Kia ora koutou katoa

Term 1 has been busy and the Easter break over the weekend was well received. I hope you managed to spend some time with family to reconnect and enjoy the pleasures of being together. The eleven weeks seem to have been and gone and we are almost a quarter of the way through the school year. Thank you to those families who supported our recent parent teacher interviews. The hall had a nice hum about it and the new format was appreciated by all. Being involved in your child's learning journey is important, so thank you.

On the 26th of March our Student Council organised a lunchtime fundraiser and we all enjoyed a sausage, live music and the chalk drawing competition. This was a wonderful afternoon, bringing our school together and supporting our ongoing theme of being kind, caring and inclusive. During our most recent assembly I spoke about Random Acts of Kindness (RAOK) and how something so small can make a big difference in other people's lives. I was lucky to have parents who taught me about kindness, but it wasn't until I was much older that I understood the impact that being kind to others can have. I left everyone in the assembly hall with the challenge of delivering their own RAOK and wanted to reward the first five students with a prize if they were prepared to come and share their RAOK with me. I was caught unprepared five minutes later and ended up having to hand out a lot more than five!

ANZAC Day falls during our holiday break this year. This is a good opportunity to encourage your teenager to reflect on the importance of being kind, compassionate and decent, every single day. ANZAC Day commemorates daring and courageous acts of selflessness done in the hope of making the world a better place for others to inhabit. That same spirit should pervade our lives in 2021.

The next few months sees several building projects take place at school. Next week, the overlay of the A Block roofing commences and there will be scaffolding and fencing around the perimeter of the block. This project should be completed mid-June and South Coast, the construction company undertaking the job, plan to complete a large portion of work during the upcoming holiday break, including the removal of asbestos from some areas of the wall lining. Classroom use will not be impacted during term time. Other projects will commence during Term Two and further detail will be given closer to the time.

Enjoy the school holidays, revitalise and be ready to continue to be at your best in Term Two.

Palma non sine pulvere; no reward without effort.

Cameron Stone, Principal

The 2021 house leaders were presented with their badges at assembly on 31st March. We look forward to seeing them in action at various school events this year. Congratulations to them all.

McAllister House: Toni Cameron, Jazmine Huston, Emma Collingwood.

Tyrer House: Kim Urbano, Grace Topless, Alex Vincent, Caleb Jackson.

Amess House: Kyla Radford, Lydia Bedford, Alyssa Simkin, Cassia Tutauha.

Trimble House: Eva Ryan, Tabbitha Horgan- Avery, Dylan Wyllie.

The 2021 student council was announced at the Wednesday assembly by Council Chairperson Tarin Nicholls. The members for 2021 are:

Year 13: Elaida Alluad, Lydia Barber, Toni Cameron, Harmony Hanover, Ella Hussey, Jazmine Huston, Nancy Kirk, Ellie Kowalewski, Duncan Sheed, Kim Urbano, Dylan Wylie

Year 12: Faith Fouche, Keisya Gunawan, Rebecca Hodge, Korban Johnson, Elysse Kerr, Abbey Sextus

Year 11: Arabella Barber, Hollie Eager, Troy Gibbons, Zoe Pitcher, Heidi Sextus

Year 10: Lara Abraham, Haylee Collingwood, Maia Hussey, Ciara Staines-Hurley, Cady Webb

Year 9: Billy Green, Justin Salisbury

Bryan Daysh, TIC Student Council.

Hi everyone. I hope you all enjoyed the extended break we had with Easter. It's been a busy start to the year and with a long term, this impacts on how tired students are feeling. Tiredness has a negative effect on wellbeing, as tired students become overwhelmed quickly and their problems seem worse than they are. If you are noticing your child/ren being more ‘terse’ in their remarks, being lethargic and unmotivated, it may be that they have reached their capacity and are needing more sleep.

Help them to take steps towards getting the rest and recharge they need. Having a break after school, by going for a walk, spending time outside in the sun, being with pets and animals are good for rebooting. Help support your child with moderating screen time and getting into a routine that supports (a minimum) of 9 hours of sleep. Teenagers need more sleep, but too often they are going to bed late and trying to catch the sleep up into the late hours of the morning which isn’t helpful for school! For further support and advice on this go to: https://www.kidshealth.org.nz/parenting-teens-sleep-needs-teenagers, or https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0270/5958/5121/files/Resources_Teen_Sleep.mp4?v=1583556061

Students are always welcome to come and see me for whatever reason. Parents are also welcome to speak with me if they have any queries or would like me to check in with their child/ren. As a counsellor I am bound by a code of conduct which includes confidentiality. This means it is up to the student if and what they would like me to share with parents or staff. For some parents the idea of confidentiality is a cause for concern. Please be assured that if there is a disclosure or cause of concern for serious harm, I will notify the appropriate people, including parents. I am mindful that students come to a counsellor because of the confidentiality. However, where it seems appropriate, I always actively encourage and look at ways in which I can support the student to talk and share with their parent/s and whanau.

Students can make appointments by dropping their name into the locked box outside my office, or message @heart_shs Instagram page; or text 022 318 5158 or email me, lalbers@stratfordhigh.school.nz

Enjoy the school holidays which are fast approaching

Liza, Guidance Counsellor

Congratulations to Nicole Pitcher, who has secured a position with Carac Group through doing a gateway placement. We wish you well Nicole.

WITT STAR Courses 2021 provides opportunities for students to explore career pathways and help them make informed decisions about their schooling and future work or study. If you are interested in taster programmes that includes the following:

Automotive, Electrical, Mechanical Engineering, Welding and Fabrication

Hospitality - Barista, Baking, Cookery, Front of House

Sport and Fitness

Beauty and Make-up

Hairdressing

Carpentry, Plumbing

Agriculture

Skills for Living

Talk to Karen @ the Careers office.

The Mayor’s Task Force for Jobs have various workforce programmes available. Please see Mrs Campbell or Whaea if you are aged 16-24 years and looking for programmes that will assist you with transitioning to the workplace.

Tertiary Provider/University visits

Massey, Otago and AUT have completed their initial visits to the school with a planned visit by Canterbury and Lincoln next week. If you are interested in attending University and need advice, see Whaea Wendy.

Holiday programmes

1. Life guard training for 16 yr plus will take place during the holidays. Criteria applies and an application to cover fees can be made. Please talk to the careers staff.
2. PIHMS career week will run during the school holidays. If you plan on a future pathway training in tourism and hospitality with PIHMS this could be the taster programme you need. Please see the career staff.

Youth Futures Expo 2021

On Friday May 14 the youth futures expo is to be held at the Stratford Memorial Centre from 12 pm to 6.30 pm. Please diarise this community event. Training providers, community groups and employers will be at this “hands-on” careers experience event.

Careers Support for students

Students and their caregivers are welcome to make appointments to meet with the Careers Advisor to discuss pathway and career options. Please contact Whaea by email or phone to make an appointment.

The school account details for internet banking are:

Account name: SHS Board of Trustees
Branch: TSB Stratford

Account number: 15-3947-0328379-00

Events can also be viewed via the KAMAR app.

Sun 11 to Tues 13 April: Creatives Camp for senior students (Mr Orr)

Wed 19 April: Science Roadshow – y9 students.
Junior Maths competition – Miss Kern
Canterbury University visit – 10am

Sat 17 April to Sun 2 May: Term Break

Fri 23 April – ANZAC wreath making, War Memorial Hall 9.30am

Sun 25 April: ANZAC Day commemorations – see Mrs Baldwin.

Wed 12 May: SHS cross country and fun run.

Fri 14 May: SHS Careers Expo from 12 noon until 6.pm, War Memorial Hall. Whaea Wendy