Menzies College Newsletter

Term two is underway with students looking well rested and ready to learn. On Thursday we were able to hold our official welcome ceremony for students who have transitioned to Menzies College this year. Part of the intention of these ceremonies is to also welcome new families to the school. Thank you to those who were able to attend and stay to share lunch with the Whānau Class their child is in.

With the change to an Orange Alert Level, schools are able to welcome parents back on site, so don’t be shy!

The theme at assembly last week was ‘Leadership’. This focused on the recognition that everyone has leadership abilities in different areas in their lives and developing this ability, in an age appropriate way, prepares them to take on larger challenges as they progress through the school. The Head Students picked up on this theme in their speech at the welcome ceremony. They talked about having the courage to make mistakes and forgiving themselves when things don’t go to plan and being open to learning new things is what allows us to improve over time.

The teachers only day on Wednesday was part of an agreement between the PPTA (teacher’s union) and Government to give teachers time to implement the changes to the New Zealand Curriculum and NCEA (the way the curriculum is assessed). There are three further days to use this year. The next day will be Monday 22nd August. The final two days will be used in late November or early December.

Wearing face masks at school is optional for now but wearing them on buses is still compulsory. There are plenty of masks available at the office if required for the bus. There have only been two students absent in the last two weeks due to Covid.

Year 8 camp to Deep Cove leaves on Sunday. Thank you to the parents and staff who are giving up their time to make this iconic experience possible. We look forward to the stories and photos of fish etc on their return. Have fun everyone.

Finally, congratulations to all the Southland Secondary School Cross Country competitors who competed in Te Anau on Wednesday, in particular:

• Josiah Ashman for his third place in the Senior Boys
• Hudson Roy for his second place in the Under 14 Boys
• Hudson Roy, Leo Lenssen and Cooper Kennedy for their second place in the Under 14 Boys Teams event.

Nga mihi nui

Kath Luoni

This term the canteen are doing a four week turn around with the lunch menu. Thank you to all those who filled in the survey regarding the menu. We have a great team of ladies working hard to supply the lunches for the students.

The following are the daily lunch menus:

Week 1

Corn chowder with whole meal roll

Butter chicken with brown rice

Cottage pie

Creamy chicken pasta.

Week 2

Macaroni cheese

Roast chicken and vegetables with gravy

Beef Lasagne

Chicken/Beef Teriyaki with brown rice

Beef Burritos

Week 3

Potato bake

Butter Chicken with brown rice

Spaghetti Bolognaise

Beef/Vegetable Nachos

Apricot Chicken pizza

Week 4

Tomato Pasta bake

Chicken and roast vegetable salad

Beef stew with wholemeal roll

Chicken/Beef noodles

Corned Beef sandwich

May

• 15-18 Deep Cove Camp -Year 8
• 19 Mufti Day (pink shirt day), gold coin donation
• 23-27 Green week (no outside appointments to be made)

June

• 3 Vision Testing (Year 7)
• 6 Queen's Birthday observance - school closed
• 13-17 Green week (no outside appointments to be made)
• 15 GRIP Leadership, Gore (Seniors)
• 22 GRIP Leadership, Gore (Seniors)
• 22 Parent Teacher meetings
• 24 Matariki observance - school closed

July

• 8 Last day Term 2
• 25 First day Term 3
• 29 School Ball

Congratulations to the following students and staff members:

Week ending 6 May

Senior: Cassidy Pihema-Laing, Logan van der Straaten, Toby Knapp,

Manea Mason-Guillard and Mrs Sue Crighton

Week ending 13 May

Junior: Jessica Alksne, Sophie Gifkins, Rylea Devery, Zoe Muir and Miss Samantha Johnstone

Your canteen vouchers can be collected from the office.

The Vision/Hearing technicians from Population Health team, Southern District Health will be visiting our school to screen all Year seven students for distance vision on Friday 3 June, 2022.

Distance Vision (Amblyopia & Hyperopia)

This determines how well your child is able to see at a distance. It involves reading an eye chart.

(This free vision check is not required if student wears glasses and/or is currently under care of an optometrist or eye specialist).

If you do not wish your child to be screened please fill out an opt-out slip which are available from the school office.

The Junior School Students and others are enjoying the balls that the PTA have purchased for use during interval and lunch times, (pictured below).

There will be a meeting of the PTA on the 24th May at 7:30 pm in the Menzies College Staffroom. Everyone is welcome to attend. Keep an eye on the school Facebook page for any updates!

We have a stock scheme that is almost up and running where community members are able to donate an animal to the PTA either to be reared or directly to the meatworks. More information regarding this will be coming soon. If you want to know more please contact Sarah White on 021721431

We are always looking for fundraising opportunities so if you have any suggestions please get in touch with Sue Scobie.

Year 9 - Blood Spatter Patterns

As part of our Forensic Science unit, this week we have completed our fibre and hair analysis with the microscopes. We are now looking at karukaru/blood spatter pattern analysis. Students will be looking at the relationship with diameter of karukaru/blood drop and the height it was released from, how to tell direction and angle of a karukaru/blood drop impact. We will also make some contact/transfer patterns.

Photo on right: Dante Dickson

Photo below: Nicholle Bedrijo (left) & Emily Crump

Karen Clark

Science Teacher

In celebration of the United Nations Year of Glass 2022, six students attended a workshop to make a series of decorative glass panels for the school. The students involved were Taejin Karetai-Erihe, Cleveland Ramage-Tai, Kimberly McDonald, Tessa Ayers, Scout Hand, and Locky Jacobsen. They were fabulous ambassadors for the school and did Menzies proud.

The workshop was led by Ella from Escape Glass, Invercargill and was kindly funded by the Menzies BOT. This fabulous, once in a lifetime opportunity gave the students a real life experience of working in a creative trade environment. The panels are made from recycled glass using several techniques. Once the panels have been fired the students will decide where they would like them to be displayed in school. So look out for them in the near future!

Wendy Ritson

Art Teacher

On Wednesday 11th May, six Menzies Students headed up to Te Anau to compete in the annual Southland Secondary School Cross Country event. A huge thank you all parents who transported and supported the students for the great day.

This year we had some excellent results as below

• Hudson Roy - 2nd place in the U14 Boys (3km in 11.12min) (pictured right)
• Josiah Ashman - 3rd Place in the O16 Boys (5km in 19.22min)
• Under 14 Boys team - 2nd place overall in a field of 29 athletes - Hudson Roy (2nd), Leo Lenssen (9th), Cooper Kennedy (18th)
  
  

Hayley Adam

Menzies College Science Dept/Sport Coordinator

The last two weeks have been busy for sports at school getting underway with practices and games. We currently have three Rugby teams, eight Netball teams, five Basketball teams, two Hockey teams, a Football team and a Claybird shooting team underway.

If you are late in signing up for any sport please contact Mrs Hayley Adam at school about the chances to join a team hayley.adam@menzies.school.nz

The school sports committee are working hard and have started a house basketball competition running each Monday for seniors (year 11-13) and Wednesday Lunch time for juniors (year 7-10). We invite all students to come and play or support your house. The draw can be found on the school notices.

This term we have a few more events coming up and if students are interested in attending you need to talk to Miss Yeoman or Mrs Adam at school.

• May 31st - #ITSMYMOVE sports day in Invercargill - Aimed at giving year 9-13 girls a chance to experience a range of different physical activities such as golf, zumba or wheelchair basketball.
• June 1st - Student coaches course. Any yearr 9-13 student who currently coaches or helps coach a sports team at any level (primary included) is encouraged to go along and learn some skills to support their coaching.
• June 14th - Senior Sports Forum - We can take a group of up to six year 11-13 students to a senior workshop designed to help develop leadership skills in senior students.
• June 23rd - Matariki sports Festival - This is a day for us to take two teams of students to Invercargill to participate in a large range of physical activities from NZ or other countries, including several Maori games, Pacifica, Philipino and Columbian.

Hayley Adam

Menzies College Science Dept/Sports Coordinator

hayley.adam@menzies.school.nz

Menzies Netball once again will have eight teams entered in the Eastern Netball competition. If anyone is interested in coaching a team please contact Pam Yorke (027 2255654)

or Mrs Luoni at school (2064979)

After a surprise fire drill at 2pm on the last day of Term 1, all students were happy to be out in the sunshine having a friendly swingball game with their peers.

Winners are Grinners

Back row L to R: Jake Kiernan, Ethan Stewart, Summer Edwards, Peyton Dickson, Daisy Stewart and Arin Read

Front row L to R: Brad Hedges, Lucas van der Straaten and Beau Pemberton

Laying on ground: Cooper Kennedy

Approximately 20,000 people in New Zealand use New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) as a form of communication. The past week has been NZSL awareness week and the students were challenged to use sign language around school. They were taught greetings and manners in whānau time and could earn 20c tokens for using sign language. Thank you to everyone who gave it a go. Why not teach your whānau some of the signs you have learnt this week?

Hauora / Well being committee

The MLT Hokonui Fashion Awards is looking forward to hosting another awesome show in July 2022. Model auditions (for those 15 years and over) are coming up on Sunday 22 May and applications are now open for our new MLT Young Designer Mentor Programme. If your young person is interested in Design, the HFDA are looking to support them in entering a garment for the 2023 show. This would be an amazing opportunity. For more information on the MLT Hokonui Fashion Design Awards for 2022, Model Auditions and the MLT Young Designer Mentor Programme please go to

www.hokonuifashion.co.nz or

https://www.facebook.com/HokonuiFashionDesignAwards or email: info@hokonuifashion.co.nz

Wendy Ritson

Art Teacher

Kōrero Mai, Kōrero Atu, Mauri Tū, Mauri Ora – Speak Up, Stand Together, Stop Bullying!

Week 3 is Bully Free New Zealand week and the theme this year is to continue to promote the anti-bullying message throughout the year.

Students will have the opportunity to discuss some issues and work on other anti-bullying activities during whānau time during the week. To include the senior students who are off-site on a Friday, Thursday 19 May will be the Menzies College Pink Shirt Day. Celebrated annually around the globe, Pink Shirt Day began in Canada in 2007 when two students took a stand against homophobic bullying, after a peer was bullied for wearing a pink shirt. This day will be a mufti day (gold coin donation) and we are asking students to wear some pink in support. All funds collected will be donated to the Mental Health Foundation NZ. There will be prizes for the 'best pink' dress-up and the canteen will have a selection of pink food and drink that can be purchased.

Hauora / Well being committee

Email: admin@menzies.school.nz
Website: https://www.menzies.school.nz
Location: Alma Street, Wyndham 9831, Southland, New Zealand
Phone: 03 206 4979