Wellington East Girls' College / Te Kura Kōhine o te Rāwhiti o Te Upoko o Te Ika
Welink
Issue 4, Hōngongoi /July 2020
Welink is a newsletter produced as a link between Wellington East Girls' College and our community, and is emailed to parents and students. It contains essential information as well as news for caregivers. It is also on our website – www.wegc.school.nz. Please advise the school if you have changed your contact details, or would like to add an email address: wegc@wegc.school.nz
Principal's Message
Tēnā koutou kātoa,
This week marks the end of a long and eventful term with students and staff successfully transitioning back into school. Post lockdown has given us an opportunity to reflect; recognising the critical nature of relationships between teachers and learners and the importance of the social aspects of schooling. I have seen the students pleasure in connecting and re-engaging in a range of community and extra-curricular activities over the last weeks.
Our annual Open Evening for prospective Year 8 students is always a true community event, with staff and students working together to showcase our school, with everything from arranging subject specific activities and displays to taking tours and organising parking. The students are amazing ambassadors and gain joy from serving the school in this way. They are a true reflection of our values in action.
The Netball season began on Saturday. This is such a big part of our school sport and it was a pleasure to see students, managers, coaches and whānau demonstrating great sportsmanship and team-work and the camaraderie that is such a beneficial part of team sports.
Finally, this week is Purple Power Week, an event that originated at Wellington East to empower young women across the city. This year the students have promoted the week in the national media through engaging high profile New Zealanders such as Jacinda Ardern and Dame Patsy Reddy to endorse the event, with all proceeds going to Women’s Refuge. They have also connected with schools across the country who are engaging with the event in their own ways. This is testimony to the determination and drive that our young people have to act in ways that can bring about social change for others.
I hope that you all have a restful term break and look forward to seeing you all in Term 3.
Ngā mihi nui
Gael Ashworth, Principal
Board of Trustees
Kia ora koutou
On behalf of the Board, I would like to wish all our wahine at East an amazing and successful Purple Power Week. This is an amazing initiative started by Head Girl Olive Brown in 2015, for the school to to celebrate the strength and power of women, and what a legacy she has created for East and all women in Aotearoa. The article in Stuff last week and accompanying video created by today's Head Girls, Lorna and Sophie, shows how a single idea can be converted into so much more by inspiring others. Garnering the support of our Governor General Dame Patsy Reddie and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, as well as many of New Zealand's other leading women to promote Purple Power Week across the nation is quite phenomenal. Congratulations and go well.
Last week it was my pleasure to attend the annual open evening to welcome next year's potential new students and whanau to the school. Despite the very unpleasant weather, we were delighted to have a packed house, with standing room only for many. I was very proud to listen to our Head Girls, Lorna and Sophie deliver with real passion a funny and engaging speech on what life is like at East - they both could have very successful careers in sales one day! This was followed by two Yr9's Fatimai Lefale and Martha McNamee who spoke with great composure to an audience of over 600 about what their experience has been like since arriving at East in January, ka pai to you both for your strength and courage to take on that unenviable task. The atmosphere of anticipation and warmth in the hall, and the number of attendees, clearly shows that our school's future is set to go from strength to strength.
Lastly, a hearty congratulations to all students, staff and the leadership team for making it through a marathon term, like none ever experienced before. Reflecting back, it is hard to believe the monumental effort it took to work through lock-down and then re-open the school and return to "normal". I do know that everyone is very tired and looking forward to a well deserved break. And so on that note, enjoy the next two weeks and travel safely if you are off to enjoy some of the wonderful experiences that New Zealand has to offer.
Ngā mihi nui
Jo Lambert, Chair
Wellington East Parents' Association (WEPA)
Kia ora everyone
It feels positive to be slowly returning to some form of normality, although for many it remains a difficult and unsettling time. Our girls are back at school on site and reacquainting themselves with their teachers and friends. Thank you for doing your part in protecting our community from Covid-19. Those of you with family in managed isolation, or separated from your loved ones overseas, we send you our best wishes.
WEPA met in person for the first time earlier this month. It was good to be back. We have started looking at new grant applications, and other opportunities to support our students. We hope to share some good news with you all in the next issue of Welink on a wonderful new piece of equipment for the school.
In Term 3 we plan to host another Inspirational Breakfast so please keep an eye out for information on that. Our next meeting date is Thursday 23 July at 6:30pm in the main block. Please get in touch via parents@wegc.govt.nz and join us – we welcome your involvement and interest.
Nga mihi nui
Drew Blair, WEPA Committee
Uniform
It has been a challenge for our students post lock down to adjust from non-uniform days into formal school uniform. This term we have seen a number of incorrect items being worn to school, and we as a community can do better. Our uniform is important and is a visible symbol to the wider community of our pride and Whakawhanaungatanga to the college. We take pride in how we present ourselves and the students have the opportunity to show rangatiratanga by wearing the correct uniform.
We value your support in assisting us with uniforms for Year 9-12, by checking that your child is wearing the correct uniform to and from school, providing a note for any incorrect uniform items.
We have a range of different options that is inclusive to all students, these items are available for purchase from the uniform shop.
Term 3 is our winter uniform - this includes: School Skirt/Pants/Shorts, white socks or black leggings, black leather covered shoes, long sleeved blouse, School Tie, Jersey/Cardigan/Vest and School Rain Jacket.
If you have any queries regarding uniform please contact Miss V Masoe (Deputy Principal) vienna.masoe@wegc.school.nz
Uniform items are available for purchase from Reception between 8.15am-3.45pm each day of the school term. For any queries, please call 385-8514 x 841. Full details, including a price list, are available online at our website. Students are able to make purchases at intervals, lunchtimes and after school.
http://www.wegc.school.nz/parents/uniform
Winter uniform
Summer uniform
Black roman sandals regulation
Black leather lace up regulation
Black lace up shoes regulation
NON regulation sandals
Ngā Hau e Whā Wellington Kapa-Haka Festival
Friday 18 September : begins at 9.00am
This Kapa-Haka Festival will be taking place during the celebrations for Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori 2020, and hosted at Wellington College.
Wellington East Girls' College, Rongotai College and Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngā Mokopuna will be performing as Ngā Taiohi o Te Rāwhiti o Te Ūpoko o Te Ika at this event.
Come along and celebrate Te Reo Māori among the wider community of all secondary schools within the Wellington to Kapiti Coast Region.
Matariki : Dawn Ceremony - Manu Tukutuku Art Work (Traditional Māori Kites)
The Senior Students from the Tikanga Committee alongside Senior Leadership and Māori Department are currently in the process of organising the Dawn Ceremony to open the New Year for Matariki next term. Matua Hemi Akuhata has begun to teach one of the many traditional practices during Matariki which is crafting Manu Tukutuku (Māori Kites) made of harakeke flax, sedge grass, raupō (bullrush) and string.
Matariki Dawn Ceremony - 20 July 2020
This ceremony will be held on Monday 20 July at the Wellington East Girls College top field. The ceremony will start at 6.00am and finish at approx. 6.30am. Please meet in the school quad at 5:50am to be brought up to the top field.
Everyone is welcome to attend and witness this amazing ceremony as a wider school whānau. We will have singing, kapa haka, entertainment and we will be planting a new Tōtara tree to commemorate the new year! A light breakfast and entertainment will be provided after the ceremony for all whānau and students.
We look forward to seeing you all there to celebrate with us!
Open Evening 2020
Our Open Evening was held on 24 June with a record number of attendees visiting the school. We had speeches, performances and classroom displays set up for the prospective students to view, and get a feel for Wellington East. This is our only event where we open the school for our community, and we were pleased that so many Year 8 students and their whānau came along to meet with us. We are busy enrolling new students for 2021 and look forward to welcoming them in the new school year.
Purple Power Week
In the last week of Term, we have had a week of events and celebration of empowerment of women, and you may have spotted the story in Stuff by Lorna and Sophie, our Head Girls. The link is below :
Their video has more information and includes messages from supporters such as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Hilary Barry and other influential kiwis. The school has been decorated in purple streamers and posters for the week, and our historic façade has been lit with purple light to celebrate. We held events this week : a PPW Student vs Teachers multisports game, sold PPW stickers, held a photobooth fundraiser, and rounded off with a PPW Dance party at lunchtime on Thursday 2 July.
Students v Teachers
PPW photo booth
Readers Cup Regional Competition
The Readers Cup is coming to Wellington for the first time! The Readers Cup is a nationwide competition for year 9 students, which celebrates and promotes reading.
East is proud to be hosting the first competition for the Wellington region in mid-August, which will see teams from 11 schools compete to go to the national competition in October.
A big congratulations to the following students, who will be representing us at the regional competition: Lily Davies, Lulu Davies, Cammie Sanson, Emma Hoshino, Helena Riddell and Bree Leogreen (reserve)
Congratulations to the following students who have completed their Bronze Awards in the last month: Ileshaa Dias, Cathryn Downes, Abby Farrell, Holly Minchin and Amelia Nelson. Ka pai!
Duke of Edinburgh Hillary Award
Tena Koutou,
Did you know? The original idea for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award came from Dr Kurt Hahn, a Rhodes Scholar and Private Secretary to the last Imperial German Chancellor back in the 1930s. Hahn fled Germany before the second world war and would later become schoolmaster to a young Duke of Edinburgh in Scotland. In the 1950s Dr Kurt was joined by Brigadier Sir John Hunt, the leader of the first expedition to reach the Summit of Mount Everest, and together they formed a representative committee to establish the Award scheme. The Duke of Edinburgh gave his approval, agreed to be the Chair of the organisation and in 1956 the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award was born.
Initially the Award was aimed at boys aged 15-18, hoping to engage them in a balanced programme of voluntary self-development activities to “take them through the potentially difficult period” between adolescence and adulthood! It only took two years to recognise that this was a valuable programme for girls too (formed in 1958) and in 1969 the two separate schemes were amalgamated.
By 1971 the Award operated in 31 countries and the age limit had been widened to include 14-24 year olds. In 1988 the Award had gone beyond the boundaries of the Commonwealth and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award International Association was formed. Today more than 130 countries offer the Award to more than 1.3 million young people. So why is it still so relevant in our modern day and how does it add to the current formal learning environment?
Put simply, the Award is about creating individual challenges, developing a sense of commitment and providing opportunities to learn by experience. It is achievable by anyone, regardless of ability, gender, background or location. The Award provides non-formal education opportunities that foster personal and social development, enabling individuals to grow in confidence, become more aware of their environment and community and gain a sense of achievement. Basically - it’s a great framework to inspire our young people to be physically active lifelong learners, who are community focused and adventurous. It’s also a great way to develop leadership. The Award scheme still helps grow great young adults!
Did you know? Students can enter the Award directly at any level, subject to age requirements. Direct entry Awardees have different requirements in order to complete each section but the structure is the same. Most importantly, a number of organisations have financial assistance grants available for students that want to do the Award but due to financial hardship may otherwise not be able to. If you have any questions about the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and how it is facilitated here at WEGC you are welcome to get in touch anytime!
Deb Remacha, Co-ordinator, deb.remacha@wegc.school.nz
Entertainment Book 2021
Connecting Communities – There has never been a more important time to support us with our fundraising and local business at the same time.
20% of each Membership sales goes directly to supporting Wellington East Girls’ College to help us ensure that all East girls have access to the same opportunities.
Entertainment memberships are now completely digital, with three new digital memberships.
Entertainment Memberships can start anytime and are packed with thousands of substantial savings. Entertain yourself and save from the comfort of your own home. Shop in your favourite online stores and enjoy movies, TV shows, games and much more for less with Entertainment.
Buy a Membership by July 13 and receive a $10 or $20 Countdown Gift Card, and a chance to Win a $1000 JB HiFi eGift card!
There’s also a Bonus 2 Months extra added to all Memberships purchased before 13th July, to acknowledge the time in lockdown we have just been through.
You can purchase your WEGC Membership here https://www.entertainmentbook.co.nz/orderbooks/105u644
GirlBoss Edge Healthcare Challenge - online course held
In May, four of our Year 12 students were selected to participate in the GirlBoss Edge Healthcare Challenge. This online 10 day course is aimed at encouraging our young women to be confident, energised and resilient leaders. Our students highly recommend this course and would encourage their peers to take up the challenge if they have the opportunity. These are their experiences.
During quarantine, I had the pleasure of joining and completing the GirlBoss Edge Healthcare Challenge. I had the opportunity to meet other young women around NZ and interview health professionals. Girl Boss was a wonderful experience which taught me essential and valuable skills that would help me over the course of my career. As the 10-day course was about to end I was able to open my eyes and understand a bigger challenge is coming in the future and I had to prepare for it. Taking part in this course opened our eyes to the many different fields of healthcare we can pursue. As representatives of WEGC it has been an amazing opportunity to gain more great leadership skills and to learn from women in STEM subjects striving high!
Year 12 students Mia Matega, Anoushey Khan, Firdaws Ibrahim and Paradise Lesatele
Girlboss information : https://www.girlboss.nz/
School traffic pick up and drop off
In these wet winter months, if parents are collecting or dropping off students please do not drive on to the site, unless the student has been given permission to be collected directly from the school. If you are on the school site, please follow the usual traffic laws and parking regulations. The best practice is for parents to park in the nearby streets, away from bus stops, and avoiding blocking access ways. Thank you for your co-operation and keeping our students safe.
What is it like to do Taekwon-do at East?
Taekwon-do is a Korean martial art of self-defence. It’s a lot of fun to learn punching, jumping kicks, and blocks. We also learn things like self-discipline and perseverance. But what makes learning ITF Taekwon-do at Wellington East different from learning at other clubs? I asked some of the ākonga of East’s own Taekwon-do club what it was like.
What we enjoy:
“I like getting to interact with people you wouldn’t normally talk to or be in the same classes with. It’s lovely to be able to meet new people.
“We get to learn self defence in a fun way that is still educational. And we get to practise different skills such as teamwork, self management etc.”
“What I enjoy about Taekwondo is learning how to defend myself, being in a comfortable environment, and building up my flexibility/fitness.”
“I get to work with other people so that we can all learn together. It’s also great for getting more fit! I’ve gotten a lot more athletic since joining. And it’s in school. I like how it fits in nicely right after school so that there is no unnecessary walking about or sitting around.”
What we find the hardest about Taekwon-do:
“What I find difficult is trying to remember the theory and the words in Korean.”
“The most difficult thing about learning Taekwon-Do is mostly that I’ve had to improve my stamina. At first it was hard to keep up since my stamina is on the weaker side. I still get tired quickly, but it’s improved a lot.”
“For me the hardest thing about Taekwon-do is the grading. I don’t particularly look forward to it. But once it’s over it is good because you know where you are at and what to work on, and you feel a sense of self achievement.”
It’s a lot of fun! Wanna join in?
If you’re keen to try out Taekwon-do in term 3 or beyond, send Miss Karl an email at alex.karl@wegc.school.nz
WEGC in the News - Phoenix Patea
Our Sports Prefect Phoenix Patea has been profiled in College Sport Wellington on their website. You can check it out at this link below:
https://collegesport.org.nz/2020/06/29/phoenix-patea-why-sport-matters/
Our 2020 Tuakana (Big Sisters)
Sports at East
You can find information on all sports offered at East, as well as our latest achievements - the link is here and is also on our school website. You can also check out Instagram and Facebook pages for WEGC Sport.
Ways to help - Fundraising for WEGC:
When you are shopping at Wellington City New World:
- Have your docket stamped at the time of purchase by a checkout Supervisor
- Deposit your docket in the East drop box provided in the main entrance of New World.
- Duplicate receipts can be requested, at time of purchase, if the original is required.
Welink Newsletter : Wellington East Girls' College, Austin Street, Mt Victoria 6011, Ph 385 8514, www.wegc.school.nz
