Newsletter 99/1 [15 Feb 99]

Hutt Valley High School Crest

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15 February 1999

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Welcome back to those of you who have had students with us before and a special welcome to those of you who have children with us for the first time. Newsletters such as this are prepared regularly and distributed through classes.  If two or three weeks have gone by and you have not seen one, your son or daughter will have one in their bag!  Last year we sent out approximately 20.

New Staff

We welcome the following teachers to our staffroom:

Leslie Aabryn HOD LRC Unit, Petone
Monte Asare Epuni
Paula Bevin Physical Education
Michael Chamberlain Science
David Choong Mandarin
Lisa Dews Technology, Petone
Philippa Doig HOD Languages
Linden Eagles Physical Education
Michael Ellett Social Sciences
Stephen Foster Science
Leif Hansen Social Science/Maori
Nik Henriksen Physical Education/Maori
David Kennedy Epuni
Ruth Lewellen Mathematics
Brenda MacKechnie Science
Luise Martindale English
Michelle McIver Japanese
Peter Morrison Music, Mathematics, Science
Morag Newberry Science
Jakki Newton English
Siew-Hean Read ESOL
Steven Rhodes Science
Robin Schofield LRC Unit, Petone
Helena Sophocleous English
Colin Thomson Technology, Petone
Jeanette Williams LRC Unit, Petone

We welcome Krysia Jovanovic back to the Art Department and Hamish Stevenson to the Music Department.

Mary Beth Taylor is assisting in Spanish and Steven Taylor is joining the Music Itinerant Teachers.  We are also joined by a number of other assistants, Judith Gardiner, Sandra Darlington, Pip Paaka, Jason Hardie, Belinda Steed-Conway and Justin Thirkell.

1999 Term Dates

Tuesday 2 February - Thursday 1 April
Monday 19 April - Friday 25 June
Monday 12 July - Friday 17 September
Monday 4 October - Friday 9 December

Good Friday Friday 2 April (occurs in school holidays)
Anzac Day Sunday 25 April
Queens Birthday Monday 7 June
Labour Day Monday 25 October

Parent Teachers Association Meeting

The Annual General Meeting for the Parent Teachers Association will commence at 7.30 p.m. on the 15th March in the school staffroom.  All are welcome.  The normal meeting will follow at 8.00 p.m.

School Fees

The Board recommends an annual donation of $165 per year for each student, with a maximum of $330 per family.  Payment may be made in a lump sum, by termly amounts or by direct credit.  In the latter case, please contact the school office for details.   We remind you that these donations are fully tax deductible.  We enjoyed excellent support last year.  If you can manage to make your donation before 31 March the school benefits through the early use of your donation, and you gain the earliest possible tax refund.  Please contact the Principal, in confidence, if you have any concerns about this matter.

Coming Events

February

Tues. 16 Athletic Finals - Hutt Rec
Thur. 18 Athletic Finals - postponement date
Mon. 22 7th Form Study Skills Week; 3/7th Forms Social
Thur. 25 Civil Defence Training Day
Fri. 26 Class Photos

March

Mon. 1-5 Form 6 Geography Trip all week
Fri. 5 Class Photos
Mon. 15 5th Form Study Skills week
Tues. 16 Civil Defence Training Day
Thur. 18 Waterpolo North Island Boys team
Thur. 25 Waterpolo North Island Girls team
Tues. 30 Polyclub exchange with Naenae; Jazz Spectacular Concert
Wed. 31 Victoria University Liaison Visit

April

Thur. 1 End of Term
Friday Good Friday

 

AD ALTA Uniform Shop

Normal shop hours are as follows:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 8.15 - 9.30 a.m.
Monday, Wednesday and Friday 2.30 - 4.30 p.m.
Thursday evening 6.30 - 8.30 p.m.

The telephone number during shop hours - 570-3551.

Homework Diary

All students have been issued with a free homework diary. We will be trying to make full use of this - especially at Forms 3 and 4. All students receive homework and it should be recorded in this diary. If you have concerns about homework please contact your child's form teacher.

Students Travelling By Bus

Students will be required to produce I.D. if travelling in mufti on school buses.

Students With Motor Vehicles

If a student wishes to drive a motor vehicle to school a form requesting permission must be obtained from the office and returned completed and signed by a parent.

If a student wishes to be a passenger in a motor vehicle driven to school by a fellow student the intending passenger must also obtain the appropriate form and return it to the office completed and signed by their parent.

Applications for both the above must be renewed every year.

The above requirement is not intended to interfere with a person's perceived rights but to deter undesirable and dangerous incidents, e.g. the driving of a vehicle in the vicinity of the school by an unlicensed person.

Road Courtesy

Students using the crossing outside the school on Woburn Road, and elsewhere should be considerate of other road users.  Do not straggle across in one's and two's.

The Art Department

Would be grateful to have any old towels for cleaning up.  Also any old vases/containers or ice-cream containers.  Please ask your student to take them to the Art room or to the office.

Canteen

The canteen staff would like to welcome all new students and staff to the school.   The canteen is open every morning break and lunchtime and has a very large selection of food and drinks available.  We make all our own sandwiches, most of our rolls, muffins and cakes on the premises and are happy to cater for special diets on request.  All profit is returned to the school via the Parents Association.  We are very lucky to have wonderful parents and 7th formers rostered on to help us and we couldn't do without them.

Parents are welcome to phone us on 570-3553 if they have any queries.

Multicultural Dinner And Entertainment

Please keep Friday 21st May free for our annual Multicultural Dinner with entertainment.  It is an excellent evening enjoyed by all who attend.

General

Parents, guardians or others may only contact students during the day at school in the case of a serious emergency.  No messages will be delivered to children unless senior staff approve.  No member of the public may be in the school without the prior approval of the Principal.

I would remind all parents/guardians that the custom and practice of Hutt Valley High School, well supported in law, is that students will be clean-shaven.  We have no wish to become involved in unpleasant and time-consuming confrontation on this matter.   Please ensure that your son conforms to this requirement.

Community Education

A brochure detailing courses available for Term 1 accompanies this newsletter.   Although most classes began this week it would still be possible to enrol in some of these classes.  There are also shorter courses/workshops available throughout the term.  A programme of courses for terms 2, 3 and 4 will be available later this term.   Please call Teresa McCombie on 568-7521 for further details.

Congratulations to:

Sarah Sinclair, 6DG, has been selected as a member of the New Zealand Olympic Qualifying Squad for Synchronised Swimming.

Nick Willis, 6HR, won the Under 16 Junior Boys 1600m Secondary Schools Championship.

Lisa Boaden won a gold in the New Zealand Summer National Table Tennis Championships Under 17 girls' singles and doubles and under 20 women's doubles. She also won a silver in the under 20 women's singles and the under 17 mixed doubles.

 

Graeme Marshall
Principal