M AY 2 0 1 9 N E W S L E T T E R
Message from the Principal
School culture is certainly something we all value extremely highly. It is absolutely crucial for our children to be in a safe and inclusive environment where they are challenged yet supported to reach their full potential. School culture is however not something we can leave to chance. We must work with purpose and determination to create a school environment we can all be proud of. School wide events, such as the recent Cross Country Day, play a significant part in developing our school culture. It was great to see so many of our families join us. What was most significant though, was the care, commitment and dedication shown by our students in supporting each other. It was certainly a day of excellence but also of persistence, resilience and personal success. Persistence and personal success were also key themes during our recent mid-year examinations. When the pressure is on to step up to the plate, we often gain clarity around what is needed to move forward. Talking with our students in the lead up to examinations, I urged them to particularly invest the time and energy to reflect on the skills and strategies which paid dividends for them. These are the skills and strategies they must build upon moving forward. Enabling our students to achieve academic success, it is imperative that they understand the value of quality study and revision, the correlation between effort and outcome, and the importance of healthy habits including diet, sleep and exercise. Being aware of the exciting opportunities beyond school are fundamentally important to the growth and development of our students as capable, confident, young people. Our annual Pathways Planning Evening will take place on Thursday, 20th June in the Sports Complex. This year we are delighted to welcome Karen Tui Boyes and Mariane Wray to the event. As we have scheduled a panel discussion and short presentations from key speakers, families should arrive at 5:25pm for a 5:30pm start. Karen is an expert in effective teaching and learning, study skills, motivation and positive thinking. She will also be working directly with our Y10 to Y13 students on Friday, 21st of June as part of our ACG Tauranga Learning Conference. Karen’s focus will be on developing our students’ understanding of effective study and giving them practical strategies guaranteed to make a positive difference in the lead up to final examinations. Mariane Wray, a hugely experienced Performance Psychologist, will be working particularly with Y11 to Y13 students. She will provide them with knowledge and strategies to ensure they are mentally prepared to give their very best on exam day. Excitement is mounting as we start the countdown to our 2019 ACG Tauranga musical production. Aladdin Jnr will be performed on Wednesday, 26th and Thursday, 27th of June. Our students have been working incredibly hard and it is set to be a great event. Please note that tickets are now on sale. Best to get in quickly. As always, a reminder that all families can access an up to date school calendar, daily notices, attendances, grades and student information via myACG. Our students are all familiar with myACG and as such, will be able to show you how to navigate the site if required. Should you need further assistance, please feel free to contact your child’s tutor teacher. Thea Kilian Principal
School Newsletter 0800 222 355 | 07 213 0100 | 6 Keenan Rd, Pyes Pa, Tauranga
Key Dates June Wednesday 5 – Wednesday 12 June
Language Perfect N.Z. Championships
Thursday 6 June
Primary EOTC - TGA Art Gallery (Year 5 & 6)
Friday 7 June
Primary EOTC - TGA Art Gallery (Year 1-4)
Monday 10 – Friday 14 June
International Languages Week
Tuesday 11 June
YES (Young Enterprise Scheme) - The Pitch
Wednesday 12 June
Open Day
Thursday 20 June
ACG Tauranga Pathways Evening
Friday 21 June
ACG Tauranga Learning Conference
Tuesday 25 June
Aladdin Production – Dress Rehearsal
Wednesday 26 – Thursday 27 June
Aladdin Production – Evening Performances
Friday 28 June
House Quiz Round 1
Friday 28 June
End of Term Assembly
Saturday 29 June
Senior Ball
Saturday 29 June
Rockquest Finals (Year 9-13)
July Wednesday 31 July
Parent Teacher Interviews (1 - 7.30pm)
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School Newsletter 0800 222 355 | 07 213 0100 | 6 Keenan Rd, Pyes Pa, Tauranga
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School Newsletter 0800 222 355 | 07 213 0100 | 6 Keenan Rd, Pyes Pa, Tauranga
ACG Sporting Success Ben Howell
Whole School Cross Country Our annual whole school cross country events took place on the 16th May. Students ran between 1km and 3km around the gully course, depending on their year level. It was great seeing students supporting each other, re-enforcing our school culture of care and inclusion. Challenging themselves physically, everyone competed for house points and the spirit award. A special mention to our youngest participants who, in spite of not always running in the right direction, had a great time. Congratulations to Wairoa for being the top placing house and winning the House Spirit award. Individual Winners: Y1-2: Blake Needham Y3-4: Finn Kelly Y5-6 Boy: Elliot Keesing Y5-6 Girl: Annie Stokes Y7-8 Boy: Hugo Buck Y7-8 Girl: Jess Galley Y9-10 Boy: Harry Buck Y9-10 Girl: Lucy Bartlett Y11-13 Boy: Dom Gordon Y11-13 Girl: Lily and Ruby McSweeney (1st equal)
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School Newsletter 0800 222 355 | 07 213 0100 | 6 Keenan Rd, Pyes Pa, Tauranga
Swimming Championships Congratulations to Lucy Bartlett, Year 9, who competed at the 2019 Aon National Age Group Championships, held from 16-20 April at the Wellington Regional Aquatic Centre in Kilbirnie. Following a huge surf lifesaving season, Lucy swum some outstanding races in the pool. Lucy won the 14-year-girls 800m Freestyle, 400m Freestyle and 100m Butterfly. She came third in the 200m Freestyle. Lucy’s winning 400m gives her automatic selection to the New Zealand Swimming Team scheduled to compete at the Australian State Champs in Canberra in October. National Age Group Championships: 14 year girls 1st – 800m Freestyle 9.24.90 (Preliminary Bay of Plenty Record) 1st – 400m Freestyle 4.30.58 (NZ Swimming Bronze time) 1st – 100m Butterfly 1.05.14 3rd – 200m Freestyle 2.09.05 Also an outstanding surf lifesaver, Lucy has been named in the NZ Surf Lifesaving Youth Team.
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School Newsletter 0800 222 355 | 07 213 0100 | 6 Keenan Rd, Pyes Pa, Tauranga
Celebrating the Arts Kelly Hayward NZ Music Month To celebrate NZ Music Month, we were treated to a lunchtime concert by our vocal teacher, Georgia Lines, aka ‘George’. Students enjoyed their lunch in the sun, whilst being entertained by George, as she sung some of her original music, including her recent single ‘Vacant Cities’.
Production – ‘Aladdin Jr.’ Our production rehearsals are in full swing, and we are looking forward to sharing all our hard work with our school community. Tickets are now on sale at $10 a ticket – get in quick, as you won’t want to miss the chance to see our wonderful students in action. Performance dates: • Wednesday 26th June, 7pm • Thursday 27th June, 7pm Visiting Chinese Musician Our IGCSE Music class is studying Chinese music as part of their World Focus. This month, we had a local Chinese musician and teacher, Lixin Chen, come to our IGCSE Music class to show us some traditional Chinese instruments – the Guzheng and the Guqin. It was a privilege to hear such beautiful instruments being played and to be able to talk to Lixin more in depth about Chinese music. The experience definitely gave us a deeper appreciation of the beauty of these instruments and gave us a greater context for what we have been learning about in class.
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School Newsletter 0800 222 355 | 07 213 0100 | 6 Keenan Rd, Pyes Pa, Tauranga
Year 8 Music – Rock and Roll Our Year 8 Music class has been studying Rock ‘n’ Roll this term, culminating with the students writing Rock ‘n’ Roll songs of their own and performing their original music. The upbeat songs focused on light and fun lyrics, complete with a Shu-waddy section. It was great to see students work together to craft their lyrics and music and then rehearse and perform their songs – I can assure you, there were some catchy tunes that came out of this class!
Smokefree Rockquest Congratulations to Year 11 student Kelsie Tong for her entry and performance in the regional Smokefree Rockquest. Kelsie represented ACG Tauranga with her original song ‘Never There’, as part of the Solo/Duo section. Kelly Hayward
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School Newsletter 0800 222 355 | 07 213 0100 | 6 Keenan Rd, Pyes Pa, Tauranga
Pink Shirt Day At our last assembly, we spoke about Pink shirt day and its importance at our school. On the 17th of May, students at ACG Tauranga dressed in pink mufti to show their support for victims of bullying.
Help us make this school a safe place for staff and students alike and respect others and celebrate their unique qualities. Clementine Savill & Alexa Bishop
Pink Shirt day started in Canada in 2007 when two students wanted change in their school because their peer, Chuck McNeil, was harassed and bullied for wearing a pink shirt. The two courageous students were named David Shepard and Travis Price. To help the bullied student, they bought 50 pink shirts and gave them to their classmates after emailing them all online. Soon, the word spread and wearing pink shirts became a symbol for antibullying globally. In our school community we want respect, courage, excellence and integrity, and bullying shows none of those values.
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School Newsletter 0800 222 355 | 07 213 0100 | 6 Keenan Rd, Pyes Pa, Tauranga
Junior Debating Team We entered four Y11 students, Maddie Limmer, Janelle Bishop, Liam Rickit and Chelsea Good into an impromptu, Bay of Plenty debating competition. Debating helps students to develop confidence, teamwork and communication skills. This is the first time ACG Tauranga has offered debating and it has proven our students can rise to the challenge and benefit greatly from the experience. There have been three debates to date and our students have won two thus far. Congratulations to Chelsea Good who won an award for Best Speaker in the most recent competition.
EPRO 8 On Thursday May 30th a team of 4 Y7 students competed in the BOP regional Epro8 challenge competition. The team was made up of the following students; Ella Snyman Alex Pengelly Harrison Young Christian Howard The students were tasked with solving practical engineering problems using the equipment provided. They had to work as a team, using their mathematical and scientific skills, to come up with a solution and then build their structure to certain criteria. Successful projects earned the team points. The final moments of the competition were tense as the team was neck and neck with other schools, each vying to get in the top three. Unfortunately, they just missed out and came a creditable fourth. They performed admirably and worked together to come up with some innovative solutions. Well done Gadgeteers!�
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School Newsletter 0800 222 355 | 07 213 0100 | 6 Keenan Rd, Pyes Pa, Tauranga
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