Mrs Mortimer's reflections at Grey High/Māwhera

From the principal: 2021 Week 4, Term 2 MRS SAMANTHA MORTIMER — MAY 28, 2021 Tēnā koutou katoa Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou Welcome to Week 4 Term 2. Hauora The wellbeing of our young people is paramount to all of us. We would like to thank you for all of your support with our energy drink policy and your comments through Facebook and emails. We are looking into working with other businesses as well. Just a reminder that there are many health effects of energy drinks including high levels of sugar and caffeine. For example, a 500ml can of energy drink for example, can contain 20 teaspoons of sugar and the same amount of caffeine as two cups of coffee. In terms of vaping and smoking we are working with the PHO to support an onsite clinic to support our young people and their families who need support to stop. Cross country I have been involved in many Cross Country events during my years of teaching. But I have to say that the one that Grey High organised was the best by a long way. Thank ...

Tēnā koutou katoa Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou Welcome to Term 2 week 3. Thank you to all of the families that came to our senior parents evening. Please remember that you can always contact your children’s teachers and deans through email or by calling up the school and making an appointment. Community As one of ARCH values - Community - it was great to see all of the students getting involved with the Greymouth Council’s ten year plan. The council were really impressed with our students' responses and ideas and have asked some of our school leaders to talk to them on 2nd June about the submission. This is a great opportunity for our young people to really make a difference in the future of Māwhera. Ākoranga I’ve been thinking about learning and understanding how we learn even when it is hard for us. I was talking to a student about finding certain things in class difficult and I was telling them about my challenges in lighting fires - to be honest it’s a bit of a family joke. I don’...

17th May Kia ora koutou katoa Ngaa mihi nui ki a koutou I really enjoyed watching the rugby games last week and I caught a couple of good tries. Thanks to everyone who went down to support our players and made sure that you followed our ARCH values while you were there. I am trying to get around to other winter sports in the next few weeks and I’m looking forward to seeing you all play. I’d also like to say thanks to everyone who were involved with the Greymouth Council’s ten year plan. The council were really impressed with your responses and ideas and they have asked some of our school leaders to talk to them on 2nd June about the submission. This is a great opportunity for us to really make a difference in the future of Māwhera. Uniform - make sure that you wear the correct uniform at all times - thank you. We have plenty of jackets to borrow if you are cold and only have a sweatshirt - ask at the student office to borrow one before one of our teachers takes you there! In te...

MRS SAMANTHA MORTIMER — MAY 13, 2021 Tēnā koutou katoa Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou Welcome to Term 2 week 2. Firstly, a reminder that tonight, Thursday 13th May, we have Senior parent-teacher interviews going from 4.15 to 6.45 pm as Face to Face traditional meetings. You can also book to meet a teacher online from 6.45 to 7.15. Members of the Board and our Student Council will be there to ask you some questions around attendance. We would really appreciate it if you could spend 5 minutes catching up with them and giving us some insight into this important issue. Secondly, please check out Greymouth High School Sports Hub Facebook page so you can find out more about our sports opportunities. A couple of highlights from this week were: Junior netball trials - if the students make the team they are going to play in the West Coast tournament in Hokitika 24th June and at the South Island Secondary Schools tournament in the next school holidays. A very exciting opportunity! Three games of rugb...

Tēnā koutou katoa Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou We are now into Term 2 and I have been here a term. I am starting to feel at home at Greymouth High School and I would like to thank everyone who has made me feel so welcome; I really appreciate it! During the first weekend of the holidays myself and 5 other members of the Board attended the NZSTA (New Zealand School Trustees Association) annual conference in Rotorua. NZSTA provides a range of services to all boards to support and enhance boards’ capability in governance and employment. . We all learnt so much while we were away. It was especially useful to find out more about the Education and Training Act that came into law in November 2020. It was a really great way for all of us to build positive relationships which I believe sit at the heart of any team. As you can see from this newlsletter’s photo we also had a lot of fun! I would really like to thank all of our Board members whose main purpose is to ensure that Grey High is a place w...