Ashburton Courier: December 07, 2023

Ashburton College
Individual Excellence in aSupportive Learning Environment
News
Issue 41
7December 2023
DeputyPrincipal Message
Rangitata Block
The Rangitata Block is on track tobeopen for
01 February 2024 for the new Year 9students to
starttheir lessons in.
This week has seen Science, Art, Drama and
Te WhareManaakiFaculties andDepartmentsstart
to move resourcesintotheir newspaces.
The interior and exterior colour scheme ofthe
Rangitata Block reflects the Canterbury Plains.
The outside colour of off-white and light blue
represents the sky and clouds; while the interior is a combination of
mutedsoftgreytones with theCollege Housecolours incorporated.
Green represents the Canterbury green pastures; blue the Canterbury
rivers; orange the tussock- covered mountains; all along with splashes
of red.
It is trulyamagnificent building and thepublicwill be invitedearly next
year to view this showcase of educational architecture.
End-of-Year
The end of the year does now seem to be approaching fast. NCEA
external examinations have finished and students wait now until mid-
Januaryfor their results.
TheYear 13students have had their last days of being in classrooms at
AshburtonCollege. They have finished their exams, wehavecelebrated
their academic successatour Year 13 GraduationAwardsCeremony, and
have said our final farewell at the Graduation Dinner held onSunday
03 December.
The students now leave the well-known, familiar, secure school
environment and begin tomake their way in other endeavours and
communities.
NewIntake
As the Year 13 studentsleave,another group-ournew Year 9intake for
2024 -have had their ‘orientation morning’atCollege, as astart to their
transition of entering secondary schooling at AshburtonCollege.
Year 9and 10 Students
Since Years 11, 12 and 13students have been onexam leave, Year 10
students have enjoyed being the ‘seniors ‘ofthe College.
BothYear9andYear10students also havehad the excitementofgetting
prepared for‘GetOut There’ Day, scheduledfor theday this newsletter is
published. Students will spend the day partaking in activities selected
from acomprehensive list, including fishing, horse riding, tramping,
surfingand white-water rafting, to nameafew.
ThankYou
Iwould like totake this opportunity tothank parents and caregivers
for their support over the year; whether it is ensuring their child isto
College ontime, in the correct uniform, encouraging homework to be
completed,orrevisingfor atestorexaminations, or supporting them to
be at practises and/or extra-curriculareventsinand outofCollege.
This help supportsthe saying-‘ittakes acommunity to raise achild’.
Ithas been abusyyearwhenitisreflectedon, and soon it willbeschools’
holiday time and Iwish you and your families asafe, restful break for
thosewho have abreak,and averyHappy Christmas.
HelenShore-Taylor
Deputy Principal•TumuakiTuarua
Information
AshburtonCollege School Board
CasualVacancy foranElected Trustee
ACasual Vacancyhas occurred on the School Board
foranElectedParentRepresentative.
TheBoardhas resolved,
underSection105 of theEducationAct 1989,
to fillthe VacancybySelection.
If tenpercent or more of eligiblevoters onthe CollegeRoll
ask the Board, within 28 days of this notice being published,
to hold aBy-Election to fillthe vacancy,then aBy-Election willbeheld.
Any eligible voterwho wishestoask theBoard
to holdaBy-Electionshould advise this,inwriting,to:
Email:ts@ashcoll.school.nz;
or writeto: AshburtonCollegeSchool Board,
POBox 204,Ashburton7740
On or by:Wednesday17January2024.
OurVision
Events
Successful OrientationMorning forIncoming
2024 Year 9Students
Thereare alwaysanumber of positivesinthe latter part of this year and
one ofthese is our annual welcome to, and orientation for, incoming
2024 Year 9students from ourcontributingschoolsand,insomecases,
newstudents from outside of our district.
Themorning is an ideal wayfor incomingstudents to experienceataste of
what it will be liketobeanAshCollstudent.
This morning took place on Friday 24 November and itwas our pleasure
towelcomeapproximately 275 students,who enjoyed afull programme of
activities followingonfromtheirwelcome from HeadofJunior School John
Cook,inthe Auditoriumat9:00am.
(Pictured above): Students in the Auditorium for the welcome, meeting
and hearing from Deans James List and Josh Sim, and gaining ‘starter’s
information’.
Programme for theMorning
Students were divided into Ako classes and experienced two subjects,
Science andPhysical Education, plus atourofthe school.
Thetourguideswereanumber of Year 9students who were tasked to show
theincomingstudentsaroundthe variousblocks and talk withthe students
about different subjects available atCollege. The current Year 9students
were also able to talk about how they felt on their first day of secondary
school and help ease any worries that the Year 8students may have asked
about.
Rotational Subjects
(Picturedright,leftand
right): Year 10 students
Leanè Senekaland
Elliot Watson intheir
roles as labassistants in
Scienceteacher
Chan Deng’s class.
Following the safety briefing and demonstrations, students worked
in groups tostart their bunsen burner operating and toundertake an
experiment of testingvarious substancesoverthe flame.Aseachstudent in
the grouphad aturn, they wroteonthe worksheetwhich colourthe flame
showed for Barium, Calcium, Copper, Lead and Potassium; and learned
whichsubstancesweretoxic,anirritant or lowhazard.
(Picturedright): Students having
dipped the stick into the
chemical substanceand then
placingthe stick through the
flame,find outwhich substance
they areworking with. The
orange/redflame in front is
Calcium, whilethe Blue/Green
flame behindisCopper.
Meanwhile, in theCollege
Gym, afastrounders-stylegame
wasunderwaywith students
on the move in fast succession,
under themanagement of
Phys Ed HeadofFaculty
Vaughan Matheson and
Phys Ed teacher Josh Sim.
Plenty of verbal encouragement
reverberated around thegym!
(Picturedleft, andbelow): Students
managing thebunsenburner process.
(Pictured below): Actionshots from theGym.
Despitethe poor weatheronthe day, themorning went very well.Students
arrivedingoodspirits ready to makethe most of opportunities, andasking
good questions about life at AshColl. Staff are looking forward toworking
withthe students from thestartofnextyear.
College Rock Band Performs at
‘Light up theNight’
Ashburton College’s Rock Band ‘No Sleep at Work’ performed atthe
AshburtonDistrictCouncil’s ChristmasEvent on Saturday 25 November
as the festiveseason hitAshburton, and the big Christmas Tree waslit
up.
This band wasformed forthe Smokefree RockQuest this year,performing in
the heats,in Timaru,where they placed second.
On Saturday evening the band played a25-minute set of rock cover songs
and finished withasongthathad amoreChristmas-type themetoit, but we
arereliablyinformedthis wasstill arocksong!
(Pictured above, front, left to right): Kyle Dickson (electric guitar),
HalTwiname (bass guitar), Sean McQuillan (vocals and electric guitar) and
Kate Cochrane (drums).
(Pictured above): Kate Cochrane on drums.
Photocredit: Joanne McCloy