Week 3 - term 4 - 2025

 Ka whāngaia, ka tupu, ka puāwai 

That which is nurtured, grow then blossom 

This whakatauakī reminds us that is we take the time to nurture and support then growth will occur. 

Week 3 20 Ōketopa -24 Ōketopa Senior Clearance begins - Mon 20 Year 13 Music Night - Mon 20 Māori and Pasifika Celebration evening - Tues 21 Year 11 - 13 Prizewinners to be entered in Kamar - Tues 21 Combined School Orchestra - Wed 22 Level 2 Visual Art marking - Thurs 23 Level 3 DVC Exhibition - Thurs 23 - Fri 24 Acland High Tea - Thurs 23 Junior Writing Competition - Fri 24 Pink Day - Fri 24 YES Regional Finals - Fri 24	Week 4 27 Ōketopa - 31 Ōketopa Labour Day - Mon 27 Level 3 DVC Exhibition - Tues 28 Level 1 and 2 Art Exhibition - Tues 28 LEF's due - Wed 29 Senior Prizeiving - Wed 29 Zonta Sports Awards - Thurs 30 Year 9 Volleyball to Blenheim - Fri 31 - Sun 2 Year 13 Levers Dinner - Fri 31 NZQA briefing p5 for Year 12 - Fri 31 Last Day Year 12 - Fri 31 Year 9/10 Cricket to Greymouth - Sat 1 and Sun 2 Rugby South Island Sevens - Sat 1
Assembly -  Mon - Year 10 (Gym) Year 11 (PAC) Wed - Sports Awards	Assembly -  Mon - None Wed - Final Assembly - Year 13
Meeting  Mon: Te Whare Hauora Tues: Learning Area Thurs: Nil	Meeting  Mon: None Tues: Learning Area Thurs: PCT

Information for Staff

1. Thank you for being so accommodating this week where the Culture of Learning team have been in and out of classes collecting observational data to enable us to have a snapshot of pedagogy across our classrooms.

As we look to explore next steps for us as a kura, you may be interested in reading the articles below: 

Aotearoa / NZ researcher, famous for work on Te Kotahitanga Effective Teaching Profile and more recently ‘Teaching to the North-East’ books and prioritising the warm and demanding mantra for culturally sustaining pedagogy. This recent paper (you may just want to read the introduction and findings) analyses the warm and demanding pedagogy and reviews its origins (from working with indigenous communities in Alaska). Its findings show that positive relationships and the insistence on high academic and behavioral standards, even if it means being less "warm" in specific interactions, have positive outcomes for learning without negative consequences for the student-teacher bond. This interview with Russell by Nina Hood gives more insights into Russell Bishop’s key ideas. Russel’s strategies and examples are useful but would benefit with a greater range of  ‘checking for understanding / formative strategies.

Week 2 - Term 4 - 2025

Whāia te mātauranga hei oranga mō koutou

Seek after learning for the sake of your wellbeing

Week 2 13 Ōketopa -17 Ōketopa Set B and Derived Grades (set C) + Comments entered into Markbooks (Mon 13) Year 13 Rank lists to BLS - Mon 13 Junior Production of Bad jelly- Wed 15 LEFs due - Wed 15 (am) 9ZOO FT to Orana Park - Thurs 16 Senior Chirnside Competition - Fri 17	Week 3 20 Ōketopa -24 Ōketopa Senior Clearance begins - Mon 20 Year 13 Music Night - Mon 20 Māori and Pasifika Celebration evening - Tues 21 Year 11 - 13 Prizewinners to be entered in Kamar - Tues 21 Combined School Orchestra - Wed 22 Level 2 Visual Art marking - Thurs 23 Level 3 DVC Exhibition - Thurs 23 - Fri 24 Acland High Tea - Thurs 23 Junior Writing Competition - Fri 24 Pink Day - Fri 24 YES Regional Finals - Fri 24
Assembly -  Mon - Year 12 (Gym) Year 13 (PAC) Wed - Sport, Cultural and Service Colours	Assembly -  Mon -  Wed - Sports Awards
Meeting  Mon: Teaching and Learning Tues: Staff  Thurs: PCT	Meeting  Mon: Te Whare Hauora Tues: Learning Area Thurs: Nil

Information for Staff

1. You may have had an email recently from the Teachers Council regarding the move to the new teaching standards for 2026. Our School documentation around the Professional Growth Cycle will be updated to reflect these changes. Please make sure that you read through the detail of what each of the new standards required - Resources can be found on the Teaching Council website.

Week 1 - Term 4 - 2025

 I orea te tuatara ka puta ki waho

A problem is solved by continuing to find solutions

Week 1 6 Ōketopa -10 Ōketopa Arts Awards Evening - Wed 8 Summer Sports starts - Wed 8 DRA201 Assessments p4 - 5 Thurs 9 CLS301 Trip - Thurs 9 Media Studies Film festival - Thurs 9 Senior Ako Conferences - Fri 10 Dress Rehearsal Badjelly the Witch - Sun 12	Week 2 13 Ōketopa -17 Ōketopa Set B and Derived Grades (set C) + Comments entered into Markbooks (Mon 13) Year 13 Rank lists to BLS - Mon 13 Junior Production of Badjelly- Wed 15 LEFs due - Wed 15 (am) 9ZOO FT to Orana Park - Thurs 16 Senior Chirnside Competition - Fri 17
Assembly -  Mon - Year 9 (PAC) Year 10 (Gym - Camp prep Wed - Welcome Back - Aroha	Assembly -  Mon - Year 12 (Gym) Year 13 (PAC) Wed - Sport, Cultural and Service Colours
Meeting  Mon: Nil Tues: Learning Area Thurs: Nil	Meeting  Mon: Teaching and Learning Tues: Staff  Thurs: PCT

Information for Staff

1. Welcome back to term 4. Just a heads up for some of the key dates this term:

• Arts awards evening - Wed 8/10. This is a new initiative from the Arts to celebrate student successes and participation in the Arts programs we have at CGHS. 
• Prizewinners for Senior prizegiving need to be entered into Kamar by Tues 21/10
• Last Day for year 13 - Wed 29. Year 13 will be in an NZQA briefing p2 and will finish after their final assembly on the 29th.
• Senior Prizegiving evening - Wed 29
• Leavers Dinner - Fri 31
• Year 12 last day - Fri 31 (NZQA briefing is p5, so their last class will be p4)
• Year 11 will finish on the 5/11

2.  Thank you for your responses to the updated 'vision' responses. There were 2 that came out as first equal

• Learn with passion, care with aroha, grow through whanaungatanga and lead with rangatiratanga
• To empower and inspire our students to achieve academic and personal excellence, enabling them to flourish as compassionate and engaged global citizens

A close second is the following:

• Developing lifelong learners who flourish with mana, achieve with purpose and lead with confidence.

There are also a few extra suggestions that came through that we will look at in Term 4.

Week 9 - Term 3 - 2025

 Tē tōia, tē haumatia

Nothing can be achieved without a plan, workforce and a way of doing things

Week 9 8 Hepetema - 12 Hepetema School examinations - all week Get to Go Challenge - Mon 8 Spelling Bee semi-final - Tues 9 Numeracy CAA Year 10 - Thurs 11 PTA yr10/11 parents social Year 9 Music performance p5 - Fri 12	Week 10 15 Hepetema - 19 Hepetema Y9 Soc Studies Taonga Hunt (Various classes out all week) Duathlon - CSS Champs - Mon 15 Ensemble concert PAC Mon 15 @ 7pm TOU301 FT to Adrenalin Forest - Wed 17 9ZOO FT to Antarctic Centre CGHS Film Festival - Wed 17 Winter sports end - Wed 17 DRA301 Assessment - Thurs 18 Senior Writing Competition - Fri 19 Tech FT to WOW - Fri 19 - Sat 20 Last Day Term 3!!!!! - Fri 19
Assembly -  Mon - Year 9 - PAC Wed - Nil	Assembly -  Mon - Year 10 - PAC Wed - Whanaungatanga
Meeting  Mon: Nil Tues: Learning Area if needed Thurs: Nil	Meeting  Mon: Nil Tues: Learning Area if needed Thurs: PCT

Information for Staff

1. Coming to Kamar for 2026

the ability for you to make a seating plan for your classes. You'll start by arranging the furniture. 

Then you'll add the students.

You can use the Seating Plan as another way to mark attendance.

2. You may be also interested in the following:

A demonstration of the new tools in Google Classroom and also AI which is coming soon to create personal tutors for students in GC.

Engage Every Learner: New AI, Video, and Insight Tools in Your Google Classroom

• Slide Deck

Week 8 - Term 3 - 2025

 Kia hora te marino, kia whakapapa pounamu te moana, kia tere te kārohirohi i mua i tō huarahi.

May peace be widespread, may the sea glisten like greenstone, and may the shimmer of light guide you on your way.

Week 8 1 Hepetema - 5 Hepetema Academic Week - All week Whanau Hui - Tues 2 @ 6pm LEF's due - Thurs 4 School examinations begin - Thurs 4 (Year 11 - 13 on study leave) Reading CAA - Year 10 - Thurs 4 Writing CAA - Year 10 - Fri 5	Week 9 8 Hepetema - 12 Hepetema School examinations - all week Get to Go Challenge - Mon 8 Numeracy CAA Year 10 - Thurs 11 PTA y10/11 parents social Year 9 Music performance p5 - Fri 12
Assembly -  Mon - Year 11 - 13 in the Gym for examination information Wed - Rangatiratanga	Assembly -  Mon - Year 9 - PAC Wed - Nil
Meeting  Mon: Junior HoD Tues: Staff Thurs: Nil	Meeting  Mon: Nil Tues: Learning Area if needed Thurs: Nil

Information for Staff

1. A big thank  you to everyone who has been away with our students on Tournament week, stepped up to fill the gaps in relief and everything else that has helped with the smooth running this week!

2. Professional Reading: Strengthening the Student Toolbox: Study Strategies to Boost Learning by John Dunlosky.

The reading explores various study strategies and their effectiveness in boosting student learning and retention. Dunlosky, a psychology professor, highlights how many common study habits like highlighting and cramming are actually inefficient. The piece then reviews ten different learning strategies, categorising them by their efficacy based on extensive research. Specifically, it identifies practice testing and distributed practice as the most effective methods for improving comprehension and long-term memory, suitable for all ages and material types. The article also examines other promising strategies like interleaved practice, elaborative interrogation, and self-explanation, while cautioning against less effective but popular techniques such as simple rereading, highlighting, and summarisation without proper training. Ultimately, the source advocates for teachers to guide students in adopting evidence-backed study habits to foster lifelong learning.

Week 7 - Term 3 - 2025

 I orea te tuatara ka puta ki waho

A problem is solved by continuing to find solutions

Week 7 25 Akuhata - 29 Akuhata Winter Tournament Week - All week Badminton - Mon 25 - Thurs 28 Basketball - Junior SS - Mon 25 - Tues 26 Basketball SI Champs - Wed 27 - Sat 30 Football - Mon 25 - Thurs 28 Hockey 2XI - All Week Hockey Federation Cup - All Week Ice Hockey - Mon 25 - Thurs 27 Equestrian SISS - Mon 25 Netball - SI Champs - Mon 25 - Thurs 28 Spoken Word Comp - Wed 27 Year 11 Casio Calculator Comp - Thurs 28 Rugby - NZ Champs - Thurs 28 - Sun 31	Week 8 1 Hepetema - 5 Hepetema  Academic Week - All week Whanau Hui - Tues 2 LEF's due - Thurs 4 School examinations begin - Thurs 4 (Year 11 - 13 on study leave) Reading CAA - Year 10 - Thurs 4 Writing CAA - Year 10 - Fri 5
Assembly -  Mon - Year 10 (Gym) and Year 13 (PAC) Wed - Manaakitanga	Assembly -  Mon - Year 11 - 13 in the Gym for examination information Wed - Rangatiratanga
Meeting  Mon: L&T Tues: Learning Area Thurs: PCT	Meeting  Mon: Junior HoD Tues: Staff Thurs: Nil

Information for Staff

1. As we are coming into examinations, you may be interested in the new tool now found in Chatgpt - the new study mode.

ChatGPT has launched a new feature called Study Mode to make learning more interactive and effective.  Study Mode is "a learning experience in ChatGPT designed to help you build a deeper understanding of any topic. When you turn on and engage with study mode, ChatGPT will ask interactive questions to understand your goals and skill level, then work with you to reach the answer step by step."

You are able to turn on Study Mode anytime, just select it from the drop-down list.

Something that you may want to explore with the lead up to examinations and students ability to have their own personal tutor.