by Sequoia Thomson, Year 13 Student, Kaipara College
Seems like the school year is moving even faster than I predicted, and we are already almost halfway through term two!
While quite a few things are currently happening within our school, including a plethora of exciting Tira events, one of the most awaited is the Ball. Both the Ball venue, date and theme have been disclosed, with the theme being a tropical one sure to warm the evening in the midst of the cold winter - A night in Paradise, on July 4th!
Tickets are already out for sale, and I want to remind students who want to attend that you will be unable to unless the Ball contract, emailed to you from the school, is filled in and submitted by the 29th of May. In terms of partners, if you want to bring one who’s external to the school, you must fill in their details within the ball contract - but once they are approved by our senior leadership team, you are good to go!
As part of our student leadership team and the ball committee, we are hard at work trying to put together a fabulous time for the students, but as I am sure many people recognise, costs are higher than ever. Whilst yes, I know the tickets are expensive, I want to reassure those who are unsure that every dollar of your money is paying for your experience, from the venue, to the decor, DJ and food. I promise that we have tried to make it the most affordable price we were able to, and I think in comparison to some schools, with ticket prices reaching as high as $230, we are doing quite well.
On another exciting note, our year 12 and 13 students are starting to head into a very intense, but incredible time in their lives - beginning the transition into our lives after high school. Over the course of term two, there were multiple different university seminars held in the Library during whanau time, including UoA, Otago, and Vic. For students wanting more information than this, head to your university of interest’s information or future students section. This area is dedicated to incoming students and holds all the information you need, from guides on application to financial budgeting. If you have questions, email their student services or admissions office; they are there to help and want you to apply. I also strongly suggest a meeting with Mrs Neville, who is doing a wonderful job as our school’s careers counsellor!
If university just isn’t the path of your choosing, she will be able to inform you of alternative pathways into the future of your choosing, such as apprenticeships and trades.
For students experiencing financial difficulty who are worried about affording university, student loans and scholarships are both huge possibilities for financial aid, and there are millions of dollars invested into scholarships each year. For students who need a guide to student loans, such as study link loans, MoneyHub is a free New Zealand-based resource that provides students with research-backed financial guides, which are a huge help, especially if you don’t have someone there to help you! In terms of scholarships, every university has a page dedicated to its available scholarships, and for scholarships external to the university, Studyspy is a fantastic tool, one I personally have very much taken advantage of.
Good luck, good day, and I shall see you next month!
