Onehunga High School News

Tēnā koutou, ki te whānau o Onehunga High School

Our senior students have approached the exam period with maturity and purpose. Next term, they will have an important opportunity to build on their exam feedback. Throughout this term, teachers have offered numerous extra tutorials, revision classes, and academic support, going above and beyond to help students realise their potential. We thank them for their dedication and care.

Te Wiki o te Reo Māori provided an invaluable opportunity to share and embrace te reo and tikanga. The preparation of the school hāngi by our Māori committee truly embodied the spirit of manaakitanga, bringing our school community together. Thank you to everyone who generously donated food for the hāngi, and to Owen Sinclair, Matua Anthony and OHS student Amber-Keisha Kuluia Hampton-Toko-Mikahere for their planning and wisdom in making this event a success for all of us to enjoy.

Some highlights from the past fortnight:

The celebrations for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori were embraced by the school community. The hāngī, kapa haka performances at OHS and local Primary and Intermediate schools and sharing of te reo Māori were enjoyed by all.
OHS hosted the finals of the Theatresports Youth Programme with a fun-filled evening that showcased the talents of all the teams involved.
Onehunga Playcentre parents and children were welcomed to OHS with a Powhiri. Occasions such as these strengthens our community relationships.
Congratulations to Shea Mendis, Lily Shultz, Arlo Gould, Jacob Henderson, William Ford-Evans and Chloe Simmons, who competed in the Finals of the Tournament of Minds in Wellington and came 2nd!
The Fakatoukatea Tongan Leadership group hosted a dinner for their families at school.
Congratulations to; Madeleine ‘One’one, Etuini Lalakai, Vaitofiga Anesone and Daiana Radrole, for receiving Hands-On Otago scholarships.

For our senior students, there is very little time left at school, with just three weeks next term before they head off to NCEA examinations, and five weeks for the junior school before their end-of-year exams. This is an important opportunity to reflect and take stock of the great year we have had as we head into the final stretch.

Thank you for your continued partnership as we head into the final term. I hope all of our staff and students enjoy a well-deserved, restful break.

Shameen Hayat
PRINCIPAL

Key dates

14 October - Beginning of Term 4
18 October - Y13 Music Gala Concert
21 October - L1 Drama Production "The Importance of being Earnest"
23 October - Sports Awards Evening
25 October - Pasifika Evening
25 October - NCEA Internal results published
28 October - Labour Day
30 October - OHScars Media Awards
31 October - Y11 Prizegiving
1 November - Senior Prizegiving
5 November - NCEA Exams begin
6 November - Arts Celebration Evening
8 November - Teacher Only Day
11-13 November - Junior Exams
25 November - Active Lifestyles week
3 December - Junior Prizegiving

Tournament of Minds Success

Shea Mendis, Lily Shultz, Arlo Gould, Jacob Henderson, William Ford-Evans and Chloe Simmons, had already won the Auckland Region STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) category of Tournament of Minds. Last week they travelled to Wellington to compete in the final and placed 2nd, very narrowly…

CONGRATULATIONS WELELE LOTI-RAPANA Y11

Welele has been selected for the Auckland Rugby Central/West U16s team

Hands-On Otago Scholarship Success.

The University of Otago Hands-On Programme had an unprecedented number of applications for 2025 scholarships.

Te Wiki o te Reo Māori.

Te Wiki o te Reo Māori has been extremely enjoyable and a rich learning experience.

Fun Filled Theatresports Final.

OHS hosted the Theatresports Youth Programme (TYP) Final last Friday. We competed against Avondale, Westlake Girls, and Saint Kentigern College.

Onehunga Playcentre Visit.

Onehunga Playcentre parents and children were welcomed onto our Te Haerenga Marae on Friday.

Fakatoukatea Student Leadership Dinner.

The Year 9 Fakatoukatea Tongan Leadership group hosted their families at a dinner at school on Friday night.

Ake Ake Ake- A FOREVER LANGUAGE.

Te Wiki o te Reo Māori is an annual celebration for all New Zealanders to show their support for the Māori language.

CONGRATULATIONS MS. LOUSI!

Our Teacher In Charge of Health Sciences, Ms Luse Lousi, has been to Italy to compete in the Dragon Boat World Club Crew Championships.

OUR VERY 1ST OHS PASIFIKA AWARDS - 25TH OCT

A celebration of our Pasifika students at OHS with dinner & performances.

Careers

Another busy fortnight in the Careers department saw our Year 13 students exploring future options. Students interested in IT attended a seminar that showcased the diverse opportunities in this field. Meanwhile, Keanan Pienaar and Nathanael Uiki took a deep dive into Cybersecurity at Techtorium, further confirming their interest in this rapidly evolving sector. Other students researched careers in animal sciences and veterinary nursing with Massey University and Unitec. Additionally, a group of aspiring electricians and plumbers attended a lunchtime seminar on securing apprenticeships during economic downturns. We’re proud to see our students actively embracing opportunities to make informed decisions about their futures!

Sports

A busy 3rd term has come to an end and the Sports Department will now be looking ahead to our Junior sports in Term 4.

Sign-ups are underway for the following Junior sports next term. Some of the team entries will close in the first week:
- West Zone Futsal: Girls & Boys (1 team in each grade)
- Central Volleyball: Girls & Boys teams (5 teams entered overall)
- Blues Year 9/10 Rugby 7s: Girls & Boys
- Auckland Junior Softball Tournament: Mixed
- Auckland Cricket: Girls 9s T20; Boys Saturday Morning (spaces available)
We are considering other sporting codes which we will aim to confirm in week 1.

Girls win Badminton Central Zone
The Premier Badminton Girls just won GOLD at the recently concluded Girls Central Zone Tournament held weekly during Term 3 at Epsom Girls Grammar School, organised by the Auckland Badminton Association. The girls managed to win all their matches except for one loss. All the hard work and perseverance paid off for the girls, who trained every Wednesday morning and Saturday afternoon. Congratulations, girls!

2024 Onehunga High School Sports Awards
The annual sports awards will be held on Wednesday, 25th October from 6:00pm in the Gym with food and refreshments in the TKW Atrium after the event.

All of the award winners have been notified and tickets are now available for purchase:
https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2024/ohs-sports-awards-2024/auckland/onehunga