emma Brook leave to go to Southpointe Academy in Tsawwassen, Vancouver. Two weeks ago, Amy and Emma visited Oxford Area School to meet a group of students from Southpointe Academy, along with two of their teachers. They had a day out at Willowbank with the group and are looking forward to seeing them again when they arrive in Canada.

We know Amy and Emma will be great ambassadors for Darfield High School and we look forward to their presentations when they return.

Student Exchange

STS Student Exchange is based in Invercargill and has been operating for over 20 years. They have a wide network of representatives throughout the world and are known as a world leader in International Education and Student Exchange.

If any students are interested in a student exchange to countries including Italy, France, USA, Austria, Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and many more, come and get a very detailed brochure/prospectus from Mrs Lindsay in the International Department.

Amy and Emma

At Lincoln University

Antarctic Centre

Akihiro Nagayama, Judy Lindsay and Hiroko Tadokoro


Year 9 CampAfter a long drive up to the Environment Centre, we were introduced to the quiet, calm woodland hut, surrounded by bush and echoing with native animal noises. The first thing we did when we arrived was make a bag chain to get all the luggage into the environmental hut. We sorted out where everyone was sleeping, then gathered outside to be put into two groups. We all squashed into the three DHS vans and set off to our activities.

Our first activity was rock climbing and, after we got into our harnesses, Mr Dickens went through the safety method. There were two rock walls we had to climb and you needed a belayer and a backup belayer to help you up and down with the rope. They were challenging, but everyone got through it and it was great fun. We then had lunch and switched activities.

Our next activity was Cave Stream, a cave made of limestone with freezing cold water running through it. We all wore warm clothes to protect us from hypothermia and helmets to protect us from hitting our heads on the walls of the cave. We travelled through it, stopping every now and then to let the rest of the group catch up. It was really amazing to look at the roof as well because you could see shiny

glittering dots bunched together in thousands. One time we stopped, we all turned our lights out and it was pitch black! We neared the end of the tunnel and made our way up these little bars that were stuck in the wall. We wandered out of the cave and headed back to the vans, with our eyes still adjusting to the blinding bright light and burning hot sun.

After another long journey, we all arrived back at camp and everyone went back to their cabins to get changed out of their wet clothes. We had free time and some of the boys set up bivvies in the bush so they could sleep in them at night.

The next day started bright and early with a selection of toast and cereal for breakfast. Once everyone was ready, we all set off in our groups to our activities.

Our first activity was kayaking on Lake Pearson with Mr Mac. After the safety instructions, we all got into our gear and set off on the water. We paddled around for a while and got used to turning, stopping and going straight ahead. Then we had a relay race, and then played the piano game, where one person runs straight across the kayaks and straight back to theirs. The other group had arrived and were waiting on the bank. We came back, had some lunch and home baking, and

then switched activities again.

We went on an environment walk checking stoat and possum traps then back up the hill to the vans. We then had a choice of going back to camp, or going on a run three kilometres up the road away from camp. Kelly, Hannah, Hayley, Grace, Troy, Devon, and Taylor went on the run, guided by Mrs Lal. It was fun but we were all hot and tired afterwards so it was good to have a shower to cool ourselves down.

Most of us had a lot of free time to roam around and explore the camp before dinner, while some helped with the cooking.

After dinner we did some quizzes and drawing games for fun, with the prize of giving away the job of cooking the next day to any group you wanted.

The last day came by fast and, while we waited for some students to finish their rock climbing, the rest of us pulled out some unwanted trees from a nearby paddock. We finally got to go on our tramp, even though we had run out of time to do the Hogs Back Track we were going to do. We took some great photos of all of us at Castle Hill to end the amazing trip. We all had a fantastic time and cannot wait until Year 10 Camp!

By: Kelly Leonard, Hannah Glassy, Troy Hampton


On Sunday 10 March, our Year 12 Geography class travelled to Aoraki/Mount Cook for our research assignment. The research involved gathering information over various activities and to check the health of the Lagoon Stream. This involved recording the velocity and flow, (and other not very useful data, we soon found out).

On the second day, we climbed up the Red Tarns, a 300 metre hill. It doesn’t seem very high, but one hour uphill with a class of Geographers pretending to be Bear Gryls was painful enough. The walk was challenging for all of us but very rewarding knowing that we all made it up alive!

At the top, we did various scree slope studies involving rock shape, angle of the mountain, etc.

On Monday, we went on an amazing boat ride on the glacial lake and saw icebergs that had fallen off the 50 million tonne calving that happened the week before. This same day it was Mr Quinn’s birthday. When we weren’t working, the whole class threw a surprise party!

Our class bonded whilst on this amazing exciting adventure. This is a trip we will never forget.

A special thanks to Miss Ward who helped out on the trip.

Aoraki Assignment

We have so many students at Darfield High School doing fabulous things every day, that we want to acknowledge and celebrate these.

Staff will be sending postcards home to students to congratulate or encourage them in their efforts and contributions while going about their daily business at school. These postcards run alongside our Teacher Points and Dean’s Awards systems.

Mail for Students


School and Community Notices

WHAT’S ON?Week 9Monday 25 March• Year 9 Camp (to 27th)

Tuesday 26 March• Year 7 Tetanus Injections

Wednesday 27 March• Canterbury SS Swimming Championships at Wharenui

• Lincoln University Presentation to Year 13s

Friday 29 March• Good Friday

Week 10Monday 1 April• Easter MondayTuesday 2 April• Easter TuesdayWednesday 3 April• Employment Skills Work Ex Week (to 5th)

Thursday 4 April• Newsletter #5

Friday 5 April• Progress Reports Posted

• Rock Climbing Expedition to Wanaka (to 9th)

Saturday 6 April• SI SS Athletics Championships in Invercargill (to 7th)

Sunday 7 April• Malvern Lions Fun Run and Mountain Biking Event

Week 11Tuesday 9 April• BOT Meeting, 7.30pm

Wednesday 10 April• DHS Cross Country Championships

• NZ College of ECE Visit

Thursday 11 April• Canterbury PS Swimming Championships at Wharenui Pool

• Progress Report Evening

• Brian Falkner Visits

Friday 12 April• 11 RUB Practical Day

DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL WEBSITE

School UniformsAll uniform items are available through Darfield

High School and some at Postie Plus in Rolleston. Brochures and order forms are available from the

School Office.

Orders at Darfield High School are taken by appointment only, so contact Avis or Sue to arrange this. It is preferable parents refrain from coming to reception for uniform items from 8 - 9.30am as this

is a very busy time.

If you have second hand uniform for sale and would like it to be added to the database, please

email [email protected]. She will forward any enquiries to you. Details needed are: items, sizes, boys or girls, and price. It is important that if your

items sell, you let the school know, so our database remains current.

If you would like to purchase second hand uniform, please email Avis and ask whether the

items you require are on our database. She will forward contact details for you. Second hand stock is not generally held at school.

Uniform Shop Hours for Students

Monday: 11.00 - 11.25amThursday: 11.00 - 11.25am

For fittings and larger purchases, an appointment must be made.

Remember: If your student is not at school, or arrives late, we need a note explaining the

absence.

Have you changed your phone number, email address, or shifted house?

Please update your records with the school if these have changed since last year.

You can do this by emailing [email protected]


Contact between Home and School

Have you changed your address over the holidays? Changed cell phones? Place of work? Or would you like to update/change the emergency contact for your student? We have found that up-to-date information is vital in case of an emergency but also for the general day to day contact. To make contact with a family can sometimes be a challenge with out-of-date information.

It won’t be long now until we will be sending out the Progress Reports and we would like to get them to you promptly, so you can make your appointments for the Progress Report Evening without delay.

If any changes above apply to you, please let Jill, Student Administrator, know by: phoning 318 8411 / ext 3 or emailing [email protected]

or write it down and ask your student to deliver it to the Student Office.

They’re on their Way!

The Christchurch Entertainment Book 2013 is on its way., this year

including 25 new Christchurch and local restaurants. The first 35 people to order

and pay win prizes. Bargains galore!

Pre-order with [email protected]

2013 Term DatesTerm 1: 29 January to 19 AprilFriday 29 March: Good FridayMonday 1 April: Easter MondayTuesday 2 April: Easter TuesdayThursday 25 April: ANZAC DayTerm 2: 6 May to 12 JulyMonday 3 June: Queen’s BirthdayTerm 3: 29 July to 27 SeptemberTerm 4: 14 October to 12 DecemberMonday 28 October: Labour DayThursday 14 November: Staff Only DayFriday 15 November: Canterbury Anniversary Show Day

House Points Update


Malvern A&P Show

23 March

c h i l d m i nd e rAfter School Childminder

Needed?

Female, ex-health care professional is available to help with homework, etc -

take the load off!!

Phone 317 9933 (evenings)

Canterbury Westland Science Fair

See Mrs Wilson if you are interested. Junior and Senior

options available.

PINE CONES FOR SALE$5 per SACK

Delivered to Darfield Township

Fundraiser for

Glenroy Windwhistle Pony Club

For orders or enquiries

Phone Sharon 317 9209

Or email [email protected]

Teenage Brain Seminar

This seminar will explore and explain the latest understandings of the adolescent brain and the changes that are taking place.

• Risk Taking • Alcohol and Drugs • Sleep Patterns • Plus much more

• Decision Making • Technology • Peer Pressure

Monday 13 May, 7.00pm Lincoln Event Centre

Presented by Nathan Mikaere‐Wallis a lecturer at Canterbury University, a neuroscience presenter for the Brainwave Trust, and as a Child Protection trainer.

In addition to being a father with a history as a foster parent, his professional background is in child counseling, teaching and social service management.

He has built up a nationwide reputation as a lively and engaging speaker on the topic of brain development. Nathan uses humor to make this, sometimes, complex topic both easy to understand and easily related to day to day experiences.

Limited seats available. Pre-register and pay on the night $8.00 per person.

Please register by emailing: [email protected]

www.spn.org.nz

Check out the latest information for families with a Special Needs child or if you have an interest in the Special Needs area at:

www.parent2parent.org.nz

Win a Toyota Competition, Coffee Mornings, Timaru – Chipmunks, Altogether Autism Summer Journal, ASD Family Forum, Altogether

Autism Conference and the Parent to Parent 30th Reunion

Enterprise DayWednesday 27 March

Lunchtime in the Quad

Bring your gold coins

Don’t miss out!


Darfield Preschool & NurseryCar Boot sale

Saturday 6 April, 9 - 12 9-12Trinity Church Car park

McLaughlin’s Road, Darfield

To raise money for our new building.

If you are interested in having a table please contact

Clare or Sally on 318 8836

Cost $10 per table

$5 for a child

Spelling Competition Open to students in Years 7 and 8. Entries are $10.50.

Entries and money must be received by Mrs Hurford by 11

May.

The Spelling Test is on 18 June.

Computer SkillsOpen to any student in Years 7 - 11

Entry fee is $8.50.

Entries and money must be received by Mrs Hurford by Friday

12 April.

This exam will be held on 21 May at school.

Writing Competition Open to Year 7-13 students and

costs $19.50 to enter.

The Writing test is on 17 June. Entries and money to Mrs Hurford

by 11 May.

HOST FAMILIES NEEDEDIN JUNE/JULY

EXPERIENCE ANOTHER CULTURE IN 2013

IMPROVE YOUR LANGUAGE STUDIES AT HOME

In June-July 2013 Student Exchange Australia New Zealand Ltd will be receiving exchange students from

Europe, Canada, the USA and Latin America. We are looking for volunteer

host families to welcome these students into their homes for between two and

ten months.

Host families come in all shapes and sizes, backgrounds and ages. Our students bring with them their own

spending money, health insurance and a wonderful attitude and desire to learn

about their new host country.

All students have at least basic levels of English, would attend a school in your local area and live the life of a

local. Our staff members will be happy to discuss which student might be best

suited to a family.

Student Exchange Australia New Zealand is a not-for-profit organisation

registered with the New Zealand Ministry of Education. You can find out more about our organisation by visiting

www.studentexchange.org.nz.

If Darfield High School families have any questions about hosting an

exchange student or would like to view profiles of students arriving from

other countries, call our office on 0800 440 079 or visit our website. Our staff

members will be happy to discuss which student might be best suited to

their family. No obligation.

Science Open to Year 7-13 students and

costs $8.50 to enter.

The Science test is on 5 June. Entries and money to Mrs Hurford

by 19 April.

future studentsInformatIon evenIng

t h u r s d a y 2 1 m a r c h , 4 . 3 0 - 6 . 3 0 p m

Interested In desIgn, engIneerIng or vet?

fInd out about these & other defInIng massey unIversIty programmes.

When: thursday 21 march, 4.30 - 6.30pmWhere: Ilam school hall, 66 Ilam road

InvIte famIly & frIends along for the presentatIon at 5pm WhIch WIll cover:

• programme InformatIon• massey graduate speakers• campus detaIls • key dates

you’ll also get a chance to talk one-on-one WIth our advIsors, before & after the presentatIon.

engIne.ac.nz | massey.ac.nz


Canteen Lunches

Please order your food at Interval

COACHES WANTEDWith summer over and autumn now upon us I am in the process of organising our winter sports teams (Years 9-13 at this stage). If you are able to help either COACH or MANAGE one of the following

teams please feel free to email me. Any help would be very much appreciated.

Netball, Girls’ Football, Boys’ Football, Girls’ Hockey or Boys’ Hockey

Karen Armstrong, [email protected]

What do USB Sticks and PE

Uniforms have in common?They are the most common UN-NAMED

items at school!

Please go and get your items and name them right now.

Librarians and PE Teachers will appreciate your efforts.

Enjoy your Easter Weekend break.

Have fun!


7 McLaughlins Road

Phone: +64 3 318 8411

Fax: +64 3 318 8543

PO Box 5

Darfield 7541

New Zealand

Email: [email protected]

Web: darfield.school.nz

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Our ExpectationsRespect for each other• Make your classroom, school and

community better places to live and work• Build positive relationships• Celebrate diversity• Be safe and considerate• Help others to learn

Respect for our environment• Reduce, reuse, recycle resources• Take care of our buildings and grounds• Dispose of waste in the appropriate place

Respect for ourselves• Make good use of academic, cultural and

sporting opportunities• Participate and contribute• Be prompt and prepared• Work to the best of your ability• Ask for help when you need it• Be proud of who you are and where you

came from

Issue 4/ DHS Dispatch 24 are you up for the challenge?

www.malvernlions.co.nz/

for all race information and entry forms

Annavale and Matariki Forestmountain bike fun run walk

Sunday 7 AprilCategories to suit everyone: Recreational Ride, Fun Run, Fun Walk, Elite Bike, Sport BikeNominate DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL when you enter Fundraiser for local schools’ Literacy Programmes

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