Onslow College Interna onal Students Programme Newsle er - Iska

Curriculum Based Language Course
This is a separate language support class for our students who need extra help with their
mainstream subjects. The students are taught for an extra 4 hours a week with a
Mathemacs subject teacher. The teacher assists the students with their assignments and
helps prepare them for their assessments. Some students also spent addional me
working with an ESOL teacher on their Year 11 Science course. They are helped with the
vocabulary and reading aspects of the course as well as assessments and exam techniques.
New Zealand Studies Course
We are running a course each semester for short term students who are not sing the
Naonal Cerficate Examinaon Achievement (NCEA) examinaon. Most of the students are
exchange or internaonal students from Europe or Brazil. They learn about New Zealand
film, literature, history, geography, sports and culture. The students enjoy the opportunity
to learn how to play touch rugby, visit parliament and other historic buildings.
Reporng to Parents
The school provides regular informaon for all the students. This includes 2 interim reports, a report
with the results from the pracce examinaons for NCEA, 2 academic reports for years 9 & 10 and 1
academic report for Years 11 to 13. The Internaonal Department provides an extra academic report
in November as well as a leer summarising the midyear academic report. Both of these reports are
translated.
NCEA Government Examinaon Results 2010
The school NCEA results were well above the naonal average in all subjects. 86% of our
students achieved level 1 NCEA, 87% achieved level 2 and 73.9% gained entry to university. Our
results are amongst the top co educaonal schools in New Zealand. The school achieved 23
scholarships in Graphics, Chemistry, Calculus, Stascs Geography, Physics, English, Media
Studies, Art History, Classics and Accounng.
Sports and Music
Many of the students have joined sports teams this year. We have students in the first and
second 11 boys and girls football teams, handball and many basketball and badminton teams.
Students are also aending individual music lessons learning piano, drums flute, and violin.
Homestay Programme
So far this year we have averaged around 40 students in our homestay programme. Some of
these families are new to hosng internaonal students so we wish them all a posive and
enjoyable experience. A meeng was held early March this year for all the host parents that
are in our homestay programme. In November last year we held a Christmas Dinner for all
our host parents to thank them for their contribuon to our homestay programme.
New Markeng Materials
Please contact us if you require addional markeng informaon brochures, posters or our
general informaon pack. We also have copies of the power point available as well as
Educaon Wellington pamphlets and posters. We are currently working on a banner to
promote Onslow College and producing a DVD about life at Onslow.
TARIKĀKĀ IS THE MOUNTAIN
WAIPĀHĪHĪ IS THE RIVER
ONSLOW COLLEGE IS THE SCHOOL
June 2011
International Team
Kerry Finnigan—Director
of International Students
May Wong—Office
Manager
Hali Balfoort— Homestay
Manager
English for Speakers of
Other Languages (ESOL)
Team
Carol Piper—ESOL Subject
Leader
Veronica Aitken—ESOL
Teacher
Catherine Griffin—ESOL
Teacher Assistant
TERM DATES 2011
Term 3: 1 Aug—7 Oct
Term 4: 25 Oct—9 Dec
TERMS DATES 2012
Term 1: 7 Feb—5 Apr
Term 2: 23 Apr—29 June
Term 3: 16 Jul—28 Sept
Term 4: 15 Oct—14 Dec
Phone: 0064 4 4788189
Fax: 0064 4 4771140
www.onslow.school.nz
Internaonal@onslow.school.nz
Onslow College Internaonal Students
Programme Newsleer
“Onslow College has many high quality procedures for
managing international students’ safety and welfare both at
school and homestay accommodation. Comprehensive
structures, policies and practices ensure that supportive
pastoral care, good communication, and schoolwide
monitoring systems effectively assist international students
to feel fully included in college life.”
Education Review Office report 2011
The Internaonal team were very pleased with our latest visit from
the Government Review Team. We feel proud of our programme
and it is great when it is valued. This year we have welcomed over
45 new students enrolling for various courses. The school benefits
in numerous ways from the diversity that these students bring with
their different cultural backgrounds and values. As usual we have
students from various embassies in Wellington including, Indonesia,
Malaysia, Israel and The Philippines. We also have exchange
students from Japan, Denmark, Hong Kong and Germany. The rest
of our students come from a variety of countries: Brazil, The
Philippines, Malaysia, Korea, Indonesia, China, Samoa, Afghanistan,
Fiji, Vietnam Hong Kong, Japan and Germany. Approximately 10% of
the students at Onslow College speak languages other than English.
Over half are internaonal students but we also have some
students from new immigrant and refugee families.
New Principal
This year the school welcomed Peter Leggat as our new Principal.
Peter comes with 11 years of experience as Principal of Kaka
College near Tauranga. He replaced Dr Stuart Marn who was
with us for 9 years.
Internaonal and ESOL Programme Team
This year the team remains the same: May Wong (Office Manager)
Hali Balfoort (Homestay Manager), Kerry Finnigan (Director of
Internaonal Students), Carol Piper, (Subject Leader, ESOL)
Veronica Aitken (ESOL teacher) and Catherine Griffin who works
with the students in their classes. May also works with the Chinese
students when they have any concerns. Kerry maintains overall
responsibility for the internaonal student pastoral care
programme and the internaonal markeng.
Le to right: Veronica, Hali, Kerry, May,
Catherine, Carol (absent)
Onslow College—Aerial View Internaonal Block School Library

International Students Events 2010 & 2011
Farewell Lunch 2010
In Term 4 we farewelled all the leaving students who had
been studying with us over the year. They were each
presented with leaving cerficates and a pizza lunch was
provided. These students had contributed a lot to the
school programme and have been missed.
End of Year Acvity Programme 2010
Students who were not sing our naonal examinaon
N.C.E.A. in November all parcipated in our acvity
programme for 2 weeks. We combined with various
Wellington schools and the students enjoyed a series of
Wellington experiences. We had a “Lord of The Rings Day”
where we visited the different places where the films were
made and a special museum, Other acvies included sailing
around Wellington Harbour, vising a farm, vising Kapi
Island, golf coaching, Laser Strike and 10 pin bowling. We also
took the year 9 and 10 students to visit Wellington Zoo.
Orientaon Programme 2011
This year we ran a very successful orientaon programme at the beginning of Term 1.
The students commenced their me with us with a very busy morning sing English
Language assessments and Mathemacs tests before their course was worked out. They
also spent a day on our orientaon course programme which looks at living in New
Zealand, the educaonal system, school rounes and rules and the cultural difficules
that the students may experience. The students met their buddies and enjoyed making
their own sandwiches for lunch and tasng some of the spreads and vegetables that
Kiwi students use in their lunches. We also took the students on a train trip into
Wellington city centre where we look at local aracons and discuss the various types
on acvies they can parcipate in and went ten pin bowling. Students in our school
homestay programme had an addional orientaon programme which focuses on living
in New Zealand homes and family life.
Internaonal Dinner — Feb 2011
We welcomed all our new students at our annual Internaonal Dinner
in February. There was a wonderful range of food from different
countries to sample which was made by the students themselves. Lots
of the students brought their own families or host families. It was a
good opportunity for families to meet each other and for the new
students to introduce themselves. The students completed the evening
by performing some songs for us and showing us beat boxing!
Sushi for Japan
Outdoor Educaon Camp
The annual Outdoor Educaon Camp was held in late February. This is an opportunity for all our
new students to get to know each other and was a different and challenging experience for many
of the students. We travelled by train to Masterton which is a rural province about one hour
away from Wellington and stayed the night on a Maori marae. The local marae welcomed us
formally and everyone slept in the meeng house. The students enjoyed the opportunity to go
raing in a local river and pracsing on high and low ropes. In the evening we played some New
Zealand party games. The following day we went out to Castle Point, a local beach, where they
went surfing and for a walk. For many of the students this was their first opportunity to see a
New Zealand beach, our wonderful countryside and bush, as well as parcipate in outdoor
acvies.
The devastang Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan in March was a shock for our
11 Japanese students. Luckily their families and close friends and relaves were
not directly affected. Our students decided to raise some money to send to the
Red Cross and raised about $500 from selling sushi to the students and staff. They
all worked very hard aer school one day, with help from their counsellors and
advisors, to produce a lot of high quality sushi which was sold very quickly the
next day!
Sexuality Educaon Workshop
This term trained praconers worked with our year 11 to 13 students for 2 hours in
gender separated sessions discussing relaonships, contracepon and sexually
transmied diseases. The feedback from the students was very posive
Acvity Programme—November 2011
This year we are running an extra week programme for our students who are not sing
the Naonal Cerficate of Educaonal Achievement (NCEA) in November. We are taking
them by train to the centre of the North Island where they will parcipate in an outdoor
educaon programme at the Sir Edmund Hilary Outdoor Pursuits Centre.
International Students Programme
English for Speakers of Other Languages – ESOL Programme
The ESOL classes aim to give the students the language skills that they need in order to
achieve well in their mainstream subjects. Currently the Department works with about 90
students. The programme has been developed to cover all aspects of language
acquision. It focuses on academic vocabulary, wring skills, study skills, listening and
speaking skills and reading comprehension. All our senior students work towards
achieving the literacy credits that they need to pass N.C.E.A. which is the naonal
qualificaon that gives students entry to university.