PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Kia ora e te whanau
As we reach the end of Week 9 we are looking ahead to Monday 4th April when the new Health and Safety regulations come into place following the lifting of mandates within schools due to Covid-19.
Some key points include -
No requirement to scan a QR code on entering the school. Trident will keep some codes in place for those who still wish to monitor their own movements, but there is no requirement to use them
From Tuesday there is no need to show your vaccine pass on entry into school.
Staff, visitors and volunteers no longer need to be vaccinated in order to be on site
MASKS continue to be mandatory in school when indoors or not socially distanced outdoors for everyone
Sports and EOTC vaccine pass and scanning requirements are lifted from the school
Assemblies and events at year levels will resume next term with safe protocols in place
These changes are enabled because our highly vaccinated population has allowed restrictions to ease both in the community and at school. This does not mean that the other important controls to maintain the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff are not being used. We will continue to -
Wear masks inside and when close to others outside
Use hand sanitiser regularly and follow good personal hygiene with hand washing
Cough and sneeze into your elbow
Stay home if you have any symptoms, get tested and follow the rules for a Covid infection
Stay home for 7 days if you are a Household Contact. Test on days 3 and 7 and return on day 8 if symptom free
Students who self-isolate for the 1st Covid case in a household can return if negative and symptom free on day 8 even if another member of the Household has now got Covid
Trident is a safe place to be; our highly vaccinated staff and our clear protocols mean that every student who does not have Covid or is not self-isolating needs to be back in class.
Next week the traffic light system across the country is also being reviewed and there may be further changes at school which we will share with whanau as soon as they are available.
We have been very lucky to have been able to maintain our school on site through the last few weeks and we are hopeful that we will continue to be able to do so until the end of the term.
SEC Students supporting the Community
This week on Monday, I had the pleasure of visiting Awatapu Reserve lagoon with some of our SEC students and their teacher aides and Ms Shepherd. Our SEC students have applied for funding for an initiative which will see them supporting the regeneration of the lagoon - clearing weeds, non-native species and planting natives and trees as well as protecting the environment through litter control.Our students on Monday were learning how to identify the different formations of leaves and were spotting wildlife. This active, in the community, real life learning is what makes our SEC Unit a unique and rich experience for our students there; we are so appreciative of our SEC students, teacher aides and teachers.
Breakfast Club - Tu Tangata breakfasts
Trident has a proud history of providing breakfast for our students - particularly for those students arriving after a long bus drive early in the morning. Our wonderful LSC Sue Smith runs this service - and what a service! She comes into school early every day, to prepare toasties, fruit salad, cereal and milo for our students; it is a voluntary role and one which takes up her own time. It is a great start to the day at school for many of our students who build connections with each other, work on their homework and act with the respect and care we expect from our Trident community as they enjoy some nourishing kai.
We were very disappointed therefore to have to close Tu Tangata breakfasts this week because of the way that some students treated the service. Food and packaging have been littered across the Community Room and outside, and when asked to help clear up, students have refused. It is neither respectful to the service, the staff, nor the environment to treat Tu Tangata in this way and we simply will not provide this unless students show the respect and gratitude that is required. As whanau, please talk to your students about the importance of showing these; we would like to resume the service when students are ready to show their respect.
We know there are students who regularly use the breakfast club who always show manaakitanga and we need them to support us in role modeling our expectations for everyone.
Electives
It is exciting to see the preparations for Electives get underway for Term 2. Assistant Principal Mr Jon Stanhope has taken responsibility for this key area of co-curricular life at the school. His vision is to encourage our students to be courageous and try out new sports, arts and creative activities. If you have never played soccer, chess, or badminton - these may be things to try out. We are looking to support new experiences and build our students' range of learning opportunities whilst also developing connections and bonds between students and staff.
The weather for the weekend is looking hopeful as trials and winter sports get underway - we wish you a restful and enjoyable weekend with whanau.
Nga mihi nui,
Adrienne Scott-Jones
B.A. (Hons), P.G.C.E
Principal
THE UKRAINE WAR-RELIEF AID VISIT
“It is difficult to describe my feelings and emotions when your world is being destroyed, but the only thing I know for sure is that Ukrainians are very brave and united, and when the whole world supports us, we will overcome any difficulties” this was a quote from a person in Ukraine, his name is Rodion.
Today 10 Aku and prefects were fortunate to have Mrs Anne Bulley of Relief Aid come to our Social Studies class to discuss the aid that the organisation she works for does in Ukraine. Relief aid is a humanitarian organisation that works to provide essential equipment to the people in Ukraine. This includes food, shelter, clothing, water and solar batteries to help communication. They work with people in the Ukraine who have been directly affected by the war.
We appreciate the effort and talk that Mrs Bulley gave us. And it was a sober reminder of what is happening in Ukraine at the moment, and how lucky we are to live in Aotearoa/New Zealand. The prefects and members of 10 Aku are doing activities including making flowers to raise money for Relief Aid.
MEET OUR YEAR 9 STUDENT AALIYAH HALE
“Before starting high school, I was so scared yet excited, everyday I said ‘I can’t wait for high school’ and once the day came…I was so excited but I tried to hide it so I didn’t look crazy because there were a lot of kids in the class that were like ‘why are you so excited?’ and I responded with ‘because I will finally be a teenager!. My favourite experience so far is definitely Athletics Day, the atmosphere was amazing, and I loved doing the house chants because it was so fun yelling our chant out to the other houses. Ms Coffey is definitely a stand out for me as a teacher - she is nice, funny and always gives me a good vibe when entering the room and she makes me look forward to coming to English.
My favourite subjects would be Maths and Science. The reason I like Maths is because I like trying to be the first to finish the sheet Mrs Shaw hands out and the questions are surprisingly easy to understand. Science is so fun, not only do we have a cool teacher, Ms Elliott, we do heaps of hands on stuff"
"I'm really looking forward to future class trips with my core class and hanging out with my friends."
TRIDENT ALUMNI WILLIAM HEREWINI National Youth Brass Band of New Zealand
Meet 22-year-old William (Gig) Herewini , Te Whanau a Apanui/Te Arawa and who grew up in Whakatane. William has just completed his last National Youth Band. William followed in his mum's footsteps - joining Eastern BOP Brass.
To date, what have been some of your musical highlights?
Winning the B Grade then coming second in the A Grade test with Eastern BOP Brass, and being principal 2nd cornet of the 2022 National Youth Band.
Who or what has been your greatest inspiration?
Alan Spence.
Is there anyone you would like to thank for helping you with your achievements thus far?
My mum (Sands), Alan Spence, Barry (Dawn) Aitken, Paul ‘Gig’ Uzzell.
Well done William.
LIVING WITH COVID-19
Coping with mixed emotions and wellbeing tips for home isolation. This is a great resource that may help some of our community.
Contact Us
Email: office@trident.school.nz
Website: https://www.trident.school.nz/
Location: Arawa Road, Whakatane, New Zealand
Phone: 64-7-308-8159
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Trident-High-School-News-420967477994039/