February 2019

Nga Herenga Waka Hui

On Monday 25 February at Te RInga Awhina Marae, a Hui was held involving Nga Herenga Waka, whanau, akonga and kaiako.

A haka powhiri welcomed our manuhiri. Waiata, reo Maori, and concepts of tikanga Maori were explored. The whanau from our community who were present spoke meaningfully about culture and identity, akonga shared their taonga and kai.

Ka nui te mihi ki nga tangata katoa mo tenei hui. Nga herenga Waka representative Tamati Patuwai (Ngati Whatua, Ngati Paoa) asked if another hui could be held as the day was enjoyed by all.

Live carving demonstrations and the completed carving will be showcased in March at Waikowhai from the wananga community members have attended, and the korero collected.

Photo credit: Thank you Vini Laga'aia

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Former Students Winners at Halberg Awards Winners 2019

Two former students of Lynfield College were major award winners at this 56th ISPS Handa Halberg Awards ceremony held on Thursday 21 February.

Beatrice Faumuina was admitted to the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame. Beatrice  was a former world discus champion, New Zealand’s first-ever world track and field champion and Commonwealth Games gold medallist.

Maddison-Lee Wesche received the Emerging Talent Award. In 2018 Maddi clamed gold at the Under 20 IAAF World Championships to make her the World U20 Women’s shotput champion. “This is just the beginning,” she told the audience.

Previous winners of this award were Lydia Ko, Eliza McCartney and Nico Poreous (who was nominated for Sportsman of the Year).
 

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Maori TV Film our Kapa Haka Group

On Saturday 23 February, Maori Television cameras were at Te Ringa Awhina Marae filming Te Roopu Kapa Haka o Te Kaareti o Pukewiwi, as they prepare for ASB Polyfest 2019. They will be live streamed on Maori Television and Facebook on Wednesday 13 March 2019 at 1.52 pm.

A full dress rehearsal concert will be held on Monday 11 March at 6.00 pm in the Hall with entry by koha.

Bring your whanau, Nau Mai Haere Mai!
 
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VEX Robotics at Lynfield College

On Saturday 16 February we hosted 36 teams from around the wider Auckland region attend this season’s final scrimmage in the College Hall. With so many teams’ organisers decided to run a best of 16 alliance finals for the day as a practice to next weekend’s National Championships. Lynfield College teams made it into the semi-finals again this weekend.

On Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 February the VEX Robotics New Zealand National Championships were  held at Lynfield College in the Lower Gym. Approximately 60 teams from all over New Zealand competed in this two-day competition to which everyone was welcome to come and watch.

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Athletics Day: 15 February 2019

Athletics Day is a sporting summer highlight that makes for a great break from the classroom for the whole school. A brilliant example of teamwork and support within and across each of the six house teams made for a memorable but tiring day, thanks to perfect weather.

We are waiting to hear which house is leading the points competition. As usual the best part were the costumes which went from chic through to whimsical, followed by the truly bizarre and the downright frightening. Top marks to the large reptile, although the cones were quite fetching.

Huge thanks to the 'waterbearers' for keeping up the hydration levels of the competitors and staff. Also to all the staff involved for their preparation and management of the day, especially the Sports Department: Felicity Walbran, Su Yim, Jo Smith and Thomas Fletcher.

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frisbee boy broken arm cones boys sprinting
zorocich yellow girls red devils
long jump blue tug of war
 
 
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Student Executive Make Valentine's Day Special

Our Student Executive made Valentine’s Day truly special this year. Students were given the opportunity to purchase a rose, write a card, and a chocolate ($2.00), to be delivered to a student in the school. 400 roses were allocated for sale, all were sold.

Lots of effort went into the organisation from the Student Executive team (special thanks to Michael Howell, Catherine Barker and Vyenna Pearcy), including ordering and dethorning 400+ roses, and form class sorting. It was discovered that it was  surprisingly difficult to keep roses alive! (even just for one day).

Funds raised ($238.50) donated to Lynfield family whose house burnt down due to an electrical failure. Donation has been made via the family’s givealittle page.

Students liked the event, and although many missed out it was so successful that our Student Executive are hoping to create more events of similar nature.

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Leadership Training for our 2019 Student Executive

Held on 23 and 24 January our leadership training was a great way to start the year with a range of activities and team building challenges. Our Student Executive team began as a group of individuals who didn’t really know a great deal about each other. However the high ropes course at Unitec quickly changed that by forming us into a team who can rely on each other for anything.

The skills of teamwork, communication, patience, and listening were all developed as we completed tasks up in the air as well as down on the ground. From blindfolded puzzles to jumping for a trapeze 18 meters in the air, everyone learned to put trust in the rest of the team. The second day was spent at school doing quirky games and encouraging some healthy competition, before breaking up into portfolio groups for goal-setting.

For the rest of the afternoon, we put our blood, sweat, and tears into learning the school haka, which was a great challenge for the majority of us, but we got there in the end. The overall experience of leadership training was an extremely fun and enjoyable time that of which we were all very grateful to be a part.

Our 2019 team is filled with many talented people in all different areas, so expect great things to come for the rest of the year.

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Faye and Rachel's PASCH Scholarship to Germany

From Faye Hine:

In January this year I spent three weeks in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, thanks to a PASCH Scholarship from the Goethe Institute.

The trip marked my first visit to Europe since I was approximately five months old. It was also my first experience of a ‘real’ winter - one with snow and ice. I spent my time with 56 other participants from eight different countries around the world. Though three weeks isn’t all that long, spending every waking moment together allowed us to get to know each other better than I would have thought possible, and I know I have made some lifelong friends thanks to this incredible experience.

On weekdays, we had German lessons from 9 to 3, and following these we would take part in a number of activities organised by our supervisors. Our weekends were spent on excursions to small towns near Frankfurt such as Mainz.

Unsurprisingly, spending several weeks away from my family in a foreign country was beneficial for my independence, and being immersed in German culture, though difficult at first, greatly improved both my German, and my self-confidence.

Thank you Frau Zimmer, the Goethe Institute, and my parents for making it possible for me to take part in this incredible trip.

From Rachel Barrowman:

Late last year, I received a very exciting email inviting me to attend a three week long youth course studying German in Frankfurt thanks to Pasch and the Goethe Institut.

Altogether 57 students aged 14-17 from eight different countries (New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, Brazil, Peru, Columbia, Bolivia, and Panama), took part in this course. We stayed in a youth hostel where every room had four or five students, each from a different country to encourage us to speak German.

We attended lessons every weekday from 9-3, and afterwards were treated to a range of different activities organised by our supervisors, including fun games, trips to sports games, museums, and even the opera, as well as plenty of opportunities for sightseeing and shopping. On weekends we went on trips to neighbouring cities like Mainz and Marburg.

Without a doubt I made some lifelong friendships, learnt a lot of German (and even some Spanish), and have developed a love for Frankfurt and Germany that will never die. I can’t wait to go back.

I must thank Pasch and the Goethe Institut for this opportunity, and of course Frau Zimmer who goes above and beyond what is expected of her as a teacher.

Lynfield College is now a Pasch School, with the ability to supply two scholarships like this to Year 11/12 students every year. I cannot recommend this experience enough as an opportunity to improve your German, gain independence, make incredible friendships, and experience the wonders that Germany has to offer first hand.

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NCEA (National Certificate in Educational Achievement) Results

2018 saw some very good results achieved by our Year 11,12 and 13 students across all levels.

Year 11: 81% gained Level 1 Certificate
Of these 19% had their level certificate endorsed with Excellence and 38% endorsed with Merit

Year 12: 88% gained Level 2 Certificate
Of these 20% had their level certificate endorsed with Excellence and 27% endorsed with Merit

Year 13: 82% gained Level 3 Certificate
61% gained University Entrance which is above the national statistics of 56% for decile 4 - 7 schools. Of those receiving their Level 3 certificate 13% were endorsed with Excellence and 34% at Merit.



Scholarship Exam Results For 2018

We are delighted to announce that 27 Scholarships were awarded to 17 Lynfield College students across 12 subject areas for 2018. These included four Outstanding Scholarships. This is a fantastic result and indicates the high achievement by these of students.  

Their success will be celebrated with staff and families at a special Scholarship Breakfast held in the Staffroom on Wednesday 20 February.

TOP ACHIEVERS IN THE SCHOLARSHIP RESULTS WERE:

JUSTIN GONG (YEAR 13): 3 SCHOLARSHIPS
 
Outstanding in Scholarship Chemistry
Outstanding in Scholarship Physics
Scholarship in Calculus

KEVIN CHEN (YEAR 13): 2 SCHOLARSHIPS
 
Outstanding in Calculus
Outstanding in Physics

RAYMOND FENG (YEAR 12): 3 SCHOLARSHIPS
 
Scholarship in Economics
Scholarship in Media Studies
Scholarship in Physics

TONY FENG (YEAR 11): 3 SCHOLARSHIPS Scholarship in Calculus
Scholarship in Chemistry
Scholarship in Physics


All students who gain a scholarship receive a monetary award towards their university study. The College is very proud of each student who gained one of these top academic awards and recognises the work done by the teachers to prepare and tutor these achievers.
 

SCHOLARSHIPS WERE ACHIEVED IN:
 
Accounting (2)
Chemistry (4)
Drama (1)
German (1)
Biology (3)
Classical Studies (1)
Economics (2)
Media Studies (1)
Calculus (3)
Design (2)
English (1)
Physics (6)
 

 

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