 Strong Beginnings Tēnā koutou, ki te whānau o Mount Albert Grammar School.
It has been wonderful to welcome back students to the new school year as they breathe life into our school buildings once again.
On Wednesday our newest Albertians were welcomed into the F.W. Gamble Memorial Hall by pōhiri, as pictured below.
They enjoyed a day getting to know their Mentor Teacher and new classmates. Thank you to our Year 13 Peer Support Leaders for leading the induction process.
Thursday saw all students in school and settling quickly into timetabled classes and learning.
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To have the wheels of MAGS beginning to turn again so quickly is a credit to the preparation of our teaching and property staff. The timetabling team, in particular, are magicians!
Equally, our students have returned ready-to-learn and with enthusiasm. This bodes well for the success of the year ahead.
The role of student leadership in a successful school cannot be underestimated.
Congratulations to our Head Prefects for 2024 – Rosa Fox and Toby Forster, who will be well supported by Deputy Head Prefects Isabella Boerson, Rose Leader, Brianna McCready, Ryan Chen, Eved Ah Soon and Lize Deng.
All the best for leading your school this year.
Our students are to be commended for starting the year strongly. We look forward to another fantastic year for our MAGS young people!
Enjoy the weekend.
Patrick Drumm
Headmaster |
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Click here for the Calendar
Monday, February 5
School Closed
Tuesday, February 6
Waitangi Day holiday
Thursday, February 15
MAGS Swimming Sports Day
Wednesday, February 21 (TBC)
MAGS Athletics Championship Day
Friday, March 29
Good Friday holiday
Monday, April 1
Easter Monday holiday
Tuesday, April 2
School Closed
Thursday, April 11
Last day of classes for Term 1
Friday, April 12
Staff Only Administration Day
End of Term 1
Trials and Registrations
Click here
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Our Lion Fund programme aims to provide financial support to allow every MAGS student to access the breadth of opportunities we offer at our school.
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  The 2024 school year got off to a fantastic start with Year 9 students welcomed on their first day on Wednesday with a pōhiri along with our new staff in the F.W. Gamble Hall.
Matua Peter Walters oversaw proceedings before Year 9s were handed over to their Mentor Teachers and began their orientation with the help of our Peer Support Leaders, as pictured above.
Mr Drumm welcomed the new students and their whanau sitting on the mezzanine floor. He spoke about the long history of MAGS and how that came with a tradition of high standards and a pursuit of excellence. With that in mind, MAGS was always looking to the future and it was up to our newest students to create their futures at MAGS, with all it had to offer.
Those sentiments were echoed by Albertian Chris Lowrey (2000-2004), who has returned to MAGS as a Year 9 parent.
Mr Lowrey, pictured right, said, "This school has given me many fond memories and experiences. It has given me the chance to make life-long friendships, taught me life-long lessons, the value of discipline and working hard, values that have served me well in my own journey."
He said to the Year 9 students, "Today is momentous in that it marks the beginning of a new chapter in your educational journey, the next stage in your development as young people.
"And as parents and families we wish you well with love and support but where you go on this journey is inevitably up to you.
"This School has the best resources, staff, opportunities and support to help you get to where you want to go but ultimately the paddle, so to speak, is in your hands now. And you will need to pull yourselves through, with effort and hard work to get to the places you want to go. Which, as you will quickly learn, is signified by the school motto: 'Through Hardship to Glory'.
Daniel Menzies, who has returned to MAGS as our HOF Mathematics, spoke on behalf of the new staff and told them that they had joined one of the best and most supportive schools in the country – one that offered great opportunities for staff and students alike.
You can see more photos from our Year 9s' first day here
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Our new Director of Rugby |
 Sport at MAGS welcomes our newly appointed Director of Rugby, Albertian Tutu Tairea (2002-2007).
Tutu, also known as 'Toots', brings a wealth of experience to the role, being a former New Zealand Sevens Representative, Auckland Sevens Men’s Captain, Auckland Sevens Assistant Coach, Director of Rugby at Suburbs Rugby, Head Coach of the NZ U18s Women’s Schools Condors 7s team (semi-finalists), U18s World Schools Sevens Barbarians team, Ignite Surge Women’s 7s team and has served as head coach of the Rugby Girls 7s and 10s teams (both 1st Place in Auckland over the years), and 2023 1st XV Rugby Girls Auckland Secondary Schools Champion, Blues Region Champions and Top Four in New Zealand.
Tutu is a proud former student of the school, and part of the 2007 1A 1st XV Auckland Schools Champion team. We are looking forward to him progressing well in his role and giving back to the MAGS Rugby programme. |
 The Performing Arts programme is ramping up for the year at MAGS.
Students should keep an eye out for notices about groups they are interested in joining. |
 Keep up to date with school news and events on the MAGS App – free from the App Store or Google Play.
MAGS parents can instantly access school announcements, Daily Notices, the Kamar portal, teachers’ contact details, and notify the School if your child is absent.
When notifying absences, you need to load your child’s Student ID number. You should only need to do this once, and this helps us record absences more easily.
Parents and students can check the School Calendar and sync chosen events with their own Calendar, and choose Groups about which they wish to receive Alert Notifications.
There are links to the MAGS Newsletter, Sports, Maps, and more …
Search for “SchoolAppsNZ”, and load the app on to your phone. You can then search for and add as many schools as you want so you can receive alerts from multiple schools. If you are having trouble with this, click here to see how. |
Three golds at NZSS Athletics |
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Congratulations to Kendra Scally-Tui and Nina Chalmers, who won three gold medals between them at the New Zealand Secondary School Athletics Nationals.
They were part of a contingent of six MAGS students who competed at the meet in Christchurch from December 8-10.
Five of these students were representing MAGS at the nationals for the first time.
Kendra (pictured above centre) showed why she is one of the country's most promising sprinters, winning the Junior Girls 100m and 200m. She won her 200m heat by more than one second with a time of 24.80, which was an Intermediate Girls (Under 16) school record. Kendra won her semi-final comfortably to qualify for the final.
In the final she ran an impressive time of 24.64 to win by 0.92 seconds and surpassed the Intermediate Girls school record for a second time. Her time also made her the Auckland U16 record holder.
Kendra continued her good form in the 100m. She won her heat in quick fashion with a time of 12.14 and her semi-final in a close race by 0.09 seconds. The final saw her run 12.28 to win the 100m/200m double.
She was named in the New Zealand Secondary Schools team based on her efforts at the meet and will represent NZ in Australia in April at the Australia Athletics Champs.
Nina (pictured below centre) won the Junior Girls 800m event. This highlights her talents as one of the stronger distance runners in her age group.
After carefully managing her way through the heats and semis, she went with the front pack in the final and then controlled the finish kicking on with 150m to go. The final was run in torrential rain with a strong southerly and a temperature of 11 degrees making her time of 2:19.24 very respectable.
The other school record was set by Peggy Taylor in the Junior Girls 400m, where she finished a strong 4th in the final. She beat her own school record set earlier this year with a time of 59.28 in the semi-final.
Other students that competed were Taya Lewis. She finished 14th in the Senior Girls Discus. This was her last time representing the school.
Alvin Xu made the quarterfinals of the Senior Boys 100m, and Zara Bint progressed through to the Junior Girls 100m quarterfinals and also competed in the 200m.
Assistant Director of Sport Carlin Crossan said, "A special mention goes to all those parents who travelled down with the students to support them. A big thanks goes to Sarah Yallop, who managed the students at the meet."  |
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