February 2014 Page 1

Christchurch Girls’ High SchoolNewsletter

In this issue…..

Newsletter February 2014 Volume 51 No. 1

Coming Events…..

Information for Parents and Students

Students sitting NCEA Internal Assessments and their parents must be familiar with this

information.

Click the picture above.

• Wednesday26Feb-SchoolAthleticSports-PapanuiHighSchool-4.45-7.30pm

• Thursday27Feb-Year9Parents’Evening-seeadvertisementlaterinthenewsletter.

• Thurs27/Fri28Feb-WaitakiSportsExchange-Oamaru.

• Monday24-Friday28March-SummerTournamentWeek.

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ACHIEVEMENT SUCCESSCongratulations to all the students whose diligent efforts were rewarded with success in National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) last year. 96.7% of our students gained their NCEA at Level 1 compared with 80.8% nationally. The figures at Level 2 and Level 3 were 95.6% compared with 84.3% nationally and 90.0% compared with 89.7% nationally. The results of our students compare very favourably with equivalent decile schools in a co-educational setting. The co-educational girls’ figures are NCEA Level 1 89.6%, Level 2 91.5% and Level 3 86.8%.

Year 13 Students Gaining University Entrance:• 85.3% (84.2% in 2011) compared with 69.1% nationally. The co-educational girls’ figure is 81.4%.

Level 1 Students Gaining Literacy And Numeracy:

Literacy: 97.2% compared with 83.3% nationally and co-educational girls’ 89.5%.Numeracy: 98.1% compared with 81.4% nationally and co-educational girls’ 87.8%.

Many students gained an Excellence Endorsement in one or more subjects. We applaud them for this fine effort. Outstandingly the following students gained Excellence Endorsements in all of their subjects.

Year 11: Connie Dwyer, Emi Frost, Olivia Lynch, Grace Partridge, Grace Puentener-King and Juliette Soule.

Year 13: Isabella MacArthur-Beadle and Clara Todd.

ENDORSED CERTIFICATESLevel 1: 80.3% of students gained an Endorsed Certificate.

• 45.3% of Year 11 students (48.5% in 2012) gained a certificate endorsed with Merit compared with the national statistic of 35.2% and the co-educational girls’ figure of 43.3%• 35.0% of students (26.8% in 2012) gained a certificate endorsed with Excellence compared with the national statistic of 17.2% and the co-educational girls’ figure of 26.6%.

Level 2: 59.9% of students gained an Endorsed Certificate.• 38.2% of Year 12 students (38.0% in 2012) gained a certificate endorsed with Merit compared with the national statistic of 27.2% and the co-educational girls’ figure of 36.1%.• 21.7% of students (21.9% in 2012) gained a certificate endorsed with Excellence compared with the national statistic of 13.1% and the co-educational

Student News and Activities girls’ figure of 20.8%.Level 3: 51.7% of students gained an Endorsed Certificate.

• 37.3% of Year 13 students (29.5% in 2012) gained a certificate endorsed with Merit compared with the national statistic of 29.0% and the co-educational girls’ figure of 36.2%.

• 14.4% of students (9.0% in 2012) gained a certificate endorsed with Excellence compared with the national statistic of 11.4% and the co-educational girls’ figure of 15.4%.

Deserving special mention are those students who gained 50 or more Excellence credits in the Achievement Standards they entered. This achievement in 2013 earned the following students an Excellence endorsed certificate.

NCEA LEVEL 1: Madeleine Abell, Caitlyn Barr, Abigail Bent, Shayna Black, Lily Boyask, Katie Brolan, Rebecca Brooker, Luna Browne, Fiona Brunton, Alice Burgess, Rebecca Burgess, Rebecca Chrystal, Madeleine Conway, Madeline Craig, Rose Creed, Demelza Dalglish, Sophia Davies, Natasha Dickison, Freya Dixon, Connie Dwyer, Greta Eaton, Maisie Evison, Poppy Fowler-Blyth, Harriet France, Emi Frost, Kate Gibb, Isabella Griffiths, Millie Hanford, Madeleine Harris, Tessa Hartland, Ella Hawkey-D’Aeth, Whitney Hepburn, Te Arani Huia, Lauren Iggo, Cassandra Irvine, Emma Jackson, Anete Kaidme, Alysha Keenan, Hannah Kenneally, Joanna Kuang, Yin Ju Lai, Hwa Jeong Lee, Rachel Ling, Olivia Lynch, Sienna MacArthur-Beadle, Chantal Mahan, Madeleine Marshall, Alice McAtamney, Philippa McCaw, Hye Sun Moon, Grace Partridge, Anna Percy, Maddison Perry, Grace Puentener-King, Ruby Rose, Grace Shaw, Katharine Shaw, Aleisha Smith, Zoe Smith, Seoyun Song, Juliette Soule, Ella Stokes, Jessica Taylor, Leah Tuckerman, Holly Tudehope, Enya van Dulm, Bridget White, Jordan Whitteker-Love, Petra Williamson, Anna Woods, Siana Worthington, Laken Wairau.

NCEA LEVEL 2:Tiffany Ang, Lillie Balfour, Kathryn Bennett, Mia Brooke, Alice Bull, Sarah Burns, Alice Carrell, Rosie Chalmers, Helena Chen, Annaliese Cooper, Monique Cranko, Emily Dalley, Meghan Dunn, Hannah Farquhar, Ariana Faulkner, Lily Fletcher, Eunha Go, Olivia Gray, Francesca Hlavac, Isabella Hutchison, Rebecca Jenkins, Sophie Jones, June Jung, Rachel Kennedy, Belinda Kilian, Myung Eun Lee, Shani Lim, Rachel Ling, Jovita Manickam, Elizabeth McPhail, Laura O’Dwyer, Ruby Oliver, Su-Min Park, Joanna Parker, Rosalinda Pierce, Stella Radburnd, Hannah Ramsay, Amelia Rintoul, Maya Robinson, Abigail Smith, Ella Soule, Abigail Souter, Jasmine Tran, Ella Underdown-Gray, Anna Urquhart, Kendra Wadman, Madelaine Westmerland-Drysdale.

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NCEA LEVEL 3: Kathryn Adams, Carolyn Ang, Rachel Ashby, Lauren Boot, Grace Borichevsky, Sian Canton, Heidi Chen, Aan Chu, Georgina Clifford, Brittany Dixon, Nina Edwardes, Jessica Grant, Alexandra Grieve, Heather Hutchings, Lynn Kim, Isabella MacArthur-Beadle, Issariya Manakongtreecheep, Young Ju Min, Kelsey Polglase, Shu Fen Tan, Clara Todd and Amy Williamson.

Multi-Level Success:Year 9: Jade Lee-Walker and Marina Vivas, and Kahuiti Huia, Aorangi Taonui and Sapphire Wairau achieved outstanding results in Level 1 Te Reo Māori, Level 1 Spanish and Level 2 Te Reo Māori respectively. Jade, Marina and Sapphire gained an Excellence subject endorsement.Year 10: Eva Murray achieved very sound results in Level 2 Te Reo Māori. Yuriko Shiratori gained exceptional results in Level 1 Japanese, with an Excellence subject endorsement.Year 11: Emily Lai and Ella Hawkey-D’Aeth performed exceptionally creditably in Level 2 Mathematics and Statistics, and Level 3 French respectively, each gaining an Excellence subject endorsement. Laken Wairau achieved highly commendable results in Levels 2 and 3 Te Reo Māori and Te Reo Rangatira. Rosaria Bull, Rebecca Chrystal, Madeleine Conway, Madeline Craig, Harriet France, Emi Frost, Madeleine Harris, Madeleine Marshall, Alice McAtamney, Grace Partridge, Grace Puentener-King, Juliette Soule and Greer Thomson performed very creditably in Level 2 Latin. Grace Puentener-King’s Excellence result in Level 3 Latin was exceptional.Year 12: Helena Chen, Rachel Ling and Hannah Ramsay achieved sound results in Level 3 Calculus. Helena Chen’s Level 3 Calculus results were exceptional.

SCHOLARSHIPOur students have gained success in the 2013 Scholarship examinations. These examinations are designed to recognise the best and brightest students, and they require high levels of analytical skills and critical thinking. About 3% of students studying each subject at Level 3 achieve Scholarship standard and receive the monetary award which goes with this. 30 Scholarships, including 5 at Outstanding level, were gained by our students:Biology: Kathryn Adams, Heidi Chen, Isabella MacArthur-Beadle,

Lucy Munro, Clara ToddCalculus: Clara ToddChemistry: Kathryn Adams, Isabella MacArthur-Beadle, Clara ToddClassical Studies: Grace Borichevsky, Heather Hutchings, Julia Lang,

Gabrielle Philpott

Economics: Jessica Grant English: Lauren Boot, Heidi Chen, Olivia Galloway, Isabella

MacArthur-Beadle, Gabrielle PhilpottFrench: Kathryn AdamsGeography: Sarah Lyne, Clara ToddHistory: Sian CantonLatin: Lauren Boot, Heather HutchingsPainting: Jessica BoydPhysics: Clara ToddPhysical Education: Kate FoxStatistics: Alex Grieve, Lucy MunroScholarships at the Outstanding Performance Level are awarded to a very few students in the country (about 0.4%) who meet the Scholarship standard by a substantial margin.An Outstanding Scholarship was awarded to:Kathryn Adams in ChemistryIsabella MacArthur-Beadle in BiologyGabrielle Philpott in English Clara Todd in Calculus and Geography

Five students achieved two scholarships: Lauren Boot, Heidi Chen, Heather Hutchings Gabrielle Philpott and Lucy Munro. Kathryn Adams and Isabella MacArthur-Beadle gained three scholarships. Clara Todd outstandingly gained five Scholarships.

Lauren Boot Heidi Chen

Gabrielle Philpott

Heather Hutchings

Lucy Munro

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Kathryn Adams and Isabella MacArthur-Beadle gained three Scholarships, one at the Outstanding level. This exceptional performance earned Kathryn and Isabella a New Zealand Scholarship Award.

Clara Todd gained five Scholarships, two at the Outstanding level. This exceptional performance earned Clara an Outstanding Scholar Award. Clara was also the Top Subject Scholarship Award Winner in Geography.We genuinely appreciate the efforts and achievement of these students and all of our Scholarship teachers.

Kathryn Adams

Clara Todd

Isabella MacArthur-Beadle

SCHOOL LEADERS 2014We congratulate the Prefects and other Year 13 students on their selection for leadership roles:

Head Prefect: Rosie Chalmers Deputy Head Prefect: Jovita ManickamAcland Head Prefect: Lucy BrustadAcland Deputy Head Prefect: Meg LayAcland Prefects: Georgina Flynn, Leah MacMillan,

Annabelle McLachlan, Sophie Monk

House Leaders: Connon Kate CollinsDeans Ella Underdown-GrayHarper Olivia GrayRolleston Monique CrankoSelwyn Christie MorrisonSheppard Hannah Boyd

Committees:Year 9 Liaison Ella SouleYear 10 Liaison Azania Tanoa-KellSport Lily Fletcher Cultural/Arts Meghan DunnCharities Anna Urquhart, Jo ParkerPR/ Reader-Writer.Tchr Asst Mia Brooke, Rachel KennedyEnvironment Sophie MonkAcademic Sophie JonesNew Student Liaison Mata Tanoa-KellLibrary Anudini WijesinghePublicity Kate BennettWhanau Georgia HetutuStudent Council and BOT Rep Meg Lay

Sports Council:Year 13: Hannah Boyd, Olivia Gray, Lily Fletcher, Azania Tanoa-Kell, Rachel WylieYear 12: TBA

STAR UNIVERSITY COURSE SUCCESSESCongratulations to all our students who passed STAR University papers this year:Aporonia Arahanga in TREO 360, Te Arani Huia in TREO260, Yoonjae Kim in MATH 199 and Ruby Rose in TREO 260.Special mention to:Heidi Chen who achieved A+ in MATH 198Alex Grieve who achieved A in ECON 104Heather Hutchings who achieved A+ in both CLAS 134 and CLAS 135Clara Todd who achieved A+ in MATH 199Laken Wairau who achieved A- in TREO 360.These are outstanding achievements for the girls as they have completed a full curriculum course at school while additionally studying a university paper.

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Sports Leaders:Aerobics Amelia LayArchery Isabella BerlinerAthletics Georgia SureBadminton Anudini WijesingheBasketball Ashlee FaneCricket Meg LayCross country Jessica Kikstra, Olivia GrayCycling Jessica KikstraDragonboating Ella Underdown-Gray, Bridget DunbarEquestrian Sophie WareFencing Claire BarnabyFootball Courtney MesservyGym sports Anna UrquhartHockey TBCLife saving December McVicar, Courtney LawsonMultisports Jessica KikstraNetball Lily Fletcher, Amy SmithRifle shooting Caitlin LooseRock climbing Georgia GrahamRowing Christie Morrison, Olivia Gray (Dep.)Rugby Emily DalleySailing Anna WoodsSnow sports Fiona BruntonSquash Ruby-Rose O’BrienSwimming Brittany TuckerTennis Hilary HantonTouch Emily DalleyVolleyball Lily FletcherWaterpolo Abby Bent

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AMAZING MUSICAL TALENT!Former Christchurch Girls’ High School Music student Arna Morton (Shaw) is one of three finalists in the National Concerto Competition, to be held in the Aurora Centre on Saturday 8 March. She will be performing Szymanowski’s Violin Concerto No.1.While at school Arna was a very successful performer and composer gaining a Scholarship in Music and has since studied at the School of Music in Wellington as well as developing her performance career.

Arna Morton (Shaw) performing

the Bruch Violin Concerto in the Christchurch Town Hall with the Christchurch

Girls’ High School Orchestra when in Year 13.

Click here to view.

THE ROTARY NATIONAL SCIENCE FORUM 2014

The Rotary National Science Forum 2014 was the experience of a lifetime, one that I will never forget. Before the forum I had no idea how New Zealand is a leader in the science and technology fields. From that forum my eyes have been opened to the wide range of amazing degrees and careers that I could follow. The best module is a tie between biomedical science, robotics, physics and psychology. Biomedical science was great because you got to dissect a pluck, heart and lungs of a sheep. I loved programing the robot car to run around the maze by itself. Ultimately the forum was an amazing experience that I would recommend to anybody and everybody.

Claire Barnaby 13HPK

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International Report2014 has got off to a varied, fast paced start for the Christchurch Girls’ High School International Department. We have welcomed 18 new students and now have an International Community drawing from Argentina, Chile, China, Egypt, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Thailand.

Thank you to all the teachers, students, homestays and guardians who have helped to settle these girls into their new life. We wish them well.

The International students enjoying Dumpling Day to celebrate Chinese New Year.

Jing Tao Li and Xiwen Chen from China and Niksa Ngampetvilai from Thailand having fun on House Day.

Alina Hu, Rachel Jiao from China, Julietta Rodriquez Esquivel and Merlina Segovia from Argentina enjoy House Day.

Whanau ReportTēnā koutou e rau rangatira mā.

Whanau Prefect:KoGeorgia Hetututōkuingoa. HeuriaunōngāiwiotemotuNiue. My name is Georgia and I am the whanau prefect for 2014. I am a Pasifika student but have been heavily involved with the school whanau since year 9. I have competed at two national secondary school kapa haka competitions and I have been a school kapa haka leader for three years. As a member of the group, I have performed at many powhiri and prizegivings. My family and I have been consistent supporters of the school whanau hui and I am also in my fifth year of studying Te Reo Māori. My first job for the year was to assist the school kapa haka to get ready for the powhiri. It was a different powhiri this year which saw us welcome a large amount of new students and staff, but also our new Principal. An addition to the powhiri saw the Principal being handed over to the school and two taonga were given to her as a fitting welcome to CGHS.

Thank you to all the people who kindly offered their time for this important occasion. Thanks to Meikura, Huata , Nanny Bertie and of course Mr Lay for their support of the kaupapa.

I look forward to my role this year and am keen to meet and talk to any of the school whanau at our first whanau hui.

STAR Students:Ruby Rose and Te Arani Huia both completed their second year of Te Reo Māori at university with commendable results. Congratulations to Laken Wairau for completing her third year paper with an outstanding A+ pass.

Upcoming events:The first whanau hui for families of students who are involved with kaupapa Māori or who are Māori, will be held on Thursday March 6. This will be held in the staffroom at 6.00pm and is a good opportunity for all old and new families to the school to come in and meet other members of our school whanau. A light supper will be provided.

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NEW ZEALAND HONOURSCongratulations to Whitney Hepburn 12LGF who has recently travelled to the USA as a member of the New Zealand Under 17 football team. The team played games against Japan, USA and China as part of their preparation for March’s U17 World Cup in Costa Rica. Whitney played in a close 2-0 loss to the USA; unfortunately an ankle injury cut her game short. She now hopes to recover in time to be named in the World Cup squad. Well Done Whitney!

Congratulations to Catherine Tinning 10MEA who has been selected in the women’s hockey team for the 2014 Youth Olympic Games Qualifying Tournament in March to be held in Port Vila, Vanuatu. The New Zealand teams for the qualifying tournament were selected based on performance at the 2013 National Under-18 Tournament and training camps.Well Done Catherine!

ARCHERY SUCCESSAbbey Munro Year 10, performed exceptionally well in the U15 Girls’ Recurve Division at the 2014 National Archery Championships in January. She gained a Bronze Medal in the U15 Girls’ Recurve Clout Championships and gained 4th place in the U15 Girls’ Recurve Target Championships.Abbey’s performance is evidence of her hard work and dedication to her sport over the last year and she is a credit to the Aimtru Archers Club, to her family, and to her school.Congratulations Abbey!

ROWINGThe CGHS rowers have been very busy over the summer, completing 2 training camps and competing in 2 regattas! The December camp was for the older girls and was help in Twizel at Lake Ruataniwha. For many of the girls this was their first training camp experience but everyone worked extremely hard and all the girls and coaches could see the huge improvement over the week. In January the whole club attended another training camp at Lake Rotoiti in the Nelson lakes National Park. On Wednesday night we were all entertained with a talent show by the novices. The Year 10’s won with their rowing themed mash up but a special mention must go to Charlotte Whitlow for her original dance piece! Huge thanks to all of the parent helpers who came over the week, especially to Becky Conway for her organisation of the delicious camp food because without them the camp wouldn’t have been the success it was!

SUMMER SPORT TERM 1We had over 400 girls sign up to play sport this term, including lots of Year 9 girls. Many girls have chosen to play Wednesday sport and Monday volleyball, which is great. The initial sports on offer will be followed up with many more opportunities as the term and year progresses. A new sport on this term is Lacrosse, sticks with baskets and balls flying through the air! We have a large number of girls who are keen to have a go.For all our teams and individuals taking part in any sport we stress the importance of commitment. This includes attendance at meetings, practices and matches. CGHS sport has a good reputation within Christchurch and we would like to keep this by playing with good spirit and skill and by keeping defaults to an absolute minimum.A reminder on a few sporting matters:If girls have a CGHS tracksuit they may wear their sports gear to school on Wednesdays. This limits the amount of extra gear that needs to be brought to school and girls can travel quickly to their matches after school. If girls do not have a tracksuit they may change into their sports gear at lunchtime.Transport to games on Wednesdays and Monday volleyball is the responsibility of the team or individual. Often parents are able to help out or girls can walk or bike. If students have difficulty getting to matches they need to ask for help from Mrs Brown or Miss Helmore in the Sports office. Taxis or teacher help may be arranged.The physical education top and shorts must be worn as playing uniform, if no other sports uniform is issued to a team. Appropriate sports footwear also needs to be worn.Events on this term:

• CGHS twilight athletics sports, Papanui TocH grounds 5.00 – 8.00pm Wednesday 26 February

• Canterbury Swimming Champs, Wharenui Pool Wednesday 2 April• Canterbury Volleyball Champs,14 - 16 March• Canterbury Athletics Champs, Prelims Tuesday 18 March, Finals

Saturday 22 March, Rawhiti Summer Tournament Week, Monday 24 March – Saturday 29 March, various sports and venues

• South Island Athletics Champs, 5 - 6 April, Timaru• Waitaki Summer Exchange, 28 March at Waitaki Girls’ High School.

We wish all our teams well in their competitions this term. After tournament week many winter sports options will be on offer and trials will be held before the April holidays.

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Coming out of our training camp at Lake Rotoiti, the rowers were well prepared for the South Island Club Champs in Twizel, where we gained some impressive results. Gold medals were won in the Women’s Club Coxed Eight made up of Fran Hlavac, Olivia Gray, Maddy Conway, Grace Shaw, Davina Waddy, Danni Braunberger, Christie Morrison, Rhiannon Mason and Gabby Marris. The Women’s Club Coxed Four also had an outstanding win, the four consisted of Gabby Marris, Olivia Gray, Danni Braunberger, Fran Hlavac and Davina Waddy. The four cleaned up on finals day crossing the line first by a comfortable 11 seconds. More gold medals were won in the Girls U16 Coxed Four compromising of Meg Roberts, Charlotte Whitlow, Sophie Jackson, Alice Commons and Sarah Fitchet. This is definitely an up and coming crew to watch! The Novices this year have continued to amaze the Club with the Women’s Novice Coxed Eight made up of Georgia Sevier, Taylor Waddington, Paige Waddington, Ella Bachop, Prue Askin, Olivia Hore, Erin Fleming, Aimee Flynn and Theresa Hu, all receiving silver medals after their performance on finals day.Silver medals were also earned in the Girls U17 Coxed Eight consisting of Maddy Conway, Grace Shaw, Christie Morrison, Meg Roberts, Alice Commons, Rhiannon Mason, Charlotte Whitlow, Sophie Jackson and Sarah Fitchett. Danni Braunberger and Fran Hlavac also attained a bronze medal in the Womans U19 coxless pair which is another fantastic achievement. Congratulations to all competitors and medal winners. The rowers are all looking forward to competing at our next regatta the South Island Secondary Schools where we will hopefully continue to improve and better our performances.

by Christie Morrison, Olivia Gray

MORNING FITNESSClasses are underway for year with Tuesdays again BTT (Bum/Tum/Thighs) and Thurs a mix of circuits and instructored classes. We will be having Yoga and Zumba this term.

WEIGHTS ROOMYear 10-13’s have started getting programmes to use our new weights room which is great. They all get a personalised programme each term. Appointments are made outside PE Office.

SWIMMING SPORTS 2014Our CGHS swimming sports were held on Friday 14 February at Wharenui Pool. The sports this year were for championship competitors only as, unfortunately, Christchurch no longer has a pool to fit the whole school. Although lacking the colour and excitement of the house orientated days of the past, the event this year showcased some of our very talented swimmers. It was great to see some of our Year 13 girls showing school spirit and swimming, in what was to be their last school swim sports. Hannah Bates (Year 9) broke the Under 14 Backstroke record which had been set in 1996; she also won both the Open events of the meet! Well done Hannah! Below are age group champions and special cups that are awarded. This year we finished the sports with an inter-house relay; this was won with ease by Harper.The Canterbury Secondary School Swimming Championships are to be held on 2 April at Jellie Park.

2014 SWIMMING CUPSUnder 14 Champion Hannah BatesJunior Champion Sapphire WiarauIntermediate Champion Tiffany JagauSenior Freestyle(Senior 50m race) Brittany TuckerSenior Champion Brittany TuckerTrophy for most points in Open Events Hannah Bates

Interhouse relay HarperInterhouse points Harper

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Principal, BOT & PTA ReportsDear parents and friends

It is with great pleasure that I write my first newsletter to you as principal of Christchurch Girls’ High School. I certainly have had a very warm welcome and hope that is true for all of the 265 new girls starting with me. I also hope that all those returning are excited by the possibilities ahead as am I.

We have started the school year with gusto. The results gained by our students in their NCEA examinations were pleasing. While not every student will gain Merit or Excellence endorsements, every student can pursue her personal best, set goals and work toward achieving them. Our attitude and motivation are things we can control and they go a long way to helping us succeed with our longer term objectives. It was especially pleasing that 30 national scholarships, including 5 at the outstanding level, were gained by Christchurch Girls’ High students. This was even more impressive when we realise it was 17 students in 14 different learning areas. A special mention must go to Clara Todd, the 2013 dux. I had the pleasure of meeting Clara who was very humble about her achievements which included 5 scholarships, 2 at outstanding level and the award of top scholar in New Zealand for Geography.

As a school we have been working on a vision which will unite and energise us as a learning community. It has gone through a number of iterations with both staff and students having significant input. We have moved a considerable way from initial thoughts of “personalising learning excellence” to “embracing excellence through tradition and innovation” to the final more direct “Embrace Tradition. Embrace Innovation. Embrace Excellence”.

C h r i s t c h u r c h G i r l s ’ H i g h S c h o o lEmbrace Tradition. Embrace Innovation. Embrace Excellence.

Our mission “to provide young women with a stimulating and supportive environment in which they are encouraged to develop their full potential and where they are prepared to take their place in the community as resourceful,

well-balanced, positively-contributing citizens” remains the same as does our motto “sapientia et veritas”. Both are important parts of the rich tapestry that is our heritage. But a vision should change. It is a fresh way of looking at our school and the direction we wish to take. It is what our school will look like in 3 to 5 years: a learning environment that values tradition, acknowledges the importance of innovation and pursues excellence in all its endeavours. The word embrace was used to convey a sense of positive, active acceptance of the three qualities. Our vision is easy to remember and needs to be articulated often by every member of our community. It will frame all key decisions that are made.As mentioned, I’m full of excitement at the possibilities ahead for Christchurch Girls’. I want girls to value the tradition that is Christchurch Girls’ High School. To realise that for 137 years talented, motivated students have been meeting with dedicated, experienced staff to create a supportive, caring community. I want them to pursue their personal best and aspire to the highest in education. I want them to be challenged to become discerning critical and creative thinkers. I want them to comfortable with the concepts, and reality, of hard work and service. I want to provide them with a wide range of opportunities, both inside and outside the classroom, so that they are allowed to mature as individuals. I want them, whatever their ability, to value excellence in learning.On a less lofty note, one important aspect of tradition is the way students wear their uniform. It reflects the pride they have in themselves and their school. Our girls look stunning until we get to their shoes. Year 9 students are the exception because their footwear is new but it appears to be a badge of honour for the majority of students not to polish their shoes at all after they start school. Therefore, in the spirit of embracing tradition and excellence, and with your help, we need clean polished shoes. We have polishing stations at school, one at the red desk and one in the art block so that that when girls are passing or waiting in line they can tackle this matter with the minimum of fuss. It is pleasing to see girls already using them and our prefects leading by example. I look forward to a positive 2014 and meeting many of you as the year progresses. And if you are anything like me may our troubles and problems be as short-lived as our new year’s resolutions!Tena koutou, tena koutou, katoa.

Pauline DuthiePRINCIPAL

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Hi to all Parents and Caregivers

We would like to take this opportunity welcome all our new students and wish them well as they make their way in and around the school.

We held our first PTA meeting recently and it was good to see and meet some new parents/ caregivers and we welcome their enthusiasm and energy that they bring to the PTA.

It was also a pleasure to meet with our new principal Pauline Duthie and to hear her vision for the school along with some new ideas. One of her ideas is shoe cleaning which is one that already had been suggested from the PTA and if you are a returning parent/caregiver you may remember that we approached this idea last year and have already committed funds to the purchase of shoe cleaning stations to assist with the ongoing battle to keep our girls shoes clean but with your help we are sure that our girls will not only have immaculate uniforms to represent our school but clean shoes as well.

Coming up on Thursday 27 February the PTA are happy to host our Year 9 parent/ teacher evenings and encourage all our new Year 9 parents /caregiv-ers to attend the PTA will provide nibbles and drinks for your enjoyment and hope to make you feel part of our school community. For current parents/caregivers we are looking for some helpers to make the evening run smoothly and if you can help please contact Teresa on pta@cghs.school.nz.

Also coming up soon the PTA will be holding our AGM meeting on the Monday 3 March in the staff room which is located on the island this is an opportunity to become more involved with your school even though your daughters don’t really want you there. Thank you to all the parents and caregivers that have completed the PTA pink forms that let us know if you would like to be involved or not with the PTA.

For those that are able to be involved we do ask for minimum time as our monthly meetings usually don’t exceed two hour and during this time you are brought up to date with happenings around the school as well as being included with the running of the PTA.

Also following our PTA meeting a lot of ideas were put forward for methods of fundraising some of these ideas included: court theatre/phone book delivery/ movie night/fashion night/monogramed blankets/market day/quiz night/ mono-gramed umbrellas etc. Some of these ideas may be of interest and you may have your own ideas that we would be keen to hear. It is very hard to please everyone but this is where we need your help so please complete the ideas slip below. This can be done anonymously if you wish and the slips can be dropped in at the red desk or emailed to pta@cghs.school.nz with your ideas.

Onstream@cghsEmbrace Innovation.In the next few weeks we will be sending out a consultation document with regard to technology strategies for Christchurch Girls’ High School. Please take time to read it and respond. Your feedback is important to us.

Dear parents and caregivers

It was great to be involved in the School Powhiri to welcome all newcomers to Christchurch Girls’ High. Of course, this year we had a special welcome to Pauline Duthie who begins her Girls’ High experience as Principal. Pauline has brought with her a huge amount of energy that seems to be having a positive effect on everybody.

In conjunction with the school community the board are currently working on a new school vision and embedding it into the charter. We are keeping the charter simple and placing a big emphasis on teamwork to ensure excellence.

Speaking of excellence, we are already celebrating the achievements of our rowing team with three of our crews winning gold at the recent South Island rowing champs at Twizel. The team now looks forward to the Maadi cup. We are also very proud of the fact that our 2013 year 13 students gained 30 scholarships which is a considerable improvement on the previous year. Once again our NCEA results were also of a high standard. Well done!

Discussions with the ministry continues with regard to our building development. We have a firm commitment that the master planning will start in March April of this year instead of the previously stated 2018. We are having high level discussions with the Ministry regarding the Auditorium and costings are currently being worked through and we hope to have some final direction on this very soon so design work can commence.

A reminder that our next board meeting is on Monday 24 February at 5.00pm at the school library. This is a public meeting so all are welcome. The board is looking forward to a big year, and looking at the annual plan, we are setting ourselves plenty of targets to achieve. We will look to finalise these targets at the next meeting and make them available to the school community so you are fully aware of what the board are working towards in 2014.

Mike LayBOT Chair

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The PTA looks forward to meeting and working with all the new and current parents/caregivers and we do hope that you will have a look at our new PTA page on the upgraded CGHS web site where you can access our range of household products and keep up to date with what is happening with your PTA. Next Meeting: Monday 3 March 2014 (AGM) Staff room.(Meetingsareheldinthelibraryunlessotherwisenotified).

Monday Apr 7thMonday May 5thTuesday June 3rdMonday Aug 4thMonday Sept 1stMonday Nov 3rd.

President: John DrummondVice President: Louise BurgessSecretary: Teresa BarnesTreasurer: Paula Le CompteUniform Sales Co-ordinator: Ann MargaritisUniform Sales Assistant: Judy Williamson

John DrummondPresident CGHS PTApta@cghs.school.nz

Fundraising Ideas Slip: Attention PTA

Ideas or Comments:

Name or Contact if desired:

Please drop onto Red Desk or email your ideas to pta@cghs.school.nz

EMERGENCY POLICIES AND PROCEDURESA fire evacuation practice and an earthquake drill have been carried out this term. The fire evacuation practices meet the legal requirement to carry out a drill each term.The Emergency Policies and Procedures, Emergency Plan and the Fire Evacuation Scheme outline our practice in these situations. Members of the school community are welcome to view these at the school.

MONEY AND VALUABLESA reminder to students, parents/caregivers - please do not bring money to school unless absolutely necessary as we have had some thefts. If you do need to bring money to school please follow the procedure found in the student handbook as outlined below:

“You should not leave money in your bag or blazer outside classrooms or in an unlocked locker. Carry your money with you or put it in an envelope with your name on it and pass it into the office for safe keeping. If you have been asked to bring money to school for a specific purpose, you should put it in the Red Desk before roll check at the start of the day in an appropriately labelled envelope.”

JUNIOR DANCESIn response to our concern over the manner in which some students arrived at junior dances, we decided in 2002 to discontinue these events. The behavior of some students at the dances has also given staff and supervisors reason to feel uneasy. Issues raised will be addressed through the Health Curriculum.

As no reciprocal dance arrangements will be in place, should the boys’ schools extend a dance invitation to the students of Christchurch Girls’ High School they will attend as individuals rather than students of our school. Students would need to procure tickets directly from the school holding the dance. Matters such as parental consent and transport arrangements will likewise be between the individual student, her parents, and the school running the dance.

NB: The only official dance run by Christchurch Girls’ High School is the Year 13 Formal.

General Information

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YEAR 9 2014 PARENTS’ EVENINGThursday 27 February 2014

at 7.30pmin the Gymnasium

The evening will consist of a brief talk and the opportunity to ask questions.

Following that you will go with the parents of other students in your daughter’s form class and meet staff and PTA members

over wine and nibbles.

The evening will conclude about 8.45pm.

PLEASE PUT THIS DATE IN YOUR DIARY!

PRIZEGIVING PHOTOGRAPHS2013 Prizegiving photographs are being taken by Jacqui Ames of Langwoods School Photography. These photographs will be able to be viewed and ordered at:www.schoolphotography.co.nz with password CGHSL13.

INDIVIDUAL AND FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHSA proof system is being used again this year. Your daughter’s class has received her individual photograph. Purchasing instructions will come with the photograph copies.

PEER TUTORINGSenior students are available as Peer Tutors to assist students with study. The student receiving assistance must be prepared to commit to a before school, lunchtime or after school time, on a regular basis.Please email Ms Eder on edk@cghs.school.nz or telephone 03 348 0849 if you would like to find out more, or to register your daughter’s interest.

ENTERTAINMENT BOOKSChristchurch Girls’ High School will be selling the Entertainment Books again this year. Students will bring home purchase forms in March, containing details of the various ways books can be purchased. We appreciate your support of this school fund raiser.

STUDENTS WITH SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITIESIf your daughter had special assessment conditions in 2013 for NCEA assessments, but the report was completed in 2010 (or prior), she will need a reassessment to be eligible for continued support in 2014. If she has not yet had the reassessment as suggested, she needs to have one before the end of Term 1, 2014. A copy of the updated report then needs to be provided to the school. If you think your daughter has a learning difficulty but has not been assessed, and you think she would benefit from some exploratory testing, please contact Toni Jones for further information on what the school can provide at 348 0849 extension 730 or by email at toni.jones@cghs.school.nz.

UNIFORM howitisworn!

The students in this picture are wearing the summer uniform as it is

supposed to be worn.Please note the skirt length - it

should be well under the knees, heading towards mid calf.Shoes must be polished.

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SECONDHAND UNIFORM SALESThank you for continuing to support the secondhand uniform sales. The PTA sees this as a valuable service that provides good quality clothing at reasonable prices. We have a good range of sizes in all summer and winter uniforms. There are frequent sales, usually the last Friday of each month. 70% of the uniform selling price is returned to the seller with the remaining 30% used to benefit the school. Garments may also be donated.

The secondhand uniform sales shop is located at the back of the Gymnasium at Christchurch Girls’ High School, accessed from Matai Street. Payment is by cash or cheque only.

The next sales are: Friday 28 February - 3.15 - 4.00pm

Friday 28 March - 3.15 - 4.00pmAll garments offered to us for sale must be clean and only excellent quality clothing will be accepted. Please label each garment with owner’s full contact details. Kilts and blazers are to be dry-cleaned.The shop is only open on sale days and will not be opened for one-off requests. Payment is by cash or cheque only. Any enquiries please telephone:

Ann Margaritis Ph. 354 5935 or leave a message.

NEED A WINTER UNIFORM?The PTA Secondhand Uniform shop is holding a sale of winter kilts and long sleeved blouses on Saturday 13 April 2013 from 10-12noon. Other uniform items may also be purchased.

The shop has a good range of secondhand blouses and kilts. Blouses range from $15.00; kilts from $120.00.

The uniform shop is located at the back of the gymnasium block, accessed from Matai Street. Payment is by cash or cheque only.

Ann Margaritis Ph. 354 5935 or leave a message.

School Based ImmunisationImmunisation is one of the most important things you can do to protect the health of your child.In Canterbury girls are normally immunised at 11 years old against the most common strains of HPV to help protect them from cervical cancer later in life. A series of three vaccinationsover six months is needed for the best possible protection.In order to ensure that all Canterbury girls have completed their HPV immunisation, a school based vaccination prpogramme for girls in Year 10 will be offered in 2014 at Christchurch Girls’ High School. This is to ensure girls who have not been vaccinated, or have not completed the series of three HPV vaccinations, have the opportunity to complete the series of three.HPV immunisation is also available through your general practice team (at your family doctor).Further information about the programme, and a consent form was sent home last week to all Year 10 girls’ families.For general information about5 HPV immunisation, call 088 IMMUNE visit immunise.govt.nz or contact your general practice.

FREE STUDENT EXCHANGE INFORMATIONEVENING IN CHRISTCHURCH

Hear from returned students, find out more about discounts and scholarships available and ask questions.

Thursday, 27 February - 7.00pmThe Kiwi Family Trust420 Saint Asaph StreetPHILLIPSTOWN

Visit www.studentexchange.org.nz or call 0800 440 079 for more information

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2014 CGHS SCHOOL DATES Term dates:Term 1: Tuesday 28 January - Thursday 17 April

Waitangi Day - 6 FebruaryGood Friday - 18 April (school holidays start)

Term 2: Monday 5 May - Friday 4 JulyQueen’s Birthday – 2 June

Term 3: Monday 21 July - Friday 26 September

Term 4: Monday 13 October - Tuesday 9 DecemberLabour Day - 27 October

School Closed - 13 NovemberShow Day - 14 November

Monday 8 December – Prizegiving

CGHS HOCKEY CLUB - TRIALS NOTICECGHS hockey trials will be held on Sunday 23 February at Nunweek Park from 4pm-6pm. You will need to arrive at 3.30pm for warm up and trial deposits ($20.00).This 1st trial is for all intending players except current 1st & 2nd XI players.

Our 2nd trial will be on Tuesday 25 February at Nunweek Park from 5pm-7.30pm. Again you will need to arrive at 4.45pm. This trial is for all current 1st and 2nd XI players including invited players from our 1st trial.

Our 3rd trial will be on Tuesday 4 March at Nunweek Park from 5pm-7.30pm. Arrive at 4.45pm for warm ups.This trial is for all players not named in the 1st or 2nd squad.

If you have any further questions or require any further information please contact:

John Drummond - President thedfamily@clear.net.nzSue Boyd - Head of hockey bys@cghs.school.nz

FRANCE TRIP FUNDRAISINGWe are raising funds for the 2014 France trip and are once again selling bacon, pasta and croissants.The bacon gained a silver award in the NZ best bacon competition and is free farmed – $16.50 per kg.Fresh pasta, pasta meals (delivered frozen) and gourmet pesto supplied by Pasta Vera. A full price list is available on request.

Orders are processed on Wednesdays and are delivered to school on Fridays.Email pim@cghs.school.nz to orderPayment by cheque or cash, or internet banking. Pick up Friday after school in 102.

Pasta Vera – real fresh PastaGourmet ravioloni- mushroom, walnut & Feta (400g) $12Ravioli – chicken, roasted garlic and pesto (1kg) $15Tortellini – spinach & ricotta or pumpkin & ricotta (1kg) $15

Canneloni – spinach & ricotta, roasted pumpkin & feta, chicken & mushroom (packs of 10 ) $25 Beef lasagne – catering tray (3kg) $35Lasagne 6 portions – beef or roasted pumpkin or spinach & feta $20Lasagne 6 portions - smoked chicken $24Gourmet pesto – basil, roasted capsicum, sundried tomato (200g) $8Selection of 3 pesto flavours as above $20Tricolore Fettucine – Fresh egg pasta (6 week shelf life) $9 (1kg)Microwaveable convenience meal – macaroni cheese (6 portions) $18

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CHRISTCHURCH GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL LUNCHROOMDAILY MENU 2014

Sausage Rolls 1.80 Noodle Cup (small) 2.50Cheese knots 1.00 Noodle Cup (large) 3.50Danish 2.00 Wraps of the day 3.50Cookies 1.00 Assorted Rolls 3.50Slices/Cakes 1.50 Nacho Toasties 2.00Muffins 2.00 Garlic Bread 1.50Raspberry Buns 2.00 Ham Bread 2.50Chelsea Buns 2.50 Cheese & Pineapple T/S 2.00Yoghurt 1.20 Hawaiian Pizza 2.50Popcorn 1.00 Nacho Chips 1.00Fresh fruit 1.00 Waffles 1.00Donuts 2.00

Once a Week Specials Homemade Pizza SlabWedges & sour cream 3.30 Chicken & Apricot 3.00Chicken Paninis 4.00 Bacon & Pineapple 3.00Bacon Paninis 4.00 Smoked Chicken & Bacon 3.00Chicken Burgers 4.00 Meatlovers 3.00Bacon Burger 4.00 Teriyaki Chicken 3.50Homemade Lasagne 4.00 Baked Pasta / Cheese 4.00 Tomata Pasta / Garlic 3.00Drinks Butter Chicken 3.50Just Juice 250ml 2.50 350ml 3.50 Tip Top RangeCalci Yums 1.80 Popsical 1.40Pump 425ml 2.50 Fruiju 2.50 750ml 3.60 Jelly tip 2.50Peach Tea 3.00 Rocky Road 2.50Lemon Tea 3.00 Choc bar 2.50Up & Go 2.50 Popsical Slush 2.50Flavoured water 3.70 Trumpet 3.00Primo 600ml 4.00 Vanilla tub 1.90 350ml 3.00 Melt down 3.50

Sushi - ask at counter.

PRE-ORDERSStaff and students are welcome to pre-order salads and rolls before 10.30am.

ABSENCE FROM SCHOOL - OR TRUANCY?The Ministry of Education has published very clear guidelines for all schools to follow with regard to student absence from school.

The rule of thumb is that all students must attend school every day it is open for instruction. The only exceptions are in the case of illness and if absence is authorised by the Principal.

School related activities (field trips, camps, sports/cultural trips) are part of the school curriculum and are sanctioned events.

What is not sanctioned is days off for holidays in term time. A day’s travel to get to a family event may be a reasonable request but days attached to holidays or weekends or during the term, are days which will not be approved leave. Parents need to understand that an absence explained by them is not necessarily a justified absence.

In these instances your daughters’ absence will be entered on our records as explained but unjustified (Ministry coding).

Please see these restrictions in light of your daughter’s education. School is where she should be and must be, just as eventually her workplace will be where she should be and must be. Removing her from classes jeopardises her progress - nothing can compensate for class missed.

Of course there are times when a student must be absent - illness in particular - but also for things like funerals, examinations/competitions - but these should be the only times she is out of school. All students need to attend school regularly so that should an unexpected event take them out of school there is minimum loss of classroom time and minimum disruption to learning.

School can be stressful at the best of times. Please do not add to your daughter’s work load by removing her unnecessarily.

Could we remind you that time off should be requested in advance - before booking arrangements are made. It is a privilege to be allowed this - just as it is in the workplace. We are trying to train and prepare our students to behave here as they will be expected to later in life. It should be noted that lateness is also a form of truancy. This is also a time when training in punctuality should be taking place!

Requests for leave or explanations for absence need to be appropriately presented in writing either by email or letter.

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