Mary Nixon - Napier Girls' High School

Message fromthe PrincipalThe school has had a number ofinteresting visitors in the last two weeks.The place was abuzz with the WebbEllis Cup presented at assembly by NewZealand and Hawke’s Bay Rugby officialsand players. It was fun to be part of thepost celebrations of this national eventand to learn of the career possibilitiessport can offer talented players andadministrators.This week a former student, AndreaChard, spoke in assembly about her career. She isbased in London and gave us food for thought about global workopportunities and things to consider about social networking.Year 13 students and staff were fortunate to learn about identifyingthe differences between good and harmful personal relationships.The presentation was given by Lesley Elliott “Sophie’s mother” andBarrister Lynda Kearns. The girls said it was very helpful to hear anexcellent talk on an important aspect of social life.There is lots of activity in and outside school. We wish the girlsparticipating in co-curricular events the best of luck. We celebratemany achievements in assemblies. This includes students whoachieve well personally as well as those who top their field. Weencourage every girl to be the best she can be all of the time. In thenext four weeks we hope to ensure every girl is participating in someactivity.I ask parents to continue to support us in all we are doing and thankyou for all that you do.Mary NixonPRINCIPALHostel Open DayISSUE 3NCEA/NZQA InformationWhat is NCEA?NCEA is the main qualification for secondary school students in New Zealand. NCEAstands for the National Certificate of Educational Achievement. It comes in threelevels: 1,2 and 3, which students work through from years 11 to 13. NCEA is for allstudents - some may be heading for university, others may be planning to do anapprenticeship, still others may want to learn mostly practical skills and get a jobstraight away after leaving school. Your subject choices will be influenced by the pathyou’re thinking of taking.Earning CreditsIn the old days students sat a single three hour exam at the end of the year to find outwhat they’d learned in a subject. With NCEA, there are still important national exams(called external assessment) at the end of the year but you can also be tested, orassessed, throughout the year - that’s called internal assessment because it happens“in school”.Internal assessment may sound like a lot more work, but there are some things youcan’t test in a sit-down exam - Why just write about a science experiment whenyou could do the experiment in the lab and see the real results; Why write aboutdelivering your mihi in te re Maori when you could stand up and say it?With NCEA, subjects are divided up into all the things you need to know and be ableto do - they’re called standards because they set the standard. Each standard isworth credits - and credits count towards the final qualification. A subject such aslevel 1 English may be made up of between four and ten standards, worth 20 or morecredits.Instead of doing one three-hour exam on the whole subject of English, a course couldinclude a standard in formal writing such as a job application and another in creatingand delivering a speech. Some of these standards will be tested in an exam at theend of the year and some will be assessed during the year.To get a level 1 NCEA qualification, you need to achieve 80 credits. These also needto include some standards in reading, writing and maths (literacy and numeracy).You can build up credits during the year - or even over more than one year - and onceyou’ve got credits, they last forever. You can keep track of how many credits you’restacking up as you go along.Our next Hewett House Hostel Open Day will be held onSunday 1 April 2012 from 10.30 to 12 noon.Napier Girls' High SchoolPhone: 06 835 1069 Fax: 06 835 8164Web: www.nghs.school.nzPrincipal's Secretary Email: bhewitt@nghs.school.nz

INVIEWISSUE TWOSports NewsNational Athletics Champs December 2011The Junior students continued their success from National Secondary Schools Cross CountryChamps with a win in the Junior Girls Road Race 6 person team. The girls also gained silver in the 3person team event which comprised of: Roisin Pearson, Holly Manning and Laura Smith. They weresupported by Manon Aulon Elphick, Megan Husband and Molly D’Ath in the 6 person team event.Roisin was seventh and Holly eighth to maintain their top 10 ranking in New Zealand Distance events.Also, the Junior Girls 4x400m team gained an excellent second placing, only 1 second behind thewinners, with excellent efforts by: Shannon Gearey, Kimiora Poi, Megan Husband and Holly Manning.Shannon Gearey also gained an excellent fourth placing in the Junior Girls 200m losing a medal by avery narrow margin, and she still has another year in this grade!The Great Rugby Road Trip:Webb Ellis CupOn 1 March, Napier Girls’ High School had the privilege of honouring the All Blacks World Cupvictory when the famed Webb Ellis Cup was presented in a special assembly.The ‘Cup’ has been on tour and Napier Girls’ High School was selected by Hawke’s Bay RugbyUnion to be part of the celebration.It was a most memorable presentation, engaging and fun. The school community will treasurethe opportunity of seeing ‘close-up’, and some of us holding up, this magnificent gold cup. Thelevel of interest and knowledge shown by the wider school bought home to us how much theRugby World Cup was a great national event for all kiwis. The NZ Rugby Union was representedby Neil Sorenson and his daughter Dayna who highlighted the future opportunities for our rugbyplayers, with Women’s Sevens Rugby being introduced at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.Two of Napier Girls’ High School star rugby players, Michaela Baker and Kaylah Clarke-Winiataare currently playing for the Te-Tini-a-Maui Central Districts team. They were the lucky two whogot to carry the cup out to the foyer where it was on display for further photo opportunities.Our thanks also go to Dan Sommerville, from Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union, who co-ordinated thevisit and bought the Hawke’s Bay/Hurricane squad players, Mike Coman and Richard Buckmanto be part of the presentation. It was also a pleasure to have the school’s coaches Arthur Brownand Spencer Bethell join us for this wonderful occasion.Rocky ShoreAfter severe storm warnings it was arelief to see a calm sea on Mondaymorning. Ninety Year 12 Biologystudents gathered down at HardingeRoad to study the flora and faunaat the rocky shore. A great rangeof living things were found but thehighlight of the morning was whenthree Orcas cruised by close tothe shore. A special thanks to theparents who joined us and sharedtheir knowledge with the students.Key ClubThe Key Club has been visiting the Roseanne Retirement Home on a regularbasis for three years now. The girls plan a variety of activities for each visitdepending on the interests and skills of the girls who attend. It’s a rewardingexperience for both the girls and the residents.Singing for the residentsLeft to right- Brooke Hurndell (Vice President ofthe Key Club), Paige Waerea, Isabella Radovanovic,Caitlin Murrell, Kendra Forshaw (Key Club Secretary),Allandria Puna and TePo Hawaikirangi.

Education Outside theClassroomExperience of a Life TimeWhen you think of Education Outside theClassroom you may not think of: balancing onropes approximately 20 metres above the ground,hauling people through holes the size of a chimney orattempting to build a raft out of tubes, tyres and ropes. These are just some of theactivities that took place on the 24th of February for Year 9 students.“The high ropes were really scary looking up at them, but once you got up there,it wasn’t REALLY bad,” described Osheenly.‘Scary’, was how a lot of the other students of 9K described the high ropes. Highropes do require a lot of trust in your buddies, and it’s quite a scary thought thatif you do something wrong, you might not only hurt yourself but your buddies.The feeling of being that high (20 metres), balancing on a wooden pole is amazing.Rafting was very challenging; learning all the techniques to make a stable raft tooka lot of effort. Once we got out on the water there was a whole new group oftechniques that we had to learn, like team working, all paddling at the same time,in the right direction and to make things better there was a strong gust of windheading right in our direction.CareersINVIEWISSUE TWOThe Hawke’s Bay District Health Board Incubator team presented theirfirst session to the Year 12 group of students selected to participate in thisprogramme. The programme is designed to bring a greater awareness ofthe variety of careers in the health sector. As an introduction, the studentsengaged in a ‘hands-on’ group activity, where they had to identify surgicalinstruments when given only a few photo clues. This task required closeanalysis and teamwork.The class was given a most interesting insight into the range of careers indentistry and oral health, and mental health nursing. The session providedmany opportunities for questions and interaction between the students andthe health professionals.• Auckland University Liaison 8th March 10:30am• Canterbury University Liaison 20th March 10:30am• Waikato University Liaison 21st March 10:30am• Otago University Liaison 22nd March 10:30am• Massey University Liaison 27th March 10:30amNote: Lincoln and Victoria Universities will be visiting early Term 2But through it all we have not only learnt new skills, we learnt more about ourpeers and teachers. The main focus of our E.O.T.C day out was to get to know eachother, and thanks to the support of our teachers, parents, peers and the staff ofGuthrie Smith we have definitely achieved our main goal.Ruby Rehu, 9KICTDuke of EdinburghLast weekend the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Students had their training camp.Due to the weather, arrangements were changed and the students camped onthe green at school. This was an extremely successful weekend with the studentslearning a large range of adventure skills and having lots of fun.The tramp dates for all levels will need to be reviewed due to Silver and Goldnot being able to do their training camp. A notice will be given out next weekconfirming dates for each level.Parent PortalComing Soon To A Screen Near YouThe school is currently working on a parent login to the school websiteso parents/caregivers can see their daughter’s reports, achievement andattendance records. We are currently checking student records to ensurewe have current home email addresses.The school will open access to the Parent Portal for two weeks from Friday30th April so you can review the interim school reports. We will also usethe Parent Portal for the full reports in the middle of Term 2. There will bea new online interview booking system for teacher interviews, but moreon this closer to the time.In the next newsletter (29th March) we will give you more details on howto connect to the Parent Portal and your login details.If you do not have access to the internet or email, printed interim reportswill still be sent out.

INVIEWISSUE TWOMāori AchieveWith the visit to the school of the much-lauded Webb Ellis cup(otherwise known as the Rugby World cup) on Thursday 1 March,the opportunity was taken to perform the new school hakacomposed in 2011 especially for NGHS by Moana-Lee Raihaniaand Mana Keefe. Maori leaders were delighted to incorporateour talented Rugby team and some of the Prefects into the groupfor the performance, expanding the number of students who canperform our haka with appropriate vigour.Music NewsChamber MusicChamber music rehearsals are well underway. We have 20 groups participating in thelocal competition this year which will be held on the 15-17 June.BarbershopOn the 26th of March the annual Barbershop Workshop is being held in Hastings whichour chorus will be attending. This workshop will help the students gain extra skills inorder to improve and maintain the high standards they have reached. This will be a funand informative day for the chorus.OrchestraThe School Orchestra is busy practising for the Hawke’s Bay Orchestra Festival Day whichwill be held on the 21st March. This is being held at NGHS and will be conducted byKenneth Young, who is one of the conductors of the NZ Symphony Orchestra. This eventwill combine all the orchestras from the HB secondary schools and bring them togetheras an extended orchestra. This will be a great experience for our orchestra and anopportunity to develop their ensemble skills.Junior SocialsEach term (Terms 1, 2, 3) the school provides aschool social for students in Year 9 and 10. Thisis an opportunity for the girls to mix with boysfrom Napier Boys’ High School in a safe socialsetting.Tickets for Napier Girls’ High School students will be on sale in the quad eachlunchtime from Monday 12 March to Thursday 15 March. Tickets must bepurchased by the end of lunchtime on Thursday 15 March. Your daughterwill receive a permission letter which must be signed by parents/caregivers.Students must have the signed parental letter to purchase a ticket.The proposed dates for the remaining 2012 socials are:Term 2: Thursday 31 May at Napier Girls’ High SchoolTerm 3: Thursday 14 August at Napier Boys’ High School2011 Parent/Caregiver SurveyThank you to the 277 respondents to the 2011 Parent/Caregiver survey. Thevaluable feedback is much appreciated by the school. We have a link on ourwebsite where you will find a brief summary of the main ideas expressed:http://www.nghs.school.nz/newsletters/day_2012-03-09.pdf.The first social this year is:Theme: Emergency 111Thursday 15 March 2012Napier Boys’ High School gym7pm to 9.45pmEntry is $5 per ticketParent Teacher AssociationNotice of Annual General MeetingTuesday 13 March 20127.30pm in the School LibraryEveryone is welcome!

Complaints ProcedureINVIEWISSUE TWOPOLICY ON COMPLAINTS AND CONCERNSComplaints Procedure1. Serious complaints should be made in writing to the Principal.2. The Principal will investigate the written complaint.3. The student or staff member will respond to the complaint directly tothe Principal and shall not discuss the matter with the complainantuntil given permission to do this.4. Other parties are informed at the Principal’s discretion and appropriateaction taken at that point as required.5. If the complaint has foundation, the Principal will take legal advice andapply the appropriate industrial or mediation procedures, dependingupon the circumstances. Where possible, the situation will be resolvedby mediation.6. The Principal will inform the complainant of her resolution of thecomplaint charge.7. The complainant may refer the matter to the Board if he or she iseither dissatisfied with the Principal’s resolution or feels that thereis nothing more to be gained by referring the matter again to thePrincipal.8. The complaint shall then be directed by the complainant in writing tothe Board of Trustees.9. In cases of complaint against the Principal which remains unresolvedin the first instance, a formal written complaint must be made to theBoard of Trustees Chairperson.10. Complainants are informed by the BOT Chairperson of the outcome ofthe complaint.11. Where appropriate, outside mediation or legal advice may be sought.12. In dealing with any complaint the school will act in accordance withthe relevant conditions of the current employment contract(s).13. In all cases the Board in dealing with complaints will act as a goodemployer.An individual has a concern aboutsomething happening at theschool.The individual gets in touch withone of the people on the contactlist to discuss their concerns.A serious complaint should be putin writing and go directly to thePrincipal (see ComplaintsProcedure Pathway 2 – availableon the website).Make an appointment and discusswith someone else on the list orthe Principal.Complaint put in writing andaddressed to the Chairperson ofthe Board of Trustees. TheChairperson then follows the Boardprocess for the handling ofcomplaints.Typically all parties concerned arekept informed of the situation assoon as possible. However, theremay be times when discretionaryprofessional judgment is needed.Matter resolved to all partiessatisfaction – either concluded or anunderstanding is in place for futureaction.After an agreed period of time e.g.two weeks, the action is unsuccessfuli.e. problem has resurfaced.Matter resolved to the satisfaction ofall parties – either concluded or anunderstanding is in place for furtheraction.After an agreed period of time e.g.two weeks, the action isunsuccessful i.e., the problem hasresurfaced.Suggested Contact List for Dealing with Concerns or ComplaintsA member of the school or wider community has a concern orcomplaint about something happening at school.Contact can be made by phone or email to any of these suggested individuals.Serious or UrgentThe Principal or a member of theSenior Management Team shouldbe contacted.Subject Subject leader HOD DeanPersonal/Family Form Teacher Dean Guidance CounsellorStaff Performance orConduct Senior ManagementTeamHostel Hostel MatronFinance Executive OfficerCareers Careers AdvisorCo-curricular Senior Management TeamNCEA/NZQA Principal’s NomineeOther International Dean Attendance OfficerIf the concern or complaint is unresolved, make anappointment to discuss it with the Principal.Make a formal complaint in writing to the Board ofTrustees or Principal.