March 2018

Cultural Day 2018

Our annual Cultural Food and Performance Festival was held on Saturday 24 March. Students had spent considerable time perfecting their performances for a four-hour long presentation that showcased how proud we are of our cultural diversity.

Behind the scenes was a considerable number of whanau, friends and supporters that provided a huge range of delicious ethnic foods that were enjoyed by everyone who attended.

We had hoped the rain would stay away but although this made the second half of the afternoon challenging, the Hall became a safe haven for all those who stayed to watch and support our students perform.

Thanks goes to Cultural Co-ordinator Pauline Phelan, our staff and all those who helped make this event a success.

Thanks to Harshal Damiana and Raymond Feng for their filming and editing of this overview of Cultural Day activities:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvZ4BgiY3eU&feature=youtu.be

Thanks also to Bryn Litherland for his video gallery of the performers on the day:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDsS6xS0_RQ

The link below takes you to a video of the Cultural Day perfomances filmed and edited by Ms Allpress and Thisara Gamalath from Year 10:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWuUbnsuTLY&feature=youtu.be

New Zealand Olympian visits Lynfield College

As a result of a Pita Pit competition entry by staff member, Holly Abraham, we were fortunate to have canoeist Lisa Carrington visit. Lisa is the only female in New Zealand Olympic history to win two golds at the same Olympics (Rio in 2016) and she has also won a bronze at both the London and Rio Olympics.

Lisa was welcomed to our school with a pōwhiri then met with Year 12 Sports Studies students and a small group of our most talented sports people for a relaxed, yet really interesting and informative question and answer session.  This was followed by some kai provided by Lisa’s sponsors, Pita Pit.

Thank you Holly!

Get2Go Challenge

Four students took part in the Senior Get2Go Challenge at Duder Regional Park. This event was a series of physical and mental challenges which had to be done as a team the whole time. Challenges involved running, mountain biking and problem solving, and all were loads of fun.

For example, the first challenge was to take the front wheel off the two bikes in each team of four, deflate the tyres, carry the wheel (every team member touching the wheel) 500m, put the wheel back on, and get the bike checked. They had a fantastic time and are ready to take on the Hillary Challenge 6-Hour Adventure Challenge in Rotorua area in June. 
 

ASB Polyfest 2018

Kapa Haka gave a stunning performance at the ASB Polyfest on Friday 16 March. The group has been practicing since the start of the year under the expert guidance of their tutors. Well done to all involved, you made us feel very proud. 

The Māori stage is live streamed by Māori Television. Follow this link to see our students perform.
https://www.maoritelevision.com/haka/asb-polyfest-2018/groups/lynfield-college/200751#video-player

The Indian Dance Group also gave a fine performance at the ASB Polyfest on the Diversity Stage yesterday.  We look forward to seeing excerpts from both performances at our Cultural day on Saturday 24 March.

 

Welcome to our Visitors from Werder, Germany

On Tuesday 13 March, our senior German language students and their families welcomed 20 students and two teachers from our partner school Ernst-Haeckel-Gymnasium.  Most of the Lynfield College students stayed with the visiting students last year so there was huge excitement to see their friends again.  This is the seventh round of the Lynfield College German Exchange Programme with the German group staying for three weeks, visiting the school and exploring Auckland and parts of the North Island.

Since the start of the German Exchange programme in 2005, more than 200 students have travelled to the other side of the world to be immersed in another culture and language.  International student exchanges are amongst the most valuable experiences for young people.  An exposure to a different culture, to a new linguistic environment and to new social values represents a challenge, which most participants cherish for the rest of their lives.
 

 

Auckland Arts Whānui Programme

Lynfield College is excited to be collaborating with the Auckland Arts Festival on a new project with visual artist Ekarasa Doblanovic called ‘Imagine the Land.’ year 12 History students from Lynfield College and older people from the neighbourhood, including residents from Donovan Retirement Village created hundreds of clay bowls made from local soil. Through the process of making them, stories, memories and perspectives are shared across the generations. The bowls physically represent these interactions and are components of a large floor-based art installation facilitated by artist Ekarasa Doblanovic.

Creating art by using real-life stories helps develop students’ skills in communication, empathy, creativity, narrative structure, collaboration and performance. The themes explore issues that are relevant in contemporary society and inform learning in science and biology, politics, history, social sciences, literature, performance technology and the arts.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ufvVvtZ6QWmDupo37kK9V376XE_jteVU

You can view the installation of the clay bowls at the Blockhouse Bay Bowling Club in Terry St from 9 - 11 March from 2.00 – 6.00 pm as part of the Festival’s Whānui programme. Whānui is programme of events created by people from Auckland’s many communities in collaboration with professional artists.