Western News: June 26, 2018

10 Tuesday June 26 2018
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
WESTERN NEWS
Hornby High School
Commitment,
Achievement,
New building
ready for use
next term
Kia ora koutou. Talofa. Kia Orana. Malo e lelei. Bula.
Fakaalofa atu. Namaste. Kumusta. Haere mai ki Te
Huruhuru Ao o Horomaka. Warm greetings to the
Hornby High School community.
The time is nigh. At the end of this term we occupy the first
buildings in our school rebuild and it’s hard to think that, as I
write this column, that is only two weeks away. We are now
frequent visitors to our first new spaces, and we are very excited
by what we see. Our designs have been driven by the data that
shows that direct instruction matters (so there are spaces that
suit the delivery of learning in ways that we all remember) while
there are spaces that invite collaboration and creativity. We
refused to “throw the baby out with the bathwater” in terms
of what we know makes for successful learning, but we have
also been open to what data now says about the characteristics
society requires of school leavers.
Our staff are undertaking significant work in improving student
writing, and reading has become a major focus with the
impending opening of our new “Learning Commons” area. One
example of the exciting progress in reading has been the setting
up of our delightful student book club that meets fortnightly.
Student support sees close to five percent of the student body
attending at various times. Finally, staff have been reviewing our
junior curriculum with a view to modernising its structure and
flexibility.
Cultural identity continues to be top of mind for us all as we
support students regardless of their origins to be comfortable
with their own cultural identity. You only had to be present at the
combined Hornby High School/Hornby Primary School kapahaka
evening earlier this term to see the tremendous pride students
have in who they are.
When all is said and done, the key to any successful school lies in
strong relationships for learning, and that absolutely lies at the
heart of what we try to achieve. Whether it be our status as a
“Positive Behaviour for Learning” school, our use of Restorative
Practice, or our focus on using a strengths-based approach to the
work we do with students.
As a footnote: we are offering open afternoons for anyone in the
community who wishes to come along and see our new facilities
next term. Watch out for details on our school Facebook page.
Ngā mihi nui
Robin Sutton
Principal
Contribution recognised
At a special awards dinner on Wednesday
evening Mark Sowerby, one of Hornby
High School’s dedicated teacher aides,
received a ‘Pride of Workmanship Award’.
The awards, organised by the Hornby
Rotary Club, recognise those who have
“the sense of doing a job well.” Their
motto is: “Do it once, do it well”.
Mark was one of 18 recipients, each of
whom was presented with their award by
The Hon. Gerry Brownlee.
Mark Sowerby, right, at the awards ceremony.
Mark’s citation read:
“Mark is an outstanding team member
who continually exceeds expectations
in every aspect of his work. He is always
focused on the wellbeing of the children
with whom he works. He has a natural
empathy for children with specific
behavioural and learning needs, and
is able to read them and respond to
them in a manner that supports their
dignity while meeting their learning
and behavioural needs. He
is highly skilled in all that he
does, and is a strong advocate
for every child with whom he
works. Put simply, he ‘gets
kids’ in a fundamental and
profound manner.
“He scans his environment
constantly looking for
opportunities to add value, to
support children and staff in
their daily work, and always
has the best interests of the
school, its students and staff,
at heart. I would describe
his attitude as selfless. In all
this he is at all times modest
beyond measure, always the
first to attribute success to
others.”
Years 7 – 13
During the recent Anti-Bullying Week
which ran from May 14 to 18, the Star
Mentors held bake sales, a raffle, a
sausage sizzle and a Mufti Day, raising
$839.80!
The mentors chose Pink Shirt day as
part of their community adventure
which is to help the year 9’s with
defining a community, exploring
their relationship to community
and learning to explore services,
opportunities and supports available
within the community.
They then related it back to bullying
and talked with their year 9 classes
about what they think bullying is and
how they can help someone who is
being a bully by either being a bystander
or an up-stander, as well as
signs of not being responsible:
• Lacking interest in their work, and
in the well-being of the team.
• Blaming others for mistakes and
failures.
• Missing deadlines.
• Avoiding challenging tasks and
projects, and not taking risks.
• Regularly complaining about unfair
treatment by team leaders and team
members – engaging in self-pity.
• Avoiding taking initiative, and being
dependent on others for work, advice,
and instructions.
• Lacking trust in team members and
leaders.
Resilience,
Respect
Mentors tackle bullying
Pink Shirt Day participants.
June 2018
• Making excuses regularly – they may
say “It’s not my fault,” or “That’s
unfair.”
In another session they talked about
cyber bullying and then linked it all
together with helpful tips.
Check mate!
Hornby High School’s senior chess team made all the
right moves to win second place at the Chess Power
Christchurch Tournament 2018 held last month.
The eight strong team competed in the five-hour
“battle of the brains” against other Christchurch
schools in the regional tournament.
Franz (Year 11) was the team’s top player while
Christina (Year 12) received the “checkmate the
opponent in less than 10 moves” badge.
“I felt extremely proud to stand up there supporting
and witnessing our humble students’ talents and
skills,” said Mrs Buenaventura, the team’s manager
and mentor.
Team members upheld our school values of
Commitment, Achievement, Resilience, and Respect.
We are very proud of them all.
Special thanks to Mrs Buenaventura for her hard
work and support.
Year 10 students explore the outdoors
Last week our Year 10 students attended camp at the Boyle River Outdoor Education Centre. Students and
staff had a lot of fun and rose to the challenge. We are building resilient, respectful, committed, risk-taking
rangatahi: all part of our journey towards the “centre of creative excellence”.