Principal's Comments

Redemption - the action of regaining or gaining possession of something in exchange for payment, or clearing a debt.

Romans 3:23-25 New International Version (NIV)

...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished.

In life, we get to make many choices, and then there are consequences. We can choose to have faith in Him, the consequence of which is our redemption for all the other poor choices. 

A simple choice, with profound consequences.

Open Day – School Tours

The Open Day on Wednesday 31 July was well attended with a large number of tours during the day. A number of parents continue to have tours of the school, which is normal. If you do have friends, family or contacts that are interested in their children attending LAC, feel free to encourage them to give us a ring and organize a time for a tour.

A big thank you to all the staff and students who were involved. There was a fair share of fun had by those involved. In particular, well done to Mr Paul who organized solar lights around the school. The effect was impressive.

Brendan van Oostveen, Principal

EDG Exam Timetable

The EDG exam timetable is being finalized and will be shared with you on Monday, 30th August. The EDG exam dates are from the 16th - 20th of September so please make a note of this on your calendar. Students are required to sit all EDG exams in preparation for the end of year NCEA exams. 

As a school, we strongly encourage students to take the opportunity to do their best here, providing them with the confidence to achieve in the NCEA exams. 

These exams are also extremely important as they are used for derived grades. This means that if your child is unable to sit the NCEA exams, an application is put through to NZQA, and the EDG exam results will be used as evidence of ability. Such reasons can include sudden medical illness or bereavement. 

NCEA Exam Entries

Teachers are in the final stages of finalising senior exam entries for the NCEA exams, with your child. If your child’s contact details have changed, please notify the LAC front office as soon as possible.

LAC expects all students, international and domestic, to sit the NCEA exams unless contact is made by the parent or caregiver via email or phone. 

Parent-Teacher Interviews

The Parent-Teacher Interviews were conducted using a booking system app which was new to LAC. 87 families were able to book interviews and meet teachers at times that suited them. There were also a number of families that walked in. This interview system provided efficient use of time for both teachers and parents. Overall, there was an orderly feel to the evening with little treats throughout. A few technical issues will be ironed out for the next round of interviews.

A huge thank you to all the parents who booked and came out for the wet day/evening, kept to time and were positive about the change. A big thank you to the prefects who also dedicated their time to be professional and effective helpers at the entrance. We look forward to using this system in the future.

Tamar Aiono, Assistant Principal

A huge thank you to all the parents, students and staff who gave up the time to be part of this video production by Hope Channel NZ.

After nine days of filming and 4 hours of interview footage edited down to 6 minutes, we hope you enjoy the result: https://youtu.be/jbSjNkxfjJE

All Year 7 and Year 8s (who have previously not been screened as Year 7) will have their vision checked on Monday 9th September at 9 am.

Please let the school know if you do not want your child checked for any reason.

Rachel Paki, Y7&8 Learning Leader

There have been 3 confirmed cases of meningococcal disease in the MidCentral region during July/August.

Meningococcal disease is a serious bacterial disease which can affect anyone, but it is more common in children under the age of 5, teenagers and young adults. It can look like influenza in its early stages, but it can very quickly get much worse. The illness may develop slowly over 1-2 days or quickly over a period of a few hours so it is essential not to wait and seek immediate medical help in the early stages of symptoms – ring a doctor - or ring Healthline 0800 611 116 straightaway at any time of the day, even if a doctor has already seen you.

Don’t be put off. Insist on immediate action.

Your baby or child may:

Adults may:

 have a fever

 high pitched cry or unsettled

 refuse drinks or feeds

 vomit

 be sleepy or floppy/harder to wake

 have a stiff neck

 dislike bright lights

 have a rash or spots (that don’t fade when pressed and look like small bruises)

 a fever

 a headache

 vomit

 be sleepy, confused, delirious or unconscious

 a stiff neck

 dislike bright lights

 have joint pain and aching muscles

 have a rash or spots (that don’t fade when pressed and look like small bruises)

The best way to avoid getting sick with meningococcal disease is to not share spit/saliva and other respiratory secretions with other people. To do this:

 don’t share food, drinks, cutlery, toothbrushes, pacifiers, cigarettes and other objects that can transfer spit

 cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze

 washing and drying your hands can help reduce the chance of spreading the bacteria that can cause illness

There are vaccines for certain strains of meningococcal disease available in NZ. Some are free for certain high-risk groups. There is a charge for vaccines for adults and children who do not fit into these groups. See your GP for further information.

You can download the Meningococcal Disease information sheet in the languages below:

We were incredibly blessed to have had Matt Moore as a guest speaker at our second Week of Worship. His topic theme “Uber Jesus”, (Uber meaning “The ultimate”, Better than everything else”), challenged students and staff to consider who is in control of their life.

Matt shared some of his own personal experiences regarding driver and challenging driving experiences. He then connected the journey of real-life travelling with the Christian journey asking the question “Who is driving your ‘car’?”

The varied program which involved more than 50 students was student organised and led. A big shout out to Leiana Hiri and her team for the week’s program. Check out the school webpage for the daily recordings.

https://www.lac.school.nz/2019/08/week-of-worship-2-2019/

Kevin Gredig, School Chaplain

Year 11 Study Skills Seminar

On Wednesday the 31st of July, Patrick Sherratt from INNERVATE EDUCATION presented a 2-hour seminar to all Year 11 students.

The seminar covered key tips and ideas that will support students to use their time most efficiently when preparing for assessments. Some of the aspects looked at were: how to get your brain into 'study mode', utilising your environment, and how to use memory techniques to prepare.

Based on the feedback received, 81% of students found the seminar very useful. Over the weeks leading up to the EDG exams and externals, we will be covering some of these ideas again to ensure that students are fully prepared to achieve well.

Mr Greg Woollaston, Year 11 Dean

The Year 9 art class are currently fundraising for their trip to Weta Workshop in Wellington early Term 4. This year Weta workshop is offering a hands-on workshop where students gain introductory understanding of what happens in the film industry.

For this fundraiser, we are selling Entertainment books. They cost $65 each and offer a HUGE range of vouchers for eating establishments and family activities throughout the Manawatu and Wellington region. Currently, they are offering a competition to win Fleetwood Mac tickets when purchasing a book. 

Please help support our trip to Weta Workshop by purchasing a book. To order go to this website: https://www.entertainmentbook.co.nz/orderbooks/1108g02

Any questions please email sophieb@lac.school.nz.

Many thanks!