MACKENZIE COLLEGE
NEWSLETTER
5th September 2014
Please see our website (mackcollege.school.nz) for the latest news
Senior Students Sitting Exams
EVENTS DURING THE NEXT TWO WEEKS
Yr 13 PE Trip – 8th September
Sports Photos – 12th September
Yr 12PE/OP Cross Country Ski Trip – 15th to 17th September
Board of Trustees Meeting – 16th September
Social – 18th September
Senior Reports Issued – 18th September
SC Anniversary Day (no school) – 22nd September
“Providing a unique and rich learning environment for our students
built on a foundation of excellence and care: the college of choice”
Dear Parents, Students & Staff
Recently we have welcomed Isabel
Clarke and John Laurenson back from
their respective adventures in Scotland
and France. I know they have inspired
their peers with stories of the wonderful
experiences they have had. I am amazed
by the variety of adventures our students
talk about from hunting over the back
fence after school, dancing at the
Edinburgh Tattoo, playing music gigs at
local venues to participating in day/night
adventure races. While some of the
activities our students participate in are
certainly different from those engaged in
by their urban counterparts, I believe
they are no less engaging or enriching and,
in fact, are often more so.
I was speaking to a parent recently who
admitted to still being mystified by some
aspects of NCEA and school in general.
Of course I was happy to answer
questions and refer them to the
appropriate people within school.
Schools today should not be mystifying
and, as parents, you should not feel that
it is acceptable to not be informed as to
your child’s or indeed, the school’s
performance. To that end, while answers
to questions regarding your child’s
progress are only a phone call away, there
are some
useful resources I would like to refer you
to. The Education Review Office (ERO)
has put together five informative
booklets for parents. One booklet for
example is entitled How is my Child Doing,
Questions to ask at School. We have created
a link on the front of our school website
to these resources for your information.
As requested by parents we have made
the website more informative by
including the daily notices and other
current information.
Another resource worth looking at is the
Education Counts website which provides
a lot of information on all New Zealand
schools including National Standards,
NCEA achievement data, retention
statistics, stand down rates and operating
budgets.
Finally, I hope all those involved in the
winter tournament had a wonderful time.
The results and updates I have received
suggest all our students have performed
with distinction which is nothing less
than we expect. Well done to you all, we
will share more with you on these events
in the next newsletter.
Reece Goldsmith
Principal
An Interview with Isabel Clarke
Congratulations to Isabel who was one of the Highland dancers chosen to represent New Zealand at
the Royal Edinburgh Tattoo.
Where did you go to and for how long?
One month in Edinburgh, Scotland.
What made you want to do
this/how did you get selected?
Seeing previous NZ teams go when
I was younger.
I applied and was chosen based on
previous results.
What did you do there?
The first week was filled with
rehearsals. I danced each night in
the Royal Edinburgh Tattoo for
three weeks.
Highlights of your stay?
Performing at such a big world
event and getting to know
Edinburgh over the month.
Biggest challenges you faced?
Dancing on concrete every night.
What has it been like settling back
in?
Not too bad but it’s definitely a bit
colder. Can’t believe how quickly it
went.
Advice for anyone else thinking of
doing something similar?
Just to take every opportunity that is there for the taking.
A Guide for Developing Responsible Teenagers
(e-book via the school website)
As your child grows and develops through adolescence, life will offer many challenges to both
yourselves and your teens. Parenting can be tough, especially when you try to show love,
understanding, support and belief in your teen and your teen doesn't seem to notice! This booklet
aims to help parents understand their teen and themselves better. It will provide strategies to help
support you understand what may be going on inside your teens head, and so help you deal calmly
with issues, communicate clearly, and provide the love and support to help navigate your teen through
the unpredictable minefield of adolescence.
This booklet was originally developed by Kings College, written in conjunction with the generous
support and knowledge gained in consultation with Dr M Carr-Gregg and Associate Professor J
Toumborou PhD. A few changes have been made to the guide to make it relevant to our district, but a
huge thanks to Kings College for kindly sharing their knowledge.
Please feel free to download this guide and use it as a catalyst for communication between yourselves
and your teen. It will be available from the beginning of Term 4 2014 via the home page on the school
website.
J Grace (Guidance Counsellor)
What do you think of ERO’s parent booklets?
The Education Review Office (ERO) publishes a series of five booklets for parents and caregivers.
We want to find out how useful the information is to parents, how the booklets can be improved,
and if parents would prefer to receive the information in a different way.
We’re starting with a survey of How is my child doing? To take part in the survey go
to www.ero.govt.nz – Featured Publications. The survey runs until the end of September and only
takes a few minutes to complete.
Meanwhile if you would like a copy of one of the booklets email [email protected] or click the link
on the college website.
THANK YOU
A big thank you to Paul Scott, Whitestone Contracting, Grant Gibson and
Richard Herlund for assistance in tidying up an area of the college grounds.
Winners of the Hockey Championship. Well done!
Hockey Championship Winners. Well done!
Wednesday Sport
Walking Group
SENIOR STUDENTS
With just three weeks of this term left, seniors are working hard to complete internal
assessments. Each student needs to be checking their entries on the NZQA website. If there are
any problems or questions about entries and/or results, please see your teacher.
By the time the holidays start, students need to be underway with a study programme in
preparation for NCEA external exams which start on Monday 10th November. If you have any
questions about how to plan and work with a study programme, ask any of your teachers or me.
Senior Reports will be issued on Thursday 18th September and interviews are scheduled for
Tuesday 23rd September. We urge all Year 11 to 13 students and parents to attend.
Sue Mitchell
Effort Grades – Term 3 Week 6
Dobson A
Dobson B
Godley A
Godley B
Macaulay A
Macaulay B
Tasman A
Tasman B
Olly Holtham
William Pudney
Jourdan Rhind
Mieka Taylor
Molly Anderson
Benjamin Dobbs
Riley Young
Daisy Holtham
Amber Macquarie
James Lowe
James Robertson
Koroku Izumi
Michael Anderson
Sophie Anderson
Amanda Sheehan
Meghan McIntosh
Chloe Anderson
Emma McIntosh
Kira Hendry
Gillian Davis
Anysley Mills
Meg Simpson
Kengo Edmondson
Charlotte Potter
Samantha Roy
Megan Gallagher
Brett Walker
Ginny Kerr
Mary Jimenez
Zoey Taylor
Jasmine Macquarie
Marcia Adams
Tasmin Taylor
Thomas Newell
Lucy Barnes
John Laurenson
Harriette Herlund
Zoe Ross
William Waters
Nicholas Anderson
Roland Adams
Bea Gorospe
Sherpa Scott
Amber Midgley
Jayden Warner
Julia Gibson
Lucy Gibson
Ted Herlund
Cathal Guiney
Jessica Adams
Chloe McCarthy
Jessica Mackay
Nick Brien
James Bennett
Georgia Prosser
Rose Cottier
Fraser Dixon
Harry Potter
Jordan Manchester
Congratulations to Koroku Izumi, Amanda Sheehan, Kengo Edmondson and Lucy Gibson who received
vouchers.
MAORI WORD OF THE WEEK
Te Wiki Nui o te Reo Maori 2014
Te Kupu o te Wiki
The following is this fortnight’s instalment of Maori words
pahi
niho
bus
tooth
Good on you folks! Learn the language, love the language.
Kia ora tatou! Akona te Reo, arohatia te reo.
Te Ngawai Tennis
If your child is interested in playing
tennis, you are invited to attend the
Te Ngawai Tennis AGM
on Monday 15th September at 7pm
in the Cave Tavern.
Player numbers have been
significantly down over the past
couple of years; your support is vital
for the continuation of the sport.
Apologies and enquiries to Sharon
Holtham (Chairperson) 03 6855789
THE ARTS SUBJECT AWARDS
The following students were awarded Subject Awards for excellent achievement in assembly
recently.
Visual Art
Imy Halkett
Rose Cottier
Chloe Anderson
Jourdan Rhind
Harriette Herlund
Peggie Barnes
Jessica Guiney
Samantha Roy
Nick Brien
Mieka Taylor
Nicholas Anderson
Megan Hay
Zoe Ross
Olly Holtham
Kira Hendry
Liam Mackay
Caitlin Holmes
Charlotte Potter
William Mould
Sophie Anderson
William Pudney
Katie Mulligan
Shannae Duffield
Lucy Barnes
Olly Holtham
Alex Payne
Nicholas Anderson
Gemma Anderson
Jessica Marshall
Mieka Taylor
Georgia Prosser
Chloe Anderson
Marcia Adams
Music
Imy Halkett
Samantha Roy
Molly Anderson
Harriette Herlund
NZQA App – NCEA
The NZ Qualifications Authority encourages parents, whanau and employers to download the above App.
The App provides quick and easy access to key information about NCEA and makes practical information
about NCEA more easily available. Parents and whanau are able to access simple content about how NCEA
works and how they can support family members studying in NCEA (no individual student result or
progress information is available).
The App also supports employers seeking to understand and evaluate NCEA graduates and their
qualification. Content can be viewed in English and Te Reo Maori.
This App is free to download from the Apple App store and Google Play Store.
Information on the NZQA website promotes the App and social media messages will also be sent out
about how to download it.
Accounts
Automatic payments and direct credits are shown on accounts up until the end of August.
Calendar 2014
Term 3
12
15-17
16
18
22
23
23-26
26
Term 4
Oct
Nov
Dec
14
16
20
21
22
23
24
4
10
17
18
19
21
24-28
28
2
9
11
21st July to 26th September
Sports Photos
Yr 12PE/OP Cross Country Ski Trip
Board of Trustees’ Meeting
Social
SC Anniversary Day – no school
Yr 11-13 Parent Interviews
Spirit Week
END OF TERM 3
13th October to 11th December
Board of Trustees’ Meeting
Senior Options Evening
Yr 10 Option Interviews
Yr 11-12 Option Interviews
SC Primary Schools MTB
SC Primary Schools Tennis
Volunteers’ Morning Tea
Young Performers’ Concert
NCEA Exams start
Music Roadshow
New Entrants Parents’ Info Evening
Te Ara Activity Day
Yr 6 Transition Day
Yr 10 Camp
Yr 7-10 Reports issued
SC Primary Schools Athletics
Board of Trustees’ Meeting
Award Ceremony
STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE ON THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Nomination forms are available at the office for the above position. Nominations close on
Monday 15th September and the poll closes on Monday 29th September.
If you would like more information please either talk to




Tim Naisbitt (current Student Rep)
Mr Goldsmith (Principals are members of the Board)
Mr Cruden (current Staff Rep)
Mr Wilson regarding how it fits in with other leadership roles.