Stratford High Times

Tēnā koutou katoa, Talofa lava, Ni sa bula, Kumusta.

August is upon us; winter sport is all but done and spring is just around the corner. The school year is flying along and this term, the ‘moving term’, is going to be over before we know it.

Enacting our school vision of ‘developing well-rounded young people, ready to excel in the world’, requires us to provide opportunities both inside and outside of the classroom. Already this term, we have had a number!

Our School Ball “A Night at the Casino” was a truly spectacular evening. The hall looked stunning, as did our students, and we all enjoyed another memorable evening of music, dance and hundreds of photos of various forms. The staff and students who committed their time and effort into the planning and preparation can be proud of what the night produced.

We have had students competing (and placing) in both the WITT Taranaki Science and Technology Fair and the Taranaki Secondary School Agricultural Safety Challenge and approximately 80 students jumped onto buses and headed to Wellington for the annual Taita Sports exchange. In week two, 20 students were trained in Peer Mediation and will now undertake these roles within school to support the resolution of minor conflict between students. We have had presentations from outside agencies on relationships, vaping and alcohol and our Year 13 English class spent 3 days in Wellington experiencing the sights and the sounds on offer. We are lucky to have such devoted staff who are committed to allowing our students to grow, equipping them with the skills and competencies to excel in the world beyond school.

Attendance continues to be a focus. We know that students who regularly attend school and graduate from high school build a foundation for more positive life outcomes: Better academic performance. More work options and earning potential. Greater opportunities for higher education. Unfortunately, our school's overall attendance has fallen this term and we now sit at 81.9%. The number of students whose attendance sits below 90% is alarming. We support the Ministry of Education expectation that students attend school regularly (above 90%) and our aim is to work towards this as the year progresses. Our attendance officers are contacting whanau of students whose attendance is less than 70%. Their role is to support improved attendance and they will work through the challenges with you and your family.

Option selection is almost complete. Taking time to consider options and making the right decisions for you and your future is important. Choosing options because of friends or teachers can often limit choices as you move through school. If you require support, advice or guidance regarding this process, please feel free to contact the year level dean or any member of the Senior Leadership Team.

We have a couple of new faces around school. Raeleen Hancock started with us in the office. She will be familiar to many of you who have been to the swim school here in Stratford, having worked in that capacity for the past 8 years. Raeleen is a former student and a superb community person. We are lucky to have her.

Jasmine Bastin-Lindsay joins us as a Science Teacher. Jasmine has previously been the Head of Science at Hawera High School and has been undertaking further study this year. Jasmine is an experienced teacher who brings a high level of capability to our school. We look forward to her contribution over the next few years.

Carleen Olsen joins Damian Wilson in the Attendance Services role after moving here from Auckland. Carleen has been a truancy officer previously and will bring strong knowledge and experience to the role.

Take care

Cam Stone

Principal

On Saturday the 5th of August senior students and staff had a wonderful evening at our school ball. The students arrived in all manner of vehicles, from limousines to trucks, and looked glamorous as they walked down the red carpet into a fun night of dancing. The school hall was transformed into a casino-themed ballroom by the hard-working members of the ball committee, who had been planning the event since early term 2.

No doubt there were some sore feet the next day as the DJ rocked the room with everyone’s favourite songs. The students voted for the special awards, so congratulations go to the King and Queen (Matthew Jones and Alannah Bradly) and the Prince and Princess (James McFaull and Hannah Kidd).

Thanks to everyone who made the night such a huge success.

School uniform not only fosters a sense of belonging and pride as part of our school community, but it also promotes a learning focused environment that reduces social and economic barriers for our students. We ask that parents and caregivers support the school by ensuring their student comes to school wearing the correct uniform and replacing uniform items after wear and tear as soon as possible. However, we are coming across more and more students who either do not have all the correct school uniform, or who are choosing to come to school in non-uniform clothing, such as hoodies, crocs, black denim cargo pants and white sneakers. Now that it is winter, students should be wearing black, lace up, polishable shoes, not sandals. If you are unsure of the uniform requirements, please check our school website or contact the school office. You can purchase uniform from Magnum Sports.

Students who come to school without correct uniform items will need to report to the office with a note from home. Students will receive a uniform pass once the note has been sited. If students do not have a note, they will need to swap their non uniform item for a school uniform item from our school uniform cupboard, which they may borrow for the day. They will need to return these at the end of the school day in order to receive their clothing item back. Students who arrive with no school uniform will be sent home or we will request for a parent or caregiver to drop uniform off. If you have any particular questions about the uniform, please contact the main office or email the Deputy Principal Pastoral at kelly.jennings@stratfordhigh.school.nz

“Period 6” School Service began last week as a way of addressing a number of behaviour issues we are regularly dealing with, such as vaping, truanting and continual low-level misbehaviour. Period 6 occurs each Wednesday after school until 4:15pm. Students will be placed on Period 6 service by a dean or SLT member as warranted. Parents and caregivers will be notified at least 24 hours in advance so that arrangements for pick up can be made. During Period 6, students will be supervised by a staff member and will give back to the school by completing various service activities, such as cleaning the school grounds, gardening and so on. Depending on the service activity, students may need to bring a change of clothing.

This year our school had five students submit entries to the Fair, with great success.

Hayden Grieg and Ryan Hurliman entered their project on an “Iron Engine” to the technological development section and received the following prizes:

· Second prize in the Y9/10 class.

· IOT Taranaki Outstanding Technology Award.

· Ara Ake prize for projects that show creative use of energy.

Lucas Jacobson entered both the technological development and scientific investigation sections for his work on root cellars. He received the following prizes:

· Terry Stowers Prize for Fair Diligence.

· NZIFST prize for excellence in the principles of food science and technology.

· Beca prize for a creative project that best illustrates the concept of “making every day better”.

Darwish Ridzuan entered the Observational Drawing and Scientific Photography sections and received the following prize for his amazing drawing:

· First prize in the Y9/10 class.

A special mention to Billy Green for his project on soil erosion.

Congratulations to all participants on a wonderful effort.

Lions Music Awards 2023

Date: Wednesday 23rd August

Time: 7pm

Venue: Mountainview Vineyard Church,

159 Orlando Street,

Stratford

Gold coin entry

Stratford High School has a long history of holding the Lions Music Awards in collaboration with the Stratford Lions Club. This is always a really fun night of entertainment, with amazing performances from our music students. All welcome - come along and support our performers.

Over the holidays I was lucky to attend a 21-day course with Outward Bound. This experience allowed me to engage in a range of activities, including sailing, hiking, rope courses, kayaking, a two-night solo camp, a half marathon and so much more.

This course at times was challenging, but the motto “There is more in you” resonated deeply, motivating me to persevere during moments of difficulty and self-discovery. As a result, I developed essential life skills such as teamwork, leadership, goal setting and effective communication. Beyond the adventures, the experience at Outward Bound greatly impacted my personal growth and resilience. Our watch was named Cook 703 - a group of 14 like-minded individuals. These strangers quickly became lifelong friends, and my unwavering support during challenging times. I returned home with a newfound sense of confidence, knowing that I am capable of overcoming obstacles and embracing opportunities with determination.

I am so grateful for this experience and urge anyone given the opportunity to attend Outward Bound, to take the leap and go for it!

Mackenzie Caskey

As our 2023 football season comes to an end, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to our wonderful Stratford High School community. To all you amazing parents, your support has been invaluable throughout the season. To the players, your positive attitude and sportsmanship made every game delightful to be a part of. Lastly, to our seniors, I wish you the best as you embark on new adventures in 2024. It's a shame you can't just stay in school forever! I am incredibly excited for our games next year, see you then!

Andrew Hunger

If you require your child to leave school early for any reason, please contact the front office or your child's Form Teacher or Dean as soon as possible. Only a parent or caregiver whose name appears on the student's school records can give permission for a student to leave school early. Photo ID will need to be shown to office staff at pick up time.

If you need to arrange for someone else to pick up your child, such as an aunty etc., this must be made clear to the office staff. We may call you to confirm if necessary. Photo ID will also need to be shown to office staff at pick up time.

On the day prior (if possible) to when you are requiring your child to leave school grounds during school hours, please contact the front office via phone or email or contact your child's Form Teacher providing the following information:

• Student name and form class
• Time that the student will need to leave school
• A brief description of the reason for early release e.g. dentist appointment etc.
• The name of the person collecting the student (if this is someone else other than you)
• Your contact details
• Your signature (if you are sending in a note)

If we receive an email or a handwritten note, you will receive a call from the front office to confirm the early release time and that the permission did indeed come from a parent or caregiver.

If a student is requesting to leave early and we have not received prior notification and we cannot get a hold of a parent or caregiver to confirm early release, the student will not be released from school.

Ms. Kelly Jennings

Deputy Principal/Pastoral Care

We strongly encourage students who have a device at home (other than a cellphone) to bring it to school on a daily basis. We are aware that some students are choosing not to bring devices which puts pressure on our internal loan system. Thank you for your support as we continue to embed the BYOD process at school. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the school office who will put you in touch with the right people.

If there are any students who are unable to bring their own device, they can speak to classroom teachers to support them in acquiring a borrowed device from school.

Please inform the school office of any student achievements so that we can join in celebrating with them

There are a variety of ways that you can make payments to cover school costs. The main office receives cash and EFTPOS payments and you can also pay online via direct credit. Parents can also set up an automatic payment to cover schooling costs. When setting up the automatic payment, consider a minimum payment of $15.00 per week, which is sufficient to pay for all school, curriculum and sport costs for a student during the year.

Payments will be automatically applied to “required payments”. Subsequent payments will sit as a credit on the student’s account. If you would like to have payments allocated to the “voluntary payments”, please email ts@stratfordhigh.school.nz with the details.

You can set this up by either using your bank’s online banking services or downloading the Automatic Payment Authority form and taking this to your bank. Please remember to use the students’ name for any payments.

If you have any spare ice cream containers and newspapers lying around home we would happily take them off your hands. Please drop them to the science lab.

As we progress through the year, remember to check your son's or daughter's results on the Kamar app or portal: https://stratfordhigh.school.kiwi/ If you have any questions, please contact the subject teacher in the first instance.

- Dr. Michael Taylor

Deputy Principal (Curriculum)

Our metal department are on the lookout for any scrap steel that can be donated to the school Anything will be considered; old horseshoes, angle iron, anything.

Please email Colin Franklyn fc@stratfordhigh.school.nz

• MoneyHub has published a guide to hundreds of scholarships for any student planning to start university in 2024.
• https://www.moneyhub.co.nz/scholarships-nz.html is the link.
• The comprehensive list includes scholarships offered by every university as well as those specifically available to local students.
• A list of privately-funded, Maori, Pacific and International university scholarships completes the list
• Applications close throughout the year, with tens of millions of dollars available.
• MoneyHub has also published a list of tips for scholarship success.

Our Charter is now available to view on our website. The charter sets the direction for our school and identifies our priorities as a school community.

The Stratford High School Policies and Procedures are managed online, through School Docs. To visit our School Docs, click here.

Our school username is: stratfordhigh

Our parent password is: swansearoad4332

You will find policies for review and more information about the review process under the "Current Review" tab. We welcome your feedback via this review process.

Rummage around for those unwanted mobile phones to donate!

We have a Mobile Phone Collection Box in our office.

The Mobile Phone Recycling Scheme has raised over $3 million for NZ charities thanks to the support of Businesses, Government Departments, Organisations and many thousands of individuals from all over NZ.

Phones received are graded, data wiped and sim/memory cards removed and destroyed. Phones that can still be used are sold by tender to off-shore businesses that specialise in the resale of second-hand mobile phones. They are refurbished and sold as low-cost handsets to places like Africa and Asia. Phones that have reached their end of life are broken down and recycled in an environmentally friendly way with up-to 95% of their materials being recycled into other products. Regardless of condition, working or non-working, make or model all mobile phones are accepted by the Mobile Phone Recycling Scheme.

Massey University Open Days

All campuses REGISTER NOW

Victoria University of Wellington

Friday 25 August REGISTER NOW

Auckland University

Saturday 26 August REGISTER NOW

Canterbury University

Wednesday 20 September REGISTER NOW

The Stratford Library has partnered with Ciena and the Spark Foundation to offer free broadband to students and whanau who currently do not have a broadband connection at home.

What does a family get on the Ciena fund?
• A free modem.
• 210GB of data every month until December 2023.
• Data is automatically loaded on the 1st of each month and does not roll over. Any unused data expires at the end of each calendar month. Once all the 210GB of data has been used up, the data will come to a complete stop until the next month.

Check that Jump is available at your home address at skinny.co.nz/jump

If your address is eligible, please fill in the following form for office staff to prepare an application form for you Free Broadband for eligible students

The Public Health Nurse will be at school one day every week for any health needs. Clinic is confidential and free.

• Health and hauora (wellbeing checks)
• General health concerns
• Contraception
• Condoms and pregnancy tests
• STI checks and the morning after pill
• Vision and hearing

To book an appointment, see the school office reception or contact the Public Health Nurse, Steph Bakker on 027 406 4822 or email stephanie.bakker@tdhb.org.nz.

Have you downloaded our school app yet? Moving forward, our app will be the one-stop-shop for communication between school and home. Download it and check out the features that are available!

Te Kawa o runga, te kawa o raro, ko te kawa ora, ko te kawa ora! Tēnei au te rukuruku iho ki rō te iaia o Hāhā-o-te-whenua, puai rā ki te kōtihitihi o Te Kāhui Maunga, tēnā te ahurewa tapu o te Kāhui Kāhika, ka kā te whaititiri, rarapa te uira, he tuhi rangi, he tuhi ariki.

Āwhinatia tō hapori kia whakaputaina ngā whakairo

Help your community have their say

Tēna koe

The 2023 General Election will be held in October and we want every eligible New Zealander to enrol and vote.

Voting starts on Monday 2 October and finishes at 7pm on election day, Saturday 14 October.

We’d like your help to get as many New Zealanders as possible to have their say. Let’s work together to make that happen.

You can help by sharing information with your community about enrolling and voting in this year’s General Election.

On our website vote.nz you’ll find information and links to resources you can download or order to share in a variety of ways – on social media, on your website, in newsletters or direct communications, or as display materials at your workplace, marae, library, or community centre to help spread the word to your friends, whānau and community.

Resources are available in different languages, te reo Māori dialects, and alternate formats. We’ll continue adding new resources to share as the election approaches.

We value your support in helping us make information about enrolling and voting available to your community and encouraging their participation in the 2023 General Election.

Enrol. Vote. Be Heard.

I am a registered social worker, who has also studied Child Centred Play Therapy, as well as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. In addition, as a solo mother I have experienced the gauntlet in range of emotions a parent could face, and behaviours a child could exhibit. Probably the biggest lesson I have learned is how heartbreaking parenting can be if you don’t get it right. Hence my website www.nextchapterparenting.co.nz.

In addition to the resources on the website, I offer individual or group parenting classes for parents of preschool and school age, as well as a course for parents of teenagers.

Brigid Carkeek

Does your child require further support, over and above what can be offered at school?

Would your child benefit from bespoke and nurturing learning sessions from a highly experienced teacher designed to accelerate learning and boost confidence? We would love to help. We are a team of dedicated teachers, specialising in English and Maths support, for primary, intermediate and college students. Visit www.boostyourlearning.co.nz for more information or contact Jenny 021 223 3349 to book a free consultation.

I am an experienced singing teacher formerly from New Plymouth, now residing in Stratford. I am available to teach contemporary and musical theatre and vocal private lessons at the address below.

All enquiries please phone 0211905054

Mrs Mary WIlliams

38a Flint Road West

Stratford 4332

Advanced after-school coding lessons available for ages 9 - 18. To give your child the opportunity to learn how to programme technology apply now at codingnz.com/signup

Please find below key contacts for staff at school.

Senior Leadership Team

Principal: Mr Cameron Stone

Deputy Principal Curriculum: Dr Michael Taylor

Deputy Principal Pastoral and School Organisation: Ms Kelly Jennings

Assistant Principal/Academic achievement: Ms Allana George

Principal's PA: Miss Diane Lithgow

School Board Secretary: Mrs Amanda Hill

Principal's Nominee

For all enquiries regarding NZQA or Te Kura

Mr Dirk Vermeulen: extension 707 or email

Deans for 2023

Year 9: Mr Jeff Walker

Year 10: Miss Jodie Sullivan

Year 11: Miss Peta Apperley

Year 12: Mr Colin Franklyn

Year 13: Mr Bill McGeoch

Guidance Counsellor: Ms. Liza Albers

Learning Support Coordinator: Mrs. Lisa Dent

For all other enquires please contact the school office 06 765 6039

Have you moved recently? Have you changed your phone number or email address recently? Please fill out the following form to advise us of your new details. Also fill out this form if you have not been receiving emails from the school. There are a number of families who we don't currently have an email address for.

It is very important we have the correct information for your child in case there is an emergency and we need to contact you immediately. If any contact details change throughout the year please let the school office know.

Email: mail@stratfordhigh.school.nz
Website: www.stratfordhigh.school.nz
Location: Stratford High School Swansea Road, Stratford, New Zealand
Phone: 06-7656039
Facebook: facebook.com/SHSTaranaki

Instagram: @shstaranaki @heart_SHS @shs_SADD_team

We are delighted to advise Stratford High School are on the way to reaching the $1,000 threshold for redemption.

The current total is $740.

Once we have reached the $1,000 target we can redeem from a range of sports, technology, literacy, and music packages which will be hand delivered by your local Rural Sales Manager.

The Fuel for Schools sponsorship programme has helped put over $1.7 million dollars of resources into more than 600 rural schools in the last fifteen years.

Just a reminder of how SHS has received this donation...

SHS has been nominated by a local business/farm that receives bulk fuel deliveries from Fern, meaning that for every 100 litres of bulk fuel they purchase, 50 cents is donated to SHS. We would like to take the time to mention who those members of the community are that have contributed to SHS. They are listed as follows:

• Amberhay Limited
• Cornwall Park Farms Limited - AGO
  
• G & M Collins Family Trust
• Makino Deer Limited
• Palmerdell Trust 91 Only
  
• Palmerdell Trust AGO only

Rural communities and schools everywhere can enjoy the benefits of the Fuel for Schools programme. For more information about the programme, call 0800 99 99 89 or visit their website fernenergy.co.nz/community/fuel-for-schools