Kristin Kaleidoscope Issue 69

Kaleidoscope I S S U E 69 • J U LY 2020

I N T H I S I SS UE . . .

01

From the Executive Principal

02

From the Board

03

Built by families for families

04

Our new grand piano

05

An update from KFF

06

Year 3 Virtual Field Trips

07

Junior School Update

08

Middle School Update

10

Senior School Update

11

Foundation Day 2020

12

Kristin Camps - Middle & Senior School

14

Kristin Camps - Junior School

15

Toastmasters / New Parents' Dinner

16

Staff Updates

19

Little Doves Teacher - Ruby Dale

20

Genafriend

21

Hands-on Learning

22

Solar comes to Kristin

23

CAS at Kristin

24

Gail Exchanges

25

Our Young physicists / Joseph / Our 50th

26

Dovetail Exchanges

28

Dear International Student

30

Summer Sport Summary

32

Swimming Sports

34

House Sports Day

36

A Spotlight on Lucia and Dennis

38

Water Polo

39

Tennis

40

Sports Highlights

41

Izzy Gaze secures top awards

42

Holly Sutich

43

Adele Barlow

44

Kim Morton

45

Living Legends

46

KristinConnect / Upcoming Reunions 2020

04

Our new grand piano

12

Kristin Camps

19

Ruby Dale

26

Dovetail Exchanges

34

House Sports Day

43 Cover Photo: From left to right, Katie Sisam, Gala Kayser Carro and Claudia Scott running in the Girls' House Relay during the Senior School House Sports Day (March 2020).

Adele Barlow

A M E S S AG E F RO M T H E

Executive Principal As an educator, I ask what we can learn from all this? How can we emerge from this global COVID-19 pandemic, national lockdowns and the social and economic impacts – to be stronger and better?

I reflect on Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s words, in the early days, emphasising the importance of showing kindness to others during the emergence of this virus. It sounded like such a nice word, but how relevant is it in times of a global pandemic and economic recession? Unfortunately, kindness can incorrectly be considered soft or ineffective, something nice to do when things are going well, or even associated as a weakness that can be exploited.

for children to ‘hunt’ during lockdown walks; or inspiring artwork displays of poppy flowers for this year’s cancelled Anzac Day services; and the touch of magic with hundreds of mini fairy homes set up in trees at Bottle Lake Forest Park in Christchurch.

This makes me reflect on the kindness of our founding parents who created Kristin School – parents creating a school for the children of other parents to have the opportunities and learning experiences to enable a truly great education. With such a quality education our young people are able to go out and make real and positive differences in their local and global world.

Science and research confirm the positive and lasting effects of kindness, even proving it is important for our own survival.

For example, a 2015 World Happiness Report showed one of the strongest predictors of well-being worldwide is the quality of our relationships – with generous pro-social behaviour being the key factor in how we strengthen these relationships. Kind behaviour is directly associated with better health and longer life expectancy. This includes research which has revealed volunteering reduces the risk of death by 24%. Other research has confirmed that people experience greater happiness when they spend money on others, rather than when they spend it on themselves.

Our founding parents made significant and generous personal contributions for the creation of our school, from the initial purchasing of the land through to the continued development of our facilities. It is this culture of service and kindness that has established this school and has seen it flourish for 47 years.

Kindness is an essential part of our Christian teachings and values upon which Kristin was founded. This includes the idea that it is in the giving that we receive. There is a joke that says God doesn’t know very much about maths, because when you give to others, it should be that you are subtracting from yourself. However, there is such a sense of fulfilment from our own acts of kindness.

One incredible positive to come from this global COVID-19 pandemic is the spontaneous wave of kindness that emerged in response.

Around the world, we’ve heard stories of people who are doing what they can to help those in need or celebrate the work of healthcare and other essential workers. Across the world whole communities stood outside each evening to applaud essential health workers. Retired doctors and nurses returned to work, often putting their own health at risk. The ‘caremongering’ movement started in Canada, which included people setting up support groups for vulnerable people in self-isolation. In Britain, a kind gentleman and former Army Officer called Thomas Moore, popularly known as Captain Tom, captured worldwide attention and support with his achievements raising money for charity in the run-up to his 100th birthday.

All these powerful stories help make us more hopeful and feel more optimistic.

Through Kristin’s many service projects, I hope our students begin to gain the wisdom that being kind is not a burden, it is a joy. This is also confirmed by research, as people with kind and generous spirits are less burdened with their own self-concerns, are reportedly easier to be with and more fun to be around.

Research by psychologist and author Adam Grant illustrated that the further medical students advanced in their training, the more their success depended on teamwork and service to others.

To be truly kind is to be strong. The essence of kindness is about having the courage to act on knowledge, to not only know what is right but to also do what is right. Kindness and compassion are qualities we hope to instil in our students – not necessarily with a view to this being reciprocated, but because being kind and compassionate are the right things to do. We must be deliberate about what values we want to impart to our next generation.

Kindness is part of our founding Christian values; we believe that makes this world a better place.

Mark Wilson E X E C U T I V E P R I N C I PA L

We can see this kindness even in the smallest things, such as here in New Zealand with the teddies and soft toys in windows

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From the Board Our community has responded like champions in these extraordinary times. In times of crisis, and in more normal times, what makes a champion team or organisation is identifying what are the ‘ordinary’ things we do that are important and need to be done consistently well.

Doing the ‘ordinary’ things well is what has been evident in our Kristin Community. Prior to the lockdown announcement, our staff had anticipated and collaboratively developed a remote teaching and learning programme to be established should our campus close. This meant we were immediately able to provide structured home-based learning for our students and families, rather than bringing forward the holidays in order to start preparing. After those first two-and-a-half weeks of home-based learning, staff conducted a professional evaluation and, based on feedback from students, staff and parents, made changes to enhance these programmes for when home-based learning needed to continue after the Term 1 holiday break.

Our parents juggled their homes under lockdown, their business and employment commitments, as well as supporting their children’s home-based learning. Just doing all of these ‘ordinary’ things was a challenge in itself. The students have been exceptional throughout the lockdown, partnering with their teachers to sustain their academic work, supporting parents and looking to make the best of this unique time. This does not diminish the fact that these times were also difficult and stressful.

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A key focus of our staff during these times has been on the well-being of our young people. For example, a Kristin Wellbeing Survey was undertaken to assess the well-being levels of our students, and those indicating low levels were personally contacted by counsellors and relevant staff. Individual support was also provided to several families by our Deans and other staff. Those families who identified as being impacted by financial hardship were supported by our Executive Principal.

It has been so reassuring to see our school values in action throughout such times. For example, just in the past few weeks our Student Leaders co-ordinated a whole-school drive for donations of goods to support those in our wider community in real need. Doing the ordinary thing of showing kindness has never been so important.

While we are delighted to see the Kristin campus now back open and operating, we appreciate that it is likely to be at least many months before this global COVID-19 pandemic is truly over. We understand no journey will be simple or linear, so we will also continue to plan for any potential second waves of the virus or further economic impacts. Our Board members will be joining our senior leadership team in a strategic planning session, later in July, as part of planning our next steps and identifying the opportunities we can build upon.

New Zealand is the best place to be right now, and we are fortunate to be in a united community that is caring, strong and resilient. Let us all keep doing the ‘ordinary’ things consistently well, to ensure that we successfully journey through this together.

Gus Gilmore BOARD CHAIR

Built by families, for families Established in 1973, Kristin School was built by families, for families. Kristin’s founders a group of pioneering North Shore parents - were determined to establish a robust framework of self-governance to administer and protect the school, supported by an educational philosophy to guide it.

The founders of Kristin School were focused on providing the best education possible for students. They had a vision of a school where all the benefits of the school would remain with the school, the school community and our wider community.

Kristin was initially established as an Incorporated Society in 1974, but as the school grew, our Board determined in 2000 that a Charitable Trust would best serve the long-term needs of Kristin for security and stability; this ensured that any school financial surpluses could be reinvested in the school.

Founding Board member and former Board Chair Barry Stevens recalls the generous spirit of the early days of Kristin: “History shows that at our school’s foundation, enthusiastic founding parents chipped in with modest donations to establish a fledgling bank account. This concept of ‘own our own school’ was brought to life by this pioneering group of founding families, who were generous with their time, labour and expertise”.

Unlike some other independent schools, which are companies or have corporate structures, at Kristin any financial surpluses or profit are retained for the use of the school. These are invested

in the resources a school needs to deliver an exceptional allround education for our students now and those who attend in future years.

Reflecting on the long-term vision and commitment of the founding families to so energetically support the various projects in creating our own campus, Barry recalls a saying, attributed to Confucius: “If your plan is for one year, plant rice. If your plan is for 10 years, plant trees. If your plan is for 100 years, educate children. As Kristin approaches its 50th year, this piece of wisdom seems particularly touching,” he says.

As we look around the campus, we can see that Kristin has built up many assets over the past 47 years since it was developed from an orchard. The grounds and all the buildings that we are so fortunate to enjoy are a legacy to our founders and the prudent governance and financial surpluses generated over that time.

The value of the school property and buildings is substantial.

Some of that has been paid for by surpluses but some of it was also paid for by borrowing from the bank. The school is still repaying the main loan and that will continue - so any surplus goes to repaying the loan or investing in the maintenance of the buildings.

Every cent of the fees our families pay stay in the school.

Kristin is a not-for-profit organisation - a charitable trust.

We are a truly independent school, which is a great advantage for our students.

Morag Fryer and Victoria Morris D I RE CTO R O F M A RK E T I N G & A DVA N C E M E N T A N D A LU M N I M A N AGE R

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Our new grand piano On 11 March we were thrilled to acknowledge the generosity of our community with a concert in the Dove Theatre to thank the donors to our Steinway & Sons Grand Piano. This was a night of joy and celebration where donors young and old came together to share in the success and positive rewards of shared contribution to a common purpose.

In the first of hopefully many outstanding concerts our new

A particularly touching moment in Executive Principal Mark

piano was the supporting star while the audience was thrilled by

Wilson’s speech was when he acknowledged one of our founding

the quality and passion of a very impressive line-up of student

parents and dedicated supporters, Mrs Bernice Stevens,

and staff performers.

who died in 2002. Her memory lives on in this vibrant place of performance and aroha. Her husband, and benefactor of

There are few global brands that can hold claim to the history

the Dove Theatre, Mr Barry Stevens, continues to be a great

and enduring reputation for precision-engineering and

supporter of our school, including donating to this piano, in

craftsmanship as German piano-makers Steinway & Sons.

Bernice’s memory.

The Rolls-Royce of the musical world, Steinway pianos are the

The plaque acknowledging the donors to our Steinway now has

instrument of choice in the majority of concert halls across

pride of place in the Auditorium Foyer for all who pass by to

the world. Now, thanks to the support and generosity of our

appreciate their generosity.

community, Kristin School is the very proud owner of a Steinway & Sons B-211 Grand Piano.

As one of just a few New Zealand schools to own a piano of this calibre, we are extremely excited about the future potential

Over $120,000 was donated by more than 60 families. From

for performance and music education experiences such an

Little Doves through to Alumni and Kauri Club, this fundraising

instrument will allow for. The acquisition of this piano is yet

campaign reached out to all sectors of our community.

another milestone in the history of Kristin families contributing to the evolution of our school, and the value of Kristin as a

We would like to especially thank our major donors - Munjae

hub for arts and culture on Auckland’s North Shore. Our new

Shin and Ahyun Jung. These donors are parents of two young

Steinway B will allow for excellence in musical performance at

daughters here at Kristin, one in Junior School and the other at

Kristin for decades to come.

Little Doves. They do not seek any special attention but would rather be considered as part of a group of generous donors, who

Morag Fryer and Nick Duirs

are committed to Kristin for the long term and keen to invest in

D I RE CTO R O F M A RK E T I N G & A DVA N C E M E N T A N D

its future.

HE A D O F FAC U LT Y VI S U A L A N D P E RFO RM I N G AR T S

Munjae Shin, Ahyun Jung, Judi Wilson, Mark Wilson

Nick Duirs performing at the concert

An update from KFF

Christmas wreathe-making workshop, 2019

“I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.

I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live.”

George Bernard Shaw

As we emerge from the depths of the first worldwide pandemic of the last 100 years, I have witnessed here in New Zealand an incredibly strong sense of community. People supporting one another in the name of the greater good. Neighbours and friends taking care of one another like never before to ensure everyone was safe. It’s been heart-warming to witness.

At Kristin, we are extremely fortunate to have a strong, connected and engaged community who all look out for and truly care for one another. Our Kristin Family stood strong throughout - the Board, the Principals, the Teachers, the Deans, the Pastoral Care Team and the Kristin Family and Friends.

All stood at the ready to reach out and assist in whatever way was required.

Our school’s primary focus during this pandemic was the mental and physical wellbeing of our students, and recognising that staying connected to their classmates and teachers via online learning would keep them motivated by giving them a focus and preventing feelings of isolation. Kristin was prepared when we went into lockdown. The school checked in with the students and the parents weekly, asking what was working and what wasn’t, and changed and adapted accordingly. The weekly video updates by our Executive Principal, Mark Wilson, ensured that everyone was well informed about how the school was managing the transition to online learning and communicated very clearly that the school would be there to support everyone along the way and explained how to get in touch; no matter was too big or small.

Kristin families were never alone.

As we gradually gain some sense of normalcy again, KFF will continue on our mission to connect parents and families and to

Parents enjoying one of the KFF-organised Wednesday walks

spirit and to provide opportunities for parents to connect with one another. Some of the social functions we regularly organise are our very popular Wednesday Walking group as well as our Parent-hosted Morning Teas. We will endeavour to arrange some more ‘tasting’ nights and more arts and crafts workshops as those have both proven to be quite popular.

The Kristin Toastmasters Club is now one year old and continues to grow and enrich the community by helping individuals gain confidence with their public speaking skills, but also improve their overall communication skills within a fun and relaxed environment.

Another initiative that we began just over a year ago is our termly second-hand uniform collection and sale, which has proven extremely worthwhile, and we have formed a Lost Property Team, whose members make quick work of getting lost items back to their owners.

This year we launched year-level Facebook pages for the Middle School. Parents are finding this resource very helpful in terms of gathering and sharing information and staying tuned into what’s going on in their child’s world at school.

The KFF’s success is inherently tied to the support we receive from the community to serve the needs and build relationships within that community. The year ahead is looking great. We are here for you, so please don't hesitate to reach out to any one of the Executive members anytime. Our contact details are on the KFF page on the Community Portal.

help build solid foundations and positive relationships among

Patricia Holden

the Kristin Community. We will continue to support the school

K FF C HA I R

with volunteer hours wherever needed and to host a variety of different social events to promote and encourage community

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Year 3 Virtual Field Trips With out-of-classroom excursions completely off the agenda due to COVID-19, during late March through to early June some of our Junior School students were still able to have adventures all over New Zealand and around the world, courtesy of ‘Miss Frizzle’ (Junior School teacher Alexandra Powell) and ‘The Magic School Bus’!

Thanks to the wonders of Zoom, our Junior students experienced a range of outings – to a dairy farm in Putaruru, to Everest Base Camp, the Amazon and to the top of Mt Kilimanjaro! In late May they were treated to a global adventure courtesy of Alex Hood, Kristin Alumni from the Class of 1993.

Alex, who is a pilot for Air New Zealand, ‘zoomed in’ from Hong Kong to our Junior School classrooms to share his experiences of world travel and adventure. As well as flying for Air New Zealand, Alex delighted our students with tales of his adventurous endeavours – including taking on the infamous ‘Haute Route’ ski traverse across the mountains and glaciers between Chamonix in France and Zermatt in Switzerland. Alex also shared his passion for helping others through the global charity Raleigh International, where he has helped communities in Central America.

Our students have absolutely loved these unique and engaging opportunities to learn about the world around them.

Alex Hood

Facebook Post, 7 April 2020

Alexandra Powel (Year 3 Dean) aka "Miss Frizzle"

Junior School Update Mark Wilson and Jayne de la Haye with the Semester 1 Junior School House Captains

The Junior School is a dynamic place to be; it is constantly evolving to find the best ways to meet the needs of our energetic and enthusiastic youngest learners. This year these changes were visually apparent as teachers applied research about how to design classroom spaces to optimise learning.

Children were welcomed in to start a new year in rooms that promoted a calm, organised and focused approach to learning.

Teachers thought carefully and intentionally about how to create environments that develop a sense of community and also respect individual differences in how children learn.

Walking from room to room the message was clear: this is a school focused on continuous improvement, where teachers care deeply, and respect for each other and the environment is valued.

This sense of dynamism was complemented by the arrival of some new teachers, children and families into the Junior School. Our numbers were swelled by the creation of a fourth Year 6 class in response to a particularly strong applicant pool.

We were blessed with beautiful weather for the annual Meet the Teacher event, which has become such a highlight of the calendar, and spirits were high as we all mixed and mingled well into the evening, catching up with old friends and making those new to Kristin feel quickly at home.

While we started to hear rumblings about the Coronavirus, life at school initially continued fairly normally with a fantastic Junior School Swim Sports day. A cacophony of chants from the various Houses showed that friendly rivalry was very much in evidence and continued to build connections between children in different year levels. House Captain elections saw an excellent turnout with a record number of children having the valuable experience of developing their leadership skills by participating in the process.

Year 4 once again benefited from beautiful weather for their ‘Tent and Cabin’ Camp in the Waitakere Ranges. This camp is the perfect first off-site overnight experience for our Junior School children with a gentle introduction to the delights of ‘camp’. It builds on the introduction that the Year 3 school-based Camp activities provide.

Then came the announcement that New Zealand was going into lockdown. As I reflect on the subsequent few weeks, when our school had to adjust to communicating virtually and children learning from home, I continue to be impressed with how everyone adapted. Our incredible teachers showed how committed they were to making sure our Junior school children could continue to stay connected to their community and also continue to learn. Their ability to innovate and continually evolve was evident throughout the lockdown period; who could have predicted virtual field trips, lunchtime ‘hang-outs’ or Zoom calls with teachers who had set up teaching spaces and resources on their dining tables! Parents found themselves sitting alongside their children as lessons were Zoomed in or delivered via Seesaw. We learnt together, and we learnt that school is so much more than buildings and playgrounds.

However, we will not take our campus, our camps, activities, or the pleasure of face-to-face contact for granted again. So, it was with renewed appreciation that we returned, to our classrooms, teachers and friends as the sacrifices of lockdown were rewarded and ‘school’ could move back from our homes to our physical campus, now filled with the colours of autumn leaves.

The community spirit that had been kept alive throughout the weeks away ensured a smooth transition as children returned to class, and a sense of joy at being reunited permeated the Junior School.

In challenging times, the opportunity to emerge strengthened from the experience is there for those who are given the right supports. The community spirit, teamwork and shared values that exist at Kristin have enabled us to reach a point where we can look forward with confidence to a dynamic year ahead.

Jayne de la Haye J U N I O R S C H O O L P R I N C I PA L

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Middle School Update Term 1 2020 in the Middle School began in the usual fashion with great enthusiasm, passion and activity. None of us knew what was coming, of course, but more on that later.

The highlight to the start of the Kristin calendar is always Camp Week, and 2020 has been no different in this regard.

With the usual military-precision organisation, all four Middle School year levels were off to the diverse venues of Waipu Beach, Raglan, National Park and Mahurangi Regional Park.

As an organisational and logistical feat, Camp Week is hard to compare, but it is the experience and experiential learning that takes place which makes it such a quality experience. These experiences translate into the development of relationships that set the scene for the rest of the year. For students, there is something magical in seeing your teacher dangling from an abseil rope or being catapulted from their surfboard. These

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shared experiences make the time in the classroom all the richer as a result.

The last ‘normal’ event before Alert Level 4 lockdown was our inaugural Coaching Day. This day replaced our usual teacher interview format where parents rushed around to see individual teachers for five-minute slots. The coaching format allowed for a 15-minute conference involving student, parents and teacher/ coach. The focus was on gaining an overall picture of the students’ learning, aspirations and goals. We were so fortunate to have this day when we did as I believe it set many students up well for what was just around the corner through lockdown.

The focus on relationships, goal setting and being organised

has undoubtedly paid dividends for many students, and parental feedback has been very positive about this initiative.

That brings me inevitably to lockdown and the COVID-19 pandemic. The practical stuff, like preparing remote learning programmes, although difficult, was easy in comparison with the human stuff. How does anyone even begin to prepare for that? How do you console fearful students who are also having their important rites of passage snatched away from them? How do you reassure those who have long-awaited events cancelled that it is going to be alright in the end? How do you even begin to alleviate their concerns about what looks like an uncertain future?

From the outset, the message was simple: we are all in this together. There was no training for this kind of experience.

There was no manual; no friendly person up the road who had been through it before to lend a hand. However, because of the shared experiences of things like camp, coaching and our focus on community service and leadership throughout the Middle School, I am very proud to say that our students and staff were collectively exceptional in rising to the challenges presented. For over 20 years now, Kristin Middle School has prided itself on the quality and personalised nature of its pastoral care and focus on student well-being. The Deans, Associate Deans and teaching

staff collectively wrapped around the student body and together the relationships and community I spoke of earlier shone through. Before long there were online assemblies, musical and art performances, community spirit initiatives such as Colours Day, Activity Challenge videos and even virtual Chapel Services with Reverend Ramsay.

As I write, we are now back on campus in the second day of Alert Level 2. The students are buzzing, and it’s almost as though they were never away. It’s fantastic to be back, and I look forward to resuming our programme, but we should always remember the time we have experienced and the things we learnt as this will stand us all in good stead for the future. One student gave a fabulous insight when I asked what she had learnt most from the lockdown experience; she said she had learnt to appreciate much more the things around her that she had previously taken for granted. What an amazingly perceptive insight; it made me very proud to hear her say that and if that is something we all do as a consequence of these times, then in many ways it will have been worth it.

Dave Scott M I D D L E S C H O O L P R I N C I PA L

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Aleisha Chambers and Hugh Parsons (Year 13, 2019) receiving IB Top Scolar award from Nicola Willis, MP

Year 11 Camp at Motuora Island

Senior School Update The year 2020 started as many others have done before - with the usual routine of returning from the summer break, discussing with friends where you had been, what family had visited and, for students, reluctantly admitting that they were happy to be back at school. Little did we know of the challenges and turmoil that was to await us.

This year we again celebrated the successes of our previous year’s examination results, paying particular attention to those of our Year 13 students, who having sat those final NCEA or IB examinations were now moving on to universities, gap years and a range of other exciting challenges that lay before them.

One of the first assemblies of the year is always dedicated to celebrating these achievements and this year again saw our NCEA endorsement rates 15-20% higher than the national average for Decile 8-10 schools and more Kristin students recognised as IB Top Scholars than any other school in New Zealand.

Focus after this event quickly shifted to camps, with groups of students from all three year levels experiencing some of the many wonders that our beautiful country has to offer. These ranged from the beaches and islands of the East Coast, Great Barrier Island, Tongariro National Park, Raglan, challenging sea-kayaking adventures on the PE Camp, outdoor adventures with JT and Mr Newton, and an opportunity to investigate university options to far-flung cities, such as Dunedin.

These opportunities remain a focus of conversations long into the future, as I discovered a few years ago when taking part in an Alumni gathering. Having reacquainted themselves with each other and making introductions to students from different year levels, the conversation quickly moved on to the most memorable camp experiences. Without exception, every former student regarded these opportunities as central to their time at Kristin, something that will stay with them forever and as a source of stories which cannot be shared here.

As we approached the end of the term, growing uncertainty was building around the spread of COVID-19, how New Zealand

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would be affected and how we would respond. I now remember the famous quote by John W Gardner: “History never looks like history when you are living through it.” Even though at the time of writing this we are still in the midst of the pandemic, there is no doubt that this will mark an important page in both New Zealand and world history; we also need to focus on the positives that can be learnt.

I have been incredibly proud of how quickly and seamlessly staff and students moved to an online environment to continue with their learning, and also how we as a community supported each other, stayed connected and maintained the Kristin spirit.

Several Senior students have commented to me on how this time has highlighted to them the need for developing skills such as time management, and the confidence it has provided them to face the challenges of university, where this teaching approach is more widely used.

Unsurprisingly, the weeks of lockdown also pinpointed the importance of connections and human contact for many and this is where Kristin thrives and remains strong. Watching the students returning to campus early in Term 2, the enjoyment of being reunited with friends and colleagues was clear. The strength of these relationships and how they connect us as a community has never been and has never needed to be stronger, and I am in no doubt that this continues to be one of Kristin’s points of difference and why it is such an amazing school to be part of.

David Boardman S E N I O R S C H O O L P R I N C I PA L

Charlie Kinnear, Archie Thorn, Amira Lenzi and Christina Yang lighting the Foundation Day candle

Foundation Day 2020 This year, with all the uncertainty over COVID-19 looming, our

Our Foundation Day seeks to celebrate our

Head Prefects Charlie Kinnear and Christina Yang, together

history and origins. It is important that we

with our two of our youngest Kindergarten children, Archie Thorn and Amira Lenzi, enjoyed being involved in

all know our past and understand where we have come from, to help ensure we are future ready for our pathways ahead.

Foundation

Day

reminds

us

our

school was established by families for

the annual Foundation Day candle lighting

“As we look back to the day of our foundation, 47 years ago, it is clear that the Christian values on which this school was founded remain as strong today as ever. The lighting of this candle represents the light of those values, with us from our beginning”

families, seeking the very best educational

M A RK W I LS O N

ceremony a few days earlier than originally planned. In addition, our talented Cloud Suite Manager, Ian Robinson, together with Mark Wilson, Morag Fryer and other contributors, pulled together a wonderful video that was shared with our Community on the official day, Friday 27 March, via Facebook and the weekly school e-newsletter, just days into lockdown. You can still view this video at www.vimeo.com/400096109 and it is well worth a watch.

experience and opportunities for their children.

Our school was founded on strong Christian values – including a strong sense of community, love and commitment to service and making a difference in our wider society.

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Kristin Camps MIDDLE AND SENIOR SCHOOL During the last week in February, Kristin’s Middle and Senior School students and staff were off campus enjoying Camp Week in a number of different locations around New Zealand.

Camp Week constitutes one of the most unique and formative aspects of a Kristin education; a time for our students to strike out on their own and bond with their new classmates, get to know the fun side of their teachers and try out some different and challenging activities. It is a real-life example of having an integrated learning experience, and at a time when many schools are narrowing down the curriculum, we see camp as a way to extend it. At Kristin, we know that these experiences are pivotal to the overall school experience.

Dave Scott M I D D L E S C H O O L P R I N C I PA L

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Kristin Camps cont ...

JUNIOR SCHOOL Two fun-filled days in early March were enjoyed by Year 3 as they settled into their routines at camp and worked their way through a mountain of pizza and some very tasty hamburgers, burning it off as quickly as they consumed it.

The array of activities on offer kept everyone busy and entertained

security of the school, and boy did they thrive. Cabin life seemed

- from pikelet cooking to rock climbing with some poi making

to suit everyone, with valuable downtime used to explore the

and the ever-popular kite making too. The first tentacles of

local camp environment or catch up with friends to see what

COVID-19 were just starting to be felt and while this meant that

they had done that day. Be it feeding the local pigs, rescuing a

the overnight tenting experience was not able to go ahead, there is

trapped turkey up a tree, braving the long drop or trying our best

always the thought of Year 4 Camp to keep the tenting fire alive.

to catch Humphrey the massive eel, there were new experiences for everyone to be found and cherished in Huia. Bring on Kawau

Year 4 enjoyed an exciting two nights away from home in Huia, camping up a storm while investigating eels in a local stream, checking out their boat-making skills and exploring the large - cave. Although this was the second Kristin camp for Whatipu most of these students, it was their first time away from the

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in 2021!

Rob Hutton J U N I O R S C H O O L A S S I S TA N T P R I N C I PA L

Toastmasters A KRISTIN KFF INITIATIVE Toastmasters at Kristin, a KFF initiative, is a fun and supportive club for people who want to improve their public speaking and leadership skills. It is open to anyone connected with Kristin and includes students, parents and friends.

We started our year with a stand at the Sports and Cultural

encouraging atmosphere, and the high levels of laughter. All

Information Evening in early February, where students and

members gained great experience on participating in Zoom

parents could sign up to come along to our meetings as a guest.

meetings and chairing online discussions and meeting formats.

Toastmasters at Kristin has continued the fortnightly vibrant

We have learnt so much about each other, our backgrounds

and busy meeting programme throughout the last few months.

and our areas of interest through impromptu and prepared

The group seamlessly moved to Zoom meetings and welcomed

speeches. It has allowed us to adventure to other countries and

guests and new members during this time.

other times, build our knowledge of a whole range of different interest areas, and be entertained. Most important of all,

The warmth and friendship generated by having regular meetings

Toastmasters at Kristin very much lives the Kristin values of

sustained our sense of positive social connection during alert

kindness, being respectful of all individuals, encouraging lifelong

levels. Members commented on the highly supportive and

learning, and celebrating our vibrant community.

New Parents’ Dinner During Term 1, our newest parents were welcomed into the Kristin Community at our annual New Parents’ Dinner.

This is always a memorable evening which enables new parents to mix and mingle with other parents who have students in the same year level, and to also meet a number of staff and members of the Board who attend.

Hosted by Executive Principal Mark Wilson, our guests were treated to a stunning performance by Sarah Cabre (Year 13) accompanied by Nick Duirs, Head of Faculty for Visual and Performing Arts, on the guitar. Guests also heard from our Head Prefects, Christina Yang and Charlie Kinnear, about their experiences of Kristin. Our Board Chair, Gus Gilmore, closed out the evening.

New friends were made over great food. Thank you to all those who attended and welcome to the Kristin Community.

Tash Bartlett E V E N T S M A N AG E R

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STAFF UPDATES

Introducing ...

M I C H E L E BA R R E L L YEAR 2 ENRICHMENT TEACHER JUNIOR SCHOOL Michele worked as a classroom teacher at Kristin from 2008 - 2015 and has been working short-term contracts over the last couple of years to help us out. We were delighted when she agreed to return on a permanent basis as an Enrichment teacher.

A F K E BAT H LITTLE DOVES TEACHER Afke joined Little Doves during lockdown and has settled in well. She holds a Bachelor of Education and has 30 years of experience across various learning centres and kindergartens. Afke was most recently the new entrant teacher at Silverdale School.

MARION DUROSE YEAR 3 TEACHER JUNIOR SCHOOL Marion holds a BA Honours in History from Manchester University as well as her Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). She has had a variety of classroom teaching roles across all the primary years between Gladstone Primary and Silverdale School. Her kind and warm nature is being appreciated by her class.

SANDRINE ELLIS CURRICULUM LEADER OF FRENCH FOR YEAR 10 - 13 MIDDLE AND SENIOR SCHOOL Originating from Rennes in France, Sandrine has a BA in English and a Graduate Diploma of Secondary Teaching in French and ESOL (English as a Second Language). She has taught at a number of schools and most recently was at Takapuna Grammar for 10 years as a French teacher (for NCEA and IB) and a Spanish teacher.

VIKKI FIELD KINDERGARTEN TEACHER Vikki has a Bachelor of Education in Early Childhood Education and close to 20 years of experience working with children in both early learning centres, kindergartens and primary schools. It’s great to have her expertise in the Kindergarten team.

J O FO R SY T H YEAR 2 TEACHER JUNIOR SCHOOL Having relieved at Kristin previously, Jo joins us from Matakana Primary School. Originally from Scotland, Jo has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Scotland and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in primary teaching from the University of Strathclyde. She also worked for several years at an international school in Hong Kong.

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T E R E S A L A U AG O CURRICULUM LEADER OF DANCE MIDDLE AND SENIOR SCHOOL With a bachelor’s degree in Business Studies and a Graduate Diploma in Teaching Dance and Drama from the University of Auckland, Teresa’s career has included both business- and dance-related roles. She was previously the Curriculum Manager of Dance for four years here at Kristin School and most recently was the Teacher in Charge of Dance at Diocesan School for Girls. Our students are delighted to have her back.

TA R A L E E CURRICULUM LEADER OF MIDDLE SCHOOL ENGLISH MIDDLE AND SENIOR SCHOOL With a Bachelor of Arts in English and History as well as a Bachelor of Teaching from the University of Otago, Tara has enjoyed some fabulous experience both in New Zealand and overseas. Most recently she was the MYP/DP Coordinator and English Language and Literature teacher in Vientiane International School in Laos.

N I K K I M A L LO N SCHOOL NURSE WELLBEING CENTRE Nikki started at the end of January, taking over from Annie Carr who relocated to Nelson. Nikki is a highly experienced Registered Nurse with experience as a District Nurse, Practice Nurse and Clinical Nurse Specialist at Starship Hospital.

ANNE-SOPHIE MUSSET CURRICULUM LEADER OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACQUISITION, SPANISH AND FRENCH TEACHER MIDDLE AND SENIOR SCHOOL Originating from France, Anne-Sophie obtained her BA and MA in French and English Literature and Culture, before shifting to London to do her PGCE. She taught in both the UK and France prior to moving to New Zealand in 2015 to teach here. Anne-Sophie was most recently the Teacher in Charge of French at Northcote College.

DEBBIE THORN HEALTH & SAFET Y / HR COORDINATOR Joining Kristin at the end of July 2019, Debbie is responsible for overseeing the health and safety of the Kristin campus including reviewing hazards, investigating accidents, coordinating staff training like First Aid and Child Protection, coordinating flu vaccinations for the staff as well as assisting with other HR activities like recruitment and new staff inductions.

G R AC E Z H A N G CHINESE (MANDARIN) TEACHER Grace holds a Bachelor of Education in Chinese Literature from the Shanghai Normal University and was a fully registered teacher before relocating to New Zealand. She studied her Bachelor of Health Science at the University of Auckland and worked as a Chinese Language Tutor as well as a Community Health worker for Plunket before deciding to return to teaching here in New Zealand. She then obtained her Graduate Diploma in Teaching and last year taught Mandarin at Western Springs College.

ON FIXED TERM CONTRACTS UNTIL THE END OF THE YEAR JESSIE CORBETT - Year 4 Teacher, joined us at the start of term 2 from Belmont Intermediate.

JENNIE MACPHERSON - Year 2 Teacher, returning to us after a few years from Campbells Bay Primary School and before that teaching in Brunei.

HAMISH MORGAN - With a passion for sports, joins us as a Year 1 Homeroom teacher from Kaurilands Primary.

DANIEL MATHIE - Joins us as a part-time Humanities teacher, originally for just the start of the year however he will be with us for the whole year, and brings a wealth of experience from ACG College.

SHILOH ROSS (NEE GLOYN) - PE & Health Teacher, returning after a period away playing Hockey for New Zealand, Shiloh is also back on board for the year.

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STAFF UPDATES

Promoting ...

GA B R I E L A M A L D O N A D O HEAD OF FACULTY - LANGUAGES We are delighted to announce that our new Head of Faculty for Languages is an internal appointment.

Gabriela (Gabby) has been with Kristin for five years and was the Curriculum Leader for Teaching and Learning for Years 9-13. She is an outstanding Spanish and English Language Acquisition (ELA) teacher, who is passionate about students and their wellbeing. Gabby was invited to the Wellbeing in Education NZ Conference in April to present on her ongoing work at integrating wellbeing practices into her teaching.

(This conference was cancelled due to COVID-19.)

Gabby holds an Honours in Latin America Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics from the University of Victoria, Canada. She also completed her Masters of Professional Studies in Language Teaching from the University of Auckland with first-class honours.

Retiring ...

M A U R E E N G OT TA R D HEAD OF FACULTY - LANGUAGES MIDDLE AND SENIOR SCHOOL Maureen started on 29 January 1991 as a French teacher and in 2002 was promoted to Languages Coordinator across the school from Kindergarten to Year 13. As the school grew, this role evolved into the Head of Faculty Languages for Years 7-13.

H E L E N M c M U RT R I E YEAR 4 TEACHER/NETBALL COORDINATOR JUNIOR SCHOOL Helen joined Kristin as a full-time primary teacher on 27 January 1990. During her time here she had many roles across the Junior School including being a classroom teacher, Enrichment teacher and also Junior Scool Netball Coordinator.

R A E W Y N CA S E Y GIFTED AND TALENTED EDUCATION (GATE) COORDINATOR MIDDLE SCHOOL Raewyn's tenure spans 17 years. She started in 2003 as a Middle School teacher and then moved into an area she is particularly passionate about, Gifted and Talented Education (GATE), as programme coordinator for the Middle School. Raewyn is relocating to Hawke’s Bay to enjoy her retirement and spend more time with family.

Kristin is alway keen to hire exceptional talent ....

Know of someone who would love to join the Kristin team?

Tell them to check out our careers site for potential teaching and support role vacancies: www.kristincareers.nz

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A Day in the Life of a Little Doves Teacher Ruby Dale with Daniel Kim (left) and Jaxon Wang (right)

RUBY DALE - LITTLE DOVES TEACHER

buggies or build water slides for acorns, you just never know, and it all depends on what the children are interested in at the time. Families arrive any time after about 3:30pm and at 4:30pm

What did you study? Initially a Bachelor of Dance Studies

it’s time for me to head off. I usually spend a little time each

and then, last year, a Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Early

afternoon working on documentation and reflecting and then

Childhood).

that’s me for the day!

What made you decide to become an Early Childhood teacher?

What do you enjoy most about your job? The children. This

I lived in London for some time after finishing my dance degree

period of their lives is so magical. They are full of so much

and worked as a nanny with two wonderful toddlers. I loved the

unique joy and wonder and I feel lucky to share in that.

time I spent with them and this led me to two further incredible nannying opportunities, here in New Zealand and also in Canada.

Have you had a special memory or success you would like to

There really is no such thing as a bad day when you get to spend

share? Every day there is something special to celebrate. The

it with young children, so I decided to make a career of it.

children are learning and growing so quickly; there are so many special moments I get to be a part of every day.

What does a typical day look like for you? I start my day at Little Doves just before 8am and set up the space in the Nikau Room

Why did you choose Kristin's Little Doves as a place to work?

(our space for children under two years old) ready for the day.

Children, whanau and other teachers start arriving and we get

I was fortunate enough to spend one of my practicums here

right into playing: maybe reading some stories, watering the

teachers really cared about and loved their job, and how happy

plants, playing in the pretend kitchen, or digging in the sandpit.

and empowered the children were. It was clear that my values

We often meet all together to welcome everyone, sing songs,

really aligned with the values of Little Doves, so it felt like the

and talk about what we might get up to that day. Morning tea

perfect fit. I love that Little Doves is so innovative and always

is shared around 9am and lunch at 11am. When everyone’s

striving to do better.

during my study last year. I got to see how much the other

tuckered out after a morning of exploring and learning, it’s time for a midday sleep (not for me, I promise). The afternoon

Fun fact: My great-grandmother (Frances Gifford) was the

is just as open: maybe we’ll go for a walk in the quadruple(!)

headmistress of St Anne’s school - where Kristin began.

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Kristin student helps connect the socially disconnected Evy Hwangbo (Year 12) is helping isolated elderly people living in retirement villages and rest homes by partnering them up with teen volunteers who keep in regular contact with them.

Evy launched her initiative called Genafriend during lockdown when her Grandpa, in a rest home in South Korea, and her Grandma, living alone in Christchurch, shared stories with her about the widespread loneliness and social disconnection that exists for our senior citizens. Evy has since recruited a large group of student volunteers, mainly from Kristin and Westlake Girls High School, who regularly phone elderly residents in several different homes. With social restrictions now relaxed, she is also now in the process of organising some face-to-face visits and technology workshops for the elderly involved in her programme. With many students across the bridge and a couple in both Christchurch and Wellington already involved, expanding nationally is an option also.

call each week to that same resident, which helps to form some special friendships. Here are some lovely quotes from participants:

“The demand has been crazy,” says Evy. “Even rest homes we haven’t contacted have reached out to us.” She says the scheme has two-way benefits: “Students learn to communicate with someone of a different age and can make friends beyond their generation.”

“She's a sweetheart! Our chats always go over an hour and we both laugh until it hurts. It truly is a source of brightness in my life, and I am happy to learn from such a young, enthusiastic person.”

An elderly participant

Genafriend student volunteers are chosen after they complete a questionnaire to assess their suitability and Evy has been inundated with applications, more than three times the number who have so far been selected to help. The student volunteers are provided with tips and activity suggestions (such as Sudoku) to keep the conversation flowing. They are then matched with one resident and commit to making at least one 30-minute

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“Honestly, I was quite nervous at first but we clicked instantly. He told me about the incredible life he lived, and we laughed about how the world has changed. He is one intelligent man – I’m excited to call him every week and make a new friend!”

A Genafriend volunteer student “Every time I pick up a call from him, I smile. I look forwards to Tuesdays like a giddy school kid because I so enjoy getting to share my past and listen to his passions and aspirations.

He reminds me of my grandchildren.”

An elderly participant

Evy Hwangbo

K R I S T I N K I N D E R GA RT E N

Hands-on Learning As teachers of four and five year olds, we know how important it is to provide children with handson experiences that ignite the passion of learning through investigation and real-life experiences.

During the school holidays, we developed an experience for the children in our ‘Fantail’ class to make their own pop-up shop, research how much an item should cost, label the items with prices and sell them to their families using the laminated Numicon Maths resources the Kindergarten teachers had pre-prepared for each student. The children set off with their Numicon in hand and got to work selling to their parents every bit of food that they could find.

It was wonderful to see the children developing their oral language, their one-to-one counting and number recognition, but most of all it was fantastic to see the children making learning fun and engaging for all their family.

Leila Guillard KR I ST IN KINDERGART EN M AN AG ER

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C OUN C I L O F S U STAI NAB I LI TY U PDAT E

Solar comes to Kristin & the sun is shining!

Progress; it is unsurprising that Kristin focuses heavily on this, as it is the mainstay of our motto.

This is none more so than in the area of environmental awareness. Our ‘Progress with Vision’ means that as a school, we are consistently improving our programmes and creating new initiatives to ensure we are at the forefront of the ‘green schools’ revolution.

One such example of this is the recently installed solar panels on the Wellness Centre and Auditorium buildings. These panels are designed to produce over 35,000kW every year, enough to power four average Auckland households!

To find out more about this initiative, we interviewed Maggie Twaddle, International Solar Schools Programme Manager.

As a former Kristin Junior School Principal, she is in a unique position to understand the benefits of this installation for our school.

She believes that installing solar panels in a school such as Kristin has many benefits, both financial and educational. The chances of our children having solar panels on their future homes or businesses are very high, and early exposure to this technology can ensure that they can get the best use out of these installations. In 1927, our forefathers installed hydropower.

She believes it is our role to continue this tradition of innovation and eventually make New Zealand 100% renewable.

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There are many financial benefits to this as well. Most electricity in schools is consumed during daylight hours, and current solar panel technology is guaranteed to last at least 25 years. They are proven technology, a practical choice for schools which are unlikely to cease functioning in the near future.

But where to next? Currently, we have 25.2kW of solar panels installed, the biggest solar array on an independent school in New Zealand. However, this is only the start. Being energy efficient is a life skill, and Kristin hopes to use this technology as a learning experience for our students. ‘Future ready’ means more than just personal development; exposure to initiatives such as solar power gives students real-world experience and understandings that will be invaluable in their future lives.

Sophie Shannon YEAR 12

CAS at Kristin As clichéd as it may read, we truly are living in unprecedented times. To quote Tony Stark (Iron Man from Marvel Comics), “The epic forces of darkness and light have come into play” and our students’ first steps into this new norm were magnificent.

I dare say CAS was one of the most impacted components of the IB Diploma by the COVID-19 outbreak, which ironically highlights the unique learning opportunities we are providing our students as a result.

Our students literally did whatever they could from home in order to pursue their objectives. Most importantly, they have reflected. Learning in CAS happens through a reflective process.

And my, did they reflect.

There were inevitably many commitments that had to come to a halt: school committees, clubs, sports, productions, school events etc; not only those at school, but so many commitments involving individuals’ wider communities also. Our students did not just sit down and give up, however. They took that step into the realm of the unknown and were brave enough to embrace processes that were not familiar to them.

Their recent experiences were very foreign to them - frustrating and scary for some, anxiety-creating for others. For some, it was a time to calibrate their objectives and their actions. As a CAS Co-ordinator, I am enjoying the privilege of being able to read some truly astounding records of reflective learning. While I may not be able to share these reflections with you, I can testify that our CAS students are resilient, and they have come out of this lockdown experience more mature and accepting. I am truly looking forward to what this magnificent class of students will be able to achieve with this extraordinary experience now in their arsenal.

They continued to work out by themselves for their sporting commitments, not knowing when their seasons would restart; they practised their instruments, singing, dancing, photography, painting, drawing etc. They readjusted their plans, trying to think of new ways to help their communities as soon as possible.

There were records of self-workout schedules our students were keeping; research surrounding mental health and well-being was carried out during isolation; friends shared recordings of their instrumental performances; YouTube channels were created to deliver what they couldn’t deliver face to face…

John Cho I B D I P LO M A C A S C O - O R D I N ATO R

Filming the Junior School art videos

Kristin students with their finished products

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G A I L : G LO B A L A L L I A N C E FO R I N N OVAT I V E L E A R N I N G

GAIL Exchanges...

Timing is everything!

Each year, Kristin offers students the chance to visit one of our seven GAIL schools around the world. This year, before the pandemic, two students managed to enjoy an exchange experience.

Erika Bruce, Shai Segev,Isobel Morrisey, Sarah Cabre, Hannah Robinson, Sophie Bradly

Holly O'Neill

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We were also lucky enough to welcome Shai Segev from the Western International School of Shanghai (WISS), who arrived for a five-week exchange just before the COVID-19 restrictions began. Three months later, Shai was still with us, safely cared for by her homestay family.

"I began my 2020 in the United States, on a GAIL exchange at Kimball Union Academy (KUA) located in New Hampshire, where I made friends with incredible new people and experienced the vastly different life boarding school offered for five weeks.

"When I arrived at Kristin all the Year 13s quickly made me feel welcome and helped me adapt to this new place. I got to choose my classes, which were quite different to the ones I take back at WISS, and had to wear a uniform for the first time. I had the chance to enter the Swimming Sports, help with the Sports Day and even teach the Year 10s how to kayak as a part of their Outdoor Education class.

KUA was like nothing I had experienced before. The self-orientated and relaxed school life allows students to prioritise creativity and action. I made the most of the snowy weather snowboarding with the rec skiing team every Wednesday at the ski field only 45 minutes away. On days I wasn’t snowboarding I spent my afternoons learning how to use the potter’s wheel with the school’s ceramics group.

It is difficult to pick out the most enjoyable moment during this exchange because it was one of the best experiences of my life.

One highlight was the Outdoor Education camp, where I had the opportunity to kayak along the beautiful Mohaka and Aniwhenua Rivers, as well as spend an entire week getting to know some of my classmates even better.

The sense of belonging at KUA is strong: students view faculty like parents and family, and the bonds you create with your friends and peers greatly determine the quality of your time. Community is fundamental to the way the school functions, making a newcomer like myself feel welcome. I had a great time and would highly recommend this experience to others."

The people at Kristin definitely made this experience the best. The exchange has allowed me to not only learn about New Zealand as a country and its culture, but also see all the beautiful places here and most importantly create new and lifelong friendships.

Holly O'Neill

Shai Segev

YEAR 12

W E S T E R N I N T E R N AT I O N A L S C H O O L , S H A N G H A I

This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

Our young physicists The Kristin team of Hee Seo Kim, Edmund Lu and Christine Li qualified for the national final of the NZ Young Physicists’ Tournament in March.

The Performing Arts Department is excited to announce plans to bring the Senior School cast of our cancelled School of Rock production and Middle School performing arts students together, on stage, for one spectacular production event – Joseph in Concert 2020!

Christine Li

Unfortunately, the final was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Kristin team were invited to individually prepare a solution to a new open-ended problem to try out for selection for the national squad.

As NZ entered lockdown, the students had just over a week to research, experiment and develop their solution. Each of the students recorded a 12-minute presentation of their solution for judging. Christine’s presentation was particularly impressive for the experimental work she completed with limited resources and in lockdown conditions, and for how she utilised Lagrangian mechanics to model the phenomenon. After an intense Zoom interview with the judges to further test her mettle, she was selected for the team of five students to represent New Zealand in the International Young Physicists’ Tournament (IYPT).

A thrilled Christine now joins students from Onslow College, King’s College, Auckland Grammar School and Saint Kentigern College.

The international final was planned to be held in Romania in July but has sadly been cancelled due to COVID-19. At the time of writing, a virtual tournament is being planned with national teams in other countries, so students will have the opportunity to compete, share and further their Physics research and understanding with the world. Congratulations Christine and all the best for the international competition!

Matthew Campbell HEAD O F S C IENC E FACU LTY

In 2000, Kristin produced a show that began a new era of Kristin productions and set the high standard that has now become synonymous with the reputation of productions at Kristin. Ten years later, Kristin revisited this same show with a cast of Year 7 to 13 students. To date, the 2010 production of this show remains one of the most popular Kristin productions of all time.

The story, about a young dreamer, could not be more relevant at this time, as it is full of hope, joy and technicolour. Therefore, it seems fitting that a decade later, Kristin will produce a staged concert version of Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the end of Week 2 of Term 3, with a cast of both Senior and Middle School students.

Performances are scheduled for: 7:30pm, FRIDAY 7 AUGUST 2:00pm, SATURDAY 8 AUGUST 7:00pm, SATURDAY 8 AUGUST Don't miss out!! Book your tickets at iticket.co.nz

Our 50th In 2023 Kristin will celebrate 50 years since its foundation. From humble beginnings, the school has grown and changed vastly over the past 50 years and this anniversary will represent a significant milestone in the school’s history.

With a programme of celebratory events in the pipeline for the end of March 2023, it is important the 50th recognises the contribution from all facets of the school community including current and past students, families and staff.

Please make a note of this approximate timeframe, and ensure your contact details are kept up to date so we can keep you in the loop as further information becomes available.

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Lila and Emma at Piha

Olivia and Megan visit Abel Tasman National Park

Farewelling our exchange students

Dovetail Exchanges The Kristin School Dovetail Exchange Programme continues to attract significant interest from our Kristin students as well as those from our partner schools. In Term 1 we welcomed 24 students across Years 9-13.

Students from Redlands, Sydney; Scotch College, Adelaide; and College La Source, Paris, joined our Middle School and students from Elisabeth-von-Thadden-Schule, Heidelberg; St George’s College Quilmes and North, Buenos Aires, joined our Senior School.

All the students participated in our Camp Week, which was a major highlight for everyone and especially for those who have not experienced education outside of the classroom as we know it at Kristin. After spending between three and five weeks at Kristin, and living with a Kiwi family, all visiting students said they had a fantastic time here and would love to visit again one day soon. A huge thank you to our families for being so hospitable and treating these students as though they were a member of your family.

During the Easter holiday break, we usually wish a large group of our Kristin students bon voyage as they head off for their

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exchange. However, due to COVID-19 conditions, this year the reciprocal part of exchange could not go ahead as planned.

Clearly, all the students were very disappointed as they had been looking forward to seeing their exchange partner and having the chance to be culturally immersed, attend school and experience living with another family.

The relationships our students have formed with their exchange partners are testament to the continuous success of the Dovetail Exchange Programme through our worldwide partnership with schools.

Kathryn Hitchings D O V E TA I L E XC H A N G E C O O R D I N ATO R

I think the exchange was good fun and a great experience in general. I think the exchange also taught me a lot of responsibility, it taught me to be more open-minded and I got to meet a lot of wonderful new people. I would definitely recommend this to the next Year 9 students in 2021.

CYNTHIA ZHANG, REDLANDS EXCHANGE, YEAR 9

It was so much fun having Mica live with us! As well as visiting famous places such as Rotorua, Mica got along with all my friends and me and it was great to see that she made some friends of her own too. Not only has she experienced the local culture here, but I also got to understand how different it is in Argentina and even improved my Spanish. I definitely would recommend future Spanish students to sign up.

PERNILLE GAO, ST GEORGE’S QUILMES EXCHANGE, YEAR 13

The Kristin 2020 French Exchange was a truly great experience.

My buddy’s name was Julien and when he first arrived he looked like he was going to faint. The first few days were kind of dull but we slowly got to know each other and made conversation.

On the second weekend, everyone went to Rotorua and we all went on the luge and hung out for the day. The last week was a blast as Julien got to know everyone the week before during camp. It was a different experience for him as he lives in Paris.

Overall, it was great hosting a French student and I would do it again.

My buddy Alex arrived in New Zealand on 16 February. We were all waiting anxiously to finally meet the exchange students in real life after texting for so long. Alex made a whole lot of new friends at school, which made it a lot easier for me because I knew that if I wasn’t there she would have people to hang out with. I really enjoyed this exchange and I cannot wait to finally see her again once the world is in a better state. She is now one of my best friends and I’m super glad I applied for this massive opportunity.

LILY RICHARDSON, SCOTCH COLLEGE EXCHANGE, YEAR 9

An overseas exchange is an amazing experience that I’m so lucky to have had. Although I haven’t yet been able to go to Argentina it was still an amazing experience hosting my exchange student here in New Zealand. I got to make a good friend and show her around New Zealand; we did lots of fun activities and went to some cool places that I otherwise might not have seen. We went to Rotorua, Waipū, Whananāki and we also got to show her some of the Māori culture of New Zealand.

Overall, I’m very happy to have been given this once-in-alifetime experience.

PHOEBE LEE, ST GEORGE’S NORTH EXCHANGE, YEAR 11

GAVIN DUGGAL, LA SOURCE EXCHANGE, YEAR 10

Lily and Alex with cabin group on camp

Alia and Anja at the Skyline

Ella-Jane and Mia at the luge in Rotorua

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Dear International Student

Was it Lockdown Blues or Lockdown Fun?!?

You join your homestay sister for the daily walk. You learn to bake Anzac cookies and pavlova, and in turn prepare Okonomiyaki for your homestay family. You chat with friends on a range of platforms, share movies, or even dance alone in your room.

You connect to Zoom classes and attempt to participate as best you can. You quite enjoy the freedom from rules, timetables and school uniform. You appreciate the luxury to choose which subject topic to dedicate your time, which assignment to progress, and which interest area to dive into deeper.

Yet, as 14 May draws closer, you feel nervous about going back to school, afraid a crucial period of adjustment and forming friendships was interrupted, so very soon after arriving in New Zealand.

You worry you may not remember how to operate smoothly in a New Zealand school setting, how to interact naturally with teachers and Kiwi students. You worry your grasp of English may have slipped, and fear your responses will be slow and your speech awkward or strained.

But in you go, tapping into the energy and apparent relief of most, as all return to life on campus and face-to-face interactions. You tentatively re-immerse yourself, intent on observing and modelling the different ways of speech and behaviours. You sign up for clubs and activities, hoping once again to meet a range of students and explore new friendships.

You speak admiringly of your host government’s timely management, and the NZ population’s cohesive response to this crisis. You are mindful of having shared an unprecedented period of social upheaval with your Kiwi peers, and appreciate the opportunity to draw closer to your homestay families in both surprising and informal ways.

In the years ahead, all of us will look back on this period of lockdown with a mixture of feelings certainly, no one more so than you. You were thrown into this experience without any warning and at the outset of a fresh start in a host country.

Each of you deserve to feel extremely proud of yourself for any gains, small or large, you have made in independence, resilience and overall personal growth. These learnings will set a solid foundation for equally challenging, and also wonderful, experiences ahead.

I wish you a great rest of the year. You’ve got this!

Warm regards

Jenny Taylor Director of International Services 28

Tomoka and Zoe sharing some time over breakfast

Marisa and Ruby enjoying a BBQ with their host family

Rinon and her friend enjoying some time at the beach

Porch attempting a puzzle

Seylyn and her host father playing 'Battle Ship'

Tomoka baking

Solomona and Rockson spending time with their host brothers

Kaw-Oat busy studying

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K R I S T I N S P O RT

Summer Sport Summary In what turned out to be a challenging time for all our Kristin summer sports, the Kristin School programme still produced plenty of highlights. Congratulations to our three Auckland Secondary Schools Champions for 2020: Senior Boys’ Water Polo, Senior Boys’ Tennis and the Senior Girls’ Tennis team. All three teams were unbeaten and thoroughly deserved their championship titles.

In Water Polo, our Senior Boys team were undefeated and claimed the Senior A Auckland Secondary Schools title for 2020. Along with the Senior Girls team, they had both qualified for the tier one NZ Secondary Schools Championships which were scheduled for Wellington in April during the second week of the holidays.

Likewise, our Senior Girls and Senior Boys’ Tennis teams were undefeated also. The Senior Mixed Tennis team had qualified for the tier one NZ Secondary Schools Championships to be held in Christchurch during Summer Tournament Week starting 28 March and we were also sending a Senior Boys team to the division two championships, also in Christchurch, as well.

Our Colts Cricket team were undefeated too, and clearly won the division of their competition. The boys have had a great season training with intent and developing their skills throughout the term. The 1st XI were unbeaten in the second round of their competition as well.

The school-wide Swimming Sports and Senior School House Sports Day were completed in Term 1 and our students also represented Kristin at both these events as part of the North Harbour School Championships. We are delighted to report that two of our students won their events: Worren Li in the Senior Boys’ Triple Jump and Finn Burridge in the Intermediate Boys’ Javelin. 10 students qualified to compete at the Auckland Secondary Schools Championships. In Swimming, Belle Li and Rebecca Wilkins gained top-three placings in their events.

Hats off to Ruby Horwood, Emma Hoseason and Zoe Ries for competing in the Auckland Schools Head of Harbour Rowing regatta and the North Island Secondary Schools Championships. They collected medals as a novice double scull crew representing Kristin. Their training was part of the North Shore Rowing programme which starts at Year 10.

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K R I S T I N S P O RT S E T S PAC E In Term 3 last year the Kristin Sports Office team had a meeting with Simon Walters from AUT. Simon is a lead researcher and educator in sport and PE. His latest research has been around drop-out rates in youth and sport, and he said: “A key focus was to have research-informed conversations with parents, coaches, volunteers and teachers, as well as with the organisations that put the structures in place, about what makes a quality sporting experience for a young person.”

At the end of 2019, we surveyed our Year 7 - 13 students about their sporting experiences at Kristin. At the secondary school level (Years 9-13) we asked the students to rate their coach on the following attributes: a) Ability to create a positive culture and environment. b) Ability to run engaging well-planned training sessions.

As you can see from the graphs at the top of the following page, the responses were overwhelmingly positive. The Sports Office team have worked hard across all sports to ensure there is a consistent delivery of training programmes that embraces Mr Walters’ research findings. The word ‘fun’ is used by many in this debate. When youth athletes are asked to describe what fun is, they overwhelmingly reply that it is about playing with their friends, in a competition that they have a chance in and with a coach who knows them and the game. It is not just about winning.

We asked our Year 7 and 8 students the following: a) Did you have fun playing your main sport for Kristin? b) Did your coach make training and playing enjoyable for you?

As you can see from the graphs at the bottom of the following page, there was again a positive response from our students.

YEAR 9 - 13 STUDENTS RATING THEIR COACHES No. of students

Ability to create a positive culture and environment

No. of students

80

80

60

60

40

40

20

20

0

0

Not at all satisfied

Sometimes satisfied

It was OK

Satisfied

Highly satisfied

We have made it a key focus for our sports programmes that we create a positive culture across all sports where playing sport and being physically active are encouraged and supported at all times. Coaches within our different sports are given clear guidelines and direction to generate a positive environment within their team. Coach education programmes have run pre-season in the different sports here at Kristin. Our sports staff have attended professional development courses and will lead the introduction of new learnings and initiatives within their sports.

It is pleasing to note that this year we have 15 Water Polo teams, which includes six Flippa Ball teams in the Junior School. This is an increase of three teams overall on last year.

In Tennis, we have an extra Senior team playing in the Saturday competition.

Ability to run engaging well-planned training exercises

Not at all satisfied

Sometimes satisfied

It was OK

Satisfied

Highly satisfied

you encourage your children to ‘play’, make sure you recommend sampling multiple sports. Additional research shows that sampling multiple sports in childhood and specialising in a single sport at a later age (around 15) are linked to greater success, longer careers and lower injury rates.

At Kristin, we encourage a wide participation in sport. An example of this was our Junior (Year 9/10) 4 x 400m relay team who placed 2nd at last year’s NZ Secondary Schools Athletic Championships. Between the four students, they had represented Kristin in eight different sports: Athletics, Orienteering, Touch, Volleyball, Hockey, Tennis, Netball and Beach Volleyball.

Rob Taylor D I R E CTO R O F S P O RT

A final message from the sports researchers to all parents and caregivers for keeping our children in sport and having fun; while

YEAR 7 & 8 SURVEY RESULT EXAMPLES No. of students

Did you have fun playing your main sport for Kristin?

No. of students

60

60

40

40

20

20

0

0 No Not at all

Occasionally

Enough of the time

Yes All the time

No Not at all

Did your coach make training and playing enjoyable for you?

Occasionally

Enough of the time

Yes All the time

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Swimming Sports MIDDLE/SENIOR SCHOOLS We held our two Swimming Sports events in February, at the impressive National Aquatic Centre.

The Senior Swimming Sports Day is for Years 9-13 competitive swimmers only and has been made compulsory for Water Polo players in the same year-level range. All races are 50m in length, in line with North Harbour and Auckland swimming events. The Intermediate Swimming Sports Day is open to all Year 7 and Year 8 students, with lots of options for students to choose from. There is the fun pool that is active all day where students participate in fun events within their Houses, the 50m competitive races catering for the students who aim to qualify to represent Kristin School at the North Harbour Zone Day, and then we have the 25m races, open to all non-competitive swimmers. The days conclude with the class and House relays which are always lots of fun and very rowdy!

At the school’s Intermediate Swimming Sports Day there was plenty of action. The overall winners were:

The Water Polo Premier Boys team made it a fun and active day for all. The boys, who are mainly in the Intermediate and Senior age groups, were very competitive among themselves, and also with the school’s top male Senior swimmer, Cole Tetro. They clearly did not want to end the day and implemented extra races among themselves to cap things off. Rebecca Wilkins in Year 11 swam 35.5 seconds to break the girls' breaststroke record and James Zhang in Year 11 broke the boys’ breaststroke record as well.

Eloise Raper in the Junior Girls won all her competitive race events.

A small group had qualified for the North Harbour Zone Day, who would have done the school proud had the event taken place.

From this day, a small group of 12 students qualified for the North Harbour Swimming Champs Day. Little did we know at the time, this was to be the last sporting event of Term 1.

That day, Rebecca Wilkins and Belle Li both qualified for the Auckland Champ of Champs, which was subsequently cancelled due to COVID-19.

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Year 7 Girls 1st - Jiayi Zhang, 2nd - Julie Xiao, 3rd Yi - Ge Zhang Year 7 Boys 1st - Matthew Lee, 2nd - Harry Shine, 3rd - Carlos Zhang Year 8 Girls 1st - Storm Barker and Helena Thompson, 3rd - Olivia Shine Year 8 Boys 1st - Yijin Li, 2nd - Kobe McKee Wright, 3rd - Tobias Lu

Jupiter took overall House points for both Kristin School swim days!

Oscar Greenwood, a very active swimmer among our community, was set to race 3.5km in the NZ Secondary Schools Open Water Champs in Rotorua on 21 March. Unfortunately, also due to COVID-19, this race was suspended.

Sherren Findley S P O RT S M A N A G E R S W I M M I N G

JUNIOR SCHOOL The Junior School Swimming Sports Day was all about making a splash. Plenty of splashing was going on with the noodles, balls and kickboards and with the slick swimming in the regular stroke races.

Apollo hit the front this year with 422 points, Mariner 2nd 375, Jupiter 341 and Saturn 207.

Well done to all students for supporting your House.

Congratulations also go to our 2020 age-group swimming champions below. This year we had a tied result in the ‘8 Years and under’ Girls age group.

8 Years and under: Teja Van Der Westhuizen / Emily Zhao / Aaron Zhang 9 Years: Yilin Zhao / Caelan Wang 10 Years and over: Melody Xue / Alec Guan Thank you to the terrific group of patient and hard-working parent timekeepers; we are so very grateful for the generous gift of your time.

As a result of the restrictions on gatherings during lockdown the annual swimming meet for the North Shore Swimming Cluster has been postponed.

Fiona Ackroyd JUNIOR SCHOOL PE SPECIALIST / S P O RT S C O O R D I N ATO R

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SENIOR SCHOOL

House Sports Day The day dawned fine and House spirit shone brightly throughout the day as our Senior School students competed across 12 events during the day. The Senior School Sports Committee and Sports Office team put together a fun-filled, action-packed set of events.

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There were running races, team events and the traditional athletic events like the 100m, shot-put, long jump, javelin and the world-famous ‘Carl Murray obstacle course’. Another popular House team event was the ‘Tic-Tac-Toe’ relay, a noughts-and-crosses-like challenge. This proved highly competitive across all three year levels.

Congratulations to all the Senior School students who competed on the day. Your engagement and commitment to the day and representing your House ensured a wonderful day of spirt and competition. Well played to you all.

The finale to close out a spectacular day was the year-level House relays. There was some exciting racing across all three year levels. Saturn House gained the most points in the relays but not enough to stop Jupiter from being crowned House Sports Champion for 2020.

D I R E CTO R O F S P O RT

Rob Taylor

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A Spotlight on Lucia and Dennis After many years of dedication, hard work and determination, 2020 was the year to send Year 13 students Lucia Doak and Dennis Yang out on a high. Both had slightly different agendas for finishing their school Water Polo careers; however, both have had a huge impact on the sport at Kristin as well as on fellow players in general.

LU C I A D O A K Celebrating more than five extraordinary years with Kristin School is Lucia Doak, the current captain and inspirational leader of a very young Premier Girls' team. Under the guidance of top coach Ricky Thomson, in 2019 the girls finished an outstanding 3rd at the New Zealand Secondary School Championships. With the Senior players moving on, and the team consisting of over half Junior students, it was always going to be a challenging year for Lucia. However, she calmly took it all in her stride. Junior player Una Dennehy had the following to say: Having Lucia lead our team this year was an experience our team were very privileged to have. Despite losing significant parts of our team from the previous season, Lucia stayed positive throughout every game, win or lose. She is an extremely kind person and a talented Water Polo player, a perfect combination for leadership.

Treating everyone with respect, many, if not all our team members look up to her. Having many new younger players in our squad, Lucia took it upon herself to mentor and guide them, along with Ricky. She and the other Seniors created a team environment (in and out of the pool) that is extremely positive and encouraging and I know it will last for years to come.

Lucia’s list of achievements is exhaustive! Starting at Kristin in Year 7, Lucia was MVP for her team and named in the tournament team for North Harbour U12A team. This set the trend for the following years. In Year 8, Lucia was also playing in the Juniors and a Senior team. In Year 8 and Year 9 Lucia played in the U14A team for North Harbour, winning gold in the Auckland and New Zealand leagues with her team. The Junior Girls' team for school won Gold at the Challenger Cup, North Islands and New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships.

The first year Lucia was named in an NZ squad was 2016.

2017 Kristin School Junior A team Premier Girls' team (4th at New Zealand Secondary Schools Championship)

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North Harbour Water Polo Club U16A (2nd in Auckland league, 1st at Nationals) U18A (Bronze at Auckland league and Nationals) New Zealand Representative Born 2000 National Squad 2018 Kristin School Premier Girls' (3rd in College Sport Auckland league, 3rd at North Islands, 4th at Nationals) North Harbour Water Polo Club U16A (1st in Auckland league, 5th at Nationals) U18A (Silver at Auckland league, 1st at Pan Pacific Youth Water Polo Festival, 1st at Nationals) Senior Women (2nd in Auckland league, 1st at Nationals) New Zealand Representative NZ Senior Women’s Development team NZ Women Born 2000/U18 team for World Youth Cup NZ Secondary School Girls' team NZ Women Born 1999 Junior squad for World Juniors 2019 Kristin School Premier Girls' (3rd in College Sport Auckland league, 6th at North Islands, 3rd at Nationals) North Harbour Water Polo Club U18A (Gold at Nationals) U21A (Gold at Nationals) Senior Women (Gold at Nationals) New Zealand Representative NZ Women Born 1999 Junior team for World Juniors NZ Women Born 2002 Youth squad NZ Secondary School Girls' team (Captain) And to cap that off, in 2020 Lucia was selected once again in the NZ Women Born 2002 Youth squad for the World Champs and named as the non-travelling reserve in the NZ Senior Women’s team for Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualifying. Unfortunately with COVID-19 restrictions many of these tournaments have been suspended.

Lucia Doak

Dennis Yang

D E N N I S YA N G

2019 Kristin School Captained Premier Boys' team (Lead team to qualify for division one at North Islands and New Zealand Secondary School championships)

The Boys’ Premier Water Polo team were a very tight-knit group, and for2020 they had their minds set on a medal at the New Zealand Secondary School Championships, having gained pre-qualification for division one from their 2019 result. Over the years, this group of boys have bonded so well, they almost made the Senior School Swimming Sports Day their own day of interteam competition. Taking control of the pool at the conclusion of the House relays, these boys created their own swimming races, such was their enthusiasm and passion for the pool!

Back to Water Polo, the boys remained unbeaten in the College Sport Auckland league from Term 1, and can well and truly call themselves champions, led by Dennis Yang.

Dennis has had a five-year Water Polo career at Kristin School as well, and these achievements have seen him also gain success outside school.

2017 Kristin School Captained Junior Boys' team (MVP, 1st at North Harbour Junior League, named Player of the Year, 3rd at Junior North Island Championships, named in tournament team) North Harbour Water Polo Club U16A (2nd at National Championships) New Zealand Representative National Youth Squad 2018 Kristin School Premier Boys' team (3rd at division two National Championships, named in tournament team) North Harbour Water Polo Club U16A (1st at National Championships, 2nd at Pan Pacific Youth Water Polo Festival) U18A (2nd at National Championships, 2nd at Pan Pacific Youth Water Polo Festival)

North Harbour Water Polo Club U18 A (1st at National Championships) U18 (2nd in U18 and 1st in Men’s division: 51st at Hawaiian Invitational Water Polo Tournament) New Zealand Representative U18 NZ Men’s team (1st at Australian Interstate Championships) Born 2002 Youth World Championships squad It is sad to bid farewell to both these talented players from Kristin School, under any circumstances. However, we look forward to seeing both Lucia and Dennis continue to grow as amazing people, and to follow what we hope will be very long and impressive Water Polo careers.

Along with Lucia and Dennis, we also say goodbye to other very instrumental Year 13 players this year. Christina Yang has dedicated much of her time at Kristin to the sport of Water Polo, not only playing but also coaching Flippa Ball and Water Polo teams. Skye MacLeod came to Kristin at the beginning of 2019 and not only headed straight into the Girls Premier team but also gave her time back to the sport by coaching an Intermediate Water Polo team. Oli Dennehy, Luca Harris, James Reid Akehurst and Jacob Watson Jones have all significantly contributed to Water Polo and Kristin School - not just by playing but also coaching numerous Flippa Ball and Water Polo teams, which is a full year’s commitment. Through their achievements at Kristin, these boys have also represented North Harbour Water Polo. All these Year 13 players will be hugely missed and we wish them the best of luck.

Sherren Findley S P O RT S M A N A G E R WAT E R P O LO

New Zealand Representative Born 2002 Youth World Championships Squad

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Water Polo Kristin Premier Boys' and Girls' teams both had hectic and exciting starts to Term 1.

The teams competed in the annual Super 6 tournament in Auckland, followed by a home-based camp at the local AUT Millennium pool run by North Harbour Water Polo club. Both teams then travelled to Mt Maunganui for a pre-season bonding camp, with differing agendas. Teams had fun playing against local schools, climbing Mount Maunganui and supporting other Kristin athletes, as the school competed at the NZ Secondary Beach Volleyball Champs for the first time.

After a few days back at school, the boys then headed off to Hamilton for the newly created Challenger Cup for Seniors - all this prior to the College Sport season commencing!

Led by inspirational coach Ricky Thomson, the girls finished 3rd in New Zealand for the 2019 season, and with a few critical players leaving for University, it is very much a rebuilding phase for this team, as the majority of players are Juniors. Coach Thomson stated that there is a solid core of young players showing promising signs for a strong future. These girls are also extremely fortunate to be guided into a Premier team by Year 13 student Lucia Doak.

Kristin Premiere Girls' Water Polo

Kristin Premiere Boys' Water Polo

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With only one change in the playing roster for the Premier Boys team, they had looked to build on their cohesiveness as a team and aim to send the current Year 13 students out on a very positive note after five years of solidifying this team’s greatness.

The boys finished the shortened College Sport league 1st equal with Sacred Heart 2, although their final game that did not get played.

The team were confirmed as champions by College Sport as they had a superior differential of goals for and against.

As a result of COVID-19 and the Government’s measures to safeguard New Zealanders, both the North Island and New Zealand Secondary Schools Nationals have been suspended until further notice.

Sherren Findley S P O RT S M A N A G E R WAT E R P O LO

Kristin Premiere Boys' Water Polo

Finn Burridge

Ella O'Malley

Tennis Tennis started the 2020 season with a bang at Kristin School in Term 1. For a start we had an increased number of participants and then they achieved some outstanding results.

Our Tennis for Beginners programme ran on Tuesday afternoons on the school courts. This was run in conjunction with Tennis Northern and the number of participants more than doubled this year. We also had teams in both North Harbour and Auckland College Sport leagues.

The North Harbour boys and girls played on a Monday after school and were lucky enough to have home games for most of the season.

The A3 Boys team playing on Saturday mornings travelled all over Auckland. The team mainly comprises Junior players. They finished a credible 2nd in their league, which will ensure that Kristin Tennis is in great stead for the future.

Our A2 Premier Tennis Boys and Girls teams, all students in Year 12 or below, had very successful season's. The A2 Boys team, with no reserves, turned up to every training and every match. It was awesome to see their commitment to the side and seeing the players wanting to improve on their Tennis skills.

Both of these teams were unbeaten during the regular season, and with College Sport suspending play due to COVID-19, both teams came away with the Auckland Secondary Schools Championships for their grades.

One of our outstanding Tennis players is Finn Burridge in Year 11. Finn gained some excellent results this season. At his Greenhithe Tennis Club, he was a semi-finalist in the club championships in mixed doubles, men’s doubles and singles.

Following on from these successes at Club, North Harbour and Auckland regions, Finn was scheduled to play in the USA at four ITF tournaments during our Term 1 school holidays. Finn paired up with Kristin School student Robbie King in the Auckland College Sports Champion of Champions tournament where they made the semi-finals in what is the toughest school competition in Auckland.

Mina Zhang and Sammi Liu, both in Year 8, are very talented Tennis players too, already competing in the Girls Premier team.

They made it to the quarter-finals of the Auckland Champion of Champions event. I am excited to see what the future holds for these two!

Rob Taylor D I R E CTO R O F S P O RT

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Sports Highlights JAMIE HYDE Three years 1st XI Cricket team and 2020 Captain

KRISTIN COLTS Unbeaten (final cancelled)

Year 13 student Jamie Hyde has been a large part of the 1st XI

Kristin Colts performed admirably in Term 1 and made it

Cricket team for the past three years. This year Jamie took on

through to the final of the College Sport Junior Open Afternoon

the captaincy for the 2019/2020 season ensuring the team have

Grade, remaining unbeaten and winning their division. The final

been committed and organised in what is a challenging sport.

unfortunately was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over the course of this year so far, Jamie has been a real ‘allrounder’ - batting, bowling and playing as an outstanding fielder.

He has been an inspiration to his team. His 47 off 51 balls

The year began with a pre-season tour to Hawke’s Bay in midJanuary. This provided the opportunity for valuable team bonding

against Botany Downs Secondary was a major factor in the team

and the chance to play five matches in quick succession.

winning that match, and the team placed 5th in the Auckland

Season highlights:

Secondary Schools 1B grade. They played 11, won 5, lost 5 and drew 1.

KABIR PATEL 1st XI Cricket and 1st XV Rugby 2019/2020 Year 12 student Kabir Patel has represented Kristin in both

Nic Wallace 86 against Rangitoto College and Krrish Hira-Patel with 44.

Arahan Chattopadhyay 22 against Selwyn College and 3 wickets for 16 runs bowling.

Rugby and Cricket at first-team level in the 2019 and 2020

Noah Roadley bowled well throughout the season as well and

seasons. As an opening batsman for the 1st XI, Kabir has been

claimed 3/27 against KingsWay School/Mahurangi College.

a major contributor to the team’s success this year. His best innings was 67 not out. Kabir also opens the bowling. A rightarm medium-fast bowler, Kabir was the second leading wickettaker for the season. He has also played for the 1st XV Rugby team. An outside back with speed, he is prepared to also go the hard yards for the team. He is another committed student, fully engaged in Kristin school life.

JESSICA (JESS) MACHADO DE CRUZE Year 13 Basketball, Tennis, Athletics, Volleyball and Senior School Sports Committee 2020 Year 13 student Jess Machado de Cruze has engaged in numerous sports during her time here at Kristin. She has taken on the best in athletics competing in the Javelin at North Harbour and Auckland championships where she has placed in the top three. Jess also loves playing team sports such as Basketball, Tennis and Volleyball. A committed player, she enjoys the fact that playing sport helps bring people together with similar interests who also enjoy the competitive nature

Jack Gulliver

of sport.

JACK GULLIVER Four years 1st XV Rugby, Basketball Referee and Touch Referee Year 13 student Jack Gulliver has been in the Kristin 1st XV for four years. As a prop, he is technically very sound and also a most damaging runner with the ball in hand. Jack captained the 1st XV in their opening win over the visiting school from Vancouver, Lord Byng Secondary, 31 - 5 earlier in Term 1. His commitment to the team and desire to achieve have been a major influence on the Rugby programme here at Kristin. Jack has also coached Rippa Rugby in the Junior School as well as helping out refereeing in other sports, most notably Basketball where he is nationally ranked.

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Jamie Hyde

Izzy Gaze

Izzy Gaze secures top awards English Captain Eoin Morgan, Noah Roadley (Year 9) and New Zealand Captain Tim Southee

Izzy Gaze in Year 12 has had an exceptional Cricket season in 2020. She has played for Takapuna's Senior Women’s Cricket side in the local club competition as well as for the top Auckland women’s representative team, the Auckland Hearts. Izzy was the youngest contracted Cricket player in the Auckland team.

At the recent Auckland Cricket Association’s Annual Awards, Izzy won the following: •

Kabir Patel opening the bowling vs Long Bay

•

McKenzie Cup Most Improved Premier Grade Player (Women’s) Rewiti Cup Most Promising Player (Women’s)

She made her debut for the Auckland Hearts women’s team, going on to play three games in the Super 6 tournament. Izzy then played four games for the Auckland Hearts in the local Hallyburton Johnstone (HBJ) Shield one-day competition. She opened the batting against Northern Districts and Auckland Hearts won the HBJ Shield.

Izzy also captained the Auckland U19 team, and in the Auckland Premier Women’s club competition scored her maiden century (121), was the second-highest run scorer and secured the most stumpings (8). She has also attended two U19 NZ Cricket training camps at Lincoln.

Rob Taylor D I R E CTO R O F S P O RT

Jessica Machado de Cruze

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Holly Sutich and Bradley Hagen

K R I S T I N A LU M N I - N AT U R A L L LY E N E RG I S E D

Holly Sutich

From Kristin to building a successful start-up business, the past six years have been an incredible journey for Holly Sutich.

After graduating from Kristin in 2014, Holly chose to study a Communications and Business conjoint degree at AUT. She loved writing and the art of communication, as well as the world of business so it seemed the perfect way to nurture these passions. Holly credits Kristin for her love of business: “My love for business came from an amazing Kristin business teacher who I still catch up with now – it is crazy how one person or influence can send your life on a new trajectory,” she says.

Being involved in lots of clubs and charity work at Kristin, Holly hit the ground running at AUT, throwing herself into the world of tertiary education and all of the opportunities that came from getting involved in the wider university community.

Although she’d dreamt of working in the world of business, Holly never imagined starting her own company. Then in her first year of university she met Bradley Hagan, a fellow AUT student, and together they identified a gap in the market: “We saw a clear problem, being first-year students – energy drinks. These drinks that we all depended on for late nights powering through assignments and study, that were filled with artificial ingredients and refined sugars. We searched the market for something better. Our research showed nothing.” And so, Phoric energy drinks were born. Holly and Brad embarked on a mission to create the clean, natural, energy-boosting drink that the market was screaming for. “We worked like madmen, studying full-time for three years, and working on Phoric with every spare minute we had!” says Holly.

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In 2018, seeing the potential of their product concept, Holly and Brad made the decision to change to part-time study and began working full-time on Phoric. “The opportunity in the market was there – but it wasn’t going to wait around for me to finish my five-year degree,” says Holly. Holly and Brad worked tirelessly to perfect the Phoric formula, undergoing significant product trials and winning the AUT X-Challenge, winning $20,000 in cash and $20,000 in legal and business advisory packages. With a prototype product and seed funding, Phoric launched in May 2019 and has found favour not only with students, but also with professionals and coffee-drinkers looking for a more refreshing, natural alternative to a hot coffee on a sunny day.

With one year of trading under their belt, supplying to Foodstuffs’ stores in the Upper North Island and plans to expand nationwide as well as now managing the business risks associated with COVID-19, it has been an incredible year of learning and growth for Holly so far. “I am currently continuing to grow Phoric, chip away at my degree and have the opportunity to be a Trustee on the Board of Recreate NZ, an amazing charity providing life-changing experiences for youth with disabilities. I love continually learning and growing my skill set, and giving back to the community, which we also do with Phoric, with money from every sale going to Mental Health in New Zealand. So, all in all, I could never had predicted what a whirlwind the past six years have been, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.” www.phoric.co.nz / Instagram: @phoric

K R I S T I N A LU M N I - E M P O W E R I N G S TO RY T E L L E R

Adele Barlow

Adele Barlow graduated from Kristin in 2003. Seventeen years later, she’s led marketing for some of Europe’s top tech start-ups and started the UK’s first Women in Software Power List. She is also the author of several non-fiction books and her first fiction novel launched in May. We caught up with Adele, who is based in London, to find out more about her path since Kristin.

Tell us a little about your path since Kristin After Kristin, I went to the University of Melbourne. During my Honours year, I co-founded social enterprise yMedia with Pamela Minett, who also went to Kristin (in fact, at Kristin she and I launched a student newspaper, The Octagon).

I moved to London 11 years ago and have worked on a huge range of marketing projects. They’ve taken me to the United Nations HQ in Manhattan to film Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; to 10 Downing Street to meet Prime Minister David Cameron; and to Virgin HQ to collaborate with the Global Marketing Director of Virgin. These days, I lead communications for Makers, a software engineering bootcamp in London.

The United Nations, Downing Street and Virgin sounds fascinating! What was that like?

I went to the United Nations HQ in Manhattan to assist with the production of a video interview with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon – it was conducted by a peace organisation I was doing digital marketing work with. It was pretty surreal. I met Prime Minister David Cameron at an event I attended at 10 Downing Street, with an entrepreneur organisation I produced content for. I worked on marketing management with a start-up within Virgin – that led me to Virgin HQ to collaborate with their Global Marketing Director on creating brand guidelines. In all cases, I was very aware that all the leaders I was meeting were men – and it made me more passionate about promoting women in business and seeking out workplaces that elevated women.

amplifying the stories of progressive organisations, and my boyfriend and I travel a lot.

I am especially interested in amplifying women’s stories, because the world needs more of them. I got to take part in a debate at Cambridge University about ‘leaning in’, which only reminded me how much more complicated things are these days. Through working with Makers, I started the UK’s first Women in Software Power List, to recognise rising stars in the coding community.

For years I wrote for the Huffington Post, which evolved into writing several non-fiction books on the future of work.

Lately I’ve been working on a fiction book about dating. It was published in May this year and is called The Almost Girlfriend.

Who have been some of your greatest influences?

My father’s discipline inspires me - he’s from a small town in the Waikato and has built a successful law practice in Hong Kong. My mother’s kindness has kept me going through tough times. And my brother makes sure that I never take myself (or anything) too seriously.

When I was at Kristin, I was guided by Mrs Rood, Mr Clague and Mrs Taylor. They often pushed me to set big scary goals and to believe in myself even when I felt out of my depth. Also, two of my closest friends to this day - Lexie Sandano and Pamela Minett are friends I made at Kristin, and still inspire and influence me. www.adelebarlow.com

Can you explain what Makers is all about? What’s a software engineering bootcamp?

Makers trains people who want to change careers and become software developers - as well as helping companies who need to recruit a diverse range of junior software developers. We teach people how to code in 12 weeks and set them up with the skills needed to become a developer. We’ve turned a whole range of people who want to change their careers – lawyers, accountants, painters - into software developers, and we’ve helped companies like Deloitte, Accenture and Google to diversify their tech teams.

Adele Barlow

When you were at Kristin, what were some of your dreams and aspirations – have they changed much since then?

As a teenager I was interested in storytelling, building businesses that made a difference and seeing the world. To be honest, not much has changed! My career has been all about

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K R I S T I N A LU M N I - C R E AT I V E C H A N G E M A K E R

Kim Morton

A Kristin foundation student in 1973, Kim Morton is involved in ground-breaking work in the field of arts and mental health and credits her desire to make a difference to her years spent at Kristin. The director of Otautahi Creative Spaces in Christchurch, Kim was recently awarded a Winston Churchill Fellowship to travel to Denmark and the UK to learn about the Arts on Prescription scheme.

In 1973 Kim aged seven and her sister Hilary aged eight were among 22 children on day one of Kristin School at Campbells Bay. The three years spent at Kristin were to have a defining impact on her life.

“When I think about Kristin, I have this sense of freedom and exploration and timelessness – my favourite memory is making huts in the bush. We were immersed in nature – the bush and the coast – and we also had incredible opportunities to explore the world beyond, from marae visits to weeklong trips away.”

Although too young to appreciate how radical this emergent school was, Kim now reflects on the integral role of families – who were at the heart of the school – and the pioneering spirit of building something together.

The value placed on music and art at Kristin laid the foundations for Kim’s lifelong love of creativity, and she also credits Kristin for nurturing her adventurous spirit.

Kim followed several pathways after leaving school. She studied law at the University of Otago and worked in consumer and community law, specialising in welfare law, and undertook research into beneficiaries’ access to justice. “This is an area of the law that gets little attention, but impacts so seriously on people’s lives. I was motivated to try and tackle the imbalance of power between a large government ministry and individual citizens.”

A life-changing experience that resonates with Kim’s time at Kristin was a four-month placement as a conservation volunteer on Raoul Island. She was one of only 16 people stationed on the remote island, doing weed control work. “Away from the fast pace of city life, we had total freedom – we were completely immersed in the rugged subtropical landscape; the island is an active volcano and there’s no way of getting off. You had to be resourceful. We had the time of our lives.”

Kim’s experience of the Christchurch earthquakes and seeing the heavy toll on the mental health of the community were the catalyst for establishing Otautahi Creative Spaces, a charity which uses creativity as a tool to build wellbeing. “We’re striving for a world where creativity is front and centre in mental health. It’s an unconventional approach and it’s proven to work – through being part of a creative community, people develop positive identities as artists and achieve amazing things.

Creativity is a force for change.”

Having led Otautahi Creative Spaces for the past five years, Kim is now exploring how access to creativity for wellbeing can be improved in New Zealand. In 2019 she was awarded a Winston Churchill Fellowship to visit Arts on Prescription programmes in Denmark and the UK. Similar to green prescriptions, an Arts on Prescription scheme would expand access and recognise the health benefits of sharing creative pursuits with others.

COVID-19 has disrupted Kim’s travel plans but also allowed for recalibration – she’s grateful for the thinking space and the chance to reconnect with the people and landscape of Lyttelton, the port town she lives in.

Kim’s experience at Kristin is woven through her life – she’s grateful to her parents for their bold move to join the new school community they’d read about. “Kristin paved the way for me to follow what I’m passionate about. Those formative early years instilled a strong sense of adventure and, on reflection, laid the foundations for my drive to make a positive difference.” otautahicreativespaces.org.nz

Kim Morton - 1975 school photo

Barry Stevens and Jenny Brown

Dawn Wilks

Lynn Williams and Ted Berry

K R I S T I N H E R I TAG E

Living Legends Preserving and sharing Kristin’s unique and rich heritage is an important part of our Alumni Department’s focus. Alumni Manager Victoria Morris and School Videographer Ian Robinson have begun work on a Kristin ‘Living Legends’ project, which aims to capture and share the stories of Kristin’s pioneering beginnings and pathway to the future-ready school we know today.

Victoria and Ian have been collaborating with Ted Berry, who was a staff member at Kristin from 1994-2009 and our founding Middle School Principal (from 1998), to interview key figures from Kristin’s heritage, to bring these stories to life through their memories and anecdotes. To date, they have conducted interviews with founding Kindergarten teacher Dawn Wilks, Jenny Brown (founding family member and wife of first Board Chair, Dennis Brown), Barry Stevens (founding family and former Board member and Chair) and Lynn Williams (foundation teacher).

Ted Berry is particularly passionate about sharing the stories of our founders: “The pioneers of Kristin, those visionary and dedicated parents back in the early 1970s, were people of

courage and commitment. Their story - of belief, of long hours working together, of shrugging off scepticism, and of finally opening Kristin in early 1973 - is a moving and exciting one.

The pioneers will amaze and excite everyone with their stories!”

We look forward to sharing these stories with the Kristin Community and adding them to our school archives collection as valuable resources to preserve for future generations to enjoy.

Were you one of our founding families or did you attend Kristin in our early days in Campbells Bay or Albany? We’d love to hear from you. Please reach out to our Alumni Manager Victoria Morris via alumni@kristin.school.nz.

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T H E N E W O N L I N E N E T W O R K FO R T H E K R I S T I N A LU M N I C O M M U N I T Y

Introducing KristinConnect

In times of uncertainty, community connections become even more important. Our active Kristin Alumni programme provides a supportive global network for Kristin students beyond their time at school, and has been enhanced by the recent launch of KristinConnect, the new official networking platform exclusively for Kristin Alumni.

KristinConnect enables our alumni community to reconnect and stay in touch with fellow Kristin Alumni as well as support and be supported by their alumni network - either by mentoring or expanding their professional network via this exclusive online platform.

Alumni Manager Victoria Morris says: “KristinConnect provides a really valuable additional layer of support and connection for our alumni community. The uptake to the platform has been very impressive, with over 400 users registered within the first month. Our Kristin network has always been a supportive one, but this platform provides a convenient way for our community to connect and support one another, especially during the unprecedented times we find ourselves in.”

Shortly after launching in March, and in response to the challenges faced by business due to COVID-19, an exclusive Business Directory was launched within the platform to provide an extra layer of support for our alumni during the pandemic period.

The KristinConnect platform is available to all past Kristin students. As well as providing a supportive global network for them, KristinConnect also enables our vibrant alumni community to more easily volunteer to contribute to school life - as alumni speakers, mentors, industry or educational contacts.

Spread the word! If you’re a past Kristin student or know someone who is part of the Kristin Alumni community, let them know about KristinConnect and encourage them to get onboard. www.kristinconnect.nz

Upcoming Reunions 2020 Although there has been some uncertainty around gatherings and events, we’re hopeful we will be able to continue with our planned upcoming events and encourage you to register via the reunion event links on kristinconnect.nz. If you would like to receive invitations to Alumni events and reunions, make sure you update your contact details and let us know where you’re based. Simply pop over to our ‘keep in touch’ form at www.kristin.school.nz/keepintouch.

DUNEDIN REUNION T U E S DAY 1 1 A U G U S T

AUCKLAND REUNION F R I DAY 30 O CTO B E R

C H R I S TC H U RC H R E U N I O N W E D N E S DAY 12 A U G U S T

This Auckland Reunion is for the classes of 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015. Past staff from these years are also welcome to register their interest.

W E L L I N GTO N R E U N I O N T H U R S DAY 1 3 A U G U S T 46

Connect now @ www.kristinconnect.nz

KristinConnect T H E O N L I N E N E T W O R K FO R T H E K R I S T I N A LU M N I C O M M U N I T Y

KRISTINCONNECT We have an incredible network of Kristin Alumni throughout New Zealand and around the world.

Kristin is committed to growing and maintaining strong, enduring relationships with our alumni community, and is proud to introduce our online alumni networking platform: KristinConnect.

Reconnect with fellow Kristin Alumni in seconds, with easy registration via LinkedIn, Facebook or email.

RECONNECT

GIVE BACK

EXPAND

ADVANCE

Reconnect and stay in touch with fellow Kristin Alumni

Find a mentor or offer to mentor other Kristin Alumni

Expand your professional network

Advance your career through Kristin Alumni connections

www.kristinconnect.nz T H E O N L I N E N E T W O R K FO R T H E K R I S T I N A LU M N I C O M M U N I T Y

Register today!

K R I S T I N A LU M N I

Auckland Reunion It was our pleasure to welcome over 200 past students ‘home’ to Kristin for our 2019 Auckland Alumni Reunion on Friday 1 November. With a record turnout it was a vibrant, social event with guests enjoying reconnecting and reminiscing about their school days together.

Our alumni guests enjoyed a school tour – courtesy of Kristin students from the newly appointed Events and Hosting Committee – giving them the opportunity to reflect on the changes around our campus and see some familiar haunts.

Our guests, who were celebrating the anniversaries of the classes of 1984, 1989, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2014, spanned the breadth of Kristin’s history, with past students from our early days in Campbells Bay, right through to a well-represented group who graduated from Kristin five years ago.

With many a story to tell and memory to share, our guests enjoyed mingling among their peer groups and reminiscing over old class photos as well as regrouping to take reunion peer year photos. Special thanks to Briar Lloyd and Hillary Fee from the Class of 2009, who created a playlist and slide show for the evening.

Thank you to everyone who attended for making the reunion such a success.

For more photos from the evening, visit www.kristinconnect.nz

Academic Pathways & Tertiary Futures Evening T H U R S DAY 3 0 JU LY

F R O M 6 . 0 0 PM

Current Year 8-11 students and parents F R O M 6 . 3 0 PM

Current Year 12–13 students and parents

EVENING AGENDA:

Information on International Baccalaureate, NCEA, course selection, subject pathways and tertiary futures.

PO Box 300 087, Albany 0752, Auckland, New Zealand 360 Albany Highway, Albany 0632, Auckland, New Zealand Ph 09 415 9566

WW W. K RI S T I N . S C HO O L. N Z