Middle & Senior School Weekly Bulletin – 29 October

Tēnā koutou katoa

Despite it being a short week, there have been a number of noteworthy events happening in the Middle School. Students got to bring out their wild side with ‘Wig Wednesday’ to help raise money for the Child Cancer Foundation. On behalf of the Middle School, we would like to thank Mr Shane Brockelbank from The Professionals, who is also a Chilton parent, for promoting this opportunity to our Chilton students. He generously offered to match the money raised by our students.

Two of our Middle School students, Teija Joronen and Kaylyn Wang, are organising a Movie Night for Middle School students on Friday 5th of November to bring awareness to diabetes and to raise money for the charity ‘Insulin for Life’. This will be in the Middle School Meeting Room from 3.45-6.00pm and tickets are $5.00 for the movie and a lolly bag. We would love to have a large number of students in attendance for some shared fun and to help raise money for a good cause. There is a poster below with more information, including the movie title.

On Thursday, the Year 8’s went to Te Papa for the Surrealist Art Exhibition which will be finishing soon. This was a thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening outing for the students, which can be seen in the photos below and it opened up a new way of looking at, appreciating and understanding Art.

With the weather warming up, we are hoping to have the volleyball nets up during the week so that students can have some fun outside at break times. The school pool will also be opening soon at lunchtimes as the weather warms up.

We have a focus this term on our school values of Respect and Integrity. Students will be working through a range of practical activities and reflections to see how these values work in our everyday lives and why they are so important to cultivate.

“The time is always right to do what is right.”
Martin Luther King

Ngā mihi nui

Jenny Hayton
Head of Middle School

Open Day

Some of our wonderful middle school students helped the school for our Open Day today.

Open Day is a great way to show the school in action and introduce prospective new students and families to the great learning space for pupils. Our middle school guides and greeters help us to show how confident, welcoming and articulate our students are. They show the school in a fantastic light, and get to know the students and the families, ensuring their experience is a top quality one.

Thanks for giving your time to help us girls, it really is much appreciated.

Surrealist Exhibition – Te Papa visit

The Year 8 Art Classes attended the Te Papa Surrealist Exhibition this Thursday. Students saw paintings, sculptures, film and other media made by Surrealist and Dada artists from around the world. The collection comes from the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, an art museum in Rotterdam, Netherlands and includes works from Salvador Dali, Rene Magritte, Leonora Carrington, Andre Breton, Marcel Duchamp and other world renowned artists.

Students drew from the works and will use the experience to influence their own Surrealist works later this term.

The Ocean and Our Climate

7S Social Science have been learning about the ocean and how important it is to us as humans! Here is one of the things that we have learned about in terms of the ocean and our climate.

Wig Wednesday

A huge Chilton thanks goes to all those who took part in Wig Wednesday, and a massive thanks to Shane Brockelbank and the team for being so generous in the matched donation to the Child Cancer Foundation.

Halloween

7C have been busy making mini Halloween piñatas and taking part in more Halloween related activities.

Below are the finished ‘Mummy’ piñatas. Scary huh?

SchoolTV

Special Report: Managing Overwhelm

Due to the pandemic, the world we now live in is a very different place. The hyperconnected nature of our current environment means that we are constantly being reminded of the challenges we face via numerous media and social media channels. Our connectivity to the digital world exposes us to a barrage of messages that can leave us feeling overwhelmed. As a result, many children and their parents are reporting higher levels of stress and anxiety.

Unfortunately, our brains have not evolved fast enough to adapt to this digital landscape. The combination of constant access to information and having little control over the situations presented, can be stressful and overwhelming. It is therefore important for adult carers to check in with their children and be aware of what information they may have been exposed to. It may not necessarily be the information itself that is harmful, but more their inability to process and make sense of it. Providing children with the skills and strategies to cope will enable them to flourish and thrive, socially, emotionally and academically.

The blueprint for parenting, based on our own experiences, is no longer fit for purpose in raising kids as citizens of tomorrow. This can be inherently stressful and overwhelming, not only for parents and carers, but children alike. If left untreated or unmanaged, constant stress and anxiety can lead to a number of behavioural issues or health consequences.

This Special Report suggests a number of strategies to help manage any feelings of overwhelm that you or your child may be experiencing. We hope you take a moment to reflect on the information offered, and as always, we welcome your feedback. If this raises any concerns for you, a loved one or the wellbeing of your child, please seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to your special report.