Buller High School Newsletter
Issue 8, August 2022
From the Principal
Kia ora koutou,
Once again, we have seen the strength of our community to the fore as the anxiety levels rose last week in response to the weather warnings. Thankfully, we were spared, but my thoughts go out to the Nelson area that was inundated with the heavy rain of last week. The school closures last week were in response to information received from the council and civil defence, many already bearing the scars from previous events.
This week is busy, as many students prepare to travel away with sports teams for tournament week. Teams are travelling far and wide representing our school and district and I wish them well. A special thanks must go to Annie Evans, our Sports Coordinator for her organisation and planning skills that have enabled these teams to travel. It is also timely to remind students that are travelling to take responsibility for their learning whilst away, many other students will continue learning in class over the week.
Many senior students are in the middle of applications for various things. These include:
· Student representative on the BOT – this has just closed
· Prefect Applications
· Scholarship applications for those moving onto further study
· Course and hall applications, also for Tertiary study.
Combining the demands of a school programme with these other opportunities, then factoring in sports, work and other activities, can be a stressful time for students. It is important that they look after their wellbeing, remember to balance activities with their schoolwork and most of all, get plenty of sleep each night.
Open Night occurred this week for the first time in three years. It was our opportunity to open the doors and let students and their parents have a look around the school, speak with teachers and have a sausage to help them on their journey. For Year 8 students, we hope that it also enabled them to gain more familiarity with the school as many will be nervous about the transition in 2023. I was lucky enough to meet the Year 8 students recently in a visit to the primary schools and I look forward to working with them next year.
We take pride in our uniform and most students wear it well. Could I please encourage parents to reinforce the need for students to be at school in correct uniform, prepared to work and on time. For students who are temporarily unable to access the correct uniform, we have a supply to ensure that no student is without the correct uniform for school.
Mā mua ka kite a muri, mā muri ka ora a mua
Those who lead give sight to those who follow, those who follow give life to those who lead
Open Night Photos
Head Student Profiles
WCSS Senior Boys Basketball
On Tuesday the 9th August, the Buller High School Boys attended the WCSS Basketball at the Westland Centre in Greymouth.
With wins against John Paul II B, Greymouth High, and Westland High taking the team to the finals playing John Paul II A, the top team in the other pool. It was a great game, with a final score of 57-45 John Paul II A picking up the win. Congratulations on the team coming second! This was great preparation for the Winter Tournament, we look forward seeing results in Dunedin.
Thanks to Deridre Paterson for all the work she has put into the team.
Senior Ball, Highlight of the Year!
10H Science Experiment
During week 4, SC10H investigated the effect resistance has on a falling object (with a bit of fun of course).
Balloons filled with water were used and everyone made their own parachutes with plastic bags. The attempt was quite successful!
Where are they now? by Gavin Haussmann
I have now been teaching drama and music at BHS for 16 years and have to admit that time has gone quickly. I am very fortunate to work alongside Rona Halsall in our music department. Last term I was preparing a presentation for the Board of Trustees and wanted to know what some of my students had done with their love for the Performing Arts. I decided to contact 17 students and they all replied with their current status.
I have decided to make a feature of their replies and in the coming newsletters, each student will be highlighted.
This newsletter features graduate of 2018 Cain Liang.
Cain has graduated from NASDA at ARA in 2021 with a Bachelor of Performing Arts. He has recently been casted in Fugitive Songs, a song-cycle with a cast of six characters, with songs highlighting their journey across America as they run from their previous lives.
Cain has also been part of the Christchurch Symphony Choir since late 2021 and is due to be rehearsing for Verdi’s Requiem alongside the choir and 100 other singers from the Sydney Philharmonia choirs.
Year 11 Geography Field Trip
On 7th August, a group of Year 11 geographers embarked on a field trip to Christchurch to learn about the Canterbury Earthquake Sequence and how it impacted people.
Our first port of call was the Red Zone, an area of Christchurch severely damaged by the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes. It could not be rebuilt and has become a recreational area for the community. We noticed abandoned, overgrown streets and street signs – the only clue that this was once a thriving suburb. A highlight was the Medway Footbridge. Although there is a fancy new bridge now, the Council have left part of the earthquake-damaged bridge beside it. Comparing the two helped us to understand how strong earthquakes were and how to honour the people who once lived there.
The next part of our study of earthquakes meant a visit to Quake City. We learned about the processes that caused the Christchurch earthquakes, such as plate tectonics, seismic waves and liquefaction. We were also privileged to hear stories about earthquake experiences. Hearing personal experiences helped us to understand the astronomical impacts of earthquakes on people’s lives. We followed this visit up with exploring Christchurch Central City. We were amazed by the number of buildings that still stand abandoned and are unusable, over 11 years since the earthquakes; and even more so by the resilience of the people in Christchurch and the effort they made to ensure their city is vibrant through street art. We also paid our respects at the site of the old CTV building and the 185 empty chairs (1 for every person who lost their life during the earthquake).
Being in Christchurch, we took advantage of the location to visit the International Antarctic Centre to learn about the important work being done there. We learned about how significant Antarctica is for the climate globally and how tough it is to live on the frozen continent. We experienced an Antarctic storm that reached -18°C, a 4D immersive film and rode a Hägglund (a vehicle used to move around on rough, icy terrain).
Overall, our trip was exciting, emotional, and eye-opening. It helped us to appreciate the severity of the earthquakes and the experiences of Cantabrians at that time that no textbook could ever teach us.
WCSS Senior Girls Basketball Tournament
The Girls Junior Basketball team, with the addition of Jessie Gallagher and Caimyn Hearn played in the WCSS Senior Basketball Tournament in Westport on Thursday 11 August. The team played some really good close games and had a win against Westland High School.
We wish the girls luck as they attend the BBNZ Junior premiership, 27 – 30 August, Nelson, Saxton Stadium.
Thanks to the Boys Senior Basketball and Sheree Cargill for refereeing and doing the bench on the day.
Wearable Art Win
I got the pleasure to compete in the BT Mining EarthWorks of Creation-Wearable art 2022 alongside my friends Eloise Brown, Leelawadee Mayer, and Lyra Barlow on August 6th.
My piece was titled "Unfulfilled Wish," whereas Eloise and Leelawadee's was titled "Plague of Moths," and Lyra's was titled "Queen of the Garden."
We competed in the high school section. Eloise and Leelawadee's work won first prize, I came in second, and Lyra came in third. We had all worked on our pieces at home and at school during Friday lunchtime at our school sewing club, 'Stitch Sisters.' A big thank you to our models who wore our creations well on the day.
by Sara Sirikulsupakon
Moving with the Technology times
Buller High School has introduced Autocad Fusion 360 to Year 10 Graphics. This will be an advantage to students that choose the Wood, Metal or Graphics options next year and be a valuable tool for their pathway into construction employment or the many forms of design at Tertiary level.
With Fusion 360 being part of the Curriculum and cloud based it encourages self management as students may work from home online.
Luke Watts has the base of the coffee pot. Note the tapered sides and the thread on the top.
Erin Fick Has produced a drawing that if sent to an engineering manufacturer could be made for the farm tractor.
Luke Watts has made a key tag that could be sent to the 3D printer as a
Buller High School Emergency Management Information for Parents/Caregiver
Please download the below attachment to view our latest Emergency Management Information
Student Services Corner
Avoid comparing yourself to others.
Avoiding comparing yourself to others is easier said than done. With the prevalence of social media, this is a very common issue. We are relying on social media to keep up to date with how our friends are going and what they are doing. If someone posts something, we need to remember that it is mainly something that is positive and that they are proud of, hence, they want to share it.
Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok are great tools, when used with a balanced mind set.
What do I mean by a balanced mind set.
- Take inspiration - We may see someone post about a personal achievement. In that moment of viewing, we are focused on the end result of the achievement. We must remember to think of all the hard work, sweat and tears to get to that end point. Wow let’s just take inspiration and think of all the possibilities in life.
- Be happy for your mates, however, – do not focus on others for too long - When our focus and thoughts on this are too long, we reduce the time and effort spent on ourselves. You may have heard the saying “the grass always appears greener on the other side.” My point is to start watering and tending to your own grass to help it grow well. Put effort into your own life rather than focusing on others.
- Acceptance - Accept your past and make peace with it, acknowledge where you are at this current time. Right now, is just a snapshot of your life. Right now, does not say anything about where you will be in two years time. It isn’t about where you are right now, it’s your mindset and determination to get where you are going.
- We all have different stories – in life we all have things that we are good at and things we are working on. When you feel bad about yourself because, let’s say, someone else got a better mark than you. You are only focusing on one aspect of your life and have forgotten about the other things you are good at. This leads into the next point.
- Being grateful - when we are grateful for the things we have in our life, we start forgetting about the things we don’t have. Gratitude practice is picking a time every day to acknowledge something you are grateful for. Maybe at the dinner table, or at breakfast time. When you start this practice, it is amazing how you go about your day recognising and acknowledging things that you previously took for granted.
Take care and go well,
Ainslie Duncan
School Counsellor.