Dear Parents/Caregivers Welcome to the first newsletter of 2015. I hope you and your family had a restful Christmas/New Year and that the students are looking forward to doing the best they can for 2015 at College. We have some new and returning staff this year who I would like introduce to you. Firstly, the permanent teaching positions; Mrs Lee Austin is our Head of Faculty Mathematics, Mrs Sidinei Teixeria our Head of Faculty Science and Mrs Phillipa Holdsworth teaching Geography, Social Studies and junior Science. Secondly, long term reliving teaching positions: Mrs Mel Wareing teaching Year 8, Mr Alan Trenberth teaching Mathematics, Mrs Katie Martin part-time Science, Miss Laura Hanson Physical Education and Health, and Mrs Andrea Campkin teaching Home Economics and Technology. Mrs Campkin is covering Mrs Sarah Whinham's classes while she is on sick leave. We wish her a speedy recovery. Thirdly support staff; Mrs Julianne McLeod is our new Librarian and Mrs Sarah Lamb is acting Café Manager as Mrs Jane Grace resigned during the holidays. At the end of last year Mr Ed Waddington resigned to take up a position at Mt Aspiring College and Mr Ryan Wilson resigned to take a position at Ashburton College I wish them well in their new positions. We are currently advertising their positions as well as the Property Manager's position as Mr Giles Pinfold resigned to take a position as Manager of the Valetta Irrigation Scheme. I wish these staff all the best in their new positions. I thank Mr Paul Jones for the extra work he has done over the holiday break to get the school ready for the year. This term Miss Rana Richards is acting Deputy Principal while Mrs Kris Canham is on study leave. Mrs Jessica McConnell is the acting Year 7/8 Dean for the term. This year we will have a Dean at each level. We hope this will make us even more responsive to the learning needs of the students. A list of Deans and their contact details are in this newsletter. We have started the year with a successful First Aid Course for the Year 12 students. We had 60 students attend this course, and the tutors were impressed with our students. This was a great course to receive essential basic first aid skills as well as the students receiving some Level 2 and 3 Credits. On Friday our Year 9 students had a successful Surf Safe Day. I thank Mr Roderick and his team for the planning and implementation of the day. On Monday we had our Powhiri to welcome all new students and their families to the Mount Hutt College community. I look forward to a year with all striving for excellence in our Thriving Learning Community. John Schreurs Principal Whāia te mātauranga hei oranga mō koutou. Seek after learning for the sake of your wellbeing.
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Dear Parents/Caregivers Welcome to the first newsletter of 2015. I hope you and your family had a restful Christmas/New Year and that the students are looking forward to doing the best they
can for 2015 at College. We have some new and returning staff this year who I would like introduce to you. Firstly, the permanent teaching positions; Mrs Lee Austin is our Head of Faculty Mathematics, Mrs Sidinei Teixeria our Head of Faculty Science and Mrs Phillipa Holdsworth teaching Geography, Social Studies and junior Science. Secondly, long term reliving teaching positions: Mrs Mel Wareing teaching Year 8, Mr Alan Trenberth teaching Mathematics, Mrs Katie Martin part-time Science, Miss Laura Hanson Physical Education and Health, and Mrs Andrea Campkin teaching Home Economics and Technology. Mrs Campkin is covering Mrs Sarah Whinham's classes while she is on sick leave. We wish her a speedy recovery. Thirdly support staff; Mrs Julianne McLeod is our new Librarian and Mrs Sarah Lamb is acting Café Manager as Mrs Jane Grace resigned during the holidays. At the end of last year Mr Ed Waddington resigned to take up a position at Mt Aspiring College and Mr Ryan Wilson resigned to take a position at Ashburton College I wish them well in their new positions. We are currently advertising their positions as well as the Property Manager's position as Mr Giles Pinfold resigned to take a position as Manager of the Valetta Irrigation Scheme. I wish these staff all the best in their new positions. I thank Mr Paul Jones for the extra work he has done over the holiday break to get the school ready for the year. This term Miss Rana Richards is acting Deputy Principal while Mrs Kris Canham is on study leave. Mrs Jessica McConnell is the acting Year 7/8 Dean for the term. This year we will have a Dean at each level. We hope this will make us even more responsive to the learning needs of the students. A list of Deans and their contact details are in this newsletter. We have started the year with a successful First Aid Course for the Year 12 students. We had 60 students attend this course, and the tutors were impressed with our students. This was a great course to receive essential basic first aid skills as well as the students receiving some Level 2 and 3 Credits. On Friday our Year 9 students had a successful Surf Safe Day. I thank Mr Roderick and his team for the planning and implementation of the day. On Monday we had our Powhiri to welcome all new students and their families to the Mount Hutt College community. I look forward to a year with all striving for excellence in our Thriving Learning Community. John Schreurs Principal
Whāia te mātauranga hei oranga mō
koutou.
Seek after learning for the sake of
your wellbeing.
Student Absentee Line - 302 8437. Please leave your student's name, form class and reason for being absent. Failure to do so will result in your student being marked as truant.
Mount Hutt College Postponement Line - 302 8904. Please encourage your child to hand in any money/permission slips to the
office first thing in the morning. Lost property is put on display from time to time in the Hall Foyer. Any items remaining at
the end of the week are donated to the Red Cross. To avoid this, please ensure all items of
clothing are named.
Our bank account number for any account or trip payments is 123271 0208210 00. Please
use your child’s name as a reference.
Term 1 Last day Thursday, 2 April Term 2 Monday, 20 April – Friday, 3 July Term 3 Monday, 20 July – Friday, 25 September Term 4 Monday, 12 October – Friday, 11
December
School Office 8.30am – 4.00pm Uniform Shop Hours Every Thursday during term
time 1.00pm – 4.00pm
Thursday, 5 February Health & Safety Course Friday, 6 February Waitangi Day Wednesday, 11 - Friday, 13 February Year 8 Camp Monday, 16 February Junior Swimming Sports (Year 7-9) Tuesday, 17 February Senior Swimming Sports (Year 10-13) Wednesday, 18 February Academic Assembly 1st XI Cricket vs Ashburton College ASSS Senior Tennis Champs Thursday, 19 February - PP date for Junior Swimming Sports Friday, 20 February PP date for Senior Swimming Sports Wednesday, 25 February Athletics Prelims Day Friday, 27 February Mid Canterbury Year 7/8 Basketball starts Sunday, 1 March ASSS Touch Rugby Champs Monday, 2 March - Friday, 6 March Year 10 Camp at Boyle River Tuesday, 3 March Mid Canterbury Primary Swimming Champs Mid Canterbury Primary Rippa Rugby starts Thursday, 5 March Mid Canterbury Primary Triathlon
We are very pleased with the positive response and support from our parent community and students to our new school BYOD initiative. There has been an excellent uptake, with students keen and enthusiastic about the prospect of learning with their new computer. We are currently working hard to get all students access to the school wireless. All students that are bringing a computer to school need to ensure that they have purchased a lock from the school office ($20, including $15 refundable bond) so that their computer is safe and secure at school.
School approved combination padlocks are available for purchase from the school office. Only approved combination padlocks can be used. These have a master key which enables us to remove padlocks if required. Students can only padlock their own allocated locker. The cost of the school approved combination padlock is $20 with $15 being refundable when the student leaves if the padlock is in good working condition. There is no refund if the padlock is lost. Students set the combination on the padlock. An instruction sheet is included. We can provide assistance if required. Students are expected to keep their combination private and not share this with others. A locker is a private area and should only be accessed by the student allocated the locker for that year. All padlocks need to be removed at the end of each academic year with the locker left empty. Any lockers with padlocks remaining locked at the end of the term will be removed by the Property Manager and no refund provided.
The shop is open Thursdays during term time between the hours of 1.00pm – 4.00pm. Anyone wishing to sell their uniforms, please dryclean, mend, and bring these into the office along with your contact details. The school will sell on behalf and charge 10%. Our shop will only take items in excellent condition. Blouses and shirts must be in ‘as new’ condition.
Our uniform shop will also be open for fittings by appointment only on the following days: - Tuesday, 10 February from 9.00am - 4.00pm, Thursday, 12 February from 9.00am - 12.00pm. Appointments can be made by going to www.schoolinterviews.co.nz and entering the code ULREZ and following the prompts.
This competition is for Year 8 to Year 11 students. It consists of 4-5 questions that require each student to work independently using all their thinking skills to find solutions to the unusual problems. This is a superb competition for individuals who enjoy mathematical challenges. Those students wishing to enter will be able to get an information/entry form from their Mathematics teacher or from student reception. Entries for this individual problem solving competition are due by 20th February. The competition will take place in March.
PARENTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS MOST WELCOME - Parking on Front field permitted and preferred Information for Parents and Students Monday 16th February Junior (Yr 7-9) pp Thursday 19th Feb Tuesday 17th February Senior’s (Yr 10-13) pp Friday 20th Feb Programme for both days approximate times For each listed event the most junior of the level group swims first in alphabetical order. Morning Programme Form meeting 8.45am For roll check and notices Start time 9.15am Lachlan Cup (3 lengths) on senior day only Breast stroke heats 9.15am Freestyle heats 9.45am Backstroke heats 10.35am Breast stroke cham 11.10am Width events 11.20am House events (Widths) 11.40am Tredley Champs 12.00pm Lunch will begin whenever above programme finishes – approx 12.15pm Afternoon Programme Start time 1.00pm Backstroke finals 1.00pm House event lengths 1.10pm Freestyle champs 1.50pm House Relays 2.05pm Staff/House Captains Relay 2.30pm (past pupils, senior day only)* Presentations 2.45pm Students
On your swim sports day wear house colour mufti – bring suitable clothing for all temperatures and sun cream etc.
No body painting or markings please. Normal timetable when the other level swimming sports are on.
Seating Arrangements - At shallow end Green, Gold, Red, Blue at deep end. Postponement
Any postponement will not be made before 8.30am on the day. For parents to get this information please ring our postponement phone line on 302 8904.
If weather is doubtful students are asked to also bring timetable material for the day. * If there are any past pupils who would like to put in a relay team then please contact Mrs Roderick on the day or before. Parents assistance would be appreciated, if you are available please contact Mrs Roderick #302 8437. Attendance Essential for the Day Any students absent on the day for good reason, it is essential that a Parent phone call is made by 8:30am to the office phone #3028437 ext 1 Participation All students are expected to swim in at least 1 (one) length event or 1 (one) width event prior to House events at 11:40am. If you are unable to swim on the day a note from parent or guardian needs to be provided to Mrs Roderick by 9.00am. All non-swimmers will be expected to cheer and encourage house participants. Suitable clothing in house colours is encouraged. Roll checks will be made at form meeting and
during the day, including lunch break. Luncheon & Purchases During the Day A School Fundraising BBQ will be selling a variety of food. Students will be permitted to purchase food during the sports programme.
Hi, happy New Year to all and welcome to the new families starting Mt Hutt College this year! To those of you who are new to Mt Hutt College, the PTA’s role is to support the school in ensuring that your son or daughter can make the most of the opportunities made available to them and enjoy this important stage in their lives. We also raise funds to go towards enhancement of the school and facilities and assist with school events throughout the year. We meet once a month – notice of the meetings will be advertised in the school newsletter or emailed out to each family from the school office. Our current Chairperson is Howie Barnes, Secretary is Deb Shears and Treasurer, Alison Esler. Our first meeting for 2015 is Wednesday the 11th February at 7.15 in the school library – a great opportunity early in the year to speak with school Staff and meet other Parents/Caregivers - or talk about anything you’re not sure about. You may just want to get involved so you can become more familiar with the school and keep up to date with school matters and events. All welcome. Our meetings are about an hour long and well supported by the attendance of Teachers, senior Staff and usually a Board member. We currently have a fantastic group of people who are incredibly generous with their time and dedication to the school – but as always we welcome new ideas and help with activities that we are involved in. If you are interested in getting involved, either as an ‘on call’ helper or would like to contribute in any way, email Deb Shears at [email protected]. At the start of every year we contribute to the Year 7 Ice Cream Social by supplying the ice cream, chocolate sauce and tea/coffee etc for Parents/Caregivers. This will be held on Thursday, 5th March in the school hall from 7pm. If you would like to help out with this, please let me know at [email protected]. This is a great night and way to meet teachers, other parents and students in your child’s year group – and it’s heaps of fun for the kids!
Te Amorangi The planned blessing and opening of Te Amorangi, the new wharenui at Hakatere Marae, which was to take place on Waitangi Day, has been put off indefinitely until the decorations are completed. That could possibly be in another 6 months. Mount Hutt College is collaborating with the Marae Komiti, Ashburton College, Ashburton Intermediate and other groups on this project and is pleased to be able to give something back to the Marae in recognition of all the wonderful gifts and opportunities it has given to us. Rajah the Wonder Dog Statue Unveiling We would like to congratulate Angela Grieve and all those involved in fundraising for the bronze statue of Rajah the Wonder Dog. The statue - by sculptor and veterinarian David Marshall - will be unveiled outside the entrance to the Mount Hutt Memorial Hall on Sunday 8th February at 2PM during the Methven Community Day. Later this term, the Mount Hutt College Art Department will be hosting a little ceremony to mark the publication of the children’s book. This was written and illustrated by students at the College, to explain the statue and tell the story of this truly remarkable
dog who lived in Methven in the 1930s. The past students who worked on the book - Olie Body, Daniel Oram, Matthew Beaumont and Jacob Jenkins - will hopefully be at the unveiling of the statue and we will be taking orders for copies of the book. 2015 School Production “Law and Order” is coming to Mount Hutt College, ding ding! This hilarious amalgam of comedy, music and mayhem will be performed over three nights in June. A casting workshop was held on 6 December last year and casting announced at second lunch on Thursday 5th February. Major roles have been cast, which include students in Years 7-13, but new students are very welcome to get involved. Anyone who has not yet signed on to be part of the team needs to send a School email to Mr Zanker (Director - [email protected]) as we will be using these email addresses as our primary communication. Ms Ponweiser will be producing the show. Mr Zanker and Ms Ponweiser will shortly email students and parents the link to view the Arts Calendar which contains all the relevant workshop, rehearsal and performance dates. School Website Developments Newsletters and Newsflashes: Over the next few days, users of our website will notice several changes. The most significant enhancement comes in the form of our new digital newsletter and 'newsflash'. The advantages of these new platforms can be explained as two-fold. All newsletters and newsflashes will be sent directly to your email inbox. However, if you wish to view these features online, both are accessible via the 'news' icon in the top right-hand corner of the website. Previously, newsletters have been sent via both print and digital mediums. This will not change. Parents who have previously received our newsletter in print will continue to do so at no extra cost. The biggest advantage of this change will be that we will not need to upload PDF files to the website and to emails which can be problematic for some browsers. Student & Parent Portals: Another notable area of improvement is the newly defined parent and student 'portals'. These portals integrate with our ‘KAMAR’ system. This feature is accessible via the ‘portals’ icon in the top right-hand corner of the website.
Methven Netball Club 2015 season Registration is at 7pm on the 11th February at the rugby club rooms following with trials on the 18th and 25th February Year 9-10 (5.00pm - 6.00pm) Year 11-13 (6.15pm - 7.15pm) Thank you to parents who have given us feedback about the website. We acknowledge that parents have found it periodically difficult to locate some documents and information.. As part of our strategic focus, we are planning to integrate key ‘docs’ with the website. This will be rolled out in
