| Mahurangimatters 4 April 20124840 | Mahurangimatters| Mahurangimatters

from the Principal

NEWSLETTER ISSUE 3: April 2012

Dear Parents and GuardiansTena Koutou KatoaWe were very pleased to have Dr James Johnston, our Head Boy from 2005, as the Guest Speaker at our recent Academic Blues Evening.

James was awarded the top prize in Medicine at Auckland Medical School last year. He presented 29 Academic Blues to our students who achieved Endorsements with Excellence, by gaining 50 or more credits at excellence level, in their NCEA last year. He then gave an inspirational speech about the capacity of the “divinely created organ”, the human brain, which included some amusing anecdotes about his time here at Mahurangi College.

David Macleod

important datesWe are all looking forward to the School Reunion over Easter this year. It will celebrate 50 years of Mahurangi College and 150 years of Formal Education in the Warkworth District, including Warkworth District High School from 1923 to 1961. The programme includes a number of activities for which there is no charge

on the Saturday (7th April), including an Opening Ceremony in the School Auditorium at 9.30am, followed by decade photos, then a number of Past vs Present sporting activities throughout the afternoon. Everyone is welcome to come and join in these activities. Please check our school website for further details and to register.At the start of every school year, we run a number of sporting and inter-house events, including the Athletics and Swimming Sports.This year many records were broken, including 8 by Nicholas Lee in the Intermediate Boys’ Swimming Championships: 25m Butterfly, 50m Butterfly, 50m Backstroke, 100m Breast Stroke, 100m Back Stroke, 100m Medley, 50m Freestyle, 200m Freestyle.Last year Bradley Morris, who is a cousin to Jacko Gill, broke Robin Brooke’s long-standing Intermediate Boys’ Shotput and Discus Records, and this year he extended his own records even further.

Our thanks to the following Sponsors... •Cam Caithness of Mitre 10 Mega in

Warkworth for sponsoring our school newsletter each month from now on and for sponsoring the Achiever of the Month Award with a $50 voucher.

•Robin Brooke for his generous sponsorship of the College, through his business, New World Warkworth. So far this year, he has donated $2,783 to the College which has been used to purchase three extra iPads for use by our Junior students in class. This is an ongoing sponsorship.

•Daniel Baturic, owner of the Rusty Pelican, has offered to sponsor the “Rusty Pelican Player of the Day” Awards for all our Sporting

(6-8 April)

Register interest NOW!www.mahurangi.school.nz or Ph: 09 425 8039

Mahurangi College 50th Reunion

Sesquicentennial of Education in Warkworth

and

W

A R K W O R T H D . H. S

.

James presenting the award to Nicholas Lee

Dear Mr Macleod,

I would like to offer my congratulations to you on behalf

of Dr James Johnston whom has recently qualified at

the Auckland University School of Medicine. It is my

understanding that he is a graduate of your school,

Mahurangi College. I would like to send sincere

congratulations in regards to Dr Johnston’s success at

the recent qualification ceremony. He was the recipient

of the JDK North prize in clinical medicine making him

the most distinguished graduate in medicine. Certainly

this is an achievement that is worthy of significant merit

and is such that I thought it necessary to write to you

personally. I am sure that this award reflects on Dr

Johnston’s time at Mahurangi College. I know he is very

proud of his school and attributes this to his success. It is

no doubt that Mahurangi College has previous graduates

who have made outstanding contributions to society. It

is my thought that Dr Johnston has and will continue to

make significant contributions to medicine. It is the time

of year to celebrate those whom have achieved greatly

and I thought I would let you know of the very significant

achievement of your graduate.

With Kind Regards

Professor John KolbeHead of MedicineAuckland School of Medicine

Teams again this year. We appreciate the generosity of these local businesses, and many others, towards the College.

Monday April 2• Yr 7 & 8 Parent/Teacher Evening 3.45 - 8.00pm• Level 2 PE Outdoor Education Trip

Tuesday April 3• Swimming Champion of Champions• BOT Meeting - 6.15pm start• L2 PE Outdoor Education Trip

Wednesday April 4• Yr 9 & 13 Parent/Teacher Evening 3.45 - 8.00pm

Thursday April 5• Term 1 Ends

Friday April 6• Good Friday

Friday April 6 - 8• REUNION WEEKEND

Monday April 23• Term 2 Starts

Tuesday April 24• Yr 12/13 Health Talks• Information Evening with Guest Speakers 6.30pm

Wednesday April 25 • Anzac Day

Thursday April 26• Cross Country• ANZAC Assembly• North Harbour Orienteering International Zone Day• Basketball Competition starts

Saturday April 28• Rugby Season starts

Tuesday May 1• EMR /Wai Care Expo - Hall

Wednesday May 2• Senior Drama Students Auckland Workshop

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Te

Ara Poutam

a Maori Student

Week three of this term saw all of the Year 7 students embark on their first College Camp to Peter Snell Youth Village on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula. Mahurangi College has been taking students on this camp for a number of years and it is a great way for students to get to know their new classmates and teachers.With the assistance of a number of incredibly helpful groups of parents, the students were able to spend their first day rotating through four activities - the initiative course, water slide, bivouac building and the slip and slide. The students worked incredibly well together to build some amazing shelters and overcame a number of challenges thrown at them in the initiative course, as well as getting wet and having fun at the water slide and the slip and slide. After an awesome feed, served by the lovely parents and teachers, the students then had to come to terms with the dreaded Burma Trail. Rumours were flying about the scary beasts that could be found in the bush near the camp. Students had to follow a rope, on their own, in complete darkness to navigate past these beasts (masked parents dressed in dark clothes). Despite this frightening experience all students felt a great sense of achievement once they made their way through the bush.

Year 7 Camp - Peter Snell Camp

The second day saw a big cleanup in the morning before the next group arrived and students jumped on a bus and headed for Shakespear Regional Park. Once out of the bus the students took off on a tramp to the lookout which had amazing panoramic views of the surrounding area. Two hours later they were at Army Bay for a swim and play before a bus came to take them back to school. The action packed camp was most definitely enjoyed by all. Students returned home very tired but with lots of stories to tell of the great time they had. Once again a huge thank you to all the parent helpers as without you the camp would not be possible.

Year 7 Camp - Peter Snell Camp

On Tuesday 24th April, we are hosting an Information Evening with guest speakers: Lesley Elliott and Lynda

Kearns. The focus of the evening is how to ensure our young people avoid getting into a violent and

abusive relationship. The evening will begin at 6.30pm and will conclude with a light supper. We will also

be providing a baby-sitting service for those of you who would like to attend but have young children to

worry about.Lesley Elliott was named ‘Next’ Magazine’s Woman of the Year (2011) and was witness to her 22-year-

old daughter, Sophie’s murder at the hands of ex-boyfriend Clayton Weatherston. Her presentation

entitled ‘Sophie’s Story - What WE Missed’, details Sophie’s five month long relationship with the man

who would eventually take her life and highlights the warning signs of abuse they failed to recognise

at the time. Lesley has written a book with family friend and former policeman Bill O’Brien – a Veteran

Champion for Victim Justice – and examines with vivid honesty the events that led to that terrible moment

when the lives of her family changed. She has also established the ‘Sophie Elliott Foundation’, which

aims to cause a profound shift in New Zealand’s attitude towards relationship violence. The Foundation is

committed to developing a school-based programme for boys and girls which will better prepare them

for their emotional lives so they can look after themselves at a time when they are most vulnerable.

Lynda Kearns is an Auckland Barrister and has specialised in Family Law Issues for almost 30 years. Previously

she chaired the Auckland District Law Society Family Law subcommittee and has presented numerous

seminars on Family Law Issues. Having seen the effects of family violence first hand, Lynda’s presentation

called Hit The Road Jack aims at recognising the signs of abusive relationships and preventing violence

rather than dealing with the consequences afterwards. Lynda’s aim is the same as Lesley’s; to prevent

further deaths of young people involved in abusive relationships.

We are extremely fortunate that Leslie Elliott is able to fit us in to her very busy schedule and she is travelling

up from Dunedin to do so. We will be asking for a gold coin donation at the door, but if anyone is able to

help us by offering some sponsorship, your support would be very much appreciated.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Cath Johnston, Assistant Principal

Important Date For Your Diary - 24th April ‘How to Avoid a Violent Relationship’

The boys’ campaign to regain the Wyatt Cup got off to a strong start with two commanding wins over Rodney College and Otamatea High School. A few of the players to enjoy particular success, in the Rodney game, were Liam Jones claiming 5 for 19 and Shaun Beamish 3 for 8, with Shane Dawson hitting a rapid 34 n.o. Against Otamatea Findlay Buchanan compiled 86 and Callum McGillivray 43. Joseph Banks picked up 3 for 3, with the ball.

Te Ara PoutamaTe Ara Poutama, our Maori Student Study Centre, was set up last year as part of an initiative to raise Maori Achievement within the school. It follows a Maori Kaupapa (way of doing things) but it is not exclusively for Maori students. All are welcome. Students are invited to come along on a drop-in basis every Thursday from 3.30pm onwards in the school library. Each session begins with Karakia, followed by

Teachers from several faculties, as well as senior students, are available to help tutor and mentor. As students are working in the library they have access to books and the internet. It is hoped that parents will feel comfortable to drop in too, to have a cup of tea with the teachers and/or to check their child’s online results. We are organising an evening in which parents can come along to find out more about how NCEA works, and on May 3rd, Mrs Newlove will be advising students about applying for scholarships.

For further information, contact g.tahitahi@mahurangi.school.nz

P.T.A. News Many thanks to all the new faces that came along to our PTA Social last month. It was fabulous to see the support and enthusiasm from you. We have some exciting ideas for fundraisers this year including: A ‘Ladies ‘Pamper Day’ and a ‘Dads and Lads Day’, a ‘Teen Market’ and many other ideas. As well as our annual events such as: the ‘Christmas Gift Fair’ and the ‘Family Movie Evening’ for the Kowhai Festival. We do, however, need your continued commitment and support for these events to be successful, and look forward to a productive 2012!Please look out for our forthcoming events/fundraisers in the school newsletter, emails and posters/flyers, and we’ll see you there!Mahurangi College PTA

Proudly Supporting Mahurangi College

Achiever of the Month: Nina Su

WARKWORTH Corner Woodcocks Road & Mansel Drive, Phone 425 8119

Nina gained her NCEA Level 3 Endorsed with Excellence and 3 Subject Scholarships.

She is studying Medicine at Auckland University this year. Mahurangi College had 15 Subject Scholarships for 2011.

The other 12 students who gained Scholarships were: Jamie Breen, Eloise Docking, Thomas Hargreaves, Louis Houlbrooke, Hannah Lee, Joseph McAuley, Jack Donaldson,

Leon Wardenaar, Grace Mitchell, Taylor Helliwell, Jaime Flack, and Stephanie Dumville

kai and then the students get down to some study!

Boys 1st XI Cricket

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