Sharing Some Thoughts After the Christchurch Tragedy:

The terrorist attack at the Masjid Al Noor Mosque and the Linwood Masjid Mosque is an appalling tragedy.  Our thoughts are with the people of Christchurch during this tragic time, and in particular with the children and families of the Muslim community. 

Our thoughts and love also go out to all those members of our community of the Muslem faith. This has been a terrible time for you and we share your grief and pain at this time.

I have given a lot of thought to the terrible events in Christchurch, thinking how best we can respond to this tragedy.

We can be appalled - and we should be.

We can be angry - and we have every right to be.

We can be sorrowful - it is a time to be.

But we must also look at what can be learned from this. 

Look at what we can do to try to ensure this does not happen again.

I think it comes down to each of us as parents, and parents-in-place-teachers, to raise our children in a spirit of love, tolerance, acceptance, understanding, kindness and patience.

These values can overcome the influence of hatred and ignorance. Not easily, but we have to have hope, and we have to strive to make our world better for our children.

The perpetrators of this horror were raised in families, they went to school, they had friends and workmates.

Somehow they learned this hatred, and along the way, they expressed versions of these horrid views - and no-one it would seem, did enough to stop those thoughts evolving to this horrific end-point.

Right now we feel the pain and devastation of these good, gentle people who were expressing their faith. Families, children, Kiwis. I am heartened to see the outpouring of sympathy and support.

Our challenge going forward is to do more though.

We must speak truth to ignorance. We must speak truth to intolerance - in any shape or form.

At Western Heights we are focusing on Kindness - it's a small step in a very big task that we all share in, but it's a good start. Take care all, and go and hug your children and tell them how much you love them.

An opportunity for students to experience a new culture at home, improve their language studies, make new friends rediscover and share the beauty of New Zealand.

n April, May, June and July we will be receiving exchange students from France, Denmark, Finland and Germany. Our new arrivals will live with a host family and attend a local school for 3, 5 or 10 months. As we plan for their arrival, we are keen to hear from suitable families who might be interested to host a student.

Host families come in all shapes and sizes, backgrounds and ages. To this end, we would be grateful if you would place a notice in your newsletter or mention it on your website. You can download the newsletter notice here in pdf  format or as an image.

Hosting an exchange student can be a truly rewarding experience. It allows a family to experience a foreign culture first hand, be exposed to a new language and pass on a bit of our own culture. They might even make a friend for life!

All students have at least basic levels of English, would attend a school in your local area and live the life of a local. Below is a sample of students who will be arriving.  

Anna is a 16 year old student from Denmark. She tells us she is looking forward to experiencing a different culture, meet new people and see how they live while in New Zealand. Anna describes herself as quiet at first, happy and adventurous. In her spare time, Anna enjoys skiing, playing games, sleeping out in nature and hanging with her friends. At home, she helps with the grocery shopping, vacuuming and cleaning the house.

15 year old student Lene is a student from Germany who is also learning Spanish. Her main hobby is hockey which she plays once a week and also teaches younger children to play. Lene is looking forward to learning more about the culture, people and language while in New Zealand. She also hopes to speak fluent English by the end of her exchange. Lene describes herself as curious, social, responsible, adaptable and willing to help out when needed. She helps at home by cleaning her room, doing the dishes and hanging out the washing.

16 year old student Aino from Finland also speaks Swedish. Her hobbies are hiking, scouting, snowboarding, climbing and jogging. Aino describes herself as a happy and helpful person. She is very active and is looking forward to joining in some new activities with her host family and improving her English while in New Zealand. She helps look after the family dog and general cleaning around the home.

You can view more profiles of students arriving soon from our website. Please note that this is just a handful of the students who will be arriving. If families would like a selection of student profiles sent to them to review and decide which student may fit into their family best, please contact us or reply to this email. 

The Stuart family were thrilled to have Danish student Simon stay with them for 8 months. As commented by host mum Victoria, "it has been a fantastic experience.  Simon has been an awesome role model to our two young children, he has been like an older brother to them." Victoria continues, "the experience has benefited us too, as it has allowed us to have greater free time and flexibility as a family. I was very impressed with Simon, as within the first couple of days he was here, he asked what should his chores be?" 

"Just give it a go, the benefits will surprise you.  I highly recommend it", mentions Australian Host Dad Andrew, from the Stuart family.  "Not only do your children benefit, but the benefits exist for the parents too."  Host Dad, Andrew continues, "We are so lucky to have Simon come stay with us.  He is a fantastic student, easy going and not very demanding.  He has fitted into the Australian way of life so easy. He even obtained his Bronze Medallion.  We are so proud of Simon." 

Check out what some of our families who have hosted have to say about their experience by clicking here: host family testimonials.  

Student Exchange Australia New Zealand is a not-for-profit organisation that is registered with the Ministry of Education in NZ and all state and territory Departments of Education around Australia.  We were the first secondary exchange organisation in the world to be certified to ISO 9001 (Quality Management System) and we ensure the highest standards of care and support to our participants. You can find out more about our organisation by visiting www.studentexchange.org.nz. 

If your students, families or language teachers have any questions about hosting an exchange student or would like to view profiles of students arriving from other countries, they can respond to this email, call our office on 0800 440 079 or visit our website. Our staff members will be happy to discuss which student might be best suited to their family. No obligation. 

Please note that the purpose of this email is to find families to host international exchange students.  Thank you in advance for your assistance. 

With measles outbreaks happening all over the world, including here in New Zealand, now’s a good time to learn more about the disease - and make sure you’re protected.

Is measles a current concern? Yes. There are currently measles outbreaks all over the world, including here in New Zealand. There have been three cases in Auckland and are currently more than 25 cases in Canterbury.

How serious is measles? Measles is a serious illness. One in 10 people with measles need hospital treatment and the most serious cases can result in deafness or swelling of the brain.

Measles is one of the most infectious airborne diseases and a person is contagious before the rash appears. It is very easily transmitted from one person to another, possibly by being in a room where an infected person has been.

I’m about to travel to a country that has a measles outbreak. What should I do? The Ministry of Health is advising anyone travelling overseas to be up to date with their MMR vaccinations. In addition, the Ministry recommends that infants aged 6-15 months travelling to countries where there is a current measles outbreak be given MMR vaccine before they travel. This is an additional vaccination for those infants – they will still need their usual MMR vaccinations at 15 months and four years old.

What are the symptoms of measles? Measles symptoms include a high fever, runny nose, cough and sore red eyes, followed by a rash starting behind the ears and spreading to the body a few days later.

If you think you have the measles, it’s important to call before visiting your doctor to avoid spreading the virus in the waiting room. If you catch measles you're infectious from 5 days before and until 5 days after the rash appears.

I have some symptoms of measles, should I come to work? Anyone who is sick should stay away from work, school or public places, to help prevent putting other people at risk. This also applies if you or a family member aren’t fully immunised and may have been in contact with someone with measles.

By isolating yourself you will help protect vulnerable people including babies, pregnant women, cancer patients and others who are unable to be immunised and for whom the impact of the disease can be devastating.

How can I protect myself and my family against measles? The best way to prevent measles is to be immunised on time, with two free MMR vaccinations for all children at 15 months and four years. Two doses of MMR vaccine are at least 97 percent effective in preventing measles.

I don’t know whether I’ve been immunised or not. What should I do? If you are not sure how many doses you have had, talk to your doctor as the information may be in your medical records. You may also have your own health records e.g. your Plunket or Well Child/Tamariki Ora book. If it’s unclear whether you are immune, or whether you’ve had two doses, vaccination is recommended. Check with your GP first as in some instances, such as pregnancy, you should not be immunised.

What do I do if I haven’t been immunised against measles? You can be immunised at any time if you have missed your two vaccinations.

For more information or advice on measles, please call Healthline on 0800 611 116.