Principal's Message...

Kia Ora Koutou

COVID-19 Vaccination

As you will know, our COVID-19 vaccination rollout is currently underway – it’s the biggest vaccination programme ever run in Aotearoa New Zealand. The plan is to make the vaccine available to everyone in New Zealand aged 16 and over by the end of the year.

Vaccination in New Zealand is a personal choice. However, our own science experts and health professionals who are leading New Zealand’s COVID-19 response believe vaccination will significantly assist in keeping communities as safe as possible from the impacts of COVID-19.

You may be hearing stories from members of your own community, or on social media, that are different from the information being provided by health experts such as the Director General of Health, Dr Ashley Bloomfield, and the District Health Boards. We encourage you to go to a trusted health professional for any advice about the vaccine.

Like us, you also have responsibility to make sure you are not sharing false or misleading information. So please take care what you share. The attached guidance might be helpful to you when thinking about the information you are hearing and seeing.

If you do see content that seems wrong, the Unite against COVID-19 website has good information to help you report it to the right place.

If you are not sure where to go to for accurate information, we recommend the following websites:

You can also go to your GP, pharmacist, iwi health provider or other health professional.

Currently, young people aged 12 to 15 cannot receive the Pfizer vaccine. If Cabinet approves a decision to use the Pfizer vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds, we will provide an update on how the decision might impact school-based vaccination programmes. The Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education are working closely together on this and will keep you informed.

If it is decided between a school and their DHB to host vaccinations onsite, only those students, including those aged 16 and over, who have parental or caregiver permission will be vaccinated.

For those passionately for vaccines, those passionately against vaccines, and those in between with their thinking, please respect each other’s rights to make the decision for themselves. Only if someone seeks your advice should you consider providing it and, again, stick with reliable sources for your information when doing so.

Accord Day 3- Teachers’ Only day

As communicated, this is on Monday 9 August for all Wairarapa Secondary Schools. This means all teachers will be engaged in professional meetings around the review of achievement standards for the whole day. The venue for this day is the Rathkeale Campus. We very much appreciate your support of this day and those ahead. Our school office will be open as per normal on this day as will the Boarding Houses.

Ngā mihi

Kiri

Around School This Week

Hokonui Fashion Awards

Addams Family - Junior Production

So…what a week! The Addams Family production saw five shows performed in three days this week, and what a show it was! Gothic vibes, jokes a-plenty, and the amazing talent of our students on display for the entertainment of all. When I say talented, I mean acting, comedy and singing talent from the girls on stage, but also the talent of our students who helped create ‘dead’ characters with hair and makeup off stage, those who zoomed around moving and creating the set for the action, and the quick thinking and tech savy lighting girls. The show itself was the story of little Wednesday Addams (Kate McKenna), all grown up, who finds love with the ‘normal’ Lucas Beineke (Olivia Guscott), and plans for a meeting of the parents before sharing the news of their engagement. Wednesday is worried about how her mother, Morticia (Aibhinn McCann-Bell), is going to react to the news, so enlists the help of her father, Gomez (Daisy Carter) to ensure things go smoothly. Gomez is reluctant to keep a secret from his beloved wife, but agrees, leading to some marriage mayhem in his household. Meanwhile, Wednesday’s little brother Pugsley (Hayley Sprowson) is concerned his sister is going to leave him to a life without fun and torture, so conspires to sabotage the family dinner. When his plans go array, and Gomez’s deceit is revealed, well – that was when the fun really started. There were many leads and demanding songs throughout, but all the cast handled themselves and the material like pro’s – resulting in a very entertaining and polished hour and 45 minutes for those who came to watch.

Susanne Richardson

Hokonui Fashion Awards

Our Fashion girls travelled to Gore to the Hokonui Fashion Awards over the weekend with Ruth Bucknell. The Secondary Schools results are as follows:

Streetwear Award

Zita Barrow Merit

Ruby Wells Winner

Natural Fibres Award

Maddie Wellbrock Merit

Kate Forrester Runner Up

Nightlife

Laura White

Runner up

Bernina School Award of Excellence

Ruby Wells

Congratulations to all involved!

Good luck to all our girls involved in the Pin'd Creative event this weekend in Tauranga.

North Island Secondary Schools

Maddie Stephenson (Year 9) was our sole contestant this year at the North Island Secondary School Road Cycling Championships, held at Lake Karapiro in the first weekend of the school holidays. Maddie was racing in the Under 14 category in both the road race, and criterium (circuit race). After a recent change of bikes Maddie needed to make some adjustments to her gearing to make sure her bike met the 6.61 m roll out rule. After this she was quickly into the road race, where she just missed hanging onto the front bunch over the climb, but managed to secure a very creditable 11th place overall.

In the criterium Maddie had been given strict instructions to ride ‘position’ throughout the race – ie near the front of the bunch but not on the front of the bunch – as demonstrated by the photographs! This she achieved throughout the race and succeeded in finishing in 5th place. This is a very promising result considering how new to road racing Maddie is and shows good promise for future success.

Lesley Mouat