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Te Reo O Te Roto
The Language of the Lake
Issue 61 | 24 March 2023
From the Principal

From the Principal

Kia ora parents and caregivers,

It has been a busy few weeks and we are now at the end of Week 8, with just two weeks left until we break for Easter and the school holidays. Many of our students have been able to enjoy school trips and camps away, be it for sports, music, drama, dance or outdoor education.

We have welcomed international students from Kyoto Gaidi Nishi and Shinagawa in Japan, and from Bangkok, Thailand. It has been wonderful to see these students thrive with the support of their student buddy’s as they experience the New Zealand school study programme. For our Muslim students we wish them a happy Ramadan which lasts for 30 days and ends at sundown on Thursday, April 20.

On Wednesday 15th March we welcomed new and existing Pasifika families to our first Pasifika Fono for 2023. It was another great evening, meeting so many whānau and celebrating the success of their students. Our Pasifika families were able to meet the team of Pasifika mentors and connect with other families.

On Tuesday 21st March we hosted representatives from New Zealand Universities at our Tertiary Evening for our Year 13 Students and their families in the Events Centre. We were very fortunate to have Distinguished Professor Emeritus Paul Spoonley from Massey University as the guest speaker on the topic of Education and Work in the 2020’s. Professor Spoonley heads the Centre for Countering Violent Extremism in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and is an advisor to the senior leadership of the Police and the Police Commissioner.

With more than 85% of our Year 13 students continuing on to Tertiary study, there was keen interest from our students to explore the options and learn more about university life.

For our Year 11 parents and whānau we held a NCEA evening On Thursday 23rd March to explain the changes to the NCEA Level 1 qualification system and what it will mean for the students who are part of the transition between the two systems.

Our Sports teams have been making the most of the good weather and doing us proud at championship events including the North Island Rowing Championship and the National Surf Lifesaving Championships. You can read more about these in the Sports section of the newsletter.

A big thank you to everyone who has already paid their School Donation for 2023. While we are a state-funded school, voluntary School Donations from our parent community allow us to provide a wider range of subjects thanks to more teachers in the classroom – which means smaller class sizes and more timetable flexibility for students. All donations are tax deductible. To receive a tax credit on your donation this year, payment needs to be made by the end of the financial year on Friday 31st March.

We have partnered with Supergenerous which is a way to make your generosity go even further by donating your tax credits on donations back to the school. You can find out more by clicking the link below.

www.supergenerous.co.nz/superpartners/westlake-girls-high-school

We have also joined Rewardhub, a website where 100’s of leading brands reward us with free donations, at no extra cost to you, when you shop online. To find out more and sign up to support us, follow the link below.

https://rewardhub.co.nz/westlake-girls-high-school

The Term 1 Interim Reports are now available on the parent portal. You can book interviews by clicking the ‘Interview booking’ tab to meet your child’s subject teachers and discuss their reports at the Report Evenings on Thursday 30th March and Tuesday 4 April.

Have a lovely weekend.

Jane Stanley
Principal

Arts & Culture

The Westlake Equinox Concert

The Westlake Equinox Concert is annually held at Westlake Boys High School towards the end of term one. It is an opportunity for our young musicians to show an appreciative audience their progress in their ensembles after a few months of rehearsals. Our WGHS musicians were performing in our mixed premier ensembles: Westlake Symphony Orchestra, Westlake Chamber Orchestra, Westlake Concert Band Westlake Big Band and Choralation Choir.  It was a beautiful evening of music ‘al fresco’ style and was well attended by friends and family in the WBHS quad.

 

 

Academic

Celebrating International Women’s Day with Sisters in Tech

Our ESTEAM students (Entrepreneurship, Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) had the opportunity to celebrate International Women’s Day by connecting with professionals in the STEAM/TECH innovation arena at the Auckland Business Chamber.

The event highlighted this year’s theme: “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality,” which highlights the role of innovative technology in promoting gender equality and meeting the health and developmental needs of women and girls.

“We were privileged to have the opportunity to hear from speakers including Eunique Cabrini Ikiua, Dan Te Whenua Walker and Teresa Otineru from Microsoft. Like all the stories shared, we were able to see their love for their Samoan and Māori cultures and everything they do to stay connected with their communities” said Anneka Salim.

Anahera Petera said “We were offered the opportunity to learn about the varied pathways available and how the technology industry can offer so much. All of us came away feeling really inspired about pursuing technology and breaking barriers surrounding the involvement of women and indigenous in the sector.”

“I think for most of us, the event opened our minds to understanding more about the opportunities in the tech industry. Connecting with these people really inspired me to think about potential career options in tech’ said Grace Hirst.

If you are in business and are interested in connecting with Westalke Girls please contact our Student Business Liaison, Barbara Scholten. E: [email protected]

 

Academic

Focus group with Professor Paul Moon

On Wednesday March 22 a group of Year 9-13 scholarship students attended a lunchtime focus group with Professor Paul Moon (ONZM) from AUT University and Gael Keren, CEO of Astor Foundation.

Sydney Brandolino said “If I’m being 100% honest, there was more than one reason I decided to go to the focus group discussion on Wednesday lunchtime. I was interested in entering the essay competition, I wanted to hear what Professor Moon had to say about social cohesion, I’m always a fan of a good focus group, and, maybe, I was just the slightest bit enticed by the promise of a free lunch. Though the food was, indeed, delicious, I know that I might be misrepresenting the focus group if all I wrote was a food review.

Throughout this lunchtime focus group session we had the pleasure of meeting Gael Keren, CEO of the Astor Foundation, the organisation that was running the upcoming essay competition, and Professor Paul Moon from AUT, who gave an account of David Levene’s life. David Levene being the man for whom the essay competition was named after.

We also had small group discussions on what social cohesion meant to us and how we would advertise the essay competition to secondary school students, like ourselves. Not to take the obvious bait but if anyone is interested in entering the essay competition, below is a link to the website.”

https://www.davidlevene.nz/competition

Community

Pasifika Fono

On Wednesday 15 March we welcomed new and existing Pasifika families to our first Fono for 2023. It was great to connect with Pasifika families and hear from students and staff about the academic, sporting and cultural opportunities available at Westlake Girls. Our Pasifika families were able to meet the WGHS team of Pasifika mentors, give feedback to the school and enjoyed kai while connecting with each other.  A WGHS Pasifika Parent Committee is being created if you are interested, please contact Miriam Robinson E: [email protected]

 

 

 

 

 

Sports

North Island Rowing Championships

The North Island secondary school rowing championships were held at lake Karapiro on 10th – 12th March. Westlake Girls made 8 A finals and got 4 podium finishes 1 x Gold, 2 x Silver and 1 x Bronze came 3rd equal Girls school on points at the event.

Teams:

Girls U17 coxed four – Silver medal – T Chatfield, P Dobson, S Severin, M Lockett, T Coplestone

Girls U15 coxed four – Silver medal – T Chatfield, C Mawston, S Vandernet, M Lockett, T Cutherie

Girls U18 coxed four – Bronze medal – T Penberthy, S Severin, P Dobson, C Naude, T Cutherie

Girls U18 novice coxed four – Gold medal – C Mawston, S Vanersnet, A Savage, A Drew Ross, T Coblestone

Academic

Developing leadership strategies

In Week 6, we took the 12 PE students to Camp Adair to participate in a range of high risk activities in order to display their leadership strategies. We were impressed with the attitude within the group, everyone eagerly embracing all opportunities. One such opportunity was the confidence course, a real highlight as students competed to win the course, all the while working hard to gain extra points for being the muddiest.

Another activity worth mentioning were the difficult high ropes, with each group having to complete one of these at night time; this was particularly challenging for those with a fear of heights. Other activities included, air rifle shooting, archery, kayaking, mudslide, the Camp Adair challenge, high swing, and leap of faith. The students did an incredible job and worked hard to utilise these opportunities to gain credits towards two different internal standards (Leadership and Social Responsibility).

Notices

MOE Consultation open

The rules about how schools do their planning and reporting are changing!
School planning and reporting processes and documents underpin all other work that schools and kura do. It is essential for evaluating how schools meet the needs of all ākonga.
The Ministry of Education want to hear what you think about the proposed rules and learn more about how they can support you to work with your school throughout their planning and reporting process.
They are running two online workshops for ākonga, parents, whānau and community on Wednesday 5 April.
The options are:
◼️ 3:30pm – 5pm
◼️ 7pm – 8:30pm
If you’d like to take part in an online workshop, you can email your preferred time slot for the online community workshops to: [email protected]
If you are unable to attend a workshop but still want to provide feedback on the draft regulations and support material, go to Ministry of Education 
The consultation will run from 13 March to 6 April. 
Academic

Tertiary Evening - Tuesday 21 March

This week we had the pleasure of hosting eight universities for our annual year 13 tertiary evening.  Professor Paul Spoonley began the night, sharing insights about the changing world of work and the importance of transferable skills. Key points he made were that the jobs of today may not be around tomorrow, university grades do matter for certain industries. University is not for everybody – and that’s okay too.  After Professor Spoonley’s introduction, parents and students attended university presentations and had the opportunity to ask questions regarding courses, accommodation, and any topic at all relating to university life. The careers department would like to thank Professor Paul Spoonley, Auckland University, AUT, University of Canterbury, Massey University, Lincoln University, Unitec, and Waikato University for attending our annual event and helping support our students and their future studies.

For more information on university open days, careers events and opportunities and careers appointments please visit the WGHS web page here. 

Sports

Congratulations to our Premier Volleyball team

The Westlake Girls Premier Volleyball team overcame Carmel to win bronze at the Auckland Secondary Schools Volleyball Championship last week.  The team dug deep to produce an exhilarating performance after losing to the neighbour school, the day before.  Westlake Girls won 4 sets to 1.  Orewa College surprised many to beat the Rangitoto in the final.  With Harbour teams dominating the playoffs, it highlights the strength of the sport on the North Shore.  All the teams head to Palmerston North now for the New Zealand Secondary Schools Champs which begin on Monday 27 March.

Community

Milford Beach rubbish clean up

On Wednesday, many Westlake students took to Milford beach to pick up rubbish with the environmental prefects. They collected four filled buckets worth of rubbish. They all really enjoyed getting out into their local community, and helping keep the beaches clean, especially after the recent floodings. The students found lots of aluminium cans, mini pieces of plastic, painted wood, and a good deal of broken glass. Overall, it was a very successful beach clean up!

Community

Calling all International Student Buddy's

We are looking for students who are interested in being a ‘Buddy’ for an International student.  A Buddy’s role is to provide friendly help and support to an International student to help them settle into and navigate the school, community, and New Zealand society. If you are interested in volunteering for these very rewarding roles, please contact Lauren Fagg (Homestay and Pastoral Care Co-ordinator) E: [email protected]

Arts & Culture

Westlake Instrumental Academy camp

The Westlake Instrumental Academy (WIA) is a music collective formed this year that combines the existing Symphonic Band and Taharoto Orchestra, and includes two new WGHS ensembles: Jazz Band and percussion ensemble ‘Swan Strike!’. The Academy’s musical directors are Mr Jono Howan and Mr Jono Palmer. The WIA is an evolution of what was previously described as the ‘Development Groups’, and aims to use rehearsal time more efficiently, while offering students a greater level of exposure to different genres and groups.

We held our inaugural WIA Camp at Ngaruawahia Christian Camp in week 6 which was a great success. Students dove into new and exciting pieces, bonded with each other through games and competitions, and dedicated great personal effort into developing musical skills. The sounds of ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘En Canto’ could be heard around the camp (even during free time) and the constant buzz of energy only seemed to drop for the bus ride home when students caught up on some much needed rest.

Both the students and staff were delighted with the progress made over the weekend and are looking forward to a year full of exciting performances. Our first performance of the year is on Monday 27th March in the Event Centre from 6:00 – 6:45pm. The concert is an opportunity for the students to have their first ‘stage’ experience to a public audience. We would love to see you there!

 

Arts & Culture

Westlake Choirs

The Westlake Choirs have had a busy start to the year with rehearsals, workshops and camps. Nota Bella (Junior Choir), Cigno Voce (Senior Choir) and Choralation (Mixed Choir) have all enjoyed camp weekends at Peter Snell Youth Village on the sunny Whangaparaoa coast. Music camps are an annual highlight and provide an opportunity for students to learn their music for the year, make new friends, get to know their directors and bond together as a team. The choir leaders help by running sectional rehearsals and organise fun activities for everyone to enjoy and build on the ‘whānau’ values that our choirs embody. Preparations are well underway for The Big Sing competition which is the largest singing festival in the southern hemisphere, with over 10,000 secondary school students participating around New Zealand.

Another recent highlight for the WGHS choral singers was participating in a masterclass with the professional ensemble ‘Gesualdo Six’ who are touring from the United Kingdom. Gesualdo Six are a male sextet who specialise in early music from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. During the masterclass, they taught our 130 students a beautiful piece by Palestrina. Many of the students went to their public concert the following night, which was held in the beautiful acoustic of the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Parnell. It was a fantastic experience to meet and sing with a professional ensemble and be immersed in a new sound world of English choral tradition.

Coming up – our WGHS Cygnet Choir (a blend of Nota Bella, Cigno Voce and Cantare singers) will be performing Mahler’s Third Symphony, with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra on April 1st at the Auckland Town Hall. This is a great honour for our students to be singing with our national orchestral and the kiwi-born, now international conductor, Gemma New. A limited number of tickets are still available on this website: https://www.nzso.co.nz/the-nzso/events-tickets/events/mahler-3

Sports

Marching Nationals 18 & 19th March

Our Westlake Girls Marching team competed at the Nationals in Christchurch last weekend and  were awarded 3rd Place Display in the Plate Section. Check out the short video below.

2023 Marching Nationals

Sports

Surf Lifesaving National Championships

Our Westlake students had some amazing results at the Surf lifesaving national competition held in New Brighton, Christchurch on 9th – 12th March. Beautiful sun and some of the biggest waves in Nationals history (4-6 foot) made conditions very challenging but it was great to be there after the event being cancelled for the last three years due to Covid.

Zoe Crawford, Michaela Pocock and Kacie Eagle represented Mairangi Bay proudly.

Zoe Crawford continued her great season and gained Gold in the open Taplin which consists of one Ski paddler, one Board paddler and a swimmer. Gold in the U19 double ski, silver in the U19 ironwoman (Board/Ski/Swim), Bronze open surf teams, Bronze U19 Surf Race and Bronze in the U19 Run/Swim/Run.

Michaela Pocock also continued her hot form on the beach this season and achieved gold in the U19 Beach sprint racing in the age group above hers, Gold in the U17 beach relay along with Kacie Eagle, Bronze in the U17 Beach flags, Bronze in the U19 Beach relay, Bronze U17 Beach sprint.

Photos: Zoe getting the open women’s Taplin trophy with her teammates, Michaela and Kacie after their win in the U17 beach relay and Michaela in action in the beach sprint.

Arts & Culture

Y11 Art trip to Sculptureum

About 120 students in Year 11 Visual Arts visited the Sculptureum gardens and galleries in Matakana on the 9th and 10th of March. It was an exciting and inspiring opportunity for the young artists who have just began their portfolio journey for the year. Students were taken through an experience where they were able to view amazing artworks in beautiful garden settings as well as within the indoor gallery context. It was a very enjoyable day that also included a brief painting workshop, which encouraged students to reflect on their inspirations from the trip to produce a small rock or tile painting to bring home. Back in classroom, we’re already seeing students incorporate what they have seen and experienced on the trip in their own artworks!

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