March 2021

Year 13 Careers Presentation

The Year 13 ‘Wayfinding Your Future’ seminar took place today (18 March 2021), with Dr Val O’Reilly giving our students tips for navigating their career.

Writing a CV and Cover Letter in a professional manner was addressed, with relevant suggestions for using the modern ATS Applicant Tracing System when applying for work. Forming a LinkedIn account was summarised, then an opportunity for a questions and answers with Dr Val to gain expert advice.

Mrs Keir, Careers Counsellor followed on with an overview of what would be offered across 2021, encouraging students to take a range of opportunities to assist with their development and decision making.

NCEA Information Evening

On Wednesday 17 March, 148 parents/caregivers attended our NCEA Information evening. It was wonderful to see so many families join us after the disruption due to Covid 19 in 2020. Our Academic Advisor, Neil Waddington gave the presentation and outlined what NCEA is all about, NCEA terminology such as Credits, Standards, Course and Portfolios and the requirements to achieve Level 1, 2 or 3 certificates. An update on the proposed changes to NCEA Level 1 was also shared.

Faculty Leaders, Careers Advisor Wendy Keir and Year 11 Dean Sarah Reynolds, were available on the night to answer any questions about NCEA for specific subject areas.

Here is the link to the presentation if you were unable to make it: https://tinyurl.com/yfs9xbc9

Japanese Language Exchange via Zoom

On Tuesday 16 March our Year 11 and 12 students had a language exchange with Shinagawa Gakuen, Japan via Zoom which was aired on local Shinagawa news in Japan.

Lynfield College has a close relationship with the Shinagawa community through the Shinagawa International Friendship Association. The focus of this zoom session was to strengthen and celebrate this valued relationship.

Using their digital devices, students communicated with each other and discussed favourite Anime and music. When any connection was lost, they wrote down what they wanted ensuring they would be able to communicate effectively when reconnected. Students were able to put the language they have learned in class into actual use and enjoyed learning each other’s colloquialisms. Not only did the online language exchange enhance students’ engagement via real time conversation, it also taught both schools’ students what kind of facial expressions and hand gestures are used in each others countries.

The next session will be on Friday 16 April, with exchanges with Shinagawa Gakuen as well as Shinagawa Summer School group organised by SIFA.

Youtube link to the zoom session with Shinagawa: https://youtu.be/C4u61j0ctcg?t=413

Innovation in Sport Award

The Innovation in Sport Award recognises initiative in school sport that is deemed to be exceptional in providing quality sporting opportunities for students.

Leveraging off the play.sport successes that Lynfield College had encountered in 2019, it was determined to work from the inside and employ a person within each of these schools whose sole focus would be on creating quality sporting and physical activity opportunities beyond the traditional sporting model, based on the student voice.

To achieve a positive impact for our rangatahi, particularly the inactive students a locally-led approach built from the inside was chosen. The focus was to give equitable opportunity for every student and to increase student participation and enjoyment statistics. All three schools employed fantastic and committed individuals who have already had an impact in their schools despite the chaos of COVID-19. Through these roles 1,400 students have received physical activity opportunities. Other outcomes include:

More opportunities in the ‘girls only’ setting
Engagement in the home setting during lockdowns
Increased engagement in physical activity
Schools working in partnership with local sports clubs
Increased engagement of school staff being involved in the sports programme.

The Senior Leadership Teams of Lynfield College, Mount Roskill Grammar and One Tree Hill College saw the massive value in such a role. They each invested into their respective positions financially and in time committed to sourcing additional funding.

The role is highly valued by the schools with all three Principals' seeking further advice and funding opportunities so that such roles can continue. All three roles have now been funded into 2021.


*Thomas Fletcher and Cath Knell*	Brian Faunt, Hamish Birbeck and Nick Coughlin	*Czarina Marzan and Greg Watson*

Design and Visual Communication Plan Share

In Design and Visual Communication this year, the Year 12s have the opportunity to design a plant shop, and the Year 13s have been looking at redesigning the uniform shop and surrounding gardens.

Lots of excited conversations in class about plants has started off the sharing of cuttings, and even whole plants, between staff, students and parents.

A lovely way to build strong working relationships in the classroom and keep in touch with whanau. Gardening is a hobby that contributes brilliantly to our well-being and our interior décor – a double win for everyone.

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Lockdown Poetry by 10ST

Prompt was the short video ‘Papatuanuku is Breathing’.
We are stuck at home once again
As I looked outside to see the rain
Drippity, drip, drip
Isolated in our bubbles
I looked outside
With a smiling grin
The streets are empty as the wind howls
In a mischievous chuckle.
What to do now.
Will we ever find a way
to lead us back to yesterday?

Zhilan Kansil

Fellow kiwis,
Tamaki Makaurau has had enough,
The city still and quiet as Papatuanuku replenishes her hurting soul,
Fear not communities in Auckland
as we go back to our doleful delicate bubbles,
Another fight for us to get through,
but more experienced than the last,
Papatuanuku we are ready,
we hear your cries,
we feel your sorrows,
So now it’s time to replenish,
for morrow will not daunt us but bring us strength and hope.

Briana McCready

I woke up. The sky is bright.
I check the time, 10:00am daylight outside.
I log into Schoology with my eyes half asleep.
How will I fit all this work into my day?
English work, another poem.
Science work, chemistry and atoms.
Digital work, testing your savy computer skills.
Music work, remembering your notes.
I push my lazy self to do my work
Remembering it’s still schooltime, but just at home.

Zak Ma’u

A buzzing sound almost deafens my ear
Covid-19 alert
Great.
I seep into the cushioning of my pillows
How many cases do we have? Will it end?
School Work is knocking on my computer screen
Flood rains down the sky
The atmosphere chokes me inside my room
Click clack click, submit
How many more? Three? Five? Four?
Agh too much work.
Sleep.

Alana Anindya

Back to the Bubble in Level 3

Now that we are back to Alert Level 3, we hope you are doing okay in your re-formed bubble. We hope our parents, caregivers and whanau stay strong and focus on looking after what is important in our lives.

Early on Monday morning: Principal Cath Knell is taking telephone enquiries while Deputy Principals Sandy Harris, Gabrielle Clark and Sharyn Hunt are preparing more than 50 Chromebooks for contactless collection by students for a week of online learning. Not shown are Deputy Principal Richard Winn and Library Manager Vicki Bennett who collected and catalogued the Chromebooks for distribution.

Here are a some pics from what our students and staff have been working on:


From Belinda Kusabs, Learning Support: Here is a zoom meeting that Adil arranged with Kayan, his mum Frian, Raj and Rachael. Raj had to leave slightly early. Adil was reading from his ‘light book’ while making up a story about Kayan who enjoyed it very much.	From Jackie Hardy, Technology: I have just had a lovely zoom meeting with my form class 10HY and the class reps Alston and Alexia organised a kahoot, this was based on the school work the class have been working on this week, great leadership demonstrated by both class reps and was great fun.


From Kyle Larsen, Science: Here is an image of my 11SCB class doing a live kahoot via zoom. It was great to reconnect with the students with the use of a synchronous learning lesson.	From Sonia Wensor and Sheena Matheson, Technology: Kimi Kimaat from Year 10 made a really cool Covid -19 videorap. Check this out: https://youtu.be/XCVinuStwfA