Kia ora koutou,

Hopefully we have just had the only teachers' strike day for 2023.  I am confident that the PPTA and Ministry of Education will soon agree on a suitable collective agreement.

This is a particularly busy time of the term as students balance their many commitments, while ensuring they are on track in academic terms.  The majority of students across all year groups are in the process of completing a specific unit of curriculum learning which will involve a form of achievement.  You will be receiving a 'Progress Report' by the end of next week which gives an overview of progress and achievement across all subject areas.  This academic summary will form the evidence basis for the 'Academic Conferences' that will be occurring on Wednesday 5th of April.  On this day the college will be closed for instruction but between 8.30am and 7.30pm, you will be involved in a 15 minute conference with the appropriate 'Form Teacher' or 'Kaiārahi (mentor).  Information regarding booking for this day will be provided at the same time as the reports are issued.

Arrangements and planning are well underway for our inaugural Orewa College Community Day (Te Ahu a Rea) on Saturday 1st April between 11.00am and 2.00pm, please note this event and prioritise in your calendars.  I look forward to seeing you there.

Ngā mihi

Greg Pierce
Principal

Be in quick to order your hāngi , it will be traditionally cooked and include steamed pudding and a hāngi favourite, fried bread! Order Hāngi Here

We are all looking forward to the inaugural Orewa College Community Day (flyer below).  Thank you so much for the community support with preparations including baking, hāngi preparations and rehearsals for music, dance and Kapa Haka performances.
If your child is in Year 9-13 and you would like to contribute by providing baking, please ask your child to collect a box to fill from Room 3 on Monday 27 March (to be returned on Friday 31 March).  Year 7&8 students will be offered a box in their classroom.

Navy - School to Seas Programme

Congratulations to Year 12 student Rachel Slacke who is one of 30 students selected from 150 applicants to attend the Schools to Seas programme.  
This is a Navy funded initiative for young women interested in Science, Technology, Engineering or Maths (STEM). An opportunity for women in the maritime industry as engineers, technicians, operators and more.
Rachel will be spending time on the HMNZS Canterbury which is up to 131 metres long, from the 10-17 of April 2023.

Auckland Volleyball Championships

Congratulations to our Senior A Girls Volleyball Team, coming away with 1st Place at the Auckland Volleyball Champs on Friday 17th March. Great effort by the Orca's.
The Premier A girls went undefeated throughout the tournament, overcoming injury and players away, to make the final against rivals Rangitoto.
In what was a very close final, they closed the match out 3 - 0 in a hard fought contest.
This is a notable achievement as the girls haven’t won this tournament for 7 years.
Special mention to four players named in the Tournament Team (top 12 players across the tournament), Kristen Du Plessis, Keana Lowden-Hayward, Amelia Brown and Marnie Ursem. 
Congratulations to captain Marnie Ursem for also receiving Most Valuable Player award.

Ministry of Education Teacher Only Day

Monday 24 April is a Ministry of Education Teacher Only Day.  Students do not attend on this day.

European Tiki Tour Fundraiser - Quiz Night

A very successful quiz evening took place last Friday, raising funds for senior history and classical studies students that are travelling to Europe in September and October this year.
Over five thousand dollars was raised through the efforts of the students and staff, and of course the generosity of the Orewa community who came along in great numbers; we had over 300 hopeful quizzers on the night.
The group would like to pass on their appreciation to all the parents of the travelling students who provided items for the successful raffles.
A special thanks also goes out to all the staff that came along in support, in particular Miss Friis who was an important part of the scoring team.
It is probable that further fundraising events will be held so keep your ears open for future opportunities to aid our students travelling on the European Tiki Tour 2023.

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).
  

Shakespeare Globe Centre New Zealand University of Otago
Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival.

This famous national festival is holding its Auckland North regional round at Albany Junior High School on Friday 31st March (evening) and Saturday 1st April (day). Orewa College are submitting FIVE student-directed Shakespeare scenes of between 5 and 15 minutes long for judging, with some being selected to perform at the national festival in Wellington in June. Our judges in Auckland North are Rawiri Paratene (of WhaleRider fame) and Alexander Holloway, of NZ Stage and Screen Combat School and the Pop Up Globe.   As part of their preparation and rehearsal, the students are running a dress rehearsal in the Drama studio at 6pm on Tuesday 28th March.

We encourage friends and whanau to attend, with a gold coin.  A performance needs an audience, and after a long Covid-enforced absence, these 27 wonderful and committed students really deserve lots of support. See you there!

NCEA Information Evening

For those parents/caregivers who were unable to attend our information evening, please CLICK HERE for NCEA information.

Jurassic Art Trip

On the 15th of March 2023, 25 of our Jurassic Art students (Science and Art) along with Mr Lee, Miss Jones and Miss Cannon visited Auckland Museum to assist them with their studies on dinosaurs.
There they met Peter and Barbara, New Zealand’s very own T-Rexes. As they ventured through the stony halls they learned more about the creatures who once roamed this earth, helping them understand the anatomy and lifestyles of these lost species.
According to student Grace Meyer, “I thought the t-rexes would be larger, even though Peter the black-boned t-Rex was my favorite part”."

Progress Reports and Academic Conferences

North Harbour Athletics Results

Last Tuesday,a team of 18 students represented Orewa College at the North Harbour Athletics Championships. 
All students had great results on the day, please CLICK HERE for those that finished in the top 10 in their event. 

Global Recycling Day

Global Recycling Day was celebrated worldwide last week. A day to reflect and step up on how and what we recycle. One of the biggest negatives that come with recycling is a lack of education and consequently, cross-contamination occurring within our bins. To help you in an effort to Recycle Right at your home and workplace, take a look at this guide to double-check that you've got it right. 
Recycle-A-Device
A reminder that there are only 3 weeks remaining to drop your old laptops/tablets into the specially marked bin at Student Reception, to have them refurbished and given to NZ students in need of their own device for learning. 

House Event - Extreme Tug

While the sun is still out we plan to do all the significant summer events and EXTREME TUG is one of them. This is a relatively new event, but with the popularity of previous years, it's fast becoming a regular and favourite event in the house year.
This event runs over three lunchtimes. Each lunch has a different year group, 7&8, 9&10 and 11,12,13 & staff. Each house will tug against all other houses, if you win the most pulls, you win the competition. 
Each house loaded up ten strong determined players with a mix of boys and girls. On go, students pulled, heaved and got screamed encouragement at to do the best they could to get the rope over the line. 
Well done to all participants and special thanks to Mrs O’Donnell the event coordinator for Extreme Tug.

Here are the winners from the week. 
7&8 Winners -  Sheppard
9&10 Winners - Sheppard
Seniors Winners - Blake and McLaren 

Here are the updated overall points for the year;

• 1st - McLaren 17pts
• 2nd - Sheppard 15pts
• 3rd - Nepia 14pts
• 4th - Batten 13pts
• 5th - Blake 12pts
  

Pi Day 2023

Pi - The value of Pi (π) is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter and is approximately equal to 3.14159. 
With better computers and more efficient (but more complicated) infinite series formulas, pi has been calculated to over 13.3 trillion digits!
Congratulations to our students who took on the challenge of reciting an approximation for Pi-Day, showcasing their outstanding memorisation skills.
This year's Grand ChamPion (for a few years in a row now!) was Year 10 student Maria Walker-Kinner with an astounding 338 decimal places!
Pictured are the students that managed to take out their respective year groups with their certificates:
Year 9 winner Meg Anderson 9HFN with 109 decimal places.
Year 9 Eva Anderson 9WHT with 101 decimal places (who sang the song beautifully)
Year 10 (and Grand ChamPion) Maria Walker-Kinnell of 10OKF with 338 decimal places and won a Lemon Meringue Pie (Pun Intended and a $20 Countdown Voucher).
Year 11 Valrey Kruger of 11DEV with 75 decimal places.
Thanks to Mr Little and Miss Mann for organising this fun event!
We look forward to more entrants taking on the challenge in 2024.

Level 3 Outdoor Education Ocean Adventure

Last week our 3OUED students set off on their first adventure for 2023.

This trip to Tāwharanui  is not all about surfing, diving and camping, but focuses more on the growth and development of our classes, the problem solving and culture building for each student. Regardless of the weather we were prepared to make the most of our time at camp. Fortunately, the sun was out, the wind was down and plenty of swell to have hours of fun surfing. The calm seas made exceptional diving where the class was treated to crystal clear waters, enabling each diver to see the huge snappers and majestic stingrays. Those able to hold their breath could even see giant crayfish in their natural habitat tucked under rocks.

Stand Up Workshop - Year 10 Boys & Girls

An opportunity for Year 10 Students.
Stand Up is a two day programme focusing on:

• Respectful and healthy relationships
  
• Power and control dynamics
  
• Self-protection 
  

Students will learn the signs of a healthy relationship and the signs of a toxic relationship.
They will learn how to deal with aggression and intimidation, as well as de-escalation strategies to help stay calm and respectful when situations get confrontational.
The facilitators can work with groups of up to 25 - so spaces are limited.
There is no cost for the workshop.  Interested? Email [email protected]

Making Payments

The easiest way to make payments to the school is via the web portal.  Once you have logged into the web portal, click on 'Details' and 'Financial' to select which items to pay for.  
Paying using the web portal shows that the payment has been completed in our system straight away.
If you require your web portal login details, please email [email protected]  

Careers Hub

This week and next, Careers staff are speaking to Year 13 classes about what occurs at various times across the year as well as looking at some of the actions they will need to take.
Students are reminded that there is a questionnaire that they need to answer before they make an appointment in Careers and all Year 13 students are expected to have an appointment before leaving school.
MoneyHub has published a money guide for students to give them the tools and information so they can develop a great relationship with money. Check it out here: https://www.moneyhub.co.nz/money-in-a-nutshell.html
Last week Careers staff finished presenting to Year 9 students about the journey they are on and how they can explore and build self-awareness to assist with Career choices.
Coming Up for interested Year 12-13
Queenstown Resort College - 3rd April ILT Block in D17

Health Notice 

A reminder that all HPV1 vaccination consent forms (whether yes or no) should be signed and returned to your child's form teacher.
The vaccination for consented Year 8 students will take place on Tuesday 4th April.

Community Notices

NZ Sailing Trust

We are promoting 2 trips during the school holidays to help Akonga complete their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Journey.
Tikapa Moana for Youth, CLICK HERE and Hinemoana for Females, CLICK HERE.

Orewa Community Centre Pre-Loved Kids Market

Saturday 25 March
Orewa Community Centre
9 am - Midday
45 Stalls selling quality preloved Kids' Clothes, Toys, Books, Buggies, Nursery Furniture and Accessories for Bubs.Lots of fun, great bargains and a chance to support reduce, reuse, recycle.

Orewa Holiday Surf Programme 17-21 April 2023

A great way to get the kids active and into a new sport, we'll be coaching the kids how to be confident and safe at the beach through the enjoyment of surfing.CLICK HERE for details.