Liger Leadership Academy Newsletter

1 December 2023

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Dear families,

This week our Liger learners reached an amazing 2023 milestone by engaging the 100th community expert in their learning journey. Our 100th person was Mark Greatbatch, former New Zealand cricket player and coach. Mark shared the ups and downs of his career and talked about the importance of a growth mindset, setting big goals for yourself and having a willingness to make sacrifices to achieve them. A fantastic way to mark our century of community engagements.

The Academy is abuzz as we prepare for the end of the school year. Term 4 Explorations are coming to an end, learners are completing their final evidence of learning tasks, and reports are being finalised. The student council is organising fun and connecting activities for our last two days of school and there is excitement for the upcoming summer holidays. It has been an incredible year and we have achieved so much in 2023. When reflecting on memories and highlights of the year it’s hard to believe we have fit so much in - from our Cambodian expedition in February through to our Mt Aspiring Learning Trip in October, and our 100 community engagements.

Connecting with Liger and your child’s learning

End of year Assembly: We welcome families to join us for our final assembly which will take place at the Liger hub on Friday, 15 December from 2:15 - 3:15pm. 

End of Year Learning Reports: Reports will be available via Headrush at 3pm on Friday, 8 December. You will receive an email with download instructions when reports are ready. 

Thank you to those who have signed up to attend your child’s Learner-led Conferences. You can still book a 10 minute slot with each of your child’s facilitators - both for Essential courses and Explorations. These will take place on:

• Monday, 11 December from 1 - 6pm

• Tuesday, 12 December from 1 - 6pm 

• Wednesday, 13 December from 1 - 3:30pm

As we will have many families coming throughout the day, students are not required to stay at school past 1pm on these days, unless they are attending conferences along with their parents or guardians. Attendance at their own conferences is compulsory.

Community picnic: Sunday, December 10 from 12-3pm

We are looking forward to our Liger community picnic. This is an invite to all families to join us for an afternoon of fun and connection. Please bring a picnic with you. Thank you to the Lawrence family for hosting us, we really appreciate your hospitality - and we hope to see everyone there!

Daniel Cooper

Head of School

In this Newsletter

Junior Adventure Race Southland

There was laughter, sweat and a fair bit of mud last Wednesday, as 20 of our students ventured out to represent Liger Academy at the 2023 Adventure Southland Junior Adventure Race. Our five teams joined nearly 700 students from 172 teams over the two day-event, and an incredible day was had by all! 

The race involved mountain biking, trekking, kayaking and navigation – and while the weather wasn't perfect, the students showed great perseverance, which is what adventure racing is all about. We're already looking forward to the next one! Now to the results:

• Our Year 8 team (Rome, Neve, William, Willow) secured an impressive 16th place overall out of 105 teams!

The other four Liger teams participated in the Year 9/10 grade, competing against 67 teams:

• Group 4 (Roques, Quinn, Tyge, Joel) - an incredible 12th overall!

• Group 1 (Alex, Ollie, Flynn, Aren) - 21st

• Group 2 (Ciaran, Thomas, Nikau B, Ryan) - 25th

• Group 3 (Nikau F, Ciara, Charlotte, Eloise) - 39th

Well done everyone! A special thank you to Bridget Murphy and Mandy Smith for transporting students to and from the event. Additionally, a shout out to ChargeAbout for leasing one of their bike trailers.

Independent Explorations Update

In our Term 4 Independent Explorations, our learners have been given the freedom to choose an area that makes a personal and meaningful impact. They have been exploring a range of subjects such as businesses, clothing brands, art and video creation. This student-led approach empowers learners to delve into their interests, fostering skill development along the way. Here is an overview of each of their projects highlighting some of the skills they have learned along the way.

Business Venture:

Willow has started a business selling potted plants. To begin, she conducted market research and developed a business plan. She has now created a website and initiated product marketing, taking her products to the Remarkables Market.

Clothing Brands:

We have two teams working on clothing brands. Ciaran and Nate have teamed up to create a mountain bike-focused brand. Sophie and Kuratea are working on their brand Daisi, which is an expansion of the business they launched in Term 3. Both teams have met with experts in the field, from marketing managers to the CEO of an established clothing brand.

Art:

Sebastian is working on an art project which combines art and technology using 3-D animation.

The model used in his animation was created solely out of recycled materials.

Nature Documentary:

This group project by Neve, William and Rome involves filming a nature documentary, with footage captured at Kiwi Birdlife Park.

Collaborative Projects:

Nikau and Ciara have taken on the challenge of teaching STEM to local schools. They have been preparing classes and speaking with experts in the field such as Ally Kettle - Creator of AI courses at Queenstown Resort College. Lucie and Soleil are investigating and trialling a new revolutionary product ‘toothpaste tablets’, and George and Austin have paired up to work on a video storytelling project.

These projects allow each student to explore their interests, develop their skills, and learn about entrepreneurship. We can't wait to see their finished projects!

Upcoming Dates

Term Four: Monday 9 October – Friday 15 December 2023

8 December: Learner Reports released.

10 December: Community Get-together.

11-13 December: Learner Led Conferences. Click here for information and here to book your spot.

15 December: Last Day of Term Four.

Thank you!

We extend huge thanks to all those who helped and supported us over the past weeks, including: Mark Greatbatch, ChargeAbout, Mandy Smith, Bridget Murphy, Royalburn Farm, and Shotover Primary School.

Photos of the Week

Liger students had the opportunity to get up close and personal with sheep eyes and hearts in Science this past week, carrying out dissections and learning the parts of these organs and how they work within the body. 

The Liger Leadership Academy and the Liger Leadership Academy Foundation are New Zealand registered charities. Registration Number CC58288, and CC58289

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Liger Leadership Academy, 34 Grant Rd, Queenstown, 9371, New Zealand