Kia ora koutou,

As we wrap up another busy term, I want to acknowledge the excellent work from both staff and students in managing a significantly increased workload. Over the last three weeks, we’ve had:

• Level 1 Literacy and Numeracy Co-requisite Exams

• Level 1 Digital Submissions

• Year 12 and 13 Derived Grade Exams
  
  

On top of this, the Year 11 Derived Grade Exams are coming up in Week 1 of Term 4. The dedication and resilience shown by everyone during this time have been exceptional.

This year, one of the significant changes to Level 1 NCEA was the introduction of digital submissions. However, we’ve just been notified that these will not continue in 2025 and will be replaced with either an exam or a portfolio, depending on the subject. This change means that Year 11 students will now complete two internal assessments throughout the year and two external assessments (exam or portfolio) at the end of the year. I have a feeling this may not be the last of the revised NCEA changes, so watch this space!

Tournament Week was another massive success this year, with more teams going away than we’ve had in some time. We sent four basketball teams, two hockey teams, a netball team, a golf croquet team, and a swimming group. The effort, sportsmanship, and the way our teams demonstrated our HEART values were simply brilliant. It amazes me how our students consistently punch above their weight. These are the kinds of experiences our students will look back on with fondness for years to come. A special good luck to our Senior Girls Basketball team, who are heading off to Nationals next week. Thank you to all the parents and teachers who made these opportunities possible!

Our annual Tough Guy, Tough Girl run was another huge success, with nine of our primary schools joining the fun from 10am. The weather was on our side, and with more obstacles than ever, the students had a blast! In the afternoon, our own students tackled the course with enthusiasm. Events like these, where our students participate, organise, and help out, build confidence, self-belief, and ultimately help shape well-rounded young people who are ready to excel beyond school.

On a staffing note, we are currently filling a couple of teaching vacancies. However, I’m pleased to announce our deans team for 2025:

• Year 9 - Alison Wright

• Year 10 - Kelly Rawcliffe

• Year 11 - Heidi Seales

• Year 12 - Bill McGeoch

• Year 13 - Lucy Gibbon
  
  

Finally, mark your calendars for our upcoming events:

• Sports Prizegiving: Wednesday, 23rd of October, 9.15am

• Senior Prizegiving: Wednesday, 30th of October, 12.30pm

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Ngā mihi nui,

Cameron Stone

Principal

The recent school production of "Disenchanted" was a tremendous success!

This production was entirely run by the senior drama class and required a lot of collaboration and leadership from the students involved. Months of hard work and dedication paid off as each cast member brought their characters to life, captivating the entire community and creating lots of laughter. The students dazzled the audience with their outstanding performances, vibrant costumes, and witty dialogue. A special thanks goes to the teachers, volunteers, and parents for their support and who helped make this production unforgettable. The show was a true celebration of our students' creativity and teamwork!

The annual Lions’ Music Awards was held recently, again hosted generously by Mountainview Vineyard Church. There were a great number of performers this year and they all put a great foot forward, and it was great to see a number of younger students entering this year, who we hope to see at many more Lions Awards evenings to come! The final results saw Jack Sullivan (Solo Instrumental) and Indi Single (Solo vocal) win their respective categories, and TMS (Bryan Adams, Ephraim Ingram, Jaimey Jury & Jack Sullivan) take out the Group, Original Song and Most Polished Performer awards. Many thanks to our generous judges, and the Stratford Lions club for their ongoing support with this wonderful event.

Winners of Best Group, Best Original Song and Most Polished Performer awards.

This month we saw the annual running of the Tough Guy Tough Girl Challenge which is organised by the Year 13 PE class and staff. It was a very successful day with a host of primary school students coming from around the district to participate during the morning session. The afternoon saw our students run the course. Although the sun was shining, there was plenty of mud to go round. The students and staff finished, covered from head to toe, with plenty of smiles. Well done to all involved who made this day such a success.

Congratulations to Georgia Stevens who has won her first World Darts Federation Youth title at the New Zealand Masters.

Ethan Perrett competed in the National Powerlifting Championships recently. He did exceptionally well, being placed as follows:

1st U83kg Sub Junior Male NZ

3rd Overall Sub Junior Male NZ

Congratulations Ethan, keep up the great work.

Our Senior and Junior Girls basketball teams competed in the finals of their respective competitions. The Junior Girls won in a last second thriller. Our Senior Girls competed well all game but unfortunately couldn't quite get the win. Well done to both sides on a great season.

Well done also to Ava Stone who was named MVP for the Junior Girls final.

Congratulations to Zeta Barber for her achievements this year with the Taranaki Whio Women's Rugby team. Amazing effort for someone who still has another year at school. Great work Zeta, keep working hard!

Kendra Cocksedge South Girls Rugby representatives

Back Row - Zara Roberts, Holly Topless, Gaby Haami

Front Row - Milly Stone, Haley Chesswas, Madison Asi, Leah Smith, Meah Russ, Stella Taingahue, Ava Stone, Kaylynn Pulman

Payton Kolevski represented Stratford Flyers Swimming Club and Taranaki Swimming at the New Zealand Short Course Championships in Auckland seen here with her coach Craig Elliot.

Senior Girls Netball team - finished 32nd

L-R: Gaby Haami, Rylee McClung, Ava Hancock, Nicole Fale, Akemaua Gerrard, Charlize Wilson, Camryn Austin, Tessa Slater, Madison Asi, Zoey Robinson, Kiahna Smith, Leah Smith

Congratulations to Tessa Slater for being selected into the Taranaki Secondary Schools Year 12 team. Unfortunately, due to injuries she is unable to take part in this tournament.

Junior Girls Basketball team - finished 5th

Back row - Faith Katene, Ashley Mattock, Sophie Fuller, London Oxenham, Maisie McCowan, Zoe Stewart, Shayla Brewerton, Mr Stone

Front row - Ava Stone, Kaylynn Pulman, Nevaeh Greenaway, Milly Stone

Back row - Quinn Turner, Jack Oxenham, Jahlin Goss, Reid Macdonald

Front row - Latore Daymond-Turei, Jacob Robinson, Liam Powell, Taurus Gerrard, Daysharn Poinga

L-R: Daniel Gibbons, Regan Kelbrick, Xavier Ngatai, Ben Sextus, Zachary Renshaw, Jaimey Jury, Bryan Adams, Daniel Salisbury, Phoenix Raroa, Kemp Nickel, Blake Evans, Te Awhitu Otimi-TeAwa, Ryan Nickel, Calais Harris, Philippa Smith

L-R: Jamie Bolger, Alexia Maketoni, Addison Whitikia, Zeta Barber, Mackenzie Caskey, Meah Russ, Olivia Jones, Jessica Harris, Ella Makara, Brianna Roberts, Ava Koch

Cohen Jones and Fynn Byers

Back row - Joe Mack, Nicola Walsh, Samuel Hodge, Bostin Joblin, Caleb White, Masen Burnnand, Lachlan Otene, Matthew Hodge, Nathan Topless, Scott Weren, Lucas Watson

Front row - Lockie Maketoni, Mason Caskey, Zac Stewart, Jared Topless, Mitchell Walsh, Ethan Larsen, Jacob Larsen, Wyatt Swan

Back row - Ashley Mattock, Emaleigh Walsh, Kaitlyn Simkin, Jess Bielski-Jones, Sophie Ogle, Holly Topless, Georgia Payne, Amanda Burling

Middle row - Zoe Maketoni, Maddison Walsh, Jorga Marchant, Soraya Wineera, Saphire Brady, Ellie Brady, Lydia Atkinson, Emily Jensen, Jack Gray

Front row - Ellaryce Caskey, Sienna Park

Due to a recent update to the Android system, the KAMAR app can no longer be downloaded to android devices. KAMAR at this time are working on a resolution to this by migrating to a mobile friendly website. Due to the complexity of resolving this issue however KAMAR do not expect the resolution to be available soon.

You can still access the parent portal via our school website.

Please inform the school office of any student achievements so that we can join in celebrating with them.

There are a variety of ways that you can make payments to cover school costs. The main office receives cash and EFTPOS payments and you can also pay online via direct credit. Parents can also set up an automatic payment to cover schooling costs. When setting up the automatic payment, consider a minimum payment of $15.00 per week, which is sufficient to pay for all school, curriculum and sport costs for a student during the year.

Payments will be automatically applied to “required payments”. Subsequent payments will sit as a credit on the student’s account. If you would like to have payments allocated to the “voluntary payments”, please email ts@stratfordhigh.school.nz with the details.

You can set this up by either using your bank’s online banking services or downloading the Automatic Payment Authority form and taking this to your bank. Please remember to use the students’ name for any payments.

Have you moved recently? Have you changed your phone number or email address recently? Please fill out the following form to advise us of your new details. Also fill out this form if you have not been receiving emails from the school. There are a number of families who we don't currently have an email address for.

It is very important we have the correct information for your child in case there is an emergency and we need to contact you immediately. If any contact details change throughout the year please let the school office know.

This term the policy for review is Health and Safety Management policies. See below for instructions to provide feedback on this policy.

1. Visit the website Stratford HS Policies and Procedures (schooldocs.co.nz)
2. Enter the username (stratfordhigh) and password (swansearoad4332)
3. Click on the tab for current review and it should show you the latest policies for review.
4. Read the policy.
5. Click the Policy Review button at the top right-hand corner of the page.
6. Select the reviewer type "Parent".
7. Enter your name (optional).
8. Submit your ratings and comments.
9. If you don't have internet access, school office staff can provide you with printed copies of the policy and a review form.

As we progress through the year, remember to check your son's or daughter's results on the Kamar app or portal: https://stratfordhigh.school.kiwi/ If you have any questions, please contact the subject teacher in the first instance.

- Dr. Michael Taylor

Deputy Principal (Curriculum)

Our Charter is now available to view on our website. The charter sets the direction for our school and identifies our priorities as a school community.

The Stratford High School Policies and Procedures are managed online, through School Docs. To visit our School Docs, click here.

Our school username is: stratfordhigh

Our parent password is: swansearoad4332

You will find policies for review and more information about the review process under the "Current Review" tab. We welcome your feedback via this review process.

If anybody has old pairs of jeans that they could donate to the fabric department for an up upcycling unit next term we would really appreciate any donations. Please drop them off to the school office.

Rummage around for those unwanted mobile phones to donate!

We have a Mobile Phone Collection Box in our office.

The Mobile Phone Recycling Scheme has raised over $3 million for NZ charities thanks to the support of Businesses, Government Departments, Organisations and many thousands of individuals from all over NZ.

Phones received are graded, data wiped and sim/memory cards removed and destroyed. Phones that can still be used are sold by tender to off-shore businesses that specialise in the resale of second-hand mobile phones. They are refurbished and sold as low-cost handsets to places like Africa and Asia. Phones that have reached their end of life are broken down and recycled in an environmentally friendly way with up-to 95% of their materials being recycled into other products. Regardless of condition, working or non-working, make or model all mobile phones are accepted by the Mobile Phone Recycling Scheme.

The Public Health Nurse will be at school one day every week for any health needs. Clinic is confidential and free.

• Health and hauora (wellbeing checks)
• General health concerns
• Contraception
• Condoms and pregnancy tests
• STI checks and the morning after pill

To book an appointment, see the school office reception or contact the Public Health Nurse, Anne Jonas on 027 204 1134 or email anne.jonas@tdhb.org.nz

Please see the office staff if a hearing or vision test is required.

Please find below key contacts for staff at school.

Senior Leadership Team

Principal: Mr Cameron Stone

Deputy Principal Curriculum: Dr Michael Taylor

Deputy Principal Pastoral and School Organisation: Ms Kelly Jennings

Assistant Principal/Academic achievement: Ms Allana George

Principal's PA: Mrs Joe Mack

School Board Secretary: Mrs Amanda Hill

Principal's Nominee

For all enquiries regarding NZQA or Te Kura

Mr Dirk Vermeulen: extension 707 or email

Deans for 2024

Year 9: Ms Kelly Rawcliffe

Year 10: Mr Jeff Walker

Year 11: Mr Bill McGeoch

Year 12: Mrs Lucy Gibbon

Year 13: Miss Heidi Seales

Guidance Counsellor: Ms. Liza Albers

Learning Support Coordinator: Mrs. Lisa Dent

For all other enquires please contact the school office 06 765 6039

Email: mail@stratfordhigh.school.nz
Website: www.stratfordhigh.school.nz
Location: Stratford High School Swansea Road, Stratford, New Zealand
Phone: 06-7656039
Facebook: facebook.com/SHSTaranaki

Instagram: @shstaranaki @heart_SHS @shs_SADD_team

Friday 27th September - End of term 3
Monday 14th October - Start of Term 4

Monday 28th October - Labour Day

Wednesday 30th October - Senior Prize Giving 12.30pm start

Monday 5th November - NZQA Exams start

Friday 15th November - Year 8 Orientation Day

https://www.stratford.govt.nz/our-council/youth-council/youth-council-application

For more information regarding Free Home Internet, please click on the link https://edos.kiwi/

We are pleased to advise that Stratford High School has reached Ferns' Fuel for School programme's threshold for redemption.

The current total is $1043.58.

We are super excited to introduce our newest addition to the program: Vegepod's. At Fern, we believe in the power of connecting kids with nature. Hands-on gardening experiences not only teach crucial life skills but also creates social bonds and boosts well-being.

You can now redeem from a range of sports, technology, literacy, music and of course Vegepod packages which will be hand delivered by your local Rural Sales Manager.

The Fuel for Schools sponsorship programme has helped put over $1.7 million dollars of resources into more than 600 rural schools in the last fifteen years.

Just a reminder of how SHS has received this donation...

SHS has been nominated by a local business/farm that receives bulk fuel deliveries from Fern, meaning that for every 100 litres of bulk fuel they purchase, 50 cents is donated to SHS. We would like to take the time to mention who those members of the community are that have contributed to SHS. They are listed as follows:

• Amberhay Limited - Finnerty Road
• Cornwall Park Farms Limited - AGO
  
• G & M Collins Family Trust
• Makino Deer Limited
• Palmerdell Trust 91 Only
  
• Palmerdell Trust AGO only
• Palmerdell Trust
• Cornwall Park Farms Limited
• WE & JJ Craig
• GN & RL Smith Trusts Partnership

Rural communities and schools everywhere can enjoy the benefits of the Fuel for Schools programme. For more information about the programme, call 0800 99 99 89 or visit their website fernenergy.co.nz/community/fuel-for-schools