Kia ora whānau,
It has been a busy and rewarding time in the junior school, with students and staff embracing a wide range of rich learning opportunities – both within the classroom and beyond the school. A huge congratulations to all our Year 7-10 students for their mahi.
Congratulations to all our Year 7 and 8 students, staff, and parents who took part in the annual Zespri AIMS Games in Tauranga this week. The AIMS Games provide an outstanding platform for students to challenge themselves alongside peers from across Aotearoa, developing not only their sporting skills but also resilience, self-discipline, and the joy of shared achievement.
It has been an incredibly proud moment for us as our Year 10 Mathex team won the Auckland competition beating 120 other Auckland teams. Mathex is a challenging and fast-paced mathematics contest where schools from across Auckland compete against each other in teams to answer questions as quickly as possible. Congratulations to Wan Yao, Amelie Chan, Keilan Ngan Woo Matoha and Isabella Lee (Runner) for this incredible achievement.
Our SEZ Debate team has also achieved remarkable success, placing first in the competition. Their ability to craft and present well-reasoned arguments was commendable. A special thank you goes to the dedicated teachers and senior students who guided and supported the team in their preparation.
Ten of our Junior School Leaders were fortunate enough to attend a Leadership Conference at Mission Heights Junior College with other Y10 leaders from Ormiston Junior College, Rototuna Junior College and Albany Junior College. The themes of “Appreciating Perspectives: Why Empathy Matters Now More Than Ever” were delved into and our students represented us fantastically!
We also had our first ever three teams participate in the Tournament of Minds (ToM) Auckland Regional competition. Tournament of Minds is an opportunity for students with a passion for learning and problem solving to demonstrate their skills and talents in an exciting, vibrant and public way. Our teams competed in the STEM, Language/Literature and The Arts category. Congratulations to the STEM team who were placed third and our Language/Literature team came second – an outstanding achievement for our very first time participating in this tournament.
Our Year 7 and 8 students also had a remarkable opportunity to strengthen their confidence and belief in themselves spending a day at Wero Waterpark on the water, rafting and high rope climbing. The students were safely challenged out of their comfort zones to build self-belief and skills.
Te wiki o te reo Māori was another wonderful opportunity to see learning come to life at the college. Our Māori Language Moment had all our students gather to reflect on the significance of Māori Language Week and the 1975 Māori Language Petition by performing as a whole school our haka. We also acknowledge the many students who prepared for and sat the co-requisite examinations. Results will be available from 9 October for Reading, and from 20 October for Writing and Numeracy.
Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support of our learners and our school community. Have a wonderful break.
Ngā mihi nui,
Reshmika Lal
Deputy Principal