Kia ora koutou,

It is hard to believe but we are nearing the midway point of Term 2.

Students overall are very busy in all aspects of college life i.e. assessment completion in a range of subjects, winter sports and cultural, performing arts areas.

Those students who are excelling in any of these areas will be acknowledged in our 'Achievement Evening' which is occurring next Wednesday 31 May at 6.30pm in the Arts and Events Centre.  Communication confirming the students' attending will be sent by the end of this week.

Hopefully it is positive news that the PPTA has formally declared industrial strike action is suspended from today until Wednesday 31st May, while negotiations continue with the Ministry of Education.

The Kāhui Ako ki Orewa is the local collective of 8 schools which work collectively to promote consistency of educational practice and smooth transition points for students, i.e. pre-school to primary and primary to secondary school.  Due to Covid disruptions the staff of these schools have not met together for close to 2 years and we are doing so on Friday 2nd June.  This is the Friday preceding the long King's Birthday weekend and students will finish at the earlier time of 12.05pm so that the Kāhui Ako conference can occur.

Vaping is an ongoing challenge for many schools, including Orewa College.  All students in all year levels are receiving in this week's Year Level assemblies, a strong anti-vaping message.

On Wednesday, all students in Year 9-13 will be receiving a presentation on the need to develop 'resiliency' in this rapidly changing world of ours.  This presenter speaks from strong personal experiences and has an outstanding international reputation.

I look forward to celebrating the upcoming ‘Achievement Evening' with many of you next week.


Ngā mihi

Greg Pierce
Principal

Level Two Outdoor Education  - Rafting and Tree Adventures

Over the first term, the Level Two outdoor education classes looked at risk management and ocean safety. We are extremely fortunate to have an ocean close by where we can experience kayaking several times a week. 

To finish this unit and link with other outdoor activities we have recently completed Education Outside The Classroom trips to Wero White Water Park and Tree Adventures at Woodhill. 
Both activities have a level of risk, but with experienced guides and effective procedures, we can enjoy the thrill of rafting and climbing.

Wero is an amazing facility. Students get to experience a grade four rapid in the middle of Auckland.
Each student had a hand in the paddling of a raft down the wild rapids. Most people stayed in the raft, but the odd student got tipped out, which can be a little frightening, however with the right gear and safety procedures it's actually quite an enjoyable ride.
The highlight of this trip was nose surfing the waterfall and experiencing the big 4m drop-off. 

Tree adventures provided the thrill of being over 10m off the ground and students could swing, scramble and zip line their way through the trees. This can challenge the most confident and able climbers. 
Both activities reinforce the importance of proper risk management. When managed correctly, they are hours of safe and challenging fun.

PPTA Teacher Strike Action

Due to ongoing PPTA industrial action by secondary school teachers, year groups as detailed below will be unable to attend school on these dates:

Please note Strike Action has been suspended for this week.  Any changes to dates for the following weeks will be updated as information comes to hand.

International Festival

The International Festival was held on 12 May this year.
It was the first time in 5 years since we could not hold the festival due to the global pandemic. Community and Cultural leaders and students representing 8 countries participated with great enthusiasm, and the whole school enjoyed the colourful and bustling cultural experience.

The Orewa College International Festival started as the Ethnic Festival around 1990, led by Ms Gillian Gamble, who was the head of the English department at the time, to celebrate the cultural diversity and multicultural society in New Zealand.

Since then, we have been running the festival for almost 30 years and it has been a great annual event, showcasing cultures from around the world through performance, costume and ethnic foods.
From 2011 we decided to use the event to give back, and started this off by donating more than half of the profit from the festival to the Christchurch and Japan earthquake recovery organisations.

Since then, every year we have donated over one thousand dollars to charity. This year, we raised $3161.95, and will donate the profits to several charity organisations including Love Soup Orewa and Equity School in Kenya.

The staff and students who get involved are fortunate to be able to make a positive difference in others’ lives internationally, while having fun bringing a world of culture, food and festivities to their peers.

Sports Sponsorship

Please find the link to further information about Sports Sponsorship.   This is an exciting opportunity to participate in supporting sports at Orewa College.  Please let us know if you have any questions.  CLICK HERE

Swimming
Youth Commonwealth Games 2023

Congratulations to Year 12 student, Jasper Cornish who has been selected to represent New Zealand at the Youth Commonwealth Games in Trinidad and Tobago, August 2023.
Jasper has also been selected for the 2023 Tri-Series squad, to be held in Hawkes Bay during September of this year.

Recently, he won a total of 9 medals competing for Coast Swim Club in the following events:

The 2023 Apollo Project New Zealand Swimming Championships:
- 4 x 100 Freestyle mixed

The 2023 Apollo Projects New Zealand Age Group Championships:

This is an incredible achievement and we look forward to seeing Jaspar compete and wish him the best of luck.

Senior Japanese Trip

On Thursday the 18th of May, senior Japanese students had a trip to Bridgeway Cinema, Musashi Japanese restaurant, and Japan Mart.
At the cinema, students enjoyed watching an award winning Japanese movie called Our Little Sister while eating movie snacks like popcorn or ice cream.
After the cinema, they went to Musashi Japanese restaurant in Milford and had an authentic Japanese meal. And finally,  students thoroughly enjoyed a real Japanese shopping experience using Japanese language in Japan Mart. 
The day was a great chance for students to immerse themselves in Japanese language and culture and it was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Order School Photos

Parents/Caregivers have been emailed their child’s unique Key Code to go online to view
and purchase 2023 School Photos.
PhotoLife Website. Queries, please email: [email protected]
***FREE DELIVERY EXPIRES Midnight Sunday 28th May ***

North Harbour Cross Country Champs

Congratulations to Year 9 students, Isabella Pickering and Amy Houwniet who competed at the North Harbour Cross - Country championships on Tuesday at Moire Park in Massey. Isabella placed 3rd overall in the Junior Girls and Amy finished 15th overall also in the Junior Girls division.  Well done girls!

Level 2 Business Studies

Senior Chinese Trip

The immersive experience of the trip to the Chinese Cultural Centre in Panmure allowed us to dive into the fascinating culture of China and learn about its cultural activities first-hand. 
At 9 o'clock in the morning, years 11, 12 and some Year 10 Chinese learners hopped on the bus to head to the Chinese Cultural Centre in Panmure.
At the cultural centre, we learnt how to dye, a traditional Chinese practice. Many of the students created beautiful dye patterns onto their shirts to take home for themselves. 
We then walked to the Imperial Palace where we had the pleasure of trying out traditional Chinese dishes. We selected a range of different diverse dishes including, sweet and sour chicken, mongolian lamb, beef and vermicelli hotpot casserole etc. The waiters were very nice.
After a big feast, we headed back to the cultural centre to participate in some Chinese drumming. Everyone had a great time learning how to play the drums and had a good laugh.   By Hamish Dennis Year 12

NZ Kayaking Nationals

Year 13 student Kaiha Gilbertson recently competed at the New Zealand Kayaking Nationals and won the following medals for the men’s U18 age category;:
Gold U18 k1 1000
Gold U18 k1 500
Bronze U18 k1 200
Bronze U18 k2 200

The event also ran in conjunction with the Asian Pacific Championships, with Kaiha going on to win the following:
Gold U18 k1 500
Gold U18 mixed k2 200
Silver U18 k4 500
Bronze U18 k2 500

Congratulations Kaiha on your dedication to the sport, impressive results, and selection to represent your sport at a national level.

Level 1 Geography Trip

Having planned for good weather last Tuesday the Level 1 Geography class took full advantage of this and ventured into the city to climb the Auckland Harbour Bridge. 

This is part of their investigation into the accessibility issues that Auckland faces with a particular focus on crossing the Waitematā Harbour and plans for improving this in the future.
Standing on top of the bridge really emphasised the scale of this issue, as students witnessed the constant stream of traffic crossing the bridge and tried to imagine what it would look like to have another bridge or tunnel providing increased accessibility for vehicles, light rail and pedestrians.

They will now assess these potential courses of action and their advantages and disadvantages and make their recommendation on what is the best way forward, under or over the Waitematā Harbour, now and in the future. 

Important Dates

School finishes early Friday 02 June

Friday 02 June all students will finish at 12 noon, as our teachers attend the Ōrewa Kāhui
Ako Conference.

Year 7 Boostrix Vaccinations

The Boostrix vaccination will take place on Wednesday 21 June. This booster is for
tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough).
Consent forms have been issued to students, please complete and return the forms to the school even if you consent or do not consent by Friday 10 June.
This vaccination is also available free of charge at your GP clinic.

School Ball Saturday 17 June

The Orewa College school ball will be held on 17th June at the Ellerslie Convention Centre. The theme for this year's ball is "One Way Ticket".
The ball committee have been working hard to make this event as successful as in previous years.
As is school policy, all students must take the bus back to either Silverdale Rugby Club or Orewa College at the end of the evening.
No partners from outside the school are allowed to attend. 
Permission slips have been sent to the parents/caregivers of students eligible to attend. If you haven't received a permission slip, please make an appointment with your year-level dean.

Manaaki Values - Award Recipients

The ten new champions of Manaaki Ōrewa Values from Term One have been decided.
The winners' efforts range from working to make our campus more environmentally aware, giving up time by volunteering to help in the community, promoting a caring campus or simply being there to be a good friend to classmates.
A big thank you to the businesses involved that have decided to join us in recognising the people in our community that best demonstrate the values we seek to instil at Orewa College.
Nominations to find the Manaaki Ōrewa winners of Term Two will open at the end of this term. We look forward to hearing about people you feel deserve a nomination.

Careers Hub

We have hosted 6 out of the 8 NZ universities to speak with Year 12 & 13 students and have had a great turnout for all, particularly from our Year 12 cohort.
We are still to have Otago University later this term as well as the NZ Defence Force.
Students are encouraged to continue to research their options for their first step out of school, whether that be to university, employment or another form of tertiary education - 'You don't know what you don't know'. 
This Friday and Saturday Waikato University has their Hamilton Campus Open Day and next term most universities will have their Open Days which are a great opportunity to see how they work and whether one of them will work for your student.
There are a number of upcoming information evenings and opportunities for students to gain information ahead of making decisions. As a Careers Department we are continuing to follow up all Year 13 students who haven't yet had an appointment to make sure they have some sort of plan for next year.
Part-time work is always a good way for students to further understand the world of work before getting into full time work and students are reminded that there are CV templates on our Careers Google Classroom as well as some other information to assist with future pathway exploration.

International Students CUE Haven Trip

Since 2015, international students from Orewa College have come to CUE Haven to help out and also learn a little about New Zealand plants and animals. 
CUE Haven is a nature park located on the Kaipara Harbour and community volunteers spend time making sure this gem is restored and maintained. Last Tuesday international students from  Argentina, Germany, Italy and Japan came to help out. 
The volume of water that came down in last Tuesday’s rain storm overwhelmed the stream culvert and drains and caused washouts and gullies on the track. As a result, students helped out by doing some road remediation. 
They went to work with spades and rakes and buckets to level off the road as much as possible. After just a couple of hours the teams had made amazing improvements in the track.

AIMS Games Girls Hockey Fundraiser

For tickets please email:  [email protected]