 From the Associate Principal |
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 Tēnā koutou, ki te whānau o Mount Albert Grammar School.
As is always the ‘MAGS Way’, it has been a busy week. Many summer sports are up and running, pun intended, with many enjoying the opportunity to compete at the MAGS Athletics Day at Mt Smart on Wednesday. Meanwhile, daily back at school, cultural groups have been gathering and various clubs re-establishing for the year.
Of our MAGS strategic priorities above, it is connection that has been most evident this week. Wednesday evening, it was a pleasure to welcome a record number of parents of Year 9 students into our F.W. Gamble Hall, offering the opportunity to establish connections with Mentor Teachers and Peer Support Leaders.
Strong beginnings are important, as are making connections by putting faces to names and building relationships.
Our Peer Support Leaders have been effective and integral to smoothing the way for our newest cohort, and we are grateful that so many have given of their time to role model our school values and connect with parents too.
Along with putting faces to names, also important is becoming familiar with, and developing an understanding of, the school processes, routines and expectations that contribute to the smooth day-to-day operation of our school.
The support we receive, daily, from our MAGS parent community to achieve this as we re-establish expectations after our long, hot summer, provides great confidence for the year ahead.
A warm thank-you to many for their contribution to such a successful Week Four, and best wishes for a restful and enjoyable weekend.
Ngā mihi nui
Jo Williams
Associate Principal |
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Click here for the Calendar
Wednesday, March 6
Scholarship Information Evening, F.W. Gamble Hall, 6pm-7pm
Monday, March 18
Summer Tournament Week starts
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 Photo Essays
 MAGS Athletics Championships
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Trials and Registrations
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Fixtures and Results
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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Records tumble at Athletics |
 For the first time since 2020, we were able to host our Athletics Day at Mount Smart Stadium on Wednesday.
Almost 300 students competed in track and field events throughout the day. The distance events of 800m, 1500m and 3000m were held at the Lovelock Track last week.
The main highlight of the day was Kendra Scally-Tui, pictured above, continuing her outstanding form following the 2023 New Zealand Secondary School Nationals and breaking two school records in the Intermediate Girls 100m and 200m. She came first in the 100m with a time of 12.07, beating the record of 12.14 that had stood since 2020.
Kendra also beat the 200m record that she set last year, with a time of 24.53. This shows why she is one of New Zealand’s most promising sprinters.
 During our distance events, Nina Chalmers also broke two records – the Intermediate Girls' 1500m and 3000m. She beat her own record in the 1500m by three seconds, with a time of 4:48.78. She also eclipsed the 3000m record that was set in 2017 by 17 seconds with an impressive time of 10:44.47. This time was faster than some of the Senior Boys’ times.
Other highlights came from Ryan Shen, who showed his all-round athletic ability by winning the Senior Boys 100m, 200m, 400m, 110m hurdles, long jump and triple jump.
All competitors in the Intermediate Girls 100m final ran under the zone qualification time.
In the high jump, the Intermediate Boys category was competitive, with Finn McDrury winning on a count-back with a height of 1.70m. The Senior Boys category was also decided on a count-back, with Niko Clare winning with a jump of 1.70m.
Dre Palavi showed his promise as a strong thrower in the Junior Boys category, winning the shot put and javelin.
The throwing events in the Senior Girls category were close contests as well. The discus was won by Tommee Paeu, with a throw of 28.21m, narrowly beating Dorothy Brunt. Tommee also won the shot put by 10cm with a throw of 10.07m.
In the Intermediate Girls category, Maddie Early won the 400m, long jump and triple jump. She also came second in the 100m. Anika Todd continued her success, with wins in the Senior Girls high jump and javelin.
Individual champions for each category will be decided once all results are finalised.
Assistant Director of Sport Carlin Crossan said, "The day would not be able to be run without the staff who officiated, the Year 13 coaching class who assisted with marshalling, and the officials from Auckland Athletics. A big thanks to everyone who helped on the day."
Students who have qualified for the Central/East/West Zone on March 5 have been notified by email, as have their parents. They must confirm they will compete by next Tuesday lunchtime. If they do not confirm by then, they will not be entered.
More photos from the athletics championships here  |
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Arts Leaders Recognised at Assembly |
 Our 2024 Arts leaders were presented with their badges at the Year 11 Assembly on Wednesday.
These committed students lead a number of different groups and clubs across Visual Arts, Music, Dance, Drama, Spoken Word, Poetry, Media Studies, Speech and Debating – as well as a variety of cultural groups.
These students were chosen because of their support and passion for their respective groups, and, in particular, as role models for younger students and future leaders. |
Scholarship Information Evening |
Mount Albert Grammar School welcomes all parents – and students who may be interested in sitting scholarship exams this year – to attend our Scholarship Information Evening on Wednesday, March 6 from 6pm-7pm in the F.W. Gamble Hall.
The evening is an opportunity to get details about the scholarship exam and the process for signing up, and hear from current students who have sat the exam.
Scholarship exams are a richly rewarding academic challenge for our students and we look forward to seeing you at the information evening.
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MAGS Arts - Stay Connected - Keep Informed |
There is a huge number of opportunities to get involved in Arts and Culture groups at MAGS, but it is important that students stay abreast of individual group musters and opportunities via the notices, year level classroom pages and MAGS social media.
Any specific enquiries can be made to Director of Arts Jacqui Cesan – [email protected] |
Health Community Consultation |
Thank you to everyone who responded to the Health Community Consultation last year.
We appreciate your feedback.
Following the consultation, the Board of Trustees has affirmed our Health Curriculum Delivery Statement as required by MOE and look forward to continuing delivery of an outstanding Health curriculum to our students. |
 The Year 13 Outdoor Education programme has started the year with a focus on 'Independence'.
School-based discussions led into an Independence Surf Camp at Piha Beach.
When not developing their surfing skills and knowledge, the students had to camp and cook independently.
A highlight of the camp was a Mātauranga Māori workshop with Te Kaiārahi, with students setting life goals and practising meditation.
Thank you to Brett Ngawaka of Rapu Adventures for his support.
For more photos of this and previous trips, please visit here |
Swimming Sports – The Early Years |
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The first swimming sports were held on March 14, 1922 at Shelly Beach Baths.
This was just four weeks after the school had opened.
The same venue was used in the following year, and from 1924 till 1934 the sports were held at the Tepid Baths before the Mount Eden pool was made available to the school for swimming lessons and for the annual competitions.
In 1958 the venue was moved again – to Mount Roskill Grammar School, where the first principal was V.C. (Vic) Butler, who had attended Mount Albert Grammar from 1922 to 1925 and was a prefect in 1924 and 1925.
Each of these pools used the old imperial measurements with the pool being 33 1/3 yards long – this meant three lengths of the pool were 100 yards, slightly less than 100 metres. In the early 70s the venue shifted again, to the Olympic Pool in Newmarket, which allowed races to be run over the distances we are familiar with today.
 Until the mid-1980s the swimming sports involved the whole school. The usual format was to hold the heats of championship events in the morning. Those who were not competing made their own way to the pool in time for the afternoon events. These involved the finals of the championship events along with inter-form relays.
One of the highlights was the staff relay against the prefects, as pictured below in 1977, when it was not unknown for the competitors to bend (or break) the rules. As the school grew in size, it became more difficult to accommodate all the students for the afternoon session – consequently the swimming sports became an event just for competitive swimmers.
The opening of the Aquatic Centre in 1998 has meant that the number of competitive swimmers has increased considerably. Since 1922 the top swimmers from the swimming sports have been selected to represent the school in the inter-secondary school competitions and beyond.
Footnote: The Shelly Beach Baths closed in 1956 to make way for the Auckland Harbour Bridge approaches. They were replaced by the nearby Point Erin Pool.
– Greg Cave, Assistant Archivist  |
Our Orienteering season had a great start with MAGS winning all six grades in the first race out of five in the Western Zone Sprint Series.
As in previous years, we have over 60 students registered, with a large number of first-timers.
Our team manager, Neill McGowan, and captains Ami McGowan and Matthew Greenwood did an amazing job organising the team, which includes Head Prefects Toby Forster and Rosa Fox.
Congratulations to our grade winners:
Year 9 Girls – Chloe Petrie, Year 9 Boys – Ben Spreitzer / Max Roebuck, Year 10/11 Girls – Zara Bint, Year 10/11 Boys – Tahi Harris / William Wood, Year 12/13 Girls – Anna Batcheler, Year 12/13 Boys – Matthew Greenwood.
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Triathletes in the Medals |
  On Tuesday, 16 students (four individuals and four teams) competed at the Auckland Secondary Schools Triathlon at Maraetai Beach.
The day proved to be a successful one for our students, picking up two medals.
Theo Bray (Year 12, pictured right) competing as a Senior for the first time, won the Senior Boys category by over a minute from his nearest rival. He completed the 750m swim, 16km cycle and 5km run in a time of 58:40. This is great progress by Theo, who finished third in the Intermediate section last year.
Our Junior Boys team, consisting of Luke McGowan, Tom Gaskell and Lucas Izzard (all Year 9, pictured above), came away with a silver medal. This was their first time representing the school. Their course distance was a 250m swim, 8km cycle and 3km run. They finished in a combined time of 39:31.
Other notable efforts came from our two Intermediate Girls teams, who finished fourth and fifth. Both teams were competing in this event for the first time. Lilaina Marshall was second after the swim leg in the Senior Girls race to finish fifth overall.
Assistant Director of Sport Carlin Crossan said, "Thanks to Ms Laing for managing the students on the day and assisting with transport. Also, thanks to all the parents who assisted with transporting students and bikes, as well as supporting the students on the day." |
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