WORDS FROM THE WEBMASTER & THE THSESWS NEWSLETTER EDITOR:

Welcome to the THSESWS monthly newsletter for the month of April,2000. 'Amelia and I have recieved postive and encouraging comments from a lot of the ex-students in regards to our monthly newsletters. To continue this fine work we need the help of every ex-students. We can only find so much to give you and it will come a time when we run out of ideas. We are not the smartest brains around and we therefore ask you to help. We are hoping that some of our finest writers may write short stories or poems or any article on any topic of interest to feature on our newsletters. Please our fellow ex-students, we are crying out for help! The question is, can you hear us?

We will continue to provide the services needed by our ex-students and happily go along with the task of bringing to you all relevant information regarding our school. Isn't it wonderful to use the internet as the communication media for co-ordinating the celebration of our school's 53rd birthday. With just one meeting place (THSESWS), we can get access to the same information irrespective of where we are. How fantastic!

It is encouraging to see the Sydney Chapter taking the lead in forming a strong foundation which might well be a model for other chapters here in Australia to emulate. They have started this year by electing their administrative positions for 2000. They are currently in the process of writing their own constitution. The "minute" taken during this meeting is published below and I would like to thank Tevita Disney Tapa for supplying the THSESWS with such information for others to share.

As you all know, the celebration of the school's 53rd birthday will be held in Sydney, Australia and the running of this event will be handled by the Sydney Chapter. If you intend to attend then please contact Tevita Tapa or the THSESWS. An invitation letter and a draft of the celebration program are published below for you all.

Without further ado, let us enjoy the news for this month!

Faka'apa'apa atu
Loseli M Hafoka & 'Amelia Piutau

NEWS FROM THE SYDNEY CHAPTER(Compiled by Tevita Tapa):

I am happy to write and advise that we have formally set up the THS Ex-Student Association in Sydney in an election meeting which was held in Petersham Uniting Church Hall at 4 pm on Saturday 25th March 2000.

The meeting commenced with an election and these are the people holding positions for the year 2000.

President:	Mr 'Osaiasi Faiva 47 Westmoreland St GLEBE NSW 2037 Telephone: (02) 9692-8849 (hm) (02) 9558-0999 (wk) Fax: (02) 9558-1333 (wk) E-mail: osaifaiva@start.com.au
Secretary:	Mr Tevita Disney Tapa E-mail: tapat@epa.nsw.gov.au
Treasurer:	Mrs Losena Maake Kapeli E-mail: lkapeli@rivernet.com.au

MATTERS RAISED:

The THS Ex-Student Association to be officially registered. Osai & Losena will immediately commence working towards establishing a new Constitution. This document is needed as a guide for decision making especially in connection with financial matters. The Constitutions of other Ex-Student Associations and the model of other Associations establishments in Australia will be observed closely as a guide in forming our very own.

It was suggested that all ex-students be registered with an admission fee and to be followed by a $5 annual fee. A formal form will be drawn up and distributed by Losena & myself. Receipts will be provided when fees are paid. These fees will go towards the running costs such as administration fees and so on. It was also emphasised at the meeting that if any ex-student is unable to make this small financial commitment, it should not deter anyone from participating. Our priority is for all ex-students to come along and express their support and pride in our effort to continually promote our school and not letting our school motto of "TO THE BEST" be forgotten.

The 53rd birthday of Tonga High School will be celebrated here in Sydney this year. The program will run for 3 days from Friday, 2nd to Sunday 4th of June 2000. We have received in writing, confirmation from the President of the THS Ex-Student in New Zealand and the Secretary for the Ex-Student Council in Tonga (Viliami Ika) that they will be joining us for this celebration.

It was requested that the sub-committees provide an updated ex-student list and submit it to the Executive Committee as soon as possible. Information required includes names, year of entrance to THS, contact details. This information will be posted on the THS Internet Website which can be accessed by all THS ex-students all over the globe. This is important especially if you want to track down any old school mates or teachers.

Regards

Tevita Disney Tapa
Secretary for 2000 (Sydney Chapter)

INVITATION:

Dear Ex-fellow Student of Tonga High School,

The President and the members of The Tonga High School Ex-Student Association in Sydney request the pleasure of your company to join us in the celebration of the Tonga High School 53rd Birthday to be held in Sydney Australia, commencing on Friday 2nd of June and concluding on Sunday 4th of June 2000.

This will be the first time this special event will be formally celebrated in Sydney, Australia, so it is indeed a great pleasure and we humbly ask for your support and presence as an encouragement to all the ex-students in Australia to acknowledge and celebrate our beloved school's birthday like it is done world wide. We hope that this will formally mark the establishment of the THS Ex-Student Association in Sydney and its successful continuation. As a great number of ex-students are permanently residing overseas, the birthday celebration should be held in alternate countries. This is our main reason for inviting you to join us in Sydney for the year 2000.

We believe that by getting to know each other better and maintaining close contact, ex-students will able to help each other and work together. It's a known fact that many THS ex-students are very successful and powerful in their professional careers or as business people. As we all know we can't all be doctors or lawyers or wealthy but its useful to have a friend who is one. Also, by maintaining close contact we'll be able to overcome barriers such as religion, social class and so on.

As a recognised Ex-Student body we'll be able to communicate more effectively with our fellow ex-students from other parts of the world and become more informed on current issues which may interest us, especially with advanced communication tools such as the Internet.

We really hope that you will be able to join us in Sydney for a taste of the Downunder entertainment and cuisines. Your support will be greatly appreciated and we look forward to seeing you.

Regards

Tevita Disney Tapa

DRAFT OF SCHOOL'S 53rd CELEBRATION PROGRAM:

Friday, 2nd June 2000:	white space here!
3:00 pm	Welcome - all ex-students travelling from overseas and other states. Church and community leaders in NSW will be invited. Welcoming feast will be prepared by THS Ex-students.
7pm:	Formal Ball and Dance
Sat, 3rd June 2000:	white space here!
10.00 am	Annual General Meeting
12:00 pm	Lunch and cultural entertainments - lunch prepared by THS ex-students
8:00 pm	Dance - in honour of ex-students from overseas
Sunday, 4th June 2000:	white space here!
10:00 am	Sunday Service - Rev. Kioa (Melbourne Chapter) to be in charge of this program. Special remembrance service for the 53rd Birthday celebration followed by Yearly Roll Call.
1:00 pm	Lunch - provided by THS ex-students.
5:00 pm	Farewell.

Suggested venues are Marrickville Community Hall for Saturday and Pulela'a Hall (SUTT) in Glendenning for the Sunday service subject to it's availability . A more detailed program will be made available as time draws closer. You will all be informed well in advance.

For further information contact: The Sydney Chapter's Administration above or this web site.

TALATALAIFALE MA'AE AKO LOLOTONGA(ADVICE FOR CURRENT STUDENTS):

As a proud ex-student of Tonga High School, I would like to give you a few suggestions as part of your armory in search of knowledge and skills. These are for the current students of Tonga High School, especially the senior levels.

You are now well into the 2000 academic year and I can imagine that school work are starting to pile up. Perhaps, what you need from here on end is a Survival Kit(SK) and here are a few suggestions to include in your SK. These are some of my experiences as a teacher and also while as a student at secondary and tertiary levels. I sometimes refer to these as the 15 commandments of my Survival Kit. I just want to share them with you. Use them as a guide!

1. Draw up a study routine and follow it.
2. Ask your teachers for help and make sure that you understand most of the content of each of your subject in class rather than spending a lot of time at home trying to figure out things. Do not be afraid or shy to ask questions in class. Keep this Chinese proverb in mind. "It is better to be a fool for 5 minutes then to be a fool for the rest of your life".
3. Do the assignments straight away and do not leave everything to the last minute.
4. Prioritise your work and set up a TIME MANAGEMENT PLAN and keep to it.
5. Treat your teachers as friends for they are there to help you. Teachers sometimes nagg at you to do your work. They do not do this to annoy you, they do it because they care!
6. Revise your work and seek help on subject matters that you are not sure of. In your revision, always ask the questions with why, what, where,how and when? Do not take things at face value. Ask yourself, why is this so? If I change this, what will happen? For instance, in calculus - what happens to the index of a variable during differentiation. Why is the index increased by 1? How is differentiation(or derivative) related to the gradient (slope) of a particular equation? In terms of velocity and acceleration, when do I differentiate a given equation and when do I apply integration? In integration where does the new index go?

   For computer science, you might ask, what is a variable or a constant in programming?. When do you use variables? Why is it so important to declare variables explictly? In procedural languages such as C, Pacal and QBasic, where are variables declared? In Object-Oriented Programming (OOP), how are variable declarations differ from that of procedural languages? OOP languages such as Visual Basic, Delphi, C++, Visual Java, J Builder or SmallTalk - if a variable is delcared as Private, is it visible to other sub-programs?

   I have used examples for two subject areas here but such questions can be applied to any subject.

7. Do not memorise things, problem solving is the trick and learn by applying prior knowledge and understanding to unfamiliar questions.
8. Try to work out things for yourself first before asking for help, equip yourself with the "have a go first" attitude.
9. Write your own questions or get the other members of the class to write out questions relating to the content of what you are studying and test yourself by trying to work out the solutions. You may have group discussions but make sure you contribute to the best of your ability. Learn from each other but do not let others do all the work for you. Stand up and be counted.
10. Use your classmates as teachers as well, you sometimes learn more from them than your teachers.
11. Work together with your teachers and keep this motto in mind: "TOGETHER WE LEARN", this will make learning and teaching more fun and rewarding to both parties. Remember that teachers do not know everything, they do learn from you as well and as a result - teachers become better teachers and students become better learners.
12. Be optimistic and arm yourself with the "I can do it" attitude. Be positive and try hard until you conguer what you are looking for.
13. If you do not understand a particular concept, it does not mean you are dumb. It can be a number of things. We learn by doing, listening and seeing. Each learner is different. Ask your teacher to explain the concept(s) in different ways until you understand. Never give up! To me, the greatest sin of all is giving up on yourself.
14. Keep in mind that nothing is impossible, one has to find a way. In most cases, you are the one!
15. Whatever your "Time Management Plan" is, allow for some time out. You do need to recharge your batteries every now and then. There is nothing worse than having flat ones.

Learning is a fascinating experience, it is an art and you can never stop learning. As an ex-student of Monash University and a life time member of its "Golden Key National Honour Society", I would like to finish off by using the Monash University motto: ANCORA IMPARO which simply means "I AM STILL LEARNING".

Faka'apa'apa atu

Loseli M Hafoka

REMINDER: MEETING FOR THE MELBOURNE CHAPTER

As posted in our last month's newsletter, the Melbourne Chapter will have their meeting soon. This meeting will be held on:

DATE: Saturday, April 29.

TIME: 1.00 PM

VENUE: Rev. Kioa's Residence

Congratulations to our president for taking the role of leading the church service for the celebration of our school's 53rd birthday.

For those of you who want to attend but are not sure of the address, either email me or ring me at home so that I can supply you with Kioa's address. We will be discussing a few issues in relation to the celebration of the school's birthday. Please come along and support our chapter.

BRAIN TEASER:(For Logical Thinkers)

A man walked into a bar with a photograph and said, "Brothers and sisters, I have none but this man's father is my father's son. Who am I?"

SPIRITUAL FOOD FOR EASTER:

"People and events come and go, but Jehovah keeps moving his people constantly forward, ensuring that they prosper spiritually" (Brother Glen How)

Easter is the time of the year in which we should remember the sacrifice Jesus did in order for us to have a chance of living forever in paradise. The questions are: Are we doing anything about it? Do we want to be with Jehovah or are we so complacent that other things take priority? Is Satan so persuasive and powerful that we have blindly succumbed to his tricks and become part of those people and events that come and go? As a choice, during this easter - let us have a close look at ourselves and reaffirm our relationship with Jehovah so that when everything is gone and the judgement day arrives, we stand up and rejoice to our lord and say "Lord, it has been a tough, tiring and enduring time but we are glad we made the choice to follow your words".

Until next time, have a good EASTER and take care !

Faka'apa'apa atu

'Amelia & Loseli M Hafoka

WEBMASTER 

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