Buller High School Newsletter
Issue 11, November 2022
From the Principal
Term 4 is now well underway. For our senior students, NCEA exams began on 7 November and will finish next week. It has been pleasing to see the number of students arriving at school to prepare for these exams and I want to thank our teachers for making themselves and spaces available to make this possible.
For the junior students, they have also had a series of assessments over the last week to measure where the learning is at for them. Assessment in any form can be stressful and I would encourage all students to ensure that they take care of themselves, sleep and eat well to prepare for this time.
Our Breakfast Club is operating with senior volunteers preparing food to support our students and the many primary students that enjoy this start to the day. I want to thank these senior students for their time and commitment over the year. Having the Breakfast Club back up and running has been one of the highlights of the year for both staff and students.
Over the next few weeks, it is important that the students continue to focus on the work in class, being on time to school and class and respecting the rights of all in the class to learn and the teacher to teach.
As many of you would know, I was recently elected to the council as the Deputy Mayor. I want to assure you that this new position will in no way diminish the time and effort I put in for our students and the school. For me, it is an opportunity to further build on governance and leadership skills plus build more connections with our local community. These skills will further support me in my role as a Principal. Most council meetings and business occur out of school contact hours. I am and will remain completely committed to providing the best education for the students in our kura.
As we head towards December our students will be engaging in a range of the wider school activities. These activities help develop relationships, demonstrate leadership and are fun! We look forward to being involved with the students over the two days.
The Junior Awards Ceremony is the final event for our Year 9 and 10 students this year. We invite parents and whānau to join our staff and students in the School Hall on Friday, 9 December to celebrate this special occasion.
Finally, I would like to wish all students, staff and whānau and restful and enjoyable time over the festive season. I look forward to seeing you all refreshed and ready for the challenges of 2023.
He kai kei aku ringaringa.
I can earn my food with my own hands.
From the Board of Trustees
I know 2022 has continued to throw some challenges at our school community, but it has been great to see some degree of normality starting to return. On behalf of the Board of Trustees I’d like to thank everyone in our wider school community for the contributions you have made to the school over the last year. I’ve enjoyed learning more about how the school is run, what our strengths are and where the challenges lay for the years ahead. It’s been great to have a new board come in who are all keen to do what we can to make Buller High School the best it can be.
The board has been amazed at the number of responses we have received for our survey, and the thought that went into them. Thanks so much to everyone who contributed, and please know that the information you’ve provided has given us a pretty clear picture of how the school is going. We, along with the senior leaders of the school, will be putting together a plan for next year over the coming weeks, and we will communicate that with you once we have it ready. We also commit to communicating with you regularly next year so that everyone has a clear picture of how the
school is going.
To those students and families who are finishing up with us, we wish you all the best for whatever the future brings. To those who are returning next year, we hope that you have a great break over the summer in this beautiful place we live in, and we will see you back at school in 2023.
Ngā mihi,
Glenn Irving
Board Chair
Head Students 2023
Congratulations to our 2023 Head Students
Left to right: Samantha Manning (Deputy), Louella Prasad (Head Student),
Guiseppe Scanlon (Head Student), Karl Yap (Deputy)
Senior Prizegiving
Thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate Senior Prizegiving.
Buller High School wish to once again congratulate all winners on an outstanding performance.
Here are some photo highlights of the night!
Wilding for the Win - House Competition
It was an amazing achievement for Wilding House to win the House Shield for 2022 especially as this will be the last time this House Shield will be awarded, with the House name changes going forward.
Thanks to our great Wilding teachers Kate Meynell, Isaac Jefferies, Karen Woodcock and David Lindblom, for their support and encouragement and our two House leaders Keeley Ridley and Maddox Manawatu, for their leadership and guidance throughout the year.
It is a privilege to be the Dean of such an amazing committed group of students who try their best at everything they do. I look forward to more of the same in 2023 for our House Tī Kōuka.
Sheree Hollis
House Shield Winners: Kate Meynell (WME), Maddox Manawatu (House Leader), David Lindblom (WLN), Isaac Jeffries (WJE), Karen Woodcock (WWO), Keeley Ridley (House Leader), Sheree Hollis (Wilding Dean)
Wooden Spoon: Levi Phipps accepted the Wooden Spoon on behalf of Grey (House Leader)
Graduating Class of 2022
On Thursday 3 November, staff celebrated the 2022 graduating class with a morning tea.
Memories were shared, laughter was had and a delicious cake was eaten.
We wish all our graduating Year 13 and 14's all the very best in their future endeavours!
Back to Nature
Grace Poynter and Jessie Gallagher look a bit sheepish as they watch the chickens enjoy their ‘new’ home. Senior Leadership arrived on the last day for seniors to find their corridor transformed into a chicken run.
There was evidence that they had been there for some time and were a bit nervous.
It didn’t take long to find out where they had travelled from and after some negotiation, they were back on their way.
Thank you to the Year 13 students for this opportunity to get back to nature!
2023 Stationery Lists
The 2023 Stationery Lists have now been completed and published. The lists can be found on our website https://buller.ac.nz/stationery-list-ict/ or downloaded from below.
If your child is a Year 10 or above, please check with them as to what classes they have selected.
Do you prefer to shop online for your child's stationery?
Officemax have our stationery lists pre-loaded on https://www.myschool.co.nz/. Just search for Buller High School and select the Year level and required classes, it's that easy!
Student Services Corner
Feeling trapped in a situation you cannot change.
As humans we feel compelled to fix things. We are told by society that if something is not working, fix it. Therefore, it can be very hard to figure out what to do when you find yourself in a situation that ‘cannot be fixed’.
Learning to sit with and accept, to be with a difficult emotion can be hard.
Here are some things that may help:
1. Trust that things do not stay that way forever. A moment is merely a moment, it does not last forever.
2. Focus on the good: I am not saying we do not acknowledge the situation we cannot change. But by focusing on things, we are grateful for, helps us to manage the obstacles in our lives. This could be as simple as reflecting on two or three things that have gone well in your day. Written or spoken. The more we focus on the good, the more we seek the good in our life.
3. Change the direction of thoughts: When you find yourself in a situation that you cannot change, try focusing on something else. For example, getting into a good Netflix series. Your mind will often wonder and come back to be fixated on the thing bugging you, this is natural. Acknowledge the thought, its ok to have it, and then carry on with the Netflix series.
4. Take time out in Nature: There is a lot of research that indicates that getting outside in nature has many physical and psychological benefits. In Japan they have forests specifically designed for this purpose and they refer to it as ‘forest bathing’. It helps to clear the head and brings a sense of calm, whilst being uplifting.
5. 3 minutes of Calm a day: Some people call it mediation. I call it preparing my mind for the day with calmness. I use an app called headspace. It is free, I use the basic part, where you can select a male or female voice, 3, 5 or 10 minutes. I recommend starting with 3 mins and using 5mins on a day when needing calmer. As you get used to it, you can increase your duration. The focus is on frequency rather than duration.
In summary, there are times we need to fix things and there are times we must accept things.
When we accept things are the way they are can, this can bring peace and calm.