ACG Sunderland Newsletter Week 2 5 February

ACG Sunderland 09 838 7070 6 Waipareira Ave, Henderson, Auckland

ACG SUNDERLAND

WINGS NEWSLETTER Vol 17, Term One, Week Two, 5 February 2021

Dear Parents and Friends of Sunderland At the end of last week, our young House Leaders from the Primary School were voted on and then awarded their badges and recognised at a wonderful assembly.

Congratulations to all thirteen of our leaders. I know they will form an integral part of the overall Campus Leadership team.

List below: Tong Fleming Waitakere Whenuapai Findlay

Ryan Melvin, Jayana Prasad, Marcus Xue Arabella Endersby-Grant, Madeline Yeoman Abigail Cosgrove, Bryan Gao Annabelle Tyler, Tyler Tapelu Kimaya Trivedi, Sophia Feng Emma Liu, Harsha Ganta

College Swimming Thursday 11 February at West Wave Pool, Henderson

ACG Sunderland 09 838 7070 6 Waipareira Ave, Henderson, Auckland

At the conclusion of the second week at school, I want to express just how very proud I am how the campus has settled into a pattern of quality teaching and learning. I have visited most classes over the course of the last two weeks, and I have been very impressed with how the students have all stepped up.

During week two, we held two ‘Information Evenings’, Tuesday for the Primary and Wednesday for the College. We hope the parents who were in attendance enjoyed the evenings and had an opportunity to have your questions answered. If you missed these evenings, I certainly welcome you to contact your Homeroom or Form Teacher if you have any further questions.

Next week, our College Swimming Sports carnival is being held on Thursday 11 February. Mr Keen and his team will have distributed information and your children will have signed up for events.

Parents are welcome to attend and watch the racing from the stands at West Wave. I/We look forward to seeing you there.

The Cambridge High Achiever Awards are being held on 18 February at Eden Park. This year, ACG Sunderland students are being recognised for three awards.

Cedric Siriwardana is being recognised as Top in the World for IGCSE Combined Science.

David Li is being recognised as Top in New Zealand for AS Biology and perhaps more importantly, as the Top New Zealand Cambridge student with: 98% 97% 96%

Mathematics Chemistry Physics.

David will also be the recipient of the John Morris Scholarship from the Association of Cambridge Schools in New Zealand.

Many of you will have read the articles in the media earlier this week, as New Zealand Mathematics students’ performances are now ranked lowest in the OECD. No doubt, committees will be appointed to reflect and review why this can be occurring. Can I just share that Mrs Lim’s class last year generated a 4.5 score out of a possible 6 as the average in Primary Cambridge Checkpoint. The average in last year’s Year Nine class was even higher at 5.2.

Clearly, a sound curriculum and quality teaching are the ingredients to improve New Zealand overall standing – in my opinion.

Have a wonderful long weekend.

Aspire. Succeed. Respect.

Nathan Villars Campus Principal ACG Sunderland

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Students Voice

ACG Sunderland 09 838 7070 6 Waipareira Ave, Henderson, Auckland

Starting at ACG Sunderland My first week at ACG Sunderland is just like anyone else’s, nerve-wrecking. Not only was I starting at a new school, but it was also my first time experiencing the Cambridge curriculum. Even though I had prepared a bit for Cambridge, nothing could calm my nerves on the first day. Not knowing anyone made it ten times worse. I had met a few people at orientation, but this is high school, things don’t always come easy. At least, that was what I thought until I met my form class.

My form teacher is Mr Jones and just like me, he’s new to ACG Sunderland. I’m the only new kid in my form class but while I was with fellow students in VEJ, I didn’t once feel like that was the case. I was surrounded by leaders and people who I could go to when something about the school didn’t make sense to me. I’m a student moving from a state school to a private school, so questions are bound to return.

At my previous school, extracurriculars and leadership opportunities were incredibly important to me and that’s not about to change here at Sunderland. There are so many things to do here, ensuring there will never be a dull moment. Student Voice, for example, was something I was eager to sign up for as I love writing. The school has many sports to offer, some of which weren’t available to me before I started here. I just keep reminding myself not to overcommit.

Regarding the classroom, the expectations and difficulty of the lessons are not something I am used to. I used a microscope properly for the first time in Science, I’m taking Music and I haven’t done Art as a subject since I was in Year 6. But my teachers and peers are helping me adjust to the new setting. I’m deciding on my favourite classes at Sunderland and developing my skills in those classes; something that I expect to keep happening throughout my time here. I have new friends here that warmly welcomed me. I can only hope that my social skills continue to grow here at ACG Sunderland.

I expect ACG Sunderland to help me grow and I can’t wait to see what the upcoming year has in store for us. Bring on 2021!

By: Isheeta Lal, Year Nine.

Cafeteria It’s the start of a new school year again, and some changes have been made to the campus. Extra classrooms, new preschool, and the most prominent change yet: the cafeteria! Almost every student will agree that the cafeteria is a great new change to the school. However, there are some improvements to be made: most importantly; the singleuse-plastic.

People will groan at me for being so critical, but I doubt they’ll be groaning when the world goes up in flames. This is our world we’re inheriting, and if we don’t make a change now, we’ll suffer the consequences.

From experience, I know that stating the problem is not going to make much of a difference, people tend to think that the problem will be solved by their peers and they forget about it entirely, the issue is, that their peers think the exact same. This is perhaps one of humanities greatest flaws, not taking action. So, I’ve prepared a list of things the school can take into consideration when trying to solve the cafeteria’s single-use-plastic difficulty.

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ACG Sunderland 09 838 7070 6 Waipareira Ave, Henderson, Auckland

Provide a discount for BYOC (Bring Your Own Cup). This would encourage people to bring their own cups, meaning the plastic usage would be reduced.

Make ACG Sunderland Branded Reusable cups. Not only would this be a great fundraiser for the school, but it would surely inspire students to bring their reusable cups to school with them, they could even leave them in their lockers after a quick rinse at the drinking fountain.

Now, I’m aware that this will probably never happen, but: ban single use cups from ACG altogether. This is drastic, but maybe that’s what we need.

Stop providing single use plastic cutlery. Hardly any of the food served requires cutlery to be eaten, so stop giving it out. Students can practice their organisation and bring their own cutlery, like you would if you need it in your packed lunch.

Simply provide wooden cutlery instead! It’s not that difficult, and yet makes a huge difference.

The cafeteria is well-loved by students, teachers and parents alike, but does the environment love it?

By: Amelia Lee, Year Eight

New club for College students: Rōpū Sunderland On Wednesday, 10th February, a new after-school club will be starting for College students. The name of the club, Rōpū Sunderland, translates to Sunderland Group. The group will learn about all things Māori and will be equally suitable for those who want to learn more about the Māori culture and those who are already familiar with tikanga Māori.

In term one students will create and practise their pepeha, translate the school song into te reo Māori, create and learn a Sunderland Haka and learn some Māori songs and stories. We are very fortunate to have an external provider delivering the content of the programme. The club will run from 3.20-4.50pm each Wednesday, and it is intended that students attend each week so they can follow the programme.

If you would like to know more about Rōpū Sunderland, or to register interest on behalf of your child, please email megan.davies@acgedu.com

Parents and Friends of ACG Sunderland This is a small group of parent volunteers who assist in supporting the school and our student body. We get together at the beginning of each month at 8.30am in the Boardroom.

If you are interested in joining please contact Sonya Eldridge.

Email: sonya.eldridge@acgedu.com for more details.

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ACG Sunderland 09 838 7070 6 Waipareira Ave, Henderson, Auckland

The Duke Edinburgh’s Hillary Award

AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND will continue to be

offered to students at ACG Sunderland in 2021.

The Duke of Edinburgh Award creates opportunities for our young people to learn a new skill (or develop an existing one), get physically active, give service to their communities, and take part in an adventure. The Award challenges young people to leave their comfort zones—and that's when the good stuff happens. They build self-confidence and greater resilience, helping to set them up for success in today's uncertain world, where they face more challenges than ever.

It is open to anyone between the ages of 14 to 25 plus; regardless of gender, background or ability—young people design their own Award programmes, set their own goals and record their own progress. The only person they compete against is themselves, by challenging their own beliefs about what they can achieve.

The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award is the world's leading youth achievement award. Proven to help with job and study prospects, it has transformed the lives of millions of young people since it first began in 1962. The Award operates on three levels; Bronze, Silver and Gold.

In order to achieve the Bronze Award, students must complete requirements in four sections: Skill, Physical Recreation, Service and Adventurous Journey. Silver and Gold Awards have a similar structure, but the challenges step up at each level.

While there is a significant time commitment required to complete each section, many students are already involved in activities which meet the requirements for the Skills and Physical Recreation sections (e.g. learning an instrument, speech, playing in a sports team). Both of these sections require the student to show regular commitment for a minimum of one hour per week carried out in their leisure time for a period of three or six months.

The Service section involves assisting in the community with a regular commitment for a minimum of one hour per week carried out in their leisure time for a period of 3 or 6 months’ in a position such as voluntary work with young children, the elderly, a neighbour, a church etc.

The Adventurous Journey section will be co-ordinated by the school through an external provider. This requires the students to undertake training about being in the outdoors. They also need to complete a practice tramp and a qualifying tramp in order to have this section signed off. Students generally complete the Bronze award within six to twelve months of starting the award.

The website www.dofehillary.org.nz lists the requirements and a vast range of activities which are suitable for the various sections.

Students will use the Online Record Book (ORB) to record their activities and achievements. Award Leaders can use the ORB to manage their Participants' progress, and Assessors can use it to submit their reports.

Costs involved: Bronze or Silver Registration approx. $95, Gold Registration approx. $120.

Two-day training for Adventurous Journey, Practice Journey and Qualifying Journey approx. $500 for all three components, depending on the provider.

If you would like to participate in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award, please obtain a permission slip from reception or Mrs King. Once received, I will then complete the online registration with your child. I look forward to working alongside your child gain this Award. If you have any questions, please contact me by email.

Louise King DoE Hillary Award Leader louise.king@acgedu.com 5

Music Lessons

ACG Sunderland 09 838 7070 6 Waipareira Ave, Henderson, Auckland

Would you like your child to learn one of these instruments or have singing lessons?

Please email Mr O’Connor for details about Itinerant Music Lessons at ACG Sunderland.

Email: daniel.o’connor@acgedu.com

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Ground Crew

ACG Sunderland 09 838 7070 6 Waipareira Ave, Henderson, Auckland

Lenco School Wear Shop

Sunderland Second-Hand Uniform Shop

40 Patiki Road Avondale Auckland Tel 09 838 6164

The shop is open. Please ask at reception for access.

January 2021 Reopen – Thursday 7th Jan Monday to Friday 8.30am – 4.30pm Saturday 9.00am – 3.00pm

Lost Property

9 February 2021 Open Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 8.30am to 4.30pm Saturday from 9.00am to 1.00pm Closed Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday and Public Holidays As a reminder all school uniform continues to be available for purchase online on our Lenco website https://lenco.space/schoolwear/.

We are taking good quality uniform items for the second-hand shop. Blazers must be dry cleaned.

All lost property can be found by the Second-Hand Uniform Shop.

For your best interest, please name all clothing, lunch boxes and drink bottles, as we will return all named items to the student’s homeroom teacher.

Contact Details School Office: Phone: 838 7070 Address: 6 Waipareira Ave, Henderson Waitakere 0610

Kids at School Care Kids at School Care operates in G02, Monday to Friday, from 7.00am to 8.20am and 3.10pm to 5.45pm. They also run a Holiday Programme.

Contact Haydee Cos on 021 161 6256 for enrolment and fees information or email haydeecos@yahoo.com

Staff Emails Email format for staff is: Firstname.Surname@acgedu.com

Email:

sunderland@acgedu.com

Attendance:

sunderlandattendance@acgedu.com

Web:

www.acgedu.com

2021 Term Dates Term 1: Term 2: Term 3: Term 4:

25 January to 16 April 3 May to 2 July 26 July to 24 September 11 October to 7 December

Lunch Orders – From Libelle It's been a busy week for Lunch Orders and we hope everyone liked their yummy lunches! We would like to inform parents that we are currently not providing juicies, moosies or calciyums to ACG Sunderland. If the school is 'water-only', other drinks that are ordered will be substituted for a drink or item of equal value.

We would like to thank everyone for the amazing support we've had within the school community of ACG Sunderland as we continue on this new adventure to serve our hungry learners with delicious and nutritious food!

You can order your child's yummy and healthy lunches at www.lunchorders.co.nz. Cut off time for ordering same day is at 8.30am. If you have any questions, please reach out to the Lunch Orders team via email on lunchorders@libelle.co.nz or flick a message on the Lunch Orders FB Messenger. Happy Lunch Ordering!

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