Kaleidoscope | Issue 57 - May 2013

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Kristin Camp Week 2013 INSIDE:

Introducing Mrs Diana Patchett Middle School Student Leadership University Placement Successes Taking Flight for Peter Pan

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New Look

From the Executive Principal

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From the Board

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Whole School News

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Alumni

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International News

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Camp Week

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Junior School News

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Middle School News

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Senior School News

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Performing Arts

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Sports News

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Advertising

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Publishing Kaleidoscope is published by the Department of School Relations of Kristin School and distributed to the wider school community. For all advertising and general enquiries please contact the Editorial Team: Pamela Peryman and Lucy Wilson Telephone: +64 9 415 9566 Email: kristin@kristin.school.nz Design and Artwork: Eddie van den Broek, Benefitz Telephone: +64 9 477 4700 Printing: Benefitz Web: www.benefitz.co.nz

AUTUMN/WINTER 2013

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o kick off Kristin’s 40th anniversary celebrations, a ‘New Look’ uniform was announced at the beginning of Term 1. The launch created a stir of excitement with a selection of the new items appearing in a display in the LIC windows during the first week of school. Full article on page 6 >

“While they narrowly missed a division finalist’s trophy, there was a lot of buzz in the judging room about the team’s interactive tablet presentations.”

VEX Robotics World Championships

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ingshu Liu and Christian Silver from Kristin’s K-Force Robotics team set off for the VEX Robotics World Championships in Los Angeles during the April holidays, seeking to reclaim the World Champion title for Kristin. As participants among a total of five divisions of 84 teams each, they reached their divisional semi-finals in an alliance with an American team and a team from Avondale College. They fought hard in closely matched battles against the world’s top teams, losing their divisional semi-finals two games to one, going down in the deciding final match by just four points. Lingshu Liu attained a very impressive 4th place in driver skills among the robots in their division. While they narrowly missed a division finalist’s trophy, there was a lot of buzz in the judging room about the team’s interactive tablet presentations. Their pit area was very popular and their badge mannequin was a real hit, with many teams coming by to add badges and have their photos taken. Marco Tyler Rodrique and Finn Beavis provided valuable assistance in scouting roles. The next season’s game was released on the final day and K-Force teams are already well underway with their robot designs and ideas. Martin Allen Teacher-in-Charge, Robotics

from the

executive

principal Choice, eh?

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something different, an alternative to s befits my role in an the mainstream. Our independence international school, I have allows us the freedom to create a become bilingual. I am now unique learning environment, built on fluent in English and Youf. Actually, a clear set of values and educational to be honest, I don’t really speak ideals. Parents who like what we stand Youf all that often; it tends to draw for can choose a Kristin education; those withering looks from my children. who do not, don’t have to. Sadly, the But I can understand it readily stereotypes that are perpetuated by enough. Spend 30 years of your life some in the media tend to overlook the surrounded by young people and benefits of choice. If nothing else, the you’re bound to pick up a bit of the mere existence of a choice of schools lingo. The challenge is that, like all helps to define each of the alternatives languages, youth-speak changes more clearly. We have a wonderful State with each new generation. It’s as education system in this country and though part of their biological drive those who protest at the very existence for independence demands that they of Independent schools should pause invent their own way of describing to consider the part that a credible their experience of the world. As alternative has played in that success. if unique identities require unique Choice implies competition and, despite words. At times, some of their the cries of the overly PC, competition lexicon can be quite inane, some a does actually improve quality and little profane. What interests and service. As William Glasser once said, pleases me, though, is that a large “We almost always have choices, and amount of the popular language of the better the choice, the more we will any generation of adolescents will be in control of our lives.” revolve around the positive. For the same reason, we provide choice When it comes to young people for our students and lots of it. Modern expressing their approval, I’ve heard brain research now supports long-held it all. Of course, one word still educational theory in proving that the endures across all age-groups as the more choices children experience accepted way to describe something growing up, the richer their thinking good. ‘Cool’ is still cool. However, and the more robust their brains. Kristin I have listened to successive “I have listened to successive generations uses its independence to prioritise what generations refer to excellent things refer to excellent things also as: unreal, we believe – that choice empowers our also as: unreal, wicked, rad, sick, young people. That is why this edition dope, sweet, groovy, gnarly, hip, fly, wicked, rad, sick, dope, sweet, groovy, of Kaleidoscope records successes in fresh, da bomb, mean, mint, gangsta, gnarly, hip, fly, fresh, da bomb, mean, mint, countless sporting codes, a myriad of phat, premo, radical and the shiz. gangsta, phat, premo, radical and the shiz.” artistic performances, a multitude of The list is undoubtedly longer; those service activities. It is no coincidence are just the ones that stick in my that our publications also tell of the mind. It’s testimony to the elasticity diverse achievements of many of our graduates. Our alumni have of language and the innate creativity of children that it will also be options in their careers and in their lives today because they had growing longer, even as I write. But there is one other accolade that options at school. is not only almost as enduring as ‘cool’ but also intrinsically Kiwi. For Forty years since it opened its doors, Kristin owes both its continued at least 40 years in this country, if something is good, it’s probably existence and its proud legacy of success to the same concept – choice, eh? Now the genesis of some of the other acronyms for cool listed above choice. Even though our minimal Government funding does not reflect seems completely obscure. If something really was ‘unreal’, surely it the significant role we play in the nation’s educational reputation, we could be good or bad? And does anyone even know what ‘the shiz’ was continue to offer an alternative to those who recognise the potential before it became high praise? Yet choice – well, that seems obvious. A returns on investing in their children’s education. As the saying goes, choice cut of meat is the best there is. Given a choice, we will always “You pays your money and you takes your choice.” pick the best. Choice, whether as an adjective or a noun, is a great thing. Peter Clague Schools such as ours exist to provide choice in education. We offer Executive Principal

ISSUE No. 57

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from the

board A Financial Health Check

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f you’re anything like me, going to the doctor for a check-up represents an opportunity for endless procrastination and obfuscation. It is also a rare time when work commitments become eagerly embraced, as they enable you to fool yourself, just for a while, that you simply can’t afford the time. Completion of ďŹ nancial statements is equivalent to a health check. Kristin Charitable Trust, like all registered charities, produces audited annual ďŹ nancial statements that are publicly available (www.charitiescommission.govt. nz). We have just completed this process for the 2012 year and it has provided the Board with an opportunity to look back over the year with rigour and objectivity. We are pleased

to say that Kristin has been given a ‘tick’ of good health. We would like to share with our stakeholders some of the key elements of Kristin’s ďŹ nancial position: U &H?IJ?D I 9>7H?J78B; E8@;9J?L;I 7H; JE EF;H7J; ‘an independent co-educational school where the students may obtain education of the highest standard’. U 0DB?A; J>EI; I9>EEBI J>7J 7H; HKD 7I commercial operations, Kristin is not expected to provide an investment return to shareholders. Instead, it aims for a modest but prudent operating surplus, consistent with its charitable objectives.

U Kristin is the largest registered charity on the North Shore charity by number of full-time employees and second largest by total assets. U &H?IJ?D >7I 7II;JI E< EL;H C?BB?ED including ďŹ xed assets (land and buildings) of C?BB?ED $J >7I IK8IJ7DJ?7B ;GK?JO 7D: BED=

term ďŹ nancing arrangements in place. U 2>?B; 9KHH;DJ B?78?B?J?;I ;N9;;:;: 9KHH;DJ 7II;JI 8O C?BB?ED J>?I ;N9;II ?D9BK:;I <;;I H;9;?L;: ?D 7:L7D9; E< million which are not required to be settled ?D 97I> 7D: IJ7<< ;DJ?JB;C;DJI E< million that, when paid out, are replaced by new accrued entitlements. Continued over page >

Health Check Snapshot Liabilities & Assets

Current Assets

ĆľĆŒĆŒÄžĹśĆš >Ĺ?Ä‚Ä?Ĺ?ĹŻĹ?Ć&#x;ÄžĆ?

Current Assets, $1.807M

Fees Received in Advance 52%

Employee ĹśĆ&#x;ƚůĞžĞŜƚĆ? 15%

ĆľĆŒĆŒÄžĹśĆš >Ĺ?Ä‚Ä?Ĺ?ĹŻĹ?Ć&#x;ÄžĆ? $10.078M

Accounts Payable & Accruals 16%

Term Liaibilites $24.953M

Fixed Assets $68.624M

Trust Funds $35.400M

Government grants represent only 8% ŽĨ ƚŚĞ Ĺ˝Ć‰ÄžĆŒÄ‚Ć&#x;ĹśĹ? cash receipts. This is less than the GST ƉĂĹ?Äš ŽŜ ƚƾĹ?Ć&#x;ŽŜ ĨĞĞĆ?͘

Govt Grants, $2.478M

Op. Cash Surp, $2.39M

Payments to Suppliers $8.125M

KĆ‰ÄžĆŒÄ‚Ć&#x;ĹśĹ? Ä‚Ć?Ĺš ZÄžÄ?ÄžĹ?ƉƚĆ? $29.701M

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dŽƚĂů >Ĺ?Ä‚Ä?Ĺ?ĹŻĹ?Ć&#x;ÄžĆ? $70.431M

Interest Paid, $1.248M

dĆľĹ?Ć&#x;ŽŜ &ĞĞĆ? ĂŜĚ Other Income $27.223M

AUTUMN/WINTER 2013

Stock 20%

Prepayments 10%

Borrowings ĆľĆŒĆŒÄžĹśĆš WĹ˝ĆŒĆ&#x;ŽŜ 17%

Operating Cash Surplus

Cash 40%

Payments to Employees $17.938M

KĆ‰ÄžĆŒÄ‚Ć&#x;ĹśĹ? Ä‚Ć?Ĺš WĂLJžĞŜƚĆ? $27.311M

Total Assets $70.431M

dŚĞ Ĺ˝Ć‰ÄžĆŒÄ‚Ć&#x;ĹśĹ? Ä?Ä‚Ć?Ĺš surplus was used to repay loans ($1.7M) and invest Ĺ?Ĺś ĎdžĞĚ Ä‚Ć?Ć?ĞƚĆ?͘

Accounts Receivable 20%

GST Receivable 10%

“While it is undeniable that the economic conditions remain challenging, it is pleasing to see that Kristin’s ďŹ nancial position remains robust. We are conďŹ dent that this is due to the investment in world-class facilities made by previous generations of parents and the continued emphasis on ‘education of the highest standard’.â€? U !EH J>; R D7D9?7B O;7H ;9;C8;H Kristin generated an operating cash surplus of C?BB?ED />?I ?I J>; :?<<;H;D9; 8;JM;;D operating cash receipts and operating cash payments. U />; EF;H7J?D= 97I> IKHFBKI 7D: J>; ?D9H;7I; in Kristin Education Bonds were used to H;F7O BE7DI C?BB?ED 7D: ?DL;IJ ?D R N;: assets. The difference between total cash H;9;?FJI 7D: JEJ7B 97I> F7OC;DJI E< represents the increase in cash at the end of the year when compared to the beginning. Government funding to independent schools has recently received much ill-informed comment, as is (unfortunately) usual. As shown in the operating cash chart, government grants to Kristin represent less than 10% of its total income. In spite of what some

social commentators say, the reality is that this represents a gross underfunding of the independent sector when one considers: U +7H;DJI E< ?D:;F;D:;DJ IJK:;DJI F7O J7N;I the same as everyone else. U />; "EL;HDC;DJ H;9;?L;I CEH; <HEC "./ ED the fees than it gives back. U $< 7 IJK:;DJ ;:K97J;: ?D J>; ?D:;F;D:;DJ sector were to leave and join the state sector, the Government would be required to pay much, much more to educate that child. What this means is that the Government is making money from independent schools. In this current economic climate it may be in vain to hope that the level of funding will change; however, what we ask is that you act as

advocates in your social interactions with friends, family and colleagues, for a change in attitude at least among those who are open to facts, not misinformed ideology. While it is undeniable that the economic conditions remain challenging, it is pleasing to see that Kristin’s ďŹ nancial position remains robust. We are conďŹ dent that this is due to the investment in world-class facilities made by previous generations of parents and the continued emphasis on ‘education of the highest standard’. We thank all members of the Kristin community for your continued ďŹ nancial support of Kristin. We would like to think that a Kristin education is like most things that are good for you - it requires dedication and commitment, and ultimately the rewards it brings will make it all worthwhile. Good health! Philippa Fee Chairman

“It was entirely ďŹ tting that the day began with a very special Thanksgiving Service and the Dedication of the Harold Clark Memorial Courtyard at the Chapel.â€?

Foundation Day

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oundation Day is always a time for reecting on the school’s history, but this year the occasion had greater signiďŹ cance as it marked the formal celebrations of Kristin’s 40th year. It was entirely ďŹ tting that

the day began with a very special Thanksgiving Service and the Dedication of the Harold Clark Memorial Courtyard at the Chapel. Reverend Clark’s daughter, Laurel Nuysink, together with her family, unveiled the plaque that acknowledges Harold’s extraordinary service to Kristin and the special place he holds in our hearts. The Foundation Day Assembly, hosted by the Senior School, was especially memorable with a large number of foundation students, parents, board members and staff joining together in the lighting of the Foundation Day candles. Senior School Principal Brendan Kelly highlighted what a unique and special occasion it was to share the stage with people who had been present during those very ďŹ rst discussions, 40 years ago, when the Kristin dream was formed. Pictures from the day’s events are available to view on the Kristin Facebook page, and for full coverage of Kristin’s 40th-year celebrations check out October’s commemorative edition of Kaleidoscope.

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whole school

news

Kristin Family and Friends

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o far, this year has passed in a whirl of activity, with a whole raft of community events to organise for our Kristin families and friends. It has been fantastic to witness a significant growth in the number of parents getting involved and our growing networks have led to some exciting new projects – a great way to celebrate 40 years of Kristin! First up was our AGM, held early in Term 1, where the new KFF executive committee was elected. We received considerable interest in the election and are well equipped with a team of motivated individuals committed to

serving their school through the parents’ network. The committee includes: Chairman Priscilla Collins, Deputy Chairman Royal Reed, Secretary Nicola Sycamore and Treasurer Kenina Court; and the executive subcommittee members are: Claire Abel, Jack Bramah, Rachel Feather, Elaine Hogg, Lorraine McInnes, Chandan Ohri, Antony Thimbleby and Cathy Van Tilborg. Full minutes of the meeting are available on the school website. Board of Governors Chairman Philippa Fee joined us for the AGM and we were Continued over page >

Kristin’s New Look To kick off Kristin’s 40th anniversary celebrations, a ‘New Look’ uniform was announced at the beginning of Term 1. The launch created a stir of excitement with a selection of the new items appearing in a display in the LIC windows during the first week of school. The new look is a result of a comprehensive uniform review conducted over the preceding 12 months. We have drawn on the accumulated feedback received over the past decade, including most recently the comments from the school-wide parent surveys and student leadership forums, and we also recruited the expertise of renowned corporate fashion designer Barbara Lee. Barbara has worked with Kristin previously and designed our iconic Senior School blazer. She visited Kristin a number of times during 2012 to see our uniform in action and consulted staff, students and parents to better understand their uniform requirements. Clearly apparent was the need for a comfortable, durable and practical uniform that is cost effective for parents and appropriate across all age levels.

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The brief was to: U Reduce the number of basic garments U Create one uniform that can be worn year-round U Create a uniform that is more consistent across the age levels U Increase the longevity and improve the quality of all garments U Modernise with subtle changes U Reflect and enhance the Kristin brand. Barbara’s redesign has produced a more modern and streamlined look to the uniform, which will be phased in over the next 18 months. The first of the new items have become available for Term 2 and there has been a brilliant response. In particular, the new Middle School blazer and shirts have been a hit across the board. The pinafores and skirts have arrived and there is new stock coming in daily to keep up with demand. As we transition into the new look, both old and new uniform items may be worn together until the end of Term 4 2014, at which point all students will be expected to be appropriately attired in the ‘New Look’ items. If you are wondering what to do with your old uniforms, we are now accepting uniform donations at the Retail Shop. These will be sorted and sent to our international partner schools and charities.

School Tours We are very happy to organise tours for prospective students and their families. Please visit our website for scheduled tour times or contact our Registrar, Linda Teagle, at admissions@kristin.school.nz or 09 415 9566 ext 2324, to organise a personal visit. Enrolling now for 2014 and beyond.

New Parents’ Dinners also honoured to welcome Junior School Principal Diana Patchett to speak as the first in a list of special guests who will be featuring in our KFF meetings throughout the year. Mrs Patchett highlighted that the focus for the Junior School is to develop creative, confident and curious learners through a three-way partnership between the school, the student and home. Her talk was very well received, and we look forward to having her back to speak at meetings later this year. The Family Picnic is always an exciting feature of Term 1 and this year was no different. Many families contributed via the Junior School’s cake sale or cupcake stands, and I would like to offer a special thank-you to our committee members who helped with the KFF stand. The money we raised goes straight back into the school community and we have been very pleased to see our recent donations being enjoyed by students. These include the friendship chair and the new sandpit and water feature in the Junior School playground. The KFF walking group continues to be something we look forward to every Friday. A highlight for the walking group was the trip to Gibbs Farm Sculpture Park in March. The response to the first visit was so overwhelming that we booked another two trips in June and September and these were both booked out within days. It’s great to see these outings so popular with parents. With many new faces joining our ranks, there are three in particular whom I would like to introduce and welcome formally. Julia Zhao Buhagiar, Kiyomi Bingley and Agness Park are the new Chairmen of the Chinese, Japanese and Korean Parent Committees. Together, these groups offer an important service, providing support and information for our international families. As always, there have been many groups of parents who have dedicated their time and efforts to supporting the school and our Kristin families. These include our Class Co-ordinators, Examination Invigilators and the Parents’ Prayer Group as well as our performing arts, sports and Grandparents’ Day volunteers. The time and expertise of these community members is of great value to Kristin, and I am continually humbled by the willingness of all KFF members to roll their sleeves up and become involved. We are now looking forward to the Love the Dove Ball, which is coming up in Term 3. This glamorous fundraising event is our opportunity to celebrate Kristin’s 40th year in style; so join us at Shed 10, Queens Wharf on 31 August. Make sure you get your tickets, put on your glad rags and bring your friends along for the social event of the year! Priscilla Collins Chairman, Kristin Family and Friends (KFF)

Over 200 parents were welcomed to Kristin at the beginning of Term 1 at the annual New Parents’ dinners. Over two entertaining nights, new families mingled with Department Heads and senior staff, enjoying a delicious meal and presentations from each of the four Principals and KFF Chairman Priscilla Collins. It was a great way to welcome the many new members of our Kristin family and we hope you all had an enjoyable evening.

Kristin’s Social Networks Make sure you stay connected within the Kristin community by signing up for the relevant social networks. Kristin School Kristin Alumni KFF Kristin Futures

www.facebook.com/kristin.school www.facebook.com/kristin.alumni www.facebook.com/kristinfamilyandfriends www.facebook.com/KristinFutures

Twitter LinkedIn Groups

@KristinFutures Kristin School Alumni Kristin School Professional Network

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alumni Standing Out Amongst the Elite - Sophie Corbidge

When Sophie Corbidge (2009) woke up on the morning of the Urban Geelong ITU Sprint Triathlon she didn’t know what the day had in store, but the New Zealand and Oceania U23 Triathlon Champion was feeling strong. A few hours later and Sophie was experiencing the elation of her best-ever result to date: a decisive victory in the Elite Women’s Sprint Triathlon and the title of Elite Oceania Cup Champion.

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here was a small Kiwi team who went over to Australia to compete in the Geelong Oceania Cup, with Rebecca Clarke, Maddie Dillon (2011), Harrison Dean, Tony Dodds, Rebecca Kingsford and Martin Van Barneveld joining me in flying the flag for New Zealand. The setting was near on perfect, with Aussie white sand beaches and calm water making it very appealing to the athletes. The start was pretty interesting, as it was a deep-water start, and we were >;B: ?D J>; EDBO @KIJ M7HC ;DEK=> <EH DE M;JIK?J M7J;H <EH C?DKJ;I treading water. This was a bit of an experience for me because I haven’t had a deep-water start since school and we were all shivering before the gun went off. Looking along at the other athletes, there were a few eyes rolling and people tutting, so it was easy to see we weren’t over the moon about the situation! Needless to say, I didn’t have the ideal swim I was after, but I managed to stick to Rebecca Clarke’s feet and come out in the top eight. Sprinting into transition, I made it my goal to get into the front bunch and start a rotation going. Backhouse, one of the Australian athletes, made a break from the start and kept her lead throughout the whole bike ride. Most of the eight girls in the main bunch worked well and we increased the gap between us and the chasers, giving us a 20-second gap behind Backhouse, and a further 40-second gap in front of the chase pack. This gave me alot of confidence as I entered transition because I felt calm and confident in my running ability. The field featured a lot of top athletes including Olympian Emma Jackson, Youth Olympic champion Jaz Hedgeland and Japanese superstar Yuko Takahashi, so I knew I had to run hard! During the first few steps of the run, I knew I’d finish on the podium. It may sound like an arrogant thing to say, but I just felt so good. Everything was flowing nicely and my breathing was good. Chasing down Backhouse had to be a priority, so I ran past Jackson and Takahashi, with good friend Grace Musgrove (AUS) hot on my heels. We caught her at the start of lap two, and I started to make a bit of space between me and the rest of the field. I felt a massive flood of adrenalin. I could hear my name over the loudspeakers, and have to admit that I loved it. I felt like a superstar, and as I was running down the finishing chute, the commentator made the comment “this is undoubtedly the best 200m of Sophie Corbidge’s triathlon career” and I started to cry (with elation of course!) Crossing the line through the finishing tape was the best feeling in the entire world: total excitement mixed with pride, happiness and satisfaction... as if all my persistence and hard work were being rewarded, and it made me want to win even more. I like winning... I like it a lot! The medal presentation was a laugh because Silver medallist Grace Musgrove, Bronze medallist Takahashi and I had no idea how to open and spray the champagne bottles! We were giggling to ourselves as spectators tried to explain what to do, but we ended up just shaking the entire bottle

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over one another and smiling like little children in a candy shop! I’ve always loved doing interviews, so speaking to the Aussie reporters was heaps of fun, and I even got asked to sign some autographs by Japanese spectators! Overall, I would have to say that Geelong was my favourite race to date, with the awesome location, course, crowds, conditions and outcome making it a trip to remember. Stay up to date with Sophie’s successes by following her blog at www.sophiecorbidge.com

Celebrating 40 Years OF KRISTIN SPORT

Alumni All Stars vs Kristin

BASKETBALL, FOOTBALL, HOCKEY, NETBALL AND RUGBY Saturday 29 June, Kristin School Auditorium Fields Kicking Off at 1.00pm. Supporters Welcome! If you’re keen to join in, just keen to watch or need more information contact sport@kristin.school.nz

2 and 3 July

2013

7.30pm, Kristin Auditorium Tickets on sale at www.iticket.co.nz A decade of Kristin’s finest Alumni performers present hits from award-winning Musicals in a glittering Concert Performance

LOVE THE DOVE

KRISTIN BALL FOR PARENTS & FRIENDS

Parents and friends of the school are invited to join us for a night of glamour and entertainment at the social event of the year – the Love the Dove Ball. Tickets are available now for singles, doubles and tables of ten. There are also a limited number of VIP packages on offer so be in quick to secure your seat as we get ready to celebrate Kristin’s 40th year in style. ONE NIGHT ONLY – SATURDAY 31 AUGUST 7.30PM – SHED 10, QUEENS WHARF www.kristin.school.nz/lovethedove

international

news

Ecole La Source

Exchange

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t was with great excitement that Grechen Nicholls, Grace Grant, Matthew Sinclair, Mr Riseborough and I assembled at Auckland Airport on 29 September. After saying a quick goodbye (so our mums didn’t cry) we set off, Paris bound, on what was to be one of the most memorable experiences of my life so far. It was a long journey to Paris, but on arrival we were met by our host families who were incredibly warm and welcoming. After a day of rest we nervously headed off to our first day at Ecole la Source where we were met by the exchange co-ordinator, Caroline. She too made us so welcome and looked after us wonderfully. Following our tour around the school we started the first of many lessons in French. The school is different to Kristin in many ways and we soon got used to their way of teaching (and learning all our lessons in French). As a break from school Mr Riseborough took us around the amazing sights of Paris. We saw all of the incredible monuments: the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame,

Le Louvre, Euro Disney and many more. We tried so much of the wonderful French food, including famous dishes like snails and frogs’ legs. My host family was incredible. They were so welcoming and certainly helped me improve my French and we laughed a lot. I couldn’t wait for Maxime to come to New Zealand and experience Kristin and the sights of our country. It was amazing to see our exchange partners experience the same wonder when they visited New Zealand as we did in Paris. The French exchange was a life-changing experience that I will never forget and I would truly recommend this experience to anyone who is lucky enough get the opportunity! Parker Lyons

Heidelburg Exchange Late last year, the three of us embarked on an unforgettable trip to Heidelburg, Germany, as a part of our Dovetail Exchange. Each week, we attended school at the Elisabeth-von-Thadden Schule, but we had the opportunity to also visit local areas and experience the culture and seasonal spirit of Germany at Christmas time. We touched down on Tuesday 4 December and an hour-long car trip later we were in Heidelberg. Wednesday was our first day at Elisabethvon-Thadden Schule when we got to have a look around the school and later, explore the town. A major highlight of our trip was visiting Strasbourg, France, in the weekend. The three of us took several trains with our exchange partners to this city near the border of France and Germany. Although extremely cold, the city was incredibly beautiful and it was great to have the chance to see it. Heidelberg’s Christmas markets were amazing; Christmas spirit runs

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high amongst the locals and it was wonderful to explore the markets to see what festive things were on sale. At night the town was lit by thousands of lights, making for a beautiful, festive sight. We also did some Christmas-time activities such as watching a youth choir perform at a local church. The pieces of music varied from traditional carols to recent Christmas songs, and were sung in English as well as in German. The atmosphere was quite easygoing and it was an entertaining night for everyone. The classes at Elisabeth-von-Thadden Schule were quite similar to the ones at home, and although it was a little confusing trying to understand the German, it was easy to feel at home. On the whole, the exchange to Heidelberg was fantastic. We got to know so much about the city, the culture of the language. The cultural experience and language learning go hand in hand and this was the perfect opportunity to expand our knowledge and understanding. Corbin Hare, Isabelle Hunt and Jenny Wang

Keio Shonan Fujisawa Students visit Kristin In early March we welcomed four new exchange students from Japan’s Keio Shonan Fujisawa Junior High School and Senior High School to the Middle and Senior Schools as a part of the Kaio Dovetail Exchange. Yukiko Aoyagi, Yuhei Kashima, Andrew Sasanuma and Yukiya Yamamura spent three weeks here at Kristin with their hosting partners, Ben Cashmore, Rocky and Donna Jiang, Declan Weir and Gen Woods. They enjoyed attending classes and other special programmes prepared for them, such as golf, Maoritanga and ESOL lessons. Each of the students took something different from their experience at Kristin, but they all agreed that Kristin was a lot different to their own schools in Japan.

Redlands Exchange

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hen I saw the announcement of the Year 9 Exchange to Redlands School in Sydney, I thought, ‘A Year 9 exchange! That could be fun!’ So I submitted my application. When they told me I’d been selected I was torn between disbelief and being thrilled. Looking back over the experience, I am so glad I applied. It’s fairly typical to write in clichés about how the experience changed my life and so on, and what I didn’t like, so I think I’ll put it this way… There are so many things I would never have done, so many people I never would have met, so many relationships I never would have formed, if I hadn’t emailed back that three-page questionnaire. I never would have hiked up that hill with a heavy pack on my back during Redlands’ Camp Week, and I never would have met so many amazing people. To make my point I should tell a brief story. When I walked into Redlands the first time, I was alone. I had my exchange partner, Mary, of course, but I felt very isolated. Fast-forward three weeks and I was leaving Redlands, surrounded by friends. There were hugs and jokes and tears when, three weeks before, I had not even known that these people existed. Everyone has their own definition of what makes a moment lifechanging, but for me it is when an event makes your life take a turn that it never would have done on its own. Sure, there were times when I missed home, times when I was scared, times when I was about to scream. A leech on my foot seemed catastrophic at the time, but now I look back and smile. Lugging that heavy pack up a hill might have seemed hard in the moment, but now I am so happy I achieved it. Maggie, Ollie, Rosie and I were all given the privilege to go and walk in someone else’s shoes for three weeks. We were given the opportunity to get through an airport alone. We were given the chance to show the world what Kristin is. We were entrusted with Kristin’s reputation. Year 8’s, I know there will be four people amongst you who can do this, and even more who want to, so I’m going to steal Nike’s motto: Just do it! It is six weeks of your life that you will always treasure, and the best six weeks I’ve ever had. If I could do it all again, I wouldn’t change a thing – except maybe a leech or two. Helena Wiseman

My most memorable experience at Kristin School was learning Maori songs and Haka in the Maoritanga class with Mr Mataio. The Year 11 Formal was also an interesting experience because we don’t have this in Japan. - Yukiya Yamamura. I thought English film study was an interesting topic to learn. The teacher gave me a special project on film to work on. I wish I had more class time to study different subjects at Kristin School. - Andrew Sasanuma. I enjoyed the academic experience at Kristin School. Classes are very productive and it was a great cultural experience. It is very different from the education we have in Japan. - Yuhei Kashima

International Welcomes and Farewells In addition to our exchange students, we have been delighted to welcome 15 new international students to our Junior, Middle and Senior School classrooms this year. We have nine new students from China: Yuhan Diao, Lucy Du, Lin Fan, Harry Huang, Silvia Lin, Kevin Mao, Wing Ou, Glen Xie and Amy Zhong. From Japan we welcomed Yurika Hayashi, Mai Kominami, Yuka Ueda and Riho Yamano. From Korea we have welcomed JinGyu Kang, Rebecca Kim, Camilla Kim and Sally Ko, and from Russia we have Mikhail Kharitonov. The International Committee, led by YuXiang Wang, held a barbecue in the third week of Term 1 to welcome the new students and help them to relax into life at Kristin. It was a great opportunity for the new students to ask questions about the school, and in particular Camp Week, which is always a very different and challenging experience for our international students but one that remains one of the highlights of their time in New Zealand. We have also farewelled a number of wonderful students who are already keenly missed amongst the school community. Many of the students who left at the end of Term 4 were Year 13 international leavers: Tingting Cai, Elvina Khoo, Joshua Kim, Justin Kim, Francesco Kook, Esther Lee, Ricky Lee, Sun Min Lim, Miral Patel and Han Seo. Along with these individuals, we farewelled a group of students who had been with us for short-term study-abroad programmes; Lennox Guenther and Frieda Haul returned to Germany, and Yume Bamba, Yoshihisa Kawabata, Nana Kondo and Eriko Sakka returned to Japan. We are very fortunate at Kristin to have students join us from a diverse range of countries. These special individuals add a vibrant note to our school community and in Term 3 we look forward to the arrival of several more young people - this time from Thailand, Germany, Italy and Colombia. Jenny Taylor Director of International Services

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Camp Week 2013

ONE WEEK,

Year 3 – Kristin

9 YEAR LEVELS,

16 CAMPS,

1,270 STUDENTS, THOUSANDS

OF UNIQUE,

UNFORGETTABLE

EXPERIENCES!

Year 4 – Huia

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Year 7 – Waipu Cove, Ruakaka

Year 8 – Raglan $..0 )E

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Camp Week 2013 Year 9 – Coromandel With butterflies in our stomachs we attempted the obstacle course, high ropes, flying fox, archery and the giant swing. - Martha Bell

Year 10 – Tongariro National Park The heat of the 24-kilometre tramp took its toll on the mind and body. That was until they came across the Taranaki Falls where the whole group entered the refreshingly icy waters.

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Year 11 – Slipper Island, Motuora Island, Whananaki, Great Barrier Island

ese smiles e way, but th th g on al s ce ter the fa the roller coas ght smiles to changed and as Dolphins brou , se ng e ki th ya as ka like sea to anguish fun activities soon turned time h it fe w -li d -a lle -in fi ys were d the once da ha ur e O w d n! an ga be lleyball, tural habitat. cricket and vo wi in their na ki snorkelling, ot sp to y Island opportunit Great Barrier - Gracie Scott,

Carrying food, tents and clothing, we embarked as a team to our destination for the night, below Mt Ruapehu. Sleeping under the stars, cooking our own meals and seeing the moonrise was a highlight for us all. - Francesca Jenkins, Tongariro OPC

Year 12 – Tongariro OPC, Great Barrier OPC, Urapukapuka Island $..0 )E

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Camp Week 2013

Year 13 – Futures, Mohaka River, Raglan The first three days were spent at the base camp learning how to eddy-turn, ferry-glide, S-turn and rescue each other. Once all were deemed competent, the camp moved to the headwaters of the Mohaka River for a 75-kilometre multi-day, self-supported journey through the wilderness of the Kaweka Ranges. There is very little room in the back of a white-water kayak and students were forced to leave many luxuries at home and freeze-dried meals were to be their staple diet. – Mr Jono Taylor, Outdoor Education Camp - Mohaka River

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junior school

news A Rainbow of Friends

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lass 1H has been embarking on an inquiry journey about understanding feelings and how this helps us with our relationships. They have enjoyed many discussions about what it means to be a friend, during which the importance of sharing when relating to others has been a common thread. The popular story The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister demonstrates beautifully the idea of sharing and how it relates to the way you feel. The class experienced a roller coaster of emotions themselves as the story unfolded: from surprise and disbelief as the sparkling fish gives away his scales, to joy and empathy as he basks in the glow of seeing others happy. The children’s new relationships were strengthened with a shared art activity where everyone worked in pairs, choosing someone that they didn’t know well, to create a unique rainbow fish. It was a popular activity and everybody took something different from the exercise. “It was really fun. You can easily make a cool rainbow fish with a friend, it’s much quicker.” – Nicholas Court “I felt happy because I got to make my fish with a new friend. We liked putting the scales on.” – Bronwyn Feather “I liked working with a new friend. We had a race to put our scales in the basket.” – Rachel Tran

Kindergarten Enrolments 2013/14

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ristin Kindergarten is the entry point to our Junior School. As part of our enrolment process, our Junior School team is currently meeting with children who will turn four years of age during 2013. If you have not already completed an application, or if you are aware of friends who would like to enrol their children at our Kindergarten, please note that applications should be submitted as soon as possible. To visit our Kindergarten or for further enrolment information, please contact Linda Teagle, Registrar, admissions@kristin.school.nz or 415 9566 ext 2324.

A New Take on Geometry As a part of their recent Geometry unit, 5D conducted an inquiry into the properties of 2D shapes. The class eagerly set out with their iPads to explore their school environment, taking photos of the many shapes that make up our everyday spaces. Once everyone was back in the classroom they imported the images into Pages, organised them to fit four photos on each page and printed them, ready for the next stage of their analysis. Each of the shapes was categorised and the properties of each were recorded alongside their 2D representation. The exercise has helped the class to recognise the importance of 2D shapes in our everyday lives and outlined why we need to understand the properties of shapes. It was a great way to start our Geometry unit. Sean McDermott, Teacher-In-Charge

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Literary Creativity with Brian Falkner During Term 1, New Zealand-born Australian author Brian Falkner came to Kristin School. He has published 10 books, one eBook and another book is coming out this year. He introduced himself and his books and then showed us his Neuro headset. Larry had the pleasure of using it. First off, he was made to see colours. Then the ears started wiggling. Brian then made Larry do all sorts of strange things and said we were looking inside his brain. Of course we were not really, but it was funny. Brian showed us the Neuro headset because he had written a book called Brainjack and it was all about people hacking into brains using Neuro headsets. It was great to see an idea from a book come alive right in front of our eyes. The Coke taste test was very popular with all of us. Six different contestants had to taste five cups of different types of Coke. The winner was Isabella with three correct guesses. We did this because Brian has written a book called The Real Thing in which a kid could taste the difference between Coke from a can and Coke from a bottle. It was not very easy at all. Then we played Story Sports in teams. Each team had to create an opening line, a short story, a rap and a limerick. This was great fun. The short story had to be a scene in Shrek except altered a bit, the rap had to be about excuses for being late to school and the limerick had to finish with a line about a mean librarian. In the afternoon it was time for a writing workshop. Brian gave us some tips about how to write a good story. He taught us that if you don’t care about your character then you don’t care about what happens to them. Year 5 had a great time and would like to thank Brian for coming to share all he knows about books and writing with us. Larry Lambourne and Zack Robertson

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Grandparents’ Day - Bridging the Generation Gap

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randparents’ Day is important day for us Junior School students and our grandparents. It is a good way for us to show them our improvement in what we are learning. It is also a good way for our grandparents to understand what we can do now with technology and how we learn from it. What I learnt was that when my grandparents talk about the good old days I should understand it as ‘the bad old days’. Because, believe it or not, our grandparents had a pretty hard time in their schools and we should feel lucky that we do not need to endure the hardship they had back then. When my grandparents visited for Grandparents’ Day I learnt that, in China, detention was one of the better punishments on offer. There, detention meant staying after school to clean up the toilets or stand outside the door for an hour. If you were caught sitting down you had to stand for another hour. The worst punishments were getting hit on the palms with a wooden ruler or the school calling your parents in. They had no technology for entertainment and had to play games that we would think were boring, like skipping and kicking feather balls. But to them, at the time, it was the greatest entertainment they had. We should feel lucky that we are in the year 2013. From my grandparents’ points of view, we are the happiest children in the world. Their parents never could give them great presents or the best food so my grandparents are happy for me. They learnt about our learning programs on the iPad, like Alfresco and Pages. It is very different for them because of the progress of technology. To them it seems like one moment there were no computers and the next moment, everybody’s using them. Grandparents’ Day was a great way for us to learn about our grandparents’ school time and for them to understand more about our learning and our school time. Dennis Yang, Year 6

Exploring Albany The Year 1 inquiry into ‘Public Places’ saw all the Year 1 students excitedly board a bus bound for the Albany Library and Kell Park in March. The first stop was the library where they met a very helpful librarian named Lana who showed them the wonderful resources available there. Following this, everyone ventured over to Kell Park to enjoy a picnic morning tea and time in the playground. A particular favourite was the spinners, out of which almost everyone staggered, dizzy and giggly. Afterwards, it was time for a quiet stroll through the park where everyone took a moment to make observations of all the different amenities on offer. As a follow-up to the trip, 1G used iMovie on their iPads for the first time to create a movie about the trip. They learned how to choose a theme, insert video footage and photographs, how to add text and how to create a voiceover.

Junior School News

Welcome to the Junior School

Mrs Diana Patchett The beginning of the school year is an exciting time for fresh starts and new opportunities. This has been particularly the case for our Junior School students who returned to their classrooms in Term 1 under the guidance of their new Junior School Principal, Mrs Diana Patchett. With a background in Science, Sport and Outdoor Education, Mrs Patchett has come to Kristin from Moreton Bay Boys’ College, an IB World School in Brisbane where she held the position of Deputy Head of College. Having relished the challenges of her ďŹ rst few months on the job, Mrs Patchett reects on her new school and another of its recent arrivals – the Junior School Charter Fridge.

where opportunities exist for academic, social, physical and spiritual growth. The teachers work together to prepare teaching programmes that develop caring, reective and open-minded learners, where positive relationships are nurtured within a safe and supportive environment. Emerging technologies, stimulating inquiries and current best-practice methodologies are employed to ensure a fresh approach to learning. People look for different things inside a fridge, so it needs to be stocked for individual tastes. Kristin students come in all shapes and sizes, with strengths in a multitude of areas and individual learning styles. Our focus on inquiry-driven education ensures that students have the chance to inuence their studies, to take it in a direction

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of their choosing. All classroom programmes are differentiated to ensure students are challenged beyond their own level, setting the bar just high enough to offer challenge, yet maximise success. A visit to the fridge often brings comfort, somewhere you go when you need something to make you feel good. This is just what the Junior School offers! A walk through the school at any time and you’ll ďŹ nd happy children, engaged in the excitement of learning and enjoying each other’s company. Every day is different in the Junior School, but what is the same is the positive environment – with teachers, students and parents supporting each other. It has been a delight to see the progress made by our students in just one term, and I look forward to sharing a feast of celebrations with our community over the course of the year. Diana Patchett Junior School Principal

s the new Junior School Principal, I arrived at Kristin at the same time as a bright-blue fridge was installed in the entrance to the Junior School. The fridge certainly caught the attention of the returning students and families, as did the intriguing selection of word magnets that covered the front door. The words were the culmination of work by the Junior School staff in 2012 to articulate a Charter for the Junior School; words such as ‘creative, engaging, dynamic’ served to differentiate our school and its programmes. From the ďŹ rst day of term it was obvious that these words were in action throughout the school, with children inquiring, collaborating and communicating with conďŹ dence in pursuit of greater skills and knowledge. But, what of the fridge itself? It got me thinking – ‘How is a Junior School like a fridge?’ Things inside are fresh, they’re good for you and essential for healthy growth. This is certainly true of Kristin Junior School,

The Fridge

Bright new graphics along the Kindergarten wall are another exciting addition to the Junior School grounds, complete with very popular blackboard paint!

What is the ďŹ rst thing you think about when you hear the word ‘fridge’? A place to store nice, nutritious food. A place to keep food cold, ensuring your fresh food stays fresh for longer. Now, how do you think a fridge could relate to Kristin Junior School? Well that is what everyone was wondering when a fridge turned up at our school at the beginning of Term 1. Standing on the outside wall of Mrs Harker’s classroom, it attracts a lot of attention, with people touching, pulling and looking around the back of it. So, what is the fridge all about? Well I searched the dictionary for the word on the front of the fridge - Charter. It means: a document giving certain legal rights. Are the words on the fridge our legal rights? Year 1 says it is about children and the meaning of the words on it. These include useful words like explore, question, debate and collaborate, which are very good words and relate to our school. Year 6 says that it stores greatness for our future, which is a very good point also. I think the reason why the fridge is so important is that everyone has a different view on its meaning. I think it is because school is cool! Megan Kennedy, Year 6

ISSUE No. 57

Searching with Zulu During Term 1, students in the Kindergarten have been inquiring into pets. Jack Le Noel’s grandfather, Mr Peter Campbell, is a Customs Officer and he arranged for a Customs Dog to visit the Kindergarten and show off his skills. Dog-handler Mr Paul Ferguson brought along Zulu, a golden Labrador, and spoke about the job they do together. The children learnt that Zulu has a very sensitive nose and smells for food, money, bad medicines and bombs. Besides working at the airport, Zulu also checks containers, aeroplanes and big ships. When he wears his harness Zulu knows it is time for work. Everyone was very impressed as they watched how Zulu found a bag of ‘bad medicines’ hidden in the fence. They were delighted to watch how Paul rewarded Zulu by giving him a toy to play with after the find. Jack’s grandfather was most impressed with the children’s questions following the demonstration. The group wanted to know if Zulu could go out without his lead on, if he went to the vet and if he was allowed to sleep inside with other dogs.

Figurative Language Class 6D has been inquiring into how authors use figurative language to evoke mental pictures. They have investigated literary devices such as similes, metaphors, personification, adverbial phrases and staccato sentences. The students have also had help from reading and analysing cameos; these are short but extremely high-quality descriptive paragraphs. Here is an example written by Rebecca Rong. The Ocean Light waves lick the burning rocks, hot enough to boil an egg. Wind whistles past my ears and beefy clouds float past. Tiny waves tickle my toes, washing up a single seashell that gleams in the sun. Great palm trees loom over the sandy shore, making giant shadows that reach forward to touch the deep blue sea. The sun sprinkles sparkly glitter upon the water and squishy sand wraps around my toes. Seagulls squawk, diving into the water, sending tiny droplets onto my bottom lip, and the taste of salt water explodes in my mouth. As I walk back home, my mind tells me to never taste the revolting, sour taste of sea water again. Rebecca Rong

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Campaigning to be

House Captains

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ave you ever wondered what you have to do to be a House Captain? If a little kid were asked that question they would probably say “They just have to make sure they get house points.” But it’s much more than just that. Before you even get to be a House Captain you have to campaign. Campaigning is when you dress up and walk around the school and persuade people to vote for you. It’s hard work because everybody else is doing it at the same time. It really helps to have an eyecatching poster! When it came time for the announcement, all of the nominees went into Mr Nichol’s room, each hoping that we had done enough to win. It was Mrs Fordham who said the words, “The Apollo House Captains are Alexa Harwood and Bailey Clague” and I felt like a bottle of Sprite that was about to explode, I was so happy. At the first House Captain meeting Mrs Fordham told us our responsibilities as House Captains. They were to look after a class on rainy days, sit with a class at Assembly, look after people around you and make sure your House is up to date with all the things that they need to know. We’ve already had an inter-house dodgeball tournament for fun, and every House has made up a cheer that was used at Swimming Sports. The noise was deafening because everyone was trying to sing louder than the next House. It was like a football ground full of singing and cheering people. There is a lot of responsibility involved with being a House Captain but I am very glad that I got to be one. So to the Year 5’s out there reading this, I would really recommend you go all out to be a House Captain next year. Alexa Harwood

Old Fashioned Lunch Year 2 enjoyed an old fashioned lunch as part of their inquiry into ‘Then and Now’. Everyone had to bring in food in paper packaging (no plastic allowed) and to make it even trickier it had to be food that was available in 1900 New Zealand. This was not easy!! The highlight of the event was the egg and spoon race which was very popular. It was quite a relief to be able to bring our usual foods the next day, but fun for a change to try something different. Cooper Clague and Hayden Muckersie

Junior School News

iPads in the

Junior School

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et your fingers do the walking’ has a brand new meaning for students in the Junior School as 2013 marks the first year where we have been using iPads in every classroom, from the Kindergarten right through to Year 6. The use of these tablets has begun to revolutionise what we do and how we do it. There are still plenty of books and pencils and paper being used across all levels of the school, however the addition of the iPads allows for a wide range of new and exciting learning experiences for both the students and staff to participate in. Year 6 students Barnaby Donaldson, Jack Gulliver and Rhys Spilling agree that the iPads have been a great addition to their learning. “They’re really good. They make learning a lot less complicated.” The boys’ teacher, Mrs Cochran, values the tool for what it enables her students to do. “The introduction of iPads to our classes has been fantastic. They make my students independent in their learning and research.” To illustrate how versatile and useful the tablets have been in support of the Junior School curriculum, Lauren Officer (Year 6) has outlined her use of her iPad in her recent Westpac Rescue Helicopter inquiry. ‘

iPad Case Study – Year 6 In Term 1 we have been doing an inquiry on a charity of our own choosing. My friend Sydney and I chose Westpac Rescue Helicopter and we have found that the iPad was amazingly useful for getting the information we needed. It provided eight different applications that we were able to use. I will take you through the process that we followed during this inquiry. My teacher downloaded a note-taking sheet on Alfresco, which we loaded in Pages so we could use it to record our findings and start our inquiry. To find information on the Westpac Rescue Helicopter we used Safari to look up the website, then we went back to Pages to record our findings. Sydney and I were fortunate to have the chance to visit the Westpac Helicopter Centre. Once we had our appointment I had to contact my teacher to check whether we could be out of class at this time. This is where First Class comes in. It is an email account that allows us to

contact our teachers, classmates and other people in the school. It is very easy to use: you can just type their name in and it automatically adds their address to the recipient field. Then we put a note in Calendar that reminds us of what time we needed to go. The next day we headed off to the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Trust’s headquarters. Once there, we used Recorder to document our interviews so that when we got back to school we could just listen to them again and again! While we were doing our interview a rescue call came through, so we fired up our Camera app and videoed the crew taking off in the helicopter. At this time we were also taking photos. Back at school we put all our information together to be presented on Keynote. It needed to be edited a few times, but finally we finished our presentation – all on our iPads! Lauren Officer

Early Literacy Afternoon On Monday 11 March an Early Literacy afternoon was held for parents of the Kindergarten to Year 2. This was an opportunity for the teachers to provide information to parents about the approaches used to teach Literacy in the classroom, as well as to discuss how parents can help their child’s early literacy development at home. Key points to remember when reading with your child at home are to make sure your child can see the pictures. Insist on finger pointing and, when decoding words, encourage your child to go back to the start of the sentence, look at the sounds in each word (look right through the word), think about what makes sense, and then read on. It is also important for children to see the upcoming text when they are learning to read so that they can look ahead. If they do make an error, prompt them with questions such as ‘did that look right? Did that sound right? Did that make sense?’ Remember to read to your child and let them see you reading. It is also important to talk with your child about the text. For example, discuss the characters, setting, problem, solution, personal connections,

opinions, and ask your child to make predictions. When writing with your child at home, involve your child in purposeful writing activities such as writing a shopping list, making birthday invitations, sending an email, writing thank-you notes, or making labels for household items. Talk to your child about what they could write about at school the next day or, when sharing an experience, comment that this could make a great story. You can also use the sounds when speaking to your child; for example, ‘put on your j-j-j-jumper’. It is important that children have an area to write at with plenty of paper and pens that they can experiment with. Another tip to remember is, when teaching your child to write their name, it is best to do so in lower case rather than in capitals. Overall, the session was incredibly informative and it was wonderful to have such a great turnout. We welcome questions at any time from all our parents. Happy literacy learning! Jude Griffiths Year 1 Dean

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Junior School Chapel Committee The Kristin Chapel is a wonderful place to learn and grow and it is one of my favourite places in the school. There are many important people in the Chapel for students in the Junior School, including Reverend Ramsay and the Year 6 Junior School Chapel Committee. The Junior School Chapel Committee is a group of Year 6 students who, with support from Mrs Miller and Reverend Ramsay, read readings from the Bible, help put together plays and help choose the theme for the term. Since Year 1, I have always wanted to be a member of the Chapel Committee and this year I finally got that chance. It was an exciting opportunity and, right from the first meeting, our committee has had a lot of fun. At our first meeting, Reverend Ramsay asked us to make a skit about respecting our mother and father, so the next week we turned up at the Chapel at 8am, eager to get ready to perform our skit. Throughout the term we have really enjoyed the responsibilities and opportunities that being part of the committee has provided. Erica Bruce

Harvest Festival

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uring the Harvest Festival in March, students and teachers alike came to school laden with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables to give to organisations such as The Salvation Army and Auckland City Mission. The Harvest Festival is all about giving. The Chapel Committee helped collect and load all the food into the van to be sent off to food banks and to be given out to people in need. It was very important that everyone brought lots of fruit and vegetables because the more we brought, the more people in need could benefit. A representative from The Salvation Army came to collect the donations and he told us about how he had been coming to Kristin for quite a few years and he was impressed how much we gave to this cause. He said that all of the food was going to less fortunate people in Auckland. Kristin Junior School is not the only place people celebrate the Harvest Festival. Many churches and chapels around the world also do this. Fleur Hamilton-Vincent

Soft Toy Tea Party There was a buzz of excitement seizing the Year 1 classrooms on the morning of Friday 1 March because finally the day had arrived – it was our Soft Toy Tea Party! The Soft Toy Tea Party was an opportunity for the Year 1 students to put into practice the skills that they had learned, practised and gained during their ‘Being Friends’ inquiry. During this unit, the Year 1 students have learnt about what a friend is, the kinds of things a good friend does and how to make and keep a friendship. Our adventure began with an inquisitive stroll over to our ‘secret’ venue (we went over to the Senior School and met in the Prefects’ lunch-eating area!). We then had to introduce ourselves to a new friend and learn something about them as well as share morning tea together. We got a great surprise when Mrs Patchett turned up with her friend the Kristin Kiwi and joined in with us. We had a wonderful time. Everyone enjoyed making new friends and playing with their toys’, and there is a lot more fun to be had as we continue to grow our new-found friendships.

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Junior School News

Waterwise On Mondays during Term 1, Year 6 packed their bags and made their way down to Waiake Beach to participate in the Waterwise programme. It is a highly anticipated time for everyone in Year 6. We participated in this programme to make sure we are safe in the water and it gave us a great experience to know what it is like around the water. Some of us had not sailed in a boat or paddled a kayak before and, along with the pontoon swim, these were the real highlights. We learnt about water safety, how to survive if you float out to sea and how to help others if they are panicking in the water. The objective of Waterwise is to establish a programme of aquatic awareness by developing self-confidence, water safety, swimming and fitness, rowing, kayaking and yachting skills. In the future we will be able to take the lessons that we have learnt at Waterwise and put them to good use, especially if we end up in a survival situation somewhere. Thanks to the parents and teachers who made this experience a great one. Brianna Lewis and Nelson Moore

Year 2 Makes

History

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here was a buzz of excited chatter as the Year 2 children arrived at school, dressed and ready for their trip to the Howick Historical Village. The rustle of long dresses and skirts, the clipping of boots and the snapping of braces told of a day’s adventure ahead. The annual visit to Howick Village is a highlight of the Year 2 inquiry programme. It gives the children a chance to literally ‘step back in time’ and engage in a hands-on day of life in the 1850s. With a focus on developing an understanding of how life changes, the children took part in making butter, washing clothes by hand, visiting the schoolroom and playing with outdoor toys. With cries of “Can we please wash some more clothes?” and “This loo is so cool!” (in reference to an outhouse), it was clear that the day was enjoyed by all. It was immensely satisfying to watch the children persevere and gain confidence with challenging toys such as stilts and quoits as well as setting up their own horse races. Even the challenge of slates and slate pencils was approached excitedly, although the strict ‘no talking or fidgeting’ rule proved difficult for many. Brimming with questions and new insights on their arrival back at Kristin, the children were ready to get started with the next stage of their inquiry process. Barbara Taylor Year 2 Dean

Water Care Our Year 4 water care investigations took us down to the Kristin wetlands during Term 1 to look at the number of freshwater bugs and macro-invertebrates that live there and to assess pollution levels. All Year 4 students made a scoop to scoop up the water to use in our experiments where we tested the nitrate and pH levels and the temperature of the water. Part of our learning has been about where Auckland’s water comes from and how it is treated. We were able to do our own filtering experiences by getting into pairs and testing different ways to clean our dirty water samples. We tried a range of filters including sand, cotton wool, bark and paper towels. Of all the experiments we did in our water care unit, this experiment was our favourite. A visit to the big drains at the back of the Roy Munn Gym showed us how the water flows and gave us the opportunity to take on a series of challenges about redirecting the water flow. Our first challenge was called ‘the mountain’. We had to put rocks on a piece of cardboard and guess how many rivers you can make. Next we had to make a fast-flowing river using rocks. Lastly we had to make a dam to stop the water flowing down the drain. Gregor Burns, Nicholas Sparg and Miriam Scott

ISSUE No. 57

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Junior School News

Sharing our

Oceans

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ith the transdisciplinary theme of ‘Sharing the Planet’, and the central idea that ‘People interact with, use and value the natural environment in different ways’, what better way could there be to frontload information and to provoke a response from a group of Year 3 students than an excursion to Kelly Tarlton’s? The interdependence of ocean life and the actions that benefit or harm it were key points of reference for the students as they accumulated many facts, ideas and questions that they would recall on their return to the classroom. During their excursion, the students learnt of many animals that have been cared for by the Kelly Tarlton’s team and at similar facilities around the world, after they have been injured by rubbish or other man-made pollution. The students in 3I were shocked to learn that a turtle, whose gut was packed with plastic bags, had floated to the surface of the ocean because of the gases that had been produced, and had become seriously sunburnt. This triggered long discussions about the effect that one person is able to have on the worldwide plastic bag problem.

Lessons of a Ballerina During Year 5’s Unit of Inquiry into ‘How We Express Ourselves’, we had the great privilege to have a visit from Bronte Kelly who is a dancer with the Royal New Zealand Ballet Company. Bronte helped us understand that through the arts, people use different forms of expression to convey their uniqueness. Bronte began dancing at four years old but was always a bit of a tomboy as she had three brothers. She remembers not being very good at ballet in the beginning but she loved how dancing made her feel. Bronte was also a very shy girl and she found it difficult to express herself to others through words, but through ballet she could show the many sides of her personality by portraying lots of different characters. Her favourite ballet that she has danced is Cinderella because she was chosen to play the lead role of Cinderella in one cast where she could show her serious side, and the silly stepsister in the other cast where she could show her sense of humour. Her main message to the Year 5 students was for us all to not be afraid to show our uniqueness. Bronte helped us realise that being unique or different is actually a gift and not something that we should hide or be ashamed of. She showed us that by sharing our unique gift with the world we could bring joy to many people and maybe help others by sharing our stories and talents. Year 5 was extremely lucky to have such a wonderful role model to show us that we are all unique in our own special way and that the arts is a wonderful way for us to share our uniqueness with others. Bronte Heath and Hee Seo Kim

Reading it Forward for World Read Aloud Day Imagine a world where everyone can read. On 6 March, World Read Aloud Day was celebrated by thousands of students, teachers, librarians and families in over 60 countries, including here in the Junior School. World Read Aloud Day is about taking action to show the world that reading and writing is a right that belongs to all people. It is a day that encourages children, teens and adults worldwide to rejoice in the power of words and to ‘read it forward’ by reading aloud together, to give away 8EEAI 7D: JE J7A; 79J?ED ED 8;>7B< E< J>; C?BB?ED F;EFB; M>E 97DDEJ yet read. Students were invited to visit the Library at lunchtime to hear Mrs Patchett, Mr Lockyer, Mr McDermott, Mrs Kinley and Mr Nichol read from some of their favourite books and poems. Parents were also invited to consider the benefits of reading aloud to children throughout the primary years and beyond. Many of us read to our children when they were young, but by the time our children are comfortable reading independently, many parents drop the habit believing their children are able to go it alone. For some students, interest in reading takes a huge dip at this age. By Year 4, books have become more challenging, schoolwork more complicated, and reading, in turn, can develop into more of a chore than a pleasure. In the interests of ‘reading it forward’ for your children, consider the benefits reading aloud can have for your child.

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U -;7:?D= 7BEK: 9H;7J;I C;CEH?;I $J ?DJHE:K9;I 7D: H;?D<EH9;I J>; pleasures of reading, and, as children get older, sets the stage for meaningful conversations about numerous topics. U -;7:?D= 7BEK: =?L;I 9>?B:H;D J>; EFFEHJKD?JO JE FH79J?I; B?IJ;D?D= 7 crucial skill for success at school. U -;7:?D= 7BEK: ;NFEI;I J>; B?IJ;D;H JE B7D=K7=; KI7=; D;M LE978KB7HO and new ideas. Children who experience literature build richer vocabularies and hear the varied rhythms of language. The more exposure, the more natural and broad this language development is. This introduction to new topics, places, people and ideas is limitless. U -;7:?D= 7BEK: ?DJHE:K9;I J>; B7D=K7=; E< 8EEAI DEJ E<J;D <EKD: ?D everyday conversation and screen time. U -;7:?D= 7BEK: IKFFEHJI J>; :;L;BEFC;DJ E< J>?DA?D= IA?BBI 7I 9>?B:H;D and adults discuss the books, articles and other texts they read together. U -;7:?D= 7BEK: 9>7BB;D=;I J>; B?IJ;D;H 8;OED: J>;?H 9KHH;DJ H;7:?D= B;L;B Listening exposes less able readers to the same rich and engaging books that fluent readers read on their own, and encourages them to become better readers. Alison Hewett Junior School Librarian

middle school

news Problem Solvers Heading to the USA It was an anxious wait. At 2pm on 4 November, three Kristin teams and one individual competitor were waiting, nervously, for the results of the New Zealand Future Problem Solving Finals to be read out and to find out who would be heading to the World Finals in Indiana in June. My team, consisting of myself, Hannah Bourke, Matthew Flower and Yezen Kubba, was not overly confident of our performance in the exam but when it was announced that we had gained a place of 2nd overall in the Middle Division (Year 9 and 10), surprise was quickly replaced by excitement. As the reality of our result set in, we realised it was us. We would be representing New Zealand at the International Finals! The other Kristin results included another 2nd placing and two 3rds. We are counting the months and weeks until June, and can’t wait to see what the World Champs has in store for us. Thank you so much to Mrs Mackway-Jones for all her hard work as our coach and to Ms Casey and Mrs Mansfield for supporting us at the Nationals. Jessica Tucker

Race For Life

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uring the start of Term 1, the Alliance Team was approached about helping out as volunteers for Mercy Hospital at Hampton Downs Raceway for an event called Race For Life; so, that was where we headed on Monday 8 April. By the time we got down to the racetrack it was 10am and time to start preparing lunch. Nadia Meyer, Olivia Williams and I all donned aprons and started slicing, peeling, cleaning and cooking a range of foods. Thomas Greenop and Henry Will helped the barista with the coffees. About an hour before lunch we were well worn out and were free to go out for a break. Outside, it was loud and busy. People of all shapes and sizes, wheelchairs and all, were travelling around the place, lining up to have a ride in the race cars, the helicopter, and some were having a ride on the motorbikes. It was an amazing experience. They were all having so much fun, and for people who are sick and disabled, getting in a race car and speeding around a track at 200 kilometres an hour is fantastic. Everywhere you looked people were smiling and laughing and having fun. We all had a ride in the race cars and on the motorbikes before going back into the kitchen to finish preparing lunch. Once everyone had sat down, we brought out the food and the team waited on everyone. By taking the food around to individuals you could see the happiness on their faces after having had such an amazing time. It was wonderful to be able to help on such a special day that I just know they will remember. It was a wish come true for many people that day. Ruby Janssen

A Warm-up for Debaters In February, a group of Year 9 and 10’s who enjoy formulating arguments and challenging other people’s ideas in a disciplined and structured way participated in a debating workshop. This was in preparation for the upcoming season of the Auckland Schools’ Debating Competition. The group went through a practice run of what it would be like in an actual debate. We debated topics as to whether single parents who are on the benefit and have school-age children should have to search for work. Our statements had to be well structured and then we had to

analyse why we had taken a certain viewpoint. I think it is fair to say that arguing politely is key to debating, as is listening to the other side so we can effectively rebut their arguments. We had a lot of fun opposing the other teams and learned to be more sophisticated in our thinking. The workshop was a great introduction to the world of debating and a great opportunity to practise the very valuable skills of structured debate. Emma Cadman

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Forensics@Kristin

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ore than 80 budding investigators came together at Kristin School over the October holidays to take part in the second annual Forensics@Kristin camp. An intensive ďŹ ve-day studentled experience, the camp is designed to test the participants’ problemsolving, research, logic and creative skills. On arrival the participants were split into groups with clear responsibilities for the action-packed week. Allocated the role of Detectives, these 80 students would spend the week uncovering and analysing evidence, deciphering data in a race to solve the case and ďŹ nd the killer. Always ahead of the Detectives were the 46 Controllers, Scenario Doctors and Controller Directors who were responsible for delivering evidence to the young investigators, leading them ever closer to their ďŹ nal conclusions. Supporting these teams was a group of organised and efďŹ cient logistics specialists from Years 9 to 11 who kept the wheels in motion throughout the week. The Detectives tested ďŹ ngerprints, DNA and toxin samples, documentary evidence, forgeries, footprint and tyre-print casts, as well as pollen, soil and ďŹ bre samples. The groups led their own investigations, tested the evidence in the laboratories and arranged for specialist testing, police interviews and search warrants. They utilised the multitude of resources, skills and intelligence at their disposal to sort out the evidence from the red herrings to direct their own lines of inquiry. Their investigations culminated in a simulated court trial where detectives became defence and prosecution lawyers, interviewing key witnesses and arguing their side of the case. Over the course of the week, participants had the opportunity to meet with specialists from the ďŹ eld who explained the real-life application of what they were learning and the realities of forensic investigation. Detective Peter Litherland spoke to the students about the role of a Detective in the police force and what it takes to solve a crime. Forensic scientist Ms Kate Stevenson from Environment Sciences and Research (ESR) took to the stage to explain her line of work. She provided many tips for the camp’s Detectives to help them build a strong and compelling prosecution case. Independent forensic scientist Dr Anna Sandiford gave the participants an amazing insight into the world of forensic investigation for the defence, breaking down the myths created by television shows and shining a light on the fascinating and challenging aspects of her profession. Crown prosecutor Mr Josh Shaw gave valuable insights into the trial process. While Kristin staff were on hand to help and guide as necessary, it was the students who led the camp, addressed the participants and took responsibility for its ultimate success. The whole camp represents more than 600 hours of planning and preparation and the feedback from participants and their families is that every minute has been worthwhile.

Registration is already open for the 2013 camp, which will be held on site in July and will include students from right across New Zealand. Forensics@Kristin is generally targeted to students from Years JE >EM;L;H CEJ?L7J;: students from above and below this age range will be considered. This year also sees the introduction of the Forensics@Kristin Junior Edition. This new one-day activity offers students in Years 3 to 6 the chance to solve their own investigation and interact with the detective teams from the ďŹ ve-day camp. $DJ;H;IJ;: <7C?B?;I 7H; ;D9EKH7=;: JE 9EDJ79J -7;MOD 7I;O 4;7HI JE 10), rcasey@kristin.school.nz, or Yvonne Bull (Years 3 to 6), ybull@kristin. school.nz, for more information.

Project 13 – The Salvation Army On the morning of Thursday 11 April, Mr Haslam and Mr Pickstock accompanied 11 of us Year 8 boys as we headed to the Albany Bays Salvation Army base to help clean up their building as a part of Project 13. We were very excited, not really knowing what to expect. We were split up into groups and together we worked on cleaning cars, weeding, washing windows, picking up rubbish and brushing down footpaths, talking as we worked. The time went surprisingly fast and after three

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hours of work, everyone was pleased with what we had achieved. Together we had done what would have taken ages for a single person to do and it was incredibly satisfying to contribute to our community by helping The Salvation Army do their great work. Thank you to Mr Haslam and Mr Pickstock for organising this very rewarding experience. Ryan Yong

Middle School News

Energy, Velocity

and Adrenalin

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t was the Science trip that we had waited for since we RHIJ <EKD: EKJ 78EKJ ?J ?D 4;7H 4;I M; M;H; RD7BBO going to go to Rainbow’s End… in school time… in mufti... and it was for Science! It was a lovely sunny day and we were so excited on the bus, working out which rides we would be going on and who we were going to go on them with. We were each given a booklet to complete in which we needed to explain how each of the rides used energy and forces to make them exciting. We kept our booklets with us all day so that we could update each section after every ride. Groups seemed to form without them being assigned which meant we could choose who we wanted to be with all day. On the bus back to school, everyone was talking about their experiences and everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, said that it was so much fun and wished they could do it every day. We learnt a lot about how forces and energy affect the rides, all while having so much fun! Martha Bell

Middle School Enrolments 2014 Interviews are well under way for new students to enrol in our Middle School next year. We look forward to receiving your child’s application and including them in our enrolment process. For a Middle School tour or for enrolment information, please contact Linda Teagle, Registrar, admissions@ kristin.school.nz or 09 415 9566 ext 2324.

Climbing Everest Mountains are the means, the man is the end. The goal is not to reach the tops of mountains, but to improve the man. -Walter Bonatti, Italian climber The start of the new year marks a new intake into the Middle School L;H;IJ +HE=H7CC; ;I?=D;: JE IKFFEHJ 8EOI ?D 4;7H 7D: L;H;IJ helps to develop the organisational, social and motivational skills necessary for its members to achieve to their potential as they progress through the Middle School and onwards in their academic studies. The boys are set the task of ‘climbing Mt Everest’ in a series of stages as the year progresses. Points are awarded to students based on specific criteria related to attending weekly meetings, consistent use of their homework diaries and a range of other positive organisational behaviours. The more points earned, the higher up the mountain the students climb with the summit being the ultimate goal for the year. At weekly meetings, strategies for organisation and positive participation are discussed, and regular activities led by key staff within the school, such as Mr Haslam, Mr Gurney and Mr Taylor, give the boys opportunity to put their social and teamwork skills into practice. The boys are asked to set measurable goals in specific areas of their life at Kristin. These

goals may encompass cultural, sporting and academic pursuits and, for those boys who achieve their goals for the term, trips away from school are timetabled as a reward for their perseverance. In the past, students have enjoyed day trips to Snowplanet, Tree Adventures, kayaking and fishing on a chartered fishing boat. Analogies are inevitably drawn between the many challenges presented with climbing in the Himalayas and the day-to-day challenges that life at Kristin presents. The Everest boys are encouraged to look out for their team-mates ‘on the mountain’, in order to appreciate the interdependence that breeds success in all levels within any sort of community structure. It is hoped that by helping and supporting each other the boys will achieve positive improvements in all spheres of Kristin school life. The ultimate responsibility for working towards positive change lies with the boys themselves. Seeing boys punch the air in jubilation after scoring maximum points during a meeting gives this teacher immense satisfaction and confidence that those students will very soon be healthy, balanced young men. Jared Riseborough Teacher-in-Charge, Everest Programme

ISSUE No. 57

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Making Tracks The Kristin Running Club had its humble beginnings during Term 2 of 2011. Back then it consisted of fewer than 10 semi-loyal participants, made up of a couple of Senior students and staff, who would meet every Thursday after school for a social run around the school premises. Fast-forward to Term 2 of 2013 and it’s a totally different scene. The Middle School reception area is a bustle of Junior, Middle and Senior School students accompanied by staff and parents, all in their active sportswear and with technology-brimming trainers. While some select to listen to personalised playlists as they pound the concrete, most choose to socialise during the loop run with the inevitable benefit of healthy competition. As with the ages, the distance covered in the running club varies each session, with members opting to cover one, two, three or, in Mr Haslam’s case, many, many laps. Some of our younger runners choose an inner circuit that uses the school grounds while others use the longer Cross-Country course in preparation for the big day. This reflects the easygoing nature of the club and its flexibility to cater for anyone, with Reverend Ramsay, Mr Kelly and Mr Peat being a few of the ‘celebrities’ who participate. The running club is now hoping to enter a new era with the implementation of an awards scheme. Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum levels can be achieved based on each member’s level of participation, with our goal being to grow the club even further. While the result of this initiative is as yet unknown, the running club will for ever follow the Kristin motto of Progress with Vision, Integrity and Love… and just a hint of competitiveness! Idris Jones

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Fresh Talent

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he Middle School Talent Quest began with a hiss and a roar with performances designed to dazzle judges, students and teachers alike. The Octagon was packed from 11 to 15 March as talented students took to the stage to find out who would be the next Kristin Middle School star. There were many magnificent and exciting entertainment pieces including singing, dancing, rhythmic gymnastics, cheerleading and a rock band sensation. As there was a variety of acts, a number of judges were invited to adjudicate. Mr Gurney, Mrs Jackson, Mrs Rogers, Ms Betts, Miss Collins, Mrs Diekema and Gemma Revell, a wonderful student ambassador from the Senior School, assessed individual performances. Members of the Cultural Team, Mrs van der Geest, Mr Robinson, Mr Stewart and Anthony Tuxford, a student from the Senior School, all helped to organise the event, with the Cultural Team sharing the hosting role. Overall, the show was a huge success. The weather was smashing and many students came to watch. We had six fabulous finalists: Martha Bell, Amie Dennis, Victoria Gancheva, Isabella Howarth, Asha Panya and rock band contestants Ricky Buer, Theo Hill, James Morrissey and Alex Philips. In the end Victoria Gancheva took out 1st prize with her crowd-pleasing rhythmic gymnastics routine. Congratulations to all contestants; you were all winners, getting up on that stage and performing for the masses! MS Cultural Leadership Team

Middle School News

PasiďŹ ka Kristin

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ur PasiďŹ ka partnership with the village of Poutasi, a small community that was devastated by the 2009 Samoan Tsunami, has continued to grow in strength this year. In February, we were delighted to offer a scholarship visit for two Year 10 students, Faleomanu Alaimoana and Lamapeti Fuimaono, and one teacher, Mrs Pakisa Sua, from Falealili Secondary College in Poutasi. During their three-week visit, the students were billeted with families, attended lessons and joined the weeklong Year 10 camp at the spectacular Tongariro National Park. Rafting and mountain biking were highlights, with both Fale and Peti having to learn to ride a bicycle for the ďŹ rst time as part of this experience. To ensure that they both enjoyed the same learning opportunities as our students, both Fale and Peti were presented with an iPad Mini at their welcome assembly. These became much prized possessions, capturing images and video of their visit. During their stay, it became evident that they both had a signiďŹ cant commute between their school and home – in Fale’s case, a 90-minute walk each day. Therefore, a most ďŹ tting farewell gift was a new bicycle for them each to take home. Both Fale and Peti quickly became adopted members of their host families and indeed their whole year level. The farewell from students, staff and parents was a tearful one. Fale, Peti and Mrs Sua arrived as friends and left as members of the Kristin family. Our focus now moves to the next visit to Poutasi, which will be made available to Year 9 and 10 students in July 2014. During this visit we have three clear ambitions: U K?B: 7D 78BKJ?EDI 8BE9A M?J> J>H;; JE?B;JI 7D: I>EM;HI JE ?CFHEL; J>; village’s ability to host visiting groups and generate revenue. U +HEL?:; J78B;J :;L?9;I 7FFHEN?C7J;BO <EH 4;7H 7D: IJK:;DJI JE use and arrange an Internet connection for the school. Current retention rates are low and this is an ambitious plan to improve that situation. U H;7J; 7 S 7J =H7IIO FB7O?D= R ;B: 7:@E?D?D= J>; I9>EEB />;H; ?I L;HO B?JJB; play space in close proximity to the school. Our medium-term objective is to provide a scholarship for two students to complete their senior education at Kristin, commencing in 2015. It is our hope that this will provide a pathway to university and tertiary qualiďŹ cations. PasiďŹ ka Kristin: Supporting sustainable community development through educational partnership. Adam Heath Middle School Principal

Future Problem Solving Evaluators On a Saturday in April, a small group of Year 10 and 11 students attended a training session to become evaluators of Junior Future Problem Solving booklets. Hannah Bourke, Courtney Dyson, Matthew Flower, Yezen Kubba and Jessica Tucker took part in the training under the tutorship of Dr Andrew MacDonald. Future Problem Solving evaluators are a critical part of the marking process of the Future Problem Solving programme. Each term, students from across New Zealand who take part in Future Problem Solving complete a booklet on a global issue in teams of four. They are presented with a scenario set in the future and in this story they need to identify 16 issues, decide on a major issue to solve and then devise 16 solutions to solve the problem. Each stage has very detailed writing. The booklets are then sent off to the Future Problem Solving headquarters where they are mixed with booklets from other schools and divided into

sets of six. An evaluator will mark six booklets and rank them. This skill is really the ďŹ nal stage of the problem-solving process, as working out what students mean and deciding whether or not their points are relevant to the issue requires higher-level thinking skills. Dr MacDonald is an ex-student of the Future Problem Solving programme and now a member of the administration board. His training session generated a lot of productive and interesting discussion amongst the group. Four of the team will represent New Zealand at the International Future Problem Solving Finals in June so this was invaluable training for them. Over the last three years approximately 20 Kristin students have trained as evaluators and some have chosen to continue in the role long after they have left the school. Christine Mackway-Jones Teacher-in-Charge, Future Problem Solving

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Student Leadership in the

Middle School

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erm 1 has been action packed for all of the Year 10 Leadership teams, with everyone kicking off the year with meetings, fundraisers and generally aiming to take the efforts of the 2012 teams to a new level. In particular, the Student Council has started strongly and has put on a remarkably successful Spooky House fundraiser, visited the Lady Allum House retirement home and cooked a dinner for the residents of Ronald McDonald House. Other teams have offered support to the Hospice organisation, assisting with an event at Hampton Downs Raceway. Two teams have visited The Salvation Army’s centre in Albany to assist in maintaining their facility. Lunchtime games have been organised by Middle School teams as well as the highly successful Talent Quest. A Student Council meeting, featuring representatives from every class in the Middle School, reviewed and suggested improvements for the start of

Life’s a Beach As all of the students pile out of the bus to the wonder of Long Bay Beach, the steaming hot sun hits us with a cold breeze coming along after it. It’s our Life’s a Beach Humanities trip and we are here to document and showcase the unique elements of this environment. Out come our video cameras and scripts and we get started, filming the wonders of the beach. After a good time spent at Long Bay we then head for Takapuna. Ah, Takapuna Beach! I think most of the Year 9 students would agree that Takapuna was certainly the favourite. We were able to interview the public about what they thought of the beach, to which we received all types of comments. The bustle of a busy Takapuna was followed by a peaceful visit to Milford to cap off our expedition. This school trip was absolutely one of the best I have ever been on. It was definitely a trip everyone enjoyed and gave us a great opportunity to apply what had been discussed in the classroom. I would just like to say thank you to all the staff who organised and contributed to the trip. Georgia Jurkovich

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the year. Camp Week was evaluated and a number of excellent suggestions have already been included in the forward planning for 2014. At this meeting, our Year 9 representatives requested additional seating adjoining the Octagon area and this is already under construction. All these experiences have shown us what it really means to be part of a fully-functioning student leadership team. It has opened our eyes to the value of altruistic leadership and we have found that just being there to help, or to talk with the people we were visiting, was the whole reward in itself. The lessons that all our teams have already learnt have begun to set us up for the many challenges to come in our lives, where we may not receive recognition or rewards for what we do for others. Instead we can gain motivation in knowing we helped or made a difference, no matter how small. The success and strength in our teams comes from their members - all wanting to serve and help others, upholding the values of altruistic leadership and service. With this in mind, everyone is really excited to continue with the rest of the year; it is only Term 2 and we still have big events to come! Toby Ellis, Student Council

Middle School News

Personal Project Exhibition Duke of Edinburgh

Practice Tramp

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group of students taking the Duke of Edinburgh course had their first experience of what the tramping would be like on our practice tramp on the Hillary Trail in the Waitakere Ranges on 16 March. The 50-minute bus ride through the single-lane twisting roads wasn’t great, so we were all relieved when we arrived at the start of the trail. We were all carrying a pack weighing at least 10 kilograms, so it was a very different experience to the Tongariro Crossing which we all completed at Camp in February. The tramp would take place over two days, camping at the Pararaha Valley. The first day was a nine-kilometre trek through forest to reach the campsite. We stopped for lunch at Whatipu Beach, before continuing up a steep hill towards the campsite, which we arrived at around 4pm to set up our tents. It was a new experience for most of us to cook dehydrated meals on a gas cooker and we found the meals to be a lot better than we had anticipated, although, after our long hike, swimming in the water holes and sliding down the sand dunes, anything would have gone down well. We were fortunate to have good weather on that first day, but when we set off for the longer, downhill track on the second day, it was raining heavily. It was difficult trying to maintain a steady pace, as much of the ground was extremely slippery and muddy. We found the tramp took us a lot longer than we thought it would, and there became a sizeable gap of about an hour between some of the groups. Overall, we all enjoyed the tramp. It was challenging, especially as it was a new experience for most of us to tramp with all our gear, but it was good practice for the Duke of Edinburgh tramps we will do in the future. Samuel McDonnell

A huge array of creative and intriguing work began appearing in the atrium of the Middle School Learning Centre during Term 1 as a part of the Personal Project Exhibition 2012/13. As well as being a celebration of the achievements of those who have recently completed their projects, the annual Personal Project Exhibition is an opportunity for students currently in Year 9 and 10 to gather ideas and inspiration as they prepare to embark on their own project journey. The material on show at this exhibition represented a year’s hard work from 40 Year 11 students. It marked the first year that Year 11 students were personally invited to display their work in the exhibition and the calibre of the displays was certainly very impressive. The major event of the exhibition was held on the night of 18 March when the Year 10 parents and new Year 10 students came to school to enjoy the displays before an information session in the Dove, hosted by our Personal Project Co-ordinator Mrs Mansfield. The exhibition showcased everything from photography books to a dress made from recycled packets to student-made skateboards. Every form of creativity was on show, and I hope that, through this exhibition, next year’s Personal Projects will become even more creative and fascinating. Gracie Scott

BASE Day – The Golden Rule The Year 8’s BASE Day for Term 1 focused on ‘the golden rule’ of treating others as you would like to be treated. Through a number of activities and games, we focused on choices and considered what makes them ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. One of the best games required us to decide between two options and then justify our decision. One question was, “Would you rather always say what’s on your mind or never say another word?” Throughout the day, we worked in teams for which we created chants, which we presented to the rest of the class. We had a team relay where each group had a list of activities to complete using one or more of the people in the team, and the fastest team to complete all the activities won. All of these activities took place during the morning at Long Bay, but at lunchtime we returned to Chapel to discuss the ideas of ‘right’ and

‘wrong’, and to make up our own golden rule. This was followed by a debate between our teams where we were given one of two topics, for which we had to argue for or against. This led to some pretty heated discussions! Points were awarded throughout the day with an eventual winner taking home an edible prize for all team members. It certainly was a brilliant day and the activities gave us a lot to think about regarding the choices we make and their impact on those around us. Jessica McGhie

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senior school

news Academic Excellence A proud record of academic excellence is one of the leading drivers for families who choose a Kristin education for their children and, as we celebrate our 40th year as one of New Zealand’s leading independent schools, this tradition has been upheld with another set of exceptional examination results. Record results were set in both NCEA and IB in 2012, with individual marks and year-level averages demanding recognition amongst the school community. Kristin’s Level 3 NCEA students achieved almost CEH; N9;BB;D9; ;D:EHI;C;DJI J>7D J>; national average. The highest grade point average went to NCEA Dux Rosaria Kelly, with over 80 of her credits at Level 3 awarded Excellence. Joining Rosaria in securing Excellence-endorsed certificates in Level 3 NCEA were Olivia-Grace Forde, Arden Haar, Julitta Lam, Michelle Meuli, Hannah SchunkHockings, Georgina Thompson and Rebecca Wilton. Of the 250 NCEA certificates awarded across all J>H;; O;7H B;L;BI CEH; J>7D M;H; ;D:EHI;: with Merit or Excellence. Our IB students have achieved similar success with 22% of last year’s students achieving a score of at least 40 out of 45, placing them in the top 6% worldwide. The highest score of 44 went to two students, Kelly Su and IB Dux James Allen, followed by Tina Li on 43. A further five Kristin students achieved 42, 11 were on 41, and three secured a score of 40. This is the largest group of Kristin students to qualify as Top Scholars in the 24 years since the programme was first introduced, and the largest group to represent their school at the IB Schools of New Zealand Top Scholar Award Ceremony at Government House. The Governor-General, Lt Gen Rt Hon Sir Jerry Mateparae, presented the awards and commended the students on their discipline, dedication and achievements in the demanding two-year Diploma. As well as scoring the school’s top mark in the IB Diploma, James Allen finished his year with Scholarship Awards in three subjects, two of which were at Outstanding level, a Bronze medal at the 2012 International Mathematical Olympiad in Argentina and the highest mark in New Zealand for a Year 13 student in ICAS Mathematics. These results represent the start of great things for our graduates. We look forward to following your future successes as you progress through your tertiary studies, and we encourage you to keep in touch with the school and your peers through our Kristin Alumni Facebook and LinkedIn networks

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Duke of Edinburgh

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- Gold

n the eve of Easter Weekend, 25 students from Year 12 and 13 started the fivehour bus trip to the Kristin Lodge in Tongariro National Park to begin their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Tramp. After stocking up on carbs and sugars for the next couple of days’ activity we settled down for an early night’s rest. The first morning we were met with crystal-clear skies and the icy temperatures, a world away from the heat of Auckland. We split into our two groups (practice and qualifiers) and began our journey across Lord of the Rings territory. With radios, maps and resources for every possible situation, we were well equipped for the adventure. The first day was filled with stunning scenery and sharp horizons as we worked our way through each kilometre until we were met by the welcomed sight of a hut in the middle of nowhere. We set up camp and refuelled before relaxing in the sun as the sunset approached. For some of the boys it was a less comfortable night as they volunteered to ‘Bear Grylls it’ under a tarpaulin and battled with sounds of possums nearby in the small hours. The following day the clouds lingered, dampening the mood from the previous trek. After many deep and meaningful conversations, songs and banter, the kilometres passed and some of the members of the practice group decided to scale Mt Ngauruhoe, or, as they called it, Mt Doom. Following the route of Frodo and Sam’s famous journey, they reached the top Continued over page >

after scrambling up over a kilometre of scree rock. What the Lord of the Rings trilogy seemed to miss was the extreme nature of the descent. Dodging ying rocks and navigating a path down in the mist proved to be quite a challenge, but, as all cinematic adventures end, the group returned safe and proud of their accomplishment. The next day the ‘Mt Doom group’ would ďŹ nd themselves regretting the extra effort as the tough terrain didn’t give in, but with teamwork, motivation and bursts of sugar they reached the ďŹ nal hut of the tramp. The tramp was a big success with everyone completing the 60 kilometres with no major injuries other than the inevitable blisters that are worn like battle scars. The weather, great company and our shared achievement compensated for the sacriďŹ ce of Easter Weekend for staff, parents and students alike. A big thank-you to the staff and parents who came along and allowed the tramp to happen, with a special mention to Mr van den Bergh for organising the weekend for all of us. Idris Jones

“The teams had been given several months to investigate seven open-ended problems involving levitating ping-pong balls in an airstream, liquid jets impacting on soap ďŹ lm, meniscus optics, ball-bearing motors, a candle causing water to rise in a beaker, collisions of ping-pong balls containing liquids and modelling gravitation using a stretched elastic membrane.â€?

The Battle of New Zealand’s

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Young Physicists

ristin recently played host to Auckland Region’s 8th New Zealand Young Physicists’ /EKHD7C;DJ ?D M>?9> J;7CI <HEC schools across Auckland and Waikato descended on the Dove Theatre to battle it out for the title of Regional Champion. Over the course of the day, each team competed in three Physics Fights in which they reported on a physics problem whilst another team opposed, challenging each other’s understanding and highlighting the strengths or weaknesses in their presentation. The teams had been given several months to investigate seven open-ended problems involving levitating ping-pong balls in an airstream, liquid jets impacting on soap ďŹ lm, meniscus optics, ball-bearing motors, a candle causing water to rise in a beaker, collisions of ping-pong balls containing liquids and modelling gravitation using a stretched elastic membrane. A panel of judges awarded both teams a score out of 10 based on the use of correct and relevant physics, their scientiďŹ c approach, their presentation skills and the role played during questioning sessions. Some excellent and diverse presentations were seen which documented rigorous experimental work and explained observations using complex physical phenomena.

Kristin hosted the event exceptionally. An army of Senior School volunteers helped with timing the Physics Fights, scoring, providing refreshments and generally making the guests feel welcome. The facilities in the Science building allowed teams to relax between ďŹ ghts while the laboratories provided an arena for the duelling teams, assisted by quality presentation technology. This is the ďŹ rst year Kristin has entered a team into the competition. Lingshu Liu, Christian Silver and Nicholas Thornton were up against the winning Auckland Grammar School team in the ďŹ rst ďŹ ght but soon learnt from their experience and adapted to score highly in opposition in the second and third ďŹ ghts. Overall, Kristin came 13th – a solid achievement for a new entrant in the competition. In Term 3, the NZYPT will announce the new set of problems for 2014 and the Physics Tournament Club will start to prepare for next year’s competition. More Senior School physics students are welcome to join and it is hoped that we will enter two teams next year. Anyone interested in joining the club should see Mr Campbell for more information. Congratulations to the Kristin team for their success in the tournament and thank you to all the students and staff who helped Kristin host the event. Matthew Campbell

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Spirit of Adventure During Term 1, I was lucky enough to take part in the 639th Spirit of Adventure Voyage. I was one of 40 trainees between the ages of 15 and 19 who were to sail from the Bay of Islands to Auckland. I was nervous, excited, a true bundle of emotions as I left home; however, that soon eased with time. We sailed to some gorgeous destinations such as Poor Knights, Great Barrier and the Bay of Islands. The opportunity to visit some of the hidden beauties that New Zealand has to offer was a real highlight for me, for example the deep-water cave at Poor Knights and watching the sunrise over the Roberton Island. Not only did we sail, but we also tramped, climbed ropes, swam in crystal-clear water and forged friendships that will last a lifetime. I knew that sailing would be a challenge and it was initially; however, >E?IJ?D= 7BB I7?BI ED 7O I?=D7BB;: JE all that we were able to do it, and do it well. Before I knew it, my journey on the Spirit was coming to an end. Day 9 was the trainees’ opportunity to take control of the ship and steer it homeward bound, back to Auckland. We elected the crew and I became Second Mate for the day, as we navigated, sailed and ran the ship until we reached our destination. Ultimately, it was an adventure I will never forget. We were 40 strangers who became friends, we saw places I had only dreamed of and together we were pushed to new heights both physically and mentally. I am so grateful for my opportunity to participate in Voyage 639 and would highly recommend this experience to all. Francesca Jenkins

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Year 11 Formal

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n the evening of Thursday 21 March, the group of enthusiastic and particularly stylish students congregating in the Middle School car park was expanding at a rapid rate. To any onlooker, this must have looked a peculiar sight – why were these elegantly dressed teenagers ocking towards school buses at 6.30pm on a school night? The answer: the Year 11 Formal. The bus rides were full of excited chatter and laughter, as the eagerness to ascertain the whereabouts of the ‘secret location’ increased. Eventually, the buses pulled up in the Viaduct area in the city and a short walk revealed that the mysterious venue was in fact the Floating Pavilion. The scene was already buzzing with loud music and chatter from the Year 13’s who had been on site for hours, setting up. One by one, students made their way onto the deck area and immediately groups gathered together to have photos taken by the professional photographer. Next stop for some was the bar, which was serving an assortment of beverages: orange juice, water and various soft drinks. After a quick refreshment, it was time to hit the dance oor. The DJ turned up the music and, with the lights dimmed and the bass thumping, the crowd of students let loose. After much energetic and sometimes manic dancing, trays of food appeared. A mass of ravenous students rapidly clustered around the buffet tables and in a frenzy of hands, plates and serviettes, the tables were left looking rather empty. Outside the Pavilion, the surrounding city and waterfront were beginning to darken, forming a stunning sight, and many students had ventured out onto the deck area to take in the view and get some air. Back inside the Pavilion, the music resounded through the room and dancing continued. After some time, the music quietened for the announcement of the Best Dressed students – Deanna Winthrop and Cameron Stables - and the King and Queen – Rory McCutcheon and Phoebe Donaldson, who shared a lovely dance together. Eventually, it was time to depart and return to school, and when the ďŹ nal song concluded, the students made their way back onto the buses. The bus ride back to school was a much quieter one and the chatter amongst students was rather muted as a wave of contented exhaustion had washed over the group. This fatigue did not deter the praise and commendation that followed and in the subsequent days after the formal, the discussions about it were ďŹ lled with nothing but positive remarks. On behalf of the Year 11 students, I would sincerely like to thank the Year 13’s for their efforts in making this formal a fantastic and unforgettable night. Emily Quirk

University Placement Successes

Senior School News

This year has seen the minimal entry requirements for many limited-entry courses become even more stringent and competitive. Kristin’s graduating class of 2012 can feel proud of their university placement successes with many receiving acceptance to highly competitive courses at selective universities. To quantify the success of our graduating students, the Senior School recently undertook its first-ever Survey of Graduates. Of the 129 recent graduates who responded to the survey, 86% chose to continue their higher education in New Zealand. As anticipated, The University of Auckland (61) was by far the most likely destination for our graduates, followed by AUT (16), University of Otago (10), 0D?L;HI?JO E< 7DJ;H8KHO 7D: 1?9JEH?7 0D?L;HI?JO *J>;H notable institutions also featured in the survey’s responses. Aspiring film-makers and performing artists have won places at prestigious specialist schools including Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School, the SAE Institute and the Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts. A number of our graduates were accepted at leading Australian institutions, in part drawn by the opportunity to attend one of Australia’s eight ‘Top 100 Universities’ and also to take advantage of the domestic status granted to New Zealand citizens. Overall, 11% of our 2013 graduates gained entry into Australia’s top-ranking universities: The University of Melbourne (5), Australian National University (2), Monash University (2) and Sydney University (2), among others. In addition to New Zealand and Australia, some of our graduates will be heading to universities in other countries, such as Singapore, Korea, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom, although these application outcomes will not be confirmed until later in the year. However, at least one graduate from Kristin has received offers from Cambridge University in the UK, MIT, Duke University, Stanford University, and Ivy League universities Brown, Cornel and Princeton. A further two Kristin graduates have accepted early offers at highly ranked liberal arts colleges UC Berkeley and Amherst College. Conjoint or double-degree programmes of study remain the preferred choice for many graduates. This is especially so for aspiring law students who are often required by the university to enrol in a ‘fall-back’ course of study. That said, law, business and commerce, engineering, medicine and heath-related courses remain the preferred choice of study for Kristin graduates. Justin Peat Assistant Principal, Senior School

House Carnival

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s& Art re Fi O

usiness & Commerc e O O B Me dic in

O Perform Design ing Art s

w La O s) ee

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he House system at Kristin is steadily growing in strength, and this year there was one new major event, the inaugural Senior School House Carnival. The new carnival marks a big change in the old format of Cross-Country Day. The Cross-Country race is still there, but no longer compulsory for all students to take part in. Instead, the classic endurance event was followed by an afternoon of vivid House rivalry. Every House was split into five groups; these groups, over the duration of the sunny Wednesday afternoon, travelled around a variety of great activities such as an inflatable bouncy obstacle course, a touch game and a wheelbarrow race, competing against rival teams and earning those much-desired House points - House points that I7M J>; C?=>JO JHK; 8BK; FEBBE ID7F KF J>; M?D E< J>; :7O M?J> EL;H FE?DJI Now, to clarify, the House Carnival is not only about whipping out those blue suspenders, donning that yellow ducky hat, cracking on the red sunnies or even painting your whole body green, although a lot of this did occur. No, the Carnival is about House spirit, House pride, House determination and, of course, most importantly perhaps, House competition. As an infinitely loyal Mariner member, in my eyes there was little competition really, though others may judge it differently! rty O Arts (in c. co Prope Overall, the day was a great success. All of the activities made for heaps of fun and a e& njo tur int c e de t i h lot of laughs, because what teenager doesn’t love reverting back to their younger gr c r 4% 4% years and moon-hopping the 400 metres? I tell you, running is overrated; 5% 25% bouncing is the way of the future. 7% A huge amount of effort and planning from the Sports Committee, House Councils and staff went into making this event the success it was and although I will no longer be a student next year, you may or may not see a 12% lone green-garbed figure sneaking into the tug-o-war or hurling herself over the giant inflatable bouncy castle! Because, as I see it, this event is proof that 16% the future of the House system at Kristin is going in only one direction, and 13% that is up. I may add also that this is the same direction that Mariner House is 14% heading - watch out Saturn, Apollo and Jupiter! Ella MacKenzie &

s

O Engineering nces O Sc Scie ien alth ce He

$..0 )E

Class of 2012 What are they studying? (Based on the results of the 2013 Survey of Graduates, 129 respondents)

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An Academic Plan for the Future Two years ago the Senior School asked the question: “How does a high-performing school, already the envy of many and with a reputation known around the world, get even better?” The answer was found through an extensive parent survey, the first of its kind at Kristin. Although overwhelmingly supportive of the school, the survey identified the parents’ desire of the Senior School to deliver a more personalised approach to academic and futures planning. Taking this advice on board, changes to the way we conduct our pastoral operations were implemented last year, which included: U The introduction of vertical House groups led by a House-based pastoral care team to improve continuity for students and to provide a new framework for individualised academic mentoring and futures planning U The appointment of a new Assistant Principal with responsibilities in communication, academic mentoring, futures planning and tertiary pathways management. Our new approach represents a significant shift in the way we deliver pastoral care and futures advice in the Senior School. We have purposefully moved away from the traditional approach that relied upon students seeking out guidance, often from a central resource such as a noticeboard, a section in a library or through making an appointment with a careers advisor. Although helpful to a few, this approach has not always provided students with consistently good opportunities to set goals, develop self-awareness, explore opportunities and make decisions about their future. Pastoral care and futures planning at Kristin now involves a broader range of pastoral staff who actively support students to develop career management competencies, focusing on their tertiary futures. Through the new initiative of academic mentoring and futures planning, we acknowledge that success starts with a plan. Having an academic plan is like having a road map to academic success, one that clearly guides each step towards a student’s desired destination. Senior School students now meet with their House Dean for three academic mentoring sessions per year. During these sessions, every student works with their House Dean to develop a personalised academic plan, tailored to their individual attributes, skills and aspirations. The sessions primarily focus on the setting (and subsequent monitoring) of SMART goals for each student’s time at Kristin, and then articulate a plan of action to help students to achieve them. Together, these changes have emphasised the personalisation of the educational experience in the Senior School, recognising that each student is unique and that no one model or philosophical mantra meets the needs of every student effectively. The use of Twitter and Facebook to communicate futures information has provided a personalised methodology for students to access appropriate material. With relevant information being pushed out to subscribers, students now have access to a diverse range of information streams. Kristin Futures has been able to relay information to students that would not have been possible in the past. An email from a recent Year 13 graduate summarised the impact that the Kristin Futures initiative, in particular, has had on Senior students: These changes have revolutionised the relationship between students and the tertiary process. By drastically expanding the social networking side of things, the whole tertiary world seems not only more relevant but infinitely more accessible to the student population. I can say from personal experience that a really large chunk of my friends have benefited from these changes.

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Artful Intelligence

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he Auckland Art Festival’s White Night had a fun new twist this year with the addition of a competitive robotics display in the Remuera Library, hosted by Kristin’s K-Force Robotics team.

Presenting Artful Intelligence – the Art and Science of Robots, K-Force showcased their custom-made robots alongside creative works by Jeff Thomson, Peter Roche, Victoria Bell, Corrina Hoseason, Enuake Sirikige, Paul Radford, Kristin Perrett, Iain Cheesman, Chris Hargreaves, Mia Straka, Jarad Bryant, Simon Oosterdijk; artist rugs by Dilana Workshop; the dancers of SABA Young Ballet; The Experimental Bakery; and The Electric Boutique. The display was a surprising feature for the continual stream of visitors viewing the various creative attractions on Remuera’s high street. The Kristin teams demonstrated games and displays of robot design and construction, with the help of three other top New Zealand school teams. Four of the robots on display were built to represent New Zealand at the World Championships in Los Angeles. K-Force’s junior members provided an exciting and fun activity for the numerous children who were accompanying their parents, with ‘have a go’ sessions on the team’s training robots. There was considerable interest from parents and students interested in establishing teams in their own schools. The K-Force media team also did a brisk business in the Arts Festival-themed badges, raising money for the team’s World Championship campaign. Martin Allen Teacher-in-Charge, Robotics

Senior School News

NZ’s Next Top Engineering Scientist

“The experience was so inspiring that, through this forum, I have conďŹ rmed my commitment to the ďŹ eld of science and technology.â€?

A World of Options in

Science and Technology

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aving spent two weeks at the Rotary National Science and Technology Forum in January, I can honestly say it was the best thing I have ever done. As part of this amazing opportunity I stayed with 160 other students at The University of Auckland’s halls of residence, attended science lectures, visited science and technology-based businesses, played volleyball, made friends for life and had a huge amount of fun. It was superbly organised and the variety of scientiďŹ c establishments that I visited really opened my eyes to the scope of opportunities in this ďŹ eld. I was able to see ďŹ rst-hand the ground-breaking research and development going on right here in New Zealand. Previously I had thought that I would need to go overseas to pursue science at a high level, but the university and technical visits showed us there is incredible work that you would never know is going on here, in our own backyard. The experience was so inspiring that, through this forum, I have conďŹ rmed my commitment to the ďŹ eld of science and technology. I was really impressed with how many different specialisations you can enter into, and it is amazing to see the huge improvements science and technology can make on people’s lives and the world. I now cannot imagine pursuing a career in any other area. I had hoped that the forum would help me to better understand the different facets of science and where they could lead me in the future. I am considering studying engineering and although I do not do Biology at school, I found many of the biological lectures and visits fascinating. I had a lot of fun chopping up the heart and lungs at the Biomedical Science lecture and I was introduced to the ďŹ eld of Biomedical Engineering, which had one of the most interesting lectures. While the forum’s goal was to help us conďŹ rm a career choice, I am now less certain about my future than I was before going into the forum. It’s not a bad thing though; I am conďŹ dent that I will make a fully informed decision when I do eventually decide, but now I need to spend some quality time really thinking about which ďŹ eld of science and technology suits me best. As well as the learning opportunities and the personal friendships I made during the forum, I had the best-possible news when it was announced that I had been selected to attend the London International Youth Science Forum in July of this year. I was so surprised to have been chosen and I feel incredibly lucky to have another opportunity to explore the world of science with like-minded people from all over the world. No doubt the skills I learnt at the New Zealand forum will serve me well, and who knows where this opportunity could take me. Isobel Campbell

On Saturday 22 September 2012, ďŹ ve teams of Year 12 and 13 Physics students worked on solving a problem set by The University of Auckland’s Department of Engineering Science as a part of the search for New Zealand’s Next Top Engineering Scientist. Zac Al-Alami, James Allen, Elise Beavis, Daniel Cato, Jason Cheng, William Cobb, Luke Cremer, Jack Dickens, Amanpreet Gill, Andrew Hu, Lingshu Liu, Jane Macfarlane, William Marshall, Daniel Paley, Julian Wu, Alec Xie and Aaron Zhao competed against J;7CI <HEC );M 5;7B7D: I9>EEBI They had just nine hours to research and solve the problem and submit their report. This year, the problem set was: Felix Baumgartner plans on breaking the world record for high-altitude skydiving. He will make his jump from a capsule suspended beneath a balloon, at the edge of space. After Felix has landed, a remote triggering system will release the capsule from the balloon. In the event that electronic tracking is unavailable, what size search area is required in order to retrieve the capsule? After familiarisation with the Red Bull Stratos mission, the students pondered how the capsule would be affected by wind speeds, temperatures and pressures at different altitudes and applied their knowledge of kinematics and gravitation to attempt to answer the question. All teams worked very effectively together, quickly establishing roles within their group, and the Library Information Centre was a hive of activity throughout the day, with some teams completing their report with mere seconds to spare. Estimates of the search area varied from a few hundred metres to a vast proportion of the continental United States! Matthew Campbell

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Urgent Action for Amnesty International In our modern society, the importance of human rights is often overlooked as ours are upheld. However, in many cases around the world, this is a luxury not afforded to everyone. Kristin’s Amnesty International group campaigns to protect human rights as part of an international worldwide movement of more than three million people. Almost every week, we send letters to urge governments and officials from different countries to stop human rights abuses in their countries. Having been in Amnesty at Kristin for two years previously, this year I decided to make some changes to the operations of the group. In addition to organising fundraisers such as sausage sizzles and bake sales each term, we are now actively participating in the Urgent Action network. Amnesty International’s headquarters requests letters to be sent to particular places for cases of attention from its members. Weekly at school, members take turns at researching and presenting each case to the group. Everyone then tells their friends about the situation and asks them to support the cause by signing a letter urging the upholding of human rights. These letters end up in the mailboxes of ministers and officials who have the power to influence our cases. Not only are we actively involved with learning about the global situation on human rights, but we are also enabling others to take action too. By combining our efforts as responsible citizens with the rest of the world to show that we do care, we are growing awareness for the human rights situations in a global community. Lingshu Liu

Knitting To Help

Reduce Poverty

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overty has always been a problem in most countries of the world. Even in more developed countries, poverty is still evident, although many people close their eyes to the issue. For our CAS project we wanted to help young children who are affected by poverty in Ladakh, India. Having travelled to Ladakh on a school trip in June 2012, we both felt that we needed to give something back to the welcoming, high-altitudinal area we visited. To do so, we started up an after-school club in the Kristin Library where we taught some of our fellow Senior students to knit. Since the end of last year, our knitting club has produced and posted 90 pairs of hand-knitted mittens that will be donated to children at Lamdon School in Ladakh. Mr Bill Kite, our contact in India, has kindly offered to help distribute these mittens to the school community on our behalf. After making this donation to the children of Ladakh, we decided it was important for us to help people locally too. This year we have knitted squares that have been sewn together to create babies’ blankets which will be donated to Middlemore Hospital in South Auckland. We are very pleased with what we have achieved through our CAS project so far. This would not have been possible without help from the amazing members of our knitting club. We would like to also give a special thanks to our supporters who have made tremendous donations of wool and helped in all aspects of our project. Carol Shen and Tabitha Yeoh

40 Years of Dance Although CAS projects are compulsory for all IB students, my project of choice is also something that I have wanted to do since I entered the Senior School. It involves choreographing, producing, and performing a dance with the Year 6 Dance group in Term 3’s Dance in the Dove. As a Dance student, I am involved in Dance in the Dove every year; therefore, this is an achievable project that coincides well with my commitments. I was eager to also collaborate with the Junior School as I have been attending Kristin since Kindergarten and been involved in Dance all of the way through my school years. For these reasons, this concept was perfect. It is a project that I am passionate about and there is no risk that it will become ‘just another school requirement’. Seeing that it is Kristin’s 40th year, I thought it would be fitting to choreograph a dance that celebrates the evolution of dance over the last

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40 years by starting with disco and progressing all the way through to movements that are common today. To add even more nostalgia for the audience, I hope to incorporate songs by iconic singers from past decades. There hasn’t been a collaborative project like this before between the Senior and Junior School for Dance in the Dove, so the process will be challenging as there isn’t an established process or format to follow. Nevertheless, I believe it will be a project I will enjoy; it will allow me to develop new skills and provide me with more experience as a leader. At the moment, I am still in the early stages of my project and have had only a few lessons with the Year 6 performers. So far, it has been great fun teaching them, especially since they are all very enthusiastic towards my project, and I am excited about what is ahead of us. Alisha Lee

Senior School News

Riding for the Disabled

Kenya’s Children

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or our CAS project, a couple of friends and I took part in a volunteering excursion in Kenya. We could not have picked a project more creative, action-filled or of great service to a community, but it didn’t come without complications. We threw ourselves in the deep end in every sense, and while it was at times terrifying, it was also the most awe-inspiring and rewarding experience of our lives. Kenya is a melting-pot of culture that we couldn’t have witnessed it in any better way than by living with a Kenyan family in their village. Nanyuki is a small town in central-east Kenya, situated on the equator and at an altitude of nearly 2,000 metres above sea level. Days were hot and nights were freezing, making life in a basic powerless compound challenging at times. Washing was slapdash, and I hasten to add that toilet paper was a European touch that we brought to our village commode. On the streets our pale skin was a symbol of wealth which made us subject to certain forms of hostility, namely harassment from local salesmen and, in one incident, robbery. But these incidences are not to outweigh the real reason we went: to work in Nanyuki Children’s Home. Despite what we had emotionally prepared ourselves for, the orphanage felt less like limbo between orphanhood and family life, and more like a substantial living environment. We spent most of our time in the babies’ wing where we tended to orphaned and abandoned children under the age of three. Our responsibilities ranged from mass food preparation, hand-washing clothing and feeding the babies, to simply spending time with them. The latter was possibly the most valuable thing we could provide for the home, as while the governing trust could provide money, support and material things, it cannot cater for the affection and attention these children want and need. My CAS project taught me the realities of Third World countries and has given me a new appreciation for my life and my situation. While I have never faced so many challenges, I have never experienced such rewards too. I learnt that in taking part in incredible opportunities, successes tend to outweigh the complications. Experience may be a brutal teacher, but it is also something no burglar can ever take. Isla Sutherland

It was that time of year again: time to choose our CAS projects. After weeks of indecisive hesitation, a friend pointed me in the direction of NZRDA, New Zealand’s Riding for the Disabled. In all honesty, I was pretty nervous about starting this adventure since I’ve never had any experience working with volunteers or any disabled youth. However, putting aside my nerves, volunteering at the NZRDA seemed to be exactly what CAS was designed for: encouraging students out of their comfort zones to become part of the real world and make a difference to those who need it, as well as gaining new skills along the way. My first thought was that this would be easier said than done! But I was in for a surprise of a lifetime. I’m still having a hard time believing that this is work rather than fun! All my fears were erased on my very first day as the volunteers guided me through the on-the-job training. Since day one I’ve been learning new techniques, games, and invaluable skills for working with the riders as well as the horses. It’s been really amazing to work with the animals in this respect. I have experience working with horses at a ranch where I train them as competition animals, but to see how they react so gently and patiently with the riders was particularly rewarding. I felt that even by contributing my several hours each Saturday I was making a great impact for the riders, and their families as well. There were many occasions when parents would come up and thank us for our help; they really made me see how special the experience is for the kids we were helping. Seeing the smiles on their faces is truly gratifying, and it cannot be matched to anything else I can describe. My experience with NZRDA has been very humbling so far, and I wouldn’t change it for anything. Danielle De Waal

ISSUE No. 57

performing

arts

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ristin’s Peter Pan has been defined by a number of firsts. The most significant was that we were staging the New Zealand premiere of the Stiles and Drewe production. We were also honoured to receive the first standing ovation this show experienced in the country. And, we were the first school in New Zealand to deliver the magic of Flying by Foy Inventerprises. However, I would not be revealing all if I did not add another first to that equation. It was also the first time I have been quite so nervous when embarking on any production at Kristin. When Foy’s shipment of 392 kilograms was delivered to our stage door, 10 days out from the show, the full weight of what we had taken on became very real. After seven long months of intensive planning and design, having overcome so many of the trials which go with staging such a show – like getting on top of the challenging music score and script, creating a set which adapted to meet the technical specs of our complex flight requirements and choreographing scenes where key elements could not be properly rehearsed until the final days – to watch these huge crates of cabling and steel be unpacked onto the Auditorium floor, things seemed, if only briefly, insurmountable. However, our wonderful production team had things falling into place quickly and before we knew it, Peter Pan took flight. J M Barrie’s “Faith, Trust and a little Pixie Dust” rang true for us all. There was certainly no shortage of pixie dust! Magic happened - not only on the stage, but in every aspect of the production. The visible growth, determination and shining talent of our students in the orchestra, crew and cast were all breathtaking to witness. A highlight was watching the children in the audience as they watched the show. My favourite part, though, was seeing the child inside every adult audience member quietly taking a little bit of that magic home with them. Lorna Rood, Director of Performing Arts ISSUE No. 57

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backs tage Behind Neverland

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hen our Production Designer extraordinaire Jeanette Verster estimated that 20 kilograms of paint would be needed to paint the stage backdrop of the skyline, I was not surprised. When she told me that most of it had come from old paint stocks, I was. Part of the magic of what has transpired behind the scenes has come from the need to recycle as much as possible of what we already had. When the decision was made to stage Peter Pan, and to do so with flying, our first budgetary priority was to secure the safety of our students. Once Flying by Foy’s services were obtained we then had to work hard to create Neverland using whatever creative means available. As a result, we minimised the number of new set pieces, using existing Beauty and the Beast and Joseph elements. All of our new pieces will also be utilised in our upcoming productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Aladdin and Sleeping Beauty. New costumes were kept to a minimum too – and wardrobe assistants skilfully adapted the majority of costumes seen on the stage. A team of brilliant parent-helpers worked tirelessly on the stage to bring the vision to life. Students in wardrobe, set, lighting, sound and special effects excelled as they contributed to the ultimate stage picture. The 18-strong student crew was magnificent in manipulating much of the stage magic in full view of the audience. With flight always imminent, we could not raise set elements any higher than two metres; therefore the pop-up book set had to interweave seamlessly on the ground, synchronising with the stage action, choreography, singing and flying. Forget ‘Magic’; the word ‘Miracle’ seems more fitting at times. Lorna Rood, Director of Performing Arts

ISSUE No. 57

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A Child’s Delight When J M Barrie staged his original play of Peter Pan he insisted the entire front row of the audience was to be filled by children at every performance. During our own production it has been a joy to include our youngest students in the production processes wherever possible. It was the Junior School that was treated to a sneak preview of one of the scenes at an Assembly, some weeks out from Opening Night, and each and every Junior School class met Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, Wendy and Hook as they explored the school in search of crocodiles and the Lost Boys. The characters met their match in Mrs Harker’s class where they were stopped in their tracks by the class’ animated stories of their own pet crocodiles and robots! Everyone in the Junior School received their own package of fairy dust to bring to the show. It was lucky that they did because they needed it to help save Tinkerbell from Captain Hook’s poison! When Peter Pan called out during Saturday’s matinee performance, “Tinkerbell can be saved if everyone believes in fairies. Do you believe in fairies?” the Auditorium was shaken by a resounding “Yes!” from the audience. As a special thank-you, the children who attended the matinee had the opportunity to meet their favourite characters and have their photo taken in the Dove. J M Barrie would have been pleased! Lorna Rood Director of Performing Arts

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AUTUMN/WINTER 2013

In Loving Memory

D

ancers from the Year 9 and 10 Easter Dance group produced a deeply moving performance for the Middle School’s Foundation Day and Easter Assembly in March. Their dance, entitled Angel, was dedicated to the late Reverend Harold Clark whose image was projected above the girls as they performed. After auditioning in Week 2 of Term 1, the dancers had dedicated weeks to learning and rehearsing the routine, which was choreographed by past Kristin student Cathy Rood. The girls produced a spectacular performance and are looking forward to returning to the dance studio together in Term 3 to prepare for Dance in the Dove where they will once again perform Angel. Lorna Rood Director of Performing Arts

Performing Arts

Polyfest

Bay of Islands

Musical Tour

K

ristin’s Middle School Choir entertained many on their annual tour of Bay of Islands in December. The choir performed a varied and entertaining repertoire at Kerikeri Christian School, Oromahoe School and Opua School. They entertained at Sally’s Restaurant in Russell where they ‘sang for their supper’! The group also provided the residents of Kerikeri Retirement Home with a rousing dose of tuneful entertainment. Catherine Douglas Teacher-in-Charge

“They entertained at Sally’s Restaurant in Russell where they ‘sang for their supper’! The group also provided the residents of Kerikeri Retirement Home with a rousing dose of tuneful entertainment.”

Each year, a group of Kristin students visit the ASB Polyfest, the largest Polynesian festival in the world. This iconic annual event brings together schools and performance groups from all over the Auckland region to compete or showcase their talents in cultural song, dance and art. As observers for the day, our students were able to soak up the atmosphere, appreciate the power of live performances and enjoy, and contribute to, the celebrations of cultural and community identity. The Year 9 Dance cohort attended as part of their learning for a unit based on haka and hip-hop dance styles. The students had to critique the kapa haka performances on the Maori stage, using judging criteria they had been studying in class, and make specific notes on the costumes and accessories. Later in the term, the students were assessed on some of those very same performance techniques for their own performance of the Thriller Haka from the movie Boy. For the first time this year, a group of Year 13 Dance students joined the trip to Polyfest in a leadership role. They each were responsible for supervising and guiding a group of Year 9’s as they completed their worksheets around the festival. It was a valuable opportunity for the Senior students to consolidate their learning of Pacific dance for their external examinations at the end of the year. The Middle School Polynesian Club went along also, to immerse themselves in the festivities and learn about the many cultures on display. Overall, the 50-strong group of Kristin students, teachers and parents had a thoroughly enjoyable day, from which the benefits were definitely seen in the spirited performances of the Year 9 Dance students’ assessments. Teresa Lauago Teacher-in-Charge, Dance

Euphony Sing with the World’s Elite The International Musical Eisteddfod, which is held each year in Llangollen, Wales, is a five-day spectacle at which top choirs from all over the globe compete for the prestigious title of ‘Choir of the World’. Entrance is to youth and adult choirs who perform programmes to a panel of adjudicators, selected from across the continents. It is with great pride that Euphony will be setting off to represent Kristin and New 5;7B7D: 7J J>; J> 'B7D=EBB;D $DJ;HD7J?ED7B Musical Eisteddfod in July. The girls will be competing in the Senior Children’s, Show Choir and Female Choir categories and will be the furthest travelling group when they cover the 18,000 kilometres to Wales. Euphony made selection into this prestigious competition after submitting a recording of their winning performance at the New Zealand

Big Sing National Finals for consideration by the Eisteddfod committee. The students have been dedicating hundreds of hours in preparation, under the baton of Mr David Squire and supported by Ms Sheryl Clarke on the piano. The festival opens on Tuesday 9 July with an international parade and opening ceremony, which takes place through the streets of Llangollen. All groups will walk through the town wearing national dress and each country represented will present their national flag to be raised for the duration of the festival. Euphony will perform in three public venues before touring around the south of England, performing at Oxford, Cambridge, Chester and London. Catherine Douglas Teacher-in-Charge

ISSUE No. 57

43

sports

news

St Peter’s

Sports Exchange

T

erm 1 has seen the traditional St Peter’s Exchange take place, but with a new twist. This year, 300 of St Peter’s Middle and Senior School athletes and staff boarded eight buses, bright and early, and headed up to Kristin. Previously we have separated the Middle and Senior School exchanges on a rotating home-and-away basis and held a summer and a winter exchange on two separate dates. This year we have introduced a new structure which sees the two schools compete in only one exchange per year, and had the pleasure of hosting the entire St Peter’s contingent, contesting a raft of winter sports. Next year the schools will be contesting the summer codes and the exchange will take place at St Peter’s in Cambridge. Heavy rain during the day didn’t dull the excitement or the standard of competition and the wins and losses were sitting even, until the very last competitions of the day. In the end St Peter’s narrowly took out both the Middle and Senior trophies, but there were some signiďŹ cant wins by Kristin teams that we should be very proud of. Congratulations to the following teams who had great wins and in the process have had the opportunity to experience a meaningful hit-out in preparation for their winter seasons.

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AUTUMN/WINTER 2013

Team

Result

Hockey 1st XI Boys

9-1

Hockey 1st XI Girls

8-0

#E9A;O 4;7H (?N;:

Netball Senior 1

Netball Senior 2

38-2

Basketball Premier Boys

The following teams had close games that could have gone either way. Team

Result

Football 1st XI Girls

1-0

Football Junior Boys

1-0

Netball Development

28-25

Netball Year 9/1

12-9

Basketball Junior Boys

39-29

Hockey Junior Mixed 2

0-0

Congratulations to all Kristin students for being wonderful hosts and for the great sportsmanship you displayed. Thank you to all the coaches and managers who helped on the day. We are looking forward to challenging St Peter’s School again at next year’s Summer Exchange. Cherry Webster Director of Sport

4;7H 7D: Cricket Zone Day

Ruapehu Cycling Camp

T

he Kristin road cycling team’s competition season runs through the winter months with regular time trials held from the beginning of Term 2. It was with this in mind that a group of avid cyclists travelled down to Kristin Lodge for some intensive pre-season training at the Ruapehu Cycling Camp. Connor and Taylor Gauld, Rory Geare, Joshua Hill, Thomas Trengrove and Harrison Wulf covered some massive distances across diverse terrain. The Kristin cyclists completed a range of rides across National Park, including a 90km-long ride to some short hillclimb training. Assisted by their coach Richard Rollison, Mr Bennet and the enthusiastic parents who were on hand to support the athletes, the boys gained some great skills and focus, which should put them in good stead heading into the upcoming season. This was the ďŹ rst time the facilities of Kristin Lodge have been utilised by the cyclists, and following the success of this trip it is likely a similar trip will be planned for the off-season in the future. Graeme McKinnon Sport Manager, Cycling

*D 2;:D;I:7O (7H9> J>; 4;7H 7D: 8 Cricket team played in the North Harbour Zone Day competition at Sunnynook Park, competing in two 20/20 games against Northcote and Wairau Intermediate schools. The boys tried hard in both games but we weren’t quite lucky enough in the ďŹ rst. In our initial match we played Northcote Intermediate and were the ďŹ rst to bat. Mike Thomas batted well and got 12 runs not out. Our wicketkeeper for the match, Max Osborne, was also not out and we ended up with 50 runs on the board. The bowling was good with Sam Evans, Logan Hooper, Cory Peters and our captain, Pero Garlick, each picking up wickets in the second innings. Unfortunately Northcote was able to chase down our total and won the game. We played a lot better in our next game against Wairau Intermediate. Kristin batted ďŹ rst and scored 51 runs in the innings. After the half-time break we ran out energetically onto the ďŹ eld, wanting to pick up early wickets and restrict their runs. Our strike bowler, Cory Peters, opened the bowling; he ended up with a wicket maiden in the ďŹ rst over and another maiden in his second. Pero Garlick and Leroy Devereux each picked up two wickets with Angelo Yelich-O’Connor performing the task of wicketkeeper well and not letting many byes through. We bowled and ďŹ elded enthusiastically and restricted Wairau to only 18 runs. Kristin ended up winning by 33 runs, which was a great way to the end the day! There are lots of players in the team who show potential and we are looking forward to developing our skills in future Cricket games representing Kristin. Cory Peters

ISSUE No. 57

45

Sports News

Equestrian Champion Ribbons for Kristin’s Riders H?IJ?D I ;C;H=?D= ;GK;IJH?7DI +;J7 &KBKP 4;7H *B?L?7 !EIJ;H 7D: H?:?; (9 KBBEK=> 8EJ> Year 8) put on an outstanding performance at the Intermediate Schools’ Ribbon Day where they won the Overall Teams Trophy with their ponies Showtym Legend, Co-Cheze and Willow. Among the many ribbons they won collectively were Champion on the Flat for Peta and Olivia, plus Champion Hunter for Bridie with Peta and Olivia winning Reserve Champion Hunter - a great result for these up and coming riders.

K

Kristin School Intercollegiate Ribbon Day Over 115 riders from schools across Auckland attended the annual Kristin Intercollegiate Ribbon 7O 7J 2EE:>?BB .7D:I ED 2;:D;I:7O (7H9> !EKH H?:;HI <HEC ;79> I9>EEB 9ECF;J;: 7J L7H?EKI levels to accumulate points for their team. Continued over page >

Kristin Snowsports Go International Over the summer holidays and during Term 1 we have had six snowsports athletes training and racing overseas. Fraser Brownsey, Sophie Corser and Eden McKay all trained in Switzerland and Samuel Christie, Albert Todd and Liam Whiley all went to camps in the USA. Four of these athletes have outlined the highlights of their seasons below. These competitors are gaining fantastic skills and experience through their competitive seasons with some great results to show for their efforts. Special mention goes to Sophie Corser who was selected to go to the Junior World Championship camp. Yvonne Walker Snowsports Manager Sophie Corser This summer I travelled to the Northern Hemisphere for three months to train and race. I was based in Switzerland but travelled all around Europe competing. While I was in Europe I was lucky enough to be selected for the Junior World Champs camp and attended the 2013 Schlamding World Champs event. This was a highlight of the season for me, as I got to meet the best skiers, who are competing at the highest level of racing. I was able to watch them race, and even lucky enough to get front-row seats to the prize-giving ceremony. As well as travelling around Europe, on my way back to New Zealand I had the opportunity to race in Japan. As I have never been there before, this was a great new experience. Overall, I had a very successful season, making my ďŹ rst International Skiing Federation (FIS) podium ďŹ nish and lowering my race points. Eden McKay I trained at local mountains close to Brunnen in Switzerland from January through to April 2013. My best National result was 9th in the Giant Slalom at the Central Swiss Ski Champs. I also attended three International races where the top children from over 25 countries compete in U14 and U16 categories. The ďŹ rst was in early February at Pokal Loka, Slovenia, where I came 28th in the Giant Slalom and 35th in the Slalom. Next was Topolino, Italy, where I achieved 19th in the Giant Slalom and 22nd in the Slalom and Pinocchio, Italy where I achieved a Top 20 result in both Slalom and Giant Slalom. My ďŹ nal races were at the Whistler Cup in Canada on 5 to 7 April. In the Kombie and Slalom I produced two Top 10 results, 7th and 9th respectively, and was 12th in the Giant Slalom.

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AUTUMN/WINTER 2013

Samuel Christie I have spent January through to April training and competing in the USASA regional Snowboard competitions which were held in Tahoe, USA, where I qualiďŹ ed for the Snowboard Nationals held in Colorado in April. Results in Tahoe: M 1st in two Slopestyle comps and two Railjams M 2nd in four Halfpipe comps and one Slopestyle M 3rd in a Railjam M Results at USASA snowboard Nationals: M 22nd in Slopestyle - riding a broken board (out of 70) M 25th in Halfpipe M 11th in Railjam M 2nd in the Monster Recon Slopestyle Tour (Mammoth) in February Liam Whiley I went to America for eight weeks - to Mammoth, northern California - and trained with the Mammoth Junior Snowboard team, which was coached by the head coach at Cardrona. While I was there I competed in six competitions and placed in three of them. I managed two 2nds and a 3rd, and ďŹ nished in the top ďŹ ve in the remaining events. This meant my overall ranking qualiďŹ ed me for the USA Nationals, however a broken foot sadly meant that I couldn’t compete. M USASA Pipe Competition – 2nd M USASA Pipe Competition – 3rd M Mophie Outride Rail Jam – 2nd M QualiďŹ ed 6th in Open Class for Nationals

Continued from previous page > The Kristin team of Vianne Coleman, Courtenay Harrison, Caitlin Lally and Clodagh McCullough achieved 4th place overall and are to be congratulated on their team effort. Tayla Keon rode for Kristin also, in a composite team. Special congratulations go to Caitlin who won Reserve Champion on the Flat and Reserve Champion Hunter in the Open Pony ring, also to Vianne who won Champion Hunter in the Maiden Pony ring.

North Island Dressage Our Kristin riders had a very successful day at the North Island Dressage Championships, held at St Peter’s School in Cambridge during Term 1. Consistent results from both teams meant that Kristin ďŹ nished 2nd in both the Open and Development divisions. The Open team was made up of Caitlin Lally, Sophie Smith and Natalya Weekes and the Development team was Vianne Coleman, Courtenay Harrison and Georgia Paterson. Both teams included a draft rider from another school to make up a team of four. Special congratulations go to Natalya and Caitlin who each placed in the top three in both of their classes.

Horse of the Year New Zealand’s Horse of the Year Show is the biggest competitive event of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, bringing together over 2,500 combinations of horse and rider. Two of our Kristin riders made the trip to Hastings this year and came home with some fantastic results. Sophie Alexander (Year 10) won Reserve Champion Level 2 Dressage Pony of the Year on her pony, Nike. The pair also placed 1st in their Challenge Test and 2nd in the Musical Freestyle. On her other pony, Booty, Sophie placed 6th in the Level 2 Dressage Pony of the Year, securing 4th in their >7BB;D=; /;IJ 7D: J> ?D J>; (KI?97B !H;;IJOB; 7?JB?D '7BBO 4;7H MED D: FB79; ?D >;H ';L;B H;II7=; J?JB; 9B7II 7D: R D?I>;: J> ?D >;H .>EM Hunter Pony class out of a ďŹ eld of 58 riders. Gaenor Clarke, Teacher-in-Charge, Equestrian $..0 )E

Sports News

Christchurch Rugby Festival Kristin’s senior Rugby squad travelled to Christchurch during the ďŹ rst week of the April holidays to compete in the Christchurch Boys’ High School Rugby Festival where they played four games over three days against a variety of teams from across New Zealand. The players were greeted at a powhiri on the Friday evening where teams performed their respective haka or School Song. It was a fantastic way to start the tour. The players also enjoyed a Super Rugby game at AMI Stadium and attended a formal dinner where they were seated with the students from competing teams who shared their same position. The young Kristin team started the tournament in impressive style, ďŹ ghting through the driving Canterbury rain to win convincingly, 33-0, against Christchurch Boys’ 3rd XV. Kristin then faced a very experienced and powerful Rangiora High School’s 1st XV team who proved to be too strong on the day, winning the game 50-3. Not to be disheartened and still carrying the conďŹ dence of winning their ďŹ rst game, Kristin took on Fielding High School’s 2nd XV who they dominated for large parts of the game. Kristin had a golden opportunity to seal the game from a penalty in the dying minutes with the scores tied 7J ;79> >EM;L;H J>; 87BB IJHK9A J>; KFH?=>J 7D: Fielding capitalised, countering with a runaway try at the other end, which resulted in Kristin going :EMD 7J J>; R D7B M>?IJB; The ďŹ nal game of the tournament was always going to be a challenge with the Kristin boys playing a Rathkeale College 1st XV team who represent their school in the prestigious Press Cup competition throughout the regular season. Rathkeale ran away with the game scoring 8 tries in the ďŹ rst half. However, the Kristin players showed great character and battled right to the end with a much-improved second-half defensive performance, especially in the last 10 minutes of the game where they simply refused to let Rathkeale cross the line again. The tour undoubtedly challenged the team to the extreme, both mentally and physically, but the lessons learned both on and off the ďŹ eld have provided the team with invaluable experience and laid a foundation that will give players a platform on which to grow and develop a successful team culture going forward. Thanks to everyone involved who made this such a special tour, especially the coaching and management team of Ross Burgess, Brett Craies, Reverend Rodney Ramsay and Josh Van Wyk. Graeme McKinnon Sport Manager, Rugby

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AUTUMN/WINTER 2013

Pre-season Preparation

on the Courts

W

ith over 100 Kristin Netball players participating in pre-season training this year, the atmosphere has been pumping. The opportunity to prepare for the upcoming Netball season is one in which everyone can participate, whether you are a beginner or a more advanced player. The girls all enjoyed the same beneďŹ ts of our exciting pre-season programme. Speed and agility coach and Olympic sprinter James Mortimer, teamed with Silver Fern and ANZ Mystics Captain Anna Harrison, made early-morning training seem effortless. The players were warmly greeted by the brilliant coaching duo each morning and in return the girls worked hard on applying their new skills. Anna had a very smart approach to her sessions, implementing passing accuracy, technique and receiver control of the ball on the hand and the ability to catch a hard ball outside of your body. These skills were progressed and made interesting by challenging the girls to receive consecutive balls in quick concession from different angles, adding coordination with more than one ball and using core strength and stability along with balance work. It was a fun and challenging preseason build-up, the fruit of which we look forward to seeing throughout the winter season. Stacey Morgan Head of Netball

A Talent for Football Congratulations to the Kristin footballers who have been selected for the Northern Football Federation Talent Centre training squads. Name

Team

Ana Ross

15th-grade Girls

Nicholas Thom

14th-grade Boys

Zara Felstead

12th-grade Girls

Hannah Reddy

12th-grade Girls

Exciting New Coaches for

Kristin’s Sporting Stars

K

ristin’s Premier sport teams are looking forward to exciting seasons this year thanks to a number of high-proďŹ le and key coaching appointments. Netball, Basketball, Water Polo, Rugby and Hockey are the ďŹ ve sports set to beneďŹ t directly from the new additions, with many of the teams already seeing fantastic results. Anna Harrison (nee Scarlett), a well-known and popular Silver Fern and ANZ Mystics defender, has already started to make her mark with intense and challenging pre-season training sessions for the Senior 1 Netball team. Her smart approach to training has focused the girls on growing their passing accuracy, technique and receiver control, reminding them that nailing the fundamentals is essential, no matter what sport you play. In addition to Anna’s undeniable knowledge and experience, Kristin’s netballers are beneďŹ ting from the expertise of Olympic sprinter James Mortimer. James has worked with our High Performance Netball programme since last year, delivering speed and agility workshops to girls from the Middle and Senior Schools. As well as being an integral part of this year’s pre-season Netball training, James has also been a key contributor to the school’s Athletics team, helping with the preparation of last year’s NZ Championship squad including the Gold-medal-winning Intermediate Girls’ 4x100m Relay team. Tony Webster, former North Harbour Age-Group, NBL and Junior Tall Blacks coach, has joined Ken Coulson as co-coach of the Premier Boys’ Basketball team. Together, the pair hopes to take the boys to the top of the North Harbour Secondary Schools competition. With many years of experience representing New Zealand, Tony is also one of the country’s most qualiďŹ ed OEKJ> 9E79>;I #; M7I J>; >;7: 9E79> E< J>; );M 5;7B7D: 0 team who won Silver at the FIBA Oceania Youth Tournament in New Caledonia. Our relatively young Kristin team will beneďŹ t greatly from having such an experienced coach on board. Kristin’s Water Polo has a new team this year, with a Premier Girls squad

being entered into the Division 1 secondary school tournament for the ďŹ rst time. The new team is under the tutelage of Lian Mazzoleni, former NZ Senior Women’s assistant coach and current coach of the Waitakere Senior Women’s team. Lian brings with her a wealth of knowledge and a sterling coaching pedigree that has already seen results with the Kristin girls. The team ďŹ nished an impressive 8th in the North Island Championships after only four months of training, and went on to ďŹ nish 8th in New Zealand at Nationals. The 1st XV Rugby team is facing a year of development with many young players entering into the ranks this season. It is a critical time for the team so it is appropriate that the boys are under the instruction of their new coach, Brett Craies, former Auckland and Waikato A rep and Senior Club coach. Brett has played rugby in the USA, Wales and Italy and still holds the record for the most points in a debut for Auckland and the most conversions in a Ranfurly Shield match. He has a vast and successful coaching resumĂŠ at both age group and senior levels and is a Barbarian Club member. The school’s Hockey teams are welcoming three of New Zealand’s Black Sticks to the coaching line-up. Olympian Ben Collier will take the lead for the 1st XI Boys, James Coughlan will be working with the 1st XI Girls and Pippa Hayward will be working with the Girls’ Development team. 2?J> CEH; J>7D 97FI 8;JM;;D J>;C J>;H; ?I DE I>EHJ7=; E< JEF B;L;B experience amongst these new coaches. Kristin’s ability to provide its top teams with the best-possible coaches is a source of great pride for the school. These new appointments have already delivered an immense value to our young athletes and are an excellent addition to the already successful and renowned group of coaches. We look forward to watching these teams ourish under their expert guidance. Cherry Webster Director of Sport ISSUE No. 57

49

Water Polo Nationals

T

he Kristin Boys’ Premier Water Polo team rounded off their 2013 season as the Plate Winners (9th place overall) at the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Nationals Premier Tournament. The team, coached by Nick Payne, travelled to Wellington for the four-day event that saw them compete against the top school teams from throughout New Zealand. The team of only nine players faced a tough draw and did extremely well to win four of their eight games. Their semi-final match saw them face Mt Albert Grammar. After a slow start, the boys played some brilliant polo to secure a 9-1 win and a place in the plate final against King’s College. This was a tougher game with both teams determined to win the plate. The game was very close until Kristin got the edge in the last quarter and a well-deserved win of 8-5. Whilst it was a team effort, special mention must be made of our two key players - Daniel Marsden and Anton Sunde. Both have exceptional Water Polo skills and it was their expertise that was instrumental in the team’s success. Team members: Anton Sunde (Captain), Jack Anderson, Michael Atkinson-Norton, Luke Cremer, Theo Larmer-Cottle, Bruno Gentile, Grant Holtes, Daniel Marsden, John Mosheim and Jacky Cheng (North Islands and Auckland Competitions only) Goalscorers: Anton 32, Dan 21, Bruno 8, Luke 3, Theo 2, Jack 1. The Nationals Tournament ended a great season for the team. In April the team finished 5th in the Auckland Premier League Competition and 6th in the North Island Secondary Schools’ Division 1 Competition, which is the highest placing a Kristin team has achieved at this event.

A Stellar First Season for Kristin’s Water Polo Girls This year marked the first time that Kristin has been represented by a Premier Girls’ Water Polo team at the North Island Secondary Schools’ Division 1 Water Polo Championships with the new team only formed in Term 4, 2012. Even with just a few months to become established, the girls did not disappoint. They had a fantastic tournament, showing continued improvement throughout 7D: I9EH?D= 7 JEJ7B E< =E7BI ?D I;L;D =7C;I *D; E< J>; >?=>B?=>JI E< J>; JEKHD7C;DJ M7I J>;?H very impressive 10-9 win over a tough Takapuna Grammar team. The girls’ performance at the North Islands resulted in them finishing a remarkable 8th overall and qualifying for the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Premier Water Polo Competition. On debut at the Nationals the Kristin girls pulled out all the stops to finish an impressive 8th in New 5;7B7D: />;?H 8;IJ H;IKBJI ?D9BK:;: 8;7J?D= ,K;;D (7H=7H;J .9>EEB 7D: .J *H7D I EBB;=; Credit must be given to all of the players, who have really committed to their sport in their first season together, and to coach Lian Mazzoleni and manager Hazel Marsden for their great support over the season. Team members: Sarah Doyle (Captain), Georgina Dean, Sarah Hulme-Moir, Megan Kemp, Jessica Marsden, Sinead Seo, Jessica Swanepoel, Grace Tobin, Alice Watson-Jones and Olivia Williams. 50

AUTUMN/WINTER 2013

North Harbour Player Of The Year The 2012/13 season has been a great one for many of our Water Polo players, but none more so than Anton Sunde who has progressed from strength to strength while representing Kristin, North Harbour and New Zealand. During 2012, Anton proved to be not only an integral member of the Kristin Premier Water Polo team who placed 5th at the New Zealand Secondary School Championships, but he also played in another six representative teams: North Harbour U16, U18 and U20, New Zealand U16, New Zealand Youth Men’s and New Zealand Schoolboys. Anton’s success was acknowledged by North Harbour Water Polo when he was awarded the highest possible accolade - 2012 Player of the Year - at their recent awards night. When presenting Anton with this award, the Club Chairman said: “The North Harbour Player of the Year is awarded to someone who achieves excellence in the water, shows a high level of leadership and exhibits qualities such as hard work, dedication and commitment. “Anton epitomises all these attributes and throughout 2012 played well beyond his age level, which has seen him gain selection for the New Zealand Youth team. In 2013, Anton will be an integral member of the North Harbour Senior Men’s team.” Anton’s experience and leadership has paid dividends for Kristin’s Premier team who fought admirably to finish 6th at the recent North Island Secondary Schools tournament and 9th at Nationals. Graeme McKinnon Sport Manager, Water Polo

Sports News

North Harbour Intermediate Schools’

Golf Zone Day

B

ack in November, four Year 8 students teamed up for the North Harbour Intermediate Schools’ Ambrose competition, held at Takapuna Golf Club. Our players were Dexin Kong (captain), Jack Davidson, James Thornton and Peter Troake. The conditions were variable as rain passed and went away and came back again. The term ‘Ambrose’ refers to when you choose the best shot out of four and all four players hit from the best shot. There is a catch, however, because each player is only allowed a maximum of five tee shots. This made it difficult juggling whether to take the better shot but possibly not use the player’s tee shots in the future because he already has had the maximum of five tee shots. Rising to the challenge, Kristin finished top of the table on our net score, sharing 1st equal ED EKH =HEII I9EH; M?J> 7 JME EL;H ?D J>; Boys’ division. We would like to offer a special thanks to our mentor, Mr Mataio, for coming along and supporting us. Dexin Kong Team Captain

North Harbour Touch Reps

A Season in Touch During Term 1, Kristin’s Senior Boys and Girls’ Touch teams have been competing in the North Harbour Secondary Schools’ Touch competition held at Hato Petera College. Although the Touch season is considerably shorter than for most other sports, the Senior Boys’ team showed continued improvement under the guidance of their coaches, Mr Paterson and past Kristin student Claudia Hanham, finishing 5th in a very difficult pool. The Kristin Senior Girls’ team, many of whom have been playing together for several years, has illustrated the benefits of team continuity by winning all seven games and comfortably taking out the North Harbour Girls’ B grade. Their next season with be in the A grade, and while the step up is significant, coach Mr Taylor and team manager Mrs O’Brien are confident that the girls are more than ready to meet the challenges ahead. Kristin Senior Boys: Kevin Chiu, Taylor Delmont, Tait Gaze, Idris Jones, Callum McDonald, Nicholas McDonald, Phillip Naude, Henry Norcross, Connor Reed, Nathan Sycamore. Kristin Senior Girls: Jessica Bell, Briana Cassin, Samantha Christian, Abbie Clough, Bella Garnham, Maggie Hanham, Paige Harrison, Rosie Hartwell, Emma Hollins, Hannah Ostick, Anna Selak, Jessica Smee, Kirsty Sutherland, Sasha Tetro and Leah Winters. Graeme McKinnon Sport Manager, Touch

Earlier this year, two young Kristin Touch players were selected to represent North Harbour. Taine Murray was selected for the North Harbour U11 Elite Boys’ Touch team and Jacob Preece-Twose, for the North Harbour U11 Boys’ Development Squad. Both boys competed in the Inter-provincial series against Auckland and Counties Manukau, remaining undefeated across all three matches. They then went on to the Northern Regions tournament, held in Rotorua, where they took 2nd place against Counties Manukau, Bay of Plenty and Waikato. Graeme McKinnon Sport Manager, Touch

ISSUE No. 57

51

Sports News

Swimming North Harbour Primary Schools’ Zone Day

O

ur Junior School representatives produced impressively consistent results at the North Harbour Primary School Zones tournament to take out 3rd place at the regional event. Congratulations to all swimmers, and in particular those who secured top-three placings: Age Group

Name

Event

Result

Girls 9 years and under

Grace Kingsnorth

Milla Brooke 10 years and older

Ayla Hall

Lucia Doak

Lena Jacob

25m Freestyle

1st

50m Freestyle

1st

25m Backstroke

1st

25m Breaststroke

3rd

25m Freestyle

1st

50m Freestyle

1st

25m Backstroke

1st

25m Butterfly

2nd=

25m Backstroke

2nd

25m Breaststroke

3rd

25m Breaststroke

2nd

Boys 9 years and under

10 years and older

52

Larry Lambourne

50m Freestyle

3rd

25m Breaststroke

2nd

Hudson Taylor

25m Backstroke

2nd

John Quirk

25m Backstroke

1st

AUTUMN/WINTER 2013

North Harbour Intermediate Schools’ Zone Day Name

Result

Event

Zachary McKee Wright

1st

12 and over Boys’ 50m Backstroke

Angus Shotter

2nd

12 and over Boys’ Freestyle

Sam Shotter

3rd

12 and under Boys’ Freestyle

Intermediate Boys’ Relay Team

1st

4x50m Freestyle (Zachary McKee-Wright, Angus Shotter, Max Boocock and Sam Shotter)

4;7H 7D: I "H;7J;H K9AB7D: Swimming Champs Kristin swimmers Zachary McKee-Wright, Max Boocock and Angus 7D: .7C .>EJJ;H GK7B?R;: JE 9ECF;J; <EH &H?IJ?D ?D J>; 4;7H 7D: 8’s Greater Auckland Swimming Championships that were held at Diocesan School’s Pool in April. The result of the day came from Zachary McKee-Wright who finished 2nd in the 50m Backstroke final with an impressive time of 33.2 seconds. The Kristin swimmers also put in a fantastic effort in the Senior Boys’ Freestyle Relay Final, finishing 2nd overall - narrowly missing out on a Gold-medal finish with a time of 2.08.94.

Middle and Senior Swimming Sports On a beautiful sunny day in February we all set off to the Northern Arena in Silverdale for the annual Kristin Swimming Sports. The races started straight away, with enthusiasm all round. There were plenty of races for everyone, including the fun ones at which everyone could have a go. House spirit was on show and the atmosphere was electric. We all had a great time, participating in lots of races and showing our encouragement from the sidelines. The House Relay was the highlight of the day with Mariner taking Gold. Although every House put in a brilliant effort throughout the day, it was Saturn who came away with the overall Swimming Sports Cup. Hattie Jones and Jess Tucker.

Junior School Swimming Sports Results Event

Result

25m Backstroke

25m Breaststroke

25m Buttery

New School Records

Kelsi Boocock – NZ Age-Group Champion Following her outstanding performance at the Kristin Swimming Sports, Year 11 student Kelsi Boocock went on to claim Gold at the New Zealand Age-Group Swimming Champs in March. Kelsi won Gold in the 100m Backstroke, 200m Backstroke and the 200m Individual Medley, and Bronze in the 50m Backstroke. This is a spectacular achievement from a promising young athlete and caps off a fantastic summer season for Kelsi. Graeme McKinnon Sport Manager, Swimming

Girls

9 Years and Under

25m Freestyle

Kelsi Boocock set three new school records in the Intermediate Girls’ events, including the 25m Freestyle which was a record previously set by NZ Olympian Lauren Boyle in 2002. Intermediate Girls’ 25m Freestyle 13.40 (2002: 13.43) Intermediate Girls’ 25m Backstroke 15.23 (2008: 16.51) Intermediate Girls’ 100m Medley

Boys

1st

Cameron Kemp

Grace Kingsnorth

2nd

Hudson Taylor

Chantelle May

3rd

Ethan Field

Dasha Ruzich

1st

Larry Lambourne

Grace Kingsnorth

2nd

Kenneth Kim

Milla Brooke

3rd

Cameron Kemp

Claudia Linton

1st

Hudson Taylor

Grace Kingsnorth

2nd

Ethan Field

Chantelle May

3rd

Dorian Duta

Cristelle Blanchard

1st

Cameron Kemp

Grace Kingsnorth

2nd

Larry Lambourne

Chantelle May

3rd

Ethan Field

Cristelle Blanchard

1st

John Quirk

Lucia Doak

2nd

Matthew Archer

Ayla Hall

3rd

Joshua Wu

Alisha Moore

1st

Taine Murray

Lucia Doak

2nd

Rhys Spilling

Ayla Hall

3rd

Sebastian Duta

Lena Jacob

1st

John Quirk

Ayla Hall

2nd

Joshua Wu

Amelie Howell

3rd

Aidan McDermott

Georgia Kimber

10 Years and Older 25m Backstroke

25m Breaststroke

25m Buttery

25m Freestyle

1st

John Quirk

Ayla Hall

2nd

Matthew Archer

Fleur Hamilton-Vincent

3rd

Connor McBeath

Lucia Doak

1st

John Quirk

Ayla Hall

2nd

Taine Murray

Grace Kingsnorth

3rd

Jack Gulliver

Amelie Howell

Open 50m Freestyle

Middle and Senior Swimming Sports Results Result

Boys

Result

Girls

Year 7 1st

Sam Shotter

Aleisha Chalmers

2nd

David Park

Morgan Taylor

3rd

Dylan Brooke

Claudia Morgan

1st

Zachary McKee Wright

Sarah Swanepoel

2nd

Angus Shotter

Katrina Miehlbradt

3rd

Max Boocock

Maddison Gaze

1st

Oscar Gunn

Emily Maclean

2nd

Nicholas Thom

3rd

James Erskine

Year 8

Juniors Sophie Wallace 3rd=

Darcy Ellis

3rd=

Tegan Knightbridge

Intermediate 1st

Harrison Gosling

Kelsi Boocock

2nd

Taylor Gauld

Grace Tobin

3rd

Toby Ellis

Sarah Doyle

1st

Finn Roelants

Rachel Segar

2nd

Jacky Cheng

Georgina Dean

3rd

Daniel Marsden

Emily Donovan

Seniors

ISSUE No. 57

53

Sailing Auckland Secondary School Fleet Race

K

ristin had 15 sailors competing in the Auckland Secondary School Fleet Race Regatta at Wakatere Boating Club, Narrowneck Beach. Light winds delayed the racing on both days; however, amongst some good individual performances Kristin placed 5th overall. Of note were Leonard Takahashi and Rory McCutcheon who paired up to take 1st place in the 29’er class, Lachlan Grimwade and Jack Rogers who took 2nd and 3rd place respectively in the Laser class, and Harrison Hill who took 3rd in the Techno Windsurfer class, followed closely by his team-mates. Class

Name

Position

29’er Class

Leonard Takahashi and Rory McCutcheon

1st

Laser Class

Lachlan Grimwade

2nd

Jack Rogers

3rd

Optimist Class

Starling Class

Techno Windsurfer Class

Greta Stewart

9th

Harry Dalbeth

25th

Kate Stewart

28th

Alparslan Semiz

32nd

Oscar Gunn

13th

Sam Hassall

21st

Joe Gauld

26th

Luke Hardie

29th

Harrison Hill

3rd

Abigael Clough

4th

William Clough

J>

OKI 24-Hour Race The OKI 24-hour race is sailed in a Laser with 40 sponsored yachts contesting the title across several age-group divisions. Four Kristin students sailed in the OKI for the ďŹ rst time and most were sailing in a Laser for the ďŹ rst time also.

54

AUTUMN/WINTER 2013

Leonard Takahashi and his crew ďŹ nished 2nd in the Youth section on ‘Gurit’. Sam Hassall and his crew on ‘Burnsco’ came 1st in the Sub-Youth section (16 and under), followed closely by Jack Rogers and his crew on ‘Southern Spars’ and Oscar Gunn in 3rd place on ‘GPS’. In the Open division they were all placed extremely well, beating older and more experienced teams. The Open results were: Leonard Takahashi – 11th, Sam Hassall – 18th, Jack Rogers – 19th and Oscar Gunn – 25th.

Top Sailing Accolades A long hot summer has brought consistently impressive results for a number of our Kristin sailors. Leonard Takahashi won the prestigious Tanner Cup for the Inter-provincial P-Class Championships that were held in Nelson in January. The Tanner Cup is the oldest and most coveted competition for youth sailing in New Zealand. Oscar Gunn placed a commendable 4th on points on a countback, narrowly missing out on 3rd place. Lachlan Grimwade placed 4th in the '7I;H B7II 7J J>; )5 '7I;H )7J?ED7BI The Interislander Optimist Challenge brought success for sisters Kate and Greta Stewart as well as for Leonard Takahashi who, from a ďŹ eld of 90 competitors and after 10 races, produced some fantastic results; Leonard M7I IJ &7J; J> 7D: "H;J7 J> EL;H7BB !KHJ>;HCEH; &7J; 7D: "H;J7 were the 1st and 5th-placed female sailors. The girls’ top form continued when they took on the Optimist Class at the Auckland Girls’ Championships, raced off Kohimarama Yacht Club. Kate and Greta took out 1st and 3rd place respectively. William and Abigael Clough and Harrison Hill produced some outstanding runs in the Kendall Cup, contested in the Techno Windsurfer Class and across six events throughout the summer season. William won the U15 Boys’ division, taking out four 1st places during the season. Abigael placed D: ?D J>; *F;D "?HBI :?L?I?ED 7D: #7HH?IED #?BB FB79;: D: ?D 0 EOI With so many superb results across such a number of classes and age groups, the quality of our Kristin sailors is evident. Their dedication and hard work is paying off, but it is thanks to the huge support and commitment of our sailing families that these students are able to excel in so many national events. Simon Mesritz Sport Manager, Sailing

Sports News

Kristin Athletics Champions

A

great day of competition and fun was held on the Auditorium Fields at the annual Year 9 –13 Athletics Championships, early in Term 1. Some great class and House competition was evident in the relays at the finish of the day. Congratulations to Apollo for taking out the hotly contested House Points competition in spectacular fashion.

Kristin Athletics – Years 9-13 Age Group Juniors

Intermediate

Seniors

Result 1st

Boys Ben Kennedy

New Kristin School Records Name

Event

Result

Rachel Segar

Senior Girls’ 1500m

6.35.28s

Senior Girls’ Discus

26.50m

Senior Girls’ Javelin

20.10m

Intermediate Girls’ Shot-put

10.80m

Sarah Doyle Result 1st

Girls

Intermediate Girls’ Discus

34.85m

Junior Boys’ 400m

11.66s

Lucy Chambers

Rory Sutherland Harrison Gosling

Intermediate Boys’ 800m

2.20.11s

Intermediate Girls’ Long Jump

4.61m

2nd =

Ryan Le Gros

2nd

Georgina Dibble

Kirsty Sutherland Daniel Marsden

Senior Boys’ Discus

34.05m

2nd =

Rory Sutherland

3rd

Kate Nicholls

YuXiang Wang

Senior Boys’ 100m

11.66s

1st

Matthew Sinclair

1st

Kirsty Sutherland

2nd

Harrison Gosling

2nd

Lucy Josephson

3rd =

Matthew Fenn

3rd

Sarah Doyle

3rd =

Connor Petrie

1st

Sam Conway

1st =

Samantha Christian

2nd

Remy Gasston

1st =

Rachel Segar

3rd

Matt Campbell

3rd

Amy Smit Continued over page >

ISSUE No. 57

55

Continued from previous page >

North Harbour Secondary Schools Championships Thirty athletes were selected to represent Kristin at the North Harbour Secondary School Athletics Zone Day. There were some truly standout track-and-field results throughout the day including:

Greater Auckland Championships Name

Position

Event

Andrew Scott

1st

Senior Boys’ Javelin

Sarah Doyle

2nd

Intermediate Girls’ Shot-put

Matthew Campbell

2nd

Open Pole Vault

2nd

Intermediate Girls’ Discus

Andrew Scott

4th

Senior Boys’ Javelin

1st

Intermediate Girls’ 100m

Samantha Christian

Kirsty Sutherland

Name

Position

Event

6th

Senior Girls’ Long Jump

4th

400m Heat

2nd

Intermediate Girls’ Long Jump

2nd

Intermediate Girls’ High Jump

Hannah Lunday

2nd

Open Girls’ Pole Vault

Kirsty Sutherland

4th

Intermediate Girls’ 100m Final

Matthew Sinclair

2nd

Intermediate Boys’ 400m

Remy Gasston

3rd

Senior Boys’ 400m

5th

Long Jump

J>

High Jump

Samantha Christian

2nd

Senior Girls’ 400m

Intermediate Girls’ Relay Team

1st

Intermediate Girls’ 4x100m Relay (Jocelyn Rooke, Kirsty Sutherland, Grace Tobin, Poppy van Loghem)

Intermediate Boys’ Relay Team

3rd

Intermediate Boys’ 4x100m Relay

56

AUTUMN/WINTER 2013

(Taylor Delmont, Matt Fenn, Connor Petrie, Matthew Sinclair)

Sarah Doyle

Matthew Sinclair

4th

Intermediate Girls’ Discus

5th

Shot-put

4th

Intermediate Boys’ 400m Heat

Graeme McKinnon Sport Manager, Athletics

Sports News

Cross-Country

T

his year’s Middle and Senior School Cross-Country was held on Wednesday 10 April in unseasonal warm and sunny conditions. An early start for the Middle School event provided great entertainment as well as ďŹ erce competition, with students ďŹ ghting admirably to secure points for their Houses. The Senior races followed suit, with runners and supporters alike championing their Houses with friendly rivalry. Staff reected the same House pride, whether that was from behind the barbecue, the front of the running pack or, in some cases, quite a lot further down the rankings. Everyone’s shared enthusiasm contributed to a vibrant atmosphere, which continued into the afternoon with the inaugural Senior School House Carnival. Congratulations to all those who competed on the day, especially to those who were placed in their respective events. Event

Position

Boys

Girls

4;7H AC

1st

Mitchell Davern

Sylvie Porter

2nd

Thomas van Tilborg

Christina Brand

3rd

Fraser Brant

Aleisha Chalmers

1st

George Manaton

Megan Bruce

2nd

Connor Gauld

Sophie Katavich

3rd

Joshua Hill

Maggie Hanham

Year 8 (3.2km)

Junior (3.2km)

Intermediate (4.0km)

Senior (6.4km)

1st

Joshua Heatlie

Ruby Alexander

2nd

Simon Driessen

Emily Maclean

3rd

Jamie McInnes

Lucy Chambers

1st

Harrison Gosling

Hattie Jones

2nd

Rory Geare

Clodagh McCullough

3rd

Matthew Bell

Olivia Kitson

1st

Remy Gasston

Hannah Ostick

2nd

Callum McDonald

Hannah Williamson

3rd

Idris Jones

Ella Stolwerk

House points Age Group

Position

House

Points

Middle School

1st

Saturn

161

2nd

Mariner

154

3rd

Apollo

148

4th

Jupiter

Senior School

1st

Jupiter

118

2nd

Saturn

96

3rd

Mariner

92

4th

Apollo

ISSUE No. 57

Sports News

Taking to the Waves Surfing is on the rise at Kristin with rapidly growing numbers taking part in the school’s Learn to Surf programmes. Our Middle School programme has been growing steadily for several years now, but, with Mr Sean McDermott introducing the Junior programme this year, there has been an influx of surfing enthusiasts, particularly in the younger year levels. General water safety is covered, as well as how to identify rips and how to get to safety if they find themselves caught in one. Under the expert guidance of the surf instructors, students of all ages and skill levels quickly progress in both ability and confidence in the water. During the recent holiday break, students from the Middle and Senior Schools have taken their passion further, travelling to Australia to take in the world-famous surf breaks of Byron Bay. Over the space of a week the students enjoyed lessons at Byron Bay’s Pass where excellent beginner conditions

provided a half-to-one-metre wave face, helping everyone to make the most of the sessions to improve their style and technique. Even one early-morning start at the iconic surf break came complete with a couple of dolphins that were enjoying the waves themselves. After a couple of days coming to grips with the Pass, the group headed up the coast to Coolangatta and the famous Super Banks at Rainbow Bay and Green Mount. The conditions were perfect for the group with everyone catching some really good rides. A visiting sea turtle topped off the day, swimming amongst the surfers for about 20 minutes! The group also enjoyed some time on dry land, taking in a surfing museum as well as the local coastal sights and the odd game of footy. A highlight of the trip was on the final night. The group was sharing fish and chips on the beach in Byron Bay while watching the sun go down when a group of musicians started an impromptu drumming session nearby. It was the perfect way to end the trip, enjoying the beach with locals and sharing a true surfing vibe. Jan Newbold Teacher-in-Charge, Surfing

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PO Box 300 087, Albany 0752, Auckland, New Zealand 360 Albany Highway, Albany 0632, Auckland, New Zealand Telephone: +64 9 415 9566 Facsimile: +64 9 415 8495

www.kristin.school.nz

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