AVONDALE COLLEGE NEWSLETTER 2019 Issue 1 www.avcol.school.nz
Top Academic results National Youth Jazz Competition Polyfest Sporting success …and more!
From the Principal DEAR PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS
CONTENTS 2
From the Principal
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ACADE M I C R E S ULTS
4 NEWS & E VE NTS Honours Assembly Meet Our Prefects 5 Message of Support for Christchurch Microsoft National Champions 6 Showquest Chess Champions 7 Talent Quest HEART Homeroom Competition 8 Polyfest 10 World Vision Leaders Conference Pink Shirt Day Enviromental Council 11 DEPA RTM E NTS Art 12 Performing Arts Academy Drama 14 Geography International 15 Mathematics Outdoor Education 16 Music 18 Taurewa Science 19 S P O RT Overview 23 Alumni 20 NOT I CE BOAR D Key Dates 2019 Deans & DPs
The exceptional academic results achieved by Avondale College students in both NCEA and Cambridge International are a source of pleasure and pride for us all. The conscientious efforts of these students, firmly underpinned by strong support from home and the professional talents of the Avondale staff are propelling these results ever upwards year on year. Added to these outcomes are the 2,400+ international adult digital qualifications gained by students in the last year in Microsoft, Adobe, Autodesk and Entrepreneurship and Small Business. Our staff have also recognised the value of these skills and qualifications and have now achieved more than 400 of these certifications. We were once again delighted to see five of our students putting these skills into practice to win the national Microsoft Office Specialist championships and wish them all the best as they head to New York to compete in the world championships in July.
discussions are being held against a backdrop of an ever-growing teacher shortage and challenging contract negotiations. The number of secondary students in the system is still increasing and teacher supply is just not keeping up with the current demand. Realistically, there is little chance of substantial improvement in the national secondary teacher supply until at least 2021 because of the time lags required for recruitment, selection and training. At present we are very pleased with the quality of teacher recruitment for the college, both locally and from overseas, despite some of the time delays that have been involved. In the meantime, we continue to work hard to anticipate future staffing demands for the long-term needs of the school. As always, I am pleased to share that the Avondale College staff continue to take real pride and pleasure in their students and willingly go the extra mile to support their personal and educational development.
As can be seen in this newsletter, the school has a rich array of activities in sport, culture and service that add substantially to our students’ opportunities for personal growth and enjoyment. Even more impressively, Avondale students have responded warmly to the needs of others during the saddest of circumstances, including the generous student-driven fundraising for the victims of the Christchurch shooting. Of course at the national level, education remains a hot topic this year, with multiple governmental reviews proposing major changes in curriculum, qualifications and governance. Unfortunately, these
Mr Brent Lewis PRINCIPAL
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RECORD ACADEMIC RESULTS
We were delighted to receive news of our students’ success in their NCEA, Cambridge International and NZ Scholarship examinations from 2018.
CAMBRIDGE Y11: 100% Y12: 83%
NCEA Y13: 79% UE: 91%
The results for our students in the Cambridge Assessment International Education examinations were again extremely positive. Of particular note was the achievement of our Year 11 IGCSE students, whose pass rate rose to an outstanding 100%. The University Entrance pass rate of our Cambridge students also increased to 91%.
L1: 94% L2: 93%
L3: 91% UE 71% (c/f National rate of 60%)
Our NCEA results were once again well above national achievement rates, with a 94% pass rate at Level 1; 93% at Level 2 and 91% at Level 3.Our University Entrance achievement rates were also once again well above the national averages: 71% compared to the national pass rate of 60%.
An Avondale College student once again topped New Zealand in the Cambridge examinations: Jesslyn Chen received an Outstanding Learner Award for coming first in New Zealand in AS History. This was Jesslyn’s second Outstanding Learner Award – she also came first in AS Psychology the previous year.
NZ SCHOLARSHIP
These students were invited to return to Avondale College to receive the prestigious Scholars badge at our Academic Badges Assembly in March. Included amongst these scholars were four who achieved the award while still in Year 12 - an outstanding achievement. Also of note was one student, Jesslyn Chen, who achieved four NZ Scholarships (including an Outstanding in History) in addition to her High Achievement Award in Cambridge International AS History. Current students who achieved Excellence endorsements in their NCEA courses last year were also recognised at this assembly, along with Cambridge International students who had achieved Distinction passes.
Rana Cawley* Jesslyn Chen Jesslyn Chen Jesslyn Chen Jesslyn Chen Shania D'Cruz Shivam Desai* Sian Dillon Sian Dillon Sian Dillon
DANCE
ENGLISH BIOLOGY CHEMISTRY HISTORY (OUTSTANDING) STATISTICS DRAMA CALCULUS CHEMISTRY DANCE HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION (OUTSTANDING) Tina Gorter DESIGN Kiki Hall DESIGN Changji Hua CHEMISTRY Brian Kumar HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION Sasha Matsumoto DANCE Helena May DANCE Grace Minturn PHOTOGRAPHY Nupur Mohini BIOLOGY Ellen Plumpton PHOTOGRAPHY Anisa Poliko HISTORY Alisha Prasad DESIGN Alana Rae* DRAMA Aakaash Salvaji CHEMISTRY Christyanna Saufoi SAMOAN Albert Wang* CALCULUS Max Zecchini Dowling GEOGRAPHY
*Year 12 Student
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Our students once again performed well above national norms for NCEA and University Entrance...
M'ryah Atama
NZ SCHOLARSHIPS 2018
Regarded as the most prestigious secondary award in New Zealand, more than 9,300 students entered New Zealand Scholarship last year across 35 subjects. Of those who sat New Zealand Scholarship, 2,415 students were awarded one or more scholarships, and 22 of these were Avondale College students. Our students were awarded 27 Scholarships, including two Outstanding Scholarships, across 13 different subject areas.
NEWS&EVENTS HONOURS ASSEMBLY Avondale College celebrated the success of some of our top students at two Honours Assemblies, held in March and June. Students were recognised for their achievement at regional, national and international levels across a range of sporting, cultural and academic activities. Of particular note were those who have achieved on the New Zealand stage; so far this year these include: Hapurona Clarke - VOLLEYBALL Selected for the NZ Junior Men’s Volleyball team to attend the Kobe Bryant Mamba Mentality Camp in USA in July 2019
Findlay Shannon - TRAMPOLINING Represented NZ at the Australasian Freestyle Trampolining Competition, winning a gold and bronze medal
Jayden Collins - SWIMMING Received a bronze medal in the 12-13 year old 500m at the NZSS Open Water Championships
Braxton Taffard - SOFTBALL Selected for the U15 NZ Triallist Squad to compete against Australia in July 2019
Alex Dunkley - SWIMMING Won a gold medal in 12-13 year old 2km and 500m at the NZSS Open Water Championships Lucy Li - CHEMISTRY Gained Silver Award in NZ Chemistry Olympiad and was selected to attend training camp Misha Lingampalli - BADMINTON New Zealand Representative – U17 team Branson Matsumoto - BASEBALL National Representative in Little League Asia/Pacific/ Middle East Regional Qualifiers and Cal Ripken Major 70 World Series Kristian Marsters - SOFTBALL Selected for the U15 NZ Triallist Squad to compete against Australia in July 2019
Grace Nweke - NETBALL Selected for the National Secondary Schools Netball team to compete against Australia David Tuitama - YOUTH SHAKESPEARE COMPANY National representative to The Globe, London Lily Zhang - CHEMISTRY Gained Bronze Award in NZ Chemistry Olympiad and was selected to attend training camp Corey Wood - AMERICAN FOOTBALL Selected for the U20 New Zealand team Liam Stolberger – ORIENTEERING Selected for the New Zealand team to compete at the Australian School Championships and Oceania Championships Baileigh Greaves, Connor Carroll, Natania Havea, Hosana Alefosio, Xarya Tamaalii – DANCE Representing New Zealand at Hip Hop International Competition
MEET OUR PREFECTS Before the school year even officially began our student prefects attended Prefect Camp where they spent time getting to know one another and developing the leadership skills they would need for the year ahead. Once school began, the prefects were assigned in pairs to each Year 9 home room class and spent the first few days of the year welcoming our newest students to the College and helping them feel part of the Avondale College family. The Head Prefect team of Kiahan Simons-Tipau (Head Boy), Grace CarrShepheard (Head Girl), Alana Rae, Paea Filimoehala, Tasfia Mahmood, Sage Peni and Cate McIntosh have addressed the student body at each Monday assembly as well as providing solid leadership to all students in the aftermath of the Christchurch tragedy, and beyond.
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HEAD PREFECTS 2019: L-R: Deputy Prefects Tasfia Mahmood, Sage Peni, Cate McIntosh; Kiahan Simons-Tipau, (Head Boy) Grace Carr-Shepheard, (Head Girl); Deputy Prefects Paea Filimoehala and Alana Rae. PREFECTS 2019: Emma Absari, Fairuz Afandi, Tristan Allen, Jeff Alosio Matiasi, Max Barrett, Josh Black, Bella Brough, Hans Carlos, Rana Cawley, Sam Charles, Shirley Chen, Hapurona Clarke, Logan Clay, Aotea Clifton, Grace Coyle, Carol Dsouza, Dahlia Feng, Faasulu Fepulea'i, Jon Guevarra, Baraah Hammad, Talei Holmes, Taimane Hotere, Isabella Hughes, Emily Kamimura, Tristan Kewell, Japreet Kullar, Tovey Lai, Poppy Madden, Elleazyr Maiu'u, Wuthyrak Mam, Jaria Manase, Monty Mathieson, Joshua Meads, Anthony Millington, Alix Mills, Elli Morris, Mayoora Nanthakumaran, Javiyah Nikoia, Grace Nweke, Rishit Patel, Mrydhinyi Radha Krishnan, Joeseas Santos, Enrico Schwart, Ikko Shibuya, Saffron Stanley, Che Stockenstroom, Liam Stolberger, Ally Tang, Sebastian Thomas, Albert Thompson.
Message of Support FOR CHRISTCHURCH The days following the Christchurch shootings in March were like no other in New Zealand’s history. Addressing our school assemblies on the following Monday, Mr Lewis emphasised the need for atawhai (kindness) as everyone came to terms with what had happened. “Consistent kindness and support is what is most important at this time,” he said. “Atawhai is one of our HEART values. There has never been a time when atawhai is more needed than this.” Following on from the Principal’s message, our Head Prefect team spoke to both assemblies on Monday and shared their thoughts and ideas on the way forward. Some of these initiatives included: •
Setting aside our library as a quiet, reflective refuge for any students who needed a space to process their feelings. Our Guidance Department staff were available to offer support as needed.
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Many students and staff took the opportunity to write a heartfelt message on the display boards in the Atrium.
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Presentation books of photographs of these messages and other words of support have been gifted to the three local mosques.
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A school-wide mufti-day raised money for the families of victims in Christchurch.
MICROSOFT National Champions
ON THEIR WAY TO NEW YORK! New Zealand's Microsoft Office Specialist National Champions have just been announced - and five are from Avondale College! They will now travel as part of the New Zealand team to compete in the world championships in New York City at the end of July. The qualification of these students is an outcome of months of learning, training and practice, along with success in school and regional competitions. PowerPoint 2013 – Mohanshu Vaidya (Y11) Excel 2013 – Ed Allison (Y12) Excel 2016 – Sebastian Thomas (Y13) Word 2013 – Aiden Wachter (Y11) Word 2016 – Vishva Dave (Y12) "We are excited to take some of the Avondale students back to the world championships to defend the title they won last year," said Jonathan Jansen, CEO of New Zealand Industry Qualifications. The MOS World Championships receives around 1.3 million entries globally. Approximately 150 university and school students will compete in the USA, representing over 50 countries.
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SHOWQUEST
AVCOL WINS AUCKLAND COMPETITION
It was an experience that I will never forget! An outstanding performance on the first night of the Auckland Showquest competition on Wednesday 5 June saw Avondale College win the overall prize, along with awards for theme, lighting and choreography! The nationwide performing arts competition challenges students to put together a creative minispectacular, complete with video wall, sound and lighting. Avondale's student leaders Cate McIntosh and David Tuitama had begun thinking about the performance in October last year, and following a round of auditions and intense rehearsals were both delighted with the way Avondale's environmentally themed performance came together on the night. “Showquest was an incredible experience, from the nine months preparing to the performance day itself," said Cate. "It was so amazing to be able to work with such a talented team and meet students from other schools who were also passionate about the performing arts."
CHESS Champions Avondale College's Chess team won the West Auckland Secondary Interschool Chess Championships on Thursday 13 June. The fourmember team consiste of Rishit Patel (playing on board one), Xin-Yang Liu (board two), Rohit Mudaliar (board three) and Jivitesh Khullar (board four). In addition to their gold championship medals, Jivitesh and Xin-Yang also received medals for winning all their games and placing first on their respective boards! The team are now preparing for the New Zealand interschool finals, where they will represent West Auckland.
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TALENT QUEST Avondale College's Talent Quest final was an outstanding event, showcasing a wide range of musical, vocal and dance talent. Superbly MC'd by the comedic trio of Monty Mathieson, Fairuz Afandi and Shirley Chen, the event highlighted what a range of top quality talent we have at Avondale College! The musical performances were diverse, with a string quartet, a jazz quartet, a rock band and an Indian drumming group. The dance section featured a high energy K-Pop number with 27 performers; and a performance by hip hop dancer (and Head Boy) Kiahan Simons-Tipau, who won second place this year. As ever, the vocal performances were strong, with three soloists and a trio, and a stand out performance of 'Bust Your Windows' by overall winner, Delores Lesatele. As tradition demands, the evening concluded with items by staff and prefects, with the prefects bringing a lifesized Super Mario game to the stage. The undisputed winners though were the staff, with their superb 'dance through the decades' number.
1st PLACE: Delores Lesatele - VOCALIST 2ND PLACE: Kiahan Simons-Tipau - DANCER
Special thanks go to the judges (Ben Collier, Grace Ikenasio and Hadleigh Pouesi) who had the difficult job of choosing the winners, and to the Talent Quest Prefect Committee and to the Year 13 Deans Mrs Parker and Mrs Yallop, and Deputy Principal Dr Brown for their efforts in putting together such an entertaining evening.
3RD PLACE: Toby and the Rest - JAZZ BAND
HOMEROOM COMPETITION Home (room) is where the HEART is! Given the task of showcasing their home room's HEART, our students did a fantastic job putting together their creative HEART home room displays! Judging the best display was a challenging task for our Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) team, but winning the kudos - and the free pizza lunch - this year was 12HGL! Congratulations to all who contributed their creativity to these displays, and particularly to the year level winners: Highly Commended - 12HUE Yr 9 - EKO Yr 10 – FRA Yr 11 – HWN Yr 12 – HGL Yr 13 – KHO Overall winner – 12 HGL
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Tongan
POLYFEST The lead up to this year’s Polyfest was once again a huge celebration of Avondale College’s multi-cultural diversity, as a record number of students rehearsed their items in preparation for the world’s biggest Pacific Island dance festival.
However, as the devastating news of the Christchurch shootings unfolded in the afternoon, the decision was made by the Polyfest organisers to cancel the following day’s festival, which was when our Niuean and Diversity groups had been scheduled to perform.
More than 550 students and countless staff, tutors and families all came together in the weeks prior to the festival to teach and learn songs, choreograph dances and prepare the costumes for sixteen different cultural groups (the largest number Avondale College has ever had – and the largest number of groups of any school). As has become the norm for our groups in recent years, students from many cultural backgrounds were welcomed into the different groups, with many valuable inter-cultural interactions taking place as students engaged with language and ideas along with the routines.
"The events that caused the early end of Polyfest were a shock for us all,” said Deputy Principal Lyndy Watkinson. "However, the significance of Polyfest for our school is the journey for our students; the cultural connection, the drive for excellence and the leadership opportunities."
Once again we were incredibly proud of all of our groups.
We were delighted to add our first-ever Korean group to the number of Avondale College groups preparing for their performances on the Diversity Stage this year, which also included Mexican, Japanese, Chinese, Tuvaluan, Fijian, Indian, Sri Lankan, Filipino, Thai and African. The huge community support that is given to all of our performance groups was made overwhelmingly clear by the high standard of performances evident in the final rehearsals in front of the Year 9 students and the wellattended performance evenings and Samoan Fia Fia night in the week before Polyfest.
JJ Gaina
The first day of scheduled performances saw our Kapa Haka, Samoan, Cook Island and two Tongan groups perform to enthusiastic crowds in the brilliant sunshine.
won 2nd place in the Y12 Samoan Speech Competition
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Chinese
Samoan
Korean
Cook Island
Niuean
Kapa Haka
Mexican
Fijian
Tuvaluan
Japanese
Thai
Indian
African
Sri Lankan
Filipino
(Won 2nd place Non-Competitive Stage)
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LEADERS CONFERENCE The theme for this year's 40 Hour Famine) revolved around the South Sudan crisis - where thousands of young lives have been affected by conflict, drought and famine. Avondale College student leaders participated in the World Vision Global Leadership conference held at ASB Showgrounds in Term 1. There they joined with many students from throughout the Auckland region to hear many inspirational speakers talk about what is happening in South Sudan. Many thanks to our lead students, who include: Jaria Manase, Naheeda Qari, Balqis Osman, Kheiriyah Osman, Rita Zhong Christina Lieu and Charlotte Brough. Huge thanks also to the many students at Avondale College who were involved in supporting the World Vision cause during Term 2!
PINK SHIRT DAY
Avondale College staff were in the pink on Friday 17 May - quite literally - as they showed their support for the Pink Shirt Day campaign to stop bullying and show aroha and kindness. Celebrated annually around the globe, Pink Shirt Day began in Canada in 2007 when two students took a stand against homophobic bullying, after a peer was bullied for wearing a pink shirt. In Aotearoa, Pink Shirt Day aims to create schools, workplaces and communities where all people feel safe, valued and respected. Our students had also shown their support for this cause earlier in the week, with funds from a mufti day being donated to The Mental Health Foundation.
ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL
NORTH PIHA BEACH CLEAN -UP On a sunny day on the last Sunday of Term 1, 16 students and teachers met at North Piha car park for three hours of rubbish collecting. The beach itself was surprisingly quite clear of rubbish, probably helped by the steady wind that was blowing. However, the story was different in the dunes. Our team managed to collect 80kg of rubbish in total, most of which was bottles and cans. Fortunately, most of the rubbish collected was recyclable and could be put in the correct place. Many thanks to those who helped! Mrs R Lamb TIC Environmental Council
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DEPARTMENTS ART “Avondale College is a melting pot of different ethnicities and cultural diversity. With a student body nearing 3000, we have many facets to our internal society. Avondale College is reflective of the wider Auckland community and the diversity experienced on our streets and in our homes.” – Avondale College Cultural Portrait Booklet
Y13 PHOTOGRAPHY A stunning exhibition of cultural portraits was the culmination of a term’s work in Year 13 Photography. Students were asked to select a culture that was close to their personal lives and interests, and to then create photographs and statements to reflect this. The results were spectacular and thought provoking, with the accompanying exhibition booklet providing a fascinating insight into each student’s process and work. Year 13 Photography teacher, Ms Earwaker said she was thrilled with the way students had engaged with the task. “Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, encompassing language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts. This assessment is the photographic documentation of this.”
PERFORMING ARTS ACADEMY DANCE
The Dance Academy has gone into full swing this year, with a talented bunch of students split into Year 9 and Year 10 groups. The Year 9 cohort is led by Miss Schmidt and the Year 10 cohort by Miss Southgate. We have established genre-based groups within the cohorts to equip students with appropriate skills and techniques for Hip Hop and Contemporary dance. Choreography workshops have been included in our schedule to help support students’ creativity and credibility in their respective dance classes. Dance Academy students have learnt a variety of warm up sequences, including technique and short phrases of movements exploring the differing styles of Hip Hop and Contemporary dance.
The Avondale College Performing Arts Academy has had a great start to 2019. Students are working to build their performance skills, confidence and creativity across the four strands of our programme.​
DRAMA
The Drama Academy students began the year preparing for their Speech New Zealand examinations, which exposed them to the extended skills of communicating and theatre-making. The Year 9 cohort prepared work for their individual Oral Communication badge; this qualification encourages students to understand, respond to and use English in a variety of contexts. Students also enjoyed devising an original piece that explored the influence and impact of social media, which they performed at the Academy performance evening.
DRAMA
SHAKESPEARE COMPETITION
The West Auckland regional heats of the Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival took place on Monday 1 April, with 21 Avondale College students in six groups taking to the stage to present their five or fifteen minute Shakespearean scenes. Five of the groups had prepared student-directed scenes, which meant they had worked independently to choose the scene, plan costuming and devise movement to create highly successful pieces. An impressive amount of atawhai was shown by all students in their support of each other both behind the scenes and on stage.
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A highlight was the scene by Year 12 students Zanique Eilers and Heather Wallace who played out the final moments between Macbeth and Macduff with very realistic bloody wounds and sword fighting!
JAZZ (Music)
The Jazz Academy students have already made huge progress in the first half of the year, with the Year 10 students guiding the Year 9s through a variety of rich and challenging big band charts. This year’s rhythm section is already swinging, with Kyle Burden, and Lucas Wongso leading the charge. The woodwind and brass sections have expanded throughout the term to over a dozen players. The first term’s woodwind and brass Year 9 standouts would have to be Renzo Cawley on trumpet, Jakob Elijas on trombone and Alishha Bhatt on alto sax. All three students have quickly established themselves in the band. This year’s talented vocal students are proving quick studies and have already mastered some beautiful standards, including Fly Me to the Moon and Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me. They continue to develop their understanding of jazz phrasing and harmony.
CLASSICAL (Music)
The Classical Academy students are preparing an exciting programme of new music to showcase their talents, spanning Baroque to Disney. We have begun rehearsing, putting the students at the centre of the creative process by encouraging self-reflection and leadership in rehearsals. This allows students to gain experience in how to improve the quality of ensemble music when rehearsing with peers. These skills were showcased to great effect at the performance evening in June.
GEOGRAPHY OUT IN THE FIELD Geography is a subject that considers location - where you are and builds from there. Our senior geographers have had a number of opportuntites to grapple further with these ideas outside the classroom, travelling to different locations to conduct field work Our Year 13 students travelled to Muriwai Beach, where the six foot swells of the wild West Coast beach certainly caught their attention and led them to wonder 'how does this all work?!' Students completed a research project to compare two beaches before taking a walk across the headland. Level 2 students investigated the differences in the urban planning of Hobsonville Point and Te Atatu Peninsula. The built landscape of the two areas led one student to comment of Hobsonville Point that “This isn’t the Auckland I know!” The visit led to much discussion on how each part of the city was planned. After completing comparisons students then wrote a report explaining why the two suburban areas differ. With Auckland in such a time of urban transition it is satisfying to be able to teach students about the changes which are dotting their surrounding landscape on a daily basis – Geography in action!
INTERNATIONAL POSITIVE KIWI EXPERIENCES FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS Avondale College's International Department began the year by welcoming students from all four corners of the globe to our side of the world! Once settled into their homestay families and Avondale College classes, the students began making the most of everything that is on offer here - building friendships, trying different experiences and rising to new challenges! A number of students enjoyed going on special tours and trips organised by the International Department, and we were sad to farewell those who returned to their home countries at the end of Term 2. We look forward to the adventure continuing in the second half of the year, with a new group of students who will arrive in Term 3.
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MATHEMATICS BUILDING BRIDGES The Maths Department's annual Bridge Building Competition took place in the Theatre on 18 June, with 114 Year 9 and 10 students taking up the challenge to create the strongest bridge possible to span a 30cm gap using just bamboo skewers, ice block sticks, glue and string! The morning session was put aside for planning and design. After taking inspiration from the Australian Lego Masters, the students went to work on some intricate and quite complex designs. There was plenty of engineering prowess on display, with designs for suspension bridges, triangular pyramids and everything else you could think of! The students were constantly reminded that they would have under two hours in the afternoon session to complete the build itself, and to check that they actually had enough of the materials to complete their chosen design... The afternoon began with a hushed excitement as the teams began their attempts to bring their designs to life. It was soon apparent that many of them had bitten off more than they could chew as designs and plans went out the window and panicked construction of something resembling a bridge commenced. By the time the final whistle rang, all 38 teams had something to show for their efforts. The day was a fantastic display of Avondale College at its best, with 114 students all giving 100% to the task, showing incredible creativity and resourcefulness to achieve the best they could. Once the bridges have been tested to destruction, the winning teams will go on to represent Avondale College at the Aurecon Bridge Building Competition in early September.
OUTDOOR EDUCATION OUT AND ABOUT Our senior Outdoor Education classes have been engaged in some action-packed field trips in recent months! The Year 12 class headed out to Woodhill Forest on Wednesday 12 June for a taster session on the mountain bikes. There were uphills, downhills, puffing and panting, tree roots and big drops, screaming and yahooing. The rain came down but nobody minded. The students also spent time looking at the risks in mountain biking and made good progress towards their corresponding achievement standards. The 11OED students had a stunning day out on the water in Auckland's harbour for their second sea kayak trip in June. The students went for a long paddle over to North Head and learnt how to keep themselves safe on the water. They made the most of the calm conditions and managed to fit in a sprint kayak for their practical assessment. Some students even went in the water for a mid-winter dip! Our students are all looking forward to their next adventure into the outdoors!
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MUSIC
Avondale College Quartet
Blue Note Combo
Avondale College Big Band
GOLD AWARD
SILVER AWARD
SILVER AWARD
Five Spot Combo
52nd Street Combo
Avondale College Stage Band
SILVER AWARD
SILVER AWARD
SILVER AWARD
NATIONAL YOUTH JAZZ COMPETITION The 42nd National Youth Jazz Competition took place at the Baycourt Theatre in Tauranga from 4-6 April, showcasing the best up-and-coming jazz musicians in New Zealand secondary schools. Avondale College was the most highly represented school at the competition, with 44 students in six different performance groups! Avondale students performed in four different combo groups on the smaller 'X Space' stage, with the Big Band and Stage Band playing in the larger Addison Theatre. As in previous years, one of the highlights of the trip for all involved was the Tauranga Farmers' Market
gig, where our students played over three hours in the sunshine, much to the delight of the stallholders and crowd. At the Saturday afternoon prizegiving, all six of our groups were recognised with performance awards. This was wonderful recognition of the hard work put in by students and staff in the months leading up to the festival! The groups are now preparing for the Aspire International Music Festival, the Auckland Secondary Schools Jazz Competition and the KBB Music Festival in Term 3.
CLASSICAL CONCERT Well over 100 students stepped onto the stage to perform as part of Avondale College's Classical Concert on 20 June. The evening was the culmination of months of solid work by students and staff, and gave everyone the opportunity to develop their ensemble and performance skills. It was excellent to see the emerging talent on stage, as well as the more experienced musicians showcasing their expertise in our premiere groups. Highlights of the evening included the Premiere String Ensemble's performance of Shine You No More; and our Gospel Choir's moving rendition of Andrea Klouse's Benedictus. The Symphony Orchestra also provided another significant moment with their world-premiere performance of Hithaeglir: The Misty Mountains. The Wellington-based composer of this piece, Andrew Stopps, was able to join us to hear this performance, which was wonderful. The evocative piece had rich textures representing the mountains of the North Island's central plateau, and had been specially chosen by Mr Stenbo, our Director of Music and conductor of the Symphony Orchestra for his 60-strong group.
BIG SING Avondale College's Gospel Choir attended the Big Sing Festival in the Auckland Town Hall on 11 June. It was the first time this choir had performed at this competition, and the 21 students, under the direction of Seumanu Simon Matafai, sang superbly, opening with People of the Sea by Igelese Ete, followed by Benedictus by Andrea Klaus, and finishing with a stirring rendition of This Little Light of Mine, which moved the audience to clap along. Not only did the choir receive a standing ovation for their energetic and passionate performance, they also won a Highly Commended award!
Avondale College Gospel Choir HIGHLY COMMENDED
STRING ENSEMBLE The Avondale College Premier String Ensemble has had the fantastic opportunity of participating in special masterclasses led by visiting lecturers from Waikato University. Violinist Lara Hall and cellist James Tennant have both led workshops with the group, polishing aspects of the pieces they are currently preparing with Mr Snelling to perform at the Aspire International Music Festival in Australia in July.
SCIENCE "One thing I really enjoyed about camp was how much you get to meet new people and create new bonds and friendships." ALEX - YEAR 13
MAORI BAY | MURIWAI GEOLOGY TRIP Budding geologists in two of Avondale College's 13SCI classes travelled to Maori Bay at Muriwai to search for clues hidden in the rocks there. Students identified different rock layers and interpreted trace fossils left behind by ancient worms living on the ocean floor. The pillow lavas present also gave evidence for a large offshore volcano some 2015 million years ago. Once back in the classroom, students continued to analyse the data they had gathered, fitting pieces of this geological puzzle together...
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sport Overview of Sport It has been a great first half of the year for sport at Avondale College, with some fantastic results for teams and individuals. We have seen our Year 9 Boys cricket team take out their competition, our best ever athletics achievements, netballer Grace Nweke becoming a fully contracted Mystics player, Liam Stolberger taking out the Western Zone Orienteering Championships - and more!
ATHLETICS
The start of 2019 has been an outstanding time for athletics at Avondale College. Firstly, over 100 students competed at our school championships at Mt Smart Stadium, with many qualifying for the Central Western Zones. At this competition, the standout performance of the day was from Percy Maka, who set two College Sport records for his age group, in both discus and shot put. At the Auckland Secondary Schools Athletics Championships, we took 22 students to compete for medals. Our final medal tally reached 18, made up of 7 gold, 4 silver, and 7 bronze. This was our best medal haul ever at this event, further highlighting how far athletics has come at our school. 200m Junior Girls – Le’Oxeayn Maiu’u – BRONZE 300m Junior Girls – Le’Oxeayn Maiu’u – GOLD 70mH Junior Girls – Le’Oxeayn Maiu’u – BRONZE 300mH Junior Girls – Le’Oxeayn Maiu’u – GOLD 800m Intermediate Girls – Joanna Poland – SILVER 800m Intermediate Girls – Kim May – BRONZE 1500m Intermediate Girls – Joanna Poland – GOLD 1500m Intermediate Girls – Kim May – BRONZE 100mH Senior Girls – Renee Fowler – BRONZE 100m Intermediate Boys – Yudai Meguro – GOLD 200m Intermediate Boys – Yudai Meguro – SILVER Discus Junior Girls – Rina Maka – BRONZE High Jump Senior Girls – Grace Nweke – GOLD Shot Put Junior Boys – Blessing Sefo – GOLD Shot Put Junior Boys – Percy Maka – SILVER Discus Junior Boys – Percy Maka – GOLD Javelin Junior Boys – Blessing Sefo – BRONZE High Jump Intermediate Boys – Tremayne Redman-Gardner – SILVER
Nine Avondale College students subsequently travelled to Tauranga for the North Island Athletics Championships, where they represented Auckland. We had some outstanding results: Le’Oxeayn Maiu’u – 1st in the 300m Sprint, 3rd in the 300m Hurdles, and part of the Junior Girls 4x100m Relay team who came 2nd. Blessing Sefo – 2nd in the Shot Put, 3rd in the Discus. Joanna Poland – 2nd in the 1500m Run, and part of the Intermediate Girls 4x400m Relay team who came 1st. Lex Revell-Lewis – Part of the Intermediate Boys 4x400m Relay team who finished 1st. Elleazyr Maiu’u – Part of the Senior Girls 4x100m Relay team who finished 2nd.
Well done to all athletes who took part in this event. Our other representatives were Henry Greaves, Zacc Saluni, Kim May, and Tremayne Redman-Gardner.
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Term 1 CRICKET Our 1st XI Boys had a tough season, playing in the 1A competition. This is a very young team which is still developing; however, they managed to come 6th in their competition. During Summer Tournament Week, the boys played in a T20 tournament, and as underdogs finished in 2nd place, which was a fantastic achievement. The 1st XI Girls were looking to continue their form from last season, where they finished 1st. Despite losing many senior players from the previous season, the girls performed very well to finish 4th in their competition. It was an up and down season for the girls, but on the whole they had some big wins and some close losses. In a tough pool, our Year 10 Boys also placed 4th. After many great performances across the season, they unfortunately came up short in their bronze medal match. Our Year 9 Boys had a great season, performing very well week in, week out, and earning themselves a spot in the final against St Peter’s, (who had defeated our boys earlier in the season). A strong performance by our boys rattled St Peter’s, and we won by 98 runs, finishing first in their competition. The boys should be very proud of themselves; the future for cricket at Avondale College is looking bright!
TENNIS
This year we have had our Senior Girls Tennis team competing to a very high standard. They have had some great wins against very strong opposition and have finished 3rd.
ORIENTEERING
Throughout Term 1, several Avondale College students competed in the Western Zone Orienteering competition, which took place at multiple schools. Liam Stolberger dominated the Senior Boys competition, coming first overall with 3983 points. In the Intermediate Girls competition, Katelyn Davies finished 21st, with Alyse Rushton close behind in 22nd place. Alexandra Metcalfe rounded up the Avondale College students, finishing 30th in the Intermediate Girls.
GRACE NWEKE
Seventeen year old Avondale College student Grace Nweke has burst onto the New Zealand netball scene this year with the Northern Mystics. Grace has become a fully contracted player, and is continuing to stamp her mark on the competition. She has also been named in the New Zealand Secondary Schools team which will travel to Canberra in October to play the Australian U17 squad. We will watch her career with interest!
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SWIMMING
A number of students travelled to the Central Western Zone Swimming Championships on Monday 18th March. We had many strong performances on the day, which saw 16 swimmers qualify for the Auckland Swimming Champion of Champions, across both individual events and relay events. Ikko Shibuya was the only medal winner, coming away with two Silvers, in the Freestyle and Butterfly.
TOUCH
The Senior Girls Touch team had a good run in their competition this year, finishing 3rd. Their season mixed some tough losses with some big wins, notably beating Rutherford 9-1 in their best performance of the season.
TAG FOOTBALL
Our Senior Girls Tag Football Team placed 2nd in the Central North Western Zone Tournament at Moire Park in Massey. This qualified them for the Auckland Tag Football Championships, where they finished 3rd.
VOLLEYBALL
2019 was the first experience for our Premier Boys team playing in the top grade in Auckland. We gained valuable experience against quality opposition, but came away without a win in this competition. The boys also played in the Senior Boys competition, where they finished 6th. At the Auckland Secondary Schools Tournament, they finished in 10th place. Our Senior Girls had a strong season in their competition this year, putting together many strong performances to finish in 4th place in the Central West pool. At the Auckland Secondary Schools Tournament, they had a tough few days, were unable to secure a win and finished 16th.
ULTIMATE
Both our boys and girls Ultimate Frisbee teams competed in the Auckland Secondary Schools Championships, and both came away in 4th place, a great achievement. We then took a team down to Taupo for the New Zealand Secondary Schools Tournament, where we finished 11th. Significantly, our team was recognised for our fair play and sportsmanship, finishing 2nd in the Spirit competition.
WATERPOLO Our Senior Mixed Waterpolo Team had a great season in their Central West Competition. Despite some tough losses to quality opposition, the team finished 4th and entered the Central West Plate Competition. In the round robin competition the team beat Kristen and Waitakere, thus winning the plate and ending the season 4th overall.
ATHLETICS DAY
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Avondale College's whole school Athletics Day was a brilliant event, with school-wide participation in a range of athletic events. Adding to the fun of the day were the Year 13 students who ran, jumped, hopped and skipped through their events while wearing fancy dress. The more serious athletes who emerged from the day went on to compete in the Avondale College Championships Athletics Day at Mt Smart Stadium on Thursday 21 February.
Term 2 BADMINTON
have struggled to gain momentum in their new grade, and are sitting in the bottom half of the table as we move into Term 3. The 2nd XI Girls are currently sitting 5th on the table, just three points behind 3rd and 4th. Our senior Boys’ 3rd XI are sitting comfortably in 2nd place as Term 2 comes to an end. The Year 9/10 Boys football team are currently mid-table. The Year 9 Boys have been playing some good football, also sitting mid table in the 13A1 competition. Our Year 10 Boys team have been performing well, and are 4th in the 14A2 competition. The Junior Girls football team have had a tough season. They finished their round robin in a 7th and 8th place playoff against Diocesan which they won, 4-3.
Our six badminton teams have been competing weekly. The Boys A team currently sit 5th, and the Girls A team is 7th of 13 teams. Both the Boys B and Boys C teams competed in the Open B Grade – Group 3. The C Boys ended 7th in the competition and the B Boys finished 3rd. Our B Girls were also in the Open B Grade competition in Group 1 and ended the term top of the table! Our C Girls had a tough season and will be looking to re-group in the third term.
BASKETBALL
At the end of Term 2 our Senior A Boys Basketball team are sixth on the table and our Senior A Girls are 3rd in their grade. The U19 boys have struggled to get the wins this year, and have been put into the Open A Bowl competition, where they’ll battle it out for the bowl. Our U17A boys have had a great season so far, finishing third in their pool, and qualifying for the Championship. Sitting mid table, our U17B boys have had mixed results to date. The Junior Girls were narrowly beaten to the top four of their competition, and now play in the plate competition. Our Junior A boys have been sitting mid table across the season, recently entering the plate competition. Having battled it out in the A grade for the entire season so far, our Junior B boys have found themselves competing for the bowl.
HOCKEY
Our 1st XI Boys have recently entered the Supercity A1 competition. Sitting 2nd on the table, the boys notched up a 6-1 win over Takapuna Grammar in their best game of the season. The 2nd XI Boys team have ripped up their grade this year, sitting 2nd on the table with a game in hand. The boys love scoring goals, and have notched up 30 goals so far in just six games! Our 1st XI Girls Hockey team has had a steady season and they enter the school holidays 4th on the table. Our U15 Girls Hockey team has had an outstanding season to date. In a tough competition, the girls currently sit 4th on the table.
CROSS COUNTRY
LACROSSE
Kimberley May won the title of the North-West Champion for the Intermediate Girls grade! Solid performances from our Junior group saw Henry Greaves coming close to a top three spot, placing 4th overall for the Junior Boys group. Our 3-man relay team placed 5th - a superb result!
It has been a tough start to the season for our two Lacrosse teams. Both teams have yet to get a win in their grades, but are showing good heart and grabbing a lot of goals!
NETBALL
FOOTBALL
Netball at Avondale College has been very strong so far this term. Our Premier 1 team has recently seen the return of Northern Mystics goal shooter Grace Nweke, and the team are firing on all cylinders, winning a number of games. The Premier 2 team are also sitting comfortably near the top of their table. We have also had great results
In the Premier competition, our 1st XI Girls have been faced with some tough opposition this year. They started off the season with a 2-1 win over Marist but have struggled subsequently. Our 1st XI Boys began the season losing to Mt Roskill in the promotion/relegation playoff. They
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for the Senior White and Senior Grey teams. Our Senior Black netball team has struggled to kick into top gear, but will be looking to get some wins in the coming weeks. Junior Netball has also been going strongly. Our Junior Premier team are undefeated. Led by a number of student coaches, our Year 9 and 10 teams have been playing some great netball and stacking up a lot of wins.
RUGBY
Our 1st XV had a tough start to the season, being relegated to Auckland’s 1C competition. Their opening game saw a close loss to Rosehill College, but since then the boys have gone on an awesome winning streak. The lads currently sit 3rd on the table with four games to go until finals. The undefeated 2nd XV have torn up the 2C grade this year, topping the table. Our 5B (U70kg) team has struggled so far this season in a tough grade. The 6B (U60kg) rugby boys have had an up and down start to their season. Although they have lost more than they’ve won, the biggest losing margin has been five points. In the final game before school holidays, the boys had a fantastic win, beating top of the table (and previously undefeated) Auckland Grammar 34-31. The future rugby stars of Avondale College have been playing some great rugby in the U15 competition this year! The boys are right up the top end of the table, and will be looking to make a deep run in the playoffs in Term 3. Our rugby girls have been battling hard in the Secondary Schools 10’s competition. It has been an up and down season, mixed with some big wins and close losses.
ALUMNI JULIA REYNOLDS Former Head Girl (2008) Julia Reynolds is now the Second Secretary of the NZ Embassy in Rome. In April she visited the island of Lemnos in Greece to commemorate the Gallipoli campaign, accompanied by the New Zealand Honorary Consul-General, Costa Cotsilinis.
NADIA LIM Is there anything Nadia Lim can't do?! Masterchef winner, My Food Bag cofounder, entrepreneur, author, mother... and now dancer! On Dancing with the Stars, Nadia inspired us with her zest for a new challenge!
SQUASH
At the Auckland Secondary Schools Championships our Girls A team won the bronze medal! Like the Girls A team, our Junior Boys have been firing on all cylinders, and are undefeated as we move into the school holiday break. Our Girls B team have been very consistent also, losing just one game and winning five so far. The Premier Boys currently sit 3rd on the table, behind Westlake and Orewa. Our Senior B Boys are battling away in a very close competition, sitting 5th.
TABLE TENNIS
Eight table tennis teams have been competing at the Waitemata Table Tennis Centre on Friday nights. Our Avondale 1 team breezed through their competition to take out the WTTA College Sport Palmer Shield. We are the inaugural winners of this shield, which was introduced this year for the first time. Our Avondale 7 team won the C1 grade.
THANK YOU
JEET RAVAL Cricketer Jeet Raval earned his maiden test century for the Blackcaps against Bangladesh in Feburary. An impressive effort off 163 balls!
LISA CRAWLEY & JESSIE PEACH Director Jesse Peach returned to New Zealand to direct the show Once, The Musical, for his company, Peach Theatre Company. The show stars another Avcol alumna, the very talented singer/songwriter Lisa Crawley.
A huge thank you to all the staff and volunteers who coach and manage our sports teams! We couldn’t do it without you!
HOLLIE FULLBROOK Musican Hollie Fullbrook (Tiny Ruins) has released her third album to great acclaim. "Olympic Girls" has been reviewed as being 'jaw-dropping' in its excellence.
KANAH ANDREWS-NAHU Weightlifter Kanah Andrews-Nahu won NZ's first gold medals of the Pacific Games in Samoa in July. She snatched 94kg and clean and jerked 112kg for a 206kg total, to win all three gold medals in the women's 76kg division!
ROSE MCIVER Actor Rose McIver's final series of iZombie is soon to come to the small screen. Meanwhile, her latest movie Daffodils, has been receiving great reviews. And the soundtrack features not only some of New Zealand's best-loved songs, but also Avondale College's 'famous' vibraphone!
AVONDALE COLLEGE SCHOOL SHOW 2019
Key Dates 2019 TERMS 3-4
16-21 SEPTEMBER Avondale College Theatre
TERM 3 22 July - 27 September JULY 22 24 31
In The Heights is a vibrant, life-affirming Broadway musical built on the infectious Latin rhythms of salsa and merengue alongside soul, pop, hip-hop and R&B. Set in a Latin neighbourhood of Manhattan, In The Heights is an award-winning show created by Lin-Manuel Miranda (behind the Pulitzer, Grammy and Tony Award winning sensation Hamilton). Don't miss it!
Start of Term 3 Pathways Planning Evening 3:30pm-6:30pm OPEN EVENING 4-7pm (Students finish at 12:30pm)
AUGUST 8 16-23
Jazz & Soul Concert in PAC 7pm Senior Exams
SEPTEMBER 16-21 24 27
School Show: In the Heights Report Evening (Seniors) 4:30pm-7:00pm End of Term 3
TERM 4 14 October - 9 December OCTOBER 2 Oct – 15 Nov Cambridge Exams start 14 Start of Term 4 18 Sports Awards Dinner 23-24 Dance Showcase 28 Labour Day (School Closed) 31 Senior Prizegiving (TBC)
NOVEMBER 1 Final day for Seniors 4-7 Junior Exams (TBC) 7 Nov - 2 Dec NCEA & Scholarship examinations start
CAREERS NEWS Parents, please remember we always welcome enquires from you regarding your child’s future direction. Careers Counsellors can be contacted on the following numbers: Jacqui Birkhead Ph 820 1729 Judith Johnson Ph 828 7024 Ext 556 Jo Thomson Ph 828 7024 Ext 558 Christine Boyle, Gateway Co-ordinator Ext 509 Please visit our pages on the school intranet site where we outline key exciting upcoming career events on our noticeboard.
YEAR 13 INTERVIEWS
We see all Year 13 students at least once during the year with the aim of clarifying their future direction and goals. The interviews have already started. Other appointments can be made at the Careers room or by contacting us on the above numbers.
DECEMBER 9 10
Junior Prizegiving & last day for junior students Staff Teacher Only Day
Deans and DP's 2019 To email, use three-letter teacher code@avcol.school.nz To phone: dial (09) 828 7024 followed by extension ALL LEVELS Mrs Lyndy Watkinson WTN 820 1707 Mr Phil Hill HIL 820 1701
CONTACT US
YEAR 9 Dean Miss Ashleigh Earwaker EKR 820 1709 Assoc. Mr Nicholas Smit SMI ext 542 DP Ms Sarah Drew DRW 820 1700 YEAR 10 Dean Mrs Grace Williams WMG 820 1708 Assoc. Mrs Brooke Nicholson NSN ext 534 DP Mr Matt Bennett BNN 820 1702 YEAR 11 Dean Mr David Dewsnap DSP 820 1738 Assoc. Dr Kirsty Pinder PDR ext 539 DP Mrs Lynne van Etten VTN 820 1720 YEAR 12 Dean Ms Rhonda Donaldson DSN 820 1706 Assoc. Miss Hannah Stewart SRT ext 56 Victor Street | Avondale Auckland | New Zealand T +64 9 828 7024 admin@avcol.school.nz
www.avcol.school.nz
YEAR 13 Dean Mrs Joy Yallop YLP 820 1710 Assoc. Mrs Carolin Dale DLC ext 540 DP Dr Terry Brown BWN 820 1728 ABSENCE LINE 820 1071