Kia ora Koutou

I trust this newsletter finds you all healthy and well. The end of Term 3 is fast approaching in what has been another period of disruption, thanks to lockdowns and COVID-19. I am full of admiration for how well our students, staff and whānau have worked together to ensure learning and achievement remain our number one priority throughout lockdown and now through the Alert Level 2 period. It looks as though we may be in Level 2 for a while yet, so it is good to see so many students back at school and into their learning routines. We have certainly been taking the opportunity to minimise school trips and really focus on face to face learning time lost earlier this term whilst in lockdown.

You will be aware that most of the winter sports have wrapped up their seasons early, or have made amendments to their winter programmes in light of COVID. Thanks to our Director of Sport, Matt Good, and to the students who continue to represent Waiopehu in Netball, Basketball and Hockey, where there are still games remaining. I am also pleased to confirm that our annuals fixtures that take place between Waiopehu and Horowhenua Colleges will be going ahead in week 3 of Term 4 (week commencing 1 November), which is something I know many students and our wider community are really looking forward to.

This week at school has been all about Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, with students taking part in a range of activities that have celebrated our wonderful language. It was especially good to see Horowhenua College join us on Wednesday 15 September for our Whanaungatanga Day, where our rangatahi played Ki-o-Rahi. We are already looking forward to 2022 when the day will be hosted by Horowhenua College and will also feature teams from Manawatu College. Something to look forward to, for sure.

You will be aware of how well our healthy lunches programme is going with our amazing Pehu Kai Crew, led by Hamish Gregg and his team. There are some pictures and an article from The Chronicle below, which showcase the work this team did during Alert Level 3, where they managed to prepare 194 food parcels for our whānau across the Horowhenua. More details are in the story - just click on the link to read more. Our team will soon have brand new facilities to move into, as our commercial grade kitchen and new café space is nearing completion. We hope to have this facility open from Monday 18 October, which is the start of Term 4. As with most things though, COVID has caused some delays, and when the café first opens we are having to move the old furniture back in whilst we wait for our new tables, chairs and bench seating to arrive. We expect this will be installed at the beginning of November. It will certainly be a wonderful asset for the school which we are all looking forward to.

Finally, our NCEA students will be pleased to know that the extra difficulties faced by many trying to complete online assessments during lockdown have been recognised by the government. As with last year, students will automatically receive Learning Recognition Credits from NZQA at the rate of 1 extra bonus credit for every 5 earned up to a maximum of 8 at Level 1 and 6 at Levels 2 and 3. This means that to achieve NCEA Level 1 students now need to achieve 72 credits, and at Levels 2 and 3 they need to achieve 54 credits. Subject endorsements and University Entrance requirements remain unchanged. Ms Enoka, who is currently on study leave this year, has produced a helpful graphic which is at the end of this first section, which shows these new requirements clearly. If you do have any questions about anything regarding NCEA, please get in touch with your child’s form tutor in the first instance and they will re-direct your enquiry if necessary.

Finally, if you have any concerns, suggestions or just want to make contact please feel free to write, phone or email to make an appointment to see me. My email address is markrob@waiopehu.ac.nz. All the very best for the rest of Term 3 and for the holiday break when it arrives.

Ngā mihi

Mark Robinson

Principal

Top 5 finish for Courtney Fitzgibbon in the New Zealand Cross Country Championships.

It has been a great winter Cross Country season for Courtney who recently won the U15 Cross Country Championship for the Manawatu/Whanganui region. As a result of winning this Courtney qualified to compete at the New Zealand Cross Country Championships held in Dunedin 7th August. Courtney had an amazing race along side the best New Zealand has to offer and took out 4th place for U16 girls.

Congratulations on a brilliant season Courtney.

At the start of Term 3 we welcomed Year 8 students and their families to our Open Day and Open Evening. Students enjoyed a variety of activities and experiences and a taste of what life at high school will be like for them next year. At our Open Evening our Pehu Kai Crew made up some sample food boxes showcasing our Healthy Lunch programme.

Enrolments for 2022 are now open and attached at the bottom of this newsletter you will find enrolment forms to download.

It seems a while ago now, but just after we returned to school for the beginning of Term 3 we held our annual Cultural Day celebrations on Wednesday 28 July. Students were able to come to school dressed in their own cultural attire, and all then embarked on a colourful flag parade that took us from the gym, along Bartholomew Road and into the auditorium. Flag bearers then introduced their country to the sounds of their National Anthems being played on piano, before our MC Mr Tim Shirriffs led a fabulous cultural concert that featured Kapa Haka, Poly Group and a number of other cultural performances. This day has become an event that we look forward to each year, and it is a recognition of the diversity of different cultures we have at Waiopehu College, and the strength that gives us as we unite and celebrate together.

Earlier this year the Junior Exec spent some time learning about the work that the Food Bank does in our community. When we were presented with some of the statistics that showed the needs of some families we wanted to do something to help. We asked the food bank what type of items they needed and we split them up between the year levels and started a two week school drive for the foodbank. Thank you to everyone that has donated to the Junior Exec food bank drive. We had an amazing turn out and were surprised at the amount we received. We delieved the items to the food bank at the start of lockdown where it went to many people in need. Little did we know that the timing of the donations was going to be perfect due to another lockdown.

OTSO won the tutor group prize for the most donations. They will be receiving an amazing tutor group lunch from our talented Pehu Kai team. Congratulations to Katelyn Davis, Victoria Hamilton and Khyle Wood who were the winners of our spot prize draws for students that brought contributions for the food bank. Thank you to everyone for making such an amazing effort.

Pictured below is the food arriving at the Interchurch Foodbank.

Did you know the Ministry of Health has recently updated the recommended nutrition guidelines?

The iconic five-a-day has been changed to seven-a-day, as the Ministry of Health is reinforcing the importance of vegetables in the diet. These changes are due to the unhealthy culture surrounding nutrition in our teenage demographic. Eating seven servings of vegetables and fruit a day may be daunting to some, especially when our preferred alternatives may seem cheaper and more convenient. However, getting your seven a day can be easy, inexpensive and appetizing, take a look at the following information to guide you.

Fruits and vegetables contain many vitamins and minerals that are good for your health. These include calcium, fiber, iron, magnesium, potassium, sodium, and vitamins A and C. Without vegetables, you're more prone to digestive disorders such as constipation, hemorrhoids, digestive problems, cancer, metabolic disorders and even mental disorders like depression.

The simple way to check your diet is to examine the range of colours in your meals. It's important to aim for a balanced spectrum of greens, whites, reds, yellows etc to ensure you are getting a range of nutrients everyday. Some examples are:

• Red - Capsicum, Legume, Strawberries, Apples, Berries, Grapes etc.
• Orange- Carrots, Pumpkin, Kumara, Oranges, Mandarin etc.
• Green - Broccoli, Celery, Beans, Peas, Pears, Kiwifruit, Grapes, Spinach etc.
• Brown/White - Potatoes, Cauliflower, Bananas etc.
• Blue/Purple- Eggplant, Plums, Beetroot etc.

Our Year 13 Food and Nutrition class is in the process of developing an easily accessible cookbook full of healthy and delicious recipes to try at home, that you will be able download in PDF form or order for $5 as a hard copy. Please email Jorjadus@waiopehu.ac.nz if you have any enquiries :)

During the July school holidays, I attended a careers week in New Plymouth at PIHMS. PIHMS is a Pacific international Hotel Management school, operating as a Polytechnic. At PIHMS, you are placed in a study and work environment, where you do six months study and six months of paid placement work.

During the careers week, we learnt how to make cocktails, proper bed care, management roles, reception duties and many more life skills. We were introduced to owners of leading hotel chains and visited a hotel where we had a tour and got to book in guests and visitors. We were given insights into how hotels work and how we can have a work life balance while traveling the world.

At PIHMS you learn a range of work and life skills that help you to become more confident and make an impact in your work environment. Careers week really helped me to pick where I would like to study in the future, as they showed me a different side to tertiary study.

I would like to thank Jo Holland for the experience that was given to me.

Jorja Dustin
Head of Events

Over 15 students took part in an entirely student-led ART EXHIBITION called ‘Validate’ featuring a wide range of creative practices. The Opening night of the exhibition was held at SQUARE EDGE GALLERY in Palmerston North on the 6TH OF AUGUST. The exhibition featured the collaborative efforts of seven schools in the Horowhenua and Manawatu Districts. This exhibition was proudly supported by the members of the Manawatu Art Teachers Association.

Well done to all our Art Students who took part.

With the majority of winter sports now finished, our attention now turns to summer sports! If you are interested in playing any summer sports, please head to the main building and sign up on the school sports notice board where we have a variety of different sporting opportunities on offer. Alternatively, if your chosen sport is not on the available sign up sheets, please don't hesitate to get in touch with Goody with his details below. Summer sports include, Volleyball, Touch, Futsal, Cricket, Baseball, Softball and more.

Summer Sports Sign Up closes Friday 24th September. For more information, please see Goody in his office or email matthewgoo@waiopehu.ac.nz.

With summer sports just round the corner, now is the time to start thinking about what sport you would like to play

Hustle Baseball Club are looking for players for the up and coming 2021 season. If you have experience or never played before, Hustle Baseball Club offer opportunities for all!

If interested please come see Goody in his office before the end of term

Nominations will open on Monday 20th September for the Sports and Cultural Awards. A copy of the nomination forms is available at the end of this newsletter or you can collect a hardcopy from the school office.

Nomination forms can be emailed to SportsNom@waiopehu.ac.nz or dropped into Cultural and Sports Nomination Box available at the school office.

Nominations will close, Friday 1st October at 3pm.

Nominations are open for the election of one student representative to the board of trustees.

A nomination form and a copy of this notice are being distributed to all eligible voters on the student roll.

If you need more nomination forms, contact the school office or you can download the form at the bottom of this newsletter.

Nominations close at noon on Friday 24th September 2021.

Voting roll

The voting roll is held at the school office and can be viewed during normal school hours.

The returning officer may remove or edit any part of the candidate’s statement if it exceeds 400 words or is offensive or defamatory.

List of candidates

There will also be a list of candidates’ names kept at the school office up until election day.

Voting

Voting closes at 12pm on Wednesday 27th October 2021.

Scrutineers

A candidate may nominate a person to sit with the returning officer during the vote count to make sure it is done correctly. Please advise the returning officer in writing of your scrutineer’s name and contact details before election day. Candidates cannot be scrutineers.

Kaye Fraser

Returning Officer

• Daylight Saving Starts - Sunday 26th September
• Year 12 Geo Trip Waitomo - Sunday 26th September - Wednesday 29th September
• End of Term 3 - Friday 1st October
• Benchmark Exams - Begin Tuesday 19th October
• Tough Guy Tough Girl Trip - Thursday - Friday 21st/22nd October
• Nominations for Sports and Cultural Awards Close - 1st October @ 3pm
• Labour Day Holiday - 25th October
• Dance NZ Made -Tuesday 26th October Solo's & Duo's, Thursday 28th October Teams & Friday 29th, Saturday 30th October - Nationals
• Board of Trustee Rep Election - 27th October
• Cultural and Sports Awards Evening - Wednesday 27th October
• 2022 Course Information Day / Evening - Thursday 28th October
• Annuals Week - Monday 1st November - Friday 5th November
• Senior Prizegiving - 18th November
• Junior Prizegiving - 10th December

Email: secretary@waiopehu.ac.nz
Website: http://www.waiopehu.ac.nz/
Location: 74 Bartholomew Road, Levin, New Zealand
Phone: 06 368 8303
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WaiopehuCollege