From Our Principal Important Dates Our Commitments
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Otahuhu College Newsletter Friday 3 August 2018 From our Principal Reports will be posted out shortly and it is great to read through the comments and see the hard work, effort and thought which is being given by nearly all students to their studies. When you choose to send your sons and daughters to Otahuhu College, you are choosing to give your child a strong academic education in a school with high expectations of effort, thought and success for every student. Academically our senior students are going well. Once again we are likely to do better than most schools in New Zealand at Level 2 and 3, and our Year 11s are on track for another successful year. A reminder for senior students that tutorials are compulsory and that to graduate all assessments have to be submitted. This week has been a busy week celebrating Cook Island Languages and assemblies have certainly had a vibrant feel to them. Our musicians have made the finals of Stand Up Stand Out and our sports teams continue to push for semifinal places. The Otahuhu College community is certainly committed to striving towards excellence in everything we do. Kia Tamatane N Watson Principal Important Dates 6‐10 August Poetry Week 6‐10 August Smilecare onsite 6‐10 August Service Academy Advanced Leadership 10 August School Cross Country 14 August Careers Expo 16‐17 August Year 11 Leadership Camp 23 August Parent/Teacher Interviews Our Commitments At Otahuhu College there is a commitment to attend school and to be on time. Regular attendance means attending school at least ninety percent of the time. Like other top schools we expect all our students to be at school on time each day. Students who are late three times in a week will be given a detention. Students should be at school by 8:30am and it is their responsibility to be seated in the correct places for assembly. Your support in making sure your child is at school on time is appreciated. If your child is going to be late or absent please phone the office 9634000 or alternatively 0800 4 OTAHUHU to leave a message on the absence voice mail before 8:00 a.m. You can also email [email protected] A reminder to attend the School Ball, students must have attendance over 90% by 4 September. There are no exceptions to this. Staff News The start of term has seen us welcome three new staff members. Mrs Agarwal will be teaching Hospitality. She has previously worked as a tutor at NZMA and a Chef manager. She is a gold medal winning baker. She has a Post Graduate Diploma in Kitchen Management from the Institute of Hotel Management, Mumbai. Miss Chamberlin will be the Gateway Coordinator. She has previously worked for Youth town and also the Newway Language Institute. She has a strong interest in the Arts, tramping and kayaking. She has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Auckland. Ms Hibbs will be teaching English. She has previously taught at Chew Valley School and worked at Oxford University. She has been a key member of the student union involved in equity issues. She is also interested in running having completed marathons. She has a Bachelor of Arts with Honours from the University of Oxford. We welcome them to Otahuhu College and look forward to seeing their contribution to our community. Over the school holidays our Head of Science, Eva Cornforth, travelled to Cambridge University to study at their summer school all thanks to the John Boscowan Teacher Scholarship. She completed a series of lectures over that time covering the biology of the immune system and nanobiotechnology. There were optional lectures such as ‘The future of building ‐ reducing energy usage’, ‘The Enigma Machine’ and ‘Genes and disease’ along with a visit to one of Cambridge’s cutting edge nanotechnology laboratories where scientists are examining the use of nanoparticles to deliver drugs in the fight against cancer. All of this took place in the beautiful setting of Cambridge with its ancient colleges and streets. The information from these lectures and the laboratory visit, will enable the science department to examine some of its senior programmes to tailor tasks to the latest ideas coming out of internationally recognised universities. Curriculum and Study News Two awards recognizing students’ efforts in class, and academic achievement were held recently. Congratulations to the following recipients: Effort awards: Grey House Sala Peto 9H, Theordore Pace 9B, Zaynah Zakreen 10D, Asinate Suluka Y11, Shivam Datt Y11, Shaneel Lal Y13. Hobson House Mohoki Tuakalau 9B, Harneet Singh 9A, Lisa Teariki 10A, Triyash Chetty 10B, Imoana Tuitea Y11, Maldanoeline Sinaumea Y13. Massey House Ashur Yusuf 9B, Veisinia Havili 10B, Ali Hussaini 10C, Natasha Gounder Y11, Kamoto Fakai Y11, Jahzire Heka Y12, Catherine Tran Y13. Seddon House Jlo Iakopo 9B, John Nair 9E, Neha Kumar 10D, Achal Prasad 10D, Nina Do Y11, Fahdil Ali Y11, Lomalani‐Sini Seiuli Y12, Siiae Tivoli Y13, Zenith Moon, Y13. ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS: Year 9 Harneet Singh H10, Ashur Yusuf M6, Faimafili Tavita H2, Muzammil Ali S1, Mokeni Manu M9, Lilian Filia S1, Pepetaugata Heperona Vaimauga M10, Sala Peto G3 Year 10 Veisinia Havili M3, Alfred Netane S5, Achal Prasad S1, Tina Bryce G5, Bitna Fitialo M2, Leuaina Andrews H1, Jared Paneta H8. Grey House seniors Asinate Suluka G5, Luvenika Fuataimi G1, Lata Vunga G11 Hobson House seniors Ioane Puna H3, Cassa‐Dee O'Reilly H5, Rulon Brown H2 Massey House seniors Quinniel Pita M10, Nerissa Felise M2, Sialai Fulutusi M3 Seddon House seniors April Heffernan S6, Tanya Roko S8 Sports News SPORTS DRAW FOR THE WEEK ENDING 5th AUGUST 2018 DAYS TEAMS VS VENUE TIME MONDAY GIRLS RUGBY TANGAROA TANGAROA 4.00PM 30/07 TUESDAY U19 BOYS AORERE BRUCE PULMAN 4.15PM 31/07 BASKETBALL WEDNESDAY 1st XIII RUGBY PAPATOETOE PAPATOETOE 4.00PM 01/08 LEAGUE SNR BOYS SOCCER BYE BYE BYE JNR BOYS SOCCER AL‐MADINAH OC LOWER FIELDS 4.00PM SNR GIRLS SOCCER EDGEWATER EDGEWATER 4.00PM NETBALL NETBALL AUCKLAND ALL DAY COMBINED POINTS COMBINED NETBALL COURTS COMP POINTS COMP THURSDAY U17 GIRLS BYE BYE BYE 02/08 BASKETBALL SATURDAY 1ST XV TANGAROA TANGAROA 12.00P 04/08 U15 ROSEHILL ROSEHILL M10.30 U14 BLUE MT ROSKILL OC PAVILION AM9.15 AM NETBALL GAMES Y9 A ONEHUNGA COURT 1 Y9 B PAKURANGA COURT 26 9.40AM Y9 C BARADENE COURT 10 9.40AM Y10 A ONE TREE HILL COURT 23 8.50AM Y10 B BOTANY DOWNS COURT 10 8.50AM SNR A KINGS COURT 4 8.00AM SNR B ST MARY COURT 1 11.20A SNR C ST CUTHBERTS COURT 9 M10.30 SNR D PASS SENIOR COURT 9 AM12.1 0PM10. 30AM “Giving is ALWAYS better than Receiving” At the beginning of the year, the seniors of the 1st XV boys' rugby team discussed and shared several ideas of boosting the morale and building a strong bond for this year's team. One thing stood out from the rest, and that was to give back to the community – at the time it was unsure how or what but fortunately an opportunity presented itself. Strive Community were looking for volunteers to help in the Mangere Soup Kitchen and reached out to schools and public. The senior leaders jumped at the chance to put the team down as volunteers and were slotted during the recent holidays. We arrived at the centre and was quickly introduced to the organisers and other volunteers, whom were very friendly and welcoming. A brief overview was given on how the centre ran its soup kitchen and what was expected of the volunteers. The team was split up in different stations such as ushers, water dispensers, welcome committee, dishing food and entertainment. Co‐captain Jacob Samuelu said “It was a good experience and you come out feeling good that you’ve given up your time to do something special. It also makes me grateful for what I have too. I would definitely do it again” “I was serving drinks to everyone on the tables and was able to engage in conversations with families. It was nerve wrecking but I knew they would have been just as nervous as me, so I carried on like it was normal” laughs Joshua Lua. “If there is one thing I can take anything away from this experience, it would be appreciation. The amount of work, dedication and heart that goes into making this soup kitchen even possible, seems like a full time job and the organisers are the real unsung heroes. Thank you for the opportunity and life lesson” says ex‐student Leilani Tuialii. If you would like to be a part of this amazing community programme contact Joleen Perry at Strive Community on (09) 275 4428. Netball Tournament On Wednesday our Senior A Netball team represented the College at this Tournament. The team is made up of many Year 10 students and they were up against some tough opposition! The draw saw us play many schools that have mainly Senior students that play in the Premier Grade. It was a great learning experience for our girls and it was great to see that they remained competitive in every game. The challenges they faced will serve them well in their preparation for the Upper North Island Secondary School Champs later this term. Well done to Ms James and Ms Pearce (Coach & Manager) and to the girls whom looked and played amazing in their new uniforms! RUGBY NEWS We are nearing the end of the Rugby season with all teams in contention of the playoffs. Our 1st XV currently sit in the top 4 with one more game left in the round but will face top of the table Tangaroa College.