Latest Newsletter

Latest Newsletter
The latest newsletter went home with students on Monday afternoon. The full newsletter is on the school website.
http://www.stratfordhigh.school.nz/


Greetings to you and your family.
THANK YOU!
         As this is our last newsletter of the year, the school would like to extend sincere thanks to all parents, community supporters and sponsors who have given so much to our school and our students over the year. Your support has made it possible for our students to achieve highly in academic, sporting and cultural dimensions of the school. Thank you very much.
         Over the last two weeks we have celebrated with our seniors as we acknowledged their academic, sporting and cultural successes at the senior prizegiving. The ceremony showcased the real heart of our school with the community coming together to recognise the success of our senior students this year.
         One could not help but be impressed by the breadth of talent on display—students succeeding in all dimensions that make SHS so special. We congratulate the prizewinners and those who supported them on the day. The day was also made special by the contributions of our Kapa Haka group, school choir and our guest speaker, Sarah Mako, whose speech was very timely for those leaving us.
         Junior prizegiving will be held at 11.30 am on Friday 3rd December. I extend an invitation to all parents, family and friends to join us for this occasion. I would like to remind students and parents / caregivers that school does not finish until Thursday 9th December, which is at the conclusion of our activities days. Normal school expectations re absences are expected.
        In 2011 we will be modifying our absence system so that when a student is absent from school we will send a text message to the parent or caregiver. At the beginning of 2011 we will be asking for all details to be updated or checked by parents and caregivers.
        At the senior prizegiving I made mention of the schools Charter and Strategic Plan needing updating. This will mean the school community will have an opportunity to have input into the schools direction over the next 3 to 5 years.
         Finally my thanks to the staff and BoT at SHS for their hard work this year. It is a joy to lead such a willing, highly skilled and dedicated group of people. Best wishes for a safe, relaxing and happy Christmas and I look forward to 2011.
Philip Keenan, Principal

November updates

Senior Prizegiving
A reminder to all parents and caregivers that the senior prizegiving will commence at 1.00 pm in the Assembly Hall. We ask that parents are seated prior to this so a start can be made promptly. Senior students will have study leave on Friday in preparation for national exams starting on Monday 15th November.

Book return day will be Friday December 10th. All seniors will need to return any school materials, uniform for sale, etc on this day in the school library.

Junior students are advised that there will be no classes for them on Thursday 11th November. Junior Prizegiving will be held on Friday 3rd December with activities week for juniors from Monday 6th to Thursday 9th December.

ICAS Maths results
Students were presented with certificates for Proficiency, Credit and Distinction at this weeks assembly for their performance in the ICAS Mathematics competition. Distinction was gained by Jason Hamlin (Y) and Anjela Frost and Kathleen Robertson (Y10). A full list will be in the next newsletter.

Farewell to librarian
It is with sadness that we farewell Mrs Marie MacGregor who has ably worked in the library for the last two years. Her successor is Mrs Riejanne Campbell. Mrs Campbell has been operating the school canteen this year and is well known to the students. The canteen will still be operated by Mrs Campbell and her family.

P H Keenan
Principal

Library Report

Wheelers Fundraiser for our library.

Shopping online is more and more common and Wheelers books are offering the school $1 for every $10 spent on the Online bookshop. They have 6.2 million titles to choose from.

1. Visit http://www.wheelers.co.nz/
2. Search and select your titles
3. Select Stratford High School at the Checkout
4. Books are delivered directly to your home and the school benefits.

For those of you interested?
If you haven't seen it already, the UK School Library Commission report has recently been released.
You can download it from this site.
http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/policy/nlt_policy/school_library_commission

Marie McGregor
Librarian
mm@stratfordhigh.school.nz

High School Corner

Junior Workday
Many thanks to members of the community who offered support to the junior students for workday. Final totals are not yet in but we are hoping that both major projects for the Student Council will happen.

NZ Secondary Schools Indoor bowls
Anjela Frost, Taranaki under 15 Indoor Bowls Champion was placed 3rd in the NZ Junior Indoor Bowls Championships on Saturday 28th August in Wellington. She was knocked out by 2009 NZ champion Teri Anderson in the semi final. One champion from each region competes in this tournament.

In the NZ Secondary Schools Champs on Sunday 29th August, Anjela Frost was 9th in the championship singles, while Rebekah Frost (5th) and Kylie Rowlands (9th) played in the consolation round. In the NZSS Pairs competition on Monday 30th August Anjela and Rebekah won all qualifying games and finished 9th in NZ. Jacinta Frost and Kylie Rowlands also won all qualifying games and finished 5th in NZ at their level.

Congratulations:
Jessica Short, Nathan Heine and Alexandra Merson were presented with a Level 1 Basketball Umpires certificate at assembly last week. We hope to see them umpiring at Stratford games in the near future.

Maria Gaudin won first place with her dog Dream at the Taranaki Toy Dog Show on 29th August.

Ex pupil Bryce Looms (2002) has recently finished a Diploma of Digital Media at the Media and Design College in Auckland. Bryce is now working the website design field, updating and design websites. This college offers other diplomas in the graphic media fields of game development, VFX and 3D Graphics.

Philip H Keenan
Principal

High School Corner

SHS Hockey
Well what a great season we have had for hockey. We started with the usual Senior A Boys & Girls teams. Fortunately we had an overflow with the boys so we were looking at combining with Waitara High for a second boys team but this did not work out. We entered a B Boys team in the B division Grade and we had sufficient boys put their names forward which was great to see. What a season they had. They came together with strength each week and it paid off for them as they finished 5th equal with Hawera High B. all teams have had successful seasons, with the Boys A team finishing 2nd in their league. The Girls A team after a roller coaster season, with injuries throughout the team and a tense finish to pool play kept themselves in the top 4. They lost the semi final but in the bronze playoff finished with a draw and a 3rd equal placing with Spotswood College. To all three teams well done I think this would be our best year for some time.
Desiree Alexander, Hockey Manager

New Caledonia Grocery Raffle
The grocery raffle was drawn on Monday and the winner is Mr P Keenan. The New Caledonia tour party would like to thank all people who have supported them with the raffle and the Stratford Rotary Club for allowing them to help sell sausages.

Junior Workday
There will be a junior workday during week 8 this term. If you need a student for the day please contact Mr Richard Armond at the school. More information will follow.

Methanex Maths winner
The winner of the Poetry and Creative Writing prize was Danielle Vickers, which was mentioned incorrectly in the last school newsletter. Members of PPTA who visited the school were impressed with our display last week.


Philip H Keenan
Principal

Hockey Finals this week

SHS Hockey

Tuesday night 17th August, the Boys B Hockey Team are playing for 5th & 6th position in the B grade competition at Stratford at the T.E.T at 6.05pm against Hawera High. These boys have achieved a lot this year and have done extremely well.

SHS Boys A Hockey Team have made the finals. This game will be played on Thursday 19th August at the TET ground in Stratford, starting at 8.15pm against Francis Douglas Memorial College. All support is welcome.

The Girls A are playing in the Semi finals on Monday 23rd August in New Plymouth at the Devon Hotel Park at 7.00pm. This game will be against New Plymouth Girls High. If the girls win they will play on Thursday night at Stratford at the T.E.T. ground for the. All support for our semi welcome.
Desiree Alexander, Hockey Manager

Junior House Badges
Junior students were awarded house badges for their involvement in the school in four areas this week at assembly. A maximum of 8 badges per house are awarded; two in each category of academic, sport, culture and participation.
Winners for July 2010 are:
Amess House: Hamish Booker (Academic), Kathleen Robertson (Academic), Curtis Boyde (Sport), Erin Rowe (Sport), Angela Frost (Culture), Daisy Higgs (Participation), Cameron Luckhurst (Participation)

McAllister House: Josh Hunger (academic), Jessica Short (Academic), Simon Terry (Sport), Rua Walker (sport), Robbie Howatson (culture), Malissa Alexander (culture), Grace Hunger (participation), Emily Howatson (participation).

Trimble House: Misty Hagley (academic), Sam Wyss (academic), Tatiana Rhodes (sport) Joshua Robins (sport), Rachel Martin (participation) Jarvis Gotty (participation)

Tyrer House: Jack Bennett (academic), Ila Earney (academic), Emma Campbell (sport), Ryan Cooper (sport) Alexandra Merson (culture), cameron Cox (participation), Shayna Heal (participation).

Taranaki Hockey Representatives 2010


Congratulations to the following students of Stratford High School who were selected to represent Taranaki in hockey for 2010 in their respective age groups:

• U15 girls: Malissa Alexander, Lara Williams and Erin Rowe (unable to attend national tournament due to injury) the girls finished a very credible 11th place at their national tournament in Napier.
• Under15 boys: Scott Williams, Kieran Harrison, Curtis Boyde, Ben Smith and Cory Kieft finished 17th place down in Carterton. U18 boys were Daniel Heine and Kalib Harris who traveled to Dunedin for nationals. They placed 16th. U18 girls: Kelsi Bayly, whose team were placed 15th in Tauranga.
• All players represented both the school and our region well over the season starting from the trials in April, throughout the Quadrangular tournaments during the season and at their week long national age group tournaments around the country in the holidays.
• Congratulations also go to Daniel Heine, Malissa Alexander and Kelsi Bayly who were also selected as Captains for their respective Taranaki teams. It is both a credit to yourselves and Stratford High School.



Malissa Alexander, Daniel Heine and Kelsi Bayly - 2010 Taranaki Hockey Captains for the representative teams.

Congratulations to our students

It has been an exciting start to Term three with a number of our students being honoured in various forms.
• Tracy Kivell has been honoured by the Stratford Lions Club for their 2010 Youth Award.
• Josh Robins for his silver placing in the International Western Riding Championships during the holidays.
• Ashlee O'Hanlon for her 2009 design which has been used as the Methanex Maths Spectacular poster.
• Alex Patterson and Kieran Watt at the recent TSSSA Badminton competition. Alex won the senior boys title. As a pair they won the senior boys doubles title.
• Dylan Honeyfield who gained the highest score at the TSSSA Small-Bore Rifle Shooting competition.
• The Girls 10 pin bowling team who came second in the TSSSA 10 Pin Bowling competition.
• Get 2 Go team who were placed 5th after a fun filled day of competition which is the best score for our school.
• To the 3A and 4A Netball teams who participated in the Western Junior Development tournament at the weekend.
There will be more congratulations in the next newsletter as junior students were honoured with house badges at a recent assembly, the Fonterra Science Fair and Methanex Maths Spectacular have both occurred.

MoE Recognises Language Student
Melissa Watts has gained a Ministry of Education Language Immersion Award. Melissa was one of 15 students from all over NZ over all languages to be honoured. The award has a value of $11250 which will pay for her costs for spending six months overseas in a French speaking country (her chosen language). Melissa has chosen France, Belgium or Canada as her preferred destination for the six months of the award. The application process was online with Melissa having to supply 4 references, NCEA results and her personal writing. She was then selected for an interview in New Plymouth by representatives from the MoE. After a month she received a letter to say that she was one of the 15 recipients for 2011.

Junior graduation reports
These reports will be posted this week with an interview evening to be held on Thursday 19th August from 7.00 to 9.00 pm.

Te Reo Week

Ngā Whakataukī me Ngā Pānui:

Te Reo Language week is being celebrated at Stratford High School this week. Students have the opportunity to enter a competition each day via the daily notices and classes have been given a sheet with a proverb / saying about kai to discuss each day.
Kapa Haka will be performing in the canteen on Thursday at interval.
Rāhina:
Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora te iwi
With your food basket and my food basket, the people will be well cared for

Rātū:
Waiho mā te tangata e mihi
Let others praise you
Rāapa:
Ko te kai rapu, ko ia te kite
He who seeks will find
Rāpare:
He paua kainga tahi, auahi te kakara
The paua may be eaten in one mouthful, but the odour remains
Rāmere:
Kāore te kumara e korero mo tona reka
The kumara does not say how sweet it is

Newsletter
There will be a newsletter issued to students later this week.

Term 3 commences

PTA Meeting this week.
The SHS Parent Teacher Association will be meeting this week on Wednesday 21st July at 6.30 pm. They are meeting early to have a tour of the recently upgraded and remodelled A and T Blocks of the school. Come along and see the wonderful new facilities for our Home Economics, Fabric, Maths, Health and Physical Education rooms as well as the new offices for Careers, Gateway and Sports Co-ordinator. The regular meeting will follow the tours with supper to follow.

Congratulations to the Rugby Tourists
Jeff Walker returned home early this week with a second place in the Gold Coast Canterbury Rugby tournament. He reports that all students and accompanying parents were thrilled with the win and the time away. Thank you to all sponsors, supporters and parents for assisting with the fundraising to make this trip successful.

Parents are asked to contact the school if their student has had success over the holidays.

High School Corner – Wednesday June 30th 2010

Good luck
The school wishes Josh Robins good luck on his trip to America to attend the World Cup Quarter Horse Championships. Josh has been training in Auckland under cover in preparation for this trip.

The school wishes the Australian Rugby Touring team all the best for the Gold Coast Canterbury tournament next week. I am sure that all students and supporters will enjoy their trip.

Senior Dramatists on stage
Year 12 and 13 drama students will be presenting Mmmbeth, a comedy version of “The Scottish Play” tonight and on Friday 2nd July. The performances will commence at 7.30 pm in the school hall, with admission $3 for students and $5 for adults. Come along and support the drama students in the NCEA assessment.

Pig Tits and Parsley Sauce with Lyn Webster
This was a successful evening with over 80 members of the public attending to hear Lyn speak about her journey into budgeting and a environmentally responsible way of cleaning. The school currently has a raffle of her products available at the main office. Tickets $1 each.

Farewell to visitors
The school farewelled exchange students Gabrielle and Carmen at assembly on Tuesday. Carmen spent a year at SHS and was involved in many activities at a senior level. Gabrielle was here for six months and will be going home to continuing study at university level.

Taita Exchange
The annual Taita exchange occurred on Sunday and Monday of this week. Taita College won the volleyball on Sunday while SHS won the basketball. Monday events were evenly spread with hockey and soccer won by SHS with the netball, rugby and debate being won by Taita College. This means that they will keep the Johnson Trophy for this year.

Greg Murphy
Greg Murphy spoke to the students on Monday afternoon. He came to SHS as part of the SADD initiative and MTA advanced driving information for students. Many students had the opportunity to speak to Greg after assembly. (There will be some photos on the school website over the holidays).
P H Keenan, Principal

High School Corner

Senior Dramatists on stage

Year 12 and 13 drama students will be presenting MMMbeth, a comedy version of “The Scottish Play” on Thursday 1st and Friday 2nd July (the last week of term 2). The performances will commence at 7.30 pm in the school hall, with admission $3 for students and $5 for adults. Come along and support the drama students in the NCEA assessment.

Cultural events
We have some exciting performances and visits coming to the school over the next few months including Aorere College – visit, tauranga Boys College visit and once again this year we will be having a visit from Excel. We also have the opportunity to take 90 of our students to the Sky Academy at G Taranaki. Keep an eye on the daily notices for more information.

Next Newsletter
A newsletter will be sent home with the Junior students second graduation report next week. Senior students will be receiving their mid-year reports the following week with an interview evening for parents on Wed 30th June from 4 - 7 pm in the school assembly hall.

High School Corner

Stage Challenge
The final rehearsals for this event on 1st June were held on Monday afternoon. The performance was well recevied at the Variety Concert on 27th May and we wish the students all the best for the event.

Junior PE Classes
Junior level PE classes have been having sessions with Paul Martin from the Taranaki Rugby Union to improve their ball handling skills. The skills Paul has been teaching will improve students ability in all ball sports and the school it grateful for the support from the TRU for these classes.

Congratulations:
• Josh Robins who will be representing NZ at the 2010 Youth American Quarter Horse World Cup event in Oklahoma, USA in July. Josh is the only male in the team and this is a tremendous achievement for the 15 year old.

Farewell to Mrs Potter

Senior students with Mrs Maria Potter in her new office as Principal of Opunake High School.

A very busy week

Pae Rangatahi 2010
To Roopu Kapa Haka o Te Amorangi performed last Friday at the 2010 regional Kapa Haka competition. Although it was a small event this year, Taranaki schools were well represented. Congratulations to our group for standing, although in the performance section the group did extremely well.
“Ko Te Amorangi ki mua, Ko Te Hapai o ki muri”
T O’Carroll, HoD Moari

 

Rockquest 2010
On Saturday, our rock band “Glasgow Smile” performed at the Smokefree Rockquest heats at NP Boys High School. 26 bands in all competed for the 14 spots in the finals. The band comprising of Jesse Smythe (bass), Dylan O'Neill (vocals), Zac Cole (drums) and Robert Self (lead guitar and composer) performed really well and even though not successful in making the finals, they were deserving of a final’s spot. Well done guys. To hear them play, come along to the Rock’n’Rave on Saturday night in the school hall.
C Trueman, TIC Music

 

TSSSA Netball
On Sunday 9th May six Stratford High School netball teams travelled to New Plymouth for the actual TSSSA netball tournament. Our boys team faced some very tough competition. They had wins against Spotswood, Waitara, Francis Douglas and had a draw with Boys High. Consequently they won their grade. Well done to all the boys who took part.
          School A team had one win and three loses against some very tough opposition. School B recorded one win and two losses. 3A had one win, a draw and two loses. 4A were runners up in their section and had three wins and a loss. Strikers had a tough netball day and came 2nd in all of their games.
        Thank you to all the players, coaches, managers, parents and supporters who made the effort to travel to New Plymouth to watch our teams. Thanks should also go to Summer Collins, Kyla May, Anjela Frost, Nicole Chadwick, Astyn Buckland, Savarna Wilton and Mikayla Brown (both from St Mary’s) who gave up their Sunday to umpire. Also to Miss Apperley who successfully coached the boys to victory. Thanks also to Mr Keenan, Zoe and Whaea Tina for turning up to watch.
D Kay, TIC Netball

Congratulations

• Cameron Johnson who qualified for the second round of the Brain Bee Quiz. Cameron will be travelling to the Neuro-Sciences dept at Auckland University to take part in this quiz.
• Jared Bevins (ex-pupil) for his inclusion in the NZ Wood Chopping team for the Trans-Tasman competitions later this year. This is the third year that Jared has been a team member.
• Kelly Bishop who has been selected for the Taranaki U19 Netball team.
• Tatiana Rhodes has been selected as a member of the Taranaki U15 Development team.
• Olya Albot and Anya Albot won the U18 second to highest division at the Taekwondo North Island Championships on the 1st of May.

SHS Ball Committee requests help!

The ball committee are asking the community for assistance.
Do you have any ferns, pungas, trees, fairy lights, pinecones, solar lights we can borrow or hire for our ball. The ball committee need you to get in touch as we are having an enchanted forest ball and would appreciate any help with the objects listed above.
Please contact the SHS ball committee by 4th June at 765 6039 or email mail@stratfordhigh.school.nz. Many thanks from all our students for your assistance.

Poutama May Form Challenge

Since our Poutama goal setting initiative began three years ago we have, from time to time been fortunate to have inspirational guest speakers address the school family in assembly and recently Olympic champion board sailor, Barbara Kendall spoke to the school. A fortnight later we held an inter form class quiz based on what she had shared with us and form MJ, ably lead by their form teacher, Joan McLellan won the prize for the best result. Congratulations MJ!

SPARC Sports Ambassador

SPARC Sports ambassador, Barbara Kendall was at SHS on Tuesday this week to motivate and challenge sports leaders from secondary schools within south Taranaki. Barbara who has been a sports ambassador for 13 years, motivated, challenged and inspired students to unlock their potential in their minds so that they could use their abilities to follow their dreams and goals and achieve. Thinking positively, Barbara was an Olympic and World Champion windsurfer, went to five Olympics and gained a set of Olympic medals. She discussed with students the importance of setting goals and working through road blocks that occur during training and game times.

Each secondary school in Taranaki had the opportunity to send 4 or 5 sports leaders to hear Barbara speak and she spent yesterday at Sacred Heart Girls College with students from the north Taranaki schools. Junior sports leaders will have an opportunity later this term to hear Cory Hutchings on May 18th at NPGHS. Barbara will once again be back in Taranaki to speak to sports captains and elite sports people on the 25th May at Spotswood College.

Before she left SHS Barbara spoke the whole school and showed how having a dream at 10 years old resulted in her appearances on the Olympic and world stages. Students were impressed with her enthusiasm and encouraged by her to set goals and follow dreams.

Photo caption:

Olya Albot, Barbara Kendall, Kelly West

Zack Taitoko, Taylor Bailey

Staff Changes

Changes at the Top!
Congratulations are in order to Mrs Maria Potter who has been appointed to the position of Principal at Opunake High School. Mrs Potter has been at SHS since January 2004 when she was appointed as Deputy Principal.
She is an avid supporter of student lead activities and has encouraged the student council to take the lead in improving student facilities. She will be missed by the community. Further information about a farewell for Mrs Potter will be via the school newsletter.

Mrs Barbara Gall has been appointed to the Deputy Principal vacancy, created when Mr Keenan was appointed as Principal. She will take up this position on 3rd May 2010. Mrs Gall was appointed HOD Mathematics at SHS in June 1999 and was appointed Assistant Principal in January 2004. She is looking forward to the challenges and changes that this appointment will bring.

 

Congratulations to the following students for their success over the past weeks;

Ryan Cooper selected by Swimming NZ for 2010 Age Development camp in Palmerston North.
To senior leaders who represented the school at the various ANZAC Day celebrations in Stratford and Eltham on Sunday. To the House leaders who devoted time to making the school wreaths on Friday. To Astyn Buckland, Melissa Watts, Alison Matthews, Brad Savage, Tim Stanners, Sian-Marie Utton for selling poppies during Friday in town.

HSC - latest news

High School Corner for Wednesday 21st April.

 

Reminders this week

•  A newsletter was issued to all students on Wednesday 21st April. Latest information also on the school website.
• Winter uniform is to be worn by all students in term 2 and 3.
• Updates to school website including reports from curriculum areas, Special Needs and Electronics and Rugby and Netball.

 

Netball Notes
The regular netball season starts on Saturday. Information and times will be posted on the sports notice board. Uniforms will be issued to students before the end of the week. Coaches will also be organising practices, it is important that all players turn up. Fees invoices have been sent home to all parents and are due to the student office by Friday 30th April.

  

Pre-Season Netball Tournament
On Saturday 17th April four netball teams travelled to New Plymouth for the pre-season tournament. School A had two wins, a draw and one lose. They ended up second in their grade. 4A had three wins and one loss. They also ended up second in their grade. 3A and School B performed very well but were unable to achieve a win. All the teams respected Stratford High School, very well. Thank you to all the players, coaches, managers, parents and supporters for a very enjoyable day.

 

Yarrows bread bags - we are still collecting these for money for netball. Currently we have enough for one month but we need 1250 for the remainder of the season. Please hand clean, dry bags into the student office for counting. The top form each term receives a prize.

 

School Holiday Rugby
School teams were involved in two exchanges over the holidays with SHS hosting both events. On the first Monday (5th April) Thames High School brought their 1st and 2nd fifteens down for a Taranaki tour. Our 2nd fifteen lost a close game but played very well. The final score was 24 -19. The first fifteen had a great battle and ran out 25-14 winners. Many good contacts were made and the Thames team members enjoyed their stay.

 

The second event was the Jack Porter Tournament. We hosted three visiting teams over two days. We lost in extra time on day one to Waiopehu College 35 – 32 in a very close game. Day two saw SHS defeat Tararua College 15 – 6 in another close battle. Central Hawkes Bay College were the winners of the 2010 tournament. These games should see the boys ready for the local competition which starts on Saturday 24th April. Check the school website for the Jack Porter Photo.

 

P H Keenan
Principal

High School Corner for Wednesday 14th April.


Junior Graduation Stars
The first graduation report for junior students was sent prior to the holiday break in preparation for the interview evening on Thursday 22nd April from 7pm to 9 pm in Assembly hall. Parents of Year 9 and 10 students are reminded to make interview appointments with their students teachers for the interview report evening. If you have lost the interview sheet more are available from the student office.

Congratulations to the following students who received the top marks at year 9: Hamish Booker (99%), Matthew Rine and Cory Keift (98%) and year 10; Anjela Frost (99%) and Kathleen Robertson (98%).

School Holiday Rugby
Welcome to teams from Central Hawkes Bay, Tararua and Waiopehu Colleges to the Jack Porter Quadrangular Rugby tournament for 2010. Games on Thursday 15th start at 1.30 pm with Friday games starting at 10.00 am. Come and cheer for the SHS 1st XV.

Thanks to all
The SHS Old Pupils Association had a small but successful reunion at the school over the Easter break. Thanks to all staff and students who participated in making this a memorable occasion.
P H Keenan
Principal

Final notes for Term 1, 2010.

Final notes for Term 1, 2010


School will commence for term 2 on Monday 19th April with timetable day 4. All students will be expected to be at school ready to start class at 8.45 am.
Please enjoy this break and safe travelling to all families.

Winter Uniform
Winter uniform is required for all students. A copy of this is available on the school website www.stratfordhigh.school.nz/2010uniform.pdf or from the main office.

Junior Report Evening
Thursday 22nd April 2010 from 7pm to 9 pm in Assembly Hall.
Parents of Year 9 and 10 students are reminded to make interview appointments with their students teachers for the interview report evening. If you have lost the interview sheet more are available from the student office.

School Holiday Rugby
Don't forget the rugby dates and jobs for the Aussie Touring team.
P H Keenan
Principal

HSC - Rugby in the holidays

Principal Celebration
Thursday afternoon the school community celebrated the inauguration of Mr Philip Keenan as the ninth Principal of Stratford High School. This occasion was attended by all students, staff and members of community as well as faculty and associates of Mr Keenan. His family were thrilled to be invited to attend this event and moved by the welcome and appreciation shown by all speakers. Thank you to all who attended and have welcomed Mr Keenan to this position.

School Holiday rugby
The school rugby 1st and 2nd XV teams are playing Thames High School at the school on Monday 5th April at 1.00 pm. Please come and support them and relive some old rugby memories.

The school is also hosting the Jack Porter Quadrangular tournament this year. The schools involved are Central Hawkes Bay College, Tararua College and Waiopehu College. This tournament has been running for many years. Come and enjoy the games, Thursday 15th April. Stratford High School plays at 2.45 pm and on Friday 16th April kick off is at 10.00am

Stratford High Rugby Trip
The boys are seeking jobs to assist us with fundraising. We have a team of boys who can tackle any job, the bigger the better. We can clear scrub, stack wood, water blast houses. In fact anything!. Please contact Jeff Walker at Stratford high school 7656039 or home 7655064. We would be grateful for your support.

Welcome to returning pupils
This weekend the SHS Old Pupils Association are hosting a reunion for ex-pupils of the school. We welcome them to our school and hope that they relive many of the exciting memories of their days at the school.
P H Keenan
Principal

High School Corner

High school corner for Thursday 25th March 2010
Poutama Day
Thank you to all parents, caregivers and students that attended interviews with form teachers or deans on Poutama Day. Feedback from all was encouraging and it was useful to assist students to focus on a few goals rather than many. If you are aware of an inspiring person/story please let Mrs Potter know as we are always looking for speakers at our Poutama assemblies.

Newsletter
A newsletter will go home next week with all students. Check out the school blog on www.shsinfo-centa.blogspot.com for weekly happenings.

Congratulations
• To all students who participated in the Relay 4 Life over the weekend. Tracy Kivell did an amazing job of organising students into teams and our four batons were continuously on the track. A total donation has not yet been finalised but Mrs Potter reports that it will be close to $4000 this year.
• At TSSSA Swimming on Tuesday the school team received 13 places in various races. Many thanks to staff and parents who support this event.
• TSSSA Rogaine, Triathlon and Orienteering are events we are waiting to hear results from. Our Rogaine team was the biggest team with over 80 students taking part in this annual event.

Interview evenings
Parents of senior students will be making appointments to see teachers for the report evening on Wednesday 31st March from 7pm. If you do not have an appointment sheet please contact the student office, between 8.30 am and 3.30 pm.
Junior parents will be able to meet with teachers at an appointment only evening on Thursday 23rd April from 7pm – 9pm.
P H Keenan
Principal

Nga Tawa Inter School Show Jumping Event

Last Thursday 10 March we decided to send a small but very competitive School team down to Nga Tawa, Marton. This event is the week before the Horse of the Year Show in Hastings and as a result has huge entries. This year Stratford High was the only team from Taranaki in the competition which had teams from Wanganui, Wellington and the Wairarapa.

Our team placed highly in the teams event. Lara Williams had the highest individual points, winning the first event in her section and placing in the others against around 60 other competitors. Shannon Coull, a newcomer to show jumping, had a placing to help the team points. Our Captain, Aimee Schumacher, went very close to pulling of a major win in her last event, with just one rail down in a fast jump off round.
Congratulations to this team and we look forward to more promising results in other TSSSA events.
Our team of Lara Williams, Aimee Schumacher (Capt) and Shannon Coull at the Nga Tawa Equestrian event last week.

Aimee showing her expertise in the fast round jump off.

New Principal Appointed

Press release
9th March 2010

The Stratford High School Board of Trustees would like to announce that after a thorough appointment process we have appointed Mr Philip Keenan to the position of Principal of Stratford High School. Board of Trustee’s Chairperson Alan Frost said that the appointment of Mr Keenan as Principal at Stratford High School is an exciting one for the school. He has been Acting Principal since the start of the year after Warren Purdy resigned to take a position in Qatar. Mr Keenan has been at Stratford High School for 17 years and brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to the position. Mr Keenan will commence as Principal on Monday 15th March.

Mr Frost also stated that the school is going through some exciting times with a new principal, a new Board of Trustee’s starting shortly, upgrades of two school blocks being completed and the opening of the Teen Parent Unit and Kindergarten on the school grounds in term two. We went through a very precise process to make sure we got the right person in the job and we are confident that the appointment is the correct one.

A Frost
BoT Chairperson

News of the Week

Student diary
All SHS students have been issued with a school diary. This must be brought to school each day as part of the students’ essential materials for learning along with exercise books/folders/paper and pens and other writing equipment. All should be carried in a sturdy, good-sized bag. Handbags and flimsy cloth bags are not acceptable. They only need books for the five subjects they are doing each day. The school diary contains valuable information about the school’s expectations of students, the organisation of SHS (school rules and uniform requirements). For students in NCEA subjects there is a page where they can keep a record of their internal NCEA credits gained each term. The diary will help students to meet one of the new curriculum’s key competencies – managing self. By using the diary each day, students will be well organised for their learning and other school commitments.

SHS Sports results
The results for SHS swimming, triathlon and athletics events will be posted on the school website as they come to hand. These days have been very successful with great participation by athletes and spectators combined. Look for colourful photos on the school website.

Congratulations
• To Alexandra Merson, Jessica Short and Shayna Heal who were selected to represent Taranaki in an under 15 girls cricket tournament in Wanganui over the holidays. We will watch your progress with interest.
• To Anna Adlam (2002 graduate) who gained the 2nd highest mark in the 2009 NZ Institute of Chartered Accountant’s Professional Accounting School/Professional Competence Exam 2 (PAS/PCE2) programme. Over 900 students sat this paper and is the final step in her seven year process to become an accountant.

Newsletter
A newsletter was given to students on Monday and posted on the school website this week. Also check out the school blog on www.shsinfo-centa.blogspot.com for weekly happenings.
P H Keenan
Acting Principal

News of the Week

Athletics sports
Athletics sports will be run on Tuesday 2nd March on the school athletics track. Prelims have been held in a number of track and field events so parents come along for an exciting day of competition. students support your house – bring your colours along.

Beach volleyball success
Congratulations to the Junior Boys pair of Alec Tolland and Ryk Ferguson who won this section on Sunday 21st February. This is one of the biggest events in the TSSSA calendar and is held at Ngamotu beach each year.

Poutama – stairway to success
Once again this year, all students and staff will be involved in Poutama, “Stairway to Success”. The purpose of Poutama is to encourage all students to set realistic, manageable and attainable goals in their academic and personal lives. A major focus for SHS in 2010 is raising student achievement. The program involves all members of the SHS community: students, parents/caregivers and staff. Together, goals will be set and ways of reaching these goals will be explored.

On Thursday March 18 the day will be devoted to this program. Interviews will take place from 8.45 am to 3.30 pm. This week your student will be bringing a form home for you to complete and return detailing your preferred time for the interview. We look forward to meeting with you and working with you in supporting your child’s success and development at our school.

Newsletter
A newsletter will be given out to students and posted on the school website later this week. Also check out the school blog on www.shsinfo-centa.blogspot.com for weekly happenings.

SHS Triathlon
The school triathlon was run on Tuesday this week. The results will be on the school website next week and certificates presented at assembly later this term.

P H Keenan
Acting Principal

High School Corner

Newsletter
A newsletter went home to all junior students on Tuesday 9th February. It is available on the school website for viewing as it has a calendar of events for this term.

Kapa Haka
Nau mai, haere mai e te Whanau. Our school Kapa Haka group are having their first practice during a weekend live-inn on Friday 26th and Saturday 27th February. Whanau are welcome to attend and participate in the learning of Waiata. Please contact Whaea Tina at the school if you are wanting to come along.

Swimming and athletics sports
The annual swimming sports will be held on Wednesday 24th February at the school pool. Parents are welcome to attend from 9.30 am in the morning, to participate in this very colourful and entertaining day of competition at school.
Athletics heats are being held at the moment during lunchtimes. The finals day for athletics will be on Tuesday 2nd March on the school track. Parents are welcome to attend with competition starting at 9am in the morning.
On both days the Year 13 students will be running a sausage sizzle to raise funds for World Vision sponsorship.

P H Keenan
Acting Principal