Week 7 term 4 2022
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Kia ora Koutou
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Koru Badges
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Upcoming events
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Great Barrier Island - Hillary Outdoors
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Academic Competitions 2022
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Congratulations to Eva Wilson
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Waikato Intermediate & Middle Schools Athletics Day
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Maeroa Road Patrol - Thank You
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The Colour Run - Jasmine Yeates
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Mufti Day for Animal Shelters
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Our Christmas Tree
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Makuhari Exchange Visit 2023
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Kia ora Koutou
The end of the 2022 school year is close. We have had a great year despite the interruptions from covid earlier in the year. Our students have been able to participate in their chosen sports, and they have been able to go to Sports Camp and AIMS Sports, Waikato Intermediate Sports Competitions, Sir Peter Blake Camp, Great Barrier Island, and the Tainui Waka Kapahaka competition. They have also enjoyed our school Kapahaka Festival, the Colour Run, a visit to a rest home, and many other school activities. I am so incredibly proud of our Maeroa students and community for what we have accomplished this year as we have returned to nearly normal school life - post covid.
This week, we welcomed our new year 7 students for 2023 into our school. They were welcomed formally and spent a morning with us. We have enjoyed having them in our school and look forward to them coming to Meet the Teacher on 13 December. Meet the Teacher is a drop-in evening from 4 to 6 pm on Tuesday, 13th December, where families can come in to meet their teacher for 2023. Just come to the school gym. No appointment is needed.
We look forward to a successful remainder of the term and celebrating our learners' achievements at our Awards Assembly on 14 December.
Ngā mihi nui,
Susan Wood
Principal
Koru Badges
We congratulate those students who have worked hard to achieve their Koru Badges. These students have demonstrated the values of commitment, perseverance and determination.
"No one succeeds without effort... Those who succeed owe their success to perseverance."
Recent recipients of our Koru Badges
Bronze badge: Liam McLachlan, Lucas Morgan-Callaway, Luca Goodhew, Emily Taylor-Lamb, Emily Walker, Jacob Te Whare, Drake Williams, Callie Gardner, Bella Langworthy, Mason Ratcliffe, Jacob Weusten, Eboni Mihaere, Kasim Mohammed, Kimberlee Taylor, Kade Bridge, Waimarie Macown, Ivy Storer, Adanna Mayers, Michaela Watson.
Silver Badge: Lucas Morgan-Callaway, Lucan Howe, Aushita Ram, Khorban Matthews, Zen Winter, Elsie Alexander, Jessica Chand, Casper Shaw, Eboni Mihaere, Rebekah Smith, Bradley Dupont, Eva Wilson, Rory Adaway.
Gold: Mackayla Hitchens, Ashreya Bhardwat, Corey Laurence, Casper Shaw, Rory Adaway, Jordan Fletcher.
Platinum: Mikayla Stewart, Dewnitha Kurukulasooriyage, Mackayla Hitchens, Ashreya Bhardwat, Peyton Varley, Anmool Ali, Ella Thorpe.
Star: Ashreya Bhardwat
Super Star: Madeleine Hastie
Upcoming events
Week 8 - Teams will organise fun activities within our school grounds for our students.
13 December - Meet the Teacher Evening for our new students in 2023 and students from Maeroa who are changing teachers/classes. 4 - 6 pm
14 December - School Awards Assembly 9 am
15 December - Year 8 Social
16 December - term 4 2022 finishes at 12 noon
Great Barrier Island - Hillary Outdoors
What a week!
Students were encouraged and cajoled to step outside of their comfort zone on several levels, including those full of beans on how to manage to be part of a team where they needed to finish together. Over the week, they spent a lot of time in and on the water in a variety of vessels - kayaks, sea kayaks, wakas, rock climbing, abseiling down waterfalls, adventuring up and down rivers, tramping, camping, cooking and cleaning, cliff jumping, swell riding, swimming, clambering and squealing and screaming with delight. I imagine that many will not realise what they have achieved until later when they can reflect on the opportunities provided.
We were so lucky with the weather; for the most part, any showers passed quickly. While it did influence the activities chosen for each day, we still got everything. Students had the opportunity to think about how the weather - wind, rain and sunshine affects what they need to wear, eat and drink.
The outdoor instructors - Sam, Sarah, Joel and Josh were awesome. They were patient, kind, firm, fair, reasonable, knowledgeable and fun with our students. The outdoor education philosophy was a new perspective for many of our students who may have only had experiences with school camp and/or being entertained like a holiday programme. Students were guided through personal and team challenges that included working together to problem solve, following instructions, thinking through logistics, sharing, navigating new friendships, no phones or gaming, supporting each other when facing challenges, learning to step up and step back, cleaning up after themselves and getting the job done. The instructors from Hillary Outdoors were exemplary role models for our students.
We also had 3 awesome parents that supported the instructors and the students - Andrew, Angela and Kristie and Charles Hume, Deputy Principal, who also came to support a group. I thank them for their time, energy, kindness and commitment to the programme and the outcomes for our students. There were fears and tears, nervous energies and little meltdowns as students navigated challenges and our group leaders were able to help guide the students through to personal progress and success.
We hope to organise this trip again for 2023 and will have information available early in Term 1. Watch this space.
Amanda Taylor
Great Barrier Island 2022
Academic Competitions 2022
This year students from across the school could participate in various academic competitions. We had some outstanding results and want to acknowledge those who have achieved the highest possible score - Excellence.
Kiwi Math
- Sam (R17)
- Eva (R24)
- Mirella (R24)
Kiwi English
- Evie (R24)
- Malaya (R24)
- Sasha (R23)
- Junior (R24)
- Eva (R24)
- Zoe Y. (R23)
- Ethan (R50)
- Ngaio (R24)
Kiwi Science
- Eva (R24)
- Ngaio (R24)
Otago Problem Solving
- Saxon (R23)
Congratulations to Eva Wilson
About the Intermediate (Years 5 to 8) Writers Award (IWA)
The Intermediate Writers Award is a unique non-fiction essay competition open to NZ Students, Years 5 to 8.
The Award is designed to offer a competitive and authentic opportunity for students to engage in purposeful writing.
The IWA promotes the idea of a writer’s voice/platform – whereby writers are:
1. Engaged in a nationwide conversation surrounding the essay starter; and
2. Composing arguments with a genuine audience in mind.
This year several of our students entered the IWA Publishing Competition. We are very proud that Eva Wilson's piece was highly commended. There were 5000 entries and only 17 highly commended were given out. We are very proud of your achievement Eva.
Feedback from the Judges:
Highly Commended It is our tremendous pleasure to inform you that our esteemed judging panel has, after much deliberation, awarded Eva Wilson’s entry, Stars In The Making, Highly Commended. Eva’s essay was selected by judges for its topic relevance, originality, personal voice, clear and cohesive structure, development of key ideas and overall impact. Judges commented: From the introduction to the conclusion, this student writes with passion and confidence. Sophisticated use of language features is evident throughout. The subheadings in particular signal the writer’s creativity. An excellent topic choice for the brief and the audience. This author has fire in the belly; this comes across in the first paragraph. The passion is so evident it almost feels like anger. The facts of the subject spill out thick and fast, and convey the argument well, although they would benefit from more structure. The author has a mature grasp of language and uses it with natural ease. The impression is of an impassioned speaker, extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their subject. The subject is very well-researched and deeply understood. Two more drafts, bringing a structured foundation to the facts and passion and this essay would be enough to make anyone want to change the world through a career in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Eva's Highly Commended piece of writing
Stars in the Making
Imagine being left-handed but forced to use your right hand instead. Imagine discovering what stars are made of and being told it was impossible. Imagine discovering what stars are made of and still be only regarded as a technical assistant. Imagine handing in your thesis with a side note you were probably wrong. Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin didn’t have to imagine, she lived them.
Cecilia, like me, knew that she wanted a career in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) from a young age; unfortunately for Cecilia, her path wasn’t as clear as mine. She had to battle unhelpful schools, undermining stereotypes and unsupportive people everywhere she looked. This didn’t stop her though. She kept reaching for the stars of knowledge and she made it, inspiring women and girls alike to follow in her footsteps to break down those doors.
What Stars Are Made Of
I first learnt about Cecilia in a fictional book about a girl with Turner Syndrome, and a heart three sizes too big. Her name was Libby and even though Libby is a fictional character - the confidence, ideas, and motivation Cecilia gave her is not. It applies to hundreds of girls across the world, including me. After reading What Stars Are Made Of, I was inspired to find out more about Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin and once I did I knew that her story should be known by everyone. A young woman, discovering what stars are made of, less than a decade after a world war, in the middle of the inequalities of the 20th century. She did it all, while having a family, kids, and a supportive husband, something that was incredible for a time when women didn’t have many rights at all.
Cecilia changed the way I viewed myself and the world around me, she helped me and many others to realise that anything can be achieved through hard work and persistence; that even when people say I can’t, I can. No matter what. Just like Cecilia and the women who have worked in STEM, I can do it! I can be the one who changes the world and the minds of those around me. I may be young but with enough courage, determination, and a refusal to back down, I can do anything, and so can you and everyone else out there, as long as they believe they can.
Stars and Clusters
Cecilia was a groundbreaking women in STEM, discovering what stars are made of before the age of 30. She was a rare gem though, there were barely any women in STEM, a trend that unfortunately hasn’t disappeared, only 34% of STEM workers in America from 2019 were female. This has increased from 8% in 1970, which was Cecilia’s 70th birthday. Though there were few women in STEM they made a massive impact, Rosalind Franklin, for example, took the first photo of DNA before there were even 8% of women in STEM. I can only dream of making as massive contributions to STEM as those brave 8%. Their contributions made a massive impact to the world of STEM, without them we may never have made it to the moon, or discovered how cells use sugar.
If Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin was alive today she would be astonished at the amount of women working in STEM, but she, like me, would believe that there is more work to be done. She knew that one day, however far in the future women get equality, both in STEM and society, this day may not have come yet but it is on the horizon, getting closer with every woman who graduates to a field of STEM. Our dream, and the dream shared by many men and women across the world will come true whether it is today, tomorrow, next year, next decade, or next century.
Stars of High Luminosity
After accepting a fellowship to Havard College Observatory, Cecilia began studying stars and what they are made of. She and the other scientists used a tool called a spectroscope, which revealed the stellar spectra and the gaps in it (absorption lines). The absorption lines when read properly reveal the elements in a star, the problem was that scientists weren’t reading them properly; they believed that stars were built like the Earth. Cecilia, however, knew that the extreme heat would cause the atoms to ionize, and that stars could not be made like the Earth.
A background in Quantum Physics allowed Cecilia to look at absorption lines through a new lense and crack the mystery of what are truly made of; Hydrogen and Helium.
After her astounding discovery, Cecilia should have become famous but she didn’t. Her professors told her it was impossible; that she was being crazy. As a woman in STEM she knew nobody would believe her, even if she was correct. Cecilia was disappointed but not defeated, she handed in her thesis with a side note that she was probably wrong. This didn’t mean that she actually thought she was wrong, she didn’t, otherwise she never would have turned it into Stellar Atmospheres, published in 1925. Stellar Atmospheres is the reason that we know what stars are actually made of, when the wider scientific community read it they realised that Cecilia was right all along, stars were mainly made of Hydrogen and Helium.
After her discovery was revealed, Cecilia should have been showered with honours and awards. She wasn’t though. Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, who discovered what stars are made of, was still only a technical assistant. The brightest star in the astronomy department, wasn’t even a professor.This all changed in 1948 when Cecilia was appointed as a lecturer of astronomy at Harvard University, then in 1956 she became a professor of astronomy; the final stepping stone to a milestone achievement, becoming the first female chairperson of a department at Harvard University in 1956. After this came a string of achievements, including several books including, Stars in the Making (1952), Variable Stars and Galactic Structure (1954), Galactic Novae (1957), and Stars and Clusters (1979). Her accomplishments didn’t cease until she died of lung cancer in 1979.
Even though Cecilia only lived for 79 years, she achieved what many would in a thousand years; making ground shattering discoveries, pathing the way for future generations of young female scientists, writing several books, as well as being a mother, wife, and sister. Her children Edward (1935), Katherine (1937), and Peter (1940) would have been inspired by their mother like hundreds of other children and adults alike. The legacy she left behind, though not largely known, is tremendous and something deserving of acknowledgement, appreciation and astonishment. Cecilia Payne Gaposchkin was a Star of High Luminosity and helped many others shine brighter than they ever have before.
References:
https://biography.yourdictionary.com/cecilia-payne-gaposchkin
https://hollisarchives.lib.harvard.edu/repositories/4/resources/3997
Women in Science 50 Powerless Pioneers who changed the world - Rachel Ignotofsky Published 2016
What Stars Are Made Of - Sarah Allen. Published
Waikato Intermediate & Middle Schools Athletics Day
What a fantastic day yesterday at Porritt Stadium for our athletics team. I commend you all for your attitude and incredible effort to compete against the best throwers, jumpers, and runners. You should all be very proud of your achievements.
Special mention to Zakaea Rangitakatu for gaining 3rd place overall for all the events in the Year 8 girls; she was 2nd in the 200m, 2nd in Shot Put, 2nd in Long Jump, 4th in the discus and 1st in the relay. Also, to Ezmae Watene, who is the fastest Year 8 girl in the Waikato as she took out her heat and then won the 100m final. A fantastic result for these two girls. Nalei Nelson gained 3rd in the long jump and 3rd in the relay for Year 7 girls; Te Atawhai Katipa got 2nd in Shot Put. Lestant Noda got 2nd in Shot Put. We also gained 2nd place in the overall relay competition.
Sandra Carter
Waikato Intermediate and Middle Schools Athletics 2022 (WIMS)
Maeroa Road Patrol - Thank You
Our Road Patrollers had a great time last week at the Fun Day put on by the police. This a gesture of gratitude for the great job they do throughout the year manning our Churchill Avenue crossing.
The weather was not great, however, they still had a great time. Wet weather is something that does not put these students off as they are used to that, as they often tackle wet weather to make our community a safer place. a reward for the great job they do throughout the year manning our Churchill Avenue crossing.
We have started our training for 2023 road patrollers and thank them in advance for their service. Please make sure you support our road patrollers by not parking and or stopping on the yellow lines and using the crossing where possible.
Tash Strother
The Colour Run - Jasmine Yeates
A Colourful Day to End the Week
-Jasmine Yeates Room 23
Vibrant and bright. Rushing around. Loud noises and sounds. November 10th was the Fun Run, Colour Run at Maeroa Intermediate. The school set up a fun run to raise money for camping equipment. This fun run was haphazard but not in the sense you would think.
As all the year 7 girls accumulated at the start line no one had an exact sense of where they were going. This, in fact, did not stop the fun but made it even more chaotic. As the girls were rushing through the course they were blasted with colour. The teachers clearly had some bottled up emotions because they did not hold back. Through the tyres, under the net and avoiding the devilish prickles. The girls emerged into view, either speckled or slashed with colour. They returned to their teams to be greeted by their friends, classmates and peers.
Mrs Taylor spoke into the microphone and announced it was the year 7 boys turn to run. They rushed over to the start line and huddled there, waiting for the whistle to blow. Immediately upon hearing the whistle, they were off. As the boys returned from the race soaking wet and particularly hued, they all had cheesy smiles on their faces.
Following the year 7s were the year 8 boys. While they were being doused
with water and sliding down the slip-and-slide, you could hear verve chanting coming from the teams. They came back scintillating and laughing.
And finally, it was time for the year 8 girls. While the girls ran around the course, the teachers had no mercy using up the rest of their powder, and vigorously colouring their students. They came back the most colourful and vibrant of all.
And that was the end of the race, but not the fun. Around 6 teachers stood bravely in front of their teams, then they had a bowl of slimy gloop dumped on top of their heads. The students dumping the gloop were also not forgiving in the least. That was the end of the day, Siobhan commented, “It was chaos but really fun, everyone sort of had to guess where they were going. They should do it again though because it was a really effective way of raising money.” In the end, the school raised around $15,000.00 from students raising money and staff selling sweet treats and hairspray. It was a successful and enjoyable day.
Mufti Day for Animal Shelters
“We can judge the heart of a person by their treatment of animals.”
Today we held a mufti day to help out the animal shelters in Hamilton. We have done this at Maeroa for the last few years. Thank you to all those families who sent in pet food, the people who run the shelters and the animals will be very grateful for the generosity of Maeroa students. Mrs Carter will be dropping it off after school.
Our Christmas Tree
Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone.
– Charles Schulz
Some of our students have put up our school Christmas Tree in our main office area. We would appreciate whaanau that are able to donate a small gift to put under our tree. We will ensure that all gifts are taken to the Salvation Army for distribution to families in need.
The gifts need to be something new and please put a little label or note on the gift indicating who it could be for e.g. boy 5 years old, girl 12 years old, mother, etc.
“I think helping our kids experience the happiness that comes from giving to others is probably one of the most valuable ways we can nurture generosity in them.
We’re all interconnected with each other,” she said. “And giving is just a reminder of our human connection to others: Not only are the recipients not alone because we’re thinking of them, but we are not alone.” Sara Konrath
If your whaanau would like to donate a small gift send it along to school with your child and they can put it under our tree. Gifts will be taken to the Salvation Army on 15 December.
Makuhari Exchange Visit 2023
Makuhari Junior Exchange (9 - 21 March 2023)
We also are very excited to be able to bring back our annual exchange visit with Makuhari Junior High School in Japan for the first time in 3 years.
Traditionally each year, we host a group of students from our sister school in Japan and later in the year (September), six Maeroa students will have the opportunity to visit Makuhari.
Maeroa will host 20 Makuhari students from Thursday, 9 March - Tuesday, 21 March 2023. We will require families to host these students during this time. A homestay payment will be paid to the host family of $370. If you are interested in hosting a Makuhari student, then please get in touch with me. swood@maeroa.school.nz
Our students have the option to travel to Japan in September of 2023. Six places are available, and preference will be given to those hosting students from Makuhari. The cost of the trip to Japan is approximately $4500; please note that not all prices have been confirmed, but it will not be more than this amount. This cost includes all airfares, all transport fees while in Japan, home hosting, and entry to all places we go to. Plus, your child would need to bring $200 - 300 in spending money if they wanted to buy gifts or items to take back to Aotearoa, New Zealand.
Please give this consideration. Feedback from previous host families is that this is a valuable cultural experience, and lifetime friendships can be made. We have students who either hosted or went to Japan that remain in contact after many years.
For more information, please get in touch with Susan Wood, Principal, or email - swood@maeroa.school.nz
We will have a meeting early in 2023 for students and parents interested in travelling to Japan 2023. I have been with our students several times; it is a unique and wonderful experience for them.