THE RECORD MAY 11, 2016 7

Principal’s Message

Term Dates Term 2: Monday 2 May – Friday 8 July

Monday 6 June – Queen’s BirthdayTerm 3: Monday 25 July – Friday 23 SeptemberTerm 4: Monday 10 October – Friday 16 December

Monday 24 October – Labour DayThursday 10 November – Staff Only DayFriday 11 November – Canterbury Anniversary

Welcome

Our year began with a Mihi Whakatau, or welcome ceremony, for our new staff and students. It was a day of new uniforms, new teachers, new classrooms and the beginning of new friendships and opportunities.Representing all contributing schools in the area, Darfield Primary students sang beautifully and looked on proudly as they handed over their ex-students. Mr Morris urged students to make the most of the many and varied opportunities that will be made available to them so that, at the end of their journey, they could look back and say how they had contributed to the school in a positive way.Following the formal ceremony, students and staff shared morning tea and time together; a fitting way to begin the new year.

Miss Nicola Hely, International Director, introduced us to the new students who will be with us this year:

Suzumi (Japan): likes skiing, dancing, and music, and is looking forward to studying here and playing volleyball. Yoonjeong (Korea): loves music and is looking forward to learning English.Lee-Ann (Germany): enjoys running, horse-riding, and travelling. She is looking forward to rock-climbing, shooting, water-skiing, and motocross here in NZ.Mana (Japan): loves animals, singing and music. She is looking forward to making new friends.Koki (Japan): loves skiing and reading. He is wanting to learn English, make new friends and get involved in sports. Yuuki (Japan):, enjoys football and skiing and is going to join the football team here, learn NZ culture, and make new friends.

Above: Yoonjeong, Miss Hely, Suzumi,

Lee-Ann, Mana, Koki and Yuuki

Above: New Year 7 students head into the Hall to be

officially welcomed

WelcomeWelcome to our first community newsletter for 2016. The purpose of this newsletter is to share with our wider community the news and events from Darfield High School. Although we have a regular electronic newsletter that goes to our families, we want to be able to keep in touch with all of those in the area that we serve. In this newsletter, we will reflect on successes and events from the first part of the year and look forward to Term 2 events. We are proud of our school and the achievement of our students, and we want to share this with you.

We started the year with a roll of about 850 students. This is the largest the school has been. Planning is underway for the development of four new classrooms and the replacement of four others. An architect has been appointed and design work is now being undertaken.

2015 NCEAThere were some exceptional results attained by students in the 2015 NCEA:• At Level One 95.2% achieved the certificate with over

50% gaining a Merit or Excellence endorsement.• At Level Two 92.5% achieved the certificate with 27%

gaining a Merit or Excellence endorsement.• At Level Three 89.7% achieved the certificate with

37% gaining a Merit or Excellence endorsement.The proportion of students who achieved their NCEA Certificates at Darfield High School was higher than the National and Decile comparisons for all levels. Thank you to our staff for the hard work that goes in to supporting the students to achieve so well.

Congratulations to George Watson for achieving a Scholarship in Biology and to Sarah Baker for achieving a Scholarship in Media Studies.

Enrolment Zone Changes for 2017The Ministry of Education recently approved changes to the Darfield High School enrolment zone in order to accommodate Rolleston College which will open for Year 9 students in 2017. Put simply, from 2017, students in Year 9 and below in the West Melton area will be out of zone for Darfield High School. Siblings of current students are not affected and all students in affected areas have the option to make an enrolment application as an out of zone student. Out of zone enrolment applications are due by 5 August. Full details of the zones will be available on the school website.

Malvern Community of LearningSchools in our community do a tremendous job educating our children. The Malvern group of schools that include Darfield High, Darfield Primary School, Glentunnel School, Greendale School, Hororata School, Kirwee School, Sheffield School, Springfield School, and Windwhistle School, along with Darfield Preschool and Annabel’s Educare, are working together to form a ‘community of learning’. We are currently working to develop goals or ‘achievement challenges’ in order that we have a co-ordinated focus on the key learning needs of our students. More on this in our next newsletter.James MorrisPrincipal

Celebrating 65 Years

Sixty-five years ago, in 1951, 44 students began their High School tuition at Darfield and now, the school roll is approximately 850 students! On Saturday 27 February, ex-students and staff reunited and celebrated with tours around the school, afternoon tea and a “cuppa and a natter”, catching up with old friends. The day ended with a formal dinner and dance, held at the Darfield Recreation Centre. Charlie McCaughan, Patron of the Ex-Students’ Association, cut the Jubilee cake, and Diane Woodward, Secretary of the Association, was accorded ‘Life Membership’.

The Jubilee committee is proud to have raised $1410.00 to go towards the school’s Memorial to the earthquakes of 4 September 2010 and 22 February 2011.“It was a great day renewing aquaintances with school mates and reliving what we agree were the best days of our lives— so much so, we think we will do it all again for the 70th Jubilee in 2021.” Lindsay Johnson, Ex-Students’ Association President

For all our latest news, events, school calendar, and gallery of photos, bookmark http://darfield.school.nz/

Our Website

Darfield High SchoolCommunity News Term 1 Page 1

Meet our Senior Leaders

Head Girl Lexi Sutherland

Deputy Head Girl Emily de Rooy

Deputy Head Boy Luke McKay

Head of Sport Grace Lemon

Head of Culture Ellen Walters

Head Boy Edward Searle

DHS 65th Jubilee1952–1954

8 MAY 11, 2016 THE RECORD

Sheilah Winn Shakespeare CompetitionAt the end of March, a small group of senior Drama students entered two student-directed pieces in the Shakespeare Festival, held in Christchurch. An intense five-minute scene from Hamlet, directed by Lexi Sutherland, and performed by Sophie Bucknell, Natasha Young, Caleb Banks, and Sydney Riley, won the ‘Best Vocal Performance’ and the opportunity to perform at the Regional Finals, held at the Court Theatre. The group won the award for the ‘Best Dramatic Intensity’ and really enjoyed treading the boards of the Court Theatre.

Above: Lexi (Director), Natasha (Queen), Caleb (King), Sophie

(Ophelia) and Sydney (Laertes)

Congratulations

NZ Secondary Schools’ Triathlon Tom Freeman (right) placed First in the Open Water Championships at the above event held in Queenstown recently. This is a supreme achievement and he is looking forward to defending the title at next year’s event.

Canterbury Cat ShowCongratulations to Sam Begbie and her cat, Tank (right), who came away with many awards, including Supreme Awards, at the Canterbury All Breeds Cat Show, held in Papanui.

A Busy Term for International

The International Department has had a very busy start to the year, hosting visiting groups from Yubetsu Town and Setagaya Gakuen School, from Japan, and Kiwi Centre, Thailand. It has been wonderful to share some New Zealand culture with each of these groups and they all enjoyed spending time in our community.

The year began with a pool party to welcome new and returning students. It was great to have so many from host families, and our student cultural ambassadors come along too. Everyone enjoyed a Kiwi BBQ between swims.

A new initiative running this year is the International Club. Every Thursday after school, International and Kiwi students gather for sports and games, to watch DVDs and to do some cooking together.

Last year, the Cultural Ambassadors group was implemented for students who are interested in learning about other cultures, getting to know our international students, and helping to host visitors from different countries. It is pleasing to see how well this has grown, and they have successfully hosted a BBQ, joined in Club activities, and warmly welcomed our visiting tour groups.

Swimming Congratulations to Ethan Taylor (right) who competed in the NZ Division II Championships in Invercargill. He won Bronze for 50m Breaststroke, Gold for 100m Breaststroke, and Silver for 200m Breaststroke.

National Marching ChampionshipsKate Sutton marches for the Eclipse U16, which competed at the National Championships in Auckland on 12 March. There they successfully retained the New Zealand Champion Display title, placed 2nd Technical Drill and Overall Runner-up New Zealand Champion U16 Team 2016.

Japanese Exchange Trip Celine Jenkins and Emma Ashworth (right) have been selected from 14 applicants to go on an exchange trip to Japan. This trip was made possible by the Christchurch/Kurashiki Japan Exchange for Youth with Disabilities. The two cities became sister cities in 1973 and the exchange provides students the opportunity to experience the culture of each other’s cities and see first-hand what services and facilities each city has for people with disabilities.

Children’s FEI International Show JumpingSophie Townsend (right) placed 2nd in New Zealand at the above competition, sitting on zero faults and was less than a second behind 1st placegetter. She will find out in December if she gets to represent NZ overseas; she has to be in the top 20 in the world to qualify. Sophie also won 1st in the South Island Canterbury Saddlery 1.10m Championship Series.

Horse of the YearCourtney Townsend (right) placed 3rd in New Zealand for Junior Rider, 2nd in NZ Junior Rider Equitation, 4th in Junior Rider of the Year, 4th in South Island Junior Rider, and 8th in New Zealand for Junior Rider Series. She also gained 3rd in the 1.30m at Series Finals.

Secondary Schools’ Symphony OrchestraCongratulations to Ellen Walters (right), who was selected to play for the Secondary Schools’ Symphony Orchestra. After many rehearsals, the main performance was held at the Charles Luney Auditorium, Christchurch. Ellen was really looking forward to working with other talented people, and being inspired by performing famous pieces.

New Zealand Claybird Shooting NationalsBen Sharp (right) competed against over 300 competitors at the above Nationals, held at McLeans Island Canterbury Gun Club during March. He was very pleased to win a Bronze medal in the Minis B Grade Championships and then, later in the competition, he was in a team of three of the top South Island juniors and, shooting against the North Island teams, they placed Second.

Darfield High SchoolCommunity News Term 1 Page 2

Above: the winning team, Darfield Blue, and their trophy

Canterbury Interschools’ Dressage CompetitionWith 30 teams competing and the top prize sought after, conditions were perfect at McLeans Island for the event. Our two teams had a fantastic day, with the Darfield Blue team (Left: Lily Barrett-Power, Georgia Allison, Niamh Rayne, and Rosa Millar) performing exceptionally well, taking out the coveted prize for the top team.

Lily is certainly one to watch for in the future, as she won both of the tests on her beautiful Fresian mare, Izabella M, and the cup for the highest Level 1 score. Georgia also had a wonderful day, riding a young and inexperienced horse, and she gained 3rd and 4th placings.

Geography Outside the ClassroomBoth Years 11 and 12 Geography classes headed off to study different terrain and geographical features in Canterbury—Year 11 to Kaikoura and Hanmer, and Year 12 to Mt Cook. Data collection, mixed with some sightseeing, tours, dolphins, and fun, were all on the agenda. The Year 12 students climbed high above Mt Cook Village to the Red Tarns, were able to get really close to big icebergs in the Tasman Glacier Lake and walked up to the Hooker Glacier, enjoying the amazing scenery.

Above: Year 12 Geography students at Mt Cook

Photo by Annie StudholmePhoto by Annie Studholme

THE RECORD MAY 11, 2016 9

Sporting EventsCross CountryAge Winner Year 7 Boys Callum Summerfield Year 7 Girls Anna McKenzie Year 8 Boys Ethan Rose Year 8 Girls Caitlin Knowles Under 14 Boys Johnny Sims Under 14 Girls Paige Hunter Under 15 Boys Jackson Proud Under 15 Girls Maddie Anthony Under 16 ½ Boys Harry Bampton Under 16 ½ Girls Georgia Shinn Over 16 ½ Boys Isaac Proud Over 16 ½ Girls Karta Hewitt

TriathlonIndividualsYears 11–13 Boys Girls Matthew Grigg Jessica OsborneYears 9 and 10 Boys Girls Jackson Proud Caitlin RayneYears 7 and 8 Boys Girls Ethan Rose Holly CurtisTeamsMixed Years 7 and 8 Vincent Sanderson/Jacob Horrey/Emily MangelsJunior Years 7 and 8 Girls: Caitlin Knowles/Georgie Sarginson/Sophie Kingi Boys: Callum Summerfield/Jonty Kupe/Ethan LongdinIntermediate Years 9 & 10 Girls: Georgia Allison/Abie Tuhill/Nicole Grigg Boys: Jesse Gray/Caleb Curtin/George McIntosh Mixed Years 11–13 Holly Kimber/Nathaniel Dysart/James Doherty Senior Years 11–13 Girls: Georgia Cottrell/Anna Hefferon/Holly KimberBoys: Finn McGregor/Gus Thomas/Hamish Evans

SwimmingAge WinnerUnder 13 Boys Jack KennedyUnder 13 Girls Erin HammondJunior Boys Ethan TaylorJunior Girls Laura AshworthIntermediate Boys Harry BamptonIntermediate Girls Amber Hammond / Christal DudleySenior Boys Aidan Tuhill Senior Girls Holly Kimber

Athletics Age Champion U12 Boys Harrison Beresford U12 Girls Emily Waters U13 Boys William Brown U13 Girls Scarlett Banks U14 Boys Cameron O’Donnell U14 Girls Stefanie McKenzie Junior U15 Boys George Brown/Jackson ProudJunior U15 Girls Penny Mitchell Intermediate U16 Boys Harry Bampton Intermediate U16 Girls Pippa Foster Senior O16 Boys Isaac Proud Senior O16 Girls Karta Hewitt

Athletic Records BrokenUnder 12 Girls Shot Put Emma Wason (2.00 kg) 8.76 metresUnder 14 Girls Javelin Brianna Longdin 22.18 metres (Old Record: 19.66 metres Georgia Lovelady 2006)

100 metres Zoe Spinks 13.41 sec (Old Record: 13.65 sec Lisa van der Plas 1994)

200 metres Zoe Spinks 29.21 sec (Old Record: 30.16 sec Lisa van der Plas 1994)

Under 12 Boys Shot Put Jack Buist-Brown (2.00 kg) 9.21 metresUnder 13 Boys 200 metres William Brown 28.86 sec (Old Record: 28.90 sec Andrew Muscroft-Taylor 1990)

Junior BoysHigh Jump Callum Murdoch 1.68 metres (Old Record: 1.66 metres Angus Field 2010)

Javelin Jackson Proud 37.77 metres (Old Record: 35.71 metres Richard Williams 2004)

South Island SS Athletic ChampionshipsCallum Murdoch placed first in Junior Boys High Jump.

Canterbury Primary School Swimming SportsBoys 25m Free Multi-Class: 1st Ben KnowlesBoys 25m Back Multi-Class: 1st Ben KnowlesGirls 11 Years 50m Freestyle: 1st Erin HammondGirls 11 Years 50m Backstroke: 1st Erin HammondMixed 11 Years 200m Relay: 2nd Darfield High School

Year 9: Climbing and Caving at CraigieburnOver the course of two weeks, the Year 9 classes split up and headed up to Craigieburn for several days of outdoor adventure activities: caving, rock climbing and abseiling at Cave Stream, kayaking on Lake Pearson, hiking, possum trapping and learning about native endangered mistletoe in the forest, and general fun times had by all.

Many students were surprised at what they were able to accomplish, putting their nerves aside and conquering those fears.

Year 7: Lake Lyndon AdventuresEach group of Year 7s spent three days packed with activities up at Lake Lyndon, discovering all the fun you can have in the outdoors. Tramping, swimming in the lake, mountain biking, orienteering, skiffing and dealing with different weather conditions made for challenging and satisfying experiences. During Bushcraft lessons, students in groups had to find hidden items, like tarpaulins and ropes and then, using other resources found around them, build waterproof shelters, which ended with the teachers testing them with buckets of water. Camp concerts were a highlight, with students talents coming to the for. Preparing meals and games all made the camp experience a huge success.

Camp Weeks

Darfield High SchoolCommunity News Term 1 Page 3

10 MAY 11, 2016 THE RECORD

Term 2 Events May10 Production: Bugsy Malone Opening Night, 7.30 pm Canterbury PS Duathlon Championships Careers Expo, School Hall, Pds 1– 5 Board of Trustees Meeting, 7.00 pm 11 1st XV vs Westland at Darfield Production: Bugsy Malone Matinee, 10.00 am12 Canterbury SS Road Racing Championships Senior Market Day Production: Bugsy Malone, 7.30 pm13 Senior Art Visit to Christchurch Jazz Band at CPIT, Pd 5 Production: Bugsy Malone, 7.30 pm15 Year 13 Biology Trip to Kaikoura (to 17th)16 Year 12 Outdoor Ed Day17 ICAS Computing Competition Stage Challenge PTSA Meeting, 7.45 pm18 Rugby 1st XV College Day 19 Drama Devising Evening20 Year 13 Rural College Day Newsletter 23 Year 11 History Trip to the Air Force Museum Life Education for Juniors (to 26th)24 House Singing Intro25 1st XV vs Buller at Westport26 Drama Class Production, 7.30 pm27 Lions’ Fries Day Year 11 Rural College Practical Day28 Year 13 Tramp (to 30th) NZ SS Rogaine Championships in Christchurch30 International Languages Week Life Education for Juniors (to 2 June)31 Canterbury SS Cross Country (PP Day: 7 June) ICAS Science Competition Year 8 National Young Leaders’ DayJune3 Year 12 Rural College Practical Day6 Queen’s Birthday 8 Attitude Speaker in School Drama Devising Evening9 Junior Quad Tournament Malvern Cross Country UC NCEA Japanese Day10 UC NCEA Classics Day Newsletter World Vision 40 Hour Famine Weekend Junior Disco, 7.00 pm13 Year 12 Outdoor Ed Day ICAS Writing Competition14 Canterbury SS Gymnastics Championships Board of Trustees Meeting, 7.00 pm15 ICAS Spelling Competition Chamber Music Competitions (to 17th) Senior Quad Tournament17 Year 11 Rural College Practical Day Year 9 Japanese Trivia Night19 Sport Canterbury Mud Run20 Year 12 Outdoor Ed Day21 PTSA Meeting, 7.45 pm22 Canterbury PS Cross Country Championships 24 Year 13 Geography Trip to Queenstown (to 27th) Year 10 Japanese Afternoon27 ICAS Spelling Competition Year 12 Physics Radioactivity Day at UC28 Year 12 Interview Day29 1st XV Rugby Southern Tour (to 1st) 30 Oral TapestriesJuly1 Year 11 Rural College Practical Day Lions Fries Day Junior Reports Emailed Out Newsletter8 SI SS Swimming Championships in Invercargill House Singing Competition, P5 Last Day Term 2

Events

Darfield High SchoolCommunity News Term 1 Page 4

House Colours Mufti Day generates much fun and excitement; school uniform is replaced by bold costumes on this day, as students come together on the Quad and vie for the best dressed House. All of our main events are tied into our House system so, throughout the year, students are competing for the much desired House Cup— the winner being announced at Senior Prizegiving.

You can follow the House points gained for each event on our website at http://darfield.school.nz/houses/house-points/

Results from Mufti day:Waimakariri: First Rawhiti: SecondTawera and Kikorangi: Third equal

Shave for a CureSince this event was first held at school three years ago, it has gained momentum and, this year, we had 23 students and Principal, James Morris, take part. An auction was held for the privilege of shaving someone’s head, students paid a gold coin to watch, and sponsors gave generously towards the cause. So far, they have raised over a massive $8,300 for the Leukemia and Blood Cancer Foundation. All those who participated left with very tidy and hairless scalps, thanks to Lisa Smith and Courtney Booth, from New Image Hair Studio. Thank you to everyone who donated or took part.

Back: James Morris, Adrian Nolan, Harry Williamson, Cameron

Mills, Beowulf Scott, Hamish Keating, Matt Caldwell, Kieran

McKay, Cameron Carter, Ryan Neal, Eddie Searle, Micah Innes,

Hamish Evans, Duncan Riddle, Joshua Rod, Jeremy Bourhill,

and Chris Moffat; Front: Rueben Davis, Max Whyte, Harrison Buck,

Ben Francis and Alex Jones. Absent: Hayden de Burger

Students Pitch in to Help Christchurch CommunityAn area of wetland damaged by fire in 2014 was restored to its former glory with help from Canterbury students and the University of Canterbury Student Volunteer Army. Despite a rainy day, around 35 Year 12 & 13 students arrived eager to get to work. One crew set about rebuilding the damaged boardwalk, another group cleared around young native plantings, and another group used bark mulch to restore the pathway. Christchurch City Council park rangers, Nigel Morritt and Robbie Hewson, worked alongside the volunteers. “It was an amazing effort. In the space of a few hours, the volunteers transformed the area. The students were full of energy and enthusiasm for the project and were a credit to their schools and the organisation.”

School’s Support for St John Gains Award Board of Trustees Chairperson, Sue Robinson, was presented with a Priory Vote of Thanks award at a ceremony held by St John to acknowledge their long-serving members and those who have supported St John. Well known for our service to the community, we have several members of St John on our staff. These staff are supported when they need to be on call during work hours to respond to ambulance calls or duty. Post-earthquakes, our school provided St John with a venue to hold their weekly training meetings, allowing them to continue to provide the highest care for the community they serve.

Above: Sue presenting the award to Bailey

Campbell, Student Trustee

Japan DayYear 10 students spent a day immersed in the Japanese culture, before performing Yuki Ya Konko, a traditional Japanese song. They had a lot of fun performing and writing Kanji symbols.

Above: Chloe Fraser, Hannah

Marchant, Rachael Phillipson,

and Madison O’Callaghan