AVCOL Issue 2 2016

avondale college newsletter

PM opens Atrium Iris wins Rockquest Hairspray!

Winter Sports Tournament

2016 Issue 2

www.avcol.school.nz

CONTENTS 2

From the Principal

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E V E NTS PM Opens Atrium

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Microsoft World Champs ICT: Sharing the Success

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Smokefree Rockquest Stand Up Stand Out

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School Ball School Show ‘Hairspray’

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Stage Challenge Daito Bunka exchange

8 D EPAR T M E NTS

Classical Studies Commerce Drama 9

Dance

10 English History Geography 11 Innovation Programme 12 Mathematics & Statistics Music 13 Outdoor Education Science 14 Sports Academy Technology 15 SP O R T

Tournament Week

DEAR PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS 2016 has been a very special year for Avondale College. In addition to the outstanding academic, sporting and cultural achievements shared in our previous issue of AVCOL, Avondale students have continued to achieve at the highest levels as the year has unfolded.

Avondale College has now become the largest and most successful IT industry certification provider in the country. Well over one thousand globally recognised industry certifications have now been achieved by our students and staff in Microsoft, Adobe and Autodesk.

A succession of requests from senior officials in the Ministry of Education and the New Zealand Qualifications Authority have come for Avondale staff to deliver presentations in Wellington and also for us to host visits from Ministry representatives and professional consultants who want to understand how and why our results have reached such high levels.

Of course there is no single explanation for this surge of success but rather it is a tapestry of innovative approaches taken by a creative and highly professional staff who are tireless in seeking personal excellence for their students.

I would like to thank all the wider friends and community organisations who have contribute so generously to our students’ activities and achievements this year. Whether it is through coaching, mentoring, sponsorship or simply taking an active interest, all of these contributions have made a huge difference.

To the students who are leaving us this year, may I wish you all every success as you determine where your skills, abilities and passions will lead you to after leaving Avondale College. We have enjoyed sharing this critical period of your lives and thank you for what you have added to the story of Avondale College.

You will be the next generation of success stories for our school and I would like to leave you with the simple thought I shared at Senior Prizegiving: your life will be determined by the plans you make and the actions you take. All you need to do is to make plans that are worthy of your energies and potential. Or, as Barack Obama put it far more eloquently: “Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”

PM opens Atrium Prime Minister John Key led the celebrations at the official opening of the third and final stage of Avondale College’s multi-million dollar rebuilding programme on Thursday 11 August.

In his speech the Prime Minister praised principal Brent Lewis and staff of the college, noting their significant contribution to the achievements of Avondale College as a top performing school.

He also applauded the use of timber from the old school that had been incorporated into feature beams in the new Atrium building.

“The building itself is remarkable,” said Mr Key, “... it speaks to the past and the history of the school. Avondale College has a deep history and a huge future in front of it.”

To the new families joining us for the first time in 2017, we extend the warmest of welcomes and look forward to sharing your child’s educational journey over the next five years.

May I wish everyone in our Avondale community all the very best for the festive season with your friends and family, a refreshing holiday and an excellent New Year; one that brings everything that you could wish for.

Kohia nga Taikaka Brent Lewis Principal

16 Hockey Football 17 Surf Life Saving Swimming Cheerleading 18 Honours Assembly

Sports Awards Dinner 19 ALUM NI Senior Prizegiving N OT I C E BOA R D Key Dates 2017 Deans & DPs 2017

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Smokefree Rockquest Avondale’s seriously talented singer/ songwriter Iris Guevarra (Year 13) took out the top prize in the national Smokefree rockfest competition in the solo/duo category in September.

From over 700 nationwide entries, Iris’s unique sound saw her propelled into the top eight acts to perform in the national final held on Saturday 24 September.

The judges were Chris Mac from Six60, 1998 Smokefree Rockquest national winner Anna Coddington and Kimbra’s musical director Timon Martin. Spokesperson Timon Martin says the overall standard made the task a challenge, with the judges opting for originality and character, rather than just technical perfection.

At Microsoft’s version of the Olympics, New Zealand (aka Aidan Sharpe from Avondale College) won a silver medal. Beating a pool of more than 700,000 hopeful competitors and 150 finalists from 40 countries, Aidan won second place in the PowerPoint competition at the 15th annual Microsoft Office Specialist World Championships held in Orlando, Florida in August. The competition was fiercely contested, with Aidan coming just one thousandth of a point behind the winner. In addition to his medal, Aidan also brought home a cheque for $USD 3,750 and some Microsoft products. Narrowly missing out on a medal was fellow Avondale College student Di Kun Ong, who placed fifth in the Microsoft Excel competition; the third consecutive year that he has achieved results within the world’s top ten.

Congratulations also to teammate Azizul Islam who was our third Avondale/New Zealand competitor to make it through to the world finals. Australasia now boasts a total of eight top-ten place winners in the competition’s history. All eight have hailed from Avondale College.

“The top acts all had an originality of vision,” he said. “For New Zealand music to make an impact both at home and overseas, we need to cultivate a unique identity, and the artists we picked really showed a strong sense of that, no matter the genre. For us, they represented a bright future for creativity in New Zealand music.”

SHARING THE SUCCESS: IT CERTIFICATIONS FOR WHANGAROA VISITORS Avondale College was delighted to welcome two minivans of students and staff from Whangaroa College to Avondale in August, in the first installment of a special IT relationship being developed between the two schools.

The group came to take part in an intensive Microsoft Office Specialist training course, facilitated by Avondale College’s Director of Innovation Programme Mr Paul McClean and digital certification providers Xcerio.

The Northland visitors made the most of the technology and expertise on offer, and after an intense two days spent in A28 (and two nights in the college Whare), eight students and three staff – including Principal Jack Anderson - were presented with their industry certifications at the conclusion of the weekend.

Principal Brent Lewis says he is delighted by the achievements of the visiting school. “It’s wonderful to be able to share our success and extend it to other schools.”

We look forward to continuing our relationship with Whangaroa in the 2017.

Stand Up Stand Out The Stand Up Stand Out grand final held at the Vodafone Events Centre in August was a huge night, showcasing some of the very best musicians, singers and dance groups in Auckland.

Avondale’s five acts represented themselves and the College superbly, with our Contemporary dance group standing out amongst the other Hip Hop groups, and instrumentalists Arjuna de Simas Oakes on piano, Emily Kamimura on violin and drummer Joshua Parker engaging the crowd with their individual solos. In the final act of the night Avondale’s Fusion 8 (Kirsten Paulse, James Poss, Arjuna de Simas Oakes, Natasha van Etten, Joshua Parker, Ben Goh, Cullen Erson and Shirley Chen) brought a high energy rendition of Gone Under, which was extremely well received.

Particular congratulations to Joshua Parker and Fusion 8 who both received ‘Runners Up’ awards for their performances.

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ICT: Sharing the success

School Ball Undoubtedly one of the highlights of the senior year, the 2016 Avondale College school ball ‘Meet Me in Paris’, held on Saturday 18 June, was a sophisticated occasion.

Eden Park’s ASB Lounge was decorated in a stunning Parisian theme which included 60 tables, dramatic lighting, photo booths, a roaming photographer and an ample dance floor. From the moment the doors opened at 7pm, beautifully dressed young women and sharply dressed young men walked the garden path entrance into the venue. Guests were treated to finger food, a buffet meal and dessert. Dancing started early in the evening and carried on until the last song was played at midnight.

Stage Challenge Avondale College once again gave a spectacular performance at this year's Stage Challenge, with the eight-minute student-led production touching on the theme of child abduction.

Many thanks to the Year 13 Deans Mr Bartlett and Ms Wright as well as the Prefect Committee for organising such a polished event.

"This is an amazing feat and everyone involved should be extremely proud of what we have achieved."

Avondale College was presented with the Award of Excellence for Costuming Character, the Canon Award of Excellence for Visual Enhancement and The Edge Award of Excellence for Soundtrack.

Leading the way was Year 13 director Natasha van Etten who, along with her student leaders Gemma Rushton, Cara Kis-ing, Georgia Vincent, Jaynie Ng and Sammie Campbell, put months of planning and preparation into the event.

Congratulations to all who took part on and off the stage, and particular thanks to the parents and caregivers who gave their time to support those involved.

" Words cannot express how proud we are of this year’s cast and crew of Avondale College’s Stage Challenge performance Are You Safe?," said Natasha.

SCHOOL SHOW

Daito Bunka Exchange The relationship between Avondale College and our Japanese sister school, Daito Bunka University Dai-ichi High School, is now in its 27th year!

BIG HAIR, BIG HEART, BIG HIT With its vibrant musical numbers and the outstanding singing, dancing and acting talents of our superb students, Avondale College’s production of Hairspray the Musical left audiences singing on their way out the door, after five fantastic evening performances in September.

The College would once again like to thank all the students and staff who gave their time, enthusiasm and energy to producing such an entertaining and memorable show, in particular Director Miss Erica Newlands, Musical Director Mr Mathew Stenbo and Choreographer Miss Clare Jennings.

Following the final bows, bronze, silver and gold service badges were awarded to students who had given three, four and even five years of service to musical theatre at Avondale College.

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In April this year, the bi-annual exchange saw students from Avondale College making their way to Tokyo where they were hosted by families from Daito Bunka school. The hosts organised many class activities that allowed for interaction with their students, and following a fun cultural day, Avondale students were each given a kimono to take home.

During their stay, our students also saw many of the famous temples, shrines and castles and ate plenty of sushi and noodles. They experienced a simulated earthquake at the Safety Learning Centre and Disneyland was a highlight for many.

Three months later, on 27 July, Avondale College welcomed 24 students, two teachers and two parents from Daito Bunka on their

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return visit. The visitors spent two days in school experiencing the New Zealand classroom attending lessons in Art, Food Technology, PE and Japanese, as well as visiting their host student’s classes.

The Japanese group presented Avondale College with a gift at assembly, sang a traditional Japanese song and performed a very modern and hugely entertaining dance to the Avondale students which earned a rapturous applause. They had an exciting experience at the Tree Adventures in Woodhill and spotted their first kiwi bird at Auckland Zoo. They then spent two days in Rotorua and Waitomo before returning to their host families for the weekend.

Avondale College values the special relationship that has developed with this Japanese school and looks forward to many more students experiencing for themselves a connection with their sister school.

Classical Studies AUCKLAND UNI VISIT INSPIRES STUDENTS Massey University held an Open Day for their Classical Studies Department in September, which was attended by a number of Avondale College students. Our students attended a series of lectures that were pertinent to their external assessment, then they participated in an inter-school Classics general knowledge quiz. Our 13 MRM team of Krishan Kumar, Laura Prahash and Tausala Leiataua won the competition, to the great delight of their teacher Ms M Miller!

Commerce WORKSHOPS FOSTER UNDERSTANDING OF BUSINESS “We got a real insight into how and why they are so successful,” he said.

Year 13 students Nathan Ivory and Sarah Kelsey joined some of New Zealand’s top Economics and Commerce students at the annual Massey University Business Boot camp during the April holidays.

Massey University’s Albany Campus was the venue for another event held in June, when six Avondale students attended the Massey University Business Challenge. The theme of the day was to get a greater understanding of financial analysis and the economic conditions that effect business. There was also an Amazing Race event and spot prizes, with all students commenting on how much fun they had, and how worthwhile it was towards helping them achieve at higher levels in their Commerce courses.

The week-long residential programme is aimed at exposing students to all aspects of business so that they can make informed decisions about their future studies and careers.

For Nathan the highlight was visiting different businesses (including Air New Zealand, Fonterra, HP, Chartered Accountants and BNZ) and learning how they operate.

Drama After winning the Auckland heat of the Sheilah Winn Shakespeare competition earlier this year, six of our Drama students achieved further success at the national competition held in Wellington over Queen’s Birthday Weekend.

Our students came away with two awards from the competition, with pianist Arjuna de Simas Oakes winning the Morrison Music Trust’s Outstanding Music/Song Award (which comes with a $100 cheque) and Sammie Rae being awarded the Patrick Smythe Best Connection with the Audience Award.

Teacher Mr Ben Moore said that the students performed amazingly well, and that they represented the values of Avondale College superbly on the national stage.

Congratulations to those involved: Xavier Loretz, Sammie Rae, Jiwoo Oh, Jahaan Nordien, Sophie Carter-Peters (who stepped in for Sammie Campbell in the final) and Arjuna de Simas-Oakes.

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A high-energy programme of events has seen Avondale College dancers participate in workshops, competitions and performances across Auckland this year.

ROYAL FAMILY PERFORMANCE

On 11 May Avondale students were treated to a special lunchtime performance by the Royal Family Varsity Crew who were touring schools as part of their fundraising efforts in preparation for the World Hip-Hop Championships. The crowd particularly enjoyed cheering on two of Avondale’s very own - Brianna Hamilton (Year 11) and former student Corbyn Taulealea - who are both part of the group. With choreography

by Parris Goebel, it was a superb taster of the high energy ‘Polyswag’ dance style that Goebel has made world famous.

YOUDANCE FESTIVAL

Avondale College was one of only 21 schools throughout Auckland who were invited to perform at the prestigious YouDance festival at the Raye Freedman Arts Centre on Tuesday evening. Ten dancers from Year 11 to 13 performed ‘SLIP’ – a technically advanced contemporary work choreographed by Year 13 students Natasha van Etten and Gemma Rushton for NCEA standard 3.2. In this standard, students are to choreograph a dance to develop and resolve ideas. Using the idea that “we rise by lifting others”, the girls developed a sophisticated dance which communicated the idea of helping a friend who had fallen

into a cycle of negative behaviours. The performance was outstanding and a real credit to the hard work put in by the dancers involved.

Avondale College’s dance group was one of only four dance groups selected as finalists for the Auckland-wide Stand Up Stand Out competition held at the Vondafone Events Centre. Ours was also the only contemporary dance group to make it to the finals.

SENIOR DANCE TRIP TO LUMINA

Following sold out seasons and standing ovations at every show in Germany (and at the prestigious Holland Dance Festival), The New Zealand Dance Company presented Lumina here in Auckland this May. Seventy senior Dance students were lucky enough to attend a performance hosted specially for schools on Tuesday May 10. The performance, a triple bill season of contemporary dance spearheaded by pioneers of artistic vision, supported the students’ work toward external examinations.

CONTEMPORARY DANCE WORKSHOP WITH BLACK GRACE

On Thursday 22nd September Avondale College hosted members of the Black Grace Dance Company for a workshop in contemporary dance technique and traditional Maori dance. Black Grace is an internationally recognised contemporary

dance company that produces innovative dance works designed to reach across social, cultural and generational barriers.

The workshop was highly physical, and rich in the story telling traditions of the South Pacific.

MEANWHILE ON THE WORLD DANCE STAGE…

Four Avondale College students have received international recognition in worldwide dance competitions this year.

Congratulations to: Brianna Hamilton (Year 11) represented New Zealand in the Hip-Hop World Champs in Las Vegas in August. She performed with her crew: Varsity (Royal Family), who won the Bronze award in their very competitive division.

Anastasia Fa’aui (Year 13) represented New Zealand in the Hip-Hop World Champs in Las Vegas in August. She performed with her crew: Lil Saintz.

Jordan Bolus (Year 12) represented New Zealand at the International Dance and Cheer Games in Hawaii. Jordan’s crew (Notorious) won the highly competitive Open Division.

Louis Jimenez (Year 9) represented New Zealand at the International Dance and Cheer Games in Hawaii. Louis’ crew (Kaleidoscope) won both the Junior Division and the overall Grand Championship award.

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Students of Commerce have had a number of interesting opportunities to put their learning into practice at special camps, workshops and business-focussed programmes this year.

History WAIKATO TRIP

VISHVA KEEPS US SPELLBOUND

The Year 9 student flew through classroom and regional heats to become one of only 36 finalists at the nationwide competition which tests the best Year 9 and 10 spellers in New Zealand.

The finals of the competition was later televised on TVNZ's Spellbound, hosted by Toni Street.

In the heats, words like ‘epoch’ and ‘reggae’ posed no problem for Vishva, who was given a list of 200 words to revise in preparation for the national competition. The list was a challenging one, featuring

words like ‘chignon’ and ‘archipelago’. In the final about half the worlds were from the list, and half selected at random.

The classes travelled south, seeing for themselves the bullet holes in the Pukekohe East Church (where the fighting closest to Auckland happened); the fortifications at Tuakau’s Alexandra Redoubt, the Whaingamarino Redoubt at Meremere and the extensive pa fortifications at Rangiriri. The students had a fantastic time and appreciated seeing for themselves where these significant battles actually happened.

Finalists had to spell their word on stage without making a mistake, but could ask for alternative pronunciation, origins, definition and type of word.

These certifications are usually earned by adults at huge cost, but since 2014 Avondale College has presented over one thousand certifications to students and staff.

According to digital skills institute Xcerio, Avondale College is now New Zealand’s largest and most successful industry qualification provider.

These certifications have been gained, for the most part, by students completing projects that are directly integrated into their junior ICT, NCEA and Cambridge studies. Teachers have also relished the opportunity to up-skill, with the result that Avondale College now has the highest number of ICT-qualified staff in the country!

Vishva, who speaks Gujarati at home and who also knows some Hindi, attributes his spelling ability to his love of reading. “I pick up words from books and they stick in my head,” he says.

His best tip for improving spelling? “Read a lot. When you read, you have fun while learning at the same time.”

Geography

English student Vishva Dave - spelling champion

SCI FI STORY WINS PLACE IN NATIONAL ANTHOLOGY

ROTORUA TRIP

Congratulations to Jacob Jones (Year 12) who has won third place in a national writing competition, and whose short story, The Earth We Knew, has been selected for publishing in the Write Off Line anthology for 2016.

Students of Geography enjoyed seeing the theory being put into practice during the annual Year 13 Geography field trip to Rotorua in July.

Open to all Year 13 GEC, GEO and A2 students, the trip is aimed at enhancing students’ knowledge and understanding of cultural processes (Tourism Development) for their external exam, as well as fulfilling an internal component of the GEC course.

Now in its fifth year, ‘Write Off Line’ is a writing competition that attracts entries from secondary schools around New Zealand. The judges said they were impressed with the range and quality of the entries, which made judging a challenge.

During the two day trip students were able to experience a variety of tourist activities including visiting the Skyline Gondola and Luge, the Rotorua Museum, Te Puia Geothermal and Cultural Centre, the Agrodome Sheep Show and AgroVentures.

The new edition will be available as an e-book and a print-ondemand from Amazon, on the 31st of October. youngnzwriters.weebly.com

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Vishva Dave can spell words in three languages – but it was his English ability that was put to the test when he stepped onto the stage of the New Zealand Spelling Bee national final.

New Zealand’s history came alive for senior students in September as they visited some significant historical sites in support of their learning about the New Zealand Wars of the nineteenth century.

The CVs of hundreds of Avondale College students and staff have become a whole lot more impressive this year, with the achievement of a huge number of ICT industry qualifications.

These certifications include Microsoft Office Specialist, Microsoft Technical Associate, Adobe Certified Associate and Autodesk Certified Associate.

Mathematics & Statistics BRIDGE BUILDING COMPETITION With just twenty skewers, 1.2m of string, five ice block sticks, some glue and a whole lot of ingenuity, Year 9 and 10 students rose superbly to the challenge of constructing the strongest weight-bearing bridge as part of the lead up to the national Aurecon Bridge Building Competition.

Testing was a fairly destructive affair, with ten bridges being tested until breaking point, in a clear demonstration that our junior mathematicians were adept at incorporating some great geometric engineering into their designs.

The bridge to hold the third heaviest load was designed by the all-girl team of JCS with

their well-constructed bridge holding 10.5kg (that’s a sack of potatoes)! ‘Artistic Rat’ took second place with a bridge that held 11kg.

However, the bridge that took first place this year did so by a landslide victory of 17kg (the equivalent of almost two sacks of potatoes)!

This team is no stranger to victory as they also took out first place last year as Year 9’s.

GBJ had fantastic design and ingenuity, bringing their A-game (as well as a few fans for drying).

First Place: GBJ - Gavin Ninnes, Bradley Nauck, and James Campbell (10CRE) Second Place: Artistic Rat - Arc Avan Porcioncula, Tommy Ong, and Rohan Sharma (9SPH)

Third Place: JCS - Jessica Chen, Christine Yu, Shirley Chen (10GDR) These three teams then went through to the national Aurecon Bridge Building competition in August, where they had their bridges photographed, weighed, and then tested to destruction!

Team JCS set a new school record of 76.9kg and Team GBJ also broke the previous school record with a weight of 59.3kg. This is a superb result which is a direct result of the hours of work that were put into the design and construction of the bridges.

JAZZ & SOUL CONCERT It has been a massive second half of the year for the Music Department, with the annual Jazz & Soul Concert, the Auckland-wide KBB Music Festival, the Auckland Schools Jazz Band Competition, and the Stand Up Stand Out competition.

KBB MUSIC FESTIVAL

Years of hard work is leading to the sweet sound of success for Avondale College musicians, whose String Ensemble and Big Band both won Gold awards at the prestigious Auckland-wide KBB Music festival. Avondale’s String Ensemble (tutored by David Snelling and led by Genevieve Tang) not only won a Gold award, but were one of only four chamber orchestras invited to play at the exclusive Gala Concert at the conclusion of the KBB festival. “It’s the culmination of years of work,” says Director of Music Mr Mathew Stenbo. He notes the combination of students coming through the College’s Performing Arts Academy, the dedication of the tutors and the hard work of the students as key factors in their success.

“To be standing alongside the best chamber orchestras from all the schools is wonderful recognition,” he says.

Science

The Jazz & Soul Concert held on Wednesday 10 August was an outstanding event, featuring a plethora of Avondale talent including our award-winning Jazz Combos, Big Band, Soul Band and acapella groups and special guests, the Auckland Jazz Orchestra. More great jazz was heard from our Dale JC combo who won a Gold award at the Auckland Schools Jazz Band Competition on Saturday 13 August.

BIOLOGY OLYMPIAD Avondale College students make bid for Biology Olympiad team Ten Avondale College students have qualified for the New Zealand International Biology Olympiad (IBO) tutorial programme, earning a Bronze Award. This is the largest group ever to qualify from Avondale College.

12OED spent five chilly nights walking around lake Waikaremoana near Napier in August. They encountered rain and snow and had an amazing wilderness experience. Students were tested on their tenacity and ability to stay positive in challenging conditions. The students thrived on the experience, building shelters, fire lighting, playing games and having a mid winter dip in the lake.

The students will now be working hard all summer in preparation for the National Selection and Training Camp qualifying examination at the start of 2017.

Avondale College has a solid competitive history in the IBO, with two students (Ethan Sorrell and Ery Zhu) both gaining medals at the international event in previous years.

The 2017 competition is to be held at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom next July. Four students from New Zealand will be selected to compete.

Congratulations (and best wishes) to our Avondale biologists: Anastasia Ivashkova, Dell Matravers Rock, Shereen Lee, Tye O’Sullivan, Zill Darji, Victoria Ivashkova, Jesslyn Chen, Leo Cekus, Bianca Craill and Jasica Chiu.

SCIENCE TRIP

Avondale College’s Head of Jazz, Michael Robinson, also attributes his students’ success to their passion for music combined with hard work and commitment over many years. “The majority of our senior Big Band students have come through the College’s jazz programme or Performing Arts Academy and have taken part in numerous co-curricular opportunities,” he says.

Avondale College’s combos Poss and the Possibilities and Dale JC both came away with Excellence Awards for their performances at the New Zealand School of Music’s Jazz Project competition in Wellington from 8th-11th June.

As part of the project, the students also attended workshops with world renowned jazz educators Karrin Allyson, Tom Warrington, Larry Koonse and Joe La Barbera.

Over the four days the students attended two to three concerts every day, including international artists Wayne Shorter and Snarky Puppy.

L’Oreal and The Science Department of Auckland University hosted a Girls in Science event on 9 September. Nine Year 11 and 12 female students had the privilege of listening to accomplished scientists in Chemistry, marine science and geoscience. This was followed by a guided tour around the chemistry and maths departments, the photon factory and the environmental labs. To cap it all a delicious lunch was provided along with a cherished goodie bag from L’Oreal! The girls gained so much from the experience and returned to school eager to pursue science as an option in the future.

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JAZZ PROJECT

Sports

Academy MILLENNIUM INSTITUTE VISIT On Friday 26 November a group of Year 10 Sports Academy students spent an action-packed day at the AUT Millennium Sports Institute in Albany. It was a great day with the students taking part in numerous activities and tests.

Afterwards the instructors praised our students for their behaviour and attitude which reflected extremely well on Avondale College.

Tournament Week OVERVIEW

New Zealand's Secondary Schools Winter Tournament Week kicked off on Week 6 from 29th August – 4th September with many of our Premier teams competing in different tournaments at various locations around Auckland and the North Island.

Technology Eight Avondale designers took a step into the real world of fashion when their garments were modelled at the ‘Walk the Line’ Show during New Zealand Fashion Week.

Organised by YMCA Auckland and Raise Up, the ‘Walk the Line’ event gives young designers aged between 13 and 18 the opportunity to display their creativity on a world stage platform.

Fashion Technology teacher, Ms Shannon Freestone, says the event was a great opportunity for students to showcase designs they had been working on in their NCEA senior classes.

“The show gave them real world experience - along with a concrete deadline to work towards,” she says.

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Also entering alongside Avondale’s seven senior students were two Year 9 students, designer Lucy Parkinson and model Emma Richards. Their garment was entered in the ‘recyclable’ category, meaning it had to be made from at least 80% recycled materials that are not used in everyday clothing.

Lucy’s stunning design caught the eye of fashion photographer Luke Foley-Martin, with photographs of her outfit featuring on the NZ Fashion Week website.

Avondale 1st XI Boys Football team competed in the Malcom Cowie Tournament held at McLennan Park in Papakura and placed 9th overall.

1st XI Boys won 2 - 0 against Kingsway 1st XI Boys lost 4 – 1 against Shirley Boys 1st XI Boys lost 1 – 0 against Cambridge 1st XI Boys won 3 – 0 against Onslow 1st XI Boys won 4 – 0 against Kristin 1st XI Boys won 2 – 0 against St Andrews 1st XI Boys won 2 -1 against Western Springs The 1st XI Girls Football team played in the Maurice Hulme Tournament held in Rotorua.

1st XI Girls lost 1 – 0 against Kapiti 1st XI Girls won 1 – 0 against Cambridge 1st XI Girls won 13-0 against Papakura 1st XI Girls won 2-0 against Rosehill College 1st XI Girls lost 1-0 against St Marys 1st XI Girls won 1-0 against Western Heights

HOCKEY

The 1st XI Hockey Boys team competed in the Olympic Stick Tournament held at ASB Hockey Turf Hugh Hayward Domain in Ngatea and placed 1st overall.

1st XI Boys won 2 – 1 against Long Bay 1st XI Boys won 4 – 0 against Howick 1st XI Boys won 2 – 1 against Freybery 1st XI Boys won 4 -1 against Glendowie 1st XI Boys won 2 – 0 against St Peter’s 1st XI Boys won 1 – 0 against St John’s The 1st XI Hockey Girls team competed in the Ghica Gilmer Tournament held at Tauranga Hockey Centre in Mt Maunganui and placed 13th overall.

1st XI Girls lost 7 – 0 against Wellington East 1st XI Girls lost 6 – 0 against Baradene

1st XI Girls won 1 – 0 against Aquinas 1st XI Girls lost 4 – 0 against Rosehill 1st XI Girls won 1 -2 against John Paul 3rd XI Boys won 5-0 against Lynfield College, placing 3rd in Senior C West competition

RUGBY LEAGUE

The 1st XIII Rugby League Boys team competed in the New Zealand Secondary Schools Rugby League Tournament held at Bruce Pullman Park in Papakura. The team won the best and fairest team award for the tournament.

1st XIII Boys lost 24 – 12 against Tamaki 1st XIII Boys won 22-20 against St Thomas

BADMINTON

The following students represented Avondale College at the New Zealand Secondary School Badminton Championships held at Eastlink Badminton Centre, Hamilton and placed 3rd overall in their division.

Jenny Ling (12DTN) Julia Ling (11SLA) Qi Ling Ng (10GDR) Emilie Imai (10DNL) Dahlia Feng (10CRE) The highlights of the success were: The team won the bronze medal in the 2nd Division of the Girls Championships by defeating St. Oran’s High School. The team won 5-1.

The semi-final was a close contest with a matches tied at 3-3; New Plymouth Girl’s High School won 2 games more and took the tie 8-6.

NETBALL

The Premier Girls Netball team competed in the Upper North Island Secondary Schools Championship held at Papakura Netball Centre and placed 16th overall.

Premier Girls won 27 – 24 against Hill Crest Premier Girls won 33 – 20 against Massey

BASKETBALL

The Open Boys Basketball team competed in the AA Secondary Schools Premiership Boys Zone 1 Tournament held at North Shore Events Centre and placed 11th overall.

Open Boys lost 20 - 0 against Massey Open Boys lost 101 – 38 against Auckland Grammar Open Boys lost 75 – 69 against Whangarei Boys Open Boys won 80 – 59 against Kristin Open Boys won 104 – 84 against Macleans Open Boys lost 74 – 67 against St Peter’s Open Boys won 87 – 69 against Takapuna The Junior Boys Basketball team competed in the Secondary Schools Zone 1 & 2 Boys Premiership held at Unison Arena and Sportsdrome and placed 11th overall.

Junior Boys lost 75 – 71 against Gisborne Boys High Junior Boys won 96 – 85 against Melville High Junior Boys won 59 – 47 against Rotorua Boys Junior Boys lost 83 – 66 against Hamilton Boys Junior Boys lost 90 – 59 against Mt Maunganui Junior Boys won 105 – 69 against Gisborne Boys

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FOOTBALL

Surf Life Saving Swimming

Hockey 1ST XI HOCKEY

FA’AMAUSILI WINS BRONZE MEDAL AT JUNIOR PAN PACS SWIMMING

The boys' 1st XI Hockey team went down to Ngatea for the Olympic Stick tournament. After having a difficult season before tournament because of injuries the boys stepped up and played every game as if it was their last. On the first day they played Long Bay College in a very tight game, winning 2-1 after captain Ollie Cornelius converted a last play penalty corner. In the afternoon the boys won 4-0 against Howick College. The next day we beat Freyburg College 2-1 to qualify top of our pool for the quarter final.

In the quarter final we met Glendowie College. Ollie Cornelius was again on fire, scoring four goals. Avondale won 4-1 and was into the semi finals. Our opponents in the semi final were St Peter’s College. Previously we had played them three times in our normal season and all three times we were on the losing end. This time the boys played as if their lives depended on it and won 2-0. In the final we played St John’s College from Hamilton, who were also unbeaten. Ollie Cornelius converted a penalty corner early in the 2nd half to put us 1-0 ahead. The boys kept their nerve for the rest of the game to win the gold medal and become the Olympic Stick champions for 2016! Ollie Cornelius finished tournament as the top goal scorer, with 10 goals in total.

Football This year the girls took part in the football tournament in Rotorua from 29 August to 2 September. A big challenge lay ahead for the 24 teams from around the country, with eight games each in five days. Our squad was nervous but in good spirits as they approached their first game on the Monday morning in the grand setting of the Rotorua International Stadium. Our nervous play went right through the game as we could not score despite numerous chances, finally conceding a penalty in the very last minute to lose the game 1-0.

This created a lot of pressure for the following four group games. We dominated against Cambridge in the afternoon to take out the game 1-0. This gave the girls some confidence going into the second day where they comfortably beat Iona College 3-0 and totally dominated a strong Pakuranga College team but could only manage a scoreless draw.

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This brought us to Wednesday morning and our final group game against Papakura. Many possible outcomes rested on the morning’s matches, in what was clearly the strongest group in the tournament.

Three teams were fighting it out for the two places in the quarter final. After many calculations we realised we had to win by at least 10 goals to guarantee going through and if we won by 12 or more we could still win the group, depending on the other results. The girls were fired up and knew what they had to do. A great start saw us go ahead after two minutes… Game on. At half time I needed to give the team a bit of extra encouragement as we were leading 8-0 but not playing well. Back out on the field the girls responded well and we finished the game winning 13-0… We were through to the quarter finals but unfortunately had to settle for 2nd place in the group.

an unfortunate refereeing decision awarded St Mary’s a penalty, which they scored. We responded well in the time left but could not convert our chances. A distraught squad at the end of the game took a lot of consoling, but we still had a play off for 3rd and 4th to go on Friday. Once the girls got to the stadium and realised that there was a bronze medal at stake they did not need any further motivation.

Western Heights did what they could but there was no stopping a fired up Avondale squad who took out the 3rd place 1-0. They only conceded two goals all week (both penalties), which was a fantastic effort from a fantastic bunch of girls.

Avondale's star swimmer Gabrielle Fa’amausili had to wait until the very last session to secure New Zealand's only medal at the Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Hawaii.

The 16 year old earned a bronze medal in the 50m freestyle in the final session of the four day meet. The Pan Pacs in Maui drew full strength teams from USA, Canada, Japan, Australia, China, New Zealand, the Pacific and other non-European nations, for swimmers between 13 to 18 years.

Fa’amausili (United club) was second fastest in the morning heats in 25.26 which set a new national age record and was only 0.24s off the New Zealand open record.

She was 0.1s slower in the final, finishing behind Americans Anya Marie Goeders and Marta Ciesla

Year 11 student Lucy Makaea picked up an astonishing twelve medals at the Surf Lifesaving NZ National Pool Champs in October.

This success followed hot on the heels of her bronze medal for butterfly in her age group at the NZ Short Course Swimming Champs a few days previously. Well done, Lucy!

Cheerleading

Coach: Mr D Dewsnap

SQUAD:

Molly Flynn (Captain), Saskia Porter (VCaptain), Bella Barnes (VCaptain), Georgia Banks, Emily Andrell, Courtney Sutton, Jenna Dullabh, Olivia Franich, Mikayla Wannan, Nadia Irawan, Natalie Harris, Alyssa Jeffs, Brooke Whiu, Ruby Coombes, Katelyn Tasker, Maclani Michael

It has been a huge year for talented cheerleader Bethany Mottram who represented New Zealand at the Cheerleading equivalent of the Olympics: the Cheerleading World Champs and the Global Dance and Cheer Games in Hawaii. In addition, Bethany was also selected to be part of the squad of eight to represent New Zealand at the China Cheerleading Open held in Nanjin, during the July school holidays.

The results Bethany achieved this year with Team New Zealand: ICU (Olympic committee) Team NZ All Girl: Silver Worlds: Sixth (144 teams in their division), 4th in the Nations Cup Global Dance and Cheer Games: 1st place and Grand Champions in their division China Cheerleading Open: 1st place Domestic Titles this year: Auckland squad: 5 First placings and Grand Championships

Thursday morning and onto the quarter finals against Rosehill College. There was only going to be one winner as our girls dominated every aspect of game and came out 2-0 winners. The afternoon saw the biggest challenge as we met a very strong St Mary’s team in the semi-final. Having played them twice in the Auckland competition we knew what to expect and set our tactics to combat their strengths. The battle became harder after 20 minutes when one of our players got injured, reducing our effect on attack.

The game looked headed for penalties with ten minutes to go when

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Honours Assembly

There's no doubt about it, Avondale students are a talented bunch! This was brought home once again at the Honours Assembly in September when 206 awards were presented to students for their achievements in sporting, cultural and academic arenas. From local achievement such as sporting representation at regional tournaments to international success in world competitions, Avondale students can be found achieving at the highest levels!

Alumni Former students of Avondale College keep on making headlines, with a number of our high-profile alumni taking to the tracks and fields of the Rio Olympics in August this year. Others have been making headlines in the performing arts...

NZ FOOTBALL FERNS OLYMPIC TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT AT AVCOL

AVONDALE COLLEGE WELL REPRESENTED AT THE RIO OLYMPICS

The New Zealand Olympic Committee and NZ Football descended on Avondale College in July to announce the Women’s Football Squad for the Rio Olympics 2016. The venue was chosen as a testament to the fact that no fewer than four of the squad chosen for Rio were former pupils of Avondale College.

Kirsty Yallop, Betsy Hassett, Amber Hearn and most recently, Jasmine Pereira, all started their footballing careers at Avondale College.

Of the 112 different high schools that played a role in educating New Zealand’s 202 Olympic athletes, Avondale College comes high on the list. On the list compileted by www.stuff.co.nz, Avondale College was third in a table of the schools with the most Olympic Athletes.

Avondale College is very proud of our six Olympians: silver medalist and ‘Sevens Sister’ Niall Williams; footballers Jasmine Pereira, Kirsty Yallop, Betsy Hassett and Amber Hearn; and Para Olympian and cyclist Fraser Sharp.

After an inspiring speech from Dr Terry Brown, the announcements of the team were made by Kereyn Smith the New Zealand Olympic Committee Chief Executive and Andy Martin the Chief Executive Officer of NZ Football.

Then to scenes of great excitement as witnessed by the nation’s news cameras.

The squad then made their way over to the school fields on which so many of them had played so successfully in the past to spend some time working and playing with our current crop of 1st XI girl footballers.

Sports Awards Dinner

THOMPSTON ALBUM LAUNCH Avondale College graduate Thomas Stoneman - aka Thomston has released his debut album, Topograph.

AWARDS & ACCOLADES FOR OUR TOP ATHLETES

The album debuted at number seven in the iTunes top 10, alongside heavyweight artists such as Bon Iver, Passenger and Shawn Mendes.

Thomston said it was gratifying to release a full-length record after the "stepping stones" of his early EPs.

The annual Avondale College Sport Awards Dinner was a superb event, as our sporting community gathered together to honour the success of our top sporting athletes.

"A full-length has a lot more weight to it; it's a statement, and to release one obviously comes with a bit more pressure for this to represent me well.

Guest of Honour was former Avondale College student and Olympic Silver Medalist Niall Williams, who entertained and inspired the audience with the story of her journey from Avondale to Rio and beyond.

"It feels so good to finally release it, to let it become anything to other people," he said.

The album is a culmination of two years' worth of writing, touring and recording, and was completed about halfway through last year.

Winning the top honours of the night were Delzea Tu'ua (Binns Cup for Best All Round Girls' Sports Record); Ethan Manukuo (Kingstone Cup for Best All Round Boys' Sports Record); swimmer Gabrielle Fa'amausili (the Jason Twigg Award for Outstanding Achievement in Girls' Sport); and (in absentia) badminton player Dacmen Vong (the Jason Twigg Award for Outstanding Achievement in Boys' Sport).

Though fans now have 13 new tracks to get familiar with, Thomston says his next record is already in the works.

We are looking forward to it already!

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Key Dates 2017

TERM DATES 2017

Senior Prizegiving The academic endeavour of our senior students was formally recognised at the Senior Prizegiving, where 238 students received prizes, special awards and scholarships totalling more than $260,840 in value.

The evening was enhanced by musical items from the Avondale College String Ensemble, Smokefree Rockquest winner Iris Guevarra, Avondale College orchestra, and our Dale JC Jazz Combo.

Special congratulations to Mr Paul McClean who was awarded the Staff Travel award for 2016, and to our highest achievers: Dux for Cambridge: Rokaya Islam; Dux for NCEA: Jingyuan (Cindy) Huang; Proxime Accessit (CIE) Bronwen Lamb; and Proxime Accessit (NCEA): Sepora Cassidy.

Deans and DPs 2017 To email, use three-letter teacher code@avcol.school.nz To phone: dial (09) 828 7024 followed by extension

YEAR 9 Dean: Mr Mark van Beurden VBN Ext 541 Assoc. Miss Helena Pattison PTN Ext 539 DP: Mrs Lynne van Etten VTN 820 1720 YEAR 10

Dean: Ms Rhonda Donaldson DSN Ext 533 Assoc. Miss Ashleigh Earwaker EKR Ext 560 DP: Mrs Lyndy Watkinson WTN 820 1707

YEAR 11 Dean: Mr Pahlavi Timoteo TMO Ext 535 Assoc. Miss Naomi Thomas TMN Ext 540 DP: Dr Terry Brown BWN 820 1728 YEAR 12

Dean: Mrs Megan Miller MRM Ext 537 Assoc: Ms Victoria Harris HRS Ext 542 DP: Mr Phil Hill HIL 820 1701

YEAR 13

Dean: Mr Dave Dewsnap DSP Ext 538 Assoc: Mrs Aleishia Davis DVA Ext 534 DP: Mr John Goold GLD 820 1702

Term One: 1 February - 13 April Term Two: 1 May - 7 July Term Three: 24 July - 29 September Term Four: 16 October - 13 December

JAN

Mon 16 College Shop opens for uniform sales

9am-2pm (See website for opening hours from 16 to 26 Jan) Tues 24 Re-enrolment for Year 13 12.30pm-3pm Wed 25 Re-enrolment for Year 12 9am - 12pm;

Year 11 12.30-3pm Fri 27 College Shop closed

FEB

Wed 1

Year 9 and 13 begin. 9am Year 13 assembly in Theatre; 10am Year 9 assembly in Theatre.

End of Day: Year 9s at 2.45pm; Year 13 at 2.15pm. No morning buses. Afternoon buses at 2.45pm Thurs 2 Year 9, 10, 11, 12. 9am Powhiri for Year 9s

in theatre. 10am Year 12 assembly in Stadium;

11am Year 11 assembly in theatre;

11am Year 10 assembly in Stadium

Year 13 students needing to confirm

courses also need to attend

End of day: Year 9s at 2.45pm; Years 10, 11,

12 at 2.15pm. No morning buses. Afternoon

buses at 2.45pm Fri 3 Teacher only day Mon 6 Waitangi Day Tues 7 All students on timetable. Normal buses run Thurs 9 Whole school athletics day Tues 14 Year 9 Parent Info Evening 7pm in Theatre

MARCH

Wed 15 Polyfest (to Sat 18)

APRIL

Tues 11 Parent Report Evening 4.30pm-7.00pm

in Atrium

Thurs 13 End of Term 1

Victor Street | Avondale Auckland | New Zealand

T +64 9 828 7024 admin@avcol.school.nz www.avcol.school.nz