By Lily-Grace Lee Ng

On 9 February, we had a STEAM induction day where both Year 9 STEAM classes participated in fun challenges and learnt what STEAM is about and some of the interesting things we will be doing later in the year.

STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths. My favourite challenge was where we had to choose three different cards: one was a type of product, one was the method we had to use to endorse the product, and the final card was our type of audience. My group originally got a new mode of transportation, improvised speech, and adults. We traded our improvisation card for two cards because we thought two cards would be more of a challenge.

Our new cards were: make a model made out of playdough and a commercial jingle. After splitting the group we decided that our new mode of transport would be a flying pig due to the saying ‘I’ll do it when pigs can fly’. Since our commercial had to be targeted at adults we added a coffee cup holder to attract more customers. For our model we decided to use not just playdough, we also used pipe cleaners because we found, through trial and error, that the pig was not stable enough to hold playdough wings. I really enjoyed hearing other people’s ideas and figuring out how to collaborate, so that we had a cohesive piece.

The jingle:

The Flying Pig

will get you to your gig

better than a flying ship or rocket,

keep the money in your pocket.

The nice heated cup holder

will make sure your coffee 

doesn’t get colder.

At one flap of a wing

you will want to sing.

Passenger:

I’m on a pig

This isn’t a rig

I’m flying high,

high into the sky.

Ten thousand leagues above the sea,

The more it rises, the better it’ll be

And on your fifth ride,

You’ll see the moon’s tide.

Pictured above: The Enviro group on a Zoom with Daisy, the Auckland Council Enviro Schools Co-ordinator. She assisted the students in setting up their year planner and putting them in touch with other community groups as one of their goals this year is to have wider community engagement.

The Enviro Group is back but with new leaders!

We are passionate about the natural environment, and are motivated to protect our planet. We believe it is important to know the effects of our actions and how to reduce the impact of them. The Westlake Girls Enviro Group is a club and network that is open to all year levels and for students with any environmental experience. You could be a keen tree planter, bird identifier and zero plastic wiz, or be completely new to environmental activities and want to see what they are like. If you have a passion for creating change and helping our wild places and wild things, Enviro Group is the place for you! With current traffic light restrictions we have had to put our regular meetings on hold, so sign up to our Enviro Group Google Classroom to get the latest updates. The code is: cfvps5q

We are also on the lookout for some potential Enviro leaders that will help the Enviro Prefects to promote our events and workshops, and inspire fellow students. They will work with us Prefects to deliver the different units we have planned. If you are interested in a leadership position like this, have a look on our Google Classroom for where to sign up. 

A sneak peek of new projects we want to incorporate this year:

• Book Swap
• Waste unit 
• Adopt a Park (conservation work)
• +  other workshops about personal actions 

One of our first workshops for the year is associated with Sea Week. This year Sea Week will take place from March 5th to March 13th. We are planning to have an awesome guest speaker who is immersed in marine science and conservation. This will be a great chance for students who are passionate about our oceans, freshwater, and marine animals to come along to learn from an experienced and passionate individual in the marine field. You will be able to expand your knowledge on our underwater world and actions you can take to help this part of the natural environment. 

The Clothes Swap and Beeswax wrap events have been popular at Westlake for several years. We hope to bring both back this year. Both of these events are an effort to reduce our waste and reuse materials in different ways. Clothes Swapping is when you bring in clothes and swap them with another student’s piece of clothing. Beeswax wraps are amazing substitutes for one time use plastic wraps that can often end up in the landfill. These are both great alternatives to buying new trendy clothes or using plastic wraps which create more waste. 

And lastly and certainly not least let’s introduce the 2022 environmental prefect team!

Hi, my name is Rosa Troughton and I’m Pupuke’s Enviro Prefect! A bit about me is that I love the outdoors, ironic I know. I love going tramping, snorkelling, surfing, swimming, camping and basically anything that will push me out of my comfort zone. I’m very excited to be working with the other Enviro prefects this year, and aim to bring awareness to environmental issues by really putting our words into action. Hopefully together with the Enviro group soon!

Kia ora, I’m Anja and I am excited to be Akoranga’s Environmental Prefect. Since I was a little kid I have loved the outdoors and nature. You would always find me outside (most likely covered in mud), looking for bugs or up a tree. This has developed my strong passion for adventure, environmental education and conservation. This year I aim to inspire more students at Westlake Girls to get involved in activities that benefit our planet. I’d like to help develop their leadership skills and potential to be environmental ambassadors.

Hi, I’m Lunar (on the left), your Wairau Enviro Prefect. Something about me is that I enjoy sewing and altering clothes. One of the proudest alterations I’ve done is turning a thrifted large men’s polo shirt into a sleeveless dress. It’s one of my go-to summer dresses now! Not all projects go well and I often end up with strings and pieces of fabrics all over the floor and feeling frustrated. But nonetheless, at the rarest times, when I do succeed, it’s so rewarding.

Hi Envirogroup, I’m Moe, your Hauraki Enviro-prefect. Something about me is that I have always loved the sciences, ever since I could remember. Hand-me-down children’s encyclopedias were my holy grail to kill time at home. So, I definitely aim to do something related to my passion for the sciences in the near future. Ps: I don’t have blonde highlights any more.

Hi there beautiful people, my name’s Sian and I am the Environmental Prefect for Onewa! Fun fact about me is I love netball, I umpire, coach and play for our teams at Westlake, as well as Club and NNH. I also have a passion for the sciences, taking Bio, Chem and Physics this year and last! One event I’m looking forward to is the Clothes Swap. People who know me, know I am very thrifty. I’ve grown up exploring the Northcote Dressmart since I was in primary. I would love to see students be involved and develop the same keen interest, as Clothing/Fast Fashion/Micro Trends are one of our biggest polluters!

We were delighted to celebrate the success of our 2021 top scholars this week, at a special prize-giving on Wednesday 23 March. A group of current Year 13s were joined by recipients from the 2021 Year 13 cohort.

It was a very special time, although we had to unfortunately restrict numbers due to Alert Level Red restrictions. However, we live-streamed the event to parents and students who had already left for university. You can view the event on the link below

Here is a link to the Livestream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lP32OjXpYw

Instructions on how to change video quality while watching on your computer:

1. In the video player, select Settings .
2. Click Quality.
3. Select your preferred video quality. 720p

We want to congratulate all of our recipients, but especially our Dux Maggie Zhou (pictured below left) and Proxime Accessit to the Dux Bahar Khalil Nejad (pictured below right). Their achievements over their time at Westlake Girls were truly outstanding.

Here is a full list of our 2021 prize-winners and scholarship recipients.

We have three wonderful new Year 9 International students joining us at Westlake Girls High School this year. They are part of a 42-strong group of International students that add a rich tapestry of culture and experiences into our community.

This week the students had their first International assembly for the year, in the foyer of our Event Centre. They were welcomed by Principal Jane Stanley (pictured left), Director of International Students Lauranne Croot, and the Senior Leadership Team member responsible for International students Fiona Wilson.

Our three International Prefects (Clara Su, Krisha Lad and Roori Lee, pictured below with Ms Croot) added their voice of welcome, and shared notices on up and coming activities.

Email from the principal

Here’s the email we sent to our parents today.

With the Government’s announcement that we have moved to Phase 3 of the Omicron response as of 11.59pm last night, I wanted to outline how the changes affect schools.

The biggest change is that only positive cases and their households now need to isolate. This means that classmates and friends of positive cases do not need to stay at home unless they show symptoms, at which point they should isolate and get a test. There are no other close contacts.

Responsibility to identify and notify close contacts is now with the positive case.

If your daughter tests positive, please email [email protected] to notify us. In response, you will be sent a short form to fill out, which will include your daughter’s expected return to school date, and an opportunity to let us know if you’d like the school to contact you.

Isolation times at Phase 3 are:

• Positive cases must isolate for 10 days.
• Household contacts of a positive case must isolate for the same 10 days. Tests on Day 3 and Day 10 should be negative before a student comes back to school.
• Anyone who is not a household contact does not need to isolate, but should self-monitor for 10 days and test if symptomatic.
• If, at any time, anyone is unwell with symptoms, they must test immediately.

School absences

All students should be in their classes as per normal unless they:

1. Have received a positive test result
2. Have a household member who has received a positive test result
3. Are feeling unwell

Students recovering at home or in self isolation will be able to access work through Google Classrooms.

If your daughter is unwell, or you are concerned, please have her tested and notify [email protected] if she will be absent from class. She will be able to return to school when the test is negative.

Please note that if a student is absent for 20 days or more without notification to the school, they will be removed from the school’s roll.

Thank you to our parent community, staff and students for doing the right thing. We continue to maintain a safe school environment where, despite positive cases, we have no evidence of transmission at school.

Important Dates

NB: We are currently working through the logistics of possible Parent Teacher meetings for later in the term, and will have more details for you shortly.

In 2022, our school will be supporting the Ministry of Education and NZQA to pilot the new literacy standards.

The new literacy standards will help ensure that students have the foundational skills to support them in further studies, work, and life. The standards will become a mandatory part of NCEA in 2023.

This pilot is part of changes that are happening to strengthen NCEA. Changes include: having more learning and fewer assessments, weaving mātauranga Māori through learning, and creating clearer pathways to education and employment.

Our Year 10 students (except for those in 10 EAPA) will be sitting:

–          A reading standard

–          A writing standard

What do you as whānau need to know about being a pilot school?

• Whānau are not expected to pay any extra costs.
• The assessment will take place at the end of Term 3.   The assessment will be a Common Assessment Activity and offered digitally. This is a test that students will sit in the classroom.
• Credits achieved in the pilot will be counted towards your student’s NCEA results. Upon successful completion of these standards your student will have 10 credits.
• If your student does not pass the standards during the pilot, they will still be able to meet NCEA literacy and requirements through the current list of standards offered in Year 11. They may also have the opportunity to sit the assessment in 2023.

What you can do to support your student:

• It is helpful to encourage your student to read and write at home or in their day-to-day activities. We will support them to achieve this by offering regular reading and writing opportunities in the classroom.
• Encourage your student to ask for support when they need it as our teaching staff are always willing to spend time with your student clarifying, explaining and offering help where needed.
• Encourage your student to attend the weekly lunchtime support sessions held on a Wednesday.

Carol Wright
HoF Language Acquisition and Literature