Northern Southland College

PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE

8 April 2022

Nga mihi nui kia koutou.

Thank you for your understanding shown towards our decision to keep students at home today. We have been on the brink of not being able to staff our classes for a number of weeks now, but have been able to make it work by using all relief teacher resources available and having staff cover many lessons of those who are absent. It was important to do everything possible to keep students onsite and in normal classes.

During the day yesterday it was clear that we did not have the personnel available to staff our classes today. We appreciate that it is not easy to juggle your commitments due to your children being at home but hope you understand that this was our last resort. In these situations we do have supervision available for students that are unable to stay home and have subject resources available on Google Classroom for all students.

At this stage school will be open as normal on Monday 11 April. If we need to change that decision we will email all parents on Sunday 10 April at the latest, and post the information on the school app and Facebook page.

In the last few weeks I have had some enquiries regarding the amount and frequency of homework expected at NSC. We do not have an expectation that homework must be given by teachers. Many of our students travel a long distance to get to and from school, and also have responsibilities at home and/or on the farm. Doing masses of homework on top of these other commitments does not give a good balance for our students.

The guidelines are as follows: Students are expected to go over their notes from each subject at the end of each day to refresh what was covered in class. When homework is given by a teacher it should be to reinforce what is done in class, should be brief and able to be completed by the student independently (ie. not homework for the parent unless it is something like interviewing for information).

We encourage all students to spend time at home reading for pleasure. When students have an upcoming assessment there is a expectation that students will use some time at home preparing for that. Please contact your child's teacher if you have any questions about coursework and/or homework.

Finally, following the online forms sent to parents recently, staff are currently in the process of emailing parents who requested 'interviews' (COVID style). These will be completed over the next month. If you require any information in a more timely manner please email the teacher or contact the office.

Ngā mihi

Pete Wilkinson

Upcoming Events

End of Term 1 - Thursday 14 April
Good Friday - Friday 15 April
Start of Term 2 - Monday 2 May
Cross Country - Friday 6 May
Year 11 Kepler Camp - Tuesday 10 May - Friday 13 May

Emails from the College

To ensure you don't miss out on important information from the College, please check your junk/spam folder. Our address now ends with "nsc.school.kiwi", so if you do find them there you will need to mark as "not junk mail" so that future correspondence goes to your inbox.

This needs to be checked regularly as each new teacher will mean a new email address that could be going to Spam.

Lost Property

There are a considerable number of items in the lost property box. School uniforms and shoes, casual clothing, even an entire swimming bag. Can you please ask your child to check the lost property box before the end of term. A reminder to write students' names on anything brought to school. Items left at the beginning of next term will be donated.

9/10 Agriculture

Year 9/10 Ag got stuck into the garden this week. We had a fantastic working bee - everyone had jobs to do.

Lime, sheep poo and compost were added in to improve the soil properties. One garden has been covered in pea straw and left fallow for the winter while the other was planted with a variety of brassicas to see how they grow over winter.

Peer Support

This week the Year 13's ran the final Peer Support session with their groups of Year 7 students. It has been great to see the bonds between the students develop.

I hope the mentoring that the Year 13's have been doing will continue informally throughout the year. Thank you to the Year 13 students for your planning and output of this valuable program.

Miss Stark


Frenzie Mendoza	Samantha Kington	Claire Salviejo

Frenzie Mendoza

Samantha Kington

Claire Salviejo


Jack Walling	Benjamin Rodgers-Foran

Jack Walling

Benjamin Rodgers-Foran

Gateway - Jake Ussher

Jake Ussher is currently enrolled in a MITO Shift-up programme. This study in conjunction with his Gateway placement at Andrews Transport Ltd will mean he is able to complete his MITO credentials.

We thank Andrews Transport for giving Jake this opportunity to shine in the ‘trucking world”. As you can see Jake is enjoying his placement and being part of the Andrews Transport team.

Career Ready - Work Ready Passport Programme

On Thursday this week, the Career Ready class finished the Work Ready Passport Programme by having their mock interviews.

We had some local people come in and conduct interviews with the students which provided great life experience for when students have to do the real thing to get a job.

Thank you so much to our employers that gave up their time to come in - Steve Milne from Southroads, Rob Scott from Route 6 and Southland District Councillor, Aaron Gill who is a farmer and sits on Glenmark Vet Board, and Liz Wyatt from Great South.

A massive thank you to Renata Gill from Great South who has organised the many speakers and interviewers to come in. It has been a valuable experience which hopefully students can draw from when they take their next step into the big wide world!

Attitude Presentations - Wednesday 6 April

Thank you to Rory from Attitude for visiting NSC and speaking to our students. You were very well received and gave lots of good advice.

Half Moon Bay Triathlon

Well done and CONGRATULATIONS to the 2 teams that competed in the Great Southern Race Triathlon at Stewart Island on Tuesday 29 March.

NSC 1 placed 2nd in the Yr 8 Boys Section:

Aiden McLean (200m Ocean Swim)

Digby Saunders (5km Bike)

Blake Bulleid (2.5km Run)

NSC 2 placed 3rd in the Yr 8 Mixed Section:

Amelia Bullmore (Swim)

Jed Sheat (Bike)

Lachlan Gill (Run)

Great results. We are super proud of you all. Thank you to Andrea Bulleid who managed the team.

Volleyball

A big congratulations to our Volleyball teams who competed in Invercargill last week! Both teams won their Semi-Final games and lost in the Finals. The season is over now and looking back we learned a lot of new skills.

We learned to switch and to serve, we learned to hit from the back row and to block in the front. We had a successful season full of laughs and press ups and we are all sad it has come to an end.

Great effort to all those involved and thank you to everyone who has helped the team along the way! Nga mihi

Rugby

CSC are desperate for coaches/managers for the U14 Grade… We run the risk of not being able to enter a team in the competition if we don’t get anyone. If you are willing to help out please contact Pete Wilkinson or MIchelle Elder.

All players playing rugby have to complete this form: https://www.sporty.co.nz/viewform/175169

U16 Boys Rugby - First training is at CSC on Tuesday 12th April at 5pm. Mr Wilkinson can transport players to practice BUT parents will need to pick players up after practice.

Hockey

Apologies for the delay in information regarding Senior Hockey… We are still awaiting finalised details, such as game night etc from Invercargill Hockey Association. I appreciate this has made it difficult for some students to make their Winter Sport choices. Information will be given out as soon as it comes to hand.

Shooting

Jack Heslip competed in the South Island Skeet Championship on Sunday 27 March in Invercargill.

His results were:

-1st C Grade 12 Gauge

-1st Junior Handicap

-6th Overall Handicap

Congratulations Jack

Basketball

We are excited to announce that NSC has 3 teams entered in the Eastern Basketball League for the upcoming season. A Senior Boys' team, Senior Girls' Team and an Intermediate team. A huge thank you to staff, students and parents who have offered their time and energy to coach and manage these teams.

Practice nights have been confirmed:

Senior Boys - Monday 3.30-5pm

Senior Girls - Wednesday 3.30-5pm

Intermediate - Thursday 3.30-4.30pm

Vipers Girls’ Basketball Easter Camp

15 - 17 April 2022

Archer Stadium - 21 Avon St Gore

Vipers basketball are excited to present their 2022 Vipers Easter Camp especially for girls.

Their high energy sessions introduce a range of exciting drills and games which focus on the fundamental skills, incorporating structured plays.

Sessions cover all aspects of the game with a range of high energy drills targeting ball handling, shooting, passing, defensive and foot work skills. Sessions also incorporate basic structured plays and finish with a full court game.

Extension to COVID-19 hardship assistance for whānau

The Government has extended the increased income limits for hardship assistance until Thursday 30 June.

This means more casual or part-time workers, or people who aren’t already getting financial support, will continue to be eligible for help with their immediate or emergency costs. This is especially important for those who need direct help as part of the COVID-19 welfare response.

People new to MSD can check these links to see the new income limits:

· Special Needs Grant

· Recoverable Assistance Payment

· Advance Payment of Benefit

· then click on our check what you might get guide.

You will be be asked some easy questions about your costs, then MSD will let them you about any Work and Income payments you may be able to get.

Alternatively, if You would like to talk with MSD, you can call:

· 0800 559 009 for working age

· 0800 552 002 for over-65s

· 0800 88 99 00 for students

Interpreters are available.

Please note, income limits for Emergency Housing Special Needs Grants, Transition to Work Grants and the Course Participation Allowance aren’t changing.

NSC Policies and Procedures

NSC Policies and Procedures have all been updated and can be found at http://www.schooldocs.co.nz/

On the right hand side of the webpage click the ‘search for your school’ tab and type in ‘Northern Southland College’

Username: nsc

Password: respect

The search bar on the left of our School Docs home page is a great way to find any specific information you may be looking for

Whanau Awhina Plunket online Babysitting Course

Plunket Education in Schools’ Babysitting Course is available for teenagers all over Aotearoa.

This course is designed to give high school students the knowledge and skills to babysit children of all ages. It's written for first time babysitters; students don't need to have previous experience to enrol.

The course ideal for students aged 14 and above and takes around 2-3 hours to complete.

Students work through nine sequential modules and on completion of the course and the final quiz will receive a certificate certified by Whanau Awhina Plunket to show employers that they have completed this course and are ready to babysit. As well as the certificate the students are sent a Babysitter's Manual that supports all the information they have learned in the course.

During the course the following topics are covered:

• the role of the babysitter, including the expectations of the families you are working for

• ages and stages of children from birth to school age, their basic needs and their care

• professional behaviour including your presentation

• how to engage with children of different ages, including activities for each age group and

behavioural information

• safety, including emergency situations, keeping yourself and the children safe, and basic first aid

• how to get a babysitting job.

This course is presented using videos, quizzes and activities which are fun as well as informative. Click https://www.plunket.org.nz/plunket/what-we-offer/education-in-schools/#plunket-online-babysitting-course for more information or to sign up.

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.