Three former WGHS Head Prefects attended a 2020 Prefect assembly this morning, to share what they have been up to since they left school. The three were all Head Prefect sometime during the past five years, while our current cohort of Prefects have been at Westlake. Sharing their stories were Hala Barakat (2019), Sydney Clough (2017) and Nadia Pavlovich(2016). Unfortunatley our 2018 Head Prefect, Izzy Sheild, was unable to attend.

All three former Head Prefects spoke of their time in tertiary education, the ups and downs they have experienced since leaving left high school, and the life lessons they have learnt. Gems were shared as the stories flowed – time unfortunately being a barrier with class to attend.

It was a powerful time for our Prefects to hear the stories of  those who are just a couple of steps ahead in life. Thanks to Hala, Sydney and Nadia for sharing. Izzy – we’ll catch you next time!

Pictured above from left are Nadia Pavlovich (2016), Kaia Tupu-South (2020), Hala Barakat (2019) and Sydney Clough (2017).

To celebrate this occasion, different activities were held around the school and the school community was actively encouraged to have a go at saying something in another language by members of our Languages Council and club leaders.  Students were made welcome to attend our language clubs and enjoy a language that is not their mother tongue. All attempts by students and staff to communicate with others in a language they have learnt were appreciated.

Our excited winners of the Amazing Spanish Race were Nik Dean of 9AMD (first),  Ishani Soni-Singh of 10AKM and Sophia Santayana of 10AKM (second), Hannah Richardson of 10ODR and Bree Souster of 10HGL (third).

This week was about realising that English is not enough in a world that is plurilingual.  It is worthy of mention that many of our staff speak one or more of the languages that are on our school curriculum.

Pictured top are the Amazing Spanish Race contestants before they headed out at lunchtime yesterday, and below left are the winners. Below right is the Languages Council (students of Chinese, French, German, Japanese and Spanish) and their teachers.

COVID-19: NCEA and University Entrance changes for 2020

The New Zealand Qualifications Authority has just this week released additional changes to NCEA and University Entrance for 2020. These are important changes for our Year 11-13 students. You can read about them on the NZQ website and parents of our Year 11-13 students should have received an email from our school yesterday.

Derived Grade Assessment Calendars

The Term 2 Derived Grade Assessment Calendars for Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 are now available on our website. Visit the page.

Parent/Teacher Conference cancelled

Just a reminder that our Parent/Teacher Conference planned for this term has been cancelled. Senior Mid-Year Reports will be issued on Friday 3 July, and Junior Mid-Year Reports will be issued Friday 31 July (Week 2 of Term 3).

No change to school holidays

Despite school holidays moving forward in lockdown, Term 2 will still end on Friday 3 July as previously planned. Term 3 will begin on Monday 20 July.

Extra care needed around North Shore Hospital

Over the coming weeks, as essential underground works are carried out, there will be changes to how traffic and pedestrians can move through the North Shore Hospital campus and at times, diversions and stop/go traffic control will be in place. Waitematā DHB’s traffic management team is working with contractors to minimise disruption and delays. While the work is being carried out, if you walk or drive through the North Shore Hospital campus, please take extra care or consider an alternative route.

A high rate of top achievement in Languages yet again.

We wish to congratulate all our students who performed so well in their international language in NCEA last year. From Levels 1 to 3, the high rate of success of many language students in 2019 is to be commended. Those students listed below who are currently at Westlake attained Excellence overall in NCEA in Chinese, French, German, Japanese and Spanish at Levels 1 and 2.

To celebrate their achievement, each student has been awarded a Certificate of Excellence from the New Zealand Language Teachers’ Association which they can now add to their portfolio of skills and accomplishments for future employment opportunities.

To their credit, these students have worked diligently to polish their language skills since Year 9.  We acknowledge the many other students who also attained sound grades in their chosen international language(s).  As teachers, we are encouraged by their fine efforts.

Teachers of the Languages Department

NCEA exams

Due to the Covid-19 lockdown, external NCEA examinations have been postponed by one week. They will now begin on Monday 16 November and conclude on Wednesday 9 December. You can find a full list of exams on our website.

Senior Entrance Exams

Another change due to the Covid-19 lockdown is that to maximise teaching ime, we will not be holding our Senior Entrance Exams in September. Instead, students will sit a 1-hour Derived Grade Assessment for each Achievement Standard. We have sent an email to our Senior Students (Years 11-13) today with more information.

In addition to providing students with an indication of their progress towards final exams, the purpose of these assessments is also to ensure students will qualify to apply for a derived grade, should they need to, in the external NZQA exams. A derived grade can be awarded to a student who is unable to sit the final external exam due to medical reasons or other extraordinary circumstances.

The assessments will start from Week 9 (8 June) and for our Year 11 and 12 students, they will qualify them for entrance into courses next year – exactly as our Entrance Exams would have done. Assessments will be announced at least two weeks in advance, with a calendar posted on or website under “Notices” on the homepage. They will be held under supervised examination conditions and Special Assessment Conditions will be in place for students who require them.

School assemblies

We will not be holding these next week, as we ease back into school and become comfortable with being around groups of people again. Instead, form class visits will be made by senior staff.

Procedure if your daughter is sick at school

With the cold and flu season nearly upon us, it’s very important you keep your daughter home if she is even slightly unwell.

If a student becomes unwell at school, the Nurse will assess them and then call a parent or caregiver to collect the student. Parents and caregivers will be asked to stay in their car and call the office or Nurse. The student will then be sent out to meet them.

If you are unsure or have any concerns about the health of any of your family please call your GP or Healthline (0800 358 5453).

Checking out stories in The Voice

Don’t forget that the stories you see when you scroll down the homepage of The Voice are just a sampler of what’s under each heading. So, click on “Academic” for all the latest academic news, “Arts & Culture” for stories on our talented teens, and “Community” for what’s happening in our whānau, etc. You got this!

A group of 22 students proved that anything is possible – if you put your mind to it!

The Year 11 group had committed to taking part in this year’s New Zealand Brain Bee Challenge, but because of lockdown, lost the chance to physically participate in the regional finals – which would have included lab visits and presentations from University of Auckland neuroscientists.

Not wanting to let their summer-holiday preparation go to waste, the students put their neuroscience knowledge to the test in an online quiz, run by the Centre for Brain Research during the first week of lockdown. There were 349 students participating from throughout the North Island.

“These girls should be commended for their determination, going beyond what was required of them in a very trying time to represent Westlake Girls so brilliantly,” says Head of Junior Science, Sara Corbett. “The girls collectively spent more than 345 hours preparing for this – and it’s particularly hard as the competition is only for Year 11 students, so they won’t have the chance to participate again.”

Their efforts were rewarded with the following exceptional results:

• Moe Tun – 2nd
• Raeanne Leow – 4th equal (with 6 others)
• Audrey Guo – 5th equal (with 9 others)
• Jemy Jejy – 6th equal (with 9 others)
• Amaya Lichauco – 6th equal (with 9 others)

If New Zealand moves to Level 1, these top five students may have the opportunity to visit the University of Auckland’s Centre for Brain Research.

Amaya Lichauco wrote this account of her experience as part of the team.

“Although we had to sit our Brain Bee tests during the first week of lockdown, the most challenging part of this experience for me was the preparation work. After my 12-hours worth of Education Perfect, I read through each of the online modules a few more times to take notes. Selecting and determining the most relevant information was a very time-consuming process, as the learning material was foreign and lengthy. I then used my notes to study, further summarising and refining them as concepts became easier to understand.

“The online test itself was straight-forward. We could sit it at any time throughout the day, as long as we had completed it by midnight. The day we sat the test was, in fact, my birthday, so I was glad the test didn’t take me too long!

“Upon completing the test, it was strange not being able to exchange my answers with others, since we couldn’t assume that our peers had finished their tests. Without these usual post-test discussions, I felt so oddly calm about my performance that I started to stress about why I was wasn’t stressed!

“Overall, participating in the 2020 Brain Bee Challenge during lockdown was a great experience that will undoubtedly be stored in my long-term memory!”