Our Spelling Bee National Finalist
9BN were offered the opportunity to participate in the New Zealand Spelling Bee 2016 (for Year 9 and 10 students) and two students from the class gained grades that enabled them to reach the semi-finals. These students were Iris Huang and Kristijan Ilevski. Their scores in the test put them in the top 200 spellers from the more than 100 schools nationwide that took part.
The Auckland Regional Final was held on Sunday 7 August, at Centennial Theatre, Auckland Grammar School and Kristijan made it through with the top 36 spellers to the National Finals which were held last week at the Bruce Mason Theatre in Takapuna.
Although not a grand winner Kristijan did exceptionally well in this national spelling contest and was involved in 3 days of filming for a television programme called Spellbound. 9BN students were invited to be part of a live audience to support Kristijan as he competed on Thursday evening.
Spellbound will be aired sometime in October.
Debating - Impromptu Cup Tournament
40 of Auckland's top debating teams competed in four rounds of The Auckland Secondary Schools impromptu Debating Tournament at Westlake Boys College. The impromptu rounds challenge students to speak on a range of topics from the Auckland Housing Crisis to Reality TV in a very limited preparation format. Debaters only have minutes to develop points and then articulate and develop their ideas into well-structured arguments in their attempt to persuade Auckland University Law student adjudicators.
Three teams from Lynfield competed. At the end of four rounds, breaking into 4th place and into the quarter finals was the dynamic duo Karan Kalsi and Kitty Sun, who went on to repeat their fine performance from last year and reach the semi finals. Karan was also selected for the Auckland Regional Impromptu Team, along with Zachary Wong (MacLeans College).
Well done to all the fine debaters!
 From left : Harry Ashley, Jia Dua, Raymond Feng and Joseph Hisayasu |
 Semi finalists : Kitty Sun and Karan Kalsi |
In Search of the 8th Natural Wonder of the World
The Pink and White Terraces near Rotorua inspired Victorian tourists to journey for weeks by ship, then walk for two days. Our Level 1 Geography students only needed a bus trip and a night away to visit the location where the terraces vanished in the Tarawera eruption of 1886.
On their guided tour of Waimangu rift valley near Rotorua, students stood on the shore of the lake Rotomahana, which now hides the remains of the terraces. Only a few days after their visit, a small eruption destroyed a patch of scrub the students had walked past.
In contrast to this volcanic destruction, the group luged down Ngongotaha, a mountain created by much earlier tectonic activity.
Gathering information to help their understanding for three internals, the group also visited a dairy farm and got up close to a herd of Jersey cows, the stars of one of New Zealand’s most important export sectors.
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Grand Final of 'Stand Up Stand Out' for "Passion"
| Lynfield College's Vocal group 'Passion' has proceeded to the Grand Finals of "Stand Up, Stand Out". Congratulations to Rose Faautaga, Karen Polamalu, Chantelle D'Souza and Kalo Latu. The Finals are to be held in the Vodafone Events Centre in Manakau on Friday, August 26th. |
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Musicians Take All Awards at Jazz Competition
Congratulations to our musicians!!
The Auckland Schools’ Jazz Bands Competition attracted 28 entries who competed over three days of heats before the best groups lined up and performed in the finals at the Auckland Jazz and Blues Club.
Even before the final performances it was clear Lynfield had done something special by being the only school to have a group in both categories (Jazz Combo and Big Band).
The finals were judged by internationally-acclaimed bass player Tom Warrington, and Lynfield won impressively in all three categories
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Best Big Band
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Best Jazz Combo
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Best soloist – Andrew Isdale
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Connecting with the Games at Rio
With the Olympics underway we took a moment to remember former students who are now representing New Zealand at Rio de Janiero..
Best wishes to
- Tyla Nathan-Wong in the All Blacks Women's Sevens
- Katie Bowen in the Football Ferns
- Looking after the NZ Teams Nutrition at the Games Village is former student Dane Baker
Below are some photos of a lunchtime gym activity - the Lynfield Mini Olympics events
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Double podium finish for Geography teams
| Lynfield College Geography teams gained third place at two interschool competitions. At the Auckland Geography Teachers' Association Year 12 & 13 quiz, Sam Hudson, Dave Sharma, Karan Kalsi and David Johnson placed ahead of 21 other teams.( our team in photo to right) At the NZ Board of Geography Teachers quiz for Year 11, Bryn Litherland, Tony Liu and Jonathan Subritzky also picked up the Bronze. Lynfield College regularly gains high placings in these quizzes. |
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Arts Students Inspired to Tackle the Next Level
| As part of Arts week our senior students enjoyed opportunities to hear how they might progress their skills and interests at tertiary level. Here is a photo of Media Design School representative Ying-Yue Zhao talking to our senior students last week Friday about the digital media courses they provide. Other speakers during the day included ex-Lynfield College student Dan Anderson from Yoobee, and Lianne Saunders from Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design. Ex-Lynfield College students Melyssa Banham, Ye-Bin Lee, Jeeeun Koo and Eilish Out-OReiily shared their recent experiences at AUT Design, Auckland University and Elam School of Fine Arts. Our students were particularly interested in learning about the design for gaming, animation and film programmes, as well as how to manage the transition from secondary to tertiary education. |
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NZ's Next Top Engineering Scientist 2016
| Now in its eighth year, this annual competition is a problem solving event for teams of three to four secondary students, organised by the Department of Engineering Science at University of Auckland. The 2016 competition was held on Saturday, the 6th of August. The question was posted online at 9 am and students had to compile a report and email it to the organisers by the 6 pm deadline 2016 question: What is the fastest humanly possible time for the Olympic 100m freestyle event? This year, we had 9 teams in total, consisting of Year 12 and Year 13 students. The judges (comprised of PhD students and lecturers) at the university are now going through hundreds of reports and the results of the competition would be released early next term. |
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Remember "Word - the Front Line" Grand Slam Final
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Medals Galore at NZChefs Competitions
Lynfield staff, particularly Mrs Townsend and Mr Davis are extremely proud of the hard work and skills displayed by their students at the NZChefs Secondary Schools' Competition.
First there were 19 medals in the Regional competition and then, not daunted by competing at the National level, Lynfield students excelled again. There is excitement when competing against other students but when the pressure is on only the best complete their entries within time and with the quality required.
Congratulations! to the following students:
Regional Level
| Student | Category | Award |
Reetu Garrison |
Barista | Bronze |
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Omelette | Silver |
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Pie or Tart | Silver |
Shania Pirini |
Barista | Silver |
Susan Folau |
Barista | Bronze |
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Beef and Lamb Challenge | Bronze |
Ric Gozon |
Barista | Bronze |
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Pasta and Mushroom | Silver |
Michael Evaga |
Beef and Lamb Challenge | Bronze |
Selina Folau |
CafeSandwich | Bronze |
Jackie Atafau |
Chilled Milk Beverage | Silver |
T J Nivo |
Chilled Milk Beverage | Gold |
Peter Hua |
Chilled Milk Beverage | Gold |
Israel Walker |
Chilled Milk Beverage | Silver |
Aussie Koha |
Omelette | Bronze |
Mikayla McKenzie |
Pie or Tart | Silver |
Tiama Stewart Reid |
Smoothies | Gold |
Henry Park |
Smoothies | Silver |
Shard Hubbard |
Smoothies | Silver |
Lola Iakapo |
Soup | Silver |
Saahil Bali |
What's Your Flavour Burger | Bronze |
Dylan Fernandes |
What's Your Flavour Burger | Bronze |
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National Level
| Student | Category | Award |
Lola Iakapo |
Soup | Bronze |
Reetu Garrison |
Tart | Silver |
Ric Gozon |
Pasta and Muchroom | Silver |
T J Nivo |
Smoothies | Silver |
Shania Pirini |
Barista | Bronze |
Susan Folau |
Barista | Silver |
Saahil Bali |
What's Your Flavour Burger | Silver |
Dylan Fernandes |
What's Your Flavour Burger | Silver |
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Lynfield is through to the final of Word - The Front Line
So far so good! Our Lynfield team (Bridget Logan Haley, Aleece Monkman, Melissa Paet, Kannann Ganesh and Elena Euese) has made it through the semi finals and now progresses to the finals of Word –The Front Line Secondary Schools Grand Slam at the Town Hall concert chamber on August 27th.
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Our team got through the first of the two semi-final heats on Saturday, along with Glenfield College and Selwyn College. and after the next semi next Saturday will know who their other three opponents will be in the final. The team have worked hard and showed real courage to stand up and present their stories in spoken word poetry form. They were very powerful and passionate. Selwyn were the grand slam winners last year and Glenfield were placed in the top three last year so to make it through with these colleges is again quite an achievement for our students.
The images to the right are not of magnificent quality but they do convey the excitement of the team when all teams were on stage and the announcement was made. |
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There was a good turn-out of Lynfield student and staff supporters on Saturday and the team really does value that support from within the audience. The standard of performance was impressive from all the schools participating.
Further details of the final can be found at
http://ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/articles/events/2016/08/word-the-front-line-2016-grand-slam/
To our team....Congratulations on getting this far and best wishes for the finals !
Elysha Negi (Year 13) Attends International German Olympiad
The German language department is abuzz with the recent success of one of our students.
Elysha Negi (Year 13) has just returned from Germany where she represented New Zealand (together with a student from Christchurch) at the International German Olympiad in Berlin in July. She and was one of 125 students from 64 countries.
The Internationale Deutscholympiade has taken place every two years since 2008. The competition, which emerged from national German Olympics in the countries of Central Europe and evolved into Olympic Games on the initiative of the International Association of Teachers of German, gathers the most talented German learners from around the world.
Elysha features three times in this short video (8 sec, 1:40 min and 1:48 min) screened at the International German Olympiad.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByzBck_sGbFbTXlGU2JyNTZwRWc/view?usp=sharing
Senior and Junior Debaters in High Demand
The Lynfield Debaters have been very busy in the start of Term 3.
Auckland Museum: "Against the Tide" debates
Last Sunday, the Auckland War Memorial Museum presented the Against the Tide debates on the issues surrounding our social obligations during a time of war. Auckland University Debaters teamed up with the best debaters in Auckland Schools Debating Regional team and development squad members (including Lynfield College students Karan Kalsi, Kitty Sun and Harry Ashley) to tackle the issues in two semi-final rounds: the winners would then square off in a final round.
The debaters were encouraged to use the historical information that they gathered from the Museum's exhibitions on the topic in their arguments. A senior historian at the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, and Law and Political Studies students adjudicated the debates.
Congratulations to Kitty Sun, whose team won the final!Image on left: winning team on left, including 3rd Speaker Kitty Sun Image on right: team on right has1st speaker Harry Ashley; 2nd is Karan Kalsi |
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Looking forward: Kitty and her Advanced Premier team will compete in the upcoming ASD Impromptu Cup tournament on August 20th and 21st. Last year, her team went all the way to the Semi final in this event. They are looking to do one better and make the final this year. The team have also progressed to the quarter finals of the Advanced Premier Grade and we wish them all the best!
Show debates at Chaucer and Blockhouse Bay Primaries
On Monday and Thursday of the second week of Term 3, the Lynfield Junior Open debaters put on a show debate for local primary schools students, who are learning about how to deliver persuasive speeches. The moot for both debates was "That cats make better pets than dogs", which proved to be highly engaging as well as entertaining (especially so for Speaker of the debate Joesph Hisayasu: he was especially convincing and funny and was invited to speak in the second debate at Blockhouse Bay Primary with an even larger audience of about 100 students). The points of clash were largely around what makes a good pet and issues such as cost, aggression and caring for the animal, which were argued well on both sides of the issue. The primary students and teachers were very appreciative of their time and effort.
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At Chaucer primary :Junior Open team 1 and 4 members: Stella Gilbert- Websdell, Joseph Hisayasu, Jack Kearns, Kate Kearns, Lucy Turner and Kendall D-Souza |
At Blockhouse Bay Primary :Junior Open team 2 and 4 members: Sarah Young, Raymond Feng, Michael Howell, Vedant, Ishaan Bhide, Joseph Hisaysu) |
Looking forward: The Junior Open team Lynfield 2 debate in the Octofinals on the 8th of August and we wish them all the best!
Reporting from the National Model United Nations
- Karan Kalsi (BOT Student Representative)
| I had the honour of receiving a scholarship from the United States Embassy to represent Lynfield College (as a US Delegate) at the UN Youth National Model United Nations in Wellington. Hosted at Victoria University in the heart of Wellington, NZ Model UN offered students the chance to interact with 250 other like-minded individuals on an equal playing field and to experience a little bit of life as a diplomat. NZ Model UN is a life-changing experience, giving everyone the chance to learn about the world around them whilst discussing relevant and serious topics in realistic and fast-paced committee sessions. |
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The purpose of the conference was to inform and educate aspiring young diplomats and politicians about “how values shape the world around us” - which was the overarching theme of the event. As a result, each day was jam-packed with guest speakers, (including Patrick Gower from 3 News!) tutorial workshops and general debate about issues ranging from the role of media in shaping public perception to sovereign debt.
Representing the United States during the debates was an interesting experience to say the least. It provided for a lot of heated discussion from other delegates about America’s somewhat questionable foreign policy actions in the Middle East or locally regarding contemporary topics such as gun control and institutionalised racism. I can safely say that I was forced to think on my feet responding to my fellow delegates as well as analyse their diverse range of thoughts and opinions on the world we inhabit.
However, the highlight of the conference was my visit to the American Embassy. Being the recipient of the US Embassy scholarship granted me the privilege of being able to spend a day with the US Ambassador Mark Gilbert and Public Relations Officer Rob Tate, and learn about their experiences as diplomats and the ins and out of US foreign policy. The information they provided was invaluable, and it was a pleasure being able to tour the inside of what was a highly guarded embassy. I was also lucky enough to persuade them to take a selfie for my Snapchat story!
All in all, I can honestly say that representing Lynfield College, and the United States, at the NZ Model United Nations has proven to be one of the greatest highlights of my year so far - and I’ll always be forever grateful for the experiences, opportunities and skills that it has provided me. I met many wonderful individuals from all across New Zealand with whom I shared some unforgettable memories and experiences.
Year 9 Students' Success in Chinese Short Film Awards
Harriet Barber, Sophie Bradley and Lara Milne of the Year 9 Chinese language class have every reason to be pleased with themselves.
They wrote and filmed a short film and entered it into the first New Zealand Secondary Schools' Chinese Short Film Competition. With their teacher Mrs Fang they are thrilled to received notification they have won awards and are invited to attend an award ceremony in mid-September where the extent of their success will be revealed! We will report further following this ceremony.
Meanwhile here is a link to the film the girls submitted for the award
<https://drive.google.com/a/lynfield.ac.nz/file/d/0Bzp3km3CbMJWZVJpTkVzQlBWV2RVZXN6R0FXVXZqTjNPRTM4/view?usp=sharing_eid&ts=57982fbb>
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Course Selection for 2017 for all Students
Over the next week, students in Years 9-12 will be receiving their 2017 course information booklets and selection forms at Assembly. (These booklets and forms are also available for printing from the Curriculum section of this website).
Please take the time to talk about future plans with your son/daughter and which subjects will help them to achieve their goals. These conversations can also be continued with teachers at the Progress Conferences on August 11th and 16th.
Paper Course Selection Forms need to be signed and returned to form teachers and selections entered into the Parent Portal by the following dates:
Students in Year 11-13 in 2017 deadline is Monday 22nd August
Students in Year 10 2017 deadline is Monday 29th August
Principal, Mr Bovaird, will leave Lynfield in 2017
Our Principal Mr Steve Bovaird has informed the Board of Trustees of his intention to retire from his role at the end of Term 1 2017. By that time Mr Bovaird will have been Principal for 15 years and prior to that he was Associate Principal for 5 years.
In an email to all students and their families he included the following..
"I would like to thank the current and previous Lynfield Boards for the opportunity to work with such an amazing group of students, staff and community over those 20 years. I will have spent 41 continuous years in the education workforce, 24 of which have been in the Mt Roskill area.
For me this is the right time to move on and seek new adventures. I am not sure what lies ahead. I hope to continue in education in some form, but I want to spend more time with my wife and family who have had to make sacrifices while I pursued my career.
When I became principal in April 2002 I referred to the following quote from a famous American educational leader, Lorraine Munroe “ The toughest leadership challenge; To inherit something good and not mess it up”. I think I have achieved that."
Mr Bovaird is particularly proud that Lynfield College has been described by ERO, in each of their 4 visits since 2003, as a "high achieving school".
The Board will now begin its task of appointing a new leader to succeed Mr Bovaird from Term 2 next year.
Lynfield Debaters break into the ASD final rounds
The break to the final rounds of the Russell McVeagh Auckland Schools Debating tournament was announced today, and an impressive five teams from Lynfield will advance.
There are five grades in the tournament and Lynfield has at least one team in each grade in 2016. The Junior and Senior Open teams compete in the Western Zone in five rounds; and the top two teams in each zone advance to the Octofinals. The top two Premier Grades each compete in seven rounds in a single draw (which includes the top academic schools from across Auckland); and eight teams advance to the Quarterfinals of each grade.
One of the highlights of the break was the 1st place position for our Premier Advanced team, Captained by Karan Kalsi, who debated in the National Grande Final at the NZ Schools' Debating Tournament in Wellington. This team is the top team in Auckland. Let’s see if they can hold on to that placing in the final rounds.
This is the first time Lynfield has ever had a team compete in every grade of the tournament and to advance to the final rounds in four of the five is a huge accomplishment.
Here is the rundown of the break:
| Grade | Team/placing | Members |
| Junior Open (5th grade) Coach: Karan Kalsi Manager: Ms Wiggins/Ms Wagner, Ms Leafberg (4 Lynfield teams competed) |
Lynfield 2/6th place |
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| Senior Open (4th grade) Manager/Coach: Mrs Carswell (4 Lynfield teams competed) |
Lynfield 1 (Year 11) 4th place |
Nicole Johnson, Shreya Singaraju, Michelle Strapajevic and Jonathan Subritzky (reserve) |
| Senior Open ( 4th Grade) Coach: Catherine Christie |
Lynfield 4 (Year 12) 8th place |
Kieran Murphy, Arjun Bajaj , Khushi Agrawal, Monitosh Thaker, Sukrit Singh
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| Junior Premier (2nd grade) Coach: Karan Kalsi/Mrs Wagner Manager: Ms Wagner/Mrs Wiggins (1 Lynfield team competed) |
Lynfield 1/8th place |
Harry Ashley, Kyus Rodger, Marnsi Sharma and Mahima Sharma (reserve) |
| Premier Advanced (1st Grade) Coach: Mr. Daly/ NZ Schools Debating coaches Manager: Mr. Daly/Ms Wagner/Ms Wiggins (1 Lynfield team competed) |
Lynfield 1/1st place |
Karan Kalsi, Kitty Sun and Jia Dua and Harry Ashley (reserve)
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Below: our debaters who have progressed to the finals
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