Interview evening

Interview evening and reports.
Parents and caregivers of senior students are invited to attend an interview evening on Thursday 6th October from 5 pm to 7.00 pm in the assembly hall. Interview sheets will be posted on Thursday along with the school newsletter.
The school will be posting out Graduation Report 4 to all junior students on Thursday along with the school newsletter. Parents of Junior students will have an interview evening on Thursday 27th October.

Congratulations
• Laureen Cox (Y12) competed in the TSSSA cycling champs on Sunday September 4 in Lepperton. She rode in a mixed team with NPBHS and NPGHS around a 16km course and placed 3rd in the senior girl’s individual time trial event around a 16km course.
• To Crystal Melville-Grace (Y13) who came third in the Taranaki Foodstuffs Checker of the Year competition recently.
• Taranaki Zone Chess Championships held recently with the following results for our students. James Burt 1st place Gold; Tayla Corbett 2nd place Silver, Top Girl Gold; Cameron Luckhurst 3rd place Bronze. With fourth member Rowan Meads the team won the Top team Gold medal as well. They are currently waiting on confirmation for their place in the Chess Power Interschool National Championship to be held in Auckland on October 4th.

Poutama
We were recently privileged to have Shane Jordan as a guest speaker at our Poutama assembly. A Stratford High School old boy, Shane Jordan has been chopping since he was 15 years old. He told us that he developed an interest when Bruce Reichardt from Douglas was training some young guys at school.

When he left school, Shane trained as a helicopter engineer and went to work in Taupo. He was fortunate to have a great coach and mentor who spent his days sourcing wood for Shane to chop. Shane stressed the importance of surrounding yourself with people who believe in the dreams you have for yourself. Shane cuts hundreds of training logs, spends many early mornings at the gym and late nights adjusting and perfecting his equipment. This training ensures he is physically and mentally prepared. He has kept very many people in firewood along the way.

He has competed and represented NZ in the USA, Spain, Austria and Australia. He has held numerous titles throughout the North Island and was also a member of the NZ team which set a new World record in Austria. He showed us a video of how he achieved his goal of competing in the American Stihl series. Shane told us he was planning an attempt at a New Zealand record in Inglewood in a few weeks’ time. We have since learned that he achieved his goal. In the standing block he carved close to two seconds off the previous record, set in 2005, of 18.63s. Shane's mark is 16.64s.

Shane’s advice for our students was that they can do anything they want to if they believe in themselves and set their mind to it.
P H Keenan
Principal

High School Corner

Junior House Badges

Junior house badges were given out at assembly on Tuesday 9th August to celebrate our student’s involvement in academic, sporting, cultural and overall participation in school events.
Amess House: Academic: Cole Baker and Mitchell Best, Sports: Jack Jordan and Jacinta Frost, Cultural: Memphis Karaitiana and Chloe Lewis, Participation: Samuel Reardon and Laura Ward.
McAllister House: Academic: Monica Jones and Tayla Corbett, Sports: Katie Taylor and Liam Burnell, Cultural; Kyle Stewart and Angelica Schumacher, Participation: Joshua Hunger and Robbie Howatson.
Trimble House: Academic: Xavier Hey and Sarah Malone, Sports: Quinlin Bosson-Thompson and Misty Hagley, Cultural; Jayde Nahi and Tylah Ooink-Graham, Participation: Rachel Martin and Noeleen Venter.
Tyrer House: Academic: Sarah Kowalewski and Jack Bennett, Sports: Matthew Kowalewski and Lara Williams, Cultural; Terry Jane and Taylah Acero, Participation: Dayle Bailey and Asia Loveridge-Acero

Asiawise competition
12 students are currently working with Mr Smith to complete the Asiawise competition by Friday 19th August. Students have to research a number of topics relating to Asia and complete a question sheet.

Congratulations
To Beth West, Quinlin Bosson-Thompson, Quintin Bailey and Nick Merson who competed over the weekend as part of the TCB basketball teams.

To Jack Jordan who has been selected as part of the NZ Under 21 Woodchopping team. He will be going with the team to the Royal Melbourne Show in September.

To Tayla Corbett and Joshua Hunger (year 10) and Sarah Kowalewski (year 9) who all gained 100% in the Junior Graduation Report 3. It is great to see that over 70% of junior students are on target to graduate with either Merit or Excellence.

Snow Day at Stratford High

On a picture perfect day 16 August 2011, students who had managed to get to school took to the field to play in the snow. Over 15cm fell over most of Stratford and closed the school for snow for Monday 15 August.

Latest news

Daffodil Day Volunteers
Once again, students volunteered their services to assist the Stratford Cancer Society with the luncheon and selling of flowers for 2011 Daffodil Day. Thanks to Alison Matthews, Andrew Hunger, Amy Luckhurst, Elizabeth Corbett, Shannon Morrow-Washer, Melissa Coull-Herewini, Jessica Nicholas, Christine Podjursky and Michaela Dormer for providing this valuable community service on behalf of our school.


Lara Williams:
Taranaki Female Hockey Player
of the Year 2011


 Taranaki Female Hockey Player of the Year

On 27 August Taranaki Hockey held their annual club awards evening. The criteria for the player of the year awards were that you needed to represent Taranaki in some way, show great skill, talent and be a team player. It is a difficult award to receive as there are 8 clubs with a total of 112 players vying for the honour. It was with great excitement and shock that Lara Williams received this award for 2011.

As part of her commitment to hockey, Lara played for SHS Girls 1st XI, captained the Taranaki Under 15 team and was tournament player of the week as well as Most Valuable Player for the second year.

Congratulations

To Laureen Cox who was 3rd in the TSSSA Senior Girls Road Cycle champs and also won one of the spot prizes on the day.

To Sarah Cooper, Melissa Coull-Herewini, Rebecca Poole, Daniel Stieller, Kate Thomas who were presented with Peak 2011 bars as acknowledgement of their involvement in the production of the school magazine this year.

To Josh Hunger and Quinlin Bosson-Thompson who were selected for the Taranaki Under 14 rugby team. They play against a visiting Australian school next Thursday in Tikorangi. Scott Caskey and Jarvis Gotty are in the Under 16 team and Adrian Pitman was selected for the Taranaki Under 18 team.