Important Dates
- Monday 10 February – Board Meeting 6.00pm
- Thursday and Friday 13-14 February – School Photos
- Thursday 20 February – Aroha Day
- Monday 10 March – Board Meeting 6.00pm
- Monday 7 April – Board Meeting 6.00pm
- Friday 11 April – End of Term 1
Important Information
Safer Internet Day
Safer Internet Day is on Tuesday 11 February. This is a global movement that unites over 180 countries in creating a safer online world. Aotearoa New Zealand’s official host is Netsafe. Here are links to their Safer Internet Day free resources for parents and caregivers:
- Making A Safer Snapchat account. Is your teen active on Snapchat, or determined to join? Explore this micro-learning to guide your online safety conversations about settings and behaviours to keep your rangatahi safer on Snapchat.
- Sharenting: We all love to celebrate our young people and share their milestones, often in online spaces with our friends and whānau. Check out Netsafe’s advice on how to safely share updates about your young people online.
They also have a learning module for parents and caregivers called First Phone Programme designed to help guide young people in using a new device safely as well as other content on their online safety hub.
Free meningococcal vaccines for eligible rangatahi
Meningococcal disease (meningitis) is a serious and potentially fatal illness. The best protection for rangatahi entering close-living situations (like boarding schools and halls of residences) is to be fully immunised. The meningococcal vaccines are free for eligible rangatahi for up to three months before they move into their facility and during their first year in close living situations.For more information here:
Meningococcal vaccines – Te Whatu Ora
Home – Meningitis Foundation Aotearoa New Zealand
Be protected against meningococcal disease – HealthEd
To find a suitable immunisation site, visit: Book a vaccine – Te Whatu Ora
If you would like a copy of a meningococcal disease poster or related resources, email sandy.thambiah@
What’s Happening?
School Photos
Our school photos take place on Thursday 13 and Friday 14 February in the school Gym.
All students will have a rōpū class photo and only those in years 9, 11 and 13 will have an individual portrait/ID photo taken. The full schedule can be seen here
There is no need to order in advance. Later in the term students will receive an individualised envelope with instructions on how to order class and/or portrait photos. You can see the prices for different packages in the flyer below.
Sibling and group photos will be done during the lunch break on Thursday, and between 3.20 – 4pm on Thursday. These do not need to be booked; students should simply arrive at the Gym at the correct time.
Year 9 Camp
The Year 9 camps are in full swing with the first group getting back from El Rancho on Wednesday. More about camp can be seen here.
Sports
Futsal
On Saturday, a team comprising of two past students, Josefina and Shaa and five current students, Caleb, Ivan, Ella, Hannah and Kaela, WHS futsal players gave up their Saturday to gain their level 2 futsal coaching badge. The Futsal Level 2 award aims to support coaches to plan, prepare, conduct and evaluate training sessions appropriate for Futsal players in the Game Training phase, as well as enabling coaches to have an understanding of providing player feedback in the Game Training phase. We encourage all players and parents to increase their knowledge of coaching. These players have offered their time to help coach junior futsal teams during the futsal season and the sports department supports their development and growth into coaching our younger players.
It’s great to see students, especially past ones, wanting to give back to the futsal and school community.