February 2021

Zones Swimming Time Trials

Swimming Time Trials were held at West Wave at the end of February in preparation for the Zones event scheduled for early March. Unfortunately, the brief Covid-19 lockdown resulted in the date being pushed out to 1 April.

A small but select group of keen swimmers trialled for the Zones, with some good times being recorded. From the trials the following swimmers were selected for the Zones event: Mira Davy (9IL), Aanya Divekar (10BW), Zack Jones (9MK), Michael Jury (13LE), Bill Li (11RD), Francesca Walsh (11CW), Tilly Walsh (9IL), Abigail Williams (9JN), Kevin Zhang (10MT).

We wish the team well on 1 April and look forward to some qualifying for the next stage, the Champions event. Only the fastest 16 times across the four Zones qualify for the Champions event, so getting through to that stage is demanding.

Student Leadership: Badges Assembly 2021

On Thursday 25 February our Badges Assembly was held, a special event where our 2021 Student Executive were presented with their badges of office.

Our student leaders have had a particularly busy start to the 2021 school year and are creating a profile around the school. They have welcomed our new staff and 370 new Year 9 students and their families with passion and purpose. It is impressive to see them work together as a team to connect, lead and support students throughout the College.

Our guest speaker was Tim Elliot (past student and Head Boy 2007), sent us the following message:

“I had the privilege of being a guest speaker at Lynfield Colleges Student Leaders Badges Assembly. A day to celebrate and acknowledge their student leadership.

With the amount of change and challenge we face in our world at the moment, I often ponder about the next generation and what they will have to deal with. After hearing the newest head students speak yesterday, even briefly, I was left feeling hopeful and inspired. At such a young age their words were thoughtfully considered, passionate, and championed values based and collective leadership.

We must nurture the next generation, our next generation of leaders. But we must also give them a platform to speak, and to be listened to. Because these are the leaders that will take us through tomorrows challenges.”

Many thanks to the parents and caregivers and families that attended. We wish these students a very successful and rewarding year.

Event photos can be viewed here: Badges Assembly 2021

House Sports 2021

A huge THANK YOU for everyone whose participation made our House Sports Day on Tuesday 23 February a huge success. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day for the whole school. This is such an important event as it actively involves the whole school students and staff.

Special thanks to those who were on the field all day either as form teachers or supporting house leaders – it was lovely to see you smiling as you watched our students soaking up the atmosphere by participating in the wide variety of events. Best of all were the smiles and fun shared by our fantastic students.

All this would not have been possible without the skills and expertise of the group who ran each of the rotation events who did a brilliant job ensuring the day ran so smoothly. Thanks especially to Duncan Smith and Elliot Dye who co-ordinated this team. Thank you also to the Sports Department team Sue Yim, Jo Smith and Thomas Fletcher. Their work is mostly behind the scenes but is so essential to making this event a success.

The final results from the day can be found here: House Sports Day Results 2021

Thanks also to Ron Delgrosso for his photographs which are as usual superb. More photos can be found at this link: House Sports Photos 2021

Scholarship Exam Results for 2020

28 Scholarships were awarded to 14 Lynfield College students across nine subject areas for 2020. Scholarships were achieved in: Biology (4,) Calculus (5), Chemistry (2), Classical Studies (2), Geography (1), History (2), Music (1), Statistics (3), Physics (8)

These included one Outstanding Scholarship (Calculus) and one Outstanding Scholar Award. This is a fantastic result and indicates the high achievement by this group of students. Top achievers in Scholarship results were:

Baylee Verzyde
Outstanding Scholarship in Calculus
Scholarship in Chemistry
Scholarship in Classical Studies
Scholarship in Music
Scholarship in Physics
Scholarship in Statistics

Sharjil Kazi
Scholarship in Chemistry
Scholarship in Calculus
Scholarship in Statistics
Scholarship in Physics

You Ting Lei (Year 12)
Scholarship in Calculus
Scholarship in Statistics
Scholarship in Physics

All students who gained a Scholarship received a monetary award towards their university study, which totalled approximately $38,000 in 2020. The College is very proud of each student who gained one of these top academic awards and recognises the work done by the teachers to prepare and tutor these achievers.

Special Breakfast to Celebrate Scholarship Success

We held a very special Scholarship Breakfast on the morning of Friday 12 February to celebrate the success of 14 of our 2020 senior students in Scholarship exams. A total of 28 Scholarships, including one Outstanding was achieved. It was a wonderful opportunity to congratulate these students and wish them well in their forthcoming tertiary studies. A big thank you to Stephanie Van Niekerk for her support in catering for the event.

We are very proud of what they have achieved.

NCEA Results for 2020

Despite the challenges and disruption to learning due to the effects of Covid-19 in 2020, our Year 11,12 and 13 students achieved some very pleasing results for NCEA.

Highlights

YEAR 11: 78.4% gained Level 1 certificate. Of these 31.9% had their level certificate endorsed with Excellence and 30.7% endorsed with Merit.

YEAR 12: 83.6% gained Level 2 certificate. Of these 16.5% had their level certificate endorsed with Excellence and 31.7% endorsed with Merit.

YEAR 13: 81.6% gained Level 3 certificate and 61.4% gained UE, which is above the national statistics of 51.7%. Of those receiving their Level 3 certificate 17.8% were endorsed with Excellence and 23.6% at Merit.

Congratulations to Tsukimi Umeno

We are delighted to hear that Lynfield College student Tsukimi Umeno (Year 13 in 2020), will have her NCEA Level 3 Design portfolio displayed in New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA’s) Top Art exhibition this year.

Top Art is an annual touring exhibition featuring a selection of the NCEA Level 3 portfolios that achieved Excellence in Visual Art in the previous year. Five streams are covered: design, painting, photography, printmaking and sculpture.

Top Art provides an opportunity for secondary students and teachers to gain an understanding of what is required to achieve Excellence at Level 3. It also allows members of the public to see the high quality art being created in schools.

The exhibition schedule (published in February), provides locations, dates and contact details for each leg of the exhibition. Images of the Top Art folios can be viewed through the NNQA Top Art Facebook page. Please note that images for each year's exhibition are uploaded in early March.

A small sample of Tsukimi's portfolio is below.

Year 9 Orientation Programme

The Year 9 students had two days of orientation activities to settle them into school before classes started.

The most important part was the Peer Support sessions, where senior students helped the form class build whanaungatanga. We are grateful to our Peer Support leaders for their responsibility and care for our new students.

Year 9 students also learnt how to access the school computer network and Schoology, demonstrated our school values, and discovered opportunities available to them at the college.

FROM PRINCIPAL CATH KNELL

Kia ora koutou

Our focus for the first week back was to welcome those new to our school and those returning.

A pōwhiri was held for our new staff which was followed by a pōwhiri for our Year 9 students and their whānau. Our school hall was overflowing. It was a pleasure to be able to speak with a number of parents afterwards. We missed not being able to meet with you face-to-face for enrolment interviews in 2020 due to Covid-19.

It was also a real pleasure to meet all the Year 9 students, in form class groups, during their Orientation Programme. I shared what we value at Lynfield College and some of the history of our school with them. The number of students who have had a parent or grandparent previously attend Lynfield seems to increase each year!

The other year levels were welcomed by their Dean and form teachers with students now having confirmed their learning programmes for 2021. The happy and excited buzz of our students upon their return set a positive tone for the year. We extend a particularly warm welcome to those students joining us for the first time in 2021.

Friday saw the whole school on normal timetable with students showing manaakitanga in helping each other find where they were supposed to be. Due to the refurbished F Block classes not all being released for use until later in the month some room changes were needed.

2021 WILL BE A YEAR OF DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION AT LYNFIELD

Design

For the new 30 teaching space block with Brewer Davidson, Architects, being appointed by the MOE at the end of 2020
As we further progress our own localised curriculum.

Construction

There has been considerable building work around the school over the holiday break. In addition to the refurbished F
Block, air-conditioning is being installed in G Block classrooms and the turf replaced in 2020 has been protected with new fencing
Further construction work has now begun to address watertightness issues at the front of the Library and Lower Gym
Students are reminded not to enter the signed construction zones
The asphalt courts are scheduled to be resurfaced and the school gates installed by the end of the term.

I look forward to meeting with more of our whānau as the year gets underway.

Noho ora mai

Cath Knell

Tumuaki | Principal

Above: Powhiri for New Staff

Powhiri for our new Year 9 students

Past Student Recognised in New Year's Honours

Distinguished Professor Ian Reid has been awarded the Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM), of Auckland, for services to medicine.

Distinguished Professor Ian Reid is the Head of the University of Auckland’s Department of Medicine. He was the first to establish a substantial research group focused on osteoporosis in older people, which has had a significant international impact. He published the first successful trial of bisphosphonates for treating osteoporosis, which have since become the most widely used medicines for that purpose.

His research team has developed treatments for Paget’s disease, a bone condition that affects up to five percent of older New Zealanders. He has published 630 research articles.

He was a founding Board member of Osteoporosis New Zealand and President of the International Bone and Mineral Society, and was Founding Secretary of the Asian Pacific Osteoporosis Foundation.

Distinguished Professor Ian Reid attended Lynfield College from 1967 to 1971.