Northern Southland College

PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE

28 October 2021

Kia ora koutou

I regret to inform you of the passing of Doug Brown, Northern Southland College’s first Principal from 1975-1991. He last visited NSC in 2016 where he was presented with a plaque at the school reunion. Mr Brown also taught at Southland Technical College, was a lay preacher in the Invercargill Methodist Church and a leader in the YMCA and Post Primary Teachers’ Association. On behalf of past and present staff, students and the greater NSC community I would like to pass on our sincere condolences to The Brown family.

Late last week we received notification of the Public Health Order regarding mask use on school buses. All students 12 years and older travelling on a school bus must wear a face mask. It is not compulsory for students under 12 to wear a mask but it is recommended. When your child uses a school bus please ensure that they have a mask.

At the end of 2021 we will be fare welling two teachers. After 23 years at NSC, Ms Blakemore has decided to retire from teaching. Ms Blakemore will not be lost completely to us as she will be available as a relief teacher. Mr Reeve has also resigned and will leave us at the end of the year. Mr Reeve began his teaching career at NSC in 2019. We wish both teachers all the best for 2022 and beyond and will have plenty more to say about their contribution to NSC when we officially farewell them at the end of the year.

Last night Megan Lowe was presented with her Youthmark Award at the Ascot Park awards ceremony. Megan received the NSC Youthmark Award for achieving to an exceptionally high level academically and for her contribution to NSC and the wider community across a wide range of activities. Megan is also a high achiever in dance, receiving a wide range of awards at the highest level in both jazz and contemporary dance since 2012. Congratulations Megan for being NSC’s 2021 Youthmark Award recipient.

Covid 19 continues to impact our ability to operate as normal. There is always the possibility that we will go back into lockdown and also that events or activities cannot proceed as planned. We will do our best to keep families informed as and when we know of any changes. Please be aware that if we are at Level 2 in December (or a similar ‘traffic light’ system setting), we will be unable to have parents and whānau attend our end of year prizegiving ceremony on 10 December. If that is the case prizegiving will be held during school hours and the event will be live streamed. If the alert levels are decreased or rules relaxed to allow families to attend prizegiving will be in the evening.

Finally, thank you to our Year 13 cohort for organising and running our colour run today. Since it’s inception a few years ago this has been a highlight on our school calendar. Students and staff had a great afternoon.

Ngā mihi

Pete Wilkinson

Upcoming Events

Colour Run - Friday 29 October
Junior Exams - Thursday 4 November - Tuesday 9 November
Grass Kart Competition at NSC - Saturday 6 November
Market Day - Wednesday 10 November
Disco & Mufti Day - Thursday 11 November
Cultural Competition - Friday 12 November
Year 11-13 Last Day - Wednesday 17 November

Upcoming Camps - Police Vetting for Last Minute Parent Helpers

With the upcoming Year 8 and 10 camps, any parent help is always greatly appreciated. Any last minute parent helpers and parent drivers NEED to be Police Vetted. The forms can be found at http://www.police.govt.nz/advice/businesses-and-organisations/vetting/forms-and-guides (use the ‘NZ Police vet only’ form). Refer to the Guide as to the 2 forms of ID needed. ANY LAST MINUTE forms must be completed and brought back to the College Office, with 2 forms of ID by Wednesday 3 November 2021 by the person being vetted. This is a requirement of the Vulnerable Children’s Act 2014. If you have previously completed a check with NSC and are not sure if it is still current, please contact the Office. Forms are also available from the Office.

Year 9/10 Exams

Between 4 - 9 November 2021, Year 9 and 10 classes will be completing exams in English, Mathematics, Science and Humanities. These exams last for 2 hours and will be held in classrooms. Students need to bring their own pens, rulers and calculators for the exams. A copy of the timetable and the rules can be found here.

WAIMUMU FIELD DAYS Wednesday 9 - Friday 11 February 2022

Kai ora, whanau and welcome to Term 4. This is when planning for our biannual fundraiser as the main food tent at the Waimumu Field Days gains more momentum.

We have been managing the food tent for 7 consecutive Waimumu events, which is no mean feat! It is fair to say, it has evolved greatly over this time, to become the streamlined and efficient operation it is today.

We have fabulous family, community and school support, which is why it is such a successful event. It has enabled us to purchase wonderful resources for our school - including school vans, sporting equipment, camp and outdoor education gear, stage curtains, microphones and music mixers for productions, to name a few. These big ticket items would not be possible without the Waimumu fundraising, so it is easy to see tangible benefits for our students.

There is a great camaraderie amongst our helpers and we have a lot of fun. This is the only fundraising our Parent Committee undertakes and our school community would like to encourage you to be involved. Help us continue this wonderful tradition, so that the students attending our kura can reap the benefits. When we put out our information for this event, sign up to contribute.

We look forward to your continued support!

Wendy Coghlan

PTA Staff Rep

Northern Primary Tennis Tournament

Congratulations to Honor Collins who won the Yr 7 and 8 Girls competition.

She played a tough final going down in the first set 1-4 to come back and take the second set 4-2 to eventually take the game out winning the tie-breaker 12-10. Honor will go on to represent Northern at the Southland Primary School Tennis Tournament next Wednesday. We wish her all the very best.

Northern Primary Golf Tournament

Congratulations to the team who got 2nd place at the Northern Primary Golf Tournament.

Sam Hamilton, William Heenan, Ava Leach and Tilly Mitchell.

Contacting the College

If you need to contact the College about a student absence or for a query please either;

Ring 03 248 7121 and follow the prompts, text 027 248 7121, or use the absence feature on the school app.

Parents/Caregivers are also required to give the College notice if students are leaving early. Please do this by either phoning, using the app or texting the above number.