Wellington East Girls' College  /    Te Kura Kōhine o te Rāwhiti o Te Upoko o Te Ika 

Rāwhiti Taukaea

Welink


Issue 5,  September / Mahuru 2023 

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 second half of the term has seen a range of different student led activities including  another Spirit Week and Cultural Diversity Week. We also celebrated the end of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori last week with our first hangi. A big thank you to James Tawhiri and Dion Wilkinson who have supported and helped us to reach this point. These events highlight the leadership skills of our students and their desire to make a difference in our community. 


The end of year celebrations have begun with the Pasifika Students Celebration Evening. It was a wonderful evening where we acknowledged the skills and talents of our Pasifika students in a wide range of school and extra-curricular activities. The event was well supported by a large number of families.


We also celebrated the arrival of our new Deputy Principal, Rebecca Rhodes, with a Mihi Whakatau this week. We are really delighted to welcome Rebecca, who comes to us from the UK and has significant experience in Teaching and Learning and Professional Learning for teachers. Rebecca is also an Old Girl of the school, graduating in 1992.


As we reach the end of the term students will be making decisions about their programmes and planning for the year ahead.. Please contact us if your student needs help with course planning for 2024 or with planning their next steps beyond school.


Ngā mihi nui

Gael Ashworth,  Principal 

Please see the Student Calendar below for student events coming up

What's coming up ? 

22 September - End of Term 3 

22 September - Y9 Tuakana Breakfast 8.45am 

24 September - Year 12 & 13 Ball, 7.00pm-10.30pm

9 October - Start of Term 4 

25 October - Hall remediation and improvement commences 

11 October - Nominations for School Board close at 12.00 noon. 

15 November - Election Day for School Board 

Nominations for WEGC School Board 

Our school will be undertaking a mid-term parent election for two School Board vacancies. This process will start with the issuing of nomination papers to our caregiver community by Friday 22nd September 2023.  We have employed CES to undertake the election process on our behalf. This year with legislative change, our nomination form and full instructions on how to place your nomination into our own School’s Election website will be emailed to you if we have your email address in our database or you will receive it by post if we don’t have your email in our database. Nomination papers will also be available at the school office. The school will send those on to CES for processing upon receipt from candidates.


Nominations close on Wednesday 11th October at 12.00 noon. Election day is Wednesday 15th November.


We look forward to your participation in this process.

Property News 


Asbestos Removal - Hall.   As part of the remediation and improvement to the Hall asbestos has been identified in the ceiling cavity of the Hall.  The area will be closed during the removal and there will be no access for students, parents and staff. The removal will commence on Monday 25 October 2023 with an estimated duration of 10 days.


The asbestos present is non-friable (Class B) and only poses a risk when disturbed.  


All asbestos detected was found in the ceiling void and the building has been deemed as “low risk” to occupancy.


The following methodology will be followed:



The planning process is thorough and robust and meets industry standards.


Please let us know if you require more information about the process : wegc@wegc.school.nz 

Inspirational Breakfast Series - 8 September 2023

Kia ora koutou,


This month we held our second inspirational breakfast of 2023.  

We’d like to say a big thank you to our fabulous panel of past East students – Regan Thomson-Taurima, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Jess Robilliard, Project Manager, TSA, Stella Esson, Rotational Physiotherapist, CCDHB and Tiana Metuarau, Silver Fern Netballer.  

We had over 80 people attend and enjoy insights from the panel covering topics from choosing disciplines, to dealing with challenges, protecting your mental health and staying true to yourself. Along with a fabulous breakfast put on by the WEPA volunteers and a performance from our school choir Rāwhiti

A huge thanks to our key sponsor Wellington Airport,  and to Farrah’s who donated wraps for the brekkie and to the dedicated group of bakers who provided delicious goodies and even smoothies for the breakfast. Without all of this support, events like these for the community wouldn’t happen. 

The next series of Inspirational Breakfasts will return in 2024!

What we’ve been doing behind the scenes

This year WEPA have contributed over $13000 towards various extracurricular school activities.  To achieve this the Parents Association relies on your school donations and supporting events such as the Inspirational Breakfasts – we thank you for your support!  

Join our association – and help grow our extended community

We received some great responses to our 2023 Parent Survey, including those who expressed interest in donating raffle items, helping at events, or providing baking. We appreciate all offers of support.  We are always keen to get new members. If this is of interest, please do join us at one of our monthly meetings. It is a great way to find out what is happening at school, meet other parents and support our students. 

If you like to join us please email parents@wegc.school.nz.

Mā te wā

WEPA committee

Te Aka Snow Camp 

From 3rd-8th September our Te Aka students who are completing their Gold Duke of Edinburgh's award spent 6 days in Wanaka. Two days on Cardrona ski field saw everyone learning to ski. With a lot of perseverance, a number of students were skiing independently by the end of the second day. We then spent three days exploring Snow Farm on snow shoes. Students hiked into Meadow Hut for two nights. Highlights included snow play, wonderful views and spectacular starry nights.

We are grateful for our many supporters who enabled this trip to happen, and to Imogen Feinson and Dot Smith for supporting students on the trip. Huge congratulations to Sofia Sidoruk who has completed her Gold Duke of Edinburgh's award.  Sofia will be presented her award by the Governor General in 2024.

Cultural Diversity Week Term 3 

In the last week of Term 3, Cultural Diversity Week is the perfect opportunity to celebrate our diverse student body, representing an array of culture from around the world.  The school café has been selling food from different cultures throughout the week and started the week with Sapasui to celebrate Samoa & Tonga, on Tuesday it was Nachos, and Wednesday a Vegetarian Samosa as a tribute to India.


Events throughout the week include henna painting and Chinese calligraphy, a cooking session on Tuesday, a day of wearing your cultural attire on Wednesday plus a sausage sizzle, an East vs Wellington College netball game on Thursday, and ending the week with a Ki-o-Rahi tournament on Friday. 

Also outside the school building at night our lights represented flags from a different country each day : 


Monday: Fiji - Red, Blue and White.

Tuesday: Arabic Peninsula - Green, red, white, and black.

Wednesday: Sri Lanka - Yellow, green, orange, and red.

Thursday: Mexico and Italy - Red, White, Green

Friday: Ethiopia - Red, Yellow, Green, Blue

Chinese Immersion Weekend 9/10 September at WEGC

Our Chinese Immersion Weekend was a resounding success! Year 10 and Year 11 students who participated in this event were treated to a rich cultural experience that left them with lasting memories. From language immersion to exploring Chinese traditions and cuisine, it was a weekend filled with learning and fun. We look forward to more such enriching experiences in the future.

Te Wiki O Te Reo Maori 

Our Manu Kura Maori prefects worked hard to bring us some amazing cultural experiences this week.  To start the TWOTRM we shared a beautiful staff breakfast and at Assembly the whole school began to learn the school Haka together.  We also learnt poi making for staff and students at lunchtime in the Whare on Wednesday with Whaea Nan.  We held an interschool Ki o Rahi competition of the top field versus Rongotai College and topped the week off with the Hangi lunch on Friday. 

The new permanent Hangi pit has been dug near the Top Field and our first Hangi was laid on Friday 15 September.   The high winds during the night delayed it slightly but was ready to go for late lunch on Friday.   This was a great celebration of Te Wiki O Te Reo Maori and a fundraiser for our fantastic Kapa Haka group.  

Kohara 2 Shine Exhibition


The Wellington Secondary Schools Maori Arts, Fashion and Textiles Design Exhibition @ Massey University Maori Wellington was held at Massey University from 4-8th September.  Bridging the gap between University and High School, the following schools were represented : 

Wellington East Girls' College

Samuel Marsden

Queen Margaret College

Scots College

St Matthews and Rathkeale College Masterton

Onslow College

Kapiti College

Hutt Valley High School

The WEGC items are now on show in the ground floor area of Matairangi. 

And if you have been in school recently you will have seen the work that our Year 10 Te Reo Maori class have created - there is some beautiful work on display. Huge thanks to Whaea Krystal Clarke for her amazing work with the students. 

Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Gold Award Ceremony 

On Saturday 20 May, the first Gold Award ceremony for 2023 was held at Government House. Among the 43 recipients were six current and former students from Wellington East Girls’ College: Claudia Alloway, Abbey Farrell, Therese Lee, Hope McDermott, Holly McSweeney, and Azarah Verner. These students have demonstrated dedication and perseverance over four or more years to achieve this honor. Congratulations, it is a joy to celebrate your success with you!

Throughout their Award journey, these students have learned the value of commitment, community engagement, teamwork, integrity, and adventure. Even in challenging circumstances, they have shown resilience and self-belief. It is remarkable that they achieved this distinction during a global pandemic. 

These students join an elite group. Of the over 1 million participants in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award worldwide, only 13,000 have attained their Gold Award. That’s a mere 1.3%. 

Achieving the Award would not be possible without the hard work and support of a number of people - a huge thank you to Te Aka DOE Award Leader Leonie King  and everyone involved in supporting the Te Aka students throughout their journey including the Wellington East Parents Association, The Salvation Army, Innermost Community Gardens, Riding for the Disabled, Nuku Ora, El Rancho, Outward Bound and many others. We are also grateful for the wonderful peer support provided by senior WEGC students on the adventurous journeys” and on behalf of the wider school programme THANK YOU to all those who assess, tramp, transport, supervise and support our rangitahi on their journey to Gold - without you the programme would not be the success it is. 




Pasifika Celebration evening 

On Tuesday 19 September we held our inaugural Pasifika Celebration where we celebrated the successes of our Pasifika students across all year levels. The event was hosted by our Pasifika Parents Association and was a great chance for staff, students and their families to celebrate together. 


For students in Year 9 - 12 we presented our Pasifika Values awards for students who are engaged with their learning, extracurricular activities, have strong attendance and show our school values of aroha, whanaungatanga and rangatiratanga. The following students were awarded in 2023:


Year 9:  Maia Kennach, Sunshine Matini-Ito, Faith Sola

Year 10: Ethel Lene, Petra Percival, Ava Yee

Year 11:  Katalina Araboglos, Alesana Boyle-Tiatia, Seralina Seumanufagai

Year 12:  Chelsey Moananu, Leilani Pedro, Hope Vaitogi


The night was also a chance to farewell our Year 13 students and their families from our school community. We wish them all the best for their next steps from school.


Fa’afeitai tele lava to everyone who came on the night for their support and to our Pasifika Parents Association and the Wellington East Girls’ College Parents Association for their support of the event. 




He Huarahi Tamariki School News 

Tuawahine - Book Launch

The latest edition of Tuawahine has now been published.  The HHT school celebrated with an in-house book launch and invited Wellington East Girls College representatives to come along. The event was reported in The Post and this led to an appearance on TVNZ Breakfast for the Kaiārahi Paula Hay and  student Bree Kie Tonga.  They also celebrated with Zonta Mana with a morning tea, who have been supportive of HHT for many years and offer the students substantial support.  

We will be distributing copies of Tuawahine to the wider community over the next couple of months. If you are interested in your own copy, please get in touch via our Facebook page or email us at info@hht.school.nz 

HHT :  YES Initiative — Nature’s Koura

This year, in a first for He Huarahi Tamariki, two students have taken part in the YES (Young Enterprise Scheme) Initiative. Bree and Bailey's business is called Nature’s Koura and their kaupapa is outlined below. One of their first products is a Mamuku, Kawakawa and Lemongrass soap. 

About Us

Kia Ora, our names are Bree and Bailey. We are two young mums determined to make a change not just for us, but for the generations before us and after us. We have a huge passion for well being: spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally.  What sparked this passion in both of us was wanting to be the best us for our babies. We now want this for ourselves as well. We know an important part of our well being includes what we put on our skin. “The little things matter.”  

Mission

Our kaupapa is to enrich people's lives with natural and sustainable products to nourish the wellbeing of one's wairua and to reduce the footprint of environmental pollution in society. We strive to raise and bring awareness as to why and how natural products are more beneficial for not just ourselves, but the environment as well long term. We incorporate Rongoā ( Māori medicine ) in most of our products to honour and integrate our culture and to also bring more awareness to how this ancient knowledge can heal and serve us. 

Vision

We see a future of understanding the impact of what we put on and in our bodies, a future where everyone is educated about where and how these resources are sourced, and the consequences our actions have on ourselves and the beautiful environment around us. We see ourselves expanding into many areas of well being as it is a huge passion of ours, and for our shop to not just be a place to “buy natural” but to find support. We see our business planting seeds of well being for individuals, where they start their own journey in well being. 

Bree Kie Tonga & Bailey Taylor-Edwards

If you are interested in purchasing any, you can contact Bree and Bailey at natureskoura@gmail.com or on Facebook at Nature’s Koura. We would also like to acknowledge the support of their mentors Lambrini Phillips & Yolande Rosario (YES) and Marion Myers (Volunteer), and the other organisations who have supported their business with retail opportunites: Partners Porirua and The Blue Bell Club.

Sports at East

You can find information on all sports offered at East, as well as our latest achievements on our school website.  

You can also check out Instagram and Facebook pages for WEGC Sport at @wegcsport   www.facebook.com/wegcsport

2023 Payment of School Fees/Donations 

You can view and pay your school account from the Kamar portal: https://kamarweb.wegc.school.nz/index.php  

Direct credit payments can be made using the following details:

WEGC Bank Account Details:

ANZ Bank Wellington

06 0501 0908375 000

Reference: Please use student ID (on invoice) 

Particulars: payment details (example: ID Card, GE200 Trip)

Payment in person @ School:  Payments are accepted at reception from 8:15 am until 3.30 pm Monday to Friday. The School is closed during public holidays and school term breaks. Payments by cash or EFTPOS are available.

Ways to help WEGC - Fundraising : 

Entertainment Book 

Please support Wellington East as we sell Entertainment memberships. We are fundraising to ensure that all East girls are able to access the same opportunities. 20% of your Membership purchase comes directly to us!


Receive fantastic savings while you eat, play and shop with Entertainment. Memberships are convenient and easy to use for you and your family over any 12 month period from activation.


There are three different types of memberships:-

· Single City Membership

· Multi City Membership – unlocks 21 cities in New Zealand and Australia

· Multi Plus Membership – double the savings of a multi city membership for two years

Current Promotion - A Bonus Holiday Pack valued at up to $275 with 12 & 24 Month Single City Memberships (starts at $69.99, of which 20% comes to your fundraising)
This limited-time exclusive Bonus Holiday Pack includes:

Plus, every Membership purchased goes into the draw to win an epic cruise holiday on the azure waters of Fiji, valued at over $7,282!

Get yours today online by clicking the link below!

https://www.entertainmentbook.co.nz/orderbooks/105u644


Thank you for your support



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. Every time you purchase products from New World Wellington City, they will pay the school 1.5% pa of the total $ sales value.

Community information 

Parking and Transport changes :  Have your say by 8 October – planned parking scheme and transport changes for Berhampore and Newtown

 

Wellingtonians have asked for action on climate change and transport. Our city is growing and in Newtown, parking is already under pressure. With more cars and limited space, the proposed new parking scheme will prioritise residents and help ease parking pressures. There will be more two-hour parking for visitors and tradespeople, and less unrestricted parking.

 

Proposed street changes will make it easier to walk, bike, or bus between Island Bay and Newtown. This will also complete the safe bike connection from the south coast to the central city.


Your feedback will help the City Council to understand how these changes will affect you and the wider community.

Find out more and have your say.

 


Te Wao Nui Children's Hospital - Request for Volunteers 

Our Annual Street Appeal for Te Wao Nui regional children's hospital is gearing up for an action-packed day on Saturday 30th September, and we need your help to make it a massive success!

 

Any of us who have had the experience of a sick child who needs hospital treatment, knows how traumatic that can be.  And with 87,000 visits to the children’s hospital from tamariki across our region every year, they're counting on us for a brighter, healthier future.

 

Volunteer collectors are needed in Wellington, Lower Hutt, Petone, Porirua and Kapiti.

 

If you can spare just 2 hours of your time to collect, please sign up to your preferred location at https://signup.com/go/WCHStreetAppeal

 

Please sign up today and share with your whānau and friends! For further information contact: streetappeal@whf.org.nz


 Welink Newsletter : Wellington East Girls' College, Austin Street, Mt Victoria 6011, Ph 385 8514, www.wegc.school.nz