Auckland Shinagawa 25th anniversary
This has been a year of anniversaries with the Lynfield College 60th Reunion in June and the Auckland Shinagawa (Japan) sister city relationship 25th anniversary in July. Last week the Director of International Students Gill Austin and Principal Cath Knell joined the celebrations in Tokyo. Auckland Mayor Phil Goff hosted a function at the New Zealand Embassy and Shinagawa Mayor Hamano hosted a formal exchange of gifts where an agreement to continue the relationship was signed. Mayor Goff acknowledged Lynfield College as being the ‘glue’ that has kept the relationship alive.
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We send students to Shinagawa every second year (the next exchange departs in September) and two teachers every year during the summer holidays. We host a group of 30 students (see below), from Shinagawa every August. Our thanks go to the host families who make this exchange possible.
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Te 'Epetoma o te Reo Kuki 'Airani Cook Island's Māori Language Week Celebrations
Today we celebrated Cook Island's Māori Language Week at Lynfield by learning about the Language (similarities between Kuki 'Airani Māori and New Zealand Māori), Rarotongan Music, Cook Island's culture, making 'Ei Katu and having special guest Mrs Kairua visit Te Ringa Awhina Marae. Students learned how to make their own head 'Ei.
Thank you to Mrs Kairua for her time and efforts, and to all akonga and kaiako who participated in this event.
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Lynfield College School Ball 2018
Lynfield College’s annual school ball was held at Ellerslie Events Centre on Friday 20 July. Despite the event being a yearly one, this was a night like no other. With the theme, 'Night of a Thousand Lights', Year 12 and 13 students enjoyed their evening in a picturesque ballroom filled with white tables, midnight blue curtains and thousands of fairy lights.
What was special about this year, was the enthusiasm on the dance floor - with so many people on it that it was shaking under our feet - and the positivity in the room. Compliments were flying as each student (and teacher) arrived, and the cheering when sashes were awarded, couldn’t have been louder. We’d love to congratulate our winners on the night:
Best Dancer: Kais Azimullah
Cutest Couple: Shreya Singaraju and Rishabh Baptista
Best Dressed Male: Zariq Mohammed
Best Dressed Female: Abbey Rousselle
Best Dressed Teacher: Mr Welsh
Beau of the Ball: Giordi Gambassi
Belle of the Ball: Liz Li
Ball King: Jimmy Zhang
Ball Queen: Lucy Zhang
Visit White Door Photography to see more from their gallery of 5000 images. Below is just a very small sample of our students enjoying a great night.
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Rarotonga Cultural Exchange 2018
In the last week of term 2, 10 students: Alex Tebay, Jessika Varney, Aaron Tahu, Luke Tahu, Danielle Matthews (Head Girl), Xanthian Po Nepia, Karli Mcgray, Bella McAllister, Paige Vaipa and Jonni Ryan Gordon, and two staff members: Mrs Tebay and Mrs Leauga, traveled to Rarotonga as part of a cultural exchange programme.
Hosted by Tereora College the group were welcomed on their first day with a Turou (formal Cook Islands ceremony) The group performed the school haka, school waiata, and a poi item.
The week's activities included an inland tour, performances at: Pacific Resort (Muri Beach), Titikaveka School and Highland Paradise where a marae site was, an over-water traditional story retold at Te Vara Nui, a visit to the vaka landing area, a Q and A with Kiwi Artist Lee Raela, shopping at the Markets, husking and scraping coconuts, weaving, learning to play the drums and do the 'ura pa'u and an island night in Nikao.
Whaea Tebay and Whaea Leauga would like to thank all of the whanau, kaiako and hosts who supported the group and helped make this trip happen.
Our last visit was in 2014, so this was the second time Lynfield College has visited Rarotonga. It was a great cultural experience! Meitaki Ma'ata!
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Summer Shade Project Stage 2
With the shade structure and decking outside the Sports Centre almost completed, Uniport are now working on the construction of shade cover for the sportsfield observation and cafeteria deck.
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Puketāpapa Youth Summit
On Thursday the 5th of July, 35 students (including two event facilitators) from Lynfield College attended the 2018 Puketāpapa Youth Summit. This was a great opportunity for students from Lynfield, Mt Roskill and other youth in our community to be able to share and express their ideas on different issues that affected youth within local and neighbouring suburbs.
The issues ranged from improving transport – whether that be better roading infrastructure or new bus routes, connecting communities with more facilities like parks and other community events, to bettering safety and wellbeing for youth within our communities.
The day started off with a panel discussion, where local Mt Roskill MP Michael Wood, Local Board Member Shail and other ‘decision-makers’ across the local areas discussed their thoughts and ideas on how youth could better be engaged in local-body politics, and how to make real meaningful change for their respective communities.
Lynfield College students actively engaged and participated in discussions, and ended up gaining lots of new understanding on different perspectives and ways of tackling issues faced by the youth of today. More photos from the day can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/PuketapapaYouthBoard/
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Junior Debating Mentors
On Monday 2 July, ten Year 10 debaters (Michael Jury, Eliana Competente, Aashish Ramanlal, Isha Ramanlal, Sanat Singh, Harshil Jogia, Dev Dixit, Jasmine Pickston, Aahana Shetty and Malisha Ghosh) put on a show debate and workshop at Chaucer Primary school.
They first modelled what a formal debate looked and sounded like with topic 'That we should ban fast food' to a group of 50 Year 5 students.
At the conclusion of the debate, the Chaucer students formed teams and, with the help of the Lynfield debaters, prepared the topic 'That zoos should be banned'. These topics linked to the environmental unit on which Chaucer students were preparing speeches.
A big thank you to the Year 10 Junior Debaters (JO and PJ) for sharing their skills with these students and giving back to our local community!
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Year 9 Quilts for Foster Hope
Year 9TMS students display the beautiful quilts they have made and given to Foster Hope for children in need. Students in the Term 1 and 2 rotation, using applique to make them. The quilts took one term to make. They were in groups of 4 or 6 and in total there were 10 quilts in total completed out of two classes.
Foster Hope charity collects donated goods and assembles kits to give to children who have had to be removed from their homes to go into foster care. Children are referred to Barnardo's by the Child Youth and Family service and may need temporary or long-term care. Often the children have been extremely neglected, or there's abuse in the family home and they are removed urgently, so they bring nothing with them.
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