Latest News

Daily Notices Please click here to view today's notices ...	Join the Parents' Association Next meeting is Thursday, 6 June at 7.00pm. Come along, everyone is welcome ...
	Successful Concert Band tour to Argentina On April 29, 31 players flew to Buenos Aires via Santiago to begin their long waited music tour ...
Optimist Sailing Nationals 2013, Timaru Scott McKenzie (9DHY) earned himself a place in the New Zealand Team travelling to Hungary ...	Year 13 Drama Production The Year 13 Cast worked as an ensemble on three pieces ...
Mural for St Andrews Village A small group of Art students have been working on a mural project which was officially unveiled in March ...	New Zealand Playhouse Theatre - 'As You Write It' The Playhouse Theatre Group presented 'As You Write It' as part of the Term One Shakespeare focus ...
Year 12 PHE Camp to Tawharanui Regional Park Year 12 PHE students enjoyed the beauty of Tawharanui and participated in several activities ...	Business Challenge Facilitated by the Young Enterprise Trust the Business Challenge is an experiential learning programme ...
Homestay Families Wanted Good quality homestay families are required ...	Senior Ball Information and guidelines have been sent to all Parents and Caregivers of Senior students (Years 12 and 13) ...
Term 1 Lawn Bowls The Term 1 Lawn Bowls competition ended on Monday 25 March after 7 weeks of games ...	NCEA Certificates Endorsed with Excellence 2012 Congratulations to the 88 students whose NCEA Certificates have been Endorsed with Excellence ...
Global Leaders' Convention On Friday, 22 March fourteen Glendowie students attended World Vision's Global Leaders' Convention ...	Year 11 Geography Trip Year 11 Geographers intrepidly set out for Muriwai Beach on Tuesday, 5 March ...
Theatre Day Senior Drama students experienced a day of theatre on Thursday, 21 March ...	Year 13 Visit to P.I.L.O.T. A small group of Pacific Island students accompanied Mrs Thomas to their final PILOT meeting ...
Year 13 History Northland Trip Year 13 History visited many historical sites, as well as Tane Mahuta and experienced sailing on a tall ship ...	Year 12 Tongariro Trip Year 12 Geographers went to observe and experience the natural environment at Tongariro National Park ...
Tessa Duder Visit A feature of Book Month was a visit from renowned New Zealand author, Tessa Duder ...	Glendowie Grapevine Year 12 students are the editors of this year’s new look ‘Glendowie Grapevine’ student newspaper ...
Maadi Cup 2013 The Finals were held over two days and we had crews in 4 B Finals and 4 A Finals ...	Third in New Zealand for Glendowie Baseball Team A convincing win against Cambridge College clinched third place for the team ...
Glendowie Water Polo Senior Water Polo competed in the North Island Secondary School Water Polo Championships ...	ZM Radio Free Ice creams Monique O’Meeghan is definitely one of the most popular students in Year 10 this week ...
Summer Sports Tournament Week Monday, 18 March to Friday, 22 March is Summer Sports Tournament Week ...	Garden Party The welcome rain didn't deter over 200 people from coming along anyway to enjoy Ayrlies Garden ...
Simon O'Connor MP visit to Glendowie College Senior students were invited to apply for the position of Youth Member of Parliament for Tamaki ...	Auckland Secondary Schools Triathlon Championships Our Year 11 Boys team won gold medals in the Intermediate Grade Tag Triathlon ...
Junior Social The theme was ‘Fiesta’ and the Hall was brightly decorated with streamers and banners ...	First Aid Course Year 12 Outdoor Education students participated in a First Aid Course at the Glendowie Community Centre ...
North Island Rowing Championships The under 16 girls quad were the stars of our Glendowie contingent winning both silver and gold medals ...	Year 13 Geography Trip The Year 13 Geography students went on their annual visit to the Piha River Drainage Basin ...
Summerfest 2013 Every lunchtime the quad and nearby areas were transformed into performing arts centres ...	New International Students We welcomed 56 international students to the college this year ...
Multiple Sclerosis Acknowledgement Olivia and Marcus Jones were recognised with framed certificates from Multiple Sclerosis Auckland ...	Attitude Presentations The topic for this year’s ‘Attitude’ series for Year 12 students was ‘Leadership’ ...
World Challenge A group of intrepid Glendowie adventurers embarked on a life changing adventure to Vietnam and Laos ...	New Staff 2013 We welcomed back several former staff members this year ...
Staff Professional Development Educational consultant and SOLO expert, Ms Pam Hook led the professional learning day ...	Rowing Success - Head of Harbour 2013 The Rowing Squad had unprecedented success at the Auckland Secondary Schools Championships ...
Year 10 Dance - Flashmob The Year 10 Dance class participated in a flashmob at the University of Auckland Epsom Campus ...	Waitangi Day 2013 Ms Moore and Head Prefects, Lucas Haugh and Erin Fisher, were among the 1200 invited guests ..
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Careers News Click here to view the Careers Newsletters...
Earlier College Communicators Would you like to view an earlier College Communicator? ...	Sports Draws Would you like a copy of a sports draw? ...

Successful Concert Band tour to Argentina

Monday, 29 April to Friday, 10 May 2013

On April 29, 31 players flew to Buenos Aires via Santiago to begin their long waited music tour. Thanks to the detailed planning of our travel agent Tour Time, the students had opportunities to perform in a range of venues.

We visited St George’s and St Hilda’s private schools as well as Collegio Norbridge and no 2 local school in Hurlingham near St Hilda’s. All these schools were securely locked with high fences topped with razor wire.

We were privileged to visit two community centres run by the ‘Open Hands’ organisation which ministers to the poor.

The performance highlight was our concert at Teatro Colon in Mar del Planta where we played to an audience of 800 and received a standing ovation.

Shopping, Tango lessons, great food and sight seeing all added to the enjoyment of this wonderful experience.

Optimist Sailing Nationals 2013, Timaru

Friday, 29 March to Tuesday, 2nd April 2013

At Easter time, Scott McKenzie (9DHY) sailed in the Optimist Sailing Nationals in Timaru.

There were 118 sailors from all over New Zealand competing over 5 days of sailing.

Scott was placed 7th overall which earned him a place in the New Zealand Team going to the European Optimist Championship Regatta in Hungary, where he will sail as part of a team of four. Scott was very close to making the New Zealand World's Team (top 5) and was also the second thirteen year old.

Scott's goal for the next two years is to make the New Zealand World's Team and to become the New Zealand Champion.

Year 13 Drama Production

Tuesday, 16 April 2013 and Thursday, 18 April 2013

"Jeannie Once"

Dunedin 1880's.

Wednesday, 17 April 2013 and Friday, 19 April 2013

"Wednesday to Come"

Levin 1930's.

Wednesday, 17 April 2013 and Friday, 19 April 2013

"Pass it On"

Auckland Waterfront Strike 1951.

All pieces are by Renee and the Cast worked as an Ensemble on all three pieces.

Mural for St Andrews Village

Thursday, 28 March 2013

For the past year a small group of Art students have been working on a mural project which was officially unveiled in March. The students, Vikki McAdam, Jennifer Newton, Erin Fisher, Aidan Fogelberg, Mackenzie Blake and Megan Taylor, under the guidance of Mrs Helen Cooper (Head of the Art Department), spent one evening each week working on the project.

The idea for the mural came about when Mrs Janice Grigor from St Andrews Village invited the college to produce something to enhance the outdoor area of the Dementia Unit at the Village. Mrs Cooper recruited some volunteer students and the next step was a visit to the site to learn a little about dementia and see the location for the mural. The students decided to paint a typical New Zealand beach scene which would remind the residents of happy memories from their past.

The next step was to collect ideas, design and then paint the mural. At the time Mr James Ian Fogelberg, Aidan’s grandfather, was a resident of the Unit. Unfortunately he passed away before it was completed and it was decided to dedicate the mural to his memory.

In March the students were invited to St Andrews to see their completed mural installed. The CEO of St Andrews Village, Mr Andrew Joyce, welcomed everyone and spoke of his appreciation for the long standing relationship between the college and the retirement village.

New Zealand Playhouse Theatre – 'As You Write It'

Monday, 8 April 2013

The English Department has had a focus on Shakespeare for Term One which culminates in Shakespeare Day at the end of the term. As part of this focus the Playhouse Theatre Group from Christchurch presented ‘As You Write It’ to all English classes on Monday, 8 April.

The two performances were both entertaining and educational with plenty of audience interaction engaging the students. Drawing on a variety of well known scenes the actors referenced ‘Romeo and Juliet’, ‘Hamlet’, ‘Macbeth’ and ‘The Merchant of Venice’ among others.

Their informative break down of some of the intricacies of Shakespearean language was useful and amusing, ensuring that students could put the language into context.

Both performances were applauded with enthusiasm.

Year 12 PHE Camp to Tawharanui Regional Park

March 2013

Three Year 12 PHE classes had a great time camping at Tawharanui Regional Park during March.

The sun shone during the camps and the students enjoyed the beauty of Tawharanui and participated in several activities including Mountain Biking and Kayaking with instruction from Manukau Leisure Outdoor Experience; Horse Riding at Horse Riding Warkworth and Pakiri Beach Horse Rides; Surf Survival; Swimming; the Ecology Tramp and various other camp activities.

Business Challenge

Wednesday, 3 April - Friday, 5 April 2013

The Business Challenge is an experiential learning programme for Year 11 students. It occurs over three days and is facilitated by the Young Enterprise Trust.

The programme culminates in a Dragon's Den type scenario where groups pitch their business ideas to the Dragons: Simon O’Connor (MP for Tamaki), Michael Stiassny (KordaMentha), Nick Sedwell (Hansells), Andrew Steel (BioMatters) and Andrew Johnstone (Trends Media).

The results are as follows:

1st place - Team Work Award: 'Smokin' Hot', CEO Juliette Foley

2nd place - Innovation Award: 'On the Go', CEO Kate Turner

3rd place: 'P.I.D.', CEO Grace Stevens

Display Award: 'On the Flip Side', CEO Harriet Beattie

Homestay Families Wanted

Good quality homestay families are required, preferably with school-age children, to host international students.

You need to speak English as your first language at home.

If you can offer students a safe and comfortable home environment where they can practise their English skills and a taste of the "kiwi home experience" then we would like to hear from you.

For further information please go to www.kiwienglish.co.nz , email homestay@kiwienglish.co.nz or phone Bronwyn on 9182245.

Senior Ball

All Parents and Caregivers of Senior Students (Years 12 and 13) intending to attend the Senior Ball to be held on Saturday, 18 May 2013 have received a communication from the College containing information, requirements and guidelines for this event. If you have not received this please check with your child and/or contact Student Services.

Lawn Bowls, Term 1 2013

The Term 1 Lawn Bowls competition ended on Monday 25 March after 7 weeks of games.

The overall winner of the competition was Rebecca Chan, who narrowly beat Savas Saldiray into second place.

The third and fourth places were also very close, but Anna Scarrow just headed off Caedyn Louis in the last round.

Emma Sandford and Sarah Scarrow finished in fifth equal place. We congratulate these students and all the others who entered the competition. Many of them developed very good skills as the season went on.

This was demonstrated when Rebecca and Anna entered the Glendowie Bowling Club Social Bowls competition on Monday 25, and came first on A Green, ahead of nine other teams.

Glendowie bowlers also competed with Sacred Heart College bowlers in an inter-schools tournament on 4 March. Saxon Elbers-Booth and Joshua Mills gained first place.

The bowlers would like to thank Glendowie Bowling Club for their continuing support and the use of their facilities in training, and Rob Edwards for his expert coaching.

Norman Hawcroft

Global Leaders' Convention

Hosted by World Vision

Friday, 22 March 2013, ASB North Harbour Stadium

The students who attended were:

Aaron Mayo-Smith, Alexander Shuck, Samila Ansorali, Gregory Warren, Amy Mughames, Filippa Olausson, Saraya Hogan, Privitha Sivanesan, Adam Szentes, Adam White, Katherine Turner, Harriet Beattie, Sarah Scarrow and Sophie Vreeburg.

The Teachers who attended were:

Miss Fiona Smith and Dr Thais Nafissi.

As I sat on one of many chairs lined up to face the stage; I was expecting to be spending my day sitting through endless lectures about world poverty and other issues. So when two men walked onto the stage what seemed like just another awkward Australian turned out to be an entertaining inspiring lecturer.

After a brief talk they separated us into different countries and gave us many pieces of paper, on which was a variety of things: animals, land, opportunities, missions, money and crops. Our only goal was to survive. Being put into Cambodia, which consisted of 6 people, compared to the large group of close to 15 people called the USA, I wasn't sure how we would do it. We traded peacefully with the other countries, but as the rich got richer and the poor got poorer, people became desperate. Theft of money, crops and live stock broke out throughout the room. People kidnapping other countries' kings for ransom and trading real money for the fake we were playing with became more regular.

But this was only a game? As the game came to a finish, we all realized how real this 'game' was. Kidnapping, invasion and war is a very real thing in this world, but that was what I just witnessed in the 'game' I played only hours prior.

It was an amazing day over all, but I left feeling changed in a way. Before we left we took part in something called "today...therefore" when you had to write down what you learned today and what you were going to do further to what you had learned. So now I’ll leave you with mine.

Today I learned how war can start, how when your only need is to survive, even the simplest of things are impossible to get without money, land or power. How those who suffer turn to theft and war just so they can survive. Therefore; I'm going to savour the freedom we have in New Zealand, I'm going to tell others about what I've learned and finally, I'm going to make a difference.

Saraya Hogan (Year 12)

The group who attended the Global Leaders' Convention hope to participate in the World Vision 40 Hour Famine being held from the 7th to the 9th of June 2013. If you would like more information or to help the group then please contact Miss Smith (Year 13 Dean) or Dr Thais Nafissi.

More information about the 40 Hour Famine can be found on the World Vision website: https://www.worldvision.org.nz/portal/famine/default.aspx

NCEA Certificates Endorsed with Excellence 2012

Certificate Endorsement

When a student gains 50 credits at Excellence, their NCEA certificate is endorsed with Excellence.

The 2012 results have recently been announced and we would like to extend our congratulations to the following 88 Glendowie College students who have been recognised in this way. They can be very proud of achieving success at such a high level.

Level 1

Christie Anderson, Alexander Baird, Manon Blackman, Annalisa Bothner-By, Nicholas Callaghan, Rebecca Chan,

Zaiyou Chen, Stephen Ellis, Ermal Fusha, Christine Geronimo, Bryony Large, Suman Ghanatha, Evie Gillan,

Sheldon Hamer, Jacob Haugh, Laura Hay, Connor Hewett, Lucia Hu, Lauren Hubbard, Michael Jenkins,

Daniel Lawless, Rita Li, Charlotte Leabourn, Jessica Lo, Tessa Lynch, William McKenzie, Sonia Mijatov, Ibraheem Rasheed, Sophie Rolton, Gabriela Rocha, Joel Samuel, Amiel San Miguel, Emma Sandford, Anna Scarrow, Diana Simumpande, Privitha Sivanesan, Gabriela Sinton, Ellie Smith, Emma Strong, Emily Su, Adam Szentes, Zen Takahashi,

Isabelle West, Adam White, Andy Wong, Victoria Wong, Steven Yee, Nicolas Zawadzki, Clark Zhang.

Level 2

Rana Alsadat, Sarah Bender, Oliver Bernau, Caitlin Cairncross, Isabelle Dendale, Jaed Fabian, Erin Fisher,

Catherine Foley, Yan Gao, John Gribble, Duncan Grimson, Calum Haugh, Lisa Hoshina, Lauren Hubbard, Victoria McAdam, Emily McGuire, Menaga Manokaran, Aaron Mayo-Smith, Elizabeth Mayo-Smith, Madeleine Masters, Jennifer Newton,

Pippi Nola, Rebecca Tuckey, Andy Wong, Wing Hung Wong, Joshua Worthington-Church.

Level 3

Vaughan Burrell, Callum Chalmers, Hyun Do, Anna Foley, Benson Huang, Matthew Lloyd, Sarah Page, Akhila Puthigae, Matthew Sargent, Alice Strang, Evan Sinton, Samuel Smith, Karen Yanagimoto.

Year 11 Geography Trip

Tuesday, 5 March 2013

On Tuesday the 5th March the Year 11 Geographers intrepidly set out for Muriwai Beach. As we took the drive out west the black clouds loomed and the end of the long drought looked ominous.

Here we were thinking, “trust us to pick the only day in the last month for rain!” However, the weather held out and in the end we were thankful for the somewhat overcast conditions. It was a successful day of learning about the users of the beach environment and how these users can cause conflict.

Luke kindly gave up his time to talk to us from a lifeguard’s perspective. He was both informative and entertaining and the new surf club rooms were fantastic. We ventured up the hill to the gannet colony to be welcomed by a great 'pong' that made drawing our précis sketches difficult as we tried to multi-task drawing with shirts over our noses.

It was a great day out and the information gathered has led to greater understanding of the internal assessment.

Theatre Day

Thursday, 21 March 2013

On Thursday the 21st March the senior Drama students experienced a day of theatre.

First we went to" HUI", a new New Zealand piece, about a family of four siblings who return to take care of things at their father’s death. It was performed in the Q Theatre and it was amazing! Fantastic acting and an awesome set that showed a very recognisable entire New Zealand State House on stage. Students were moved and blown away by the production as a whole.

We then walked across Aotea Square to the Aotea Centre for the world renowned performance of "One Man, Two Guvnors". We had a quick lunch break between to help us settle from the emotional journey of "HUI" in readiness for the hilarious romp of the second piece.

The day has provided fantastic material for writing in the external achievement standards.

Mrs C Stone

Year 13 Visit to P.I.L.O.T – Pacific Island Leaders of Tomorrow

Wednesday, 20 March 2013

On the twentieth of March a small group of Pacific Island students accompanied Mrs Thomas to their final PILOT meeting, held at the Martin Hautus Centre in Onehunga. This was the first occasion that PILOT had been hosted at this venue.

The day began with prayers and Workshop One which was the Teu Le Va – protecting the boundaries or spaces. This was aimed at the students taking a personal stocktake of where they are today, and giving the students an opportunity to engage in discussion with their peers and the PILOT crew.

This was accompanied by an address by the motivational speaker John Setu. John has been working with at risk youth for ten years and is passionate about working with young people. It would be safe to say that he had all of the students hanging on every word. His aim was to encourage Pacific students to communicate effectively be educated and motivated. His message was’ not to let the environment dictate your future but to rise above it’.

This was followed by another workshop that was aimed at the next part of the journey- further study. There were three sessions universities, polytechnics and outside providers. There was also an financial literacy session which looked at Student Loans and Allowances. A worksheet was provided in their booklet which outlined what they would need should they choose to go into the workforce or apply for further study/scholarships.

The day ended with the entire group receiving a lei as a mark of their last PILOT session, and their success at entering Year 13.

Third in New Zealand for Glendowie Baseball Team

Monday, 18 March to Thursday, 21 March 2013

The Glendowie College Senior Baseball team took part in the Secondary Schools National Baseball Tournament from the 18th to 21st March, where they finished third in New Zealand. A strong performance put the team in 3rd equal position after pool play. The team narrowly missed out on points to make it to the final between One Tree Hill College and Auckland Boys Grammar, having beaten Auckland Grammar in pool play. A convincing win against Cambridge College clinched third place for the team. The Most Valuable Player of the team was awarded to Connor Gleeson, who also made the tournament team.

Year 13 History Trip to Northland

Sunday, 17 March to Wednesday, 20 March 2013

The twenty nine students in the Year 13 History class have just returned from a four day History trip to Northland. Their trip in included visiting many historical sites, as well as Tane Mahuta and sailing on a tall ship.

Year 12 Tongariro Trip

Sunday, 17 March to Tuesday, 19 March 2013

The Year 12 Geographers recently ventured down to Tongariro National Park to observe and experience the natural environment studied as part of their NCEA Level 2 course. Unfortunately, the weather was not on our side. We encountered three days of rain and showers, and the peaks of the three volcanic cones that dominate the landscape remained hidden in the cloud and mist. However, this did not dampen the spirits of the students who remained positive and cheerful, even when walking in the rain and during the six hour bus journey there and back. Student behaviour was excellent and the trip was a valuable learning experience for them.

Ms T Gibb and Ms L Tomlinson

2013 Maadi Cup

Monday, 18 March to Sunday, 24 March 2013, Lake Karapiro

The Finals were held over two days. There were a total of 48 divisions with A and B Finals being raced.

The standard of the Rowing from the students, both boys and girls, throughout the country was of an impressively high level. In a lot of races there were over 45 crews competing.

Our top performers this year have been girls and it was quite challenging to see the very high standard of schools from the South Island. Over the two days we had crews in 4 B Finals and 4 A Finals.

The following are the results:

Under 17 Boys Single Sculls

Isaac Mallinson - 1st in B Final (9th place in New Zealand, 4th fastest overall time).

Unfortunately times don't count toward places in Finals.
Under 18 Girls Double Sculls

Elizabeth Mayo-Smith and Jessica Thompson - 3rd in B Final (11th place overall, 10th fastest time overall).
Under 18 Girls Single Sculls

Elizabeth Mayo-Smith - 2nd in B final (10th place, 9th fastest time).
Under 18 Boys Lightweight Coxed Four

Samuel Boucher, Rob Mackenzie, Isaac Everitt, Nickolas Tetley and coxswain Scott Keats - 7th in A Final.
Under 17 Boys Double Sculls

Isaac Everitt and Isaac Mallinson - 6th in B Final.
Under 16 Girls Coxed Four

Jessica Thompson, Alana Lancaster, Jasmine Brake, Sarah Crummey and coxswain Scott Keats - Silver in A Final (2nd in New Zealand).
Under 17 Boys Coxed Quad

Isaac Mallinson, Nickolas Tetley, Isaac Everitt, Rob Mackenzie and coxswain Scott Keats - 7th in A Final (7th in New Zealand).

These results are quite impressive. To finish in the top 10 in New Zealand is an amazing achievement for any student to achieve. As mentioned the standard of the Rowing displayed at these Championships was outstanding. One can only refer to the fact that Rowing is one of the top sports in New Zealand in terms of international achievement. The recent international successes have brought more students into the sport as well as Coaches who are prepared to put in enormous hours.

The Maadi Cup is a magnificently organized regatta run by the New Zealand Rowing Association. Besides that, there was an amazing Air display at lunch and music by the Army Band. It was world class event in every way.

Glendowie Grapevine

Year 12 students Charlotte Leabourn, Steven Yee and Lauren Edmonds are the editors of this year’s new look ‘Glendowie Grapevine’ student newspaper. They are responsible for organising a large team of writers and photographers to create a colourful, entertaining and up to date snapshot of life at Glendowie College once or twice each term. Issue one appropriately features Head Prefect Erin Fisher. And, there are plans afoot to expand into television so watch this space.

ZM Radio - Free Ice creams

Wednesday, 20 March 2013

Monique O’Meeghan is definitely one of the most popular students in Year 10 this week. By entering a ZM radio competition she won an ice cream for every student in Year 10 – as well as some of the teachers.

The ZM ice cream van arrived on time during the Year 10 assembly and provided a very welcome treat before everyone headed off to class.

Tessa Duder Visit

Friday, 22 March 2013

One of New Zealand’s most famous authors visited Glendowie College on Friday, 22 March 2013.

A feature of Book Month was a visit from renowned New Zealand author, Tessa Duder. She spent the day with us giving talks to English classes in the library where Ms Edgar had set up a display of her books and had arranged for classes to come and listen.

Tessa is most well known for her novel ‘Alex’ which has been recognised as a New Zealand classic, but she has also produced many other titles and is very supportive of the craft of writing in general. Her enthusiasm for language, writing and reading is infectious and it was a great privilege for us to hear her read segments from ‘Alex’ aloud and also to learn about the story behind the book. She explained that it takes a lot of editing before writing is ready for publication and students should not be content with the first draft of anything they write. It is seldom their best.

Tessa explained how books can open windows into the lives of others. She also referred to the skill of another famous New Zealand writer, Margaret Mahy, who passed away last year. She read one of Margaret’s imaginative poems about things you can find at the back of the chair.

There are opportunities for students to get their work published in an annual anthology which Tessa is involved with. Students who are interested in submitting their writing should ask Ms Edgar for contact details.

Glendowie Water Polo

Monday, 18 March to Friday, 22 March 2013

The Senior Water Polo competed in the North Island Secondary School Water Polo Championships during Summer Tournament week in March. The photos show them in their first game of the competition in which they defeated the team from Mt Roskill Grammar.

Summer Sports Tournament Week

Monday, 18 March to Friday, 22 March is Summer Sports Tournament Week.

We have Glendowie College teams competing in the New Zealand Secondary Schools Rowing Championships, the Maadi Cup, at Lake Karapiro; Baseball, competing at Crossfield Park, and at the end of the week Water Polo.

The photos are of our Baseball team during a game on Wednesday morning, 20 March.

Matthew Thomas is the pitcher. The event was the New Zealand Secondary School Baseball Championships
and the team was placed third. Congratulations!

Garden Party

Sunday, 17 March 2013

Fundraiser for the Concert Band trip to Argentina

The long dry days of the 2013 New Zealand summer came to an end on the day of our garden party, but the welcome rain didn't deter over 200 people from coming along anyway to enjoy Ayrlies Garden, one of the most beautiful gardens ever and to experience wonderful music from the Glendowie College Concert Band.

Mrs Beverly McConnell, owner of Ayrlies Garden, does not open her garden to the public, so we were very privileged to once again be able to visit and wander the paths and tracks freely, admiring the beautifully arranged trees, shrubs and flowering plants growing in and around expanses of lawn and lakes, waterfalls and streams.

The Concert Band performed for almost an hour, sheltered under the cover of a generous car port while parents, grandparents and other supporters enjoyed the music from the driveway while sheltering beneath a sea of brightly coloured umbrellas.

No one complained about the weather, it was a fantastic afternoon, and as far as rain goes, things were quite pleasant, especially as we are all aware of how desperately our country needs rain at this time. The mostly light, warm showers made the garden look fresh and bright and made for a day to remember for a long time.

Mrs McConnell has had a book published which outlines the history of Ayrlies Garden and contains many beautiful colour photographs. There is a copy at Reception and you are invited to drop by and have a look or purchase a copy. The cost is $60.

The Concert Band would like to thank all their supporters who came to the garden party. It was a very generous thing to do on such a wet day and we do appreciate it.

The group leaves for Argentina on 29 April 2013 and after a 10 day tour, which includes performances at three schools in Buenos Aires and a church in Mar del Plata, will return on 10 May 2013.

We would like to thank the following businesses for their generosity in supporting our garden party fundraising event:

Bakers Delight - St Heliers

Better Body Beauty Sanctuary – Glendowie

Gilmours - Panmure

Vivid Hair - St. Heliers

Simon O’Connor MP visit to Glendowie College

Monday, 18 March 2013

On Monday, 18 March our local MP for the Tamaki Electorate, Mr Simon O’Connor, visited our senior student assembly and spoke about the way Parliament works. He invited students to apply for the position of Youth Member of Parliament for Tamaki. Several students then met with Simon and received application forms.

To enter students must write an essay about what they consider to be the most important political issues of our region. The student who is selected will travel to Wellington and attend a parliamentary session with Simon.

Auckland Secondary Schools Triathlon Championships

Thursday, 14 March 2013

At the Auckland Secondary Schools Triathlon Championships held at St Kentigern College on Thursday 14 March, our Year 11 Boys team consisting of Liam Hay, Joshua Carlier and Rob Mackenzie won gold medals in the Intermediate Grade Tag Triathlon. The event required Liam to swim 500m, Joshua to cycle 15km and Rob had to run 4km.

Congratulations to the boys for winning first place.

Our other Glendowie contender in this event was Nicholas Blenkinsopp, also Year 11, who was placed 29th in the individual event.

Liam Hay, Joshua Carlier and Rob Mackenzie

Junior Social

Tuesday, 12 March 2013

Thanks to the efforts of the Year 13 students for their great organisational skills , the junior school had an awesome social on Tuesday 12 March. The theme was ‘Fiesta’ and the Hall was brightly decorated with streamers and banners.

Many students came along dressed in fiesta costumes. Lively dance music filled the air and everyone had a great time.

It was a wonderful opportunity to relax and enjoy each other’s company. At 10pm it came to a close. Time to go home and get some rest from all the energetic dancing!

First Aid Course

Monday, 4 March and Tuesday, 5 March 2013

A First Aid Course was held at the Glendowie Community Centre for Year 12 Outdoor Education students.

North Island Rowing Championships

Lake Karapiro, 8 – 10 March 2013

The school crews made 10 A finals and 5 B finals. In the A Finals (top grade), the team gained three fourth placings, one third, one second and one first. The under 16 girls quad were the stars of our Glendowie contingent winning both silver and gold medals. Although all aged under 16 they competed in the under 17 event where they were placed second, then in the under 16 event where they won gold. Congratulations to the team members: Jasmine Brake, Sarah Crummey, Jessica Thompson, Alana Lancaster and Thomas Callaghan (cox).

Congratulations to single sculler Elizabeth Mayo-Smith who was placed third in the under 18 singles.

The whole three day event was superbly run by the New Zealand Rowing Association and the Glendowie College parents were wonderful in their support of the students. Mrs Wendy Baker has worked hard to produce such a well knit organisation. It was a very warm day with lots of great things happening. All the crews displayed some good, sound technique and there was a wonderful level of rowing by the crews in the finals.

From this experience Glendowie crews have shown they have more than the necessary skills to be serious challengers for fine rewards at Maadi, the New Zealand Secondary Schools Rowing Championships, in two weeks time.

Mr W Ruffles

Year 13 Geography Trip

Friday, 8 March 2013

On the Friday, 8th March the Year 13 Geography students went on their annual visit to the Piha River Drainage Basin.

The purpose of the visit was to observe the natural environment studied for their NCEA external and to gather data on stream velocity, sediment size, and the depth and width of the stream channel at various locations.

The hot weather meant that the shade provided by the native bush was appreciated even more.

The day ended with a refreshment stop at Piha Beach before heading back to Glendowie College.

L Tomlinson

New International Students

We welcomed 56 international students to the college this year.

They come from the following countries:

Korea, France, Thailand, Japan, China, Laos, Noumea, Columbia, Russia, Vietnam, Brazil, Taiwan, Germany, Chile and India.

Summerfest 2013

Monday, 25 February 2013 - Friday, 1 March 2013

The long hot days of the last week of February and the shade provided by our trees made perfect conditions for our annual Summerfest. Every lunchtime the quad and nearby areas were transformed into performing arts centres with a wide variety of entertainment provided by teachers and students from the Arts Faculty.

Music filled the air every lunchtime as the college’s music groups showed their skills in a variety of genres from ukulele to concert band. Students from the Year 13 Painting class created intriguing chalk text based art works on the pathways for a stop motion art film and drama students were conspicuous as they promenaded around in costume. The photography class organised a Summerfest photo challenge open to all budding photographers. This involved eight imaginative photographic challenges all to be photographed at the college during the Summerfest activities.

Summerfest provided opportunity for all students to be entertained and on Wednesday the opportunity to participate in a mufti day fundraiser ‘childhood memories’ for the concert band trip to Argentina in April/May. At the end of the week a local professional clown performed acts involving unicycling, juggling, balloon craft and fire.

Congratulations and thank you to all the Arts Faculty Summerfest organisers and participants. It was a delight to wander around the school at lunchtime, relax in the festival atmosphere and enjoy the superb entertainment.

New Staff 2013

Our only new teaching staff member this year is Mr Hayden So, a first year teacher in the Technology Department, specialising in computing.

Mr Hayden So

Returned from maternity leave we welcome back, Mrs Connie Chan, Mrs Kokohu (nee Ms Fox) and Ms Zohra Trinder.

Ms Zohra Trinder, Mrs Connie Chan and Mrs Kokoku

Returning after a one year absence, Miss Jane Willingale who spent seven months in South America in 2012, including three months in Peru helping with disaster relief work after the earthquake.

Ms Anna Vincent has been away for two and a half years teaching English at all levels from kindergarten children to train conductor adults in Berlin.

Ms Anna Vincent and Miss Jane Willingale

Our part time Sports Administrator for 2013 is a familiar face. Miss Jessie Stenberg spent a three term placement here last year while she was completing her studies at AUT. Miss Stenberg is also our Girls’ Hockey Coach.

Miss Jessie Stenberg

In the administration section we welcome Mr Frank Kerrigan who is our new Payroll Administrator.

Staff Professional Development

Tuesday, 29 January 2013

The staff made the most of the week before school started by joining together for two valuable teacher only days.

The first day was spent making final preparations for the implementation of the new level 3 Achievement Standards and the second day was used to explore the use of SOLO (the Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes) taxonomy, which is an assessment framework we will be using in the college this year. SOLO is a tool which can help students identify their learning strengths and needs as well as help them make skilled and active ‘Where to next?’ decisions regarding their learning.

An outline of SOLO is in the student planner which has been issued to every student. Educational consultant and SOLO expert, Ms Pam Hook ( www.pamhook.com ) led the professional learning day and provided valuable insights and resources for staff on the topic of SOLO.

Attitude Presentations

Friday, 15 February 2013

The topic for this year’s ‘Attitude’ series for Year 12 students was ‘Leadership’ and Jordan Cruickshank and Nathan May, the Attitude presenters, gave their serious message in a light hearted and entertaining way. Their talk included the idea that everyone can be a leader, we don’t all have to be prefects, but we should aim to be the best person we can be and lead in our own way.

They challenged us to think about the person each of us would like to become and reassured us that it’s okay to fail. We all make mistakes, that’s to be expected, but we should make sure we learn from our mistakes and work on making sure we don't make them again. They reminded us that Thomas Edison made 1000 attempts at creating a light bulb before he got one that worked. Imagine what the world would be like if he had given up after his 999 failed attempts!

The Attitude presentation emphasized to us all that it is important to make the right choices and that it takes work to become the kind of person you want to be.

They left us with the message:

Make your own decisions and become someone you can be proud of. Have dreams and don’t let little comments affect you in a big way.

We look forward to the Attitude presentations next year. Thanks Jordan and Nathan.

World Challenge

December 2012 - January 2013

In the Christmas holidays a group of intrepid Glendowie adventurers under the guidance of Ms Fiona Smith embarked on a life changing adventure to Vietnam and Laos. The students planned and organised their 20 day adventure which included helping locals in a village as well as many activities including riding elephants and trekking through bush.

Taylor Leabourn reports:

WORLD CHALLENGE TRIP TO SOUTH EAST ASIA DECEMBER 2012 – JANUARY 2013

While all of our class mates were preparing for a rowdy New Years, we were packing our rucksacks and tripping to the airport to start our expedition across South East Asia.

The Glendowie College team arrived in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, on New Year’s Eve. We were lucky enough to spend New Years in the middle of a massive street party in central Hanoi. It was a great way to start the year and our trip. We acclimatized in Hanoi for two days and explored the city, including visiting Hoa Lo Prison.

Next on the itinerary was the night train to Sapa in the north of Vietnam around 150km from the border with China. Sapa was much colder than we thought (minus two one of the nights) but after a visit to the markets the group were kitted out with gloves, scarves, patterned Christmas thermal leggings and could then handle the cold. We set off from Sapa for our physical challenge part of the trip, a five day tramp through rice paddy fields staying in homes of various hill tribes along the way. The team numbers would double on a number of days as local hill tribe women wearing gumboots would walk with us holding our hands as we negotiated the slippery slopes and muddy terrain.

But we did it, everyone slipped over at some point throughout the five days including people falling into rice paddies and one of us pulled an old tribeswoman into the river as we fell in.

We then travelled back to Hanoi and got to see the famous water puppets and spent the day out in Ha Long Bay. Then the group headed down the coast of Vietnam via a 6-bed triple bunk room night train to Hue.

We then had the bus trip from hell … Hue to Vientiane (the capital of Lao) 18 hours on a packed sleeper bus. There were our packs on the roof and fruit underneath where we slept and locals lying down the middle isle of the bus often competing with us for space, quite a journey in those conditions and then they hassled us off the bus at 4am.

But we were all fine and were lucky to have a few cruisey days in Lao, which included more bus travel, night markets, beautiful sunsets, amazing waterfalls and gorgeous sun bears.

Now began the work in our community project phase of the trip, off to the village we went in a little mini-van filled to capacity along the under construction roads surrounding Luang Prabang. In the village we had to paint the nearly completed secondary school toilet block and we were also lucky enough to go to the primary school and teach a little English and play a few games. The village held a farewell celebration for the group where we had to all dance and sing, it was a magical evening. We had our final few days in Lao and had the opportunity to go and spend the day at a nearby elephant village, we learnt how to ride them, spent an hour on an elephant tramp around the village with them and then we got to bathe them in the river. What a wonderful time we had.

Project work done, elephants ridden, we arrived in Bangkok in the sticky 35 degree heat for the Rest and Recovery part of our trip, ready for shopping and our four star hotel we could afford through savings in our budget after roughing it. After a few a day of excessive spending a few members of the team went to the tiger temple having the opportunity to pat a whole bunch of tigers, pretty epic. Others explored Bangkok and saw the Grand Palace and a number of temples. Then our 28 days were up and we were back to Auckland.

I could say it’s been the coolest thing that everyone on the trip had ever done, everyone asks how we have changed. Everyone learnt a whole bunch of skills and qualities that are going to serve all of us in the future. I can honestly say I didn't think we would even make it there, let alone survive the whole trip.

We would all like to thank Ms Smith for her Scottish Fire and decisive persistence which helped make the 23,774km of travel that bit more interesting.

Taylor Leabourn

Multiple Sclerosis Acknowledgement

Olivia and Marcus Jones were recognised with framed certificates from Multiple Sclerosis Auckland for their efforts in helping with the annual fundraising collection for the society held in November last year.

The initiative shown by Olivia and Marcus in enlisting enthusiastic support from the students of Glendowie College helped Multiple Sclerosis Auckland raise a total of $70,000. A certificate of appreciation was also presented to the College and Ms Moore is holding this in the photo above. Thanks to everyone who supported the collection.

Invitation to all Parents to join the Parents' Association

This is a vibrant group of dynamic Glendowie residents, who have a lot of fun doing amazing things to support the school in a variety of ways.

Next meeting is Thursday, 9 June at 7.00pm in the Staffroom.

Come along, everyone is welcome.

Rowing Success: Head of Harbour 2013

Saturday, 16 February 2013

On Saturday, 16 February the Rowing Squad had unprecedented success at the Auckland Secondary Schools Championships held on Lake Pupuke. Congratulations to all concerned and we look forward with anticipation to nationals in March.

1st place

Under 16 Girls Quad: Jessica Thompson, Alana Lancaster, Jasmine Brake, Sarah Crummey

Under 18 Girls Single Scull: Elizabeth Mayo-Smith

Under 16 Boys Double Scull: Jack Quinn, Rob Mackenzie

Under 18 Girls Quad: Jessica Thompson, Brenna Baker, Sarah Crummey, Elizabeth Mayo-Smith

Under 16 Girls Double Scull: Jessica Thompson, Sarah Crummey

2nd Place

Under 17 Boys Single Scull: Isaac Mallinson

Under 16 Boys Double Scull: Richard Perkins, Isaac Everitt

Under 15 Boys Quad: Rory Mallinson, Thomas Brenton-Rule, Thomas Seyb, Callum Parkes

3rd Place

Under 18 Girls Double Scull: Brenna Baker, Elizabeth Mayo-Smith

Under 18 Boys Quad: Wade Monahan, Isaac Everitt, Nickolas Tetley, Samuel Boucher, Thomas Callaghan (cox)

Under 18 Boys Double: Samuel Boucher, Wade Monahan

Year 10 Dance - Flashmob

Thursday, 14 February 2013

On the 14th of February this year, the Year 10 Dance class participated in a flashmob at the University of Auckland Epsom Campus.

The flashmob is part of the global movement daCi (http://www.daci.org/en/gsDisplayGeneral/index/menu_id/13) and One Billion Rising (http://onebillionrising.org/livestream/entry/flash-mob-daci-new-zealand) a cause designed to encourage awareness about violence against women and children.

The students worked hard in the lead up to this event and were praised for their energy, enthusiasm and dedication by University of Auckland lecturer (and flashmob choreographer) Adrienne Sansom.

To view a selection of photos taken at the flashmob please click here.

Waitangi Day Garden Reception at Government House, Auckland

Ms Moore and Head Prefects, Lucas Haugh and Erin Fisher, were among the 1200 invited guests attending the garden reception at Government House, Auckland on Waitangi Day hosted by The Governor General, Lt Gen The Rt Hon Sir Jerry Mataparae and Lady Janine Mataparae.

The occasion marked the 173rd anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi and recall the contribution all New Zealanders, men and women, Maori and Pakeha, have made in making our country good and great. New Zealand was the first nation in the world to grant women the right to vote in 1893 and on this day we recognised especially the contribution women have made during the past 120 years. We also joined in the celebration of the 25 people who became the newest New Zealand citizens, each receiving a kouka tree seedling to mark their decision to become members of Aotearoa New Zealand.

'It was a wonderful opportunity and a great way to recognise and commemorate Waitangi Day in New Zealand.'

Erin Fisher and Lucas Haugh

Earlier College Communicators

Click on the earlier College Communicator to view.

Sports Draws

Would you like a copy of a sports draw? Just send an email and request one from Mr Jason Crummer, Sports Coordinator. Email address: jcrummer@glendowie-college.school.nz