MAGS Returns to Polyfest for 50th Jubilee

MAGS cultural groups returned to Polyfest this year after a seven-year break to celebrate the 50th anniversary of this event.
Six MAGS groups – Indian, Chinese, Tongan, Samoan, Cook Islands and Kapa Haka – are representing our school on a variety of stages.
Director of Arts Co-curricular Ms Cesan said, "The final day tomorrow sees all the competitive groups performing. It will be a great day so please come and support.  
"We will have all the photos and links for the MAGS performances on our social media pages and iin next week's newsletter."
The first groups to represent MAGS at Polyfest were the Indian, pictured above, and Chinese. The pictures show them before they travelled to Polyfest on Wednesday with their TICs, who have supported them throughout the preparation and rehearsal process.
CHINESE GROUP: Ms Celia Jin and Ms June Xu.
INDIAN GROUP: Ms Nesa Mahalingam and Ms Kamla Daya.

Farm Wins Environmental Award

The ASB MAGS Farm has been recognised for its sustainability, winning the NZFET Cli­mate Recog­ni­tion Award at the Auck­land Bal­lance Farm Envir­on­ment Awards.
The judges were par­tic­u­larly impressed by the farm’s ded­ic­a­tion to health and safety, with strict rules for vis­it­ors and robust bio­se­c­ur­ity meas­ures.
"The ASB MAGS Farm serves as a power­ful reminder that even in close prox­im­ity to one of New Zea­l­and’s largest cit­ies, sus­tain­able agri­cul­ture and envir­on­mental stew­ard­ship can thrive," the judges said.
The farm offers students a diverse range of hands-on exper­i­ences, with a strong focus on animal wel­fare, sus­tain­ab­il­ity and edu­ca­tion.
Stu­dents learn valu­able skills in animal hus­bandry, horticulture, busi­ness man­age­ment and envir­on­mental stew­ard­ship. They par­ti­cip­ate in many aspects of farm life – from milk­ing sheep to sun­flower cul­tiv­a­tion.

International Olympiad Selection

Year 13 student Victor Coen has been selected, and has accepted his place, as one of four students to represent New Zealand at the International Olympiad in Informatics, to be held in Bolivia from July 27 to August 3.
Nicholas Grace, the Training Director – New Zealand Olympiad in Informatics, said, "This is a remarkable achievement, and Victor has our congratulations for his diligent work at our January training camp and in preparation for the contests held in February and March that we used to select the team."
Last year, Victor achieved a gold and a bronze medal at two different overseas Olympiads.

SPCA Fundraiser Next Week

Interact will be raising money next week for the SPCA, an organisation that helps rescue and find new homes for animals that have been abused, neglected and abandoned.
Every year, thousands of animals rely on the SPCA for food, shelter, and medical care so, to support their incredible work, Interact will be collecting donations during AMP time next week and holding Cupcake Day at interval and lunch next Thursday, April 10, the final day of classes for the term.
There will be a range of baked goods, sausage rolls and drinks available – as well as cupcakes of course!
Get in quick to purchase some of the special animal-themed cupcakes created by the Interact Baking Group.

Ongoing Complaints About E-Scooters

We are continuing to receive phone calls and emails both from MAGS parents and members of our wider school community regarding MAGS students on e-scooters.
As always, the callers are very concerned for both the safety of students and the potential seriousness of consequences of foolish, dangerous misuse of these vehicles. We have received reports of two or more on one scooter, student riders weaving in and out of traffic, excessive speed on footpaths and near misses with vehicles.
There is also frustration expressed about the carelessness and lack of consideration shown by those discarding the scooters in the middle of footpaths or across driveways at the end of a ride.
Parents will no doubt be seeing their child/ren’s use of e-scooters via their accounts so will be aware of their use. 
We ask that you discuss with them both the importance of being considerate responsible users and of making good decisions regarding their own safety and taking the safety of others seriously. 

Feast of Visual Art

Year 8 Info Evenings in Term 2

Mount Albert Grammar School will be holding two information evenings in Term 2 for prospective Year 9 students in 2026.
These evenings are primarily aimed at in-zone Year 8 parents and guardians, and their sons/daughters, and will be held in the F.W. Gamble Hall on Wednesday, May 7 and Tuesday, May 13, from 7pm-8pm.
To manage numbers, feeder schools have been assigned an evening to attend but if that date does not work there is no problem attending the other evening, and there is no need to RSVP.
May 7: Kowhai Intermediate School, Pasadena Intermediate School, Ponsonby Intermediate School, Wesley Intermediate School.
May 13: Auckland Normal Intermediate School, Balmoral Intermediate School.
Attendees will get: 
• A visual presentation about Mount Albert Grammar School for Year 9 students in 2026.
• Information about our enrolment procedure for the 2026 intake.
• The opportunity to find out about the academic, sporting, arts and cultural opportunities at MAGS.

Sports Update

MAGS Retains WBHS Exchange Shield

MAGS retained the Challenge Shield when it travelled to Whangarei Boys High School this week for the annual exchange.
The two schools competed across seven events, with MAGS winning five: the Basketball Junior and Premier games, Debating, Rugby and Football but losing the Squash and Hockey.

Boys Lacrosse Win League

For the first time in more than 10 years, MAGS has topped Auckland Secondary Schools Boys Lacrosse. 
The AKSS Boys Lacrosse Summer 6s finals matched up MAGS Mana versus Rosmini in the 3 v 4 Bronze Final, while MAGS Roar took on a strong Westlake side for the Tournament Trophy at the Rosmini College grounds last Friday.
MAGS Mana fired on all cylinders for the entire match to shut out Rosmini in a dominant performance.
Charlie Barton showed his pace down the flanks to taunt the defense and score a hatful early on. Captain Andrew Hung, nursing an ankle injury, goal-tended like a demon to starve the Rosmini attack. Eli Delowe and Alex Hulot showed their usual menacing attacks to trouble the scoreboard, as well as create space and feed the star of the show, Hadlee Jordan, for regular scores throughout the fixture. The result saw MAGS Mana take out 3rd in the tournament, winning 18-2.
The final got off to a flying start with Captain Nate Lawson winning the face-off to charge down field and worry the Westlake 'keeper. Theo George was everywhere in midfield, dodging down the alley, taking on the defence, and scoring a hat-trick during the first quarter. An end-to-end first half earned both teams their oranges with MAGS Roar just ahead, 7-5, at the turn.
The second half saw Nate draw on his NZ U18/U20 experience to strategically organise his troops. His clever passing combinations with the skillful and slippery Louis Allison turned defence into attack on many an occasion for each of the pair, as they showed their pace around the outsides.
Aidan Michie, Caleb Stark and Dane Barriball toiled hard in the middle of the park to stifle opposition attacks and win the 50-50 ground balls to protect possession for MAGS. The odd fast break from Westlake was nullified by Richard Huynh, who kept his nets clean during the second half in what rounded out a solid team performance.
The final score was MAGS Roar 11- Westlake 5, and a first taste of such success for Coach Sam Nash during his nine years' association with MAGS Boys Lacrosse. 
During his prizegiving speech, Nate accepted the trophy on behalf of the entire MAGS squad, who have developed in leaps and bounds during the season.

Mountain Biking Bronze and Debuts for Riders

On Sunday, four students competed in the first race of the Auckland Secondary Schools Mountain Biking series, held at Hunua Regional Park.
The course was a long, challenging one of approximately 20km through the Hunua Ranges. Hunter Marsh, pictured above, rode well to finish third in the Under 17 Boys section. He completed the course in a time of 1:13:34. He maintained third position around the 3 laps of the course.  
The other students that competed were representing the school for the first time in a Mountain Biking competition and all had mid-table finishes. They were Alfie Ferguson and Jacob Aldiss, finishing 13th and 16th respectively in the Boys Under 15 race, and Lewis Darby-Smith, who finished 11th in the Boys Under 16 race.
Assistant Director of Sport Mr Crossan said, "The day was not possible without the help of all the parents who transported and supported the students on the day.  A special thanks to David Ferguson, who managed the students at the event."