It's 2023 already! The school is already buzzing with staff excitement for the new school year. We're looking forward to the students returning refreshed after their break.

Following initial ‘settling-in’ days at school, we will host a Mihi Whakatau to welcome our new staff and students. This will be held at 9 am on Tuesday 7th February at the school's front entrance. This will be the first of many opportunities for us to meet. Another such opportunity will be a barbecue to welcome our learners back to school and to offer an opportunity to meet our teaching staff. The barbecue will be held on February 15th from 5 - 6.30 pm at the rear foyer.

At the start of the term, we welcome four new staff members. Desiree Hooper (Room 9), Olivia Wise (Room 13), Jesse Purton (M2 and M4 Homeroom - English/Social Science) and Charlotte Saunders (Deputy Principal in charge of Years 7-13). Each will be featured in an upcoming newsletter so the community can learn more about them personally and the skills and talents they bring to Twizel Area School. I am sure that all four of them will soon become accustomed to the rhythms and systems of Twizel and Twizel Area School – in the meantime, some of them will need to lean on your local expertise to guide them.

There are some role changes within the school to consider too: 

• Melissa McLellan becomes Assistant Principal in charge of Years 1-6.
• Alison Blanchard will teach M1 Homeroom in Term 1 while Sandy Nelson is on sabbatical. She continues her Specialist Teacher role alongside her work with M1.
• Amanda Sargeant becomes a full-time teacher in Room 5.
• Stephanie Johnson continues as the release teacher of Room 4.
• Taylor McGifford continues to work with the Middle School but further specialises in Maths and Science. Taylor will commence her Maternity Leave later this term; Alison Blanchard will cover her role for the remainder of the year.
• Chris Longbottom will work part-time as our Reading Recovery Teacher.
• Chelsea Lousley has taken on the role of Sports Co-ordinator across the school in addition to her work in our Main Office.

There are a few items of note as we reach the final stages of the holiday:

• Don’t forget about our Parent A-Z Guide - it has the answers to most questions about Twizel Area School.
• NCEA results are now available online. Students can log in using the NZQA Student Hub.
• Senior students (Years 11-13) should attend their Course Confirmation at 1.30 pm on Wednesday, February 1st. Uniforms are not required. This will be held in the Multi-Purpose Room.
• School starts for everyone on Thursday, February 2nd. 8.40 am for Years 7-13 and 8.50 am for Years 1-6. Please ensure you have your PE and swimming gear available along with your stationery from day 1.
• Students can check their provisional timetables via the portal or app.
• Secondhand uniforms are available at the school office from January 30th onwards (10 am-12 pm and 1-3 pm).
• There is a date change for our Community Meeting where the Ministry of Education and our Architects will present an outline for our new school build. This will be held in MPR on Thursday 2nd, March at 3 pm and not in late February as previously advertised.
• Students should wear their full, correct uniform as soon as school starts. Please ensure it is named!
• BYOD (Bring your own device) – Students in Years 7 and above should bring their own device to school. More information is available on our school website: BYOD
• Sun Protection – don’t forget your hat if you want to play outside!

We will be reporting on our fantastic NCEA results in an upcoming 2023 newsletter; there is undoubtedly cause for many congratulations to our senior students – they have faced and overcome unprecedented challenges throughout their NCEA courses to date. Our Year 13 students have never experienced a non-covid impacted NCEA year. Whāia te iti kahurangi ki te tūohu koe me he maunga teitei! Initial indications (without the late entry process completed) indicate that the pass rate for eligible students at each level well surpasses national outcomes. TAS Level 1 is 87% (2021 national result was 68%), TAS Level 2 is 85% (2021 national result was 77%), and TAS Level 3 is 100% (2021 national result was 70%). 33% of our successful students gained an overall endorsement, and 75% of our Year 13 students gained University Entrance (2021 national result was 50%).

More Information

School Stationery

Uniform

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)

Parent Portal

Sun Protection