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TERM 1 WEEK 8 20 March 2019
MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL A personal message, shared with our students on Monday. The last few days have been like no other in New Zealand’s history. Evil has walked amongst us as a lone terrorist committed the most horrific murders of our fellow New Zealanders. We are all feeling raw… and different people are reacting in different ways to cope with the scale of what has happened, ranging from disbelief, anger, fear, looking for someone to blame, avoidance, to simply feeling numb and empty. All of these emotions are okay in the early stages of coming to terms with what has happened. Because we all handle things so differently, it is important that we are careful not to judge one another for the way in which we process such horrors. Consistent kindness and support is what is most important at this time. Atawhai (kindness) is one of our HEART values. There has never been a time when atawhai is more needed than this. And while this event has had a huge impact on us all as New Zealanders, the greatest impact by far has been on the Muslim community; in fact, it is very personal. Many have strong connections to those who were killed or wounded. On Saturday flowers were delivered to the three local mosques on behalf of the students and staff of Avondale College to show our care and support for our local community. The College’s flag was also lowered to half-mast at the same time. The shooter tried to impose his hateful view of world on us all, with the purpose of provoking further hatred and devision. I am delighted to see that so far his actions have resulted in exactly the opposite response. A huge outpouring of support from the New Zealand community for our fellow citizens and huge restraint and class shown by the New Zealand Muslim community has demonstrated the very best of what it means to be a New Zealander. On Saturday, like so many others, my wife and I went to the vigil at Aotea Square in the city to pay our respects, and all over the country other vigils took place in our major cities, with many more to follow. The reactions of New Zealanders so far has been inspiring, both in sharing their emotions and support but also in putting their money where their mouths are and donating funds to support the victims’ families. Over six million has been raised so far and the number continues to climb. I believe it is important we all give generously, according to our ability. Last year a Jewish synagogue in Pittsburgh, USA, had a similar experience, being attacked by a terrorist who also killed worshippers in their holy place. The first people to demonstrate support were the members of the local mosque, who arrived in numbers to gather round the Jewish community in that city. And in a very short time the members of that mosque raised $200,000 to support the victims. Inspiring stuff. This morning I heard that this Pittsburgh synagogue wants to pass on that generosity to (as they put it) their Muslim brother and sisters, and are fundraising for the victims in New Zealand. They too have taken this very personally. I am aware that some of our students have seen some of the shooter’s video footage and I want to say the internet is full of hatred and dark material from bitter minorities who are seeking to have a voice. The gunman’s actions were designed for maximum global impact through social media. Please do not help him achieve his goals by viewing, downloading or sharing this horrible stuff. Stay away from the toxic exchanges and, especially, please be aware that saving videos such as this is illegal, unethical, and is everything he wanted to achieve. Despite the horrors of the last few days we are not powerless. There are many positive actions available to us that can make a real difference to what can happen next. Brent Lewis Principal FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SCHOOL ACTIVITIES PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE WWW.AVCOL.SCHOOL.NZ THIS WEEKLY NEWSLETTER IS AVAILABLE ON OUR SCHOOL INTRANET WELCOME.AVCOL.SCHOOL.NZ
UPCOMING EVENTS Week 8 Term 1 2019
Wednesday 20 March 12GEO trip to Karamatura Stream (STH) Talent Quest heats at lunchtime in PAC AKSS Athletics Champs @ Mt Smart (NHI) Thursday 21 March Talent Quest heats at lunchtime in PAC Friday 22 March NZ Blood donations in the PAC International trip to Rotorua/Taupo/Waitomo (22-24 Mar)
Week 9 Term 1 2019
Monday 25 March NZSS Summer Tournament Week (25 - 29 Mar) NZSS Ultimate Frisbee Championships (25-26 Mar) at Taupo (PTN) AKSS Sprint Orienteering Series (5) at Avondale College 4:00pm-5:30pm Talent Quest heats at lunchtime in PAC (25-26 Mar) University of Auckland Practicum 1 (25 Mar- 12 Apr) Tuesday 26 March 12GEC trip to Karamatura Stream (STH) NZSS 3x3 Basketball Tournament @ Mt Maunganui (26-29 Mar) (OWD) (TBC) Wednesday 27 March Home room class photos, Whanau class, Prefects, Year 13s (PAC) ID photo Catch Up 9 - 10.30am in PAC foyer NZSS 1st XI Cricket Tournament (27-28 Mar) in Auckland (BMT) Thursday 28 March Home room class photos and International photo University of Auckland Overview lunchtime in the PAC Jazz group to music workshop 10.30 – 1pm (RBN) (TBC) Friday 29 March Talent Quest heats at lunchtime in PAC Saturday 30 March Jazz Combos to perform at Titirangi Festival, Titirangi Village 11.15am (RBN) Sunday 31 March International trip to Coromandel
MESSAGES OF SUPPORT 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 have included: • Setting aside our library as a quiet, reflective refuge this week for any students who have needed a space to process their feelings. Our Guidance Department staff have been available to offer support as needed. • Many students and staff have taken the opportunity to write a heartfelt message on the display boards in the Atrium. • Later in the week we will be putting into action some plans for fundraising, and will be advising more on this in the days to come.
Week 10 Term 1 2019
Monday 1 April Taurewa Trip 4 (Year 13) Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Regionals trip to Kristin School 2.30 – 10pm (NTE) (TBC) Tuesday 2 April Maori Tertiary Careers Evening in Whare Talent Quest heats at lunchtime in PAC (2-4 April) Wednesday 3 April BOT Meeting 6pm -9.30pm Thursday 4 April Tauranga Jazz Festival (4-6 Apr) (RBN) Year 11 Market Day @ lunchtime (BNT) (TBC) Years 9 – 11 Otago Maths Competition. Period 3 (DVJ) Careers trip to MIT - Year 13 Maori students (JHJ) Friday 5 April Boys Football 1st XI Promotion Playoff 1st leg – 3:30pm @ Avondale College OED Trip to Waipu (WLK) (TBC)
FOLLOW US! 2
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PACIFIC TERTIARY CAREERS EVENING Avondale College's annual Pacific Tertiary Career Awareness Evening was held in the PAC on the 19 March this year. University of Auckland, AUT University, Massey University, Otago University, Unitec and MIT were all present to motivate and inform us about tertiary options available to our students. There were a number of ex-Avondale College students attending who shared their personal tertiary career journeys. The evening finished with a shared supper and time for parents and students to talk 1-1 with the providers and speakers.
SPORTS DRAW WEDNESDAY 20 MARCH ATHLETICS Auckland Championships
@ Mt Smart Stadium, Penrose
CRICKET 1st XI Girls
vs Epsom Girls
@ Avondale 1a
4:15pm
THURSDAY 21 MARCH VOLLEYBALL Senior Girls
vs Kelston Girls @ Avondale 1
4:00pm
Senior Girls
vs Auckland Girls @ Avondale 1
5:30pm
Senior Boys
vs Rutherford
@ Kelston Boys 3
4:00pm
vs Marist B
@ Avondale 1-3
8:15am
vs Macleans
@ Avondale G1
10:30am
SATURDAY 23 MARCH TENNIS Senior Girls
CRICKET 1st XI Boys
Year 10 Boys vs TBC
@ TBC
TBC
Year 9 Boys
@ TBC
TBC
vs TBC
MONDAY 25 MARCH Summer Tournament Week Begins
@ Various Venues
MONDAY 25, TUESDAY 26 MARCH Ultimate – Nationals
@ Owen Delaney Park, Taupo
WEDNESDAY 27, THURSDAY 28 MARCH Premier Grade Cricket T20
@ Various Auckland venues
need help with homework? or a quiet place to study?
AVONDALE COLLEGE
HOMEWORK CENTRE In the library, every Tuesday & Thursday 3.30pm- 4.25pm
is now on Instagram! Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/avcol.nz/
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HOME ROOM HEART COMPETITION Home is where the HEART is! Given the task of showcasing their home room's HEART, our students have done a fantastic job creating their creative HEART home room displays! Judging the best display was a challenging task for our 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
overall winner 4
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SPORTS REPORT Monday 11th March – Sunday 17th March
ATHLETICS
Jennian Homes New Zealand Track & Field Championships 2019 (Friday 8 to Sunday 10 March) The New Zealand Track & Field Champs 2019 were held in Christchurch over the weekend of 8-10 March. This is the pinnacle event for our New Zealand-based athletes, with many vying for a qualifying spot for further competitions abroad. Avondale College had three students involved in the competition for the duration of the weekend. Tremayne Redman-Gardner (12HWL) made the Auckland team’s incredibly high qualifying standards for high jump during the season. The standard for U18 Men’s HJ is 1.79m. Tremayne had cleared 1.81m during an inter-provincial competition in January. As a result, he was recruited to the very strong Auckland team which included athletics heavyweights such as Jacko Gill, Maddison-Lee Wesche and Eliza McCartney (who later pulled out due to injury). Tremayne also entered the 110m Hurdles and the Long Jump events. On Friday, Tremayne competed in the High Jump competition. The weather was nothing short of atrocious (cold, wet, wild, and windy) and many of the athletes struggled to clear their personal best due to the conditions. Tremayne placed 8th overall in NZ for the U18 Men's competition. On Saturday, he competed in the 110m Hurdles, up against Canterbury, Otago and a visitor from Taiwan. Tremayne came away with a Silver medal in the competition - an awesome achievement. That afternoon, he was the starter runner for the U18 Men’s Auckland A team 4x100m – the team were strong, and came away with a Bronze medal! On Sunday, Tremayne competed in the Long Jump competition, but again the conditions weren’t favourable and keeping warm was a real focus for all involved. Tremayne placed 13th overall in a large field of athletes, jumping 5.56m. Well done Tremayne on bringing home two medals from NZT&F Champs! Kimberley May (12HGL), a recent addition to Avondale College, was also selected for the Auckland team, having met qualifying standards for both the 800m and the 1500m in the U18 Women’s category. Kimberley has had injuries last year, but has come back strongly in the second half of the season. First up for Kimberley was the 800m – the group had to run semi’s and then hope to place in that to go through to finals on Saturday. On Friday night she ran the 800m, and placed 6th overall in the heats with an incredible time of 2:18.88min. The field was strong, and this set her up well going into the finals. On Saturday she ran the 800m finals, and it was all-guns a-blazing! A searing pace was set, and Kimberley held on as tightly as she could to the pack. She came away with a new personal best time of 2:15.25min, and placed 5th in New Zealand for the U18 Women's category. A fantastic result, Kimberley! On Sunday, her final event was the U18 Women’s 1500m. The field was incredibly strong, as you’d expect at a national event. Kimberley came out strongly; the athletes from Canterbury and Wellington as well as another competitor from the Auckland team broke away from the pack and maintained a blistering pace in the second half of the race. Kimberley did really well and placed 6th across the field with a time of 4:49.51min. She has another shot at this age grade next year, which is exciting. She is definitely one to watch!
The third Avondale College member was Angelina Revell-Lewis (9MLA) a new Year 9 student to our school. Angelina is an Athletics NZ Graded Official and was invited to officiate at the NZ Track & Field Champs by the team at Oceania Athletics. Angelina has been officiating at local Auckland-centre events, and also overseas. One of the youngest Officials in NZ, Angelina is a stickler for rules, with a firm understanding of the protocols surrounding running an event with integrity. Congratulations to the students involved over this weekend.
Photo credit: @alanalythe
Kimberley May
Tremayne Redman-Gardner Year 9 student Angelina Revell-Lewis officiating at the NZ Track & Field Champs
WWW.AVCOL.SCHOOL.NZ
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PROGRESS REPORT EVENING
SPORTS REPORT [CONT]
TUESDAY 9 APRIL 4.30 - 7.30PM HELD IN THE ATRIUM
CRICKET
The 1st XI Girls won by default against Northcote College. Our 1st XI Boys went down to Rangitoto College by seven wickets. The Year 10 Boys had a tight loss to competition leaders Auckland Grammar, by 23 runs. A great performance was given by the Year 9 Boys; they defeated Glendowie College by 48 runs.
ORIENTEERING
Week 3 of the Western Zone Orienteering Championships took place on Monday, with Liam Stolberger taking out the Senior Boys event by seven seconds! Katelyn Davies placed 18th and Alyse Rushton 25th in the Intermediate Girls event. Liam also took out Week 4, this time winning by 22 seconds. Katelyn Davis finished 22nd, whilst Alexandra Metcalfe and Alyse Rushton came in 24th and 25th respectively.
Progress reports for all students will be posted shortly. There is an evening planned for parents to meet with teachers to discuss this report. This will be held in the Atrium on Tuesday 9 April between 4:30pm and 7:30pm. Please note that online bookings of interview times will be open from Tuesday 26 March through our Family Connection site. From Monday 8 April appointments will be filled in manually by students who should see their subject teachers with the appointment form posted out with the report.
SWIMMING
On Monday, 20 of our top swimmers attempted to qualify for the Auckland Swimming Champion of Champions at the Central Western Zone swimming day. Overall, we had some top performances across all age groups. We look forward to hearing which Avondale College students have qualified for the upcoming Auckland Championships.
TOUCH
Our Senior Girls had two great wins on Tuesday night, firstly defeating Hobsonville Point 6-2, before beating Rutherford 9-1.
ULTIMATE
Over the weekend our girls and boys Ultimate teams competed at the Auckland Championships at Pulman Park. Despite the heat, humidity and afternoon wind, both teams pulled through in 4th place in their respective competitions; a great effort considering the number of teams competing. Coach Miss Pattison commended the efforts of all players, in particular the three players for whom it was their first tournament.
WATERPOLO
Our Senior Mixed Waterpolo team defeated Kristin on Friday night, 7-1.
DONATION NOTICE A reminder that if you wish to take advantage of the 33% tax rebate on school donations within the current financial year, your donation needs to be paid by Sunday 31 March. Follow the links to our payment portal on Family Connection at www.avcol.school.nz 6
PARKING SAFETY NOTICE
The front gate of the school is a NO STOPPING zone. Please DO NOT drop your children off directly outside any gates or inside the school grounds. Drivers who stop in the wrong place to drop off passengers put the safety of the students, staff and school property at risk. Thank you.
TOMORROW'S SCHOOLS PUBLIC MEETING Parents and caregivers will have received an email last week from Dave Erson, the Chair of the Avondale College Board of Trustees, about the Tomorrow's Schools Review. A Consultation Meeting for the West Auckland region is being held tomorrow at the Trusts Arena, for families and whÄ nau, teachers/kaiako, principals/tumuaki, the education sector and wider community. Come along to hear more about the proposals from the Independent Taskforce, ask questions and give your feedback. Thursday, 21 March 2019 4:00pm – 6:00pm The Trusts Arena 65-67 Central Park Drive West Auckland , Auckland 0610 https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/o/tomorrows-schoolsreview-independent-taskforce-18651415341
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Your Teen and Driving What you need to know Join us for an informative 30 minute presentation giving practical advice to keep your teen legal and safe on the road. A FREE new release movie will follow. Register now to secure your seat at a movie theatre near you.
AT.govt.nz/youngdrivers
WWW.AVCOL.SCHOOL.NZ
FREE EVENT!
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Westgate Event Cinema Wednesday 27 March, 8pm
t h fridias y New Zealand Blood Service (NZBS) will be holding a mobile blood drive at: Avondale College Auditorium Friday 22 March 9am-2.30pm Information for Parents, Guardians and Whanau It is important that we encourage students into a lifetime habit of donating blood and making a worthwhile contribution to their community. The Care of Children Act 2004 allows people 16 years and over to make their own decisions about whether or not they wish to give blood. Students may choose to donate blood at this session. NZBS recommends students discuss becoming a blood donor with their family. If families have a particular objection to the student choosing to donate blood please make this known to the student and to the school before the blood drive date stated above. More information about blood donation will be available on the day of the blood drive. Parents are also welcome to come to the school to donate blood at this blood drive. If you require any further information please call 0800 GIVEBLOOD (0800 448 325) or visit www.nzblood.co.nz Becoming a Blood Donor… Age: First Time Donors 16 to 65 years of age.
Existing Donors Up to 71 years of age.
Height /Weight: Weigh at least 50kg - First time donors under 25 years of age must also meet the height and weight criteria. Use our handy calculator on our website at www.nzblood.co.nz to find out if you can donate. Health: • You must be in good health. • You cannot donate if you have a cold, flu, sore throat, cold sore, stomach bug or any other infection. • If you have recently had a tattoo or body piercing you cannot donate for 6 months from the date of the procedure. • If you have visited the dentist for a minor procedure you must wait 24 hours before donating; for major work wait a month. Travel: • You must not have lived in the United Kingdom, France or the Republic of Ireland between 1980 and 1996 for more than 6 months or received a blood transfusion in ANY of these countries since 1980. • If you have been overseas recently, please refer to the “Donating after Travelling” tool available at www.nzblood.co.nz to find out when you can donate. Food: You must have eaten some food during the four hours prior to donation. Identification: You must bring suitable identification with you. Acceptable ID is a document or combination of documents containing three (3) separate identifiers (e.g. NZBS Donor ID number, Full name, Photograph, Date of Birth, Home Address). A Student ID Card is acceptable if it features a photograph and two of the identifiers listed above. With your consent we may also ask the school to confirm you are at least 16 years of age. Important Facts About Blood • There is no substitute for human blood—healthy donors are the only source of our blood supply. • 42,000 patients are treated with blood or blood products in New Zealand each year. • A blood donation is separated into different components, each of which is used to treat different patients—accident trauma, patients undergoing surgery, people with leukaemia, transplant patients and many others. Blood products are also used for immunisation to help prevent diseases such as hepatitis A and B, tetanus and chickenpox. • Each donation is able to help save up to 3 people—blood donors are literally lifesavers.
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TAUREWA CAMP Whether kayaking down a river, tramping in the Tongariro National Park or cooking a massive chocolate self-saucing pudding, Taurewa trips are an action-packed week full of highlights! Taurewa is Avondale College's very own campsite in the central North Island, where students can spend time experiencing a variety of activities and challenges in the great outdoors. Activities around camp include a low ropes course, a walk through the local stream, and the Fairy Falls walk where students have the opportunity to stand behind a waterfall. Other activities include kayaking at Tokaanu, walking the Taranaki Falls track in the Tongariro National Park and circumnavigating Lake Rotopounamu. For senior students, the overnight tramp is always a highlight! All Year 10, Year 12, Year 13 and International students have the opportunity to go to Taurewa Camp. We encourage families to start making early regular payments towards the Taurewa Camp fee, as the camp fee must be fully paid prior to departure. Year 10 students will receive their first briefing for their camp approximately 10 weeks before departure, but students are encouraged to remind their parents when they know their camp is coming up! TRIP TERM 1
TRIP DATES
YEAR LEVEL
COST
$ DUE DATE
4
Week 10
01 – 05 Apr
Yr 13
$425
Tue 26 Mar
5
Week 11
08 – 12 Apr
Yr 13
$425
Tue 2 Apr
TRIP TERM 2
TRIP DATES
YEAR LEVEL
6
Week 2
06 – 10 May
Yr 12
$415
Tue 23 Apr
7
Week 4
20 – 24 May
10KMR
$410
Tue 7 May
10DKJ 8
Week 5
27 – 31 May
Yr 12
$415
Tue 14 May
9
Week 7
10 – 14 Jun
Internationals
$500
Tue 28 May
10
Week 8
17 – 21 Jun
Yr 12
$415
Tue 4 Jun
TRIP TERM 3
TRIP DATES
YEAR LEVEL
11
Week 2
29 Jul - 02 Aug
10YGE 10PTN
$410
Tue 2 Jul
12
Week 3
05 – 09 Aug
10FRA 10GTH
$410
Tue 23 Jul
13
Week 5
19 - 23 Aug
10EVS
$410
Tue 6 Aug
$410
Tue 13 Aug
$500
Tue 3 Sept
$400
Tue 24 Sept
$500
Tue 22 Oct
10KHN 10MLL 14
Week 6
26 – 30 Aug
10KMA 10JWA 10APN
15
Week 9
16 – 20 Sep
Internationals
TRIP TERM 4
TRIP DATES
YEAR LEVEL
16
21 – 25 Oct
10WSL
Week 2
10LIS 10NRM 17
Week 4
04 – 08 Nov
Internationals
30
Week 7
28 Nov – 04 Dec
Staff Training Week
WWW.AVCOL.SCHOOL.NZ
TAUREWA ADULT HELPERS NEEDED! We would like to draw your attention to an exciting opportunity to work with our students at our school camp, Taurewa, which is located beside the Tongariro National Park. Adult helpers are vital to the success of our Taurewa Camps, and we are currently looking for some more volunteers for upcoming trips! A reasonable level of fitness is required but no experience in the activities is necessary. Each camp is five days long and includes the following activities based around Tongariro National Park: • Year 10s: Kayaking, day tramps, hot pools, low ropes course and more! • Year 12s: Mountain biking, rock climbing (indoors), overnight tramping, low ropes course and more! • Year 13s: Overnight tramping, white water rafting, low ropes course and more! All trip costs are covered and adults can hire any clothing or equipment from the Taurewa Office at no cost. Adult helpers need to be over 21 years of age, and willing to complete a police check. If you (or someone you know) would be keen to be involved, or if you would like to know more, please email: taurewa@ avcol.school.nz 9