Phoenix
October
2012
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Kia orana
NCEA
“It is my expectation that students in Years 11, 12 and 13 that are sitting NCEA external
exams in November will be spending 3 hours each evening, in Term 4 studying for
exams.”
Families can help by ensuring they have a place to study that is free from distractions, that they get
regular amounts of sleep, have a healthy diet and get plenty of exercise.
The school assists by providing support programmes at lunchtime and after school outside normal classroom times and by
providing regular tracking of their progress towards their goals.
Improved academic results are the result of a whole range of factors but key is a school culture that has high expectations
and a belief that all students can achieve highly if they are motivated and encouraged to do so.
The results in the graphs below, which I also included in the last newsletter, are very clear evidence that ‘the Freyberg way’
is working. Not only have NCEA pass rates improved 13% over the last five years but they have done so alongside retention
rates to Year 13 moving from 53% to 76%.
To put it plainly, if more students stay at school, you would expect the percentage of those achieving to decline because in
most cases it is the students who are weaker academically that leave school early.
In a similar vein, you would expect that if more students are remaining at school the percentage of those students who
would be endorsed with Merit or Excellence would also decline but, once again, you can see from the graph below that
those endorsed with Merit or Excellence have moved from 22% to 27% over the last five years. We are very proud of the way
Freyberg students are stepping up to the challenge and you can be very proud that you can call Freyberg your High School.
80%
60%
53%
62%
69%
71%
76%
30.00%
22.10% 23.10% 21.90% 24%
20.00%
40%
10.00%
20%
0.00%
2007
0%
2008
26.80%
2009
2010
2011
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
Endorsement with Merit or Excellence in NCEA
Student Retention to Year 13
Future Focussed Education
Freyberg has ultrafast broadband and Wi-Fi access across the whole campus. All classrooms have data projectors. All staff
have laptops.
We will start 2013 with 260 desktop computers and 240 netbooks for students’ use. In addition 300 students are now bringing their own laptop, netbook or tablet and this number is growing rapidly. Digitally enhanced learning can help students
across all areas of the curriculum.
FRONTLINE STUDENT SUPPORT
Laurel McKendry
Arts Co-ordinator
Rosemary Barsanti
Sports Co-ordinator
Saskia Beveridge
Asst. Sports Co-ordinator
Philippa Dravitski
Student Centre
Sandie Clayton
Student Centre
Freyberg High School Newsletter
Freyberg Street, Palmerston North. Phone 358 4971 Fax 357 5377 Email office@freyberg.ac.nz
Attendance
We continue to have zero tolerance for truancy. There is a very clear correlation
between attendance and school success and we expect every student to be here
by 8.55am.
If your child is sick or has another genuine reason to be absent from school, we
expect parents or caregivers to inform the Student Centre before 8.55am by
phoning Philippa on (06) 3584971 or emailing dravitskip@freyberg.ac.nz
Philippa & Sandie in the Student Centre
International Computing Competition
Ten of Freyberg’s best computing students entered the ICAS
Computer Skills competition in August. After weeks of lunch
time tutorials, and a number of packets of marshmallows
sacrificed in the name of learning computing science,
students were well prepared for the Australian based
competition. Three students won awards in the competition
– all of whom were from Tararua House. Joshua McCracken
and Joshua Tong both received credit awards for their age
group. Tama Beazer (pictured) received a distinction for
being in the top 10% of the competition at his age group.
A bright future in computing awaits these talented young
men.
Gareth Bell
Assistant Head of Computing
Duke of Edinburgh Hillary Award Gold Certificates
Muriel Eade and Jessica Love were recently presented with their Duke of Edinburgh
Hillary Award Gold Certificates, by the Governor-General Sir Jerry Mataparae at a
ceremony at Government House.
The Duke of Edinburgh award is a programme of activities for 14-25 year olds,
designed to offer personal and individual challenges. The Gold award takes at least
18 months and has 5 sections: Service, Skill, Adventurous Journey, Physical Recreation and Residential project.
At the ceremony each recipient was asked for a comment about their experiences.
Muriel said, “My tramp through Queen Charlotte Sounds had to be the most
memorable part of my Gold Award experience. Four exciting days of camping and
tramping, taking in some beautiful scenery.”
Jess said, “Canoeing the Wanganui River was stunning. Rapids, bush, making friends
with tourists, seeing wild goats, the Marae stay and the Bridge to Nowhere all made
it uniquely memorable.”
2
Winter sports are complete for the season and we are now
endeavouring to collect in all the winter sports uniforms. If your child
has a winter uniform lurking under the bed, please bring it into the
Sports Room as soon as possible.
Summer sport starts up this coming week and we are still accepting registrations from
junior students who may wish to take part in touch, volleyball, softball and cricket.
Winter Tournament
Our Girls’ Hockey travelled to North Harbour and did extremely well; just missing out on a
placing. Our Boys’ Hockey team of mostly junior boys performed well too at Taupo, and
they learnt how to cope at an intense week of hockey. Their skills grew daily. Girls’ Football travelled to Taupo to take part in the
Lotto Premiership playing against the top teams from around New Zealand. Our young girls worked very hard and had some good
wins and a few disappointing refereeing decisions. The senior girls really stepped up and shone all tournament under the captaincy
of Coral Seath. After some late withdrawals from our football boys, we put a team together to go to Napier and compete. They
also grew in skill and enthusiasm and while they did not finish in the top few teams, they certainly represented our school well.
The Lochhead boys travelled to Auckland to compete in the National Table Tennis competition and after qualifying for the premier
division, our team finished 7th overall with Dean making the semis in the U18 individual section.
The team who didn’t travel away was our Senior A1 netball team who competed at the North Island Secondary Schools Netball B
Section tournament. This team of mixed seniors and juniors played some awesome netball to go through to the finals unbeaten
but lost the final by 3 goals; a terrific tournament for them and it was a joy to see them play so well as a team and the passion of
their coach, Lana McCarthy. We are very proud of all of the students who took part in the annual national winter
tournament. It is a huge learning curve for them and each and everyone of them performed with pride in their
team and our school. Thanks to all who worked hard with our students to get them to these tournaments and the
parents who had to front up with all the extras involved in sending a child. We are grateful to the NZCT who supported our school with a generous amount of money to lessen the load for families.
Tayla Gaskin & Tara Westwood recently represented New Zealand in the World Artistic Roller-skating Championships held in Auckland during the October school holidays. They competed as members of
The Ringmaster's Spell team in the Show Skate category. The team performed very well
and placed 7th. Training took a year to be ready for the event which consisted of 10 skaters from Palmerston North, Hawera and Upper Hutt.
Brooke Fitch represented New Zealand at Bare Foot Water skiing and came third in Junior Girls’ jump event,
receiving a bronze medal and the NZL junior team was placed third receiving a bronze
medal. She was placed 6th in the Slalom event just missing out on the cut. Her overall
world ranking is 7!
Michaela Drummond competed at the NZ Cycling nationals during the holidays and placed
1st in the points race and 2nd in the road race.
Ashleigh Paap represented New Zealand in Archery in the Cadet Women’s Recurve.
These students have achieved very highly in their sporting field and we are extremely
proud to have them at our school. They work so hard at the sport and such dedication
certainly pays off. If any other students have some exciting sporting achievements, we
would appreciate hearing from you with details and photos. Prizegiving planning is underway and again
we would appreciate receiving information about any sporting achievements that should be recognised
at prizegiving.
Staff/Student Competitions
It is fast becoming a tradition to have some competitions where the staff compete at a sport against our students. So far the staff
are on the winning side (due to some dodgy umpiring!) but a lot of fun is had on the day. Just before the holidays, the staff played
the students at hockey. A fast and entertaining game where the students (who played lovely
hockey) were overwhelmed by sheer size, intimidation and an awesome goalie. A crowd of
parents and staff were very vocal on the side-line giving support to the teams.
Our senior students have only a short time left at school for this year and for those Year 13
students the Sports Room wish you every success in life. Please keep playing sport; it is a
great way to meet people, make lasting friendships and stay healthy.
Rosemary and Saskia – Freyberg Sports Room.
3
Drama Productions
Congratulations to all students in Years 10, 11, 12 and 13 who completed their class productions this term. We
were really proud of your work and the professionalism with which you approached each performance.
Audiences were impressed with the high standard of characterisation and delivery. Thank you to everyone
who came along to see our work, and to those who supported us in a technical way.
Ms Darragh, Ms Edmonds and Dr Brooks
Student Board of Trustees Representative 2013
The election for the new Board of Trustees Student Representative was held on Tuesday 11th
September, with nominations from five senior students received. The successful candidate was
Hayley McKay.
Hayley started at Freyberg High School as a Year 12, coming from Wellington East Girls’ College.
She has taught dance workshops, and trained in peer mediation. She has also participated in the
wider community, as an active member of an environmental committee, a junior netball umpire
and coach, as well as being a significant fundraiser in the nation-wide 40 hour famine.
We would also like to thank Ella Bourke who was the BOT Student Representative for 2012 and
has done a wonderful job. All the best for your future, Ella.
New Pathway Link
A joint venture between Freyberg and the Palmerston North City
Council has enabled us to make Freyberg sports facilities and the
adjoining netball and soccer venues more accessible to the
community.
People of the Freyberg Street side of the school including Ross
students now have a direct pathway to the pool, the soccer fields
and the Vautier Netball Courts. This is another step toward our
vision to be a school of our community, for our community.
4
Digital Class wins a major prize with their ‘A -Class Animation’
In early September a video made by five Year 10 science students won
$5000 in the Comvita Science Video Challenge. The five students made a
three minute video and produced such an entertaining and skilled
animation, they won the major national prize in Auckland.
The Comvita Science Challenge required secondary students from
throughout New Zealand to make a video, about a food of their choice,
which was to be under three minutes in length. A member of the group,
Johanna Lloyd, had a beehive on their property, was interested in honey
and so the choice on which food to do was easy for the group.
As a typical activity in a digital classroom, the students extended their
in-class learning with high quality online research. Following this they
created a story board. They then presented their research in what judges described as an "A-Class Animation". The winning group consisted of
Ella White, Johanna Lloyd, Charlotte Stewart-Hall, Emily Shaw and Ben
Davis.
Their science teacher, Miss Alice Barnard, was overwhelmed by their
success. With such a high calibre of entries from around the country, she
was delighted just to see her students make the top five.
Their video at vimeo.com/48416384 was scientifically accurate and
relevant to the topic but also easy for people to understand.
As winners, they receive $500 each, with the school getting $2500.
Jimmy Carter Quiz Team 2012
Freyberg's Jimmy Carter Quiz team for 2012 did a great job representing
us recently at the regional secondary schools' quiz event, organised each
year by the Lions Club. The team, ably lead (after 5 years) by Lise Bakker
(Year 13), included Cameron Schaw (Year 12), Henry Smithers (Year 11),
Josiah Lambert (Year 10) and Domanick Syme-Severinsen (Year 9). This
year's mascot, a Golden Elephant gifted to the school from some Thai
visitors, proved to be a glowing charm at the table as our brains did their
best against the competition.
Forty questions on topics ranging from the recent Olympics, music, New
Zealand literature, to current events and this year's specialist topic, NZ
National Parks, kept the pressure on throughout the night. Spot prizes
were won during the evening by some team members for answering tricky questions. This year the quiz was won
for the first time in its history by Feilding High School. Freyberg's team came 6th. Congratulations to the team for
their good humour and brains. Here's one of the questions: With which NZ National Park are the 'children of the
mist' associated?
Monica Simmons, Freyberg Quiz Team Organiser
Rotary Exchange
Congratulations to Ella Hall (Year 12) who has been accepted
onto the Rotary Youth Exchange Programme and will be
spending next year in Brazil.
We look forward to hearing about her experiences and adventures upon her return.
5
Computers in Homes
On the 12th October we held a ceremony for 29 families in our
community who had graduated through the Computers in
Homes programme. This is the fourth year we have run this
programme at Freyberg and this year the families were all
refugees from Myanmar (Burma).
This programme requires participants to attend a number of
computing training lessons run by our tutor: Michael Herring
and when they graduate they receive a computer and internet
access in their home.
Funded by the government, through Migrant and Refugees
Services, this is a targeted programme that genuinely
enhances educational opportunities for the children in these
homes.
Thank you to Florence Kelly for her organisation of the
programme within the school, to Abdi Bihi - Migrant & Refugee
Education Co-ordinator and Di Daniels - National
Co-ordinator for Computers in Homes.
2014 Classical Studies Trip to Greece, Italy & England
Year 11 students and parents are invited to attend an information evening to
learn more about Freyberg’s proposed trip to Greece, Italy and England in
2014.
Classical Studies is the study of the Ancient Greek and Roman civilizations and
how they continue to influence our culture today. Visit the birthplace of the
Greek gods and heroes, see where the 300 Spartans fought and experience the
majestic temples and monuments built over 2000 years ago.
The information evening is at 5.30pm Thursday 8th November in the Freyberg
staff room. If you cannot make it but would like more information about the
trip, please contact Debbie Littley at littleyd@freyberg.ac.nz.
Update from Freyberg Whakatipuria - Teen Parent Unit
Kia ora from Whakatipuria – Teen Parent Unit
Extra curricula
Thanks to Aloha, our volunteer gardener, we have peas flowering in the vegetable garden which I’m sure the children
will enjoy eating. Thanks also to the National Bank staff and Kees for our two picnic tables. The students are looking
forward to eating their lunch outside as the weather gets warmer. New recipes have been trialled in the kitchen as
students have participated in the Parmco cooking competition.
Academic achievement
Congratulations to Sam Gowland and Gayle Moana-Johnson for having
completed their Early Childcare Education Level 3.
Welcome & Farewell
We welcome new students Alice, Jacinta, Jonnie, and Sene. Congratulations to
Sam Gowland for securing herself a fulltime job. You will be missed.
Ka Kite Ano
6
Year 10 Work Experience
As part of the Year 10 Social Science programme and in conjunction with the Careers Department, all Year 10 students
undertake 2 days work experience on Thursday 22 & Friday 23 November.
This programme is designed to give students an opportunity to take a look at historical trends in employment, current
career opportunities, qualification structures and training, internet tools for career planning, and the relationship
between school subjects and post-school options. The focus is on individual strengths and career goals.
Work experience placements are organised by students with the help of family, friends, and whaanau teachers.
Students should approach employers in an industry or field they are interested in working or studying in when they
leave school.
All forms and information were sent home before the school holidays, allowing time for
placements to be confirmed with employers well in advance of the work experience dates.
Please email any queries to Helen Green - Career Counsellor careers@freyberg.ac.nz
Freyberg SummerFest - Saturday 8th Dec @ the Lido
After a great two months of almost no vandalism or graffiti at school, we
can confirm that Freyberg SummerFest has been booked for the Lido on
December 8th. Freyberg Festivals are free events funded completely out of
students reducing the cost of litter and graffiti around school.
This year we spent some of the budget on a WinterFest, but still hope
to have enough money by December 8th for free food, bands, and
hopefully a few other surprises. The festival will be held in the afternoon at the Lido to catch more of the summer sun.
Keep an eye out for permission forms, keep a lid on your demerits, and
“keep calm pick up rubbish” for SummerFest 2012.
Gareth Bell
Delivering Students to and from School
In an emergency, have a plan to collect students from school and practise the plan. Every time
that you drop off or collect your student from school, you should practise your family’s plan.
In developing your plan, assume that Freyberg Street will be closed so that emergency services
have free access to both Ross and Freyberg. The best access to the school will possibly be the
Swimming Pool car park at the end of Thames Street.
Other access points are:

turn off Ruahine Street into Puriri Terrace to collect students in the Vautier car park.

students walk down Freyberg Street to be collected in Featherston Street.

students walk through Pit Park to Featherston Street or Tweed Street.
If everyone adopted these areas as their family drop off point, it would also make Freyberg Street and the area in
front of the school a much safer area for the very large numbers of pedestrians. We appreciate your support in
this. When students are arriving at the beginning of the day and leaving at the end of the day—please do not drive
into the front car park. If you come up Freyberg Street at these times, please turn outside Ross and park legally in
Freyberg Street.
7
Important Information
SENIOR CLEARANCE
All senior students (except those still involved in NCEA exams) are expected to return to school to ‘clear’ on Monday 3rd
December. Students should bring all textbooks, library books, outstanding sports uniforms and report to their Head of
School in the hall at 9.15am. Most students should be finished by 11.00am. Students still involved in exams are expected to
return items before the end of that week.
PRIZE GIVING CEREMONIES 2012
On Tuesday 4 December, our Senior Prize-Giving ceremonies will take place at the Regent on Broadway.
All Year 11,12 and 13 students are expected to be seated by 10.00am for the morning session. Most students will be dismissed
by 11.30am. The evening session will commence at 7.30pm. Students receiving awards will be notified by mail several days
before the event and should be seated by 7.15.
The Regent on Broadway is also the venue for our morning and evening Junior Prize-Givings on Monday 10th December.
All Year 9 & 10 students will need to make their own way to the Regent on Broadway and be seated by 9.15am for the
morning Prize Giving. Ashhurst bus students will be delivered directly to the Regent and back to Ashhurst at the end of the
session. Students from North Street buses will need to walk into town. We expect most students to be dismissed by 11.00am.
The evening prize-giving starts at 7.00pm.
YEAR 11 MUFTI
As of Monday 5 November, Year 11 students will be permitted to wear mufti to school and NCEA examinations, instead of
school uniform. In return for this privilege, we ask that students donate a uniform item/s to the school. These items are
greatly needed to ensure that we have a supply of second hand uniforms for families that struggle to outfit their child. All
proceeds from second hand uniform sales will go towards supporting Freyberg families.
Clean and presentable uniform items will be accepted at the Student Centre from the 5 th of November in exchange for a
‘mufti slip’ that will also put the student in a draw to win café vouchers. The café vouchers will be distributed on Monday afternoon.
ADVANCED WARNING - KEY DATES FOR 2013
Thursday 24 January 2013
Senior Course Approval Year 12 & 13
To ensure a productive start to the year, it is vital for Year 12 & 13 students to check that their selected subjects are still viable.
Original subject selections may need to be altered because of NCEA examination results. Some students may not have the
necessary prerequisites to undertake the subjects of their choice. It is essential that students attend so any issues with course
selection can be sorted out before classes begin. Failure to attend may mean a student not gaining entry into the subjects of
their choice. Staff will be available on this day to advise students, so please make every effort to keep this date free.
Year 13 Peer support will take place on Thursday 24 January (1.00pm – 3.00pm) and on Friday 25 January (9.00am – 3.00pm)
Tuesday 29 January
Starting date for Year 10, 11, 12 only.
Wednesday 30 January
Starting date for Year 9 & 13. No school for Year 10,11,12
Thursday 31 January
Year 9 at school only
2012 NCEA Examinations
NCEA examinations start on Friday 9 November and run through until Tuesday 4 December.
It is important students are well organised and know when their examinations are and what equipment to bring on the day
(e.g. a calculator for examinations that need it). Please refer to the timetable with this newsletter, or the timetable available
on the NZQA website, to plan. In addition students should be well aware of the rules and procedures that govern external
examinations. These can be accessed at the NZQA website at http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-standards/qualifications/
ncea/ncea-exams-and-portfolios/external/external-exam-rules/
Students should be well into their programme of revision by this stage. Resources beyond those supplied by teachers can be
accessed through the NZQA website and this includes copies of the standards, old examination papers and assessment
schedules. Other valuable resources on the NZQA site are exemplars of student work. These exemplars show student scripts
for each standard at Excellence, Merit and Achieved levels with examiners annotations throughout. The most central
reference point for these is via the subjects page on the NZQA site at http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-standards/
qualifications/ncea/subjects/ By clicking on the specific subject further links to the resources become available.
We wish students all the best for their examinations.
8
2012 NZQA Examination Timetable
Day/Date
Time
NCEA L1
NCEA L2
NCEA L3
am
Scholarship
Drama
Friday 09 Nov
NO EXAMINATIONS ON THIS AFTERNOON
pm
Saturday 10
Nov
am
Statistics and Modelling
pm
Biology
Monday 12
Nov
am
Tuesday 13
Nov
am
German
English
pm
Accounting
Latin
Biology
Te Reo Rangatira
Wednesday
14 Nov
am
Mathematics
Art History
Latin
Art History
Physics
Home Economics
German
Thursday 15
Nov
am
Biology
Education for Sustainability
Te Reo Rangatira
Spanish
pm
History
Te Reo Rangatira
English
English
pm
pm
Friday 16 Nov
German
Samoan
Japanese
Economics
Te Reo Māori
English
Physical Education
NO EXAMINATIONS ON THIS DAY
Saturday 17
Nov
am
Chemistry
pm
History
Monday 19
Nov
am
Science
Samoan
Economics
Classical Studies
pm
Samoan / Te Reo Rangatira
Mathematics
Health
Science
Tuesday 20
Nov
am
Agricultural and Horticultural
Science
Chemistry
History
Latin
pm
French
Spanish
Chemistry
Wednesday
21 Nov
am
Media Studies
Media Studies
Statistics and Modelling
pm
Chinese
Te Reo Māori
Art History
Physics
Te Reo Māori
Thursday 22
Nov
am
Chemistry
Geography
Agricultural and Horticultural
Science / Japanese
pm
Classical Studies
Biology
German
Music
am
Geography
Home Economics
Geography
Accounting
pm
Home Economics
Japanese
Classical Studies
Chinese
Friday 23 Nov
Mathematics with Calculus
Saturday 24
Nov
am
Monday 26
Nov
am
Te Reo Māori
History
Accounting
pm
Physics
Agricultural and Horticultural
Science
Mathematics with Calculus
Tuesday 27
Nov
am
Economics
French
Physics
Media Studies
pm
Social Studies
Drama
French
Wednesday
28 Nov
am
Drama
Classical Studies
Science
Economics
pm
Japanese
Music
Media Studies
Samoan
Thursday 29
Nov
am
Business Studies
Social Studies
French
pm
Health
Health
Dance
am
Music
Accounting
Music Studies
pm
Latin
Business Studies
Chinese
pm
Geography
Earth and Space Science
Friday 30 Nov
Saturday 1
NO EXAMINATIONS ON THIS DAY
Monday 03
Dec
am
Dance
Drama
Making Music
pm
Art History
Chinese
Business Studies
Tuesday 04
Dec
am
Spanish
Dance
Social Studies
pm
Spanish
9
Agricultural and Horticultural
Science
IMPORTANT DATES & NOTICES - TERM 4 2012
22 Oct
Labour Day—No School Today
Change of Dates / Days on Calendar
24-25 Oct
Solo Music Performance Assessments
Please note that Friday 30th November is no
longer a Teacher Only Day. Junior students are
expected to attend school and it will be a Day 2.
26 Oct
Junior Prom
2 Nov
Junior Carnival
7 Nov
Final Day for Seniors
9 Nov
Gymnastics Champs
12-16 Nov
Year 10 Science Trip to Wellington
20 Nov
Year 10 Tennis Champs
Monday 3rd December will become a Day 3
(not Day 2 as indicated on the wall calendar).
Other changes include:
Senior Clearance – now Monday 3rd December
Senior Prize-giving – now Tuesday 4th December
Junior Prize-giving – now Monday 10th December
Start of 2013 Dates

22 Nov
Year 9 Tennis Champs
22-23 Nov
Year 10 Work Experience
26-30 Nov
Whāngoa Trip
27 Nov
Parent Voice Meeting
29 Nov
Board of Trustees Meeting
3 Dec
Senior Clearance (Note change of date)
4 Dec
Senior Prize Giving—No Junior School
(Note change of date)
5 Dec
TPU Prize Giving
Leaver’s Dinner
6 Dec
Principal’s Concert
7 Dec
NZSS Athletics
8 Dec
Freyberg SummerFest
10 Dec
Junior Prize Giving (Note change of date)
11 Dec
Staff Farewells (Evening)
14 Dec
School Office Closes



Thursday 24th January 2013
Senior Course Approval Year 12 & 13
Tuesday 29th January 2013
Starting date for Year 10, 11, 12 only.
Wednesday 30th January 2013
Starting date for Year 9 & 13.
No school for Year 10,11,12
Thursday 31st January
Year 9 at school only
To all the Families and Community of
Freyberg High School, thank you for a great
year in 2012 .
Have a wonderful Christmas and a safe holiday
break and we look forward to seeing you all
again in 2013.
From all the staff of Freyberg High School.
10