ASD Junior Premier Finals to be held at Lynfield
Last Wednesday, Kitty Sun, Jia Dua and Karan Kalsi along with coach Mr. Halligan, won their Semi- Final debate against Dio's best Junior Premier team. It was nail-bitingly close, but in a surprise 5-0 decision, they secured a very prestigious spot in the finals.
This is a significant win, as the team made it all the way to the semi-finals in the Junior Open last year, and all the way to the semi-final in the Impromptu Cup this year (a far more difficult achievement), but they have never been able to get past the semis in what are always very hotly contested debates.
This Wednesday at 6.45 pm, they will debate for the title against Sacred Heart. This is the very first time either school has reached the finals of the Auckland Schools' Debating Junior Premier Open, which are the very best teams from Years 9-11 in the Auckland Region.
Lynfield will host the event, which will take place in the Library.This is a free event and any Lynfield College student and their families are welcome to attend. The moot is announced at 6 pm and the debate will start at 6.45pm. The winner will be announced at 8:15.
We wish Kitty, Jia and Karan all the best in the upcoming final! They have really lifted the profile of Lynfield College- one of the very few public schools that take part in competitive debating in Auckland.
Scholarships to Germany for Adam Herring and Elysha Negi
Adam and Elysha have each won a scholarship to travel to Germany. Adam will be travelling to Germany at the end of 2015 to spend 2 months in a host family going to school and being immersed in the German culture. Elysha has been selected to represent New Zealand in the German Olympiad in Berlin in 2016 where the top students from all over the world come together to participate in different language competitions.
Adam wrote:
“When Frau Zimmer told us there was an opportunity to receive a scholarship to Germany, I thought: okay, why not give it a shot. All I had to do was speak in German to an interviewer for ten minutes. How hard could it be? A few days later when I received an email saying that not only myself, but my fellow class mate Elysha, had been accepted for a second interview in Wellington I was thrilled.
On the 27th of July the other students from Auckland along with Elysha and myself, caught a flight down to Wellington where we met our fellow finalists. Once we had been shown, where we were staying, and had become acquainted with each other, we were allowed to explore the city. Having only visited Wellington when I was much younger, I was lucky to get a guided tour from the local Wellington students. As it happened the day we were in Wellington, was the day that the Te Papa museum had a free open day, which we all took full advantage of.
For dinner we went to an Italian restaurant, which I thought was a little strange, as we were on a German language trip! It was only when we were ordering our food and the waitress answered me in German that I understood why we had gone there for dinner.
The next morning after our final interviews, it was time to say goodbye. Although we were only there for two days, we had made some good friends and had some experiences that we wouldn't forget.
A few weeks later I received an email saying that I had been awarded one of the scholarships, (or at least I thought that’s what it said, since it was all in German. I wasn’t completely sure, until my German teacher rang me confirming the news!)
I think that it is a great testament to my teacher Frau Zimmer that out of all the Year 12 students in New Zealand, two of us from her class were awarded scholarships to Germany.”
The photos are of the 14 finalists from around New Zealand when they went to Wellington for the final interviews.
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Following the Path of Eruptions
 Chaos and death struck Te Wairoa. 129 years later, the Level 1 Geographers visited what is now ‘The Buried Village’ and discovered how the eruption of Mt Tarawera buried buildings and people under metres of volcanic ash. The site has been excavated and students were able to view the remains of buildings and buried artefacts while Rotorua Museum provided a presentation and movie experience to explain the 1886 eruption and the volcanic status of the area. |
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 The geothermal activity has also provided benefits – students swam in a naturally heated pool, and luged down Mt Ngongotaha – a volcanic dome. Eruptions have covered the region in nutrient-rich ash, and students visited a dairy farm which benefits from the lush grass growing on these soils.The trip contributed to the learning required for three internal assessments and was also immense fun. |
Alongside Work Experience 2015: Year 13 Childcare Advanced
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Students from the Childcare Advanced class have spent time at various local early childhood education centres gaining valuable practical experience in a real work environment. This has helped them with the theory requirements of the course. In addition, two assessments must be carried out in an early childhood education centre, so students have gained credits from this exercise. The students have really enjoyed their time working with the children and we are very appreciative of the welcome and support given to our students by early childhood teachers in our community. |
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Lynfield Travel Expo
On Friday 21 August the Travelwise and SADD groups combined to hold a Travel Expo at lunchtime. It showcased our road safety programmes in a fun, safe way and it was also great to have music performed during the show by The Flock.
Slow bike races, beer goggles walks, a distraction game and a smoothie bike were some of the excellent activities available for students to try.
A strong contingent from Auckland Transport came along to help and provide resources.
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Junior Debating Championships
| Mrs Wagner and Mrs Wiggins took three Junior Debating Teams to the Auckland Schools Debating Junior Championships on Saturday 22nd of August. The purpose of the competition is to give Year 9 and 10 debaters the opportunity to work with law students from the University of Auckland to improve their debating skills. Students take part in an all-day competition against the best schools in Auckland in three rounds of impromptu debates. Each team of three speakers has one hour to prepare their argument. Each debater delivers a five minute speech, where they put forth their case and rebut the oppositions' arguments. It is a challenging format which draws on general knowledge and develops critical thinking, oratory, and listening skills. Despite not breaking into the final rounds of the tournament, all of the debaters performed to a very high standard and represented Lynfield with pride. This tournament concludes the year's competitions for this group who participated in the Junior Open, with one team breaking into the final rounds. We look forward to seeing what these students will do with their debating next year. |
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Music Variety Concert Showcases Talents
As part of the recent Arts week the various music ensembles celebrated with an evening of great musical variety in the college hall. We are fortunate to have permanent and itinerant staff who year after year bring out the best in the considerable musical talent amongst our students. With KBB competitions looming this was an excellent opportunity to practise and present to a large audience. ps.....KBB Festival has brought successes again this year. Details to follow! |
Dylan Goodison  |
Symphony orchestra |
Choir |
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Chamber Orchestra |
Concert Band |
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Clarinet Trio |
Jake Krishnamurti |
Principal Prepares to Assist Other School
The Lynfield Collage Board of Trustees has agreed to a Ministry of Education request for Mr Bovaird to spend much of the rest of this year at Papakura High School, assisting that school whilst a new Principal is appointed.
Mr Bovaird will continue to be back at Lynfield at certain times most weeks, to help with planning for next year and to undertake existing commitments.
We wish him all the best in this undertaking, knowing that our school is in the good hands of the Acting Principal Ms Lexie Ridling.
Childcare Students Explore Art Techniques
| Year 12 and 13 Students taking the Early Childhood Education Programme visited the Corbans Art Estate where they were taught the meaning behind and the technique of Tuku Tuku panels. Students enjoyed the experience leaving with valuable skills to teach pre-school children a part of our bicultural heritage in a fun and hands on way. This is an essential element of being an Early Childhood Educator |
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Diary Date..
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Wonderful Woolf Fisher Fellowship Experience
Lynfield College Principal Steve Bovaird reports on his return from a term's absence as a Woolf Fisher Fellow..
I have now been back at Lynfield for 4 weeks and my time away on my Woolf Fisher Fellowship is fast becoming a memory. I have come back to a school that has carried on exceptionally well while I was away. Special thanks to Lexie Ridling who was Acting Principal, for her excellent work in my absence. The rest of the senior leaders were also a great support to her.
Two of the highlights for me were;
- Attending the ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) conference, held annually in the USA . Around 15,000 educators attend to learn and understand how technology is being used in classrooms and to find out about the latest developments in technology. This also confirmed that the path Lynfield College is on with BYOD is valid and similar to the path many other schools around the world have embarked on.
- Attending the “Leadership; An evolving vision” summer school at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, was a great honour. I have come back with a number of new ideas that I believe could further enhance learning at Lynfield College. Attending this course was an amazing opportunity. To spend time in such a unique environment with top class educational specialists and 160 participants from around the USA and the world was an experience I will never forget. Each morning started with a 3 hour presentation on an aspect of leadership, ie. School Culture, Strategic planning, Impact of technology, Organisational Change, Staff supervision etc. There was then an afternoon presentation. Between 4-6.30pm each day we worked in small groups (8) going ever the material.
Completing a high ropes course was a real achievement for me as it was totally new for me!
The concept that Sir Woolf Fisher had back in the 1960’s, of establishing a trust to support educators, was a far sighted initiative. As the second* Lynfield College principal to receive such an honour, I was truly grateful.
(*The first was Des Thurston in 1964)
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Annual Sports Exchange Results
The annual Lynfield College/Mt Maunganui College sports exchange took place at Mt Maunganui on Thursday 13 August – fortunately a fine, sunny day!
This exchange has been a highlight on the sporting calendars of both schools for 56 years. The top teams in 7 codes competed for the overall trophy based on the number of games won and lost.
This year Mt Maunganui showed its dominance and the advantage of being the ‘home’ team. Congratulations to our students for their fantastic sportsmanship. They were in every sense one big Lynfield team who had an awesome sports day they will remember for many years.
Results as follows:
| Event | Won By |
| Golf | Mt Maunganui |
| Basketball - Girls | Mt Maunganui |
| Basketball - Boys | Mt Maunganui |
| Football - Girls | Lynfield |
| Football - Boys | Lynfield |
| Waterpolo | Mt Maunganui |
| Netball - Premier 1 | Mt Maunganui |
| Netball - Premier 2 | Mt Maunganui |
| Hockey - Boys | Lynfield |
| Hockey - Girls | Mt Maunganui |
| Rugby | Mt Maunganui |
| Debating | Lynfield |
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Next Top Engineering Scientist 2015
Now in its seventh year, this annual competition is a problem solving event for teams of three to four secondary students, organised by the Department of Engineering Science at University of Auckland.
The 2015 competition was held on Saturday, 1st of August. The question was posted online at 9 am and students had to compile a report and email it to the organisers by the 6pm deadline.
2015 question: If a New Zealand student uploads a video clip that goes viral, how long will it take before 1% of the world’s population has seen it?
This year, we had 11 teams of Year 12 and Year 13 students competing. The judges at the university are now going through hundreds of reports and the results of the competition will be released early next term.
Getting to grips with the question... |
A Year 13 team.. |
A Year 12 team.. |
Celebrating Maori Language Week
A special thanks to the Maori focus Group, Mr Tonks, and all of the staff and students who helped out with our Maori language celebrations.
Arohatia Te Reo! |
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2016 Academic Course Selection
| Students are focussed and engaged in their 2015 learning and assessment and gaining a good idea of where their interests, strengths and future pathways lie. Their next step is to consider the academic programme they wish to pursue in 2016. August is Course Selection month for Years 9 through to 12 and course information has been distributed to all students. It is expected parents/caregivers will involve themselves in the students' decision-making, and the college provides ongoing support through subject teachers, Deans and Careers Counsellors. Course selections can be entered for each student through the Parent Portal of the website (link at top of the Home Page). Course selection forms for students currently in Years 10-12 need to be returned to form teachers by Monday 17 August. For students now in Year 9 their Year 10 Course Selection Forms are due to form teachers on 24 August. The courses entered through the Portal will be checked against the teachers' recommendations. |
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Trash to Fashion Meets the Judges
| Two weekends ago The Schools Trash to Fashion took place at the Mangere Arts Centre and The Playhouse Theatre, Glen Eden. Students from 10 Soft Materials and Learning Support were confident in modelling their garments made from trash, in front of a panel of three judges. Well done to all the girls who competed and looked fabulous and good luck to the students going through to the final. |
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