Newsletter - Term 3, Week 6
Thursday 01 September 2022
From the Principal
Tēnā koutou katoa
Board meeting
On Wednesday the Board met for the final time in its current iteration. To support our transition to a new Board, several of the candidates for the parent and staff roles attended. It was great to have them participate with our existing Board and Chris Gold from ERO at the start of meeting. We were able to hear from everyone what they appreciated about the school, and where they would like to see us grow. The current members of the Board have done a huge amount of work over the last few years. They have governed the school through a pandemic, the retirement and appointment of a principal, as well as working through a number of property projects. I've really enjoyed working with the Board and want to thank all of them for their commitment to making Fiordland College a great place for our students. It's probably a useful reminder to parents and staff to read through the candidate information you have received and get your votes in by 21 September.
ERO
I've been working with Chris Gold from ERO (Education Review Office) for the last couple of days. ERO has a new way of working with schools. Rather than coming in every 1-5 years to review where a school is at and whether it is complying to its legislative requirements, ERO now works with the school over 3 years as a kind of evaluation partner. Whilst onsite, ERO still looks to make sure that the school has the best practices in place to ensure compliance as well as looking at aspects like how well we support our international students. You can expect to see ERO produce three reports about Fiordland College in the coming weeks - a profile report which outlines a little bit about the school, what we plan to focus on with ERO as well as our areas of strength and any areas where we want to improve. There will also be reports regarding compliance matters and international students.
NZ Mountain Film Festival
I thought it would be good for me to push this awesome event. We'd love to have all of you attend one or both of the sessions. You'll get the opportunity to watch some great films that will inspire and entertain you. For more information, look below.
Ngā mihi nui
Steven Mustor
Derived Grade Examinations Monday 17th- Friday 21st October - Information for Students and Parents/Caregivers
Fiordland College runs examinations in the second week of Term 4 to:
- Provide an opportunity to prepare for the conditions of the actual examinations in November.
- Find out what the gaps are in subject knowledge so students can be fully prepared for the actual examinations.
- Provide a “Derived Grade” that may be used in the event a student is unable to sit an actual examination.
Students need to be spending time preparing for the Derived Grade Examinations so they earn grades that fairly reflect their capabilities.
Examination Rules
- Follow all instructions of any supervisor.
- All work you hand in for marking must be your own.
- You may only have an approved calculator in the exam room which has had its memory cleared and checked.
- You are not allowed to have the following in the exam room: Any electronic device unless it is switched off and handed in, and any notes in any form.
- You are not allowed to talk to, communicate with or disturb other candidates.
- You are not allowed to communicate with the marker, including writing or drawing anything that could be viewed as offensive.
- All pens, rulers etc must be in a clear plastic bag.
- Some students may need a fully charged device if they are doing a digital exam eg English or History.
Students will be expected to be in their examinations for the required time.
Senior Students studying via Distance Learning - Derived Grade Examinations
Students who study via Distance Learning will sit their Derived Grade Examinations at various dates from now until the end of the term. Mrs Perry has communicated to the students when they are to sit them.
The likely timetable is:
Distance via Te Kura - Week 7 - September 5th - 9th
Distance vis NetNZ - will vary depending on the course taken - Week 8-10 – September 12th onwards
For further information regarding rules etc, refer to the other newsletter item “Derived Grade Examinations - Information for Students and Parents/Caregivers”.
If you have any questions about the Derived Grade Examinations for students studying via Distance Learning please contact Tina Perry t.perry@fiordland.school.nz
Learning Differences Workshop
On Monday 22 August, Chris Cole from Learning Differences Aotearoa Trust spent the afternoon and evening here at Fiordland College. Chris is a learning differences specialist, who brought a wealth of knowledge and expertise.
Fiordland College staff were joined by staff from Mararoa School and Mossburn School to learn about dyslexia and ways we can support our dyslexic ākonga better in the classroom.
Dyslexia - Tipaopao is a language-based learning difficulty. It affects how we use the sounds of the English language to process spoken and written language. Therefore, it can make things like spelling, reading, and writing more difficult for our dyslexic ākonga. Dyslexia also impacts on a student’s short-term memory and the amount of time needed to process new information. Although our dyslexic ākonga face these challenges, they also bring along incredible strengths – they are visual based learners who are big picture thinkers, problem-solvers, creative, and have a wonderful empathy for others.
This workshop has provided staff with an important awareness and a range of useful strategies we can bring to the classroom, which can make a considerable difference for the learning of our dyslexic ākonga.
Chris then presented a whānau information evening on learning differences, with an important focus on the emotional impact having a learning difference has on our ākonga. Whānau took away invaluable information on how they can support their children at home, as well as where they can go to access outside supports if needed.
Ngā mihi nui to all the staff and families who supported Chris’ presentations – we appreciate your time and hope you found the sessions to be worthwhile.
