AU G U ST 2 0 2 0 NE W SL E TTE R
Message from the Principal As we continue to navigate our way through 2020, I find myself being increasingly more grateful for every opportunity our students have to engage with everyday tasks and activities in a normal way. Both inside the classroom and through extra-curricular opportunities, ensuring we make the most of our time at Alert Level 1 and Alert Level 2 is a great way to build the capacity and resilience our students need to continue navigating any future restrictions. As such, I would like to personally thank our families for going the extra mile to support our students. Whether through watching sporting fixtures from the parking lot or guiding our senior students through the uncertainty around examinations, it all makes a positive difference. Being involved in the Senior Student Leadership Team election process is always a great privilege. This year, we interviewed close to 40 students who all displayed a strong connection with who we are as a school, our culture of care and inclusivity and our understanding of the importance of hard work. What was most humbling though was the honesty with which they were able to reflect on their own personal journeys as young people. I have no doubt that each and every one of these students will continue to make positive contributions to our school and wider community, irrelevant of any future positions they may or may not hold. I am very aware that we are all looking forward to the new building which was scheduled to open in January 2021. Unfortunately, as a result of Covid-19, progress has been, and with current changes in Alert Levels, now continues to be delayed. The building will go ahead, however, at this stage I am unable to provide an adjusted timeline. In the meantime, we are considering a range of contingency options which will ensure that we are able to meet the demands of our growing roll from January 2021, until our new building is completed. I will continue to share information as it becomes available.
School Newsletter 0800 222 355 | 07 213 0100 | 6 Keenan Rd, Pyes Pa, Tauranga
Sport at ACG Tauranga continues to go from strength to strength under Head of Sport, Franki Traini. We are therefore delighted to welcome Jules Adamson to the team as ACG Tauranga Sport CoOrdinator. Jules has a strong understanding of school sport, having been the BOP Regional Sport Director for Sport Bay of Plenty for over 13 years. She holds a Bachelor of Sport and Leisure Studies degree and enjoys all sports, in particular Basketball, Table Tennis and Touch Football. Jules enjoys being involved in event management, coaching sport and outdoor adventures. No doubt Jules will make a significant contribution to our school community. Keeping our children safe at school is always a key priority. As such, I would like to remind families that at Alert Level 2, parents must drop and collect students in the carpark. Staff will support our younger students to enter and exit safely. Families are most welcome to contact the classroom teacher via e-mail or the front office for assistance in setting up online or face-to-face communication. At Alert Level 1, families may come onto the school site for drop off and pick up. However, should you need to visit the school site during the school day, you must sign in at Reception where you will be issued with a Visitor’s pass. This will ensure that we are always fully aware of who is on site and any visitors can be easily identified. I would also like to thank families who, when receiving a text or phone call directly from their child during the school day, have been contacting Reception in response. As a school, we have clear processes in place to ensure that when required, we are able to assess the situation and provide families with accurate and up-to-date information. Students do not always need to be collected and, more often than not, we are able to manage the situation within the parameters of a normal school day. Please do, however, be assured that if a student does need to be collected, there will be no delay in contacting families.
Students will have noted that we are making lost property available for reclaim on a weekly basis. When items are named, office staff will return these to the relevant student ASAP. Unfortunately, most items found are not named. As we start experiencing slightly warmer days, jackets and jumpers are often left behind and considering the cost involved in replacing these items, it makes sense to ensure these are named. With only 13 school weeks left, we are looking forward to a range of activities and events, including Tournament Week, the Senior Ball, our ECE Art Exhibition, Primary and Middle School social events, school camps, concerts and performances, Spirit Week and community fundraisers. Ensuring we make the best of every opportunity will be an absolute priority, guaranteeing our students have many great 2020 memories to share in years to come.
Thea Kilian Principal
2 2
School Newsletter 0800 222 355 | 07 213 0100 | 6 Keenan Rd, Pyes Pa, Tauranga
Key Dates August Friday 21 August – Tuesday 1 September
Senior College Mock Exams
Thursday 27 August
Open Day 2-7pm TBC
September
Monday 31 August – Friday 4 September
Tournament Week
Saturday 5 September
Senior Ball
Monday 7 – Wednesday 9 September
Arts Week
Wednesday 16 September
Tall Poppies Maths – Year 7 and Year 8
Thursday 17 September
Y11 – Y13 Parent Teacher Interviews 1:30pm-8pm Tall Poppies Speeches – Year 7 and Year 8 West Cluster Speeches - Year 5 and Year 6
Saturday 19 September
ECE Art Exhibition
Tuesday 22 September
Photo Day - Teams and Clubs
Thursday 24 September
House Event
Friday 25 September
End of Term Assembly
Key Information ICAS Assessments ICAS Assessments are designed to recognise academic excellence. They assess students’ ability to apply their classroom learning to new and unfamiliar contexts using higher order skills. These assessments are not compulsory, however, are a valuable learning experience for students and provide teachers with further insight into students’ learning. Please note that these are not Cambridge assessments. Due to the previous lockdown, these assessments were postponed and will now be conducted during the month of October. ICAS assessments are available to all students in Years 4 to 10. If you would like your child to sit these assessments, please click the link below to complete the registration form. There are three assessments available: English, Mathematics and Science and the cost for each assessment is $20. Registrations will close on Monday 31st August.
Click here to register your child for one or more ICAS assessments. Please complete a separate registration for each child.
3
School Newsletter 0800 222 355 | 07 213 0100 | 6 Keenan Rd, Pyes Pa, Tauranga
ACG Sporting Success Term 3 Sport is well underway, with 13 teams representing ACG Tauranga across the following codes: Archery, Basketball, Football, Hockey and Netball. We are lucky to be back in action despite the uncertainty of sport towards the end of Term 2 and our athletes are certainly making the most of the opportunity. As a result of offering a variety of sports programmes, we have recorded a growing number of students involved in sport at ACG Tauranga. This growth is expected to continue as we look to introduce more opportunities throughout the year, as well as specific athlete programmes in 2021. Ongoing dedication from coaches, managers, umpires and parents have ensured that our students are well supported and have been able to have the best possible experience in their chosen sport in Term 3. We are excited to announce that for the first time ever, ACG Tauranga has entered 9 teams into various Winter Tournaments which will see students representing the school at Netball, Hockey and Basketball tournaments in Term 3. Opportunities such as this will ensure that ACG Tauranga is competing against already established sporting schools and that we are able to build the depth within each code across all age groups. There is a lot to look forward to in the sporting world for ACG Tauranga. As we continue to grow our participation numbers and sport teams, it is hard for the Tauranga and wider community not to take notice! Archery
ACG Tauranga Archers are back in action and currently training towards the Archery in Schools competition run by Archery New Zealand. Students with the top 3 scores in each category at the end of Term 3 will receive certificates from Archery New Zealand.
Football Promotion to the U15 Division 2 has meant the ACG Under 15 football team has been playing some tough competition. However, the team is still performing well and have won three of the four games played in this division. Their football keeps improving each week and the team continues to display a great team spirit.
4 4
School Newsletter 0800 222 355 | 07 213 0100 | 6 Keenan Rd, Pyes Pa, Tauranga
Hockey All four hockey teams are improving each week thanks to the continued support from our coaches, managers and parents. The Senior Hockey Team is currently training towards the Hockey New Zealand North Island Mixed National Tournament in September. This is the first time that ACG Tauranga will be represented at a National Secondary Schools Tournament and the team is hoping to come home with a medal!
Netball The netball season is well underway with all teams training hard and playing effectively as teams. Special mention to the Year 10 team who have started off the season winning all of their games so far; this team is in great form!
5 5
School Newsletter 0800 222 355 | 07 213 0100 | 6 Keenan Rd, Pyes Pa, Tauranga
Kelly Sports Primary Fundamental Skills Program At ACG Tauranga, we value high quality Physical Literacy. Supporting our students to achieve this from a young age, we have partnered with Kelly Sports to provide an exciting opportunity in Term 3 for all Year 1 – 4 ACG Tauranga Students. The programme develops and enhances the following skills: running, jumping, catching, throwing, skipping, kicking and striking.
Outstanding Individual Achievements Lucy Bartlett won the U16 Female Sportsperson of the Year at the Zespri BOP/Coromandel Surf Lifesaving Awards of Excellence. Lucy has also entered the NZ Secondary School Swimming Sports that will take place on the weekend of 20 August, we wish Lucy the best of luck! Congratulations to Amelia Newsom for winning the Lowry Medallion at NZ Horse Of The Year for 2020. Amelia and Mr Mexico were winners of the Show Hunter Cat C High Points Final and the overall Series. Olivia’s goal was to ride in the final of the junior rider at Horse Of The Year 2020, but in fact rode in a much bigger class against the best in NZ; NZ Lady Rider Of The Year. Riding against NZ’s top Lady Riders Olivia, as the youngest in the field, finished 6th from 34 riders. Olivia also placed 2nd from 65 riders in the 1.35 Speed class at Horse Of The Year.
6 6
School Newsletter 0800 222 355 | 07 213 0100 | 6 Keenan Rd, Pyes Pa, Tauranga
Upcoming Events As part of the ACG Tauranga Year 7 - 10 Physical Education Programme, students participate in the Junior and Secondary Tough Guy and Gal Challenge. The event is a 3km (Junior) and 6km (Senior) run through a series of muddy obstacles and provides an opportunity to get involved in New Zealand’s biggest mud run series specially tailored for students. The event has been postponed to 27 and 28 October.
Please visit the Junior Tough Guy and Gal website to find out more and to view photos of past events: https://eventpromotions.co.nz/tough-guy-gal-challenge/rotorua/#junior
7 7
School Newsletter 0800 222 355 | 07 213 0100 | 6 Keenan Rd, Pyes Pa, Tauranga
Celebrating the Arts ACG’s Got Talent A big congratulations to all our performers who competed at our inaugural Talent Quest – ‘ACG’s Got Talent!’. The evening was a great success, showcasing an incredible range of talent, and showing what confident and courageous students we have. 35 students performed across the evening from both the Primary and Secondary school, along with a very humorous and memorable Teacher Act, ‘The Evolution of Dance’. Our three judges had a very difficult time deciding on the place-winners, as there was such a great amount of talent on display. ‘ACG’s Got Talent’ was organised by the Student Arts Pillar, who, along with the backstage, sound and lighting, and front of house teams, did an exceptional job at putting on such a successful event. Winners: Primary runner up – Eason Zhang, singing a Chinese song called ‘Childhood’ Primary 1st place – Elsa Yu, playing ‘Andantino’ on the piano Secondary runner up – Kieran Slaven, Oliver Kirk, Alex Pengelly, Ethan Peng, Elliot Bedford – playing ‘Holiday’ by Green Day Secondary 1st place – Lloyd Kim, playing ‘Kleine Romance’ on classical guitar
8 8
School Newsletter 0800 222 355 | 07 213 0100 | 6 Keenan Rd, Pyes Pa, Tauranga
Showquest On Screen On Saturday 8th August, 35 students headed to TECT Terrain Park to film our Showquest entry. Mentored by Fletcher Oxford, students from Year 1 to Year 12 have been rehearsing in lunch breaks in preparation for the big filming day. Our film crew, comprised of Elise Allen, Kobe Williams, Corin Lilley, Dannan Kilian, Finn Mundy and led by Mr Jordan Howard, spent 7 hours capturing the actors work using school cameras and phones/gimbals lent to us from Spark Tauranga Crossing. The Showquest team are now tasked with the job of transforming all shots into our 7 minute entry. We can’t wait to share the final product with everyone.
DanceNZMade On Monday 10th August, our Year 3-6 and Year 7-10 Dance Teams made their debut at DanceNZMade Regionals, held at Baycourt Theatre. Our dancers spent the day with students from all participating schools, taking part in Hip Hop, Jazz and Contemporary workshops led by choreographers from around the country. Students were able to watch all other school entries throughout the day and learn a Finale item performed by all competitors. The competition began at 6pm and our Junior team ‘The Mini Mischiefs’ choreographed by Year 10 students Georgia-Rose Wightman and Maddie Johnson-Marsh, walked away with 2nd Runner Up in the Year 3-6 division. Our Year 7-10 Team ‘I Am Me’ competed in the Year 9-10 division and also walked away with 2nd Runner Up. Our dancers were incredibly inspired by all of the other schools' entries and are looking forward to attending DanceNZMade 2021. Congratulations to all students involved and a big thank you to all of the staff and parents who supported us on the day.
Dani Miller 9 9
School Newsletter 0800 222 355 | 07 213 0100 | 6 Keenan Rd, Pyes Pa, Tauranga
Education Perfect National Championships 2020
Congratulations to all the students who participated in the Education Perfect NZ Championships and collectively placed ACG Tauranga 1st in our category of 101-250 Spanish users.
Here are the placings for Silver, Bronze and Credit awards: Silver: 1. Bella Connolly-Tevendale (1st) 1. Felicity Shields (2nd) Bronze: 1. Fredricka Savill (3rd) 1. Olivia Shields 1. Tanvi Upreti 1. Ethan Peng 1. William Thompson 1. Jake Delaney Credit: 1. Sienna Edmondson 1. Sophie McCarroll 1. Elizabeth Vernon 1. Jooyeon Kim 1. Bella Kilmister 1. Hannah Dufaur 1. Sienna Skilton 1. Hannah Buchanan 1. Laila Wray 1. Emilia Yip
Angela Gill 10 10
School Newsletter 0800 222 355 | 07 213 0100 | 6 Keenan Rd, Pyes Pa, Tauranga
Dale Carnegie Experience The Dale Carnegie course was an incredible experience. We were given the opportunity to participate in this intensive three day leadership training which challenged us as leaders and pushed us out of our comfort zones, ultimately refining our leadership skills. We were taught how to apply Dale's simple but assertive principles such as “begin with praise and honest appreciation” and “arouse in the other person an eager want” which we found to be particularly useful. We also learnt about how “energizing our communication” is vital to keep an audience engaged, which was demonstrated through intriguing group activities. Ashvir felt that the course shaped her communication skills to become more cultivated due to the large amount of public speaking opportunities in the course. The lessons on how to start and continue conversations with others such as the building blocks for conversation were very effective techniques on how to manoeuvre conversations. Subina came out of the three day course feeling much more confident, not only in the way she presents herself, but also with how she communicates her ideas and thoughts with people. The key principles such as “Don’t worry about trifles” and “Trying to see things from the other person’s point of view” were the principles that stood out the most and the ones that she will be trying to implement in her everyday life. Overall, at the end of the course we felt more confident in leading others and came out with attributes that will help to shape our future into a more successful one.
Subina Siwakoti & Ashvir Kahlon
11 11
School Newsletter 0800 222 355 | 07 213 0100 | 6 Keenan Rd, Pyes Pa, Tauranga
Classroom Activities Science In Science, the Year 1s have been learning about sound. They explored sound with a variety of percussion instruments. They also learnt about other types of sound that musical instruments make and that they belong to certain groups, such as string, woodwind, brass and keyboards.
Ali Stevens The Year 6 students are completing a unit of work on separating mixtures. This has involved a great deal of practical work in the lab, and many students have indicated that this is the best part of the topic. Here are some of the Year 6 students with their Chromatography experiments.
Year 7 students are currently working on an ‘Acids and Bases’ unit. Today’s lesson was about indicators and how they can be used to identify acids from bases. Students had a lot of fun using a range of different indicators in a range of different conditions. They also had fun trying to pronounce the names of the indicators, like Phenolphthalein and Bromothymol Blue.
Brent Smith
12 12
School Newsletter 0800 222 355 | 07 213 0100 | 6 Keenan Rd, Pyes Pa, Tauranga
Spanish Year 7 students Elliot Keesing, Hugo Kolless and Finn Mundy researched and recreated some Hispanic dishes for the class. Annie Stokes, Tanvi Upreti and Isla Gregg researched the Haro Wine Festival which is celebrated in the town of Haro in Spain. They brought along some ‘wine’ and grapes to share with the class and made an art display representing the wine fight. They passed the grapes and wine around as the students were doing a Kahoot on their computers.
Year 8 students Sienna Edmondson, Prudence Kay and Grace Cappely chose to research the Patios de Córdoba festival. This festival showcases the courtyards of Córdoba where residents decorate their courtyards with brightly coloured flowers. Locals and tourists attend and there is an award for the best patio in the city. They presented their findings, showed a replica of a patio that they had decorated, then ended with a 10-minute patio decorating competition in groups.
Year 9 students Ellen Thompson, Keira Moriarty and Aleksi Killian researched the Feria de Jerez/Feria del Caballo (Jerez Festival/Horse Festival), presented their findings and went to the trouble of decorating Ellen’s horse. Ellen dressed in the traditional flamenco dress to show what the women wear at the festival.
Year 10 students Anja Crombie and Sophie Mann talked about the Feria de Agosto/Feria de Málaga and made churros for the class to try. Quinn Rimmer presented his findings on the V Festival of the Tortilla Española and made a delicious tortilla Española for the class. Imaanay Anees and Katelyn Bedford created a Murder Mystery game in Spanish based around Las Fallas festival which the class enjoyed working on in groups. Georgia Rose Wightman and Maddie JohnsonMarsh researched the Iberian Ham Festival and after their presentation they treated the class to some jamón con queso on mini skewers.
Angela Gill 13 13
School Newsletter 0800 222 355 | 07 213 0100 | 6 Keenan Rd, Pyes Pa, Tauranga
YWAM Ships This year, ACG Tauranga set up its first ever Interact Club. Interact is affiliated to Rotary and is focussed on high school aged students providing service and support for organisations. Our officers for this year are Katelyn Bedford as President, Imaanay Anees and Vice-President, Bella Bunyan as Secretary and Renee Reeves-Pedersen as Treasurer. We are always welcoming to new members at any time of year, and are working on ways for Primary students to also be involved in our activities. Last Thursday, Ms Gawler and I had the pleasure of being taken on a tour of the Youth With A Mission (YWAM) ship with the Tauranga Rotary Club as representatives of our school’s Interact Club. YWAM is a non-profit organisation run only by volunteers, who with the help of the generous donors, take supply’s and professional medical and fire-service volunteers to remote areas of the Pacific Islands and give help where wanted, needed and accepted. On the ship, they have shipping containers, each renovated to fit their purpose. One of which was outfitted as a dental surgery, while another was made to store goods that the island being visited need. We also had the privilege to go into the engine room, where their engineer was busy changing it to suit its new purpose, as it is an ex-icebreaker ship.
The Interact Club is hoping to be able to go back onto the ship and help them with painting, sanding and other renovations to the cabins and living spaces for the volunteers. So watch this space for your chance to be involved. Katelyn Bedford
14 14