Newsletter No: 10 5 August 2009
Dear Parents, Caregivers and Students
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
As you will see from this newsletter there is already a lot happening at Sancta Maria College this term.
Our focus remains on Academic Excellence and students are responding well. We ask that you support us by ensuring that homework and study / revision is ongoing in the home.
Monday 10 August (next Monday) is a TEACHER ONLY DAY. The Ministry of Education has granted every school 2 days this year to assist teachers with the implementation of the NZ Curriculum.
The new curriculum has a strong emphasis on Values. Catholic schools, of course have been teaching Values since we were first established and it is encouraging to see that Governments are now recognising the significance of this in our schools. The Values highlighted in the NZ Curriculum are: Excellence, Innovation (Inquiry and Curiosity), Diversity, Equity, Community and Participation, Ecological Sustainability and Integrity. These link to the Values that are represented by the Acronym at Sancta Maria College.
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NZ Curriculum
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Sancta Maria College
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Excellence
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Academic Excellence
Talents Developed
Appearance
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Innovation
Enquiry / Curiosity
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Innovation and Attitude
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Diversity
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All of Us / Respect for others
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Community / Participation
For the Common Good
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All of Us
Talents Developed
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Integrity: Honesty
Responsibility
Accountable
Commitment
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MANA
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Respect
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Respect
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Ecological Sustainability
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Respect for Environment
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Where we stand apart is in the “C” of our acronym which stands for “Catholic”. We are proudly Catholic and our values need to reflect this through our actions. What is missing from the Curriculum Values is “Love” and the values that are encompassed in that word. As St Paul says in his letter to the people of Corinth
“Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud; love is not ill mannered or selfish or irritable. Love does not keep a record of wrongs. Love is not happy with evil. Love never gives up and its patience never fails.”
Meanwhile these three remain: faith, hope and love; and the greatest of these is love. This is the value that the world needs to model.
May God Bless You All
Paul Daley
Principal
SPECIAL CHARACTER – Mrs G Devoy
On Sunday the 2nd August, the Sancta Maria and St Luke’s Community came together for the annual Family Day Mass. This was a special chance for all of our school community to unite from many parishes and faith communities to celebrate Mass. It was wonderful to see so many staff and students joining in and being a part of the celebration.
A group of teachers has just returned from Wellington where we attended the Catholic Education Conference. This conference was held for Principals, teachers of Religious Education, school trustees and others involved in Catholic education. The theme of this gathering was “Be the Change”. There were many opportunities to experience seminars where teachers from all over NZ and, indeed, from other countries, were able to share their thoughts and ideas of teaching in a Catholic school and also to give examples of best practice
One of the key note speakers was Emeritus Professor Gerald Grace who spoke of Catholic schools and the challenges they meet in today’s world. Such challenges are the increasing secularisation in culture and society and the impact of globalisation with which our young people are faced. He commented that Catholic schools are a strong pillar of direction in today’s world, stating that: “Christian education is faced with the huge challenge of helping these young people discover something of value in their lives”. Professor Grace’s message of the change that Catholic schools make in the lives of many is best summed up by a blessing from the conference:
May you always feel valued and have a sense of belonging
Whatever your work and wherever you are
May you experience each day as an invitation to growth
And as a sacred gift woven around the heart of wonder
He kokonga whare a kitea
He kokanga ngakau e kore e kitea
The corner of a house can be seen
But the corner of the heart cannot be seen
OPPORTUNITY FOR SOCIAL SERVICE
Fish and Chip Babies
Fish and Chip babies need our help!
In Africa newborn babies, many suffering from aids are being called “Fish and Chip” babies because they are being sent home from hospital wrapped in newspaper for warmth – they need our help. Because newborn babies lose body heat quickly due to their size, they can easily die due to exposure, even in warm climates like Africa.
Charity groups because aware of this issue last year; to assist these tiny babies and they began knitting small jumpers and beanies to keep the babies warm. This charity knitting rapidly spread to help newborns in places such as South America, Samoa, Tonga and Fiji. In fact there are even charities collecting jumpers and beanies for New Zealand’s own Fish and Chip babies.
It is very easy for people to become involved and help this charity drive because all it takes is a pair of knitting needles and a ball of wool. The Fish and Chip babies need our help. If you can knit or know someone who can knit; and you would like to assist, please leave your contact details at reception and we will get back to you with the knitting pattern. This is a student driven initiative led by Emily Ashurst.
PTFA
Wednesday 5th August – PTFA Meeting 7.30pm School Admin Block – All Welcome
Friday 7th August – PTFA Sausage Sizzle Fundraiser $1.00 each
Saturday 15th August – 7.30pm Trivial Pursuits Quiz Night – Get your tickets now.
BUS ROUTE 088 PAKURANGA
The Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA) regularly reviews the number of students using school bus services on subsidised routes. This is based on average usage each term. We have been informed that the above route 088 from Pakuranga is under-utilised in the mornings with an average of 14 students using the service in term 2. Unless there is an increased patronage this term, we have been informed that this service will cease as of the end of Term 3 and students will be required to find their own transport to school.
To ensure a continuation of this bus route we encourage you to use this service in the mornings. To assist us with our efforts to maintain the status quo all students who catch the bus in the afternoon and morning were given a questionnaire. Please ensure that you complete the document and return it to the school so that we can gather evidence to enhance the possibility of the service continuing.
CAREERS
Careers Evening 12th August at 7pm, Mark this date on your calendars!!
Our Annual Careers Evening is booked for 12th August from 7pm – 8.30pm. This evening is for all Year 10, 11, 12 and 13 students and their parents to provide an overview of the various courses and industry sectors including the career options each can provide.
The Careers Evening will be held in the auditorium at Sancta Maria College. Delegates are set up around the room and are available to answer any questions on a one-to-one basis. Throughout the evening there will be a series of 15 – 20 minute presentations from various guest speakers.
Subject Selection the 2010 Curriculum Guides will be sent home in the next couple of weeks
for all current year 10 – 12 students.
Guest Speakers
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Organisation
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Focus of the talk
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The University of Auckland
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Courses and services available
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AUT University
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Courses and services available
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Otago University
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Courses and services available
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Counties Manukau District Health Board
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Careers in the Health Industry
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Hospitality Standards Institute
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Careers in Hospitality
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Future Intech
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Careers in science and technology
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NZ Police
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Careers in the Police Force
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Careers Services
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Careers research and online resources
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Timetable of Guest Speakers:
A copy of this timetable will be displayed on the night in the auditorium. Each talk will last 15 – 20 minutes.
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Time
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Time
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7.05pm
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The University of Auckland
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7.05pm
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Hospitality Standards Institute
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7.30pm
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Otago University
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7.30pm
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Career Services
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7.50pm
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AUT University
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7.50pm
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NZ Police
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8.10pm
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Future Intech
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8.10pm
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Counties Manukau District Health
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Organisations with confirmed delegates:
Universities
The University of Auckland, AUT University, Lincoln University, Massey University, Otago University, Waikato University, Victoria University
Technical Institutes
Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT) and UNITEC
Student Support Services
Career Services and Study Link
Industry Training Organisations (ITO)
Motor ITO – MITO, Building and Construction ITO – BCITO, Print NZ, Electrical Training Company – ETCO, Hairdressing ITO – HITO, Future Intech, Hospitality Standards Institute - H.S.I, ATTTO, Dairy NZ, Horticulture-NZHITO.
Private Training Providers (PTE)
G&H Training Limited, Cut Above Academy, Freelance Animations, Raffles Design College, Whitecliffe College of Design, International Travel College, International College of Camille,
Queenstown Resort College, Natcoll Design Technology, Music and Audio Institute NZ –MAINZ, South Seas Film and Television School
Employer Organisations
NZ Police, Counties Manukau District Health Board, NZ Army, NZ Navy, NZ Air Force,
Air New Zealand
Others
AFS Intercultural Programmes, Auckland Catholic Vocations Group, Sancta Maria Gateway Coordinator
CAREERS DEPARTMENT
Verification of documents for Tertiary Applications
Most of the universities, Halls of Residence and Scholarship applications require copies of academic records and birth certificates/ passports that need to be verified by a JP. We have organised for these to be signed on-mass by a JP on 17 August. If students wish to take advantage of this opportunity they will need to hand the originals and the correct number of copies to Mrs Keegan in the Career Centre by Friday 14 August. These will be kept in the school safe over the weekend and returned to the students the following week once processed.
Careers Advisory Website
The Sancta Maria College Careers Advisory Website has recently been updated. Visit www.sanctamaria.school.nz. Follow the links to a variety of subsections that include: Career Events, Gateway, and The World Beyond School with sub pages for Producing a CV, Tertiary Exploration, Apprenticeships and Careers Information. Students wishing to conduct further careers research can also visit www.careers.govt.nz
Subject Selection
The Curriculum Guide will soon be sent home in the next two weeks for students in Year 10-12 to select their options for 2010. Year 9 students will complete this process in Term 4. All students will be required to make decisions about which subjects they wish to carry through the senior school and their effort and achievement during this year will impact on the choices they have available to them. They will be choosing the subjects they wish to specialise in for their final years at school and should be selecting these subjects with a focused approach to their future careers.
This all requires considerable research so that the best possible decisions are made. The Careers Evening on 12 August will provide an ideal opportunity for research in to career and study options available. The decision-making process could also involve students talking to people who are working in occupations they are interested in, speaking with tertiary education providers, discussing options with class teachers, Deans or Mrs Keegan, the Careers Advisor.
Auckland Courses and Careers Day Saturday
29 August 2009
The University of Auckland is holding its annual open day-Courses and Careers Day- on Saturday 29 August from 9am-3.15pm. All faculties have lectures and displays for prospective students to explore study options, career opportunities and life on campus. Programmes for this event are available from the Career Centre. For further details and to book the free bus
service online visit www.coursesandcareers.auckland.ac.nz.
Additional Tertiary Exploration Events
The University of Auckland Faculty of Education Open Evening is on Wednesday 19 August from 4-7.30. Visit www.education.auckland.ac.nz for further details.
The Visit UNITEC Info Week runs from 17-20 August. To find out more, visit www.infoweek.unitec.ac.nz.
AUT University is running a series of information evenings from 11-20 August. Visit www.aut.ac.nz for further details and to RSVP.
Massey University Albany Campus is holding its annual open day on 12 September. Further details are available on www.massey.ac.nz
Career Centre contact
If you have any questions or concerns regarding future decisions or career exploration please feel free to contact Mrs Keegan, the Careers Advisor on extension 227.
ENGLISH
Debating
Both the Sancta Maria Senior 1 and Advanced Open teams have made it to quarterfinal stage in their competition. This is a great achievement as there are hundreds of teams from all over the greater Auckland area in each grade.
Speeches
Congratulations to Moevao Lologa from 9DNN who won the year 9 Speech Final with a speech on “Music” and Ha Ram Jo of 10LIS who won the year 10 Speech Final with her speech on “Lying is too common but is harmless when used in moderation”. These students will represent the school at the Eastern Zone Speech Competition to be held at Macleans College on Wednesday 12 August.
College Herald
Shana Llorando was published in the College Herald on Tuesday 21 July. We congratulate Shana on being the first student from Sancta Maria College to achieve this.
Poem
PRESSURE - By Suvishka Singh
A seagull stands intimidated by the rolling waves
Will I get taken in? Will I be safe?
He stands there contemplating
A clever little bird is he,
The wind pushes him,
“Go on, go on” it says,
“You will not be harmed”
“Look at all the other ‘gulls out there”
The little bird looks out to the murky sea
“You will be safe,”
“You won’t regret,”
The wind prods at him
The seagull becomes engulfed in a pool of confusion
“Come join us, join us little one,”
“We are your friends,”
Call the small creatures wading in the water
Should he go?
Should he stay?
The murky rolling waves get closer and closer,
Any moment know the little bird will be taken in,
Taken into the deep, dark sea.
LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT
Japanese & French
1.
Assessment Language Competency Certificate 1, 2, and 3
Students of Japanese and French are sitting the ALC Certificate level 1, 2 and 3 in Week 3. We wish them luck.
2.
Languages Week
(15 August ~22 August 2009 – Week 5):
LANGUAGES CAN TAKE YOU PLACES…IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD is this year’s theme for the International Languages Week. There will be a variety of lunch time activities organised throughout the week as we celebrate the International Languages Week at Sancta Maria College. This will include students sharing music and songs in Japanese, French and other languages; viewing the ‘film show’ in Japanese and French; doing the cultural quiz’ for House points; making art and craft with French flavour; competing in the Fear Factor: Food Challenge’ and haiku competition. The week will also see the launching of the ‘Paper Crane Project’ (‘senbazuru’ - a thousand folded paper cranes on a string). Students are encouraged to greet each other and staff in Japanese or French or in other languages other than English for the week.
Please visit: http://www.international-languages-week.org.nz/ and check out the school website, www.sanctamaria.school.nz during the International Languages Week (Week 5).
3.
The Auckland Museum Bunkasai Programme: Friday 28th August 2009
Each year, schools in Japan hold Bunkasai – a festival of Japanese culture. This year, as part of their Language Study, Japanese language students from Year 9 to Year 12 will be participating in the Auckland Museum cultural festival Bunkasai Programme.
At the Museum, students will be welcomed to the programme by the thundering sounds of the Taiko Drums and the Museum Bunkasai Educators who will attire themselves in Festival Happi. Our students will also meet with the Museum’s Japanese guest educators who will guide them through cultural activities, tailored to practise students’ written and spoken Japanese.
Using authentic materials, students will take part in activities both traditional and contemporary. In the process of learning, students will create materials to take away with them. This classroom experience is combined with an interactive audio gallery tour which will look at the representation of Japan in the Museum’s collections. The tour takes students from modern Japanese couture fashion to Samurai armour, huge temple hangings to tiny Netsuke. This will be in a combination of English and varying levels of Japanese based on our students’ levels.
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Sancta Maria College 2010 Japan Study Tour
“Spring Dinner Buffet ’fundraiser with ‘Live Entertainment’ is coming on Saturday 26 September 2009. This will be an evening of delicious ‘east meets west’ food and fun filled evening. For further information or tickets please contact:
· Dominique on 532 8859 or 021 301626
· Lynette on 278 9926
5.
International Exchanges Programmes:
The world is your classroom.
In addition to Sancta Maria College Languages (Japanese and French) Exchange Programmes, students of languages are also provided with opportunity to experience language (Japanese or French) and culture immersion in the country where the language they study is spoken through various international exchange programmes. Please check these out:
1. New Zealand Institute of International Understanding Student Exchange: www.student-exchange.co.nz Long term and short term exchanges are available through this organisation.
2. Education First High School Exchange: www.ef.com The programme offers both short term and long term exchange.
3. Japanese Language Programme for High School Students Exchange: Japan Foundation: Japan Information and Cultural Centre Embassy of Japan: www.nz.emb-japan.go.jp The programme offers a year of learning at a selected high school in Japan.
See Mrs Kevern or Mrs Read for more information.
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS
Nicolette Nes has recently taken part in the NYTC Production of High School Musical II.
Nicole Dennis, Iyrin Quigley and Tracy Danbrook have been selected to represent New Zealand in the forthcoming Australian National Ice Skating Championships in Australia.
Trent Harris – Roller Mills Representative, Auckland East Rugby
Jakob Ambrose – Auckland Representative Boys Hockey
Freddie Conquer – AFS Intercultural programme to Switzerland in 2010
Moevao Lologa - Year 9 Speech Winner
Ha Ram Jo - Year 10 Speech Winner
Shana Llorando – National Winner of the Music Competition sponsored by Westfield Shopping Centres throughout New Zealand. Shana will now perform at the Vectra Arena in September with Ben Lumus (previous NZ Idol Winner). The programme will be recorded for Television.
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Thursday
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6 August
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Parents Report Evening – 3pm – 6.30pm
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Monday
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10 August
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T3 – Teacher Only Day (NZ Curriculum)
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Tuesday
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11 August
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Parents Report Evening - 3pm – 6.30pm
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Wednesday
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12 August
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Careers Night – 7pm
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Friday
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14 August
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Assumption Day Mass – 10.30am
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Saturday
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15 August
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PTFA Trivial Pursuits Evening
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Tuesday
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25 August
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Meeting for Parents of Maori Students – 7pm
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Wednesday
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26 August
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Staff Professional Learning
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Wednesday
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2 Sept
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Meeting for Parents of Pasifika Students – 7pm
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Monday
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7 – 11 Sept
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Y10 Camp Week
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7Sept
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Y10 Group 1 Retreat
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11 Sept
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Y10 Group 2 Retreat
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Tuesday
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15 Sept
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Senior School Exams Begin
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Wednesday
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16 Sept
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Newsletter Distributed
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Tuesday
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22 – 25 Sept
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Yr 8 Camp
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Wednesday
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23 Sept
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Staff Professional Learning
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Friday
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25 Sept
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End of Term 3
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PARENT Year 7 – 13 INTERVIEW COMPUTER
BOOKING INFORMATION
Web Address: www.schoolinterviews.co.nz
Staff Break: 4.30 pm – 5.00 pm