Ōtūmoetai College Newsletter - Reflections Issue 6

Issue 6 - October 2021

Reflections Providing opportunities to shine www.otc.school.nz

VALUES

PURPOSE

Striving for excellence Kimihia tōu ake maungaga teitei

Let Learning Enlighten Life

Working together Whakakotahitanga

Ōtūmoetai College is an inclusive learning community where identity, optimism and challenge form the foundation for all learners to flourish in a dynamic world. The learning environment will enable students to achieve their personal best in their academic studies, the arts, sporting and cultural pursuits.

During their journey, our students will grow into powerful learners who embrace diversity, resilience and develop meaningful relationships with others.

Standing strong Tū pakari i te ao

This is our purpose and our commitment.

FEATURES

Ōtūmoetai College Contacts

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Enrolments Dave Cleland (Deputy Principal) dcleland@otc.school.nz Office Gwen Livingston 576 2316 office@otc.school.nz Friends of Ōtūmoetai College - Rachel Chaney chaneyfive@gmail.com Extra Curricular Contacts Sport - Paul Braddock (Director) pbraddock@otc.school.nz Music - Matt Bodman (HOD) mbodman@otc.school.nz Performing Arts - Mandy Rowe (HOD) mrowe@otc.school.nz Māori Performing Arts - Kuni Williams (HOD) kwilliams@otc.school.nz

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Respecting one and all Whakakoha tētahi ki tētahi

Welcome to the Board of Trustees Getting to Know Big Angry NCEA ‘Tips for Success’ Young Enterprise Scheme Get to know the Music Department

REGULARS 03 From the Principal 04 Editorial 08 Student Sport 11 Student Success 18 Deputy Principal of Achievement 26 Head of IT 32 Introducing our New Administration Staff 33 Where Are They Now? - Lauren Ellis - Drummer 35 From the Archives 36 Calendar

Message from the Principal Hi Mr Gordon, I heard what happened about the year 13 boy and the accident. I feel so sorry for his parents, friends and teachers. I really do. I’m sure they’re all going through a really rough time right now with so many things going on. Because I don’t know his parents, could you please tell them that I am so sorry for their loss? Only if you can though. Thanks.

Tessa Taylor (Reproduced with permission) Russell Gordon, Principal

Dear Parents / Family / Whanau I would like to begin this message by acknowledging the loss of Dallin Loibl, following a car crash on Tuesday 17 August. Dallin, a much-loved member of our school whānau attended Ōtūmoetai Primary, Ōtūmoetai Intermediate and was in his fifth year here at our college. His passing has had a tremendous ripple effect throughout our school community and has impacted on many.

Dallin will be remembered for his smile, his humour, his kindness, his energy, his soul and his charisma that impacted on everyone he met. Although his time here with us was short, Dallin’s gift of kindness, compassion and love will be his lasting legacy.

I wish to acknowledge all who supported our staff and students through this traumatic period. Special thanks to Paul Prangley from the Ministry of Education and to Julie Sutton our Head of Counselling. I was also grateful to receive a number of condolence messages from our local schools and schools from across the country. It is in times like these where you see the education community standing strong to support each other.

One of the more touching messages I received was from a Year 9 student at our school:

While this was a painful period in the life of our school, I will cherish the compassion and empathy demonstrated

by Dallin’s family and also captured in this email.

You can follow this link to see the message board for Dallin where friends and teachers have been able to leave messages and photos of their memories of Dallin. https://www.kudoboard.com/boards/kzAZ8VQB/dallin Term 3 was also punctuated by another lockdown as New Zealand sought to navigate its way through the ongoing challenges of COVID-19. Our students have demonstrated once again how resilient they are with how they have coped with, and bounced back from, the ongoing demands and challenges of another lockdown.

I am proud to be a part of this learning community.

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Editorial School Home Partnership Teaching is a glorious profession. It is one where teachers have the opportunity to turn students on to learning and positively impact the rest of their lives. What better than to capture a student through a compelling story, or engage them in a great dramatic production or by enabling them to produce their own original art. Whether it be a scientific experiment, a mathematics equation, a technological process or an economic conundrum, we have the pleasure of being able to introduce our students to interests that can potentially absorb them for the rest of their lives. Teaching is a joy when a student is willing and able to learn. But we can sometimes be faced with more challenging students - those students for whom school is making a difference, but sometimes not enough to overcome the challenges of their family circumstances. Or students for whom school has been a place of failure and humiliation. The success or otherwise of these kids can provide us with our greatest rewards or most difficult professional challenge.

Our goal is that all students complete each year knowing ‘how they learn’. This goal will be evidenced in their ability to think as well as in their progress of shared literacy and numeracy initiatives or by achieving NCEA Level 1 / 2 / 3 and/ or a personalised pathway to employment.

With the long list of school responsibilities, it is easy to see how a school could become fragmented and incoherent rather than united and purposeful by trying to meet each and every initiative. Each school’s decision making ultimately determines the relative importance of all of these outcomes, given their context and all of the competing agendas.

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The relentless pursuit of increasing our results should never overshadow what gives teaching its mystery and majesty – teaching is so much more than ensuring our kids walk away with solid NCEA results. The affirmation or correction proffered to countless students and the development of their competencies may never be quantified in our NCEA results but the resulting outcomes will be life lessons that these kids will continue to live by long after they have left our gates for the last time. This is something that we must never lose sight of.

Our school goal can only be achieved through the collaboration and working together of school and home so as not to condemn teachers or our students to a pragmatic curriculum that is devoid of passion or interest, but one that will retain the ability for us, together, to shape our students to become powerful thinkers and learners in order to prepare them for life in the 21st century.

Welcome to the Board of Trustees

Dave Andrew and Lisa Adams Our School Board is comprised of dedicated professional people from all walks of life and connections to the school - with one common purpose.

The careful stewardship of the School’s Purpose, Vision and Values and the strategic framework that guides the growth and development of Ōtūmoetai College in the present and into the future. Ōtūmoetai College recently held a Parent ByElection in July. Lisa Adams and Dave Andrew were the successful candidates.

Dave Andrew Hi, my name is Dave and I am privileged to serve on the board of trustees of our school. As a family we moved from Argentina and landed in this beautiful place called Tauranga and this has been our home since 2010. Our two kids Katie and Tomas have both attended our local schools, Matua Primary, Otumoetai Intermediate and now Otumoetai College. We love the community that makes up the families of our school and we have enjoyed many sporting events and getting to participate in school activities.

I have served on a school board before with Matua primary school and I also sit on a couple of non-forprofit boards. This for me is a means to give back to the community in a way that I feel I can contribute and make a difference. During the week I am the CEO of Platinum Homes and it’s great to be involved in an industry like ours with so many possibilities and growth. If you are thinking of going into the trades then see me, we need 5

lots of new young tradies!

I hope to represent parents in general during my time on the board and it is my hope and prayer that the school we have today can be even greater in the future and that current students and those yet to come can be proud of their time spent during their formative years in our college. I don’t pretend to have any great answers or think of myself as anything special, but I am willing to put in the time and by doing this I can hopefully say in a few years’ time that I was part of the excitement of seeing our kids succeed in all facets of learning and life.

Lisa Adams Firstly, thank you to those of you who voted for me. For our families who don’t know me my name is Lisa and I am married to Andy Adams (21 years) and we have 3 Sons aged 13, 15 & 16, two currently at Ōtūmoetai College and the third starting next year.

We are a family who loves the outdoors and exploring the country in our motorhome. We are also very involved in Motor Sport with both Andy and myself on the committee for Rally of New Zealand.

I’m passionate about all students getting the best opportunities available in school no matter what abilities they have. Our youngest son has dyslexia so I understand how hard it is to get the support needed via our New Zealand education system.

I’m a person who likes to give 110% to everything I do and I’m very excited to be a part of a pro-active team being the Ōtūmoetai College Board and school management.

Getting to know Big Angry BigAngry were finalists in the Rockquest this year but unfortunately the final had to be cancelled for the first time in its 35 year history due to Covid. Obviously the boys, Nixon, Noah, Ashton, Jack, and Ben were pretty gutted. They have done Ōtūmoetai College proud, carrying our school name to the highest level and doing so in a respectful and professional manner.

Congratulations boys!

In order to get to know the band a little better, we asked them a few questions...

How did you all meet? How did you form your band?

Big Angry formed after we disbanded Birdhouse.

Birdhouse was created in Year 7 at Music Academy and Noah, Nixon Ashton and Jack were all members. Ben was a friend of ours who played drums who we invited to join our new band (Big Angry).

What is the story behind your band name?

Big Angry is Nixon’s last name (Ririnui) in English.

What’s your song writing process?

Usually Nixon or Noah comes to practice with an idea, usually a guitar riff or chord progressions and lyrics, then the rest of us help craft the song.

What made you enter the Rockquest?

We had entered Rockquest as Birdhouse several times in the past. It is fun therefore we wanted to continue.

What instruments do you play?

I used to play a good range of instruments like piano, guitar, saxophone, ukulele, but now I just play bass while I forget how to play the other instruments.

Which musicians/bands inspire you?

I always liked the Rolling Stones because they just keep jamming and dancing like they are 20 even though they are all around 80, although sadly their drummer, Charlie Watts, recently died.

Favorite subject in school aside from music?!

I like a good bit of chemistry.

What’s something about you that very few people know?

I used to be lead guitarist in the band until we found out that the bassist in the band was an absolute legend on the guitar so we swapped.

Ben Watson - 16 Role in Band: Drummer What first got you into music?

I was involved with music at a very young age with music constantly being around me.

What instruments do you play?

Drums.

Where do you see yourselves in the next 5-10 years?

With jobs and qualifications.

What advice would you give to other students wanting to get into music?

Start by practicing technique rather than playing what you like.

Ashton Blair - 16 Role in Band: Bass and occasionally back up vocals.

What first got you into music?

I wanted to play ´I gotta feeling´ by the Black Eyed Peas on the keyboard.

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Pctured: Nixon Ririnui, Ashton Blair, Jack Baker and Ben Watson Absent: Noah Davis

Which musicians/bands inspire you?

Pixies, Zach Hill, Dinosaur jr, Bladee and many many more.

Favorite subject in school aside from music?!

Metal.

How would the other band mates describe you?

Funny, best drummer to ever walk this planet and many other things of course!

Jack Baker - 16 Role in Band: Electric guitar What first got you into music?

My aunty started giving me lessons and I began to enjoy it.

What instruments do you play?

Guitar and bass guitar.

Which musicians/bands inspire you?

Van Halen.

Favorite subject in school aside from music?!

Digital Media.

What’s something about you that very few people know?

I enjoy making 3D animations as a hobby.

Which musicians/bands inspire you?

Well I latch onto a new band or artist every week so the list is constantly getting longer. As of now [16/09/21] probably Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel. He puts every ounce of passion he has into the noises he makes and that’s all that matters and it’s always admirable. It’s probably also because he knows how to write a good song. I’ll probably have another artist inspire me sometime next week though.

Favorite subject in school aside from music?!

Lunch!

Noah Davis - 16 Role in Band: Electric Guitarist What first got you into music?

Little Einsteins What instruments do you play?

Guitar and piano Which musicians/bands inspire you?

The Beatles because they write pop perfection.

The Cure and the Pixies because they both have a unique style.

Favorite subject in school aside from music?!

Maths or physics.

How would the other band mates describe you?

A little bit quiet.

Nixon Ririnui- 17 Role in Band: Mouth, Acoustic Guitar What first got you into music?

The Wiggles!

What instruments do you play?

Mouth, Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Electric Guitar and Drums.

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Student Sport Badminton – Junior BOP Champs

The Junior Badminton finals were held on Wednesday 4th August at Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre with both the boy’s and girl’s teams making the finals. The girls played well throughout the day with some very close games and finished 4th. The boys had a great day, winning all their games in division one to become the BOP Junior Badminton Secondary Schools Champions. Congratulations to the team: Quinn Cave, Jake Lee, Lachlan Shefferd and Joon Yoon. The senior finals have been postponed until Term 4.

Jake Lee, Lachlan Shefferd, Qunn Cave, Joon Yoon

Basketball

Our Senior A Girls’ team have finished off their season as champions!

After lockdown the girls played against Te Puke High School Senior A in the semi-final, a team they had previously lost to by just a few points earlier in Sasha Solomona the season. They played a great game and came out on top to secure themselves a place in the final. They were up against the Mount Maunganui College Senior A. The girls had a tough game on their hands but came out fighting and after a close battle, were the winners.

Congratulations to the girls on their competition win.

Sapphire Dudley taking a free throw shot 8

BOP Skiing

Ōtūmoetai College had nine students take to the slopes at Mt Ruapehu to compete in the BOPSS Ski and Snowboarding Champs events which hadn’t been held since 2018.

Weather conditions weren’t ideal but our students were keen to compete and took on the challenge of two runs around a gate course. The course is set up for successful completion by intermediate skiers who may have had no previous experience with gates.

Initial plans were to include the timed GS (Giant Slalom) and the DS (Dual Slalom) but the forecasted changeable weather thwarted the efforts of RAL staff to safely run both events so they decided in favour of the GS course.

A huge effort by our Junior Girls’ - Layla Sutcliffe (best time 48.8sec), Abby Duncan (49.1sec), Sophie Edser (50.1sec) and Junior Boy - George Farrar (47.4sec). All students finished in the top 16 of a field of 47 junior competitors – well done.

Many thanks to the parents who helped with managing and assisting on the course, these events would not run without your support.

Baywide Basketball

Our Junior and Senior Basketball teams both competed in the Baywide Basketball tournament.

The Juniors were held on Friday 6th August and the Seniors on Friday 13th August. All of our teams played very well. The Junior Boys had two wins and a loss finishing 2nd in their grade. In the Senior competition, our girls team is a young team however they competed very well. They won 2 and lost 2.

Our boys had some great competition throughout the day with some close games played. The boys finished 2nd in their pool after winning two out of their three games.

Student Sport Hockey

Our Hockey teams’ season has come to an end and it has been one of the best seasons for our overall hockey program despite the cancellation of Secondary Schools Tournament. Our 1st XI teams were both due to play in the Midlands Secondary Schools finals but unfortunately, due to Sport Waikato not releasing Secondary Schools to play sport yet, these games were also cancelled. It is a real shame as it would have been an awesome way to end the season for both teams. However, both teams have been able to finish off the season by playing against local teams to get in some post lockdown games.

The 2nd XI boys have continued their great season from round one into this second round and finished 3rd in their competition.

Junior A Girls have had another good local round for the second round at Tauranga Hockey. After winning all of their games in the pools they beat a Strong Mount Maunganui College 2nd XI in their semifinal. This game was played just before we went into lockdown again due to COVID-19. When we came out of the lockdown the girls got back into training for a couple of weeks before playing their final.

On Monday 27th September the girls played their final against Tauranga Girls College 2nd XI. It was surprisingly an awesome game considering they had not had a game for 4 weeks. The girls stepped up and were too good for their opposition winning the final 2-0 and becoming the round 2 champions.

This young team has some amazing talent and some very promising players as they move into the senior teams next season.

Netball

The Junior 2 had an exciting, hard fought battle with one of our own, the OTC Tui’s. The game was fiercely contended right from the first whistle, with the Tui’s taking the lead at the beginning.

A lot of sweat and hard work saw the girls fight back to take a 32-21 win in a very thrilling second half.

Friday Night Netball Finals The Premier One played off for third and 4th in the Premier Division. We took the win against Tauranga Girls convincingly in the end after a hard fought first half. Every one of our ten-player strong quad took the court and contributed to our success. Thursday nights we played in the Premier Women’s competition.

After starting in Division three, we qualified after two rounds to move into Division two. After a stop / start competition due to the latest covid outbreak, our team secured 4th position. This result far exceeded our expectations and was an impressive achievement for the only College team in the competition.

Table Tennis

On Wednesday 11th August 25 students competed in the BOP Secondary Schools Table Tennis Championships.

Our Junior girls team finished 3rd in their grade after playing some close competitive games throughout the day. Their competition was played as a Round Robin with playoff games. It was an awesome achievement to finish 3rd.

Our Senior Boys’ team of Alex Freeman, Moses Caldwell and Luka Matic have been our top boys’ team for the past 3 years and had a great day. The boys made it through to the Senior Boys’ final and, in a very close nail-biting game, took out 2nd place. It was a great day and all teams played fantastically and represented the school to the highest standard.

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Student Sport

First XV Barbarians’ Victory

The Barbarians 1st XV, comprising players from Ōtūmoetai College and Bethlehem College capped an unbeaten 2021 season by winning the Division 2 Baywide final 18 – 0 against Mount Maunganui College.

The final victory played at Rugby Park, Whakatane capped off an unbeaten year for the Barbarians who played 12 and won 12, scoring 433 points including 69 tries and only conceding 85.

Coach Richard Brown commended the players stating “we started in term 1 with our first ever rugby academy, and on the back of that success we built well into the season and as we developed our game plan the players continued to improve each week. Our finals effort was our best performance of the year – we followed the plan for the whole match, defended well across the field and the players really dug deep to send our 4 year 13 students off in style. To beat a well drilled Mount team and hold them scoreless was a fantastic effort by the players and our school communities are very proud of the team”.

Richard also explained that our 2021 Barbarians rugby team have a Kaupapa (principles and purposes that we live and breathe).

Manaakitanga - To respect and care Whanaungatanga - To value all relationships and kinship connections Pumautanga - To commit to excellence and continuous improvement 10

Tumu Whakaara - To inspire and lead through example

Through rugby, the coaching and management team provides opportunities for our kaupapa to be applied by our players. The intent being to help develop wonderful young men and women who will soon go into society and make a difference. Rugby is a wonderful avenue to positively influencing our young people across the whole school environment and to promote optimal educational outcomes as well as positive social and emotional success.

Providing a quality rugby programme is important and embedded throughout our core values.

We know how important values are in developing young people and the positive impact they have on creating positive futures.

Respect . Service . Integrity .

Determination . Humility . Dignity . Honesty . Responsibility.

The players consistently demonstrated important life-long values through the rugby season.

Importantly, this year we have formed a partnership with a charity, which is Good Neighbour.

This is an avenue where we expect the lads to give back and help those less fortunate in the community.

Student Success Squash Congratulations to our girls’ squash team who won the NZSS Squash Championships in August on home ground at the Susan Devoy Squash Centre. This talented team consists of Erin Wylie - Year 9, Gen and Hope Kennerley (sisters) - Year 9 and 10, and sisters Mia and Kayla Bowles - Year 9 and 12.

This team is incredibly talented and at the conclusion of the tournament Erin was selected into the NZ Junior Squash team.

The girls’ have had an online article written about them by College Sport Media which you can read here.

From left to right: Erin Wylie, Mia Bowles, Kayla Bowles, Hope Kennerley, Gen Kennerley with their trophy and mascot!

The University of Otago Junior Mathematics Competition

In September the results of the 2021 Junior (Years 9-11) Maths competition run by the Otago University came out. There were over 4500 participants from 140 different schools this year. A big congratulations to Megan Sushames who placed in the top 30 in New Zealand and won a $50 prize for her efforts!

Megan says she loves maths because of its elegance and beauty—the way that every number, equation and theorem fits together astounds her.

Her favourite feeling is the satisfaction she gets when she finally cracks a challenging maths problem. Megan wants to study maths and physics at university and become a mathematician and we think you are well on your way Megan!

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Ōtūmoetai College also had six Year 9 and three Year 10 students gain distinction (top 15%). They were: Year 9 Noah Douglas Victoria Geck Tasmin Jacka Toni John Reco Quaife Bradley Wiessing

Year 10 Tomas Andrew Michael Griffits Ollie Simonsen

Congratulations to you all!

Student Success Waikato Cullinary Fare On the last Thursday and Friday of Term 2 Mrs May took seven L3 Technology Food students to compete in the Waikato Culinary Fare at Wintec in Hamilton. They worked with determination, passion and pride representing our college. Their attention to all the small details was noticed by the judges resulting in 7 medals!

Mrs May commented “These legends have researched, modelled, had malfunctions - some of epic proportions! They have continuously refined their concepts to produce some spectacular outcomes and have triumphed! It has been a joy and a privilege to be just a tiny part of their learning and journey of growth, into the incredible humans they are today. I could not be more proud!”

Name

Medal

Dish

Brodie Lander Matthew Hooper Nadia Jamieson Sydney Doake Lisa Evans Emma MacMurdo & Gemma Speirs

Gold Gold Gold Gold Silver Bronze

Healthy Lunch Healthy Lunch Creative Burger Creative Savoury Pizza Soup Dish Mystery Box

Left to right: Gemma Speirs, Emma MacMurdo, Brodie Lander, Matthew Hooper, Josh Kanara-Bailey (Head Judge and Wintec Culinary Arts Tutor), Sydney Doake, Lauren May (Technology Teacher), Lisa Evans and Nadia Jamieson.

Left to Right: Nadia Jamieson, Sydney Doake, Gemma Speirs, Emma MacMurdo, Brodie Lander, Matthew Hooper

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Student Success Robotics On 31st July, four Ōtūmoetai College (OTC) Robotics teams took to the field for their Kiwibots 2021/2022 season opener hosted by Onehunga College in Auckland.

The event saw 23 teams from the upper North Island competing to be the Scrimmage event winner.

Playing in black and green, teams ‘X’, ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘G’ left OTC at 6am ready for a 9.30am start of the season’s theme game ‘Tipping Point’.

For the qualification rounds, teams are partnered with another team – chosen by the hosts - to form a 2 vs 2 combat. Teams then move forward to a knockout where they can select their own alliances.

Team B had a good building session on the day and managed to compete well but didn’t quite make the playoffs, so going in to the knockout, three OTC teams were in the running. Team X made an alliance with Kristin School, Auckland, and took out the top spot, the first time an OTC team has won a Scrimmage since the 2019/2020 season. Their robot was extremely reliable and OTC made a really strong start to the season.

So much so that in August Max and Jamie decided to take on the North Island (seniors included) on their own- and came away tournament victors! This is an incredible achievement given this is a year 10 team with one member only joining this season. Congratulations Team X!

Team X’s Max De Spong and Jamie Venman with their winning robot in the final.

Thank you to parent Sarah Aldridge on the Robotics Committee for her article.

Teams G and A (left) versus Team X and Kristin School (right) in the first quarter final.

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Student Success Chloe Boyt Synchronised Swimming Congratulations to year 11 student Chloe Boyt who was selected to be a member of the New Zealand Artistic Swimming team that competed in the 2021 FINA Junior World Championships. She was one of eleven athletes from around the country chosen to represent New Zealand in the August competition, which was a virtual event this year. The NZ Junior Team placed 3rd in both their events – Free Team (behind Mexico and Chile) and Free Combination Team (behind USA and Mexico).

Chloe Boyt: front centre

Chloe Boyt: front row second from left

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Student Success Dance NZ Made Troupe Results On Sunday 8th and Monday 9th August our dance troupes performed in the Dance NZ Made competition and were very successful.

Our four competition troupes performed the best they ever have. Results were: Beautifully Unfinished (Senior Lyrical) - 2nd in the very competitive open section OTC Gurlz (Junior Hip Hop) - 3rd in the Year 9 & 10 teams 7 Minutes (pictured below) placed 1st in the Year 9 and 10 teams and won 2nd place overall.

Special mention to Alex Jeffery, Caitlin Spalding, Elodie Corin, Bethan Gilbert-De Rios and former student Tazmyn Newman for their outstanding choreography

The first place and champions for their age level were: Kaylee Marjoribanks Yr11 Kaitlyn Napier Yr10 Holly Fitzgerald Yr 9 Lulu Moore Yr 9 These girls will represent Ōtūmoetai College at Nationals to be held in Palmerston North on the 20th October.

Other placings were: Solos Yr 9 Saskia Tabb - 2nd Yr 11 Ashleigh Strawn - 2nd Yr 12 Annabel King - 2nd Yr 12 Emily Wahab - 3rd Duos 2nd Place - Chiara Giacon and Stevie Green (both Yr 11)

Golden Ticket Nominees This is a new initiative from Dance NZ Made where dancers are selected from workshops as the adjudicators feel they have “star quality”. If nominated, they travel to Palmerston North in November to attend 8 workshops where they will learn and then perform different combinations of dance. Dancers are gradually eliminated until the top 10 national dancers remain.

These dancers all win $1,000 each.

PACANZ 2021 has been postponed due to Covid.

Our dance troupe will now compete in 2022. This means we will not have Bethan, Elodie and Lulu in our troupe as they won’t be at school next year but we wish them all the best in their future pursuits!

Golden Ticket Winners 15

Student Success Three students went to the NZ Spelling Bee Regional Finals, in Hamilton in August. They were Carmen Green (Yr 10), Toni Johns (Yr 9) and Nathan Murray (Yr 10).

Nathan (pictured below) came 3rd place and made it through to the National Finals in Wellington in November.

He will be flown down with a parent for a fun, free weekend, We wish him all the very best for the final and a shot at the $5000! All students represented the college with maturity and dignity, well done to you all.

A huge congratulations to Maddy Duncan, Paige Martley, Charlotte Reid, Rhea Lal and Mia McGrath in Year 9. These talented students entered the Toi Wearable Art Competition and won the Sustainable Garment Award at the National judging Evolutionised DNA.

Amy Charman-Moore World Vision Big Hearted/Te Manawa Award 2021 A big congratulations to Amy who was presented this national award in assembly by Hayley from World Vision. This award was for one student across New Zealand who embodies a heart for justice through the World Vision 40 Hour Famine.

According to World Vision, “Amy is an active leader and displays the true essence of Global Citizenship.

Her efforts have impacted Ōtūmoetai College, other student leaders across the country, and of course the many children in need in sub-Saharan Africa through World Vision’s work. She deserves this national award as she went beyond just being a student organiser, she challenged her fellow students to educate themselves about the World Vision 40 Hour Famine fundraiser, she went out to local businesses and gained numerous sponsors while spreading the heart of World Vision.”

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Amazing work Amy! You have shown exceptional leadership and organisational skills. You should be very proud of your achievement.

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Student Success Pin’d Creative Showcase On Saturday 7th August we had 57 entries in the Pin’d Creative Showcase event, held at Baycourt Theatre. What a show it was! The students who attended really did Ōtūmoetai College proud!!

We came home with the most amazing awards.

STREETWEAR - YEAR 11 (cash prize/vouchers) Maia Latham - 2nd place Gloria Kim - 3rd place Hope Allen - Highly Commended Lily Collier - Highly Commended Renee Daniels - Highly Commended PRECIOUS METALS - YEAR 12/13 (cash prize) Katie Caldwell - 1st place VINTAGE Year 12/13 (cash prize) Nia Friis (Year 12) - 1st place Alyssa Gaensicke (Year 13) - 3rd place

WORKMANSHIP AWARD (This is judged by the owners of Bernina, a sewing machine worth $2,000 is awarded to the winner) It went to the amazing Nia Friis! Nia was also offered free lessons at Bernina.

SUSTAINABILITY AWARD (cash prize) Alyssa Gaensicke (Year 13) APPLIED DESIGN AWARD (cash prize) Maia Latham GOWN OF THE YEAR (trophy/cash) Nia Friis

SUPREME DESIGN AWARD (trophy) Nia Friis - Runner Up

Just a few examples of our talented students’ work

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Deputy Principal of Achievement

StephenTisch DeputyPrincipal

Senior School:

Junior School:

Field trips not happening, no access to equipment and project materials and less than optimal distance learning situations - unfortunately, COVID-19 has once again significantly disrupted senior students’ progress towards their NCEA. This year, the lockdown was felt even more keenly as it happened so suddenly and was in Term 3 - the term when students are gearing up for school exams. Both NZQA and Ōtūmoetai College have made adjustments in response which will help students to still be able to achieve their achievement goals this year.

Analysis of student writing using the criteria of the Writing Framework identified three development areas for both English and Social Studies. These areas are: • Purposed use of sentence styles • Purposed use of evidence/technical language • Unpacking an idea over 3 sentences

Our Academic Support Mentor, Mrs Stacey Shefferd, and senior deans, continue to identify students at risk of not achieving their NCEA based on their current pass rates and predictions. These students are offered additional learning opportunities to help them achieve their NCEA goal.

At the time of writing, our Senior Assessment Days are in progress. These days were designed to enable senior students to be both in class as well as have access to longer blocks of time as will be available in the external NZQA examinations. We were balancing catching up on lost time as well as simulating external examinations.

The time out of school during lockdown particularly impacted subjects that require portfolios and projects like Art and Technology as well as subjects that require physical resources like the Sciences, Music and Outdoor Education.

While all three are important, focus on any one of these areas tends to improve student writing overall.

Year 10 students were chosen as the inquiry group to better equip them to meet NCEA assessment criteria in 2022. Staff from both English and Social Studies with students in common employed similar strategies to support student development in one of the three areas.

This project allowed the staff of both departments to share expertise and students to benefit from this interdisciplinary approach.

Initial data indicates an improvement in student writing overall when skills are developed by a common approach in separate subject areas. End of Year Common Assessment Tasks should show that these enhanced skills have been successfully embedded.

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NCEA ‘Tips for Success’ Here are some NCEA tips for study!

1. Start Your Preparation Early Give yourself time to review everything you have already studied. Do not leave anything for the last moment and make sure you understand your subject thoroughly. This will make revision much easier.

Set up a time table to manage your time effectively.

First, note down how many exams you have and the days when you have to take the exams. Then, set up your study schedule accordingly.

2. Organise your Space for Study Before sitting down to prepare for your exams, make sure everything around you is organised. You should have enough space around you to keep your notes and textbooks.

When preparing for exams, you need to feel as comfortable as possible and avoid all distractions so that you can concentrate more on studying.

Additionally, you also need to sort out all your study material before beginning with the preparation.

Therefore, put your notes in order, check you have all the handouts, write down your own summaries for each chapter of your textbook, and prepare an outline of the subject so that you can use it as a last-minute referral.

3. Review and Practice Old Exam Papers Reviewing and practising old exam papers is one of the most effective ways to learn how to prepare for exams. It helps you to familiarise yourself with the format and structure of the question paper.

• Read each question carefully and make sure your answer actually addresses the question.

• Answer as many questions as you can.

• Follow instructions carefully and use any resource material or planning space you are provided.

• Use proper language, like “increases” rather than

“goes up”.

• Avoid colloquialisms.

• Write legibly.

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•

•

Don’t just learn some answers off by heart and hope those questions come up - be flexible, plan for a range of different questions.

Try to understand the subject rather than rotelearning parts of it.

DON’T ASSUME THE STRUCTURE OF YOUR EXAM WILL BE THE SAME AS IT WAS LAST YEAR! 4. Set Study Goals For each study session, set yourself a goal to keep track of what you are studying or revising. You can note down your study goals as soon as you start with your study session or you can set them at the end of the session for the next one. Here are some examples of study goals you can set: • I will work through at least five equations.

• I will go through and summarise chapters 5 & 6.

5. Make Use of Diagrams and Flowcharts When revising or preparing for an exam, visual aids can turn out to be really useful. So first, try to make notes of everything you know about a particular topic and then when the exams are near, compress those notes to a one-page diagram. Having your thoughts recorded in this format will enable you to easily remember everything you need to know.

‘Tips for Success’ continued 9. Plan your Exam Day and Sleep Well Make sure you have everything ready way before the day of your exam and do not leave anything for the last day. Check all the requirements and make all the other necessary arrangements.

6. Take Regular Intervals While it may seem that studying for more hours may result in more productivity, it’s actually the opposite, and it might just wholly drain you out, leaving you with no energy to study and retain knowledge. So it’s essential to take regular breaks for longer retention of information and to freshen up your mind.

7. Do Not Cram Staying up all night and cramming will only make you more anxious and stressed out. So instead of trying to cover everything in your curriculum the day before the exam, it’s better just to review what you have already studied and sleep early.

This will keep you refreshed on the day of your exam.

The key exam preparation you should be doing the night before your exam includes the following: • • • •

10. Do Not Evaluate Post Examination After finishing your exam, if you realise that you have given an incorrect answer to one of the questions, it may cause anxiety. So avoid evaluating your question paper because, at that point, you will be able to do nothing to change your answer or your score. Instead, stay focused on your studies and prepare for the next exam to ensure that you do not repeat the same mistake again.

Remember to stay hydrated and to avoid junk food throughout your study period and your exam timetable. This will add to your overall positive mood and will make your brain work at its best throughout tis time.

Gather all your study material Review your notes Test yourself on the main concepts Set your alarm

8. Ask for Help In case you face trouble understanding a specific concept or subject, then do not hesitate to ask for help. Talk to your teacher or your friend to understand the concept better before it’s too late.

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NCEA ‘Tips for Success’ continued How do other students study?

Karlia Taylor - Year 11

Mia Mackenzie Year 11

Where do you study?

When I sit down to do some revision, I study in my bedroom because it is quiet and has no distractions.

Where do you study?

At home, I sit at my desk in my bedroom and I make sure that it is completely clear and tidy!

Too much mess or disorganisation can be really distracting for me. I like to have all my equipment in one place so I don’t have to keep getting up and down.

How do you avoid distractions?

The best way I can make sure I don’t get distracted or procrastinate is to leave my phone upstairs!

Social media is the biggest distraction for me because sometimes you think that you might just quickly check something and then before you know it, you have wasted time just scrolling.

Top tips and tricks 1. I usually focus on the subject that is the next coming up for a test. I like to go approach my revision in an order of urgency for what might be upcoming with the next test, or internal. But, if there is something I haven’t understood in class, I will typically revise that subject or that skill that day when I get home.

2. My best tips for studying would be just to take notes in class throughout the year, and not just randomly. I always try to keep my subjects separate and revision notes separate from other work. It just makes it so much easier to go back and find it later on if I know that it is all in one place.

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How do you avoid distractions?

I turn my phone off when I get home or use it on the ‘do not disturb’ function so that I can have a quiet and controlled environment.

Top tips and tricks My best tip would be to think about setting a timer when you are at home studying. I set a timer for an hour so that I remember to take regular breaks and can step away from my work for a bit. It makes tasks more achievable when you know that a break is coming up and find yourself being able to set small goals to work toward.

Emma Cogswell - Year 12 Where do you study?

When studying, I find it’s best to set up my work space in a professional and quiet environment. Having a quiet space to think is vital towards focusing on your study. If not, you constantly find yourself losing your place or not

being able to think. I also find working in an environment such as a bed is never beneficial. Usually, if studying in my bed, I find myself too comfortable and more prone to check my phone etc. Your brain usually associates your bed with sleep, rest, and reflection; 3 things you want to steer away from when studying. Being able to study in the dining room, a desk, or even outside, will remind your brain that the study is important and should be taken seriously. Music like waves, rain sounds, or ´study music´, is also a great way to calm the mind and push out any unwanted stress or thoughts.

How do you avoid distractions?

No one can study for hours on end, that is a fact. Don’t expect yourself to smash out 2 hours of straight studying. Giving yourself small breaks will release the tension and stress of having to ´get everything done´. When I know I have breaks to take, I usually don’t feel the need to check my phone or get up for food etc. I also put my phone on silent or do not disturb during my study time.

You’ll be surprised by what you can get done when alerts and notifications aren’t filling your brain. Then when it’s break time, that’s my chance to check my phone, text, call, or watch videos..

Something else I also struggle with is procrastination. Study isn’t fun, and getting started is even worse.

Sometimes just taking out your books or your laptop and some nice highlighters, you find the struggle you

had to study slowly fades.

Top tips and tricks Personally, bright colours, organising, and notes really help me for motivation to study. Things like coloured flashcards are also great for my photographic memory. I find being able to colour code notes and ideas really helps not only remember the information, but make it more appealing. No one likes to study when everything is in blue or black pen. An extra tip that I could not stress enough is past exam papers. In ncea, patterns are prominent with exams. You’ll find year after year, the questions are fairly similar with their wording. Doing past exam papers not only makes you more familiar with the format, but also helps you with what to remember and study for. All in all, make it as fun as study can possibly be!

Daniel Weiss - Year 13 Where do you study?

I choose to study at the dining table, as it is a large space where I can spread out all the resources that I require. I keep it as clean and minimalistic as possible only surrounding myself with resources that are important/ helpful.

How do you avoid distractions?

Honestly, I do procrastinate a lot.

However, to focus on my study it sometimes helps to go for a quick bike or walk and putting my phone in another room often works too. I find it important to know exactly how much time I have left to study, so that I never find myself running out of time.

Top tips and tricks 1. When I am about to start studying, I break down my workload into sections and then quickly estimate how long every section will take to learn. I follow this timeline precisely and allocate time for breaks. For me, it is crucial to be realistic with how long breaks take, otherwise I find that I can become exhausted, and my productivity levels drop.

2. The easiest way for me to learn is to read over learning material and the answers until I develop an understanding of what is required of me. Once I have a solid understanding of how things work, I like to apply my recently learnt knowledge into a range of different questions and situations.

For my essay-based subjects, I become familiar with the structure of my essays and memorise all the essential quotes/ techniques.

For all the year 12’s out there, this year is the most important in terms of endorsing with excellence. There are far greater scholarship opportunities available in year 13 if you have this endorsement. Good luck to everyone sitting exams! Hopefully, some of the study techniques I have learnt can help you too!

Josia Vickers - Year 13 Where do you study?

Oftentimes, I like to go to the public library to study.

I find that a lot of the time if I’m studying at home, I’ll get distracted, so I find the public library to be a better place for me to focus.

How do you avoid distractions?

I write the deadlines for each assignment on a calendar that I keep at home. This helps me to establish a sense of urgency for when I have to get my assignments completed, and ultimately I find it prevents me from procrastinating and leaving the assignments to do later.

Top tips and tricks Don’t just read notes or mindlessly highlight some sentences here and there. Instead, try to focus on active learning by actually applying your knowledge and testing yourself. The easiest way to do this will be by doing practice papers and comparing your work to exemplars, so you can identify your strengths and weaknesses, and work your way up the marking criteria.

Of course, adequate sleep, healthy eating and regular exercise will help too.

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Young Enterprise Scheme As part of the Young Enterprise Scheme, Business Management students have had great success this year bringing their innovative ideas through to fruition, producing, marketing and selling their products.

Here is a glimpse of their products:

Smyle

Āhuatau

Smyle has produced a natural strawberry flavoured floss product.

Smyles floss comes in eco - friendly packaging, attached with a QR code redirecting the customer to a webpage revealing fun activities and guides to educate both parents and children about flossing. Also in the floss, you will receive a surprise sticker from our collectible sticker range that we have created and designed.

Our aim is to help children in New Zealand achieve bringing flossing into their daily regimes.

Āhuatau has produced an all-natural skin care company that incorporates Rongoā Māori - which is traditional Māori healing methods. We have produced an all natural facial spray named Wairehu. The benefits of our facial spray come from the natural ingredients incorporated into the formula, Kawakawa and Aloe Vera. Our hydrating and moisturizing facial spray with all natural ingredients will refresh and replenish your skin. A perfect way to cool down when feeling stressed and tired.

• Facebook: @Āhuatau • Instagram: @Āhuatau • Storbie: https://ahautau.mystorbie.com/

We are selling our product at $6.99. You will be able to access our product via the services below : • Facebook: @Unoffical: Smyle • Instagram: @smyle.nz • Storbie: https://smyle.mystorbie.com/

Chappy Chappy, the lip balm company for happy lips. Our product is made from 100% natural lanolin which effectively retains natural lip moisture. We are beginning a new round of production soon so if you would like to place an order or make an enquiry please email us at: chappy@otc.school.nz

Āhuatau: Charlee Sowman, Alyssa Beckham, Erin Murphy, Alex Jeffery Absent: Sasha Solomona, Sophie Cooke

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Young Enterprise Scheme cont...

Toi Matauranga

Kiwi Kick Kiwi Kick is a Young Enterprise company that is solving the problem of food wastage in the kiwifruit industry. We produce kiwifruit gel made from misshapen and blemished kiwifruit (that would otherwise be wasted) to allow consumers to enjoy the health benefits of kiwifruit all year round.

Our product can be eaten on its own, or it can be added to any food (smoothies, porridge etc) to boost immunity.

Jasmine Evans, Imogen Lowe, Paige Sutton Absent: Haylee Van Herpen-Jacobs

Toi Matauranga has produced a book sharing the legend of Mauao with three key components adding educational value to our product: Literary: the book is written in Te reo Maori and English to encourage bilinguality Interactive: corresponding colouring pages are provided that relate to the story Listening: scan the QR codes with your phone camera and the story will be read to you in both languages!

If you would like to support us and be updated on new book releases, purchase our product with the link below and follow us on social media: • Facebook: Toi_Matauranga • Instagram: toi_matauranga • Shop: https://toi-matauranga.mystorbie. com/

Kiwi Kick has been a success as we have surpassed our economic goals for the year already, and were named the regional winners of the Promotion Challenge. We are continuing our work and will be present at many markets.

• Facebook: Kiwi Kick • Instagram: kiwikick.nz • Storbie

Poverty Business Group The Poverty Business group have an instagram: poverty.skates where you can find different spots for skating and see what facilities are available.

The Poverty Business group consists of: • Nico Brown • Leo Smith • Dury Kim • Oscar Porter • Joel Kennerley 24

Young Enterprise Scheme cont...

Dune Dune have produced one of a kind earrings made from plastic bottle lids. Our earrings are made from unrecyclable plastic bottle caps. We collect these bottle caps through organised beach clean ups, local cafes, our school, and homes. Dune aims to make a difference in how plastic can be repurposed and do it in such a way that makes a positive impact on the environment and creates an awareness about waste. We carefully selected the name Dune for our business because the sand dunes protect surrounding houses from nature’s unpredictable behaviour such as coastal surges and king tides.

We need to protect our environment in the way it protects us.

Willow’s Worries Story Phase have developed a coloured children’s picture book, Willow’s Worries, which directly addresses feelings of worry and anxiety to help younger children to make sense of their emotions.

The book also comes with two worry sheep dolls which can be used as a therapeutic tool to build emotional EQ. You can find them on: • Instagram: storyphasenz Isabelle Kebbell, Hadley Murray, Emma MacMurdo, Daniel Weiss, Lucy Martin Absent: Gemma Speirs

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Head of IT You may have heard me sing the praises of Netsafe in previous issues. This is an independent non-profit online safety organisation. The team at Netsafe provide a very valuable service to all New Zealanders and, having been around for over 20 years now, have extensive knowledge and experience to offer.

There is a wealth of information of the Netsafe website, www. netsafe.org about a range of issues that have only become of concern since the arrival of the internet. And with the rapid speed of change in the online world, there is a lot to know about and it can be hard to keep up to date.

Ros Lee, Head of IT Here are just a few of the topics and resources available: For parents and whānau : 7 steps to help you talk to your young people about being safe online: https://www.netsafe.org.nz/online-safety-for-parents/ Online Safety Parent Toolkit (downloadable pdf available in English, Te Reo, Simplified Chinese, Tongan and Samoan) : https://www.netsafe.org.nz/parenttoolkit/.

This has lots of tips to help you and your family tell the difference between credible and unreliable sources of information online, as well as explaining how apps such as TikTok work and offering some safer alternatives to the likes of YouTube and Messenger.

Advice on how to talk to your child about porn : https://www. netsafe.org.nz/porn-advice-parents/ Advice on how to deal with online bullying: https://www. netsafe.org.nz/parents-bullying/ Advice on purchasing and using BYOD: https://www.netsafe. org.nz/byod/ Tips on avoiding scams, including tax scams, Covid-19 scams, romance scams and many more types of scam that I didn’t even know existed! https://www.netsafe.org.nz/advice/scams/ And the information on the Netsafe website isn’t just aimed at adults.

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There is a section of the site especially for young people, which provides advice on how to deal with online bullying, on navigating online relationships, and where to go for help if things go pear-shaped. There is also a section on what to do if they come across upsetting content online.

Finally, the website allows you to get the latest online safety tips sent to you by email. Sign up on the home page. This can be a really useful way of keeping up-todate with the latest online safety tips from a reliable and trusted source.

Like any power tool, the internet has so many useful applications. But we all need to know how to use it safely.

So do take some time to sit down with a cuppa and have a good browse of the Netsafe site.

Get To Know The Music Department...

Andy Roberts - Year 9 Music and Woodwinds How / why did you decide to get into teaching?

I wanted to become an awesome teacher for the younger generations of students.

What instruments do you play?

Woodwinds and drums, with beginner/intermediate skills in brass instruments.

Tell us about your music background - how did you first become interested in music?

My mother and father were both relatively musical. My two older sisters modeled a great sense of musicianship growing up and I tried to follow in their footsteps.

What is your best teaching moment so far?

Being able to watch students, who are hungry for knowledge, grow in their musical studies. There have been numerous thus far, but it would be difficult to choose a single one.

What is one piece of advice you would pass on to students, musical or otherwise?

Be humble, be willing to learn, and always strive for excellence.

Current bands / projects you are in outside of school?

I have played in multiple groups/ensembles previously, but am currently only investing time in Tauranga Big Band.

Corisha Hitchcock - Music Itinerant How / why did you decide to get into teaching?

I’m a latecomer to the teaching profession, retraining just two years ago after 10+ years in the public sector. Making this change was something I’d thought about for a long time - working with people and in the subject of music is such an awesome combo.

What instruments do you play?

Clarinet and voice.

Tell us about your music background - how did you first become interested in music?

I’ve always sung but I first picked up a clarinet back in intermediate and loved it. School (Ōtūmoetai College!) really nurtured my musical interests and I became involved in various groups from there - chamber, concert bands, choirs, musical theatre etc. I went down the music research path at university but have continued to sing in various groups over the years.

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Current bands / projects you are in outside of school?

Scholars Baroque Aotearoa choir.

What is your best teaching moment so far?

As a new teacher, the best thing has really been getting to know some of the students and seeing how talented many of them are.

What is one piece of advice you would pass on to students, musical or otherwise?

Work hard and be a good person.

Ian O’Malley - Itinerant Brass and Junior Music How / why did you decide to get into teaching?

I grew up playing in brass bands. The brass banding community relies on people giving up their time to teach young players, so I have been teaching brass since I was in high school. I then went on to study music at Otago University and taught at the Southern Brass Academy in Dunedin before training as a teacher at Victoria University. I was a classroom teacher in a primary school in Auckland for seven years before moving to Ōtuīmoetai College and joining the music department in 2017.

What instruments do you play?

Euphonium, trombone, tuba.

Tell us about your music background - how did you first become interested in music?

Growing up my mum was a singing and piano teacher and was heavily involved in the classical music scene and musical theatre in Whanganui. I would always go and watch her perform and remember one particular concert where she sang as a guest act for a brass band concert. The next week she signed me up for lessons at the local brass band and I have been heavily involved in brass bands ever since.

Current bands / projects you are in outside of school?

Superhero Secondline (a New Orleans Jazz Brass Band), Brass Whanganui and Puhoi Miners and Moonshiners Ragtime Band.

What is your best teaching moment so far?

There are far too many to name just one! I love my job and feel extremely lucky to be able to work with such amazing colleagues and students every day.

What I love about teaching though is seeing the resilience, hard work and determination demonstrated by many of my students and seeing them overcome whatever challenges may get in their way. I also love teaching in a creative subject where we see and get to know a completely different side to our students.

It’s a really positive environment to work in.

What is one piece of advice you would pass on to students, musical or otherwise?

You are a product of the environment you live and work in.

Surround yourself with people who bring you joy, inspire you and make you a better person.

Joel Shadbolt - Guitar How / why did you decide to get into teaching?

The passion of giving back to people the skills I’ve acquired. I started teaching at age 15 after school.

What instruments do you play?

Guitar, vocals, drums and bass.

Tell us about your music background - how did you first become interested in music?

I started playing music at age 3 on a ukulele and progressed onto acoustic then electric.

I played in many bands growing up and learnt the ropes on the band stand. I also studied music for 5 years - NZSM BMus at BOP Polytech.

What is your best teaching moment so far?

Having a student play in my band with me in front of 20,000 people.

What is one piece of advice you would pass on to students, musical or otherwise?

Passion drives everything. Explore, find it and harness it. Work hard, don’t take short cuts and be a nice person, even if others aren’t.

Current bands / projects you are in outside of school?

Lead singer and guitarist for L.A.B. 28

Jeremy Hantler - Drums / Guitar / Band Tutoring How / why did you decide to get into teaching?

Because I’m so profoundly thankful that I was born into music, and I would like as many people as possible to have access to a love for and connection to music.

loved sitting in with the School Big Band last year and jamming with the show band.

Tell us about your music background - how did you first become interested in music?

I heard harmonies in the womb and came out singing them!

At Ōtūmoetai the one - on one lessons are great. I’ve got a couple kids I teach at the moment that have progressed so quickly in the last few years that I’ll have nothing to teach them soon. And I have loved making kōauau at the school marae with students, I keep bumping into these kids years later and they always check in.

Current bands / projects you are in outside of school?

The Harmonic Resonators (country - folk - te reo) is the most successful band I’m in at the moment, and it means I don’t play much with my other two bands Ozi Ozaa (Afrobeat) and Boomtown (World Percussion and voice). I usually pick one up when another shuts down, and that keeps it fresh.

What is one piece of advice you would pass on to students, musical or otherwise?

School is one of the last free opportunities you’ll have to learn a richly diverse bunch of material. It can be a drag, but so can life for some people. It can also be uplifting if you put on your positive pants.

What is your best teaching moment so far?

Conducting the Marimba Festival which has over 1000 kids in NZ across the year participate. I love seeing how 10 charts can snowball into a year of learning for so many students. I also

Musically: have as many teachers as you can, keep your mind open, and remember that, along with most other things in life, music is about relationships. Musician to musician, or to audience, or to listener, or with yourself. Make a positive impact.

What instruments do you play?

I’ll have a go at anything but love to sing, drum, play guitar, and play traditional māori instruments, and stuff that I find in the natural environment.

Selina Parsons - Piano How / why did you decide to get into teaching?

I have studied the piano since childhood and am passionate about it. I now teach piano to all ages to share what I have learnt and to challenge myself on a different level. It is rewarding to see my students progress with both skill and interest.

What instruments do you play?

My main instrument is the piano, however I am learning the acoustic guitar.

Tell us about your music background - how did you first become interested in music?

My family is musical so I started learning the piano from 9 years old. I did all my grades over 10 years then sat my ATCL when I was 19.

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Current bands / projects you are in outside of school?

I am trained as a classical pianist however in recent years have broadened my skills by studying improvisation.

What is your best teaching moment so far?

A favourite teaching moment would have to be handing a well earned distinction certificate to my student for his first exam. It is so rewarding.

What is one piece of advice you would pass on to students, musical or otherwise?

If I was to say only one thing to my students it would be to practice every day but enjoy it too!

Kelly McNamara - Music Teacher How / why did you decide to get into teaching?

I started out with the inclination to become a mechanical engineer. During the first year of study towards this I felt drawn to study music. I completed this and then went on to become a primary school teacher, then an itinerant music teacher and then a high school music teacher. Curiously, both my parents are teachers?!

Current bands / projects you are in outside of school?

Tauranga Big Band, The Generators, The Valentine Grind and a fill in for The Harmonic Resonators.

What instruments do you play?

Guitar, bass guitar, drums…however, guitar is my serious instrument.

What is your best teaching moment so far?

There have been heaps of them. The musicals and seeing past students do great things are always a highlight.

Tell us about your music background - how did you first become interested in music?

I’ve always loved listening to music for as long as I can remember. My first enduring musical memory would be seeing a guitarist come and play for my kindergarten, it blew my mind. I never really took music seriously as a subject at school but was obsessed with the guitar for all of high school. I completed my formal training in Jazz Guitar at the University of Canterbury.

I have been busy playing in bands, ensembles and orchestras ever since.

What is one piece of advice you would pass on to students, musical or otherwise?

Have fun, experiment and be open to advice.

If you are a guitarist, learn to read music fluently and you will never be out of a gig.

Matt Bodman - Head of Department How / why did you decide to get into teaching?

I reckon the two most used phrases by musicians in New Zealand would be ‘1,2,3,4’ and ‘bro, can you teach me that?’

I got more hooked on the latter.

What instruments do you play?

Piano, bass guitar, guitar, ukulele, tenor saxophone, vocals.

Tell us about your music background - how did you first become interested in music?

My earliest musical memories are singing London pub songs with my Mum and brothers in our bright red Mitsubishi Sigma, (Knees up Mother Brown, My Old Man’s a Dustman) and knocking out tunes on my Nan’s piano in Ōpōtiki. I kept listening, kept learning, kept playing and now I am here!

What is your best teaching moment so far?

Every time I get a one-on-one chat with a student and we talk about them, their families, their interests etc I feel really lucky.

Every kid is a universe, rich with imagination. They blow my mind.

What is one piece of advice you would pass on to students, musical or otherwise?

The moment you believe something, start asking more questions.

Current bands / projects you are in outside of school?

None! I have had my fun playing gigs etc for the moment.

However, I am currently recording my 5th album which will break the internet early next year.

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Stephen Daniell - Bass Guitar Tutor How / why did you decide to get into teaching?

I have always enjoyed helping people take the next step in whatever it is they are trying to achieve. Music is something that has given me so much joy and entertainment over the years, and also given me a career in which I look forward to going to ‘work’. Teaching bass and music is about sharing that joy with others. Seeing the ‘lightbulb switch on’ in a student, whatever level they are at, is very satisfying!

What instruments do you play?

Bass guitar is my main instrument. I also play guitar and sing a bit, when writing my own songs.

Tell us about your music background - how did you first become interested in music?

Listening to music in my teenage years in the 90’s was my happy place. There was always a thrill for me searching CD stores for recordings of my favourite artists or trying to find a new favourite. I always looked up to those who could get on stage and put on a great show, I always wanted to be that person.

I had piano lessons when I was in primary school for a few years, then discovered the guitar and bass. Felt much more at home on bass. I played for years in church bands before going to study at an arts college in Australia.

Current bands / projects you are in outside of school?

Looking for Alaska, St Bernard’s Cricket Club, The Wingmen, the occasional solo performance or duo with my wife. Various covers bands.

What is your best teaching moment so far?

I always love seeing my students get to the stage where they are performing in front of an audience. I always remember one of my first students coming off stage after his first performance with a massive smile on his face, I knew he had caught the bug for performance; he felt that thrill of entertaining an audience and just wanted to get out there and do it again. He was 8 years old and had won the audience over!

What is one piece of advice you would pass on to students, musical or otherwise?

Do music because you love it and be the person that everyone wants to play with, because you are good at your craft and because you are a good person to be around.

Tracey Bruce - Music Itinerant How / why did you decide to get into teaching?

I was working for the Red Cross teaching drug and alcohol education in schools. I realised I liked having those difficult conversations around safety and self care, and wanted to be “that teacher” who was approachable and compassionate; something I lacked as a student.

What instruments do you play?

I trained as a singer (and actor) so my instrument is my voice.

I don’t play any other instruments with much skill! I have a ukulele at home, and can play a mean air guitar. I am in awe of my colleagues in music who can play almost anything.

Tell us about your music background - how did you first become interested in music?

I was forever making up shows and concerts for my family as a kiddo. That eventually turned into an education in Performance, and a career in entertainment, singing in theatres, musicals, bands, and on radio jingles.

Current bands / projects you are in outside of school?

None at the moment! I am actually working on my sidehustle - acting.

What is your best teaching moment so far?

There are just too many!

Some days it is as simple as a warm smile exchanged with a student. Other times it is the satisfaction of seeing a student smash their mahi and develop a sense of self, after initially being deeply shy or lacking confidence.

What is one piece of advice you would pass on to students, musical or otherwise?

If you can’t be good, be careful.

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Where are they now?

Lauren Ellis - Drummer

It’s always exciting to learn about what happened to past students. Here is Lauren’s story.

Tell us about your student days here at Ōtūmoetai College?

I really enjoyed my time at Ōtūmoetai College. I was heavily involved in both music and sports so I could usually be found either in the music department rehearsing with various bands, on the soccer field with the 1st XI team, or on the volleyball courts. I took Māori for two years which I really loved as well as history, sport science, and English.

What is a lasting memory you have of your time at Ōtūmoetai College?

All the wonderful trips we were privileged to take. I always looked forward to tournament weeks with the soccer and volleyball teams every year, and I was lucky enough to be a part of two overseas trips with the music department to Hawaii and Sydney. The overall community is memorable

Could you give us a little background on what’s been happening for you since you left school and tell us about your work currently?

After I finished high school I attended the New Zealand

too, we had a really great group of seniors in my final year,

School of Music where I studied jazz performance (drums).

I was part of the Student Executive team as well and there

I was there for 4 years and completed a Bachelor of Music

are so many great memories from that time.

and a Post Graduate Diploma. I stayed in Wellington for the most part after finishing university and up until 2019 I was

What was your most valuable life lesson that you learnt

performing and touring with multiple groups and teaching

during your college years?

professionally in Wellington and around New Zealand - the

Get involved and don’t take yourself too seriously.

music scene and the community in Wellington is the best in the country! I’ve toured NZ endlessly, the US, played at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 2017, and in 2012 I lived in Dubai with a group of Wellington musicians and we’d play 6 nights a week in one of the big clubs.

In 2018 I was offered a teaching assistant position and scholarship under the great Peter Erskine (drummer) at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. In 2019 I moved to Los Angeles to pursue this, I taught undergraduate drum proficiency classes (jazz/pop) Lauren with James Carter. Photo by Ewa Ginal-Cumblidge 33

as well as a class on the history of Black American music.

I’m currently based in LA where I’m scoring music for films, playing shows, recording drums for various projects, and composing music for my own album. I’ve also recently become an endorsing artist for Zildjian Cymbal Company and Vic Firth sticks.

Did you know what you wanted to do when you left school career wise?

I knew I definitely wanted to do music in some capacity.

I think the goal was to be playing professionally which fortunately, has worked out for me, but isn’t the case for everyone. You have to be willing to hone your skills in other facets of the industry in addition to mastering your craft/ instrument. Whether it’s teaching, engineering, band directing, composing and arranging etc, most musicians worth their salt do one or all of these things as well as performing on a regular basis, versatility is key!

Lauren with Jazz Quintet. Photo by Vanessa Macarthey

teach me. Those are my earliest memories of music and being intrigued by it.

What drew you to drumming?

I’m not sure! I’ve played the piano since I was 4 and I remember losing interest a little and really wanting to try the drums instead. I can’t say where my desire to play came from but when I was 10 I happened to be touring an intermediate school with my class where we were taken through the music department. Some of the students were demonstrating different instruments and asked if anyone wanted to have a go. I’d been dying to try the drums so immediately put my hand up to volunteer and that was it.

What advice would you give to current students here at Ōtūmoetai College?

Try not to stress about solidifying your career path right out of high school. If you’re unsure, take your time, don’t limit yourself, try everything. Trust your instincts!

Lauren with Richter City Rebels

What is the highlight of your career so far?

There’s so many but my favourite ones are probably getting to tour with artists from the USA during my tenure

You can watch one of Lauren’s own songs on youtube here where she plays with her band of musicians who are based in Los Angeles.

with the Rodger Fox Big Band, and most recently getting to teach alongside, hang out, and learn from Peter Erskine.

Aside from those two things the biggest highlight for me is getting to create music, perform, and go on the road with some of my best friends.

How did you first get introduced to music?

My brother, sister and I all started on piano really young and my dad’s mum (‘Nannie’ as we used to call her) played the piano really well. I remember sitting and watching her play all these great jazz classics which I’d then bug her to

Lauren with Rodger Fox Big Band & NZ Symphony Orchestra Photo by Vanessa Macartney

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Introducing Our New Team Members

Brianalycia (Brii) Smith Attendance Officer

Sanela Paris Student Fees Admin

What is your role here at school? When did you / do you start?

My role is Attendance Officer and I started on the 23 September this year.

What is your role here at school? When did you / do you start?

My role is Student and International Fees Administrator, and I am officially starting on the 18th October. Luckily I have been able to come in for a few days during Term 3, so I could get a sneak peak into the role.

What were you doing before this role?

I was a stay at home mum raising my beautiful 3 and half year old daughter. I was also part time cleaning for an elderly lady.

Tell us a little bit about yourself?

I was born and raised in Pongakawa before moving to town (Tauranga). I went to Matua primary school from Year 5 onwards then Ōtūmoetai Intermediate and Ōtūmoetai College. I went into a retail job for 4 years and then went into banking before I had my daughter Nyah in 2018. Since then I have been taking it day by day and learning the parenting role in life.

What are you most looking forward to in this role?

Being able to be around the students and staff, as I’m wanting to become a youth mentor and use my past to better understand and help the students. I wasn’t the best student this school has seen! Just being there to be an ear for the students and show them that you can be something is one of my goals.

Pop in and say hi anytime, I’m a friendly face and love a good giggle or laugh.

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What were you doing before this role?

I have spent the last two terms working at Ōtūmoetai Intermediate as an Administration Assistant. Prior to that, I was working at a Pre-School as a Centre Administrator.

Tell us a little bit about yourself?

My husband and I came to New Zealand in 2009 and love living in Tauranga. We are an ‘international’ family as he is originally from South Africa and I am from Germany. Our two children and dog are keeping us on our toes, so all our spare time is spent with them.

What are you most looking forward to in this role?

I love the atmosphere at schools and am looking forward to getting to know the students and staff as well as the flow of the school.

From the Archives Science and Home Science classes from 1965! We call Home Science Soft Technology nowadays!

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OCTOBER 2021 Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

31

3

4

5

6

7

Friday

Saturday

1

2

8

9

15

16

22

23

29 Dance NZ Made in Palmerston North

30 Dallin’s Memorial Service (Level 1 dependent)

School Holidays 10

11

12

13

14

School Holidays 17

18

24

25 Labour Day

19 Year 9 Options Afternoon

20 Level 1 Drama Assessments and Performance

21 Level 2 Drama

26

27 BOT student elections. Sports Awards 6.30pm

28 Maori & Pasifika Awards 6.30pm

Assessments and Performance

NOVEMBER 2021 Sunday

Monday 1

Tuesday

Wednesday

2

3

Thursday

Friday

4

5

Creative Arts Awards 6.30pm

Te Ra Rehia Kapa Haka Festival 12 11.30am Special Needs Production in PAC

Saturday 6 13

7

8

9

10

11

14

15

16 Last day for Year 13

17 Year 13 Senior Awards Evening 6.30pm

18 19 Year 12 (10am) & 11 (12pm) Awards

20

21

22

23

24

25

27

26

NCEA EXAMS 28

29

30

NCEA EXAMS

DECEMBER 2021 Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday 1

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

2

3 Accord Teacher Only Day

4

9

10 Junior Awards and last day of Term (12.30pm finish)

11

NCEA EXAMS 5

6

7

8

HO Y e a rS 9C & 1 0OELO YH POr L o gI rDa A mY mS es NCEA EXAMS

12

S C H O O L H O L I DAYS

13 NCEA exams

14 Last day of NCEA exams

15

16 Office closes

17

18

25 Christmas Day

19

20

21

22

23

24

26 Boxing Day

27

28

29

30

31

Please note: This is a guide only due to uncertainty around Alert Levels

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105 Windsor Road, Bellevue, Tauranga p. 07 576 2316 f. 07 576 8903 www.otc.school.nz