Dear families of Westmount OneSchool

My very warm greetings to you at the beginning of our new school year. I hope your child has settled in to his or her classes and is already beginning to experience some of the opportunities we have available for 2019. I can certainly feel the optimistic buzz around the school as students re-connect with their teachers.

As I mentioned at our first assembly, a special welcome to all our new students. It was warming to see all their smiling faces and enthusiasm to be here at school. I have been fortunate enough to visit the Tasman students in their classroom last week and hope to have the opportunity to see them in Marlborough later this week and then on the West Coast the week after. I would also like to extend this warm welcome to our new staff; Rachel Houston (Marlborough), Shona Idle (Tasman) and Jody Collins (West Coast). I am sure we will all make our new staff and students feel very welcome and supported here at Westmount.

Many of our senior students can be proud of their achievements in NCEA exams in 2018. We had 64% of our Level 1-3 students gaining Merit or Excellence Certificates. Students will be setting goals for their achievement in 2019 in the coming weeks. Please help us to set these SMART goals in order for your child to reach his or her full potential in their academic studies this year. Sound routines for homework, timely communication with teachers, and plenty of positive reinforcement will contribute to our student’s confidence in their learning.

It is important that you as a family keep informed of up-coming events and prepare well for them. This fortnightly newsletter is an important communication tool between home and school. MUSAC parent portal is another valuable tool you need to be using and will be open to parents soon. Quickly approaching are the student/parent/teacher goal setting conferences. This is another opportunity to connect with your child’s learning. This goal setting information may be sent to you either as an email, zoom meeting or face-to-face conference. Teachers are establishing good routines, setting high expectations and focusing on our values within their classes, zoom lessons and in the Learning centre.

It was great see and meeting so many on the Tasman site, at our first school BBQ on Friday. The Year 13 senior leaders took this initiative, planned and organised this event. They did a fantastic job as you will all agree (see some of the photos attached)

On the 28^th January, staff, CAs and our Y13 students meet in Murchison to help discuss our strategic direction for this year. Our plan will be an ambitious one but is entirely geared towards producing a 21^st century graduate of Westmount. At the heart of this Strategic Plan are our Values: Integrity, Care and Compassion, Respect, Responsibility, Commitment. We will explore these values closely as a school and connect them with the main themes we will be focusing on this year; Personalised Learning, Self-Directed Learning and being life ready, Flipped Classrooms, Success and Excellence.

Reminders

Students should not have phones at school. If they are needed, then they need to be handed into the office at the start of the day. Reminder, that all bus students should not be using their phones while on the school buses.

Daily Voice

There is a new initiative this year called the Daily Voice where all Westmount come together. This is a global initiative and a first for NZ and is held at the start of the day from 8:40am until 8:50am. It is very important that students are at school by 8:30am in order to be ready for these Webinars. The meetings follow a regular script and are scheduled to ensure each campus has an opportunity to “host” the session on a rotating basis and will cover; Mission & Values, Value of the week / OSA nomination or citation, Peer Cheer, Challenge or puzzle of the day, Daily quote, Study tip of the Day / Curriculum Spotlight, SLT update. Upper South are schedules for Thursday week 4 and Friday week 10. 

Finally, while reflecting on our strategic direction for this year, amongst the challenges we faced in our first week at school, I found this reflection by Michael Angier and thought at this time of the year, as students are planning and setting their learning goals, that we might all consider how we can each support the young people in our lives:

One of the greatest responsibilities we have is to support ourselves and others in living at our highest and best. Whether we’re parents, friends or teachers, it’s incumbent upon us to help others to live as close to their unique potential as we can.

With everything we say and do, we’re influencing, positively or negatively, the people we care about. The ideal is to do this with consideration and intention. Here are ten ways you can help others see and realize the best that’s within them.

1. Believe in Them: We all have self-doubts from time to time. Our confidence is shaken. Having someone believe in you at these times is priceless. The stories of great men and women are saturated with examples of someone who believed in them even when they didn’t fully believe in themselves.
2. Encourage Them: "You can do it. I know you can." These are words that are all-too-infrequently voiced. Sincere encouragement can go a long way in helping someone stay the course.
3. Expect a Lot: We’re often told not to get our hopes up. We’re encouraged to have realistic expectations. But when it comes to helping others operate at their best, we sometimes have to up-level our expectations. This can be taken to extremes, but there are many times when a teacher, a parent or even a friend has required more of us than we thought we were capable. And we’ve risen to the challenge which enabled us to see further than before.
4. Tell the Truth: And tell it with compassion. We often avoid telling the hard truth because we don’t want to upset anyone. We want to be nice. But telling the truth is a loving act. You may be the only person who can or will say to another what needs to be said. And you can confront someone without being combative.
5. Be a Role Model: One of the best ways we influence is by our own actions. Who we are speaks much more loudly than what we say. We automatically emulate our role models. And we’re all role models to someone so let’s be good ones.
6. Share Yourself: Too often, we miss the value of sharing our failings. We don’t want to be vulnerable, so we hold back. In doing so, we deprive others of our experience, our learning and our humanity. When you share from your own experience, especially your failures, you increase empathy, you’re more approachable and you increase your relatability to others.

7. Challenge Them: We all need to be challenged from time to time. Remind people of their commitment to be their best and state your challenge.
8. Ask Good Questions: A good therapist or coach doesn’t tell their clients what to do. They ask good questions for the client to understand themselves better, to get clear on what the issue is and from there to make good choices. You can do the same.
9. Acknowledge Them: You find what you’re looking for. If you’re looking for the best in someone, you’ll see it. If you’re looking for their failings, you’ll see those. Catch people doing things right and tell them. When we acknowledge the good deeds of others, they tend to do more of them.
10. Spend Time with Them: We love what we give our time to. By devoting your most precious resource (time) to another individual, you’re showing them that you truly value them and your relationship with them.

Yours in learning,

Grant Rogers
Upper South Campus Principal

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Mrs Karen Song to the role of Learning Leader at our West Coast Campus.

Mrs Song, who is originally from the USA, has extensive experience in both Primary and Secondary settings, and is currently employed as a Curriculum Specialist and Acting Principal at the CIAPP International School, in Cambodia. She is an experienced educational leader who is currently completing her Doctorate in Education.

Mrs Song is a passionate educational leader who sets high standards and is focussed on providing the best for every student, including fostering high academic achievements, ensuring teachers are the best they can be, and catering for the needs of all learners.  She is a strong believer in the Positive Culture model and in Self Directed Learning, both of which are key elements of the Westmount philosophy.

She and her husband have 2 children, and will be moving to the West Coast from their current home in Cambodia as soon as her work Visa comes through. In the meantime Mrs Pip Hateley will continue to provide leadership in the West Coast.

We are confident that students, parents and staff will all appreciate Mrs Song’s calm demeanour, her wide knowledge of education and her sense of humour. We are confident that she will continue the great work done by Mr Maharaj and the staff on the West Coast. 

Welcome to 2019 everyone! The Upper South Student leadership team are enthusiastic to make this year the best yet filled with fun and great academic results. We want to encourage teamwork and collaboration across all the sites even more than previous years so we can benefit from different ideas and perspectives. So let's work together, students, teachers and community, to make this an awesome year!

TASMAN

Alberta Mclean - Culture & Environment

Hunter Litchfield - Weekly Activities/IT

Beatrice Guy - Fundraising

Georgie Trewavas - Academic/Communications/Assemblies

Trenton Rice - Communications/Assesmblies/IT

MARLBOROUGH

Brynlee Beatson - Culture & Environment/IT

Tayla Clifford - Culture & Environment/Fundraising

WEST COAST

Beulah Deck - Culture & Environment

Rio Amies - Weekly Acitivities

Tara Hill - Academic

Please ensure that all students are wearing the correct school uniform.

* Summer tunics must be 10cm below mid knee point.

* Shoes are black leather. No sports shoes eg Nike, to be worn with the uniform.

* Girls socks are to be white ankle with the fold in the top, not anklet style.

Your help to improve the school image is greatly appreciated.

* Wednesday finish time is 2.10pm

To kickstart the year at Tasman Campus with positive vibes, the Year 13s organised a free community lunch on Friday 2^nd January.Gourmet burgers and refreshing punch was provided for the parents, grandparents, staff and senior students, a sausage sizzle and juice was provided for the juniors. This community lunch was an awesome success thanks to everyone’s help from youngest to oldest. The community’s support was awesome to see and created a real buzz around the school. We hope the community enjoyed it as much as we all did!  Thanks heaps to everyone that came along!