Northern Southland College

PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE

10 February 2023

Kia ora koutou

Nau mai, haere mai - welcome back to 2023. I would especially like to welcome our new students and whanau to NSC. I hope you are looking forward to being part of the NSC community and embrace all the opportunities that are ahead of you. This year, we have 41 new students attending our college. They are made up of 32 Year 7, one Year 8, six Year 9 and two Year 11 students. Our school roll remains above 200, a fabulous number that represents the continued growth of our college.

I am delighted to officially welcome our new staff to NSC, Assistant Principal Mr Jackson, Head of Mathematics Ms Bell, Digital Technology teacher Mr Shaw, Physical Education and Science teacher Miss Watts, English and Performing Arts teacher Ms Retallick and Guidance Counsellor Mrs Dean. We look forward to getting to know you in the coming months.

At our first assembly for this year, I informed students how we would manage our ‘no phones’ rule at NSC. Students seen with phones will be asked to hand them to the staff member who will take them to the school office and place them in secure storage. The phone will be returned to a caregiver only. Students have embraced the rule, with only one phone being confiscated in the first two weeks of the year. It is encouraging to see students talking to each other and being active in break times. We are developing our systems to make sure that messages received in the office are passed on to students in a timely manner. Thank you for your support in this matter.

Last week, I shared the following Maya Angelou quote with students and staff. “Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.” This links extremely well to our core value of Respect. We expect staff and students to do the best they can for themselves, others and property. My challenge to all in 2023, is to take ownership of our journey and do the best we can so that we get maximum enjoyment in everything that we do.

To our parents, caregivers and whanau. I look forward to seeing you at school gatherings and events throughout the year. Don’t hesitate to come and say hi when you see me out and about.

Ngā mihi
Pete Wilkinson

Tumuaki

Upcoming Events

Year 7 Camp - Tuesday 14 February - Friday 17 February
Year 9 Camp - Monday 20 February - Friday 24 February
Athletics Day - Wednesday 1 March
Parent Teacher Interviews - Thursday 9 March
Ugly Shakespeare - Monday 13 March 12.50-1.50
Swimming Sports - Friday 24 March
GRIP Leadership conference - Tuesday 4 April
Last Day of Term 1 - Thursday 6 April

First Day 2023

Welcome to our 32 Year 7s who have joined us at NSC this year. On their first official day for the year, each student was asked what they currently want to be when they grow up - it will be interesting to see if this changes before their final day at NSC in years to come.

Our Year 7s took part in a Clued up Camper programme to prepare themselves for their Borland Lodge camp next week. The students were very engaged and learnt how to handle various situations that could arise in a camp setting but also in general life. We are grateful to St John for providing this informative course.

Whatuia te Waiora

Our Year 7/8 students will soon take part in a new education programme provided by St John, Whatuia te Waiora (Weaving Wellbeing). This is a positive mental health programme which aims to enhance wellbeing for our Year 7/8 students.

Whatuia te Waiora gives students the opportunity to focus more positively on their daily lives, to boost their understanding of emotions, develop positive relationships and build practical resilience skills.

Unwell Students and Covid 19

If your child is ill, please keep them at home and notify the college either via absences on the school App or via phone message. There have been cases of Covid 19 at the college both in the junior and senior school. Please remain vigilant with testing and take the appropriate action if your child is showing any symptoms or has been in contact with someone who returns a positive Covid test. If your child does test positive for Covid they need to stay at home for 7 days before they can return to school.

What’s happening in Term 1

NSC Athletics - Wednesday 1 March
Southland Secondary Schools Athletics - Saturday 11 March
Northern Primary Athletics (Yr 7/8) - Wednesday 15 March
Southland Primary Schools Athletics - Saturday 25 March
Southland Secondary Schools Swimming Champs - Sunday 19 March
NSC Swimming Sports - Friday 24 March

Volleyball Yr 9-13

Please select the Volleyball group on the School App to keep up to date with new information
Please see school notices for practice times.
Start date for travelling teams is Wednesday 1 March

For those who have signed up to play Volleyball this term, please follow this link to register. All players must be registered by Wednesday 22 February or you cannot take to the court:

https://www.sporty.co.nz/viewform/228594

Sport Permission Forms - Trial

We are required by the Ministry of Education to receive permission by a parent/caregiver for any student to participate in a school sport or activity.

This term our Sports Coordinator is trialing online Google Forms. These forms will be sent out via email to allow parents/caregivers to give their permission online. The forms will include all relevant information regarding the event or activity. Without a completed online permission form students will not be able to participate in the sport /activity.