31 Jul
General Notices
Kia ora Koutou,
It’s been a busy and exciting start to term 3, Tawari commenced the term with a Hautapu ceremony, which is where this beautiful picture of Matariki was taken outside the High School. We also welcomed Ava back from her sabbatical. We also welcomed Lockie Bennett (LTR PE) and Lottie Butcher (Drama) Elizabeth Morgan (TA) and Elizabeth Naude (KK kaiako). This week at the High School our new commercial kitchen was also officially opened by Cr Glenda Barrett and our Deputy BOT chair Ike Tapine.
Preparation for exams and SAC is underway and this term is going to be crucial for our akonga. I want to encourage them to track their credits, hand in assignments in a timely manner, and have conversations with their advisors and kaiako. Over the coming weeks if there are any questions relating to internals and externals please encourage them to ask their kaiako.
Ngā mihi maioha
Katy Cottrell
Careers – Zena Kavas
We had Prajesh, our very enthusiastic Otago University Liaison Officer come to speak with Tāwari ākonga last Friday about university life, why we should or might want to go to University, and what Otago university offers. For the Year 13 students now is the time to be applying for scholarships. Prajesh suggested that it is good practice to apply for scholarships at all universities, as the scholarships offered my impact on our choice of where to go. The next step for the Year 13s is to start thinking about which residences they may wish to apply for. This could be an interesting dinner-time discussion.
Level One Subjects
Art – Craig Bluett
Kia ora, the Level 1 students this week are planning the sizes of their paintings and prints or digital works for board 2 of their folios. It is important these pictures fit together like a jigsaw puzzle with a little gap of 1-3 cms between pictures. They can paint these in any order they like to start with the last picture and work backwards with your ideas . The last picture needs to show the subject matter and development of ideas and have thoughtfully composed, i.e. negative space. IIwill help any akonga if they want . Also, I would like to do a progress Assessment in 3 weeks’ time on the 8th of August . Keep up the good work
BCATS – Kieron Harding
The level 1 students have been making excellent progress on their library chairs. I have seen precision and care taken at every step. I am looking forward to seeing the finished outcomes soon.
Big History – Rose Langridge, Stuart Mason and Zena Kavas
The Big Historians have continued with learning from the Big History programme, from Threshold 7 on the topic of agriculture and complex societies. This included a discussion about funeral traditions in different cultures and a study of the clash of agricultural society with hunter-gatherer society and their cultural traditions. Alongside the short tasks set from the Big History programme students are also working on character development and writing portfolio tasks in English. The science learning underway consists of new material in chemistry leading to an internal assessment on properties, uses and chemical reactions of metals, and the chemistry Level 1 external on acids and bases. A group is working with Zena to attempt a biology practical investigation internal, and several students are engaging with the astronomy/Earth science research standard that involves individual deadlines. The class has received grades for the internal standard on microorganisms.
Digi Tech – Michael Draper
The level 1 digi-technologists are now starting work on their development projects which feature using good development processes to produce a working solution that satisfies a brief. This involves learning technical skills and sound development processes and applying these to create a working software or electronics solution. This is a major block of work (total of 12 credits) spanning term 3 for assessment early in term 4.
Drama – Lottie Butcher
This term’s focus will be the internally assessed standard 1.2 -Devise and perform a drama. We are exploring different stimuli, to spark ideas to create our own original piece of theatre. This piece will then be performed at the beginning of Term 4.
Mandarin – Lisa Chin
Students are continuing on their second internally assessed standard: 1.5 Write a variety of text types in Chinese in areas of most immediate relevance. This assessment will be due by week 5 Term 3.
Maths – David Starshaw
The level 1 maths students have started the learning for 1.3 Tables, Equations, and Graphs which is assessed as an exam at the end of the year. We will spend all term learning this content.
Music – Michael Stebbings
Having handed in the final drafts of their first compositions, Level 1 Music students are now moving on to their second compositions for MUS1.3. In addition, across this term, they should be preparing for their second performance for MUS1.1, which will be in Week 10, and their ensemble performance for MUS1.2, which will be during the same lesson.
Physical Education – Lockie Bennett
The level 1 PE students have been focusing on the strategies and tactics within an area of sport. This standard enables students to evaluate what they can do to improve with their chosen area of sport. I am also looking forward to getting to know the students this term.
Level Two Subjects
Art – Craig Bluett
Kia ora, the Level 2 students this week are planning the sizes of their paintings and prints or digital works for board 2 of their folios. It is important these pictures fit together like a jigsaw puzzle with a little gap of 1-3 cms between pictures. They can paint these in any order they like to start with the last picture and work backwards with your ideas . The last picture needs to show the subject matter and development of ideas and have thoughtfully composed, i.e. negative space. I will help any akonga if they want . Also, I would like to do a progress Assessment in 3 weeks’ time on the 8th of August . Keep up the good work
BCATS – Kieron Harding
The level 2 students have been making excellent progress on their chairs and guitars. I have seen precision and care taken at every step. I am looking forward to seeing the finished outcomes soon.
Biology – Zena Kavas
The L2 biologists are now learning about gene expression, how our individual DNA nucleotide base sequences of A, T, G and Cs that code for different proteins can actually produce different characteristics, such as blue or brown eyes, skin variations, and inherited diseases. This topic will be assessed as an external assessment at the end of the year. At 9.30am on Thursday the 23rd November – to be precise.
Chemistry – Stuart
The new learning is about the structure of atoms, molecules and energy changes in chemistry. Water molecules are bent: how can we know this given how small they are, and what are the consequences of this? This learning will be assessed by one of the two chemistry external papers in November. At the end of Week 5 of this term, most of the class will complete a written assessment task for the internal standard on reduction-oxidation chemistry.
Digi Tech – Michael Draper
Our level 2 Digitech student, William, has been working hard on his cybersecurity, systems and networking skills. Over the holidays William competed in the New Zealand Cyber Security Challenge, run by the University of Waikato, where his team tied on points with first place in the high school division and came fourth on time. William has built and networked a standalone server for digitech, and is now completing the permanent installation of this server in the high school.
Humanities – Rose Langridge
We have begun to look at terrorism. We started by working on a definition and who gets to use and make definitions and the pros and cons of this. We have now moved on to the IRA and have looked at the beginning and have moved into the Troubles. Bloody Sunday 1972 was the first event covered not to be confused with the 1920 event in Ireland or indeed the 1905 Bloody Sunday in Russia. We looked at the causes, the event as well as the short and long-term consequences. Next, we are looking at the Hunger strikes of the 1980s.
Mandarin – Lisa Chin
Students have started the learning on their second internally assessed standard: 2.5 Write a variety of text types in Chinese to convey information, ideas, and opinions in genuine contexts. This assessment will be due by early term 4. We will spend all term learning this content. Upcoming they will be presenting their speech for 2.2 speech presentation.
Maths – Michael Draper
The level 2 Maths (algebra and calculus) ākonga have completed their Trigonometry assessment, and we are waiting on moderation to confirm their grades. Their Systems of Equations internal assessment (AS91269 Apply systems of equations in solving problems, 2 Cr) is on Monday week 4. After that they will then return to working on Algebra and also learn Calculus, both of which are assessed in the end of year exams.
Music – Michael Stebbings
Having handed in the final drafts of their first compositions, Level 2 Music students are now moving on to their second compositions for MUS2.4. In addition, across this term, they should be preparing for their second performance for MUS2.1, which will be in Week 10, and their ensemble performance for MUS2.3.
Physical Education – Lockie Bennett
The level 2 PE students have been focusing on training strategies and that would help support rock climbing. This standard enables students to evaluate what they can do to improve via training to improve strength and ability. I am also looking forward to getting to know the students this term.
Physics – Michael Draper
The level 2 physicists are continuing their work on Mechanics and Electricity/Magnetism. The learning and work for these is interleaved throughout this and next term. These topics are assessed in the end-of-year physics exam. From the end of term 3 the L2 physicists will do revision and exam practice in preparation for that exam.
Psychology – Zena Kavas
The L2 psychologists are looking at how different theories might be used in a field of psychology practice. At present we are looking at various applications including a range of psychometric testing, and how useful or valid they might be. Later in the term ākonga will be writing their own reports on a topic of their choosing.
Statistics – David Starshaw
The level 2 statistics students have started the learning for 2.12 Probability which is assessed as an exam at the end of the year. We will spend all term learning this content.
Level Three Subjects
Biology – Zena Kavas
The L3 biologists are now working on the Human Evolution unit of study – a topic some of them have been waiting for all year. A consent letter will be sent home this week regarding the 23andme DNA testing, and parental consent is needed for this test to go ahead. A conversation at home around privacy would be appreciated. We visited the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research this week and we were very lucky to be shown around the various research labs there. We discussed some of the research projects they were working on, including CAR T-cell cancer therapy and its incredible success in clinical trials here in New Zealand.
Chemistry – Stuart
The current learning for the Level 3 chemists is in thermodynamics, an area of chemistry that was developed to help run the Industrial Revolution more efficiently. At the end of this work is a short study of the importance of entropy to everything that can happen anywhere in the universe. So they are dealing with the big themes! This, and the upcoming ideas in chemical equilibrium will be assessed in the external exams in November.
English – Rose Langridge
It is all about connections this term. The class has picked a few themes and we will be unpacking texts connected to these ideas which they can then use to make links to texts used earlier in the year as well as independently chosen texts. We started with the theme of power and corruption and read two pieces from Kurt Vonnegut’s short story collection Welcome to the Monkey House. We focused this week on Love and have done poetry looking at Elizabeth Bishop’s One Art, Elizabeth Barret Brownings’ Sonnet 43 and Pablo Neruda’s I Like You When You are Quiet.
History – Rose Langridge
We are travelling through a massive time expanse this term. In the interest of everyone having something in their top three choices this year, we are moving from the Crusades all the way through to the Enlightenment. We are making stops to look at the Templars, the War of the Roses, the Spanish Inquisition, the Tudors and the Enlightenment.
Maths – David Starshaw
The level 3 maths students have started the learning for 3.7 Integration which is assessed as an exam at the end of the year, along with 3.6 Differentiation. We will spend all term learning this content.
Physical Education – Lockie Bennett
Level 3 Students continue with looking at the Women’s World cup and the economic and sporting effect it will have on New Zealand. I am also looking forward to getting to know the students this term.
Physics – Michael Draper
The level 3 physicists are continuing their work on Mechanical Systems, Electrical Systems and Waves. They have completed the core learning for Mechanics and are working to complete the learning in Electricity and Waves. This is interwoven with revision, addressing gaps and weaknesses, and practising working. These three topics are assessed in the end-of-year physics exam. From the end of term 3 they will then do revision and exam practice, in preparation for that exam.
Psychology – Zena Kavas
The L3 psychologists are now learning about how theories are applied within a field of psychological practice. In class we are looking at psychometric testing and how useful and valid various testing might be in different fields. Later in the term, ākonga will write a report on a topic of their choice.
Social Studies – Rose Langridge
The group has done the most fantastic work on their campaign and they should be really proud of all their mahi. We are now focusing on looking at the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights and connecting these to leaders around the world who have helped or hindered the articles in the places where they live.
Statistics – David Starshaw
The level 3 statistics students have started the learning for 3.12 Statistical Reports which is assessed as an exam at the end of the year. We will spend all term preparing for this exam.