Kia ora koutou,

Currently we are in week 7 of what is proving to be a very busy and productive term for students in all year groups at Orewa College.

Year 7 have been fully engaged in the Outdoor Education week with a range of activities both on and outside of the college site.

On Friday I supported our first combined Pasifika group with Whangaparaoa College as they performed at the 2023 Auckland Secondary Schools Polyfest.  This group looked fantastic and produced the goods, coming 3rd in the 'Fusion' section of the Diversity Stage.  In 2024, it is anticipated that both a Pasifika and a Kapa Haka group will be participating in Polyfest.

As you are aware on Wednesday afternoon, senior students in Year 11-13 can opt in to a range of tutorials/workshops across many subject areas (see link below in our newsletter and also on our website).  This is a fantastic opportunity for students to keep up to date with coursework, improve their understanding in particular subjects and prioritise their focus.

A reminder of the upcoming PPTA teachers strike on Thursday 16th of March when the college will be physically closed to students but they can continue to work online.

Other important dates include the Orewa College Community Day on Saturday 1st April and our inaugural academic conferences on Wednesday 5 April.  You will soon receive information about how to book your academic conference.  You will have a range of times from 8.30am until 7.30pm from which to choose.  This conference will take approximately 15 minutes and no timetabled classes will occur on this day.


Ngā mihi

Greg Pierce
Principal

Orewa College Art Design in TOP ART

Congratulations to Fraser Wallace (Yr13 2022) and his Art Design teacher Miss Jenny White for the selection of his portfolio in the 'National Top Art Exhibition'. 
'Top Art' is a selection of the Level 3 Art Portfolios that were awarded Excellence and travel around kura for the duration of 2023, to inspire the future Level 3 cohort. 
This is great recognition of both Fraser's and Miss White's efforts in 2022, and great to see Orewa College Visual Arts in a national tour.

Orewa College Community Day 1st April 2023

On the first of April, Orewa College is holding our inaugural community day event, i.e. Te Ahu a Rea (fostering cultural growth). 
This will start from 11am and finish at 2.00pm. 
Be quick to pre-order your hangi, HERE  Event information CLICK HERE.

Polyfest 2023

In a joint merger with Whangaparaoa College, several of our Pasifika students gave an outstanding inaugural performance on the Diversity Stage at Polyfest 2023 last week. Called ‘Pasifika Fusion’, this group of dedicated performers took out 3rd place in the Fusion Award. All credit to the performers and their dedicated team of tutors led by Marina Vaha for their talent and accomplishment - very awesome!
Dressed in stunning cultural costumes donning black patterned fitted dresses for the first act and brilliant, flowing hues of blue for the second, the girls performed with grace, elegance, and in perfect harmony. Imprinted in my mind are their beautiful smiles, a perfect accompaniment to their dress and cultural dance. Stunning!
Three senior male students, Osaiasi Ahofono, Sandeep Lalli, and Avishek Mohan and Year 9 student Luau Toetuu also looked amazing in their colourful traditional costumes. Their synchronised movements demonstrated a knowledge and appreciation of their Pasifika heritage. They definitely gained the attention of the females in the audience!
But for me, and this is my biased opinion, it was our own Sandeep Lalli who stole the show. His movements were bold, confident, and accomplished yet he managed to incorporate his own style of individual daring and wit to charm and entertain the captive audience. Losing his ‘ie lavalava during one highly physical dance didn’t stop his flow of movement - he embraced the loss and ramped up his dance!  
All in all, a wonderful day out for Mr. Rubens, myself, and our kapa haka supporter group and a very successful outcome for ‘Pasifika Fusion’. Roll on 2024 ….
Article by Marara Schreurs, Manutaki Māori (Dean of Māori)

Year 7 EOTC Week

Our Year 7 students took part in Education Outside The Classroom Week - six-days of activities in school and our local area.
The weather was mainly kind to them, while they participated in a range of activities including: surfing, camp cooking, bivouac building, performing arts, environmental art, raft-building, stand-up paddleboard, community action, team-building, and a high ropes course.
Students will build on these skills when they go to Year 8 Camp next year.
Special thanks to the Year 7 staff and parent helpers for giving our students these opportunities.

Calling Keen Bakers - Inaugural Community Day

Years 7 & 8 With the exciting news that Ōrewa College is holding it’s inaugural Community Day, Te Ahu a Rea, we are hoping your family may be able to contribute a cake, slice, biscuits, muffins etc to sell on the day.

We will be sending home cake boxes on Monday 27th and asking for them to be brought to school on Friday 31st. There is no pressure to contribute. Year 7 & 8’s will be offered a box in their classrooms. Further details will come home on a flyer inside the box. 
Year 9 - 13’s will need to pop over to room 3 to pick one up on Monday 27th March. 
Many thanks for your support.

NCEA Information Evening

Date: 15th March 2023
Where: Orewa Arts and Events Centre
Time: 7.00pm
Who is this event for? 
Year 11, Year 10 students taking NCEA subjects , parents/caregivers new to NCEA

Year 7 & 8 North Harbour Tag Zone Day

An action packed day for our Boys and Girls in Year 7 & 8, as they competed at the North Harbour Tag Zone Day.  
The boys finished second, qualifying for the Auckland Zone Finals. The girls gave it their all and just missed out on the top four.  An awesome effort by our youngsters.

Senior Tutorials - Term 1

Please CLICK HERE for the tutorials available to students on Wednesdays 2.15-3.15pm.

Senior Chess Club Chess club is underway here at OC. A jam packed room full of enthusiastic future chess champions versing one another on Thursday lunch times in S13. This week we ran out of chess boards and the room was buzzing with a range of beginners and experts eating their lunch and talking all things chess. All welcome so feel free to come along to watch or play!

Reminder: Strike Day

Thursday, 16 March is a National PPTA Teacher Strike day.  
Students do not attend school on this day and there will be no school bus service.

Wicked Production

We would like to wish 'Chookas!' to former students of Orewa College who are involved in the production of Wicked which is being performed at Sky City from 31st March to 22nd April. Students include Trafford Anderson (Assistant Director), Heather Wilcock (as Elphaba), George Keenan (Ensemble and The Wizard Understudy), and Lisa Camelbeke (Ensemble). CLICK HERE for Tickets

Duke of Edinburgh Training Day

On Thursday March 2, 60 keen Dukies from Y9-13 took part in our annual Training Day on the school fields.
We set up a tent city, cooked lunch on primuses, did river crossings in the estuary, built bivouacs, and did a variety of team building activities.
A highlight was the leadership shown by our Gold Dukies who shared their experience with the younger students and led them through the activities. We are all looking forward to more adventures and fun in 2023.
If any student is interested in joining our Dukes team, come and see Mr Hawke or Mrs Herring.

Maths Competition Opportunity - Years 7 - 11

Otago Junior Maths Competition 2023:

• What: A 50 minute on-line maths problem solving competition open to all students from Year 7 to 11.
• When & Where: Tuesday March 28 block 1 in Mr Little's room (S10).
  
• How: Pay the $5 fee to accounts with the permission slip that you can collect from Mr Little in S10 (or email [email protected] for an electronic version).
  

Sheila Winn Festival

In June our students will be participating in the Sheila Winn Festival, a celebration of Shakespeare's timeless plays.  Don't miss the opportunity to see our students in action.

North Harbour Cricket Zone Day

Our year 7 & 8 boys team representing Orewa College in the B grade Zone cricket day did a fantastic job, winning both their games against Mahurangi and Northcote Colleges.
With a mixture of club players and those new to the game, they combined well with both bat and ball and showed great sportsmanship on and off the field.
Dom McCleery was a stand out wicketkeeper taking 3 catches in the first game and 1 in the second and Coby Kayes in the second game bowled 2 overs (16 balls) and took 4 wickets (1 caught and bowled) for only 8 runs.
Thank you to parent David Kayes for accompanying the team.

Senior Orewa Athletics Results

Congratulations to these students.  CLICK HERE for all results.

Student Opportunities

Many exciting opportunities for students are in the student daily notices.  
Students and parents/caregivers can access student notices using a link at the top of the web portal or via the Orewa College app.  

Seeking School Nurse

An opportunity exists for a registered nurse to join our school community - please CLICK HERE for job application details.