06.2018
ISSUE 66
IN THIS ISSUE 06
Little Doves
12
The Phantom
16
ISSUE 66
06.2018
25
Conquer The Wall
Masterclass
29
Swimming Sports
36
01
From the Executive Principal
25 Masterclass
02
From the Board
26
International Perspectives
03
Financial Health Report
27
Dovetail Exchanges
04
Celebrating 45
28
Macsen Sisam
06
Little Doves Early Learning Centre Opens
29
Swimming Sports
08
Farewell Diana Patchett
30
Athletics Competitions
09
Welcome Jayne de la Haye
31
Cross-Country Capers
10
Meet our New KFF Chair
32
Junior School Cricket
11
Academic Awards Assembly
33
Water Polo
12
The Phantom of the Opera
34
Sports Highlights
13 E-Sports
35
Team McTaggart take on The Games
14
Nepal 2018
36
The Vista Story
16
Conquer The Wall Fitness Challenge
37
Sam Stitchbury
18
Kristin's Parent Seminar
38
Australian Alumni Reunions
19
Grandparents' Day 2018 New Parents' Dinners
39
Alumni Families' Phantom Dinner Upcoming Alumni Events
40
Building the Albany Campus
41
The Heart of the Kindergarten
42
20
The Vista Story
Introducing: The Faculty of Visual & Performing Arts
21
Prefects Quiz Night 2018
22
Enviroschools Update
Jess Quinn Kristin Alumni Dominate in VBC Competitions
23
Kua Group Visits Kristin
24
Introducing: Sara Frizelle
43
Community News
Cover Photo: Whole School "Human 45" photo taken on Foundation Day, 2 March 2018. A limited number of extra copies of this Kaleidoscope issue are available by request from the school office.
FROM THE EXECUTIVE
PRINCIPAL This year Kristin is celebrating its 45th birthday. Creating an independent school on the North Shore in 1970s’ New Zealand was an extremely challenging task however our Kristin forefathers, the original group of visionary thinkers who founded our school, were not prepared to accept that a status quo education is as good as it gets. They had a much bigger dream - that children should be prepared for life. As parents, they wanted their children to leave school as good people, ready, willing and able to contribute to the wider world. They believed that a holistic, values-based, independent education was the best way forward and, more importantly, they believed that embracing change would be critical to the success of their newly-formed school. Charles Darwin once said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” By embracing change, Kristin has evolved into a flourishing educational community that will always strive to be ‘Future Ready’. Kristin took a global outlook from its outset; very much part of its local community, nested in serving a bigger world. We were the first school in New Zealand to introduce the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma, and subsequently became New Zealand’s first IB World school, teaching all three dimensions of the IB offering: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP) and the Diploma (DP). We were also the first school to introduce Mandarin throughout all year levels. Being global citizens is part of who we are. We are also connected to an international network of like-minded schools that offers learning opportunities for both staff and students. Our International Department supports the learning needs of 92 International students encompassing 14 different countries. Recently, our Performing Arts faculty hosted 32 students and staff from Kimball Union Academy, one of our GAIL (www.gailschools.org) partner schools. They brought their musical production of The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee all the way from New Hampshire, USA, and we were both entertained and educated by our American friends. Global exchanges deepen and broaden learning so much, and Kristin has always embraced international connections. During Term 1, Kristin celebrated two significant milestones. Firstly, the opening of our new Early Learning Centre, ‘Little Doves’. This state-of-the-art preschool facility has been in the planning phases for over five years; the finished product is simply outstanding and is a real credit to all the people involved in its creation. In particular, I would like to acknowledge the creative and diligent work of two members of the Senior Leadership Team - Diana Patchett (Junior School Principal) and Nigel Wilkinson (Director of Business Services). They can be justifiably proud of the realisation of one of the best early learning facilities I have ever seen. Any child who passes through Little Doves is going to be inspired to learn in the next phase of their development. The second major change involved the replacement of our muchloved and respected Junior School Principal Diana Patchett. She leaves
Charles Darwin once said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” By embracing change, Kristin has evolved into a flourishing educational community that will always strive to be ‘Future Ready’. Kristin after five years of outstanding Junior School leadership to take up a new position as Executive Principal at St Margaret’s College in Christchurch. Diana’s positive influence on educational development at Kristin has been significant; Kristin is a better learning organisation because of her skills and unlimited energy. Diana’s successor is Jayne de la Haye, a vastly-experienced international educator and leader. Jayne, I am sure, will embrace her change in direction and carry on the educational progress of the Junior School. There is nothing more constant than change, particularly in the education environment. I have never known the pace of change, particularly in the fields of digital learning and personalised programming, to be as rapid as it is now. When I think back on my early teaching days, the classroom layouts and facilities as well as the curriculum we were required to deliver are unrecognisable in this day and age. I should add that many things needed to change in the learning culture I was teaching in 40 years ago! Why is it that so many people fear change? One of the main reasons is that we get comfortable in the ways we have always done things. Change is inevitable: if we fail to embrace change, we will constantly live in the past and miss out on the enormous array of improvement opportunities out there in the real world. Churchill once said: “A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.” At Kristin we believe in the Churchillian prophecy and embrace change.
TIM OUGHTON
EXECUTIVE PRINCIPAL
To contact Tim, email: toughton@kristin.school.nz 06.2018
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FROM THE
BOARD 45 YEARS YOUNG On 16 May 2018 I had the pleasure of formally opening Little Doves, Kristin’s Early Learning Centre. It is an absolutely stunning facility which I urge everyone to have a ‘peek’ at, if you have a chance. It’s an environment which Kristin has every right to feel very proud of. For many years, the Board and Senior Management aspired to have an Early Learning Centre that would provide preschool children with a nurturing environment where they can begin their journey as lifelong learners. The first 1,000 days are the most important of any child’s life. During this time, children learn the basic skills of communication, reasoning and socialisation that are the building blocks for their entire lives.
As a school community, we bid farewell to Diana Patchett with very sincere gratitude for her significant contribution to Kristin over the past six years. With open arms and a warm smile our community in turn welcomed our new Junior School Principal, Jayne de la Haye, at the end of May. Jayne brings a wealth of experience of IB in the primary years from top-tier international schools with a strong drive for innovative and effective teaching.
It was particularly poignant to open Little Doves in Kristin’s 45th year and in the presence of many of the early pioneers of the school, such as Jenny Brown (a founding parent), Barry Stevens (a founding parent and long-term Board Chair) and John Martin (Board Chair). Those early pioneers, without any government financial support whatsoever, started a school in the middle of farmland on the outskirts of Auckland. They dared to do something so brave that many would have described it as reckless.
Above all, at Kristin we want our students to be optimistic, cheerful and to have a passion for life. As Charles Dickens said: “To a young heart, everything is fun.”
Choice and personalisation was a cornerstone belief of our Founders. They aspired to set up a school which was free of the strictures of the state educational system and where they were able to innovate, as teaching practice dictated. Crucially, those early pioneers understood the importance of creating an environment in which children felt valued and respected, so that there were no barriers to learning. It is certainly true that nowadays our young people face many challenges. It is important to recognise that a school cannot cure every ill, take away every pain, or prevent conflict or emotional turmoil. Nor can a school guarantee a student’s future financial success or security. However, what the early pioneers of Kristin believed in, was doing their absolute best to create an educational environment in which every child could create their own future, whatever it may be. At the heart was the belief that children do best when they are taught by high-quality teachers, with whom they have a strong personal relationship, and as part of a community with shared values of respect, honesty and kindness. I believe these aspirations continue today. We do not profess to get everything right, all the time. Like every complex organisation, we have our successes and failures. But it is important to keep striving to be better and, as part of that pursuit, Kristin has a tradition of questioning, re-evaluating, refining and changing. 2
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Kristin remains young at heart, so let’s keep having fun!
PHILIPPA FEE CHAIR
To contact Kristin's Board of Govenors email: board@kristin.school.nz
In early April videos of Philippa Fee and Tim Oughton explaining the Kristin Vision and Strategic Intent were shared with the Kristin Community via the school newsletter. These videos can be accessed at: www.kristin.school.nz/news-events/kristin-videos The graphic at the bottom of the next page also summarises our Vision, Strategic Pillars, what we believe in and our core values.
FINANCIAL HEALTH REPORT FOR 2017 HOW INCOME IS ALLOCATED
ASSETS $99M
Salaries Administration Depreciation Repairs and Maintenance Transport Finance costs Class expenditure Other Surplus Income
87% Land and Buildings ($86m) 6% Cash ($6m) 5% Investment Properties ($5m) 2% Debtors and other ($2m)
$20.7m $3.1m $1.7m $1.4m $1.3m $0.9m $1.0m $0.6m $3.5m $34.2m
THE SURPLUS WAS APPLIED TO:
HOW THE ASSETS ARE FUNDED 66% Equity ($66m) 16% Bank Loan ($16m) 8% Fees in Advance ($7m) 5% Kristin Education Bond ($5m) 5% Staff and Suppliers ($5m)
Repayment of borrowings $0.6m Property, Plant & Equipment $2.9m Total $3.5m
OUR VISION The Future We See
The Work We Do
To provide our students with an exceptional all-round education that prepares them to be responsible global citizens who think creatively, reason critically, communicate effectively and learn enthusiastically throughout life Providing an outstanding educational offering Fostering excellent teaching and learning practice and results
Growing and caring for our people
Leading an engaged community
Ensuring appropriate infrastructure
Attracting, engaging and developing people to deliver high quality outcomes for our community
Sustaining and nurturing the healthy collaboration of our stakeholders
Maintaining consistent, high quality delivery of our strategic objectives
We believe in:
Our Guiding Principles
An Inspired Founding Community
Creating a world led by good people, who are invested in making the future better Children being future ready, prepared to thrive The power of choice and opportunity Fostering an enabling environment where people flourish Strength through community, with love at its heart so there are no barriers to learning
Building dynamic information systems Optimising processes and outcomes throughout our school & wider community
Cultivating our business model Embracing business opportunities that secure the future of our school
Core values:
We are passionate about learning We are determined to achieve excellence We are willing to be innovative We respect ourselves and others We are loyal to and proud of Kristin We strive to live up to traditional Christian values that are demonstrated through: honesty, trust, respect, kindness, selflessness, spirituality and hope
Parent founders established Kristin to provide independent, values based education for their children to live the school motto:
Progess with Vision, Integrity and Love 06.2018
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CELEBRATING 45 FOUNDATION DAY 2018 There is much to be celebrated this year as Kristin turns 45. On Friday 2 March we celebrated with various Foundation Day Assemblies, a whole-school photo, and a community picnic. In attendance at these events were many founding members of Kristin School, and much-loved and respected members of the Kristin Community, and like all of us, they feel very proud of where Kristin is today and where we have come from. We celebrate, with sincere gratitude, Kristin’s founders in creating a school with an inspirational vision and traditional values strongly focused on respect for all individuals. This solid foundation has enabled Kristin to evolve into the school we are today – an environment to open minds that open doors, and an establishment still hugely proud and committed to our very fitting original motto: “Progress with vision, integrity and love”. To discover more about our fascinating beginnings, I would encourage all people reading this article to watch the special video we created for this year’s Foundation Day Assemblies available at www.vimeo.com/258033332. Many thanks to Ted Berry for his engaging commentary. Over the years, almost 50 Alumni have returned to Kristin as staff members in various roles and 20 of these are still enriching our school today, including Junior School Assistant Principal Chantel Ashley. We also have 52 Alumni in our Kristin Community as current parents and envisage this number growing exponentially as more and more of our Alumni’s children reach school age. An appreciation of all of our Alumni and Kauri Club* connections in general helps foster Kristin’s unique culture where a strong sense of belonging is ingrained. Taking our lead from our founders in having foresight, bravery and ambition, in 2018 we have started on our journey to build our Kristin Scholarship Fund. Establishing a significant fund to enable the sustainable provision of scholarships year-on-year will take many years; however, we have made a good start in securing almost 300 donations, raising over $30,000 so far. This was achieved via our Conquer the Wall Fitness Challenge student fundraising campaign which culminated in Dave Scott and Mark Haslam (Middle School Principal and Assistant Principal) running The Great Wall Marathon in China on 19 May, and them hosting a wonderful dinner and fundraising event in Beijing afterwards for our extended Kristin family and friends based there. In further celebration of our 45 years, Kristin family and friends are welcome to join us on Saturday 25 August at our glamourous birthday ‘Celebration Ball’ in The Great Room at the Cordis 4
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Hotel (formerly the Langham). This will be our major social and fundraising event this year and promises to be a wonderful evening of fun and laughter. Enjoy great company, a sumptuous three-course meal, drinks and good music, as well as all the online and live auctions. All funds raised will go towards future major developments for the school for the benefit of all students. Our celebrations won’t end there, however. In addition to our normal reunion calendar, we are also organising a special 21st Reunion of Euphony (our premier Girls’ Choir) during Labour Weekend, a Kauri Club and Staff Reunion at the end of Term 3, and a reunion in London for Alumni based in Europe. These will be very special events where many memories spanning our 45 years will be shared. Happy 45th birthday Kristin School, our wonderful place of aroha. ‘An open space, a worthwhile place, where we can grow and give’ (from Sing Kristin). Here’s looking forward to the next 45 years! n Vanessa Fennelly Marketing & Communications Manager * The Kauri Club is a a group of individuals from within our Kristin Community who have held signifgicant leadership roles and/or made a notable contribution to the school during their time at Kristin; they include former principles and board members, long serving staff and foundation families.
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OPEN IN EVERY WAY! LITTLE DOVES EARLY LEARNING CENTRE A quest to combine state-of-the-art architecture and a nurturing, homely environment for young children has driven the design of the brand new early childhood centre at Kristin School, Little Doves Early Learning Centre. The new centre has now been officially opened after many years of planning and construction, focused on offering children and their families a place of high-tech contemporary design and traditional natural play spaces. As Centre Manager Sarah Jones explains, Little Doves is a continuation of Kristin School’s commitment to recognising and nurturing each individual child to reach their potential. “We know from brain research that the first three years of a child’s life are crucial. The experiences and interactions that occur in these early days have a powerful influence in shaping the brain and laying down the foundations for the rest of a child’s life,” she says. “Our first priority is to ensure that each child feels safe, loved and cared for, because we know that this is vital to enable children to explore, learn and thrive. Little Doves Early Learning Centre welcomes children from the age of six months to four years, at which time children transition to the well-established Kindergarten. The Kindergarten aims to continue to feed children’s natural curiosity, nurture a love of learning and prepare them for success at school. Little Doves Early Learning Centre consists of three separate spaces, for various age groups, each of them looking out over expansive landscaped gardens which provide a natural wonderland for young
children. The scale is impressive too, with at least 20 square metres of outside space for each and every child – over four times the Government’s minimum requirement. “We are so excited at the sheer size and scope of the gardens,” says Ms Jones, “because this offers so many different opportunities and experiences to children. We are nestled among mature trees, with our own mini orchard and there’s even a little stream that runs through to the sandpit area. There are cubby houses to play shop in, a tunnel and wooden tractors to climb, large grass lawns to play on, and plenty of space to explore and enjoy.” The building was opened with a dawn blessing followed by an official opening on 16 May. This provided an opportunity to bring together the teams of people who had been involved in the building project along with the Kristin School community, including some of the children and families who will soon be making Little Doves their own. “At every stage of this project, there has been constant attention paid to every detail of the design to ensure that we have created the bestpossible environment in which children can grow, explore and learn, and get the best-possible start in life,” says Ms Jones. n To find out more about Little Doves, contact Sarah Jones via: sjones@littledoves.nz or 09 415 5095. 06.2018
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FAREWELL DIANA TRIBUTE TO AN OUTSTANDING JUNIOR SCHOOL LEADER Diana Patchett was appointed to the position of Junior School Principal in January 2013 following a successful teaching career in Queensland, Australia, where she rose to the position of Deputy Head of Moreton Bay Boys’ College. During her five plus years’ tenure at Kristin, Diana has realised the considerable skills and talents the former Executive Principal, Peter Clague, believed she possessed from the outset. Peter said to me upon my appointment: “You are extremely fortunate to have a person leading the Junior School who really knows what she is doing, and someone destined to run her own school.” How right he was and how fortunate we have been to have Diana as part of the Senior Leadership Team. The strength of Diana’s leadership is reflected in the healthy position of the Junior School roll, where waiting lists exist in most year levels, and in the high-quality performance levels of her teaching team. Amongst her many achievements as Junior School Principal, several have made a significant impact on Kristin’s growth and development. These include:
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A key strategic role in the realisation of our world-class new Early Learning Centre, Little Doves
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The restructuring of our Kindergarten to offer extended hours
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Leading the Junior School’s 100% Apple Teacher accreditation and the successful nomination of the Junior School as an Apple Distinguished School
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Restructuring Learner Support resources to realise an Enrichment Teacher across all year levels
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Introducing a number of curriculum initiatives including Te Reo Māori and Mandarin at all year levels, modification of assessment and reporting frameworks, and a focus on computational thinking and creative student engagement with technology.
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Diana’s love of the outdoors and sport as well as her passion for environmental sustainability have ensured the Junior School cocurricular programmes are exciting and of high quality. She is a strong advocate for play-based experiential education in the early years and she leaves a rich legacy of playground and equipment enhancement, vegetable plots, colourful walls and attractive gardens. She has encouraged a greater emphasis on student interaction with the natural environment, introducing animals to the Kindergarten and establishing paths and learning spaces in the native bush area at the rear of the school. Over the past 18 months, Diana has written and co-ordinated the production of a children’s book, Kristin: A Place of Aroha. Her intention was to create something that would have meaning for all the Kindy kids entering the Junior School (a graduation book) as well as providing parents a wonderful resource to share at bedtime. The book has only just been published and already it has attracted considerable attention and a large number of compliments. Diana’s flare for language, her genuine creativity and her passion for Kristin are there for all to see in this wonderful book. Thank you for another rich legacy, Diana. Her drive for high-quality teaching practices within a warm, supportive and collaborative environment has always been at the forefront of Diana’s leadership. She has the ability to take people with her because of the obvious care and compassion she shows for those she works alongside. Her boundless enthusiasm, creativity and superior ‘people’ skills will be greatly missed and, on a personal level, I will miss her sharp intellect, her wicked sense of humour and her loyalty. Kristin is a better place because Diana Patchett has travelled through it; we extend our most sincere gratitude and thanks for all that she has done for us and wish her every success in her role of Executive Principal at St Margaret’s College in Christchurch. Their gain is undoubtedly our loss. n Tim Oughton Executive Principal
KRISTIN WELCOMES A NEW JUNIOR SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
JAYNE DE LA HAYE
I am delighted to introduce Jayne de la Haye as our new Junior School Principal at Kristin School. Jayne took over from Diana Patchett in late May. Jayne is a dynamic professional with a proven track record of leadership in top tier schools worldwide. She has excellent interpersonal skills and a renowned ability to build strong relationships with all members of the community from diverse cultures and backgrounds. She has a clear vision of what students need in order to be successful in an increasingly globalised and technological world. Jayne possesses the strong analytical skills that are necessary to ensure student success and ongoing educational development. Jayne’s most recent role was as IB PYP Co-ordinator at Takapuna Normal Intermediate School. She also held a senior leadership role working across the Westlake Community of Schools (COL) raising student achievement and well-being, by promoting innovative and effective teaching approaches from early childhood through to the end of high school. Prior to her move to New Zealand, Jayne spent 20 years of educational leadership in highly-regarded international schools in Vietnam, Oman, Tanzania and Venezuela. During this time, she also developed strong ties with the IB organisation, contributing to the development of the PYP and working as a consultant. She began her teaching career in the early ‘90s at Woodlands Primary School in London. Jayne has an MSc in International Education from New York State University and a BSc Honours degree in Psychology. She is a member of the British Psychological Society. Her interests include the environment, music and the arts. Jayne is a champion for a variety of co-curricular activities and believes in the importance of these activities in developing an all-round student. She has two teenage sons, and her husband, Terry, is an educational leader also.
Throughout the appointment process, all the selection panel members were very impressed with the diverse skills and talents Jayne will bring to both the Junior School and the Senior Leadership Team. n Tim Oughton Executive Principal To contact Jayne email: jdelahaye@kristin.school.nz
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PATRICIA HOLDEN
MEET OUR NEW KFF CHAIR You are a dual citizen of Canada and New Zealand. What brought you to New Zealand? Gary and I moved to New Zealand in 2011 with our daughter, Sophie, who was seven years old at the time. We came here because we wanted to experience life and culture somewhere other than the country we were born in. We have a strong connection to New Zealand; Gary was already a dual citizen as he lived here back in the 1990s. We love our life in Takapuna and are all proud to be Can-iwis! How do Canada and New Zealand compare? Well, we are blessed to be citizens in probably the two most beautiful countries on earth. They are similar in many ways as they are both Commonwealth countries, have strong relationships with their indigenous people, have good strong economies and stable political environments. We feel at home here because Canadians and New Zealanders hold similar values for family, friends and the environment and both enjoy the outdoors. We keep close to Canada with an annual trip during the Canadian summer and our guest rooms are always full of family and friends who love to come to visit! You have a much bigger family than Sophie. What are your other children up to now? Yes, we have four sons ranging from 27 to 32 years old. The oldest, Marcus, is graduating from medical school and getting married this month. The next in line, Justin, is an accountant in the Canadian oil business; and the third, Josh, has a Master’s degree in Nanofunctional Engineering and is currently conducting research at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. Our youngest son, Daniel, is a Patricia Holden
Some of the KFF Executive Team together with school staff who support them
project developer in the renewable energy field. They have all spent a lot of time in New Zealand and love it here very much. At some stage they may join us here but that will depend on the opportunities that come along in their careers. What interested you in taking on the KFF Chair role? When Sophie was at Takapuna Primary School, I chaired the equivalent committee and found it very rewarding helping the school raise funds. Being a state school, fundraising was key to the role there. When the boys were young I volunteered in their schools whenever I could. Back in Calgary, I was involved in fundraisers for UNICEF and the Calgary Zoo, which each raised over $1 million. Volunteering is in my blood. My parents were always giving back to the communities in which I grew up, and Gary and I both believe strongly in the value of community service, which is one of the reasons we chose Kristin for Sophie. Finding time to give to the school is rewarding and fun for me. What do you think you bring to the Chair role? I have big shoes to fill following the incredible Nicky Shave, so I don’t want to promise too much but I want to focus on enabling my amazing Executive team. They are: Christina Hoseason, Sarah Amos, Cindy Beaudin, Antonia Chen, Rodd Eddy, Morag Fryer, Chiara Gauld, Lil Handey, Lois Lee, Sue Lyons, Priscilla Ma, Shelley McHugh, Nicky Shave, Paul Stables, Rowan Stephens, Sherman Wang and Julia Wei. We share the common vision that we can facilitate and engage students, families and parents through organising events that go outside the school’s parameters. Through this engagement, the Kristin Community grows stronger and closer, which ultimately benefits the students. We, as an Executive team, recognise that the success of the KFF is directly related to the massive group of parent volunteers in this school who are all so willing to put their hands up to help out whenever we ask. After all, we all want the same thing: to connect families, grow friendships and raise a bit of money from time to time. We will continue to offer a wide variety of activities and events, to provide something for everyone. We heartily encourage everyone to watch the newsletters for upcoming events and opportunities and to get involved where and when they can. n
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ACADEMIC RESULTS & AWARDS ASSEMBLY Amar Hamilton-Vincent and Sam Wouters
Back in February we celebrated the successes of our top scholars in their 2017 examination results and other academic competitions. As you will be aware, 2017 was another vintage year for Kristin students, with 100% achieving Level 1 NCEA and 88% of those receiving an endorsement. At Level 2, 74% received an endorsement and 69% at Level 3. However, this assembly recognises those students who achieved Excellence endorsement in NCEA (50 or more credits at an Excellence level) or 36 points in the IB Diploma – these students received Excellence certificates. Those students who went on to far exceed these requirements, achieving a GPA of 90% in NCEA or 40 points in the IB Diploma, received Distinction certificates. Achieving 95% or 44 points earns an Honours certificate. This year three students were awarded Honours: Victoria Gancheva and Cynthia Hou both achieved 44 points in their diplomas and Amar Hamilton-Vincent achieved a ‘perfect’ 45 points, also receiving the International Cup for outstanding achievement in the IB Diploma. A total of 14 students received Distinction badges, Heimiti Beziac, Sophie Wallace and Sam Wouters for their successes in NCEA. Sam was also awarded the National Qualification Cup for Outstanding Achievement in NCEA Level 3. They were joined by Jaffar AlSakini, William Baker, Sonia Hua, Dexin Kong, Elvis Ludvich, Emily MacLean, Dimetri Petreski, Felicity Qin, Adam Sinclair, Kelly Wang and Helena Wiseman, who all received Distinction badges for their performance in the IB Diploma. In addition, recognition goes to those students who achieved Scholarships in 2017: Haoshu Wang in Calculus, David Zhang in
Chinese, Stella Zhang in Calculus, Mathis Bitton in French and Jake Lyons in Physics and Calculus. Jake was also a member of the Kristin team who entered the University of Auckland’s Department of Engineering Science – National Problem Solving Challenge. Jake was joined by Joshua Sampson, Amar Hamilton-Vincent and Felicity Quin in winning the competition and becoming the New Zealand Champions for 2017 – an outstanding performance. Not wishing to be outdone, our team of young physicists were successful in reaching the National Finals of the NZ Young Physicists tournament; team members were Jake Lyons, Polly Huang, Haoshu Wang and Kevin Wang. Progression to the National Finals was a first for Kristin, in what is a very competitive and fiercely-contested competition. Haoshu was also a part of a group of students including Romeo Dean, Aleisha Chalmers, Fergus Scott and Casper Wong, who not only achieved Excellence in their Level 1 NCEA examinations but also in Level 2, while still in Year 11 – a sign of things to come. In total, 151 students were invited across the stage to receive recognition for their hard work and dedication in an assembly where the minimum requirement was to achieve an Excellence endorsement. This reinforces that students at Kristin are focused on their academic achievement, are determined to succeed at the highest level and have the opportunities to excel in a broad range of fields. I am incredibly proud to be part of the staff in this place of aroha. n David Boardman Senior School Principal For more information regarding Kristin's academdic results email: dboardman@kristin.school.nz 06.2018
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KRISTIN PERFORMING ARTS
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA The Phantom of the Opera, without question, has been the most ambitious and daunting production we have ever realised on the Kristin stage. Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber made an unanticipated announcement last year that, for a limited period, schools in Australasia might apply for possible performance rights to The Phantom. As Director, on consequently learning that we had indeed been granted the rights, I was simultaneously struck by total disbelief, unspeakable joy and indescribable terror. However, knowing the show as well as I did, I knew that, somehow, the stars had aligned for us in Kristin’s Performing Arts in 2018. We already had extremely strong vocal and dramatic ability in the potential cast lined up for the Senior Production and I believed we could regroup what would collectively be the most talented and experienced Production Team for Kristin, ever. Both these aspects for staging a show such as Phantom effectively were crucial to its ultimate success. Preparation had to begin immediately on being granted the rights, to allow for the magnitude of the show and the complex elements 12
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it demanded in every area. Gruelling auditions, call-backs and secondary call-backs were held late last year and a potentially stellar lead cast and ensemble was confirmed. The directorial vision, music planning, design concepts and technical considerations had to be in place by the beginning of the year. Behind the scenes, the core team of exceptionally talented, generous and professional individuals - which included Alumni students, staff (past and present), parents (past and present) and special friends of Kristin - began hours, days, weeks and months of preparatory work. Daily, little miracles began to happen and, gradually, Phantom magic started to unfurl. The rehearsal process of the students was astounding to witness and will forever inspire me. Our vocal leads worked relentlessly on the immeasurable vocal demands of the show - demands that daily continue to challenge even the seasoned, adult professionals in the West End and on Broadway. Vocal and Dance Ensembles, Crew and Orchestra fully embraced their roles, in their outstanding efforts to collectively be part of what might become a Kristin masterpiece.
E-SPORTS The Kristin e-Sports Club was founded in Term 3 2017 for Middle and Senior School students and was immediately a hit with the Kristin e-Sports community. We wanted to incorporate team-building, communication and e-Sports skills into our club activities to ensure that our players were expanding their abilities beyond just gaming itself. Our League of Legends High School League team of six Year 11 students has been passionately involved in the club, representing the school in the national competition and in club scrims, which are practice games against other teams to develop skills in a moderately competitive environment. They have played in the Let’s Play Live (LPL) studio in Sky City and had their games shown on Sky TV and broadcasted on Twitch, a live-stream website. In addition, the club also has a Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) development squad that is run by game leader Jason Zhou. Jason tutors our squad on the skills necessary in the game by setting up matches between the players. Aside from these two games that are prominent within the club, we also accommodate other games such as Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds, Dota II and Overwatch. It is essential that the games students play involve team-building and communication skills.
"Breathtaking .... Absolutely 'spine-tinglingly', 'soul-shudderingly', magnificently breathtaking." Together, we did indeed deliver and I could not be more proud of every student involved. Close on 3,000 audience members came to the performance season and each of the five performances concluded with a standing ovation. My deep gratitude goes to every individual who was an intrinsic part of this triumphant production. We have received an overwhelming response from audience members who witnessed it. One particular comment struck a chord: “Breathtaking. That is perhaps the only way I can describe [Kristin’s] The Phantom of the Opera. Absolutely spinetinglingly, soul-shudderingly, magnificently breathtaking” - Carla Boniolo, Kristin Alumni. It has always been my fervent belief that the measure of truly great theatre aligns with the quote that claims “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”
Only a minor part of our club sessions entails actual game time. Players write extensive answers to questions and have discussions regarding important related issues such as addiction, toxicity, the reputation of e-Sports in the wider community, and their own role as a player. They also attend strategy meetings regarding the gameplay and styles. After game time, students are required to write a reflection about the game session. This is a vital part of our club as we encourage sensible gaming; so, critical thinking around e-Sports is advocated through our activities. We like to think of our club members as part of a big family where we not only discuss and play e-Sports but also form a closer bond as a group. When club members encounter issues, related or not to e-Sports, the older members of the club help out. To ensure that players are maintaining their grades, and a balanced life in general, the e-Sports Club Committee has offered tutoring in school subjects too.
It has been a privilege to be a part of this moment in Kristin’s Performing Arts history. n
Kristin’s e-Sports Club has caught the eye of Riot Games, the League of Legends proprietary company whose representatives have interviewed our supervising teacher Ms Moses and myself regarding the club and what we do. This interview was published on their website as an example of how a school club can contribute to the e-Sports movement and community. In addition, we have also been interviewed by the New Zealand Herald about our participation in the High School League competition. We are extremely proud of our players and the publicity we have received because of their excellence; Kristin is the leading example of e-Sports done right! n
Lorna Rood Artistic Director of Major Kristin Productions
Kate Li Year 13 Student 06.2018
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NEPAL 2018 Eighteen months in planning and preparation, 19 days of challenge, service and action, and a lifetime of unbelievable memories, this was Nepal 2018. For the 39 students and 4 staff members involved, this service trip was an amazing welter of experiences, challenges, sights, sounds, tastes and smells as we travelled from Auckland to the warmth of Singapore and eventually to the lofty heights of Annapurna base camp, high in the Himalayas. Fundamental to this trip was the service component that has made significant changes to all involved. The student service teams collected toothbrushes, sports gear, fundraised for power tools to use in developing the community centres, bought reusable feminine hygiene products, paid for the installation of water filters and solar energy systems (donated by UNICEF and IPN & UNESCO respectively), and laid a concrete floor as part of a wider international schools project to rebuild the quake-damaged villages in the remote mountainous regions of rural Nepal. In Nepal, the students smashed rocks to build retaining walls, installed the solar panel and system, conducted vision testing and distributed reading glasses as well as providing water filtration units to every family in the dispersed community we supported. And from the travellers: “It was the best experience of my life. Seeing the different culture of less-wealthy countries like Nepal was really a reality check for me.” Briar, Year 12 “It was really a beautiful and fulfilling trip; it’s left me wanting to return back to Nepal and experience more of the landscape and culture.” Ollie, Year 12 “It was the trip of a lifetime, and I loved both the action and service sides of it. Great to see what other less-fortunate countries are like.” Meredith, Year 12 “Being up in proper mountains was truly awe-inspiring. I loved loved loved being up at base camp. Kathmandu was amazing and the sights of extreme poverty by the river have stayed with me for sure.” Doug, Staff “I loved this trip - very, very much. As my first-ever overseas experience, it was eye-opening, comfort-zone-breaking, and a great time - I met new people, from both school and Nepal, tried new things, and experienced some of the most amazing sights on the entire planet. 10/10, would recommend this amazing experience to anyone :)” Nathaniel, Year 12 “I loved the trip so much and recommend it for everyone! It was amazing getting to know the other students on the trip and forging new friendships with people from my own and other year levels. Throughout the trek, the views were incredible and finally getting to ABC was extremely rewarding.” Isabelle, Year 11 Thank you again to our sponsors Bachmann Orthodontists and Autex Industries for their support of this trip. Andrew Churches Head of Technology and Design Faculty 14
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CONQUER THE WALL FITNESS CHALLENGE
SCHOLARSHIP FUNDRAISER: MARCH TO JUNE
Some of our Conquer the Wall Fun Run participants, 8th April
In March we launched our Annual Appeal to build our Scholarship Fund with a unique and different approach that embraced three key themes: •
Committing ourselves to achieve a fitness challenge
•
Gaining sponsorship and donations to enable less fortunate students to attend Kristin
•
Embracing the depth and history of Chinese culture and reaching out to our local Beijing extended family.
In March we launched the start of our campaign by encouraging our students to identify and take on a fitness challenge and to gain sponsorship to achieve their objective. All sponsorship donations went to build our Scholarship Fund, so our students enjoyed the double benefit of contributing to others while also investing in their own well-being and fitness. Our students are busy people and booking in time to exercise and train is an important part of being healthy. Our students followed the great example of two of our Principals Dave Scott, Middle School Principal, and Mark Haslam, Assistant Middle School Principal. Both Dave and Mark are passionate about our ability as a school to offer scholarships that enable outstanding students who would otherwise not be able to attend Kristin to gain the benefit of our Kristin education. The challenge was laid down for all of us to aspire to conquer the many walls that may limit our or others belief in ourselves to achieve - whether that be a simple 5km Fun Run, an adventure marathon, through to the higher-level challenges of limited economic capability or the benefits of embracing another richly historic culture and heritage. Dave and Mark put their bodies and minds to the task of training for and successfully completing the Great Wall Marathon outside of Beijing on 19 May. This was a huge mental and physical challenge taking 7 hours to climb and descend over ancient precipitous steps in very hot conditions, in remote parts of the Wall. They were very ably supported by Antonia Chen, Chair of our KFF Chinese Cultural 16
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Dave Scott, Mark Haslam and Antonia Chen at the events in Beijing
Group, who travelled up to Beijing at her own expense to donate her time and talent to help our school. Antonia provided vital ‘on course’ photography, assistance and helped Dave and Mark to host a dinner for our extended family and friends in Beijing after the Marathon. This dinner was a wonderful occasion to celebrate and reach out to bring Kristin to Beijing for those family members based locally and allow them to contribute to the fundraising for our Scholarship Fund. While still running into its final few days this campaign has gained wide support with almost 300 donations raising over $30,000. ABOUT OUR SCHOLARSHIP FUND Kristin is still at the start of the journey to build our Scholarship Fund and Conquer the Wall is the second annual appeal we have hosted since 2016. Our vision is to have a scholarship endowment fund where the interest generated from an invested fund enables a set of scholarships to be offered year-on-year on a sustainable basis. For example, the simple numbers are: if we have an investment of $500,000 at 5% deposit interest rate, it generates $25,000 each year. This is the equivalent of one full student scholarship for one year, on an ongoing and sustainable basis. So, with a $5 million Scholarship Fund invested at 5%, that equates to $250,000 or 10 student scholarships per year on an ongoing basis, and so on.
Our community should consider donating to our Scholarship Fund as those students who join our community in this way contribute leadership and competition to raise the bar for all students. Scholarship students will enrich our Kristin Community by adding diversity and new perspectives. Our hope is to build our fund to enable a range of scholarships to be offered. KRISTIN DOVE SCHOLARSHIPS From 2019 onwards the scholarships offered by Kristin will be the ‘Kristin Dove Scholarships’ that are focused on students new to Kristin who show exceptional all-round ability and for financial reasons would otherwise be unable to attend. These scholarships have been prioritised due to the demise of the government-funded Aspire Scholarships in early 2018 and focus on full scholarships. 2 scholarships available at Year 9 for 5 years 2 scholarships available at Year 11 for 3 years Applications close in 1 May 2019 for the following 2020 academic year. Growing Generous Hearts and Giving Minds. n Morag Fryer Director of Marketing and Advancement 06.2018
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KRISTIN’S PARENT SEMINAR INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE, PRIMARY YEARS PROGRAMME Inquiry is at the heart of the International Baccalaureate (IB)
We then moved on to give the parents a true PYP experience. One of
Primary Years Programme (PYP) and during Term 1, 25 Junior
the Year 3’s Units of Inquiry has a focus on the issue of exploration.
School parents took up the opportunity to find out more about the
In a non-PYP school this would most likely be a topic-based study
PYP curriculum at Kristin School. They experienced two different
about exploring Antarctica where the students all find out about the
approaches to teaching and learning. We started with some ‘old
driest, coldest, windiest continent on Earth without actually finding
school’ teaching, with a chance to read all about Mount Everest
out anything they are personally interested in.
and Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. After a round robin reading experience and some extensive teacher-controlled discussion the parents were asked a series of questions based on the material they had read. They then took up the opportunity to swap their papers and have their work marked by their peers.
As was explained to the parents, using a PYP approach is vastly different to this. We gave the parents the opportunity to find out what is really worth knowing. We set the expectations we had of each group by using the explorer Ibn Battuta as a model (someone no one had heard of before; if you haven’t either, look him up - he did some
This was teaching and learning from a past age that most of the
really amazing things). We tasked the parents with finding out about
parents recognised, and at least a couple were thrilled to get all the
one of 11 famous explorers (Captain James Cook, Walter Raleigh,
answers correct. We gave this experience to show exactly what the
Ferdinand Magellan, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins,
PYP is not: teacher controlled with little opportunity to be creative
Thor Heyerdahl, Roald Amundsen, Robert Scott, Marco Polo and
or participate in learning experiences that are engaging, relevant,
Christopher Columbus), what they did, why they did it, important
challenging and significant.
changes that came about as a result of their exploration and one key question to find out some more about their explorer. Fully briefed, the parents set to work reading, discussing, theorising and questioning. The challenge of working collaboratively in a group was one they set to with gusto. In no time we had a comprehensive set of notes taking shape. We knew who these explorers were and a little bit about their background, the what, where, when and why of their exploration feats, and a little bit about what made them tick as people. Finally (and most interestingly) we discovered links to changes that came about as a result of these explorations. After summarising the information they gathered, each group then shared the key points they had found out, along with their question for finding out more. Some of these questions included: Why did the Spanish choose Christopher Columbus to go exploring? Why was Tenzing Norgay recorded as a full member of the climbing team when Sherpa usually were not? Why did Marco Polo spend so long in jail? The benefits of parent education were evident. By providing a hands-on, practical task, this group were able to come to terms with what was expected of their children and the experiences they go through on a daily basis. It helped to better inform and educate them about not only the PYP but also the inquiry approach as a way of strengthening knowledge and understanding. The parents returned home knowing a little more about the PYP and something about explorers - more importantly, however, with a far greater understanding and appreciation about what their children do at Kristin every day as they learn, explore, wonder and question. n Rob Hutton Assistant Principal, Junior School
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GRANDPARENTS' DAY 2018 The Junior School welcomed 600 visitors on Friday 6 April for another very successful Grandparents’ Day. The blue sky certainly matched the twinkle in many eyes as proud grandparents spent time alongside their grandchildren, enjoying a myriad of activities in the classrooms. Many were amazed at the application of technology across the school, from the Kindergarten students’ demonstration of their photography skills, to the movie-making and collaborative work of the upperschool students. Many grandparents commented on the obvious confidence that the students showed when engaging with these emerging technologies – gone are the days of slates and blackboards! Our collective thanks and appreciation are extended to our Kristin Family and Friends Class Co-ordinators and the band of parent helpers whose hospitality skills would have put many a commercial café to shame! The grandparents enjoyed a lovely morning tea followed by a special assembly showcasing the Junior School talents. The harmonic melodies of our choirs, colourful cultural dance display and confidence of our presenters delighted the audience. Grandparents play a special role in families and the lives of children, so it was a pleasure to spend time with them and share a snapshot of Junior School life at Kristin with these special people in our school family. n Chantel Ashley, Assistant Principal, Junior School
NEW PARENTS' DINNERS In the middle of Term 1, more than 150 new parents were welcomed to the Kristin Community at the New Parents’ Dinners, held over two consecutive nights in the LIC Foyer. Hosted by Tim and Heather Oughton, these dinners have become an annual event providing parents who have had students start at the school in the past year with a great opportunity to meet other relatively ‘new to Kristin’ parents, as well as a number of Kristin staff members.
This year, parents from across the Junior, Middle and Senior Schools enjoyed fabulous musical performances by our amazing Phantom of the Opera leading ladies Imogen Harwood and Olivia Forbes, together with presentations from our Head Prefects, Executive Principal and members of the Board. The evenings were successful in helping many new parents develop new friends over delicious food within a relaxed environment. Thanks to all those who attended and we look forward to meeting more new parents next year. n Sam Brown, Marketing Events Manager
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INTRODUCING:
THE FACULTY OF VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS Top and middle rows left to right: Amanda McKenzie, Lisa Woodhead, Janelle Pitout, Thomas Lim, Hana Tipa, Gina Murray, Leigh Sykes, Josh Helm and Nick Duirs. Bottom row: Anna Rogerson and Giancarlo Lisi.
The Kristin Faculty of Visual and Performing Arts is a thriving learning environment where Middle and Senior School students come together to be creative, express their individuality and pursue their passions. Our Arts Faculty’s spaces are housed around the edges of the Kristin Auditorium complex - in fact, visitors to our iconic theatre may not be aware that if they were to step just outside the theatre doors they could quite possibly find themselves in the midst of a performance or art lesson. Affectionately abbreviated to ‘MADD’, the Arts Faculty features four distinct departmental areas: Music, Visual Arts, Dance and Drama. All four disciplines are offered as subjects in our Middle and Senior Schools’ curricula, with each area possessing its own dedicated spaces, facilities and, most importantly, a dedicated team of expert teachers. These staff bring a wealth of experience as educators, academics and practising performers and visual artists in their own right. Our team of talented teachers provide exciting and rigorous learning experiences to students from Years 7 to Year 13. Younger students have the opportunity to discover new passions or extend and develop existing ones. Senior students who select Arts subjects in IB or NCEA end up leaving school with a rich and diverse learning experience that prepares them fully for any future pathway they might wish to pursue. While every teacher in the faculty is passionate and committed to teaching their artistic discipline, it is the growth of each student as a learner and individual that sits at the heart of what takes place. Through Arts education, learners develop as listeners and communicators. They discover new ways of interpreting, understanding and representing the world around them while also realising attributes that lead to them developing into creative and critical thinkers. 20
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A significant proportion of Kristin students bring existing passions and talents with them as they commence their studies in the Arts. It is crucial that these passions are recognised, respected and, of course, extended. Our Arts Faculty staff are all open-minded, caring teachers who bring diverse skills and interests that cater for the vast majority of student interests. And if the need arises, teachers will seek out experts from the Arts world to come in to work with and inspire our students.
MUSIC Starting with the ‘M’ in MADD, in the Kristin Music Department you will find Mr Nick Duirs, Mr Josh Helm and Mr Giancarlo Lisi. Mr Duirs is responsible for the faculty as a whole, while Mr Lisi leads Curriculum for Music. As a team, these three teachers bring together contrasting musical personalities to create a rich environment for our students. All three gentlemen are multi-instrumentalists and experienced in working across diverse musical genres. As practising musicians, Mr Lisi is a talented opera singer who performs regularly with New Zealand Opera, Mr Helm is a talented cellist working with a number of orchestras, and Mr Duirs comes from a background in contemporary music and musical theatre.
VISUAL ARTS Our department of Visual Arts is led by Curriculum Leader Ms Lisa Woodhead. Ms Woodhead joined Kristin at the start of 2018, replacing long-serving staff member, Mrs Jeantine Pulsford. Ms Woodhead works alongside our teacher of Photography, Mr Thomas Lim, and another new arrival, Ms Gina Murray (replacing Jan Newbold). Mrs Amanda McKenzie from the Technology Faculty joins the department in delivery of the Design stream of the IB Visual Arts course.
DANCE Mrs Hana Tipa is an experienced Dance educator, who previously performed full-time as a ballerina with the Royal New Zealand Ballet. She now manages our Dance Department as Curriculum Leader and works in partnership with her colleague, Miss Anna Rogerson a very talented performer and choreographer in her own right.
DRAMA The Drama Department is where you will find Curriculum Leader Mrs Leigh Sykes, another new arrival to Kristin this year. Mrs Syke’s passion for the life and works of William Shakespeare has recently led to her completing her Master’s degree in the Advanced Teaching of Shakespeare. She is also active as a reviewer of theatre across the
Auckland region. The second of our two Drama teachers is Mrs Janelle Pitout. Another experienced performer, Mrs Pitout takes the role also of Curriculum Manager for Teaching and Learning in the Arts Faculty. This position sees Mrs Pitout working alongside faculty staff on professional learning and development. The programmes designed and delivered by this team of teachers provide our students with engaging practical and academic learning experiences, placing them in perfect stead for future opportunities here at Kristin and beyond. n Nick Duirs Head of Visual & Performing Arts
MUSIC Nick Duirs Head of Faculty nduirs@kristin.school.nz Josh Helm jhelm@kristin.school.nz Giancarlo Lisi Curriculum Leader for Music glisi@kristin.school.nz VISUAL ARTS Thomas Lim tlim@kristin.school.nz Amanda McKenzie
Curriculum Leader for Design (Technology Faculty)
amckenzie@kristin.school.nz
Gina Murray gmurray@kristin.school.nz Lisa Woodhead
Curriculum Leader for Visual Arts
lwoodhead@kristin.school.nz
DANCE Anna Rogerson arogerson@kristin.school.nz Hana Tipa Curriculum Leader for Dance htipa@kristin.school.nz DRAMA Janelle Pitout
Curriculum Leader for Teaching and Learning (Arts Faculty)
jpitout@kristin.school.nz
Leigh Sykes
Curriculum Leader for Drama
lsykes@kristin.school.nz
PREFECTS QUIZ NIGHT 2018 “Books are a uniquely portable magic,” declared Stephen King in 2007. With those words, the author captured the very power of an object that is much more than an aggregation of ink and paper: books are a vector to education and culture, and if there is one specific place where those attributes should be open to all, it is school. Unfortunately, even in a country like New Zealand, thousands of children are deprived of this fundamental access because of a lack of funding. To help make a positive difference here, the Prefects team ran a Quiz Night in April to raise funds which will be used to renovate and refurbish Birkdale Primary School’s library after it was destroyed by extensive water damage. The Quiz Night was a great, vibrant evening full of fantastic costumes, busy bidding on live and silent auction items, general knowledge challenges, heathy quiz team competition and delicious finger food – all contributing to the warm and joyful ambience experienced.
As the evening drew to a close, guests were happy to call this 2018 Quiz Night “One of the most original and enjoyable fundraising events that had ever been organised on school grounds.” But as Winston Churchill said, “This is not the end, only the beginning” and the Prefects team now look forward to making good use of the funds during the July school holidays as they help return Birkdale Primary School’s library to a safe, accessible space – a welcoming space where the students can go to develop a general love of books, curiosity, innovation and problem-solving skills. Mathis Bitton, Year 13 Prefect 06.2018
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SILVER IN OUR SIGHTS ENVIROSCHOOLS UPDATE In 2017 Kristin’s Middle and Senior Schools joined our Junior School in becoming a Bronze Enviroschool. It was a proud moment, as we reflected on all the wonderful things we do as a school, empowering students, celebrating diversity and learning about sustainability in a range of curriculum areas. The programme involves a process of reflection on the journey Kristin is taking towards sustainability. Being an Enviroschool helps us to celebrate our successes and identify areas for future development. The next step for Kristin is to work towards Silver but our sights are on Green-Gold, an ambitious but noble target of being a truly sustainable school. So far this year, many positive changes can be seen. One area with room for improvement was in sorting our waste. Historically, Kristin has recycled, but in recent years, the system had begun to fail. Working with the Senior School Waste Management team and the very supportive Grounds team, we have introduced more recycle bins into the school, with brand new labelling designed by our students. Using the internationally-accepted colour system for sorting waste, our new bins look great and really help students and staff make the right choices when disposing of their rubbish. The Junior Enviro and Recycling teams are also working hard on this issue, taking action together to create a sustainable vision for the Junior School. Along with planting and growing fruit and vegetables, students have been learning about waste issues and helping the Junior School’s recycling programme. The Recycling team have worked hard 22
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to produce children friendly posters to supplement the new posters on the three bins and have also initiated gathering food scraps to put in the new composting bin in the Enviro Garden. With ‘Soft Plastics’ now being collected and ‘rubbish free’ lunch boxes being encouraged, waste heading for the landfill is being dramatically reduced. A new environmental initiative has emerged in Year 9 called the Adopt Lucas Creek project. In April, 175 students began planning their projects aimed to help improve the biodiversity and water quality of our school’s very special native bush area. The project involved the students visiting Sanders Reserve, Unsworth Heights and the Kaipātiki Project to help plant over 1,200 trees and learn about effective conservation practices in the Auckland region. Finally, to ensure that all the sustainable initiatives in the school are co-ordinated and supported, we are developing an innovative new student team known as the Sustainability Council. One of their key responsibilities will be to manage the Silver accreditation process and evaluate the progress we are making towards our ultimate goal of being a Green-Gold school. Recently, council members explored the concept of sustainability at Kristin and they are now beginning to develop a Silver vision statement for the school based around the five pillars of the Enviroschools programme. Green leadership in action! n Sarah Wakeford Service Learning Coordinator For more information about Service Learning at Kristin email: swakeford@kristin.school.nz
KUA GROUP VISITS KRISTIN In March, for the first time, a GAIL partnership school, Kimball Union Academy (KUA), travelled to Kristin with the aim of making new friends and sharing their passion for musical performance. Twenty-four students and eight staff brought their school show The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee to our Dove theatre with four wonderful performances during Week 7 in Term 1 this year. Within 48 hours of their arrival, the KUA team had set up their stage, lighting, sound system and had their dress rehearsal in The Dove. They completed two singing workshops in the Junior School, interacting with our Year 5 students who taught them a Māori song while they taught a song from their show. They also performed a collection of show songs for the Junior School to enjoy. Our Middle School had the chance to see the show on the Wednesday and Thursday afternoons and we invited Albany Junior High School to join us for a performance as well. The highlight performances were on the Wednesday and Thursday evenings, both full houses, where all the host families, local residents, staff and Senior School families who love school musicals could enjoy the KUA show. All four show performances were free for the audience. The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee is a high-energy, musical comedy show about quirky children trying to win a spelling competition. Everyone who went was highly entertained and the applause after every performance was deafening. Students made comments such as “KUA have the most amazing talent” and “it was so professional, like a Broadway show” as well as “so incredibly funny and clever”. Year 8 student Livvy Sewell wrote a show review saying “This was an extremely enjoyable show because the performers interacted with the audience in a highly amusing way and the songs were catchy and fun, with the audience singing along by the end of the show.” Livvy also enjoyed being able to ask questions about the show to the cast members at the end of the performance. The Dove was the perfect venue and everyone agreed that we were extremely lucky to be the school chosen by KUA to visit this year.
During their one-week visit, our KUA visitors were hosted by Kristin students (many involved in The Phantom of the Opera production) and staff. Our families gave KUA an opportunity to experience life in a ‘Kiwi’ family, living at home, eating dinners and enjoying Kiwi conversations. They could share their passion for performance and it provided a chance for lifelong friendships to grow. KUA said this aspect was a highlight of their trip, as they really enjoyed getting to know their host families. A visit to ASB Polyfest on the Friday enabled KUA to experience authentic Pacific and Maori school performances and was a great way to learn more about culture in New Zealand. On the Saturday our Kristin families took their guests to the best parts of Auckland, including Piha and Muriwai beaches, the Sky Tower, Mission Bay, Rainbow’s End, the Auckland Arts Festival, and much more. They were very well looked after! The final day was spent at Tawharanui Regional Park, on a sunny but very windy Sunday. Our KUA visitors were completely blown away by the beauty of the park and the beach, saying this was another highlight of their visit. They swam, sunbathed and enjoyed the ‘sausage sizzle’ we organised for lunch. David Weidman, the trip organiser, commented that everyone was genuinely touched by the beauty of the coastline and the clean and pristine environment they had spent the day in. The trip was a huge success and really emphasised the power of international connections and how meaningful they can be. This trip was a result of being a GAIL school. GAIL means Global Alliance of Innovative Learning, a collection of schools from all around the world – Australia, China, India, South Africa, Scotland, USA and Argentina. All GAIL schools are progressive, independent schools committed to being globally active and collaborative, building genuine understandings and connections. By being a GAIL school we will ensure more experiences like the KUA trip will be available in years to come. n Sarah Wakeford GAIL Coordinator
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INTRODUCING:
SARA FRIZELLE
On 5 January 2000 a young University student boarded a flight in Chicago, headed to the Czech Republic where she would spend the next four months completing her student teaching practicum at a middle and senior school in a small city near the Polish and Slovakian borders.
That Uni student was me. Speaking only a smattering of Czech, I was scheduled to teach History and English. For a few hours each week, I had access to one computer with internet access, which was locked in the principal’s office. When I got time on the computer, I would madly type out an email to my family, then I’d connect with my colleagues who were also student-teaching. In a time well before Skype and FaceTime, we were using email to connect, asking each other questions about how to teach a concept, seeking feedback on lesson ideas and sharing our teaching experiences. And then I would wait for a reply, sometimes for more than a week - but the wait was always worth it. Those four months were challenging, intriguing and foundational. It was where I developed a love for teaching and learning, began to appreciate the complexities of learning, and came to understand the important role my fellow teachers played in my own development as a teacher and learner. Upon returning home to the States, I took some time away from teaching, but couldn’t fully leave it behind. I found that even in the short time I’d been away, teaching and learning were changing rapidly as more schools were building computer labs and getting connected
to the internet. I wanted to learn more, to be a part of this paradigm shift. It wasn’t long before I was back at University exploring how digital technology could transform teaching and learning. The focus of my Master’s and doctoral research centred on how digital technology could foster ideas of community, culture and learning. I spent the next 15 years working in Universities, focusing on the research, planning and implementation of digital learning initiatives, digital pedagogies, learning space design, and teacher education. As fate would have it, on 5 January 2018 I boarded a plane headed to New Zealand, where I would begin a new chapter in my professional and learning journey, at a school that shares my values of community, inquiry and diversity of learning. Technology has come a long way since 2000, but the ideas of community, culture, and sharing are still relevant. Here at Kristin, I am excited to be able to extend this work. As Head of Digital Learning Innovation, I have the opportunity to work alongside teachers, senior leadership, and staff to ensure digital strategy at Kristin aligns with our core values and that it enhances and expands teaching and learning experiences for all our students, preparing them to be Future Ready. Broadly speaking, this role has three primary responsibilities: (1) to lead, develop, implement and maintain a strategy for digital innovation, (2) to innovate, assess and scale existing and new digital learning tools at Kristin, and (3) to facilitate the integration of digital tools into teaching and learning practices. In the coming months, you will see this play out in a few different ways. When we couple our love for learning with the dynamic use of technology, we can begin to create vibrant learning environments. Therefore, in the coming months, we will design a roadmap for digital learning that will help move Kristin forward with a shared vision for preparing students to be “responsible global citizens who think creatively, reason critically, communicate effectively and learn enthusiastically throughout life”. We’ve also heard that there is a need to modernise our online student learning platform, myKristin, as well as streamline and improve communications with our families. So, we are actively reviewing our current system and exploring alternative Learning Management Systems that could be implemented to help achieve these goals. I am a lifelong learner who believes in surrounding myself with a community of learners and leaders. I believe in being curious and I believe that learning happens in different ways and in different contexts. This plays out in my life every day, learning with my husband, Tom, who is an educator also, and our son, who is in Year 1 here at Kristin. We learn together through our love of the outdoors, travel, reading and, of course, by tinkering with LEGO. To learn more about digital learning and to hear about what is happening at Kristin, follow us on Twitter at @digital_doves. n Sara Frizelle, Head of Digital Learning Innovation
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MASTERCLASS BRAIN RULES FOR AN AWESOME LIFE Brain Rule 3: ‘Rest It’. This covered sleep and the importance of good-quality, uninterrupted sleep – a need also touched on in last year’s Masterclass delivered by Dr Nicholas Kardaras. Dr Kardaras, the author of Glow Kids, presented research that shows the effects that screens and other electronic devices are having on sleep patterns, especially in our children. Professor Schofield challenged everyone to have technology-free bedrooms and ensure that our children have the opportunity for quality, uninterrupted sleep. Brain Rule 4: ‘Do Important Things’. Having purpose and meaning in our lives – something to look forward to and be passionate about – is really important for good brain development and ongoing mental health. Finally, Brain Rule 5: ‘Excite It’. Know, use and understand your strengths. The idea here is that we move away from focusing on what is wrong with us and instead focus on what is right with us. What are we good at? What do we do well? We need to recognise our strengths (and any limitations) and work within them to achieve our goals.
Grant Schofield
For Kristin’s first Masterclass event of 2018, we welcomed Grant Schofield, Professor of Public Health and Director of the Human Potential Centre at AUT Millennium. Professor Schofield’s presentation was titled “Brain Rules for an Awesome Life” and focused on his research and findings around nutrition, activity, sleep, multitasking and concentrating on strengths to support our children and ourselves to lead healthier, happier lives. The Masterclass presentation was very engaging and relevant with a ‘think outside the box’ approach to tackling some of the big health problems and issues of our times. Professor Schofield presented five ‘Brain Rules’ to live by. Brain Rule 1: ‘Move It’. The importance of regular physical activity is well known to us all; however, Professor Schofield’s illumination of the research around the actual reduction in the period of disability that physically active individuals experienced in their later years was very interesting. He went on to debunk the theory of resilience being the ‘catch-all’ and instead called stress the king, and recovery the queen. He explained this by saying that the human body adapts to stress and improves as a consequence. Using the example of physical training, he showed how the principle of adaptation works and related this to life in general. The concept of resilience is that you bounce back from knockbacks. Professor Schofield’s hypothesis is that bouncing back does not move you forward and you are not actually learning to get better, just to be the same – an interesting idea. Brain Rule 2: ‘Feed It’. Eating well was one of the brain rules that resonated with many in the audience. The reliance on processed and packaged food and the effect this is having on public health, especially children’s, was literally food for thought and the slide showing the difference in food for a week from families of different cultures around the world was very telling.
In summary, this was a really engaging Masterclass and Professor Schofield did not disappoint with his challenging of current beliefs. Over 620 people registered for the event and it was excellent to welcome members of the community to Kristin to share in this interesting and engaging topic. n Dave Scott, Middle School Principal
Yvonne Godfrey
Caroline Adams-Miller
Dr Stuart Shanker
Nathan Wallis
Coming up later this year, we are excited to also be welcoming some other highly-regarded speakers to participate in our Kristin Masterclass Series including Yvonne Godfrey (20 June), Caroline Adams-Miller (19 Sept), Dr Stuart Shanker (27 Sept) and Nathan Wallis (7 Nov). Please keep an eye on www.kristin.school.nz for more information regarding these future Masterclass events. 06.2018
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INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES Cara Jedlaucknik and Ruby Chen
With the arrival of new students from Europe, South America and Asia, by August Kristin will have hosted over 95 International students for the year to date. Most plan to stay through highschool, while some seek a broad immersion experience for a matter of months. We are all increasingly aware that in this age of rapid change, requisite skills of cultural resilience and adaptability will be paramount. Our International students know only too well how this ideal of learning to interact with others and appreciate different perspectives is not without challenge. We invited Cara Jedlaucknik and Ruby Chen to share their experiences in their own words. Both Cara and Ruby are 16 years old. Cara is from Vienna, Austria and is on a six-month study-abroad programme while Ruby is from Ningbo, China and is a long-term international student who arrived in 2017. How did you find the transition from your home countries to Kristin, New Zealand? Cara: It wasn’t always easy. It was hard to accept that things were different now and it took me quite a while to get into my life here. But I got a lot support from my teachers, host family and everyone from the International Office at Kristin. Ruby: I find that I can adjust quickly and I can adapt in the Englishspeaking country very well, though I still need to improve my English a lot, especially speaking faster. Did you experience any form of culture shock? Cara: I definitely had culture shock in my first few weeks. Everything was new to me and that scared me. I compared everything with my life back in Austria, which was not a very smart thing to do. But once I got over that, things got easier and I started to like how things are here. Ruby: Well, it’s very different from China but fortunately, I didn’t 26
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feel any shock. Everyone has different reactions to a new, unknown situation. But I find living in a brand new place not so hard. What has been the most surprising thing for you about New Zealand? Cara: The food. I didn’t know that there is so much Asian food. But that was a good surprise because I love Asian food. Ruby: I am not so surprised about anything because I feel like I can accept a lot of different, new things. I like NZ more than China in some ways. And school life – how is Kristin different from your school back home? Cara: The school system in Austria is completely different. I feel like teachers at Kristin School are more supportive than my teachers in Austria. Also, Kristin has amazing school grounds with a lot of space. My school back home barely has a playing field. Ruby: To me, my school at home is a cute school. But teachers
Spotlight on Ruby: What do you particularly enjoy in your free time? I am learning guitar now and I like my guitar teacher. There are many interesting movies and I go to the cinema three times a month. Who are some special people you have met, and have they affected you in any particular way? I like my guitar teacher because he is really funny, and he has been inspirational for me. Learning guitar kind of stimulates me for other areas of my life. I also met Rio, who is from Japan, and is now my super good friend. Rio is so similar to me; I was amazed at that the first time. We have so many things in common - we both love drawing, music… and we also have a lot of the same thoughts. We are also very different in many ways. I am so lucky I met Rio.
gave me a lot of homework; we needed to spend hours on different subjects and this made me tired. Plus, I didn’t have time to play and rest. At Kristin, school life is interesting, and it has a lot of option courses, which is impossible in China. If you used just three adjectives to describe Kristin, what would they be? Cara: Supportive, beautiful and goal-oriented. Ruby: Green, calm and happy. What encouragement or advice would you give to a student thinking about studying abroad? Cara: To stay calm even if something happens that throws you off course. Ruby: Be brave; prepare to get a new and amazing life. If someone could visit your hometown or country, what would you recommend they do? Cara: To visit one of our amazing Austrian lakes. We might not have the ocean, but our lakes are stunning. Also, everyone should come to Vienna and walk through its beautiful centre. Last but not least, you should go skiing in one of our really, really nice mountains. Ruby: My hometown, Ningbo, has a lot of ancient buildings - built over hundreds of years or more. And there’s also a lot of famous temples. If you go to Ningbo, you have to try seafood and Chinese traditional snacks like sweet round dumplings. I would definitely recommend Chinese food because it’s crazy delicious - especially for foodies; it’s heaven. What is your favourite meal here? Cara: Butter Chicken (really amazing). Ruby: Ice cream. What do you miss most about home (apart from family and friends!)? Cara: The feeling of being home. I feel good here and New Zealand is becoming a second home for me more and more every day. But Austria is still my home and that’s not going to change (I guess). Ruby: I miss the food! If you could take one thing (or one person) back home with you, what (or who) would it be? Cara: My host family. I really can’t imagine leaving them in a few weeks’ time. Ruby: I would take Rio with me. Jenny Taylor, Director of International Services
Spotlight on Cara: What is the best thing that has happened to you so far? The best thing that has happened to me so far is my host family. They are super welcoming and we fit together very well. I have a lot of fun with them and know that they support me as much as they can. And the worst or the most embarrassing moment? My most embarrassing moment was when I walked into my first Maths lesson and totally fell over in front of the whole class. Any experiences you want to share? I’ve experienced so much during the past few months. I can’t really choose. All I can say is, an exchange is an amazing opportunity and the best experience in my entire life so far.
DOVETAIL EXCHANGES Centre in Photo: Oliver Bell & Megan Bruce in Buenos Aires
The Kristin School international exchange programmes continue to grow year-on-year and in 2018 we are already seeing an influx of student interest, both from our Kristin students and those from our partnership schools. Term 1 was an exceptionally busy time of year for our Dovetail exchanges as we welcomed students into our school. We had students join the Middle School from: Redlands, Sydney; Scotch College, Adelaide; and College La Source, Paris. Into the Senior School, we welcomed students from St George’s College’s Quilmes campus in Buenos Aires. Many of these students had the opportunity to participate in our Camp Week, which was a major highlight for all involved. In turn, our Kristin students will be flying out during the year to face their own adventures and will return with an increased appreciation of the cultures and languages of others, and the benefits of forging personal international connections. Two of our Senior School students, Oliver Bell and Megan Bruce, have recently returned from St George’s Quilmes, Buenos Aires, Argentina. "I have been having fun going shopping and exploring the city, Buenos Aires. Last weekend I went out to the planetarium located in the Palermo district. The building itself holds many interactive activities and a presentation on the domed screen shows off a uniquely Argentinian view on space exploration that involves a lot of exploding asteroids. One thing I have been enjoying here is the food. Empanadas are a personal favourite and every week I look forward to Sunday for the weekly Asado (a huge barbecue)." Oliver Bell, Year 13 "Reflecting back on my time spent in Buenos Aires, the one thing that stood out for me was the people. Those who I spent most of my time with at school made such an effort to ensure I wasn't being left out due to the language barrier, while still encouraging me to improve my Spanish. The number of bilingual people throughout the city helped me realise the importance of learning more than one language and motivated me to make more of an effort to do so. The biggest challenge I faced was adjusting to living with a new family whose daily routine was so different to my own. Throughout my time there I got to see so much of the city, which is enormous, with the highlight being taking a ferry over the river to see Uruguay." Megan Bruce, Year 13
2018/2019 Dovetail Exchanges
We have a range of Dovetail exchange opportunities available from Year 9 - 13. Some are specifically for language students and others are a cultural experience open to all students in the specific year levels. If you are interested, please contact Ms Kathryn Hitchings, khitchings@kristin.school.nz or Mr Carl Murray, cmurray@kristin. school.nz, for the Year 9 Australian exchanges. 06.2018
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MACSEN SISAM
Year 13 student Macsen Sisam has cemented his position in the top ranks of New Zealand Tennis after a stellar season in the Open Men's division.
Macsen took Silver in the New Zealand Tennis Championships, playing against senior players who are ranked on the ITP World Tour. This incredible result led to Macsen’s selection into the NZ Davis Cup team that travelled to Tianjin in China during January. What makes this achievement particularly remarkable is that over the past two years Macsen has been suffering from an injury in his foot caused by an extra bone he’s had since birth. His intense training schedule has aggravated his foot structure and it has been identified he’ll need an operation to enable his continued high-performance training. Macsen’s dedication to his sport meant he chose to work within his limitations in his training so he could continue to compete at his current level. His hard work paid dividends as his summer season brought highlight after highlight.
In the New Zealand Tennis Championships, Macsen surprised many Kiwi Tennis fans as a junior player advancing his way through to the finals. Macsen knocked out the defending champion, Artem Sitak, in the quarter-finals then trumped the third seed, Olly Sadler, in the semi-finals. He was then to face the top seed, Finn Tearney, in the final and was defeated 6-4, 6-3. In school Tennis, Macsen teamed up with long-time doubles partner Hector Fleming for their final season together. The pair won all their matches at the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Qualifying Championships and in the Auckland Premier League. This season has been the culmination of seven years, with the pair first playing together back in 2012 where they represented Kristin at the AIMS Games – claiming Gold for the school and setting the tone for their competitive partnership. The pair played their final match in February, one week before Macsen underwent surgery to resolve the issue in his foot. Following recovery, Macsen returned to court in late May with a view to training in Barcelona for a period from mid-June onwards. He’ll be back in New Zealand to reconvene with his Davis Cup team-mates in September in the lead-up to play Korea in the second-round playoffs. Macsen’s focus now is to transition from the junior to senior circuit where he aims to compete full-time by the early part of 2019. We can’t wait to follow Macsen’s progress as he pursues his dreams as an elite sportsman. n Abbey Doe Sports Manager
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SWIMMING SPORTS The Kristin Swimming Championships this year consisted of two school events. The first was the Year 9 to 13 competitive championships which involved 82 students. All events were over 50m, in line with the regional and national championships. These were held at the fabulous National Aquatic Centre and ensured our swimmers were in a top facility to produce their best. There were some great individual efforts and also some exciting relays to conclude the event. Individual highlights from the meet were Tiernan Keane breaking the school record for the 100m Medley and the 50m Backstroke events. In addition, Jackson Zhang and James Reid Akehurst broke the 50m Breaststroke record. Congratulations to Jupiter House, which took out the House Championship. The other major school swimming event was the Year 7/8 Championships, also held at the National Aquatic Centre. This was compulsory for all the students in the two year levels. The aim was participation and also a chance for our top swimmers to have the stage on which to perform. Again, there were some outstanding individual efforts and some very exciting House and class relays to conclude the event. Congratulations to Apollo House, which was victorious on the day.
At the North Harbour Secondary Schools’ finals Kristin had a team of 12 swimmers represent the school. Of these, Tiernan Keane, Belle Li and Clodagh Weir had top 3 placings. The Senior Boys’ open relay team competing in the freestyle event were runners-up. The team members were Tiernan Keane, Josh Sampson, Cole Tetro and Jackson Zhang. Congratulations to Tiernan, Clodagh and Kevin Wu, who then went on and swam at the Auckland Schools’ Championships. All achieved top 8 placings. Cole Tetro performed exceedingly well at the Division 2 Nationals. He placed 2nd in the Individual Medley and also achieved personal bests in number of events. At the National Age Groups Championships last month Tiernan achieved two personal bests, attaining a time of 27.02 seconds for the 50 metre butterfly and a 1:01.03 in the 100 metre butterfly. Tiernan has also been selected to represent the Cook Islands in the Oceania Championships in July. Well done Tiernan! In the Year 7/8 Harbour Zone Championships three Kristin swimmers made finals: Cooper Clague, Una Dennehy, and Eloise Raper - a great effort against the best in the region. Rob Taylor, Director of Sport
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ATHLETICS COMPETITIONS There were two school events in Athletics this year too: the Year 11 to 13 House Championships and, for the first time, a separate Year 9/10 event. This year the Senior School Athletics Championships included 12 events, with students split into 12 different year levels. The aim was to include as many students as possible competing and participating in a genuine House competition. From this a team would then be selected by the teacher in charge of Athletics, Mr Dennis Brown, to compete at the North Harbour Schools’ finals. It was a great event with all students in attendance doing their very best to earn House points. An exciting addition to the schedule saw our top javelin throwers compete in front of all in attendance. This specialised event has seen many Kristin students take up the challenge. Congratulations to Tim Hassell and Holly Barry who threw the javelin the longest on the day to take out the titles. The concluding year-level House Relay Championships were closely contested and resulted in some very close finishes. Congratulations to all the Senior School students who participated on the day. You all added value to the event to ensure it was a success. Well done to Mariner House for taking out the overall House Award. One of Kristin’s largest teams then headed to North Harbour Stadium to compete in the North Harbour Schools’ finals. A total of 63 Kristin students represented the school, of which 18 made the top 3.
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From these, 17 Kristin students then competed at the Auckland Champion of Champions meeting with six students making the top 3. Our Junior Girls’ relay team (Emily Davies, Pippa Plummer, Brianna Tirado and Arabella Thompson) were in grand form, placing 3rd. Well done, girls! They set a new Kristin record and beat the previous Auckland record. Against the very best of Auckland school athletes, Kristin students achieved some excellent results. Our Senior Girls’ 4x100m relay team (Tegan Brady, Victoria Deschamps, Amber Paki and Ella Tobin) finished in a very close 4th place. Many of the students recorded personal bests during the day, including Haochen Wang in the Junior Boys, who ran 2m 22 seconds for the 800m, 6 seconds better than his PB. Congratulations to Holly Barry, who placed 2nd in the North Island championships in the Intermediate Girls’ javelin, and to Brianna Tirado, who placed in the top 8 in the 200m and then was part of the team that won the Junior Girls’ 4x100m relay. It has also been most exciting watching Kristin Alumni compete on the Gold Coast in the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Both Cameron and Olivia McTaggart have been great examples to all of us with their success and dedication to their sports. We wish them all the very best for their futures as they take on the world’s best. n Dennis Brown Year 9 Sports Studies & English Teacher
CROSS-COUNTRY CAPERS The Middle School Cross-Country Championships were postponed from the end of Term 1 to the beginning of Term 2 this year due to inclement weather but this allowed for a wonderful morning of competition enjoyed by all. The course was in excellent condition and challenged all runners with hill work, off-road running through the beautiful bush loop down by Lucas Creek and a wonderful trail run around the school campus.
Middle School House Points Summary:
Congratulations to all those students and staff who ran to the best of their abilities, and/or completed personal bests. There were some outstanding individual efforts. There was a super close finish in the Year 8 Boys’ event with Louis Hackett chased all the way by Leo Clancy. Great effort boys! Year 10 student Haochen Wang ran a quick 18 mins 13 sec over the 4.2km course. Eloise Raper ran a super race to win the Year 7 Girls’, as did Izzy Plummer in the Year 8 Girls’ event. Cece Jenkins was in fine form, taking out the Year 9 Girls’ event in a very smart time of 12 mins 53 sec.
Senior School Cross-Country
The top 3 results are as follows: Year 7 Girls
Time
Year 7 Boys
Time
Eloise Raper
13:29
Daichi Iizuka
12:35
Madelyn Rowe
14:16
Cooper Clague
13:28
1st: Jupiter House:
3,164
2nd: Apollo House:
2,430
3rd: Mariner House:
2,232
4th: Saturn House:
2,074
The Senior School Cross-Country event was also postponed from Term 1 due to bad weather but well done to all students who completed the 4.2km course in early Term 2. Congratulations, in particular, to Katrina Miehlbradt and Fergus Scott for taking out the Senior School titles, and to runners-up Kaitlin Windmeyer and Jake Lyons. Congratulations to Mr Burge and Mr Buckley, who also ran the course. Junior School Cross-Country 2018
Claire Bachmann 15:04
Krrish Hira-Patel 13:52
Year 8 Girls
Time
Year 8 Boys
Time
Izzy Plummer
13:18
Louis Hackett
12:07
Keira Spilling
14:48
Leo Clancy
12:08
Mia Cao
14:51
Max Wigglesworth 12:48
Our Junior School children faced a blustery day for their CrossCountry event on Wednesday 6th June with the forecast rain sweeping in earlier than predicted; however, a well-prepared group headed to the starting line. Kindy and Year 0 students fronted up with raincoats and trainers on, ready for their dash around the corner to the finish line; and then each year level followed in succession with the courses getting a little longer, hillier and muddier each time! It was great seeing so many smiles and so much laughter as the kids ran along through the mud. Some temporarily lost shoes here and there and it certainly looked like mud-brown legs and PE uniforms were all the rage by the end of the day. Nonetheless, House points were gained and well deserved by all.
Year 9 Girls
Time
Year 9 Boys
Time
Congratulations to these Junior School Cross-Country year-level and age-group Champions for 2018:
Cece Jenkins
12.53
King Du
12:22
Year 1: Isabel Holdsworth and Hao Chen
Emily Davies
13.53
Charlie Bowden
12:32
Year 2: Alexandra Hay and Harry Gilder
Pippa Plummer
14.07
Leon Xu
13:53
7 Years and under: Lucy Jack and Jack Bentley 8 Years: Nikolina Stulich and Alec Guan
Year 10 Girls
Time
Year 10 Boys
Time
9 Years: Yasmin Woodward and Christian Skinner
Lucy Brick
21.01
Haochen Wang
18:13
10 Years and over: Evelyn Power and Archer Leavy
Nicole Yong
21.25
Lucas Bennett
19:37
Laura Hooper
21.34
Thomas Wallace
20:16
Rob Taylor, Director of Sport and Fiona Ackroyd, PE Specialist, Junior School 06.2018
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JUNIOR SCHOOL
CRICKET Fundamental movements, including basic ball skills, are an important part of a young person’s development. Sport is an excellent way to gain this experience in a fun environment with friends. During Term 1, enthusiastic cricketers turned out each Monday lunchtime at the smooth playing surface of the Hockey Turf to learn about the game of Cricket and to pick up some new skills. The Cricket experience and knowledge of the group ranged from those who play regularly each Saturday during summer, to some who had never participated in a game of beach cricket or even picked up a cricket bat. Coach Mr Hutton soon had all-comers batting, fielding, bowling and rotating through the field, to begin learning the skills and some strategy about the game. This year, matches had been scheduled against some local schools that were also just beginning to learn the game: Oteha Valley Primary School and Sherwood Primary School.
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An excited team of nine players took to the field on Thursday 29 March for this first Cricket match against locals on our own Auditorium field oval with a 35-metre boundary. The match was set: it was to be a real game where the batting pairs faced 4 overs and Kiwi Cricket rules applied, with points for runs and lost points for wickets taken. Using an incrediball (a softer Cricket-style ball), players dived for catches, outdid batsmen for stumpings and run-outs, and achieved some dashing runs between the wickets. This was, as hoped, a successful Cricket experience for our Junior Cricket team. There were no wins this time but 82 runs on the board at the end of the day. We were all proud of the efforts of our Junior team and are looking forward to bringing the group together again in Term 4. n Fiona Ackroyd PE Specialist, Junior School
WATER POLO PREMIER SEASON Kristin’s Premier boys and girls’ teams had an intense and successful season in Term 1 culminating in the national championships during the recent school holidays. The Premier Girls’ team kick-started the season this year with a training camp in Mt Maunganui in mid January. They spent four days training and competing with the Mt Maunganui players and also enjoyed some sunshine and team building. A highlight of the season was when the team had an excellent North Island tournament, placing 3rd and winning a Bronze medal in March. Alice Steele was selected for the North Island tournament team. The team then travelled to Wellington during the first week of the school holidays with high hopes of gaining a medal placing in the national championships. The team gave their best effort and had an excellent tournament winning all of the pool-round games, only losing to Diocesan School. At the end of the five-day tournament, the girls were competing for the Bronze medal against Rangitoto College. The game was very closely contested and finished in a draw which meant the game went to a penalty shoot-out in the last few minutes. Unfortunately for us, Rangitoto won the shoot-out and the Bronze medal. However, our team placed 4th in New Zealand, which is a fantastic achievement and the girls should all be very proud of their efforts. Well done to Clodagh Weir, who was selected for the national tournament team.
The Premier Boys’ team have been in action also this season. Daniel Marsden has now joined the team, taking over as coach. The boys had an outstanding season, placing 2nd in the Senior A grade, only losing the final game to Sacred Heart College in a 15-13 thriller. The team then went on to compete in the North Island tournament during which they narrowly missed out on qualifying for the division one national championships in Wellington. After the North Island tournament the team regrouped and set their sights on heading to Rotorua to compete in the division two national championships. The boys had a great tournament in Rotorua winning all their games until they met their rival Western Springs College in the semi-final and narrowly lost the game to end up in the Bronze final. Our team performed at their best in the final game and had a convincing win over Hamilton Boys’ High 12-3 to take home the Bronze medal. Overall, it was a great season for the boys and they will be aiming to head to Wellington next year to compete in the division one championships. Well done to Daniel Harris and Dennis Yang, who were both selected for the national tournament team. World FINA Water Polo Event in Auckland From 3 to 8 April the FINA World League Intercontinental Cup was held in Auckland. One of Kristin’s own Year 11 students, Lucia Doak, was selected and played for New Zealand in the women’s development team. This was an incredible experience for Lucia and the event was an amazing week of international Water Polo competition. n Tracey Lee Head of Water Polo For more information regarding Water Polo at Kristin, email: tlee@kristin.school.nz 06.2018
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SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS Josh Berry
SHILOH GLOYN WINS GOLD Kristin’s Shiloh Gloyn, Head of Hockey, and her fellow Black Sticks team members won Gold in the women’s hockey at this year’s Commonwealth Games with a 4-1 victory over Australia. Shiloh played an instrumental role in building the Black Sticks’s confidence during the game by scoring the team’s first goal, with plenty of support in the crowd for the Kiwis. Further goals were netted by Rose Keddell, Olivia Merry and Anita McLaren. The New Zealand women’s hockey side had never won a Commonwealth Games Gold prior to this, despite making the medal round for the past five Games, winning one Silver and two Bronze. They were therefore ecstatic with their strong, emphatic victory over the quality Australian side which helped to erase some of the heartbreak of near-misses at major events over the past 10 years. Reflecting on the win, Coach Mark Hager was quoted as saying “It’s the monkey off our back”. Congratulations again, Shiloh - we’re so proud of you!
KRISTIN SPORTS ACADEMY The Kristin Sports Academy programme, led by Teacher-in-Charge Ms Kate Denman, has challenged all students involved to discover their strengths and weaknesses and to plan their training well. AUT University trainer Andreas Fossum has also worked alongside all students to ensure training plans are followed. His focus on core strength and basic movement competency makes sure all the students are well placed to improve in all aspects of their chosen sport.
TOUCH This year we fielded three Senior Girls’ Touch teams in the North Harbour Competition. This is a credit to our head coach Jonathon Taylor, who is very inspirational. With 45-odd girls to choose from, a most competitive ‘Gold’ team was selected. And so, it turned out to be. They enjoyed an exciting season of wins but were defeated in the final by a top Westlake Girls' team. The other two teams playing in the same league had enjoyable seasons too and were competitive in all their games. They finished 5th and 6th in the nine-team competition respectively. 34
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SAILING The Kristin Sailing team competed against the best of Auckland and New Zealand earlier this year. We had two crews fight it out with 16 other schools in the Harken regatta. Now a nationally-recognised schools’ competition, this event was run by the Royal NZ Yacht Squadron and sailed in Elliott keelboats with a crew of four. After a qualification day’s sailing, the fleets were split into a Gold and Silver grouping. The crew of James Baker, Henry Elsworthy, Claud Loomes and Jack Rush qualified in the Gold fleet. They placed 5th overall, a grand achievement for a young crew. The other crew, skippered by Josh Berry, won the Silver fleet. In addition, Kristin placed 4th in the Auckland Schools’ Fleet Racing regatta. Most of our sailors have also been competing in regattas here and overseas; notably Josh Berry in the Red Bull Foiling Generation regatta, Hermione Aris with the NZ Development Squad and then selection into the NZ team to compete in the Asian/Oceania Optimist championships in Myanmar along with Carrington Brady and Greta Stewart in the Oceanbridge regatta. Greta has been selected for the NZ Youth Team (for the fourth consecutive year) to compete at the World Championships being held in July in Corpus Christi, USA. Greta will sail in the Nacra 15 catamaran class.
CRICKET The 1st XI completed their season by placing 4th in the Senior 1A competition. Well led by Year 13 student Matt Spicer, the team were always well prepared and determined to play well. There were five wicket bags shared between Matt Spicer and Pero Garlick. Pero also claimed a hat trick in a T20 match. Along with some important batting partnerships, the team were a force in this competitive 1st XI competition. Alongside the 1st XI, our Year 9/10 Colts team won their North Harbour grade, remaining undefeated throughout the season. They played six games and won them all. In the final against Takapuna, they bowled out Takapuna for 52, strategically denying the opposition’s top batsman the chance to score runs. In reply we easily scored the 53 to win for the loss of only two wickets. Well played, boys!
GOLD COAST 2018
TEAM McTAGGART TAKE ON THE GAMES Gold Coast 2018 was a dream come true for two Kristin Alumni who had been working towards Commonwealth Games selection since they were children. Siblings Olivia McTaggart (2017) and Cameron McTaggart (2015) made headlines as the young brothersister duo in the 251-strong New Zealand team; Olivia was selected to compete in the pole vault and Cameron in the 77kg men’s weightlifting. While the pair were excited to achieve selection together, their paths had taken very different turns in their journey to their Commonwealth Games debut. Both started their sporting careers as gymnasts with shared ambitions to represent New Zealand. A serious spinal injury at 14 years of age left Olivia bereft of her sport. Doctors told her to ‘take up chess’ as her injury would prevent her ever returning to gymnastics. “It’s easier to fix a broken back than it is a broken spirit,” says Olivia in her Start Your Impossible promotional video for Toyota, “so, I took up pole-vaulting.” After recovering from her injury, Olivia became fully committed to her new code and by 2015 she was making her presence felt, winning the U16 Bronze at the Australian Junior Championships less than six months after taking up the sport. In the past two years, Olivia has broken Kiwi Olympian Eliza McCartney’s New Zealand secondary schools’ and national U17 records and has a personal best of 4.40m. For Cameron, a change of sports came when he was no longer enjoying gymnastics. After dedicating eight years to his training, it was a big decision to change but with the backing of his family Cameron started looking to other codes to reinvigorate his love of
high-performance sport and competition. A suggestion from his mum, Amanda, was the catalyst for Cameron taking up weightlifting under the expert guidance of Olympian and Commonwealth gold medallist Richie Patterson, who he still trains with today. The 2014 Youth Olympics in Nanjing, China, and 2015 Pacific Games in Papua New Guinea have been major events in Cameron’s weightlifting career so far. In 2017 he competed in the Commonwealth and Oceania Weightlifting Championships on the Gold Coast placing 1st in the Oceania Junior Division, 2nd in the Oceania Senior Division and 3rd in the Commonwealth Senior Division. For both Olivia and Cameron, the 2018 Commonwealth Games had always been a major target – even before they switched codes. While their chosen sports have changed, their grit, determination and resilience have continued to drive them forward and were as evident in their Games performances in April as they have been throughout their sporting careers. Both McTaggarts did New Zealand proud on the Gold Coast. Olivia finished 9th in the pole vault, clearing 4.30m in front of the sold-out stadium and Cameron finished 7th in his 77kg weightlifting class, lifting 290kg (130kg snatch, 160kg clean and jerk). The pair are incredibly proud of each other and how they performed at the event, and they’re already looking ahead with their sights set on their next goal: Olympic selection. The road ahead is full of potential for Olivia and Cameron; we can’t wait to cheer them on at Tokyo 2020. n
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THE VISTA STORY LIKE WATER, JUST BETTER It has been a whirlwind couple of years for three Kristin Alumni who have developed and launched an innovative new beverage. Scott Day, Adam Sorensen and Russell Hopper (2009) created Vista, a naturally-flavoured, sugar-free sparkling water, after they saw a gap in the market for a healthy drink that people could enjoy without feeling guilty. The three friends ventured down different paths before teaming up to found the thriving beverage start-up, but each credit a large part of their success to their time at Kristin. Scott admits to being a troublesome student but says that some of his teachers, Karney Dawson in particular, provided the support and guidance he needed to send him off in the right direction.
“Looking back, I think the best thing about Kristin was that the support was always there, in whatever sense you needed it,” says Scott. Scott left Kristin at the end of Year 11 to complete a marine engineering qualification and a commercial engineering seagoing licence. For the next four years, he worked as an engineer on superyachts in Europe and the USA. Meanwhile, Adam and Russell each completed their final years at Kristin. After graduating, Russell completed a Bachelor of Business majoring in Marketing at Massey University while Adam undertook a Bachelor of Sport and Recreation at AUT. Russell spent three years working for a yacht brokerage company in Auckland, progressing from marketing and administration responsibilities to a full-time sales role, while Adam went into sports marketing, eventually basing himself in London. 36
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The pair agree that the tight-knit group of friends they developed at Kristin and the extracurricular activities they participated in helped shape their futures in very positive ways. “Kristin gives you so many opportunities to challenge yourself, whether it’s through international exchanges, activities at school camp or performing arts. Getting out of your comfort zone really helps to prepare you for life after school,” says Russell. Scott, Adam and Russell stayed in touch over the years and in 2016 an idea for a new business partnership began to take shape. Frustrated with the lack of beverage options available that didn’t contain sugar or any nasty surprises, the trio decided to embark on a new enterprise together. “We feel that being healthy should be simple. You shouldn’t need to be a nutritionist or an expert at decoding labels to know what’s good for your body,” says Scott. From different parts of the globe, Scott, Adam and Russell set to work developing a product that would soon become Vista. By September 2017, they were ready for launch. They quickly secured Vista’s first few stockists in Auckland, including the Pavilion Café at Kristin. “Jo Finlayson was very excited to begin stocking a drink at the Pav Café that was genuinely healthy,” says Adam. “She really got behind us and encouraged the students to try Vista. We’ll always be very grateful for her support.” Within weeks of launching in Auckland the team were inundated with requests to supply Vista elsewhere in New Zealand. “The business has grown even faster than we imagined. We’re very excited to continue making Vista more widely available, particularly in schools, as we think it’s important for Kiwi kids to make the switch away from sugary drinks and junk food,” says Scott. Just nine months after launching, Vista is now available for purchase
at cafés, offices and schools throughout New Zealand and at select Countdown, New World, PAK’nSAVE, FreshChoice and SuperValue stores. Vista is produced using only carbonated water and natural flavour derived from fruit. Unlike other flavoured waters on the market, it has no sugar and less than one calorie per can. Scott, Adam and Russell all agree that one of the keys to their success has been the diverse experiences they have to draw on. “Students shouldn’t feel pressured to go to university and then get a 9 to 5 job,” says Adam. “The most important thing is to pursue classes that interest you, get some kind of qualification under your belt – whether it be a degree or a trade – then go out and explore the world for a few years. The life experience that travel provides is invaluable.” “If I was to give one piece of advice to current students,” Scott says, “it would be to never give up, regardless of what challenges or putdowns are thrown at you. If you’re passionate and believe in what you’re doing then you are bound to succeed.” n www.VistaDrinks.co.nz
SAM STUCHBURY FORBES’ 30 UNDER 30 In July this year, Sam Stuchbury (2008) will be heading to Hong Kong to join 300 of Asia’s leading entrepreneurs at the Forbes’ Under 30 Asia Summit. This trip comes after Sam was named in the 2018 Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia list of creative innovators and disruptors in the media, marketing and advertising category. Sam is the creative director and founder at Motion Sickness, a creative agency that he established with two fellow Alumni, Alex McManus and Jono de Alwis, back in 2013 while the three were still at University in Dunedin. Originally a video and photography production house, Motion Sickness quickly evolved towards the digital realm. Sam and Alex are still directors, along with a third partner in Hilary Ngan Kee, and together they have a full team behind them as they pursue their vision of being a world-leading specialist agency in the social media and content space. Working with brands like Icebreaker, Les Mills and Blunt Umbrellas, Sam and his team are passionate about creating engaging content that is authentic; “We hang our hat on quality,” says Sam, when describing what Motion Sickness is all about. “We like fresh ideas with substance, and getting our teeth stuck into doing good, honest work. We translate brands into content, content into social media campaigns, and social media into results, i.e. work that actually works.” The 2018 Forbes list, themed ‘Disruption and Innovation’, was collated from more than 2,000 submissions and profiled 30 selected entrepreneurs across 10 categories. The criteria for selection included: leadership and disruption in their field; entrepreneurial mind-set and results; and the likelihood of changing their field over the next half-century. n Lucy Wilson, Alumni Manager 06.2018
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AUSTRALIAN ALUMNI REUNIONS No matter where you go in the world, you never have to look far to find a Kristin connection. A quick jump across the Tasman, for example, unveils a vast network of past students and staff who maintain a strong connection with Kristin and each other through our reunion calendar.
One of the best things to come from the Melbourne event is the
For the past five years, we have hosted annual reunions in Melbourne and Sydney to connect with our trans-Tasman community. Our most recent events, held over two nights in May, continued this tradition by bringing past students and staff together; facilitating networking and new friendships while also delivering news from home. Executive Principal Tim Oughton and his wife, Heather, hosted the events alongside our Alumni Manager, Lucy Wilson.
through our Alumni Manager, Lucy Wilson (alumni@kristin.school.
Our Melbourne guests covered a mix of age groups, from the class of 2001 through to our most recent graduates of 2017. School friendships form a strong basis within this local network; however, connections first established at previous reunions have strengthened over the years and the atmosphere is now one of shared history and familiar faces. Our newest grads, only a few months into their University experience, were welcomed into the fold and now have strong local connections to draw from as needed in the years ahead.
engineering. There were plenty of opportunities to reminisce about
It was also a pleasure to welcome former Senior School Assistant Principal Justin Peat, attending the first time since he made the move to Melbourne 18 months ago. 38
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establishment of a small local Alumni committee, led by Lucy Bayliss and Callen Baxter of the class of 2013, who are keen to help plan and organise events and activities for the broader group in the future. If anyone would like to join this group, you can get in contact nz), or connect directly via LinkedIn. We look forward to working in partnership with this team in the years ahead. Our Sydney event was a wonderful night also. Although smaller than Melbourne’s, our Sydney guest list featured reps from the class of 1994 right through to 2013 and representing a wide range of industries, from finance and marketing through to education and favourite teachers, old-school antics, childhood friendships and days gone by. Our Melbourne and Sydney Alumni groups have been great supporters of our Alumni Mentoring Programme, providing support to Kristin families who are looking at options across the Tasman. We encourage any Kristin families who are interested in finding out more about studying, working or living in Australia to contact the Alumni Office to discuss becoming involved in this programme: alumni@kristin.school.nz. n
FRIENDS, FAMILY, DINNER AND A SHOW ALUMNI FAMILIES’ PHANTOM DINNER When families come together over a meal it strengthens relationships, improves well-being and nourishes our minds as much as our bodies. How true this was for everyone who attended our second annual Alumni Families’ Dinner as part of our Phantom of the Opera season on Saturday 19 May.
“This dinner is something that we really look forward to,” says Sue Lyons, who has booked a table with friends two years running. “It’s a lovely way to get together with our friends from Kristin. Our boys were all close at school and now that they’re off at University, we think it’s so important to stay in touch.
It was a delight to host our Alumni community for a relaxed buffet dinner prior to the Saturday performance of Phantom. We welcomed past parents and students alongside former staff and Board members. Together our group touched every year of Kristin, right from its foundation in 1973 and through to families of our most recent graduates – that’s 45 years of our school’s history combined in one space.
“And for our family,” she continues, “we really want to support the shows, which are incredible. My son Parker got so much out of his involvement – it really helped shape him into who he is today – and I volunteered with the wardrobe; so, we definitely have a soft spot for Kristin’s performing arts.”
These opportunities for families to come together after the immediacy of everyday life at Kristin has passed are so important; he relationships formed during school days can be some of our most treasured.
UPCOMING ALUMNI EVENTS All Kristin Alumni and Past Staff based in the following centres are welcome to join us at our upcoming reunion events: NZ Regional Reunions Dunedin Reunion Christchurch Reunion Wellington Reunion
Tues 31 Jul Wed 1 Aug Thurs 2 Aug
International Events London Reunion
Sat 6 Oct
Auckland Reunion Fri 26 Oct This year’s Auckland Reunion is for those celebrating major anniversaries in 2018. They are the classes of 1983, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008 and 2013. Anyone who was a member of these peer groups is welcome to join us - you don't need to have completed your schooling at Kristin. For information or to register for any of these events, please email Alumni Manager Lucy Wilson: alumni@kristin.school.nz
It has been a pleasure to connect with this group over the past two years since establishing this event and we look forward to growing the tradition and creating new opportunities for our Alumni families in the years ahead. n Lucy Wilson, Alumni Manager
CALLING PAST STAFF & KAURI CLUB
All former teaching and support staff of Kristin and members of the Kauri Club are invited to join us for a special reunion here on campus on Friday 21 September. REGISTER TO ATTEND: www.kristin.school.nz/staff-kauri-reunion2018 Please help us spread the word so we can get as many people together as possible. We have gaps in our database so we need your help! Feel free to share the link below and encourage others to get in touch.
21 YEARS OF EUPHONY
We are hosting a special reunion to celebrate 21 years of Euphony over Labour Weekend 2018 (19-21 October) on Saturday 20 October. Tickets on sale soon. REGISTER YOUR INTEREST: https://www.kristin.school.nz/euphony-reunion2018 The weekend’s festivities will culminate in a special concert that will be open to the Kristin community. 06.2018
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BUILDING THE ALBANY CAMPUS Excerpt from “25 Years of Kristin” jubilee publication, 1997.
Kristin School, Albany Campus, 1978
“Some of us had ventured to the new site the previous year to watch the construction in hand. I for one was quite alarmed to see that in early December 1977, although the basic site works were completed and the grounds formed, the only visible construction were concrete slabs for four double classroom blocks [JS1-8], the administration building [now the Junior School office], four large concrete water tanks and a car park. No buildings, no facilities, a dust bowl for a playing field and no seal on the tennis courts. As I watched, a contractor’s tractor disappeared through the top of the septic tank installed just the day before. How were we going to open a school in eight weeks’ time? Construction of the Albany Campus 1977
As I watched, a contractor’s tractor disappeared through the top of the septic tank installed just the day before. How were we going to open a school in eight weeks’ time? “All credit was due to the contractors, Lockwood Builders and the late Noel Cole (the original architect), for managing to complete enough to enable the school to start on time [February 1978]… Soon after the school’s opening, the arts centre was completed [which later became the library and now functions as the Retail Shop and Support Services]. For a time, this was our only multi-purpose building and was used for assemblies, physical education, badminton and even sorting Christmas cards on fundraising ventures. Many a class dance, a bar mitzvah, auction dinners and a few serious Annual General Meetings took place in this valuable new facility. n Text from Terry Findlay, former executive officer, property manager and teacher (Kristin staff 1977-2002).
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Liz Darlow, Sarah Jones and Dawn Wilkes at Little Doves
THE HEART OF THE KINDERGARTEN We recently had the honour of welcoming a very special founding member of staff back to Kristin for a tour of the new Little Doves Early Learning Centre.
Dawn Wilks was the original pioneer of early learning at Kristin; she was both the head and heart of our Kindergarten in those early years, leading the department from its inception in 1973 through to her retirement in 1990. Previously the head of the Kindergarten at St Anne’s School in Takapuna, Dawn became a member of the Steering Committee that was investigating forming an independent school on the North Shore after the closure of St Anne’s in late 1972. Subsequently, she was one of the first teachers to be appointed to the Kristin staff by founding principal Roy Munn in 1973. It was an absolute pleasure to host Dawn and her daughter Liz Darlow for a morning in Little Doves. While the new facility and its staff is a world apart from those early days at Kristin where resources
were tight and Dawn and Shirley Hart were caring for up to 50 students between them, there are similarities that cross the decades. Little Doves Centre Manager Sarah Jones could certainly relate to the challenges that come with building a new centre that cares for our community’s youngest. “It is incredible what can be achieved by a small group of people who share the same huge vision about creating a really special place for young children,” she said. Dawn said her visit to Little Doves was an absolute pleasure and she wishes she was 40 years younger so she could be a part of it all again. We shared the photo from Dawn’s visit on our social networks and received an influx of messages from Alumni who treasure their years in Dawn’s care. She is remembered for her “huge heart and friendly smile” and as a “magical” and “amazing teacher”. n
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KRISTIN ALUMNI DOMINATE IN VBC COMPETITIONS SPOTLIGHT ON VICTORIA BUSINESS CONSULTING CLUB
JESS QUINN DANCING WITH THE STARS Jess Quinn (2010) is taking New Zealand by storm as one of twelve Kiwi celebrities to take to the floor in the latest season of Dancing with the Stars. She’s profiled as a ‘fitness advocate and social media influencer’, but that barely begins to sum up what Jess is bringing to the table. The 25-year-old former Kristin student has a Master’s degree in Fashion/Apparel Design from AUT. She’s a product designer, social media specialist, wellness advocate, model, founder of Plan Be and, most recently, fashion designer under her own label: BE. Your Label. Jess is all about bringing strength and inspiration to others. At only nine years of age, Jess was diagnosed with cancer. She lost her leg to the disease that almost took her life. As a teenager, Jess struggled to come to terms with her body but the lessons she learnt, coupled with the love and support of her family, have enabled her to come out fighting. Today, she’s a strong independent woman on a mission to help others overcome adversity, helping them to thrive in their own skin with her message of positive body image and self-acceptance. With a massive social media following of over 165,000 and a growing list of international brands behind her, Jess is relentless in her positivity and purpose. Her enthusiasm is infectious and there’s no doubting her determination. When announcing her role in Dancing with the Stars, Jess said, “I can honestly say dancing wasn’t something I thought I’d ever do or be able to do; however, something I’ve always lived my life by is trying to find ways to not be halted by my adversity. Every time I say the words ‘no, I can’t do that’ I then challenge myself to find a way how.” At the time of publication, Jess and her dance partner Johnny are among the favourites to go all the way in the competition. All proceeds from their Dancing with the Stars votes are going to support the Child Cancer Foundation. n 42
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At university, learning isn’t restricted to lecture theatres and tutorials; workshops aren’t the only place to refine your skills and exams will never be the only place to test your knowledge. So much growth and learning happens outside of the university timetable so deciding to get involved in university clubs and societies can help take your tertiary experience to a new level. Over recent years, Victoria University in Wellington has been a major destination for Kristin graduates heading into Commerce and Law, and the Victoria Business Consulting Club (VBC) has been an incubator for many of our young alumni. Former Head Girl Lucy Josephson (2015) is currently the club’s Communications Officer, and previous executive members include Harrison Medhurst and Sorina Muresan (2013). This year, a group from the class of 2015 have been dominating the VBC Case Competitions, which require teams of four to analyse a case study and present a strategy to a panel of judges. The first round of the VBC x Deloitte Internal Case Competition saw Marko Garlick in the first-place team and Parker Lyons, Marsanne Jordan and Devon Fisher in second, with help from Anna Chambers who took part on the first day of competition. As a result, Marko, Anna and Marsanne were selected for the VBC Development Squad: a five-week training programme designed to upskill students interested in consulting in a variety of areas including strategy development, public speaking, and how to master a business pitch. As fate would have it, Lucy Josephson was their coach and her help enabled a fantastic result for the team. Marko and Marsanne were the winning team within the development squad and ‘paid it forward’ by helping out at the second round of the competition in May. This time around it was the turn of 2015 grads Anna Chambers, Devon Fisher, Ben McNicoll and Parker Lyons to shine, taking out the top spot in the competition. In this high-pressure competition format, collaboration is key; these alumni are working together, getting results and supporting each other in the process. Together they’re creating opportunities that will carry them into their future. Whether a pathway in Law and Commerce in Wellington is on your horizon or you’re looking at something completely different, investing time to understand the clubs, societies and peripheral organisations that are out there can make all the difference in your learning experience. And, if it’s a path that has been walked by Kristin alumni before you, reach out and join your local network – you never know where your path may lead. n
COMMUNITY NEWS NEW ARRIVALS Congratulations to: Nathan Calvert, Year 1 Teacher and Dean, and wife Hayley on the arrival of their fourth gorgeous son Jaxon Isaiah on Monday 14 May. Rebecca Simpson, Senior School Dean, and partner Alex on the arrival of their son Leo on Thursday 17 May, a little brother for Felix. Michael Badger, Pastoral Care Leader, and wife Celina on the arrival of their baby boy Nahuel on Friday 8 June, a little brother for Alma.
WEDDED BLISS Congratulations to: Rachel Aitken, Marketing and Admissions Co-ordinator, and partner Simon for marrying in Auckland on 5 January during the horrendous cyclone. Trudy Newman (nēe McElhinney), PA to the Executive Principal, and partner Glenn for marrying on 21 April amidst two cyclones in Fiji. Abbey Doe (nēe Beaumont), Sports Manager, and partner Jarrad for marrying on 18 May in Rarotonga without any cyclone in sight! Phew!
GAIL FELLOWSHIP Kate Denman, Head of Netball, visited Prestige School in South Africa for two weeks during May as part of her GAIL Fellowship, exploring themes in sport including student well-being and retention in Senior School and high-performance programmes. Kate will complete a report on her findings and is already organising a hockey student exchange.
DAVID BOARDMAN AMLE CONFERENCE SCHOLARSHIP In May, David Boardman was awarded the annual HISST Scholarship Grant to research and compare assessmentbased anxiety in New Zealand schools against that experienced within UK and European schools. The levels of anxiety in New Zealand students are very high comparative to other countries. David will investigate whether there are any fundamental differences in the approach to student support and assessment overseas and in New Zealand that could be contributing to this.
Jason Gurney presented sessions on homework and best practice for Middle Year teachers during the Association for Middle Level Learning (AMLE) Conference in Hawaii during February. This honour is indicative of the level of respect Jason has earned nationally and internationally during his teaching and school administration experience.
DRAMA QUEEN
NATIONAL AWARD RECIPIENT In our last issue of Kaleidoscope, we highlighted that Kindergarten Teacher Daisy Doherty had been awarded a regional ASG National Excellence in Teaching Award (ASG NEiTA). We are very excited to share that Daisy was chosen as one of six teachers in New Zealand to receive an ASG NEiTA National Award, and one of two selected from Early Childhood. This award, presented to her in Wellington in February, acknowledges exceptional teaching and commitment, and is a wonderful achievement for both Daisy, and Kristin Kindergarten.
BODYBUILDING CHAMP Congratulations to Trudy Newman (nēe McElhinney), PA to the Executive Principal, who took the Overall Figure Title at the Tournament of Champions bodybuilding competition in Palmerston North on Saturday 9 June. You go girl!
Congratulations to Drama teacher Janelle Pitout, who not only has been selected by the Shakespeare Globe Centre New Zealand to attend the Teachers Go Global programme with the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Globe Theatre in London; she has also been awarded a grant from the New Zealand Society of Great Britain to support her in her travels, with the intention of supporting the arts in New Zealand.
MASTER'S DEGREE Congratulations to Helen McMurtrie, Year 4 Teacher, who was presented with her Master of Education during May. Achieving a Master's degree is certainly a significant achievement and we’re very proud of Helen for her commitment here. 06.2018
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PO Box 300 087, Albany 0752, Auckland, New Zealand 360 Albany Highway, Albany 0632, Auckland, New Zealand
Ph 09 415 9566 www.kristin.school.nz