 |
Kia ora tātou e te whānau, Our Parent Support Group quiz night at Freeport last night was a great success and a neat opportunity for members of our school community to come together. Our Parent Support Group does terrific work for our school, from organising our annual ambrose golf tournament to the popular second-hand uniform sales. I would like to thank the team of parents who make this possible and the broader group of parents and community members who support these events through sponsorship and engagement. This year, the PSG has supported the school by investing in our audio-visual equipment in the hall and refurbishing our school gym facilities. NCEA examinations are ending next week, and aside from one national issue with Level One English, the exams have run very smoothly and well done to all students who have worked and studied hard in their subjects. It will come as no surprise that this effort will directly correlate to academic achievement. Our strategic plan for 2024 - 2026 is nearing the final stages of completion. I would like to thank all stakeholders who have contributed to the shape of this document. As you will expect academic outcomes for all learners remains a priority alongside students feeling positive about themselves and their overall school experience. We will be settling on a few goals with clear outcomes and expectations moving forward and I look forward to keeping you updated with our progress. As indicated in our last newsletter, Year 10 camps and Year 9 activities are happening during the last week of term. These events have been carefully planned and form an important part of our junior school curriculum. Please support your children to make the most of these opportunities.
Ngā mihi, Alastair Sinton Principal  |
 |
______________________________________________________________ NEWSLETTER CONTENTS: - Music Update
- Sports Update
- NASA Trip
- NZQA Exam Timetable
- Student Attendance
- Graeme Dingle Foundation - Pay it Forward
- International Department - Host Families for 2024
- Uniform
- Pollution Hotline - Regional Council
- Tauranga City - Links Avenue
- Waka Kotahi - Footpath Closure
- Key Dates / Term Dates
______________________________________________________________  |
 |
 |
Taonga Puoro Workshop On Wednesday, our Year 10 music students were fortunate to delve into the world of taonga puoro (traditional Māori instruments). Jo'el Komene, a local expert in taonga puoro and a dedicated kaiako, shared his extensive knowledge with both students and teachers. During the workshop, he introduced the diverse range of taonga instruments in his collection. The highlight of the day was when students had the hands-on experience of crafting their own Kōauau, a traditional flute, which they could take home and play. A heartfelt mihi goes out to Jo'el for imparting his wealth of knowledge and making this educational experience possible. ______________________________________________________________  |
 |
Dan Meade Director of Sports To our volunteers… As we come to the end of the school year I want to extend a sincere thank you to all our volunteers and sponsors for the huge impact they make on sport at Mount Maunganui College. As cliche as it sounds, sport simply could not happen without the support of our amazing community of volunteers. Enjoy a well earned break over the summer and hopefully see you back on the sidelines in 2024.
Off-field Sports Uniforms Off-field sports uniforms are available online at https://mountmaunganuicollege.nzuniforms.com/catalog/mmc-sports-uniform-1106695.htmx or in store at 94 Elizabeth Street. It is important to have all our sports players looking the part and we encourage students to buy a long sleeve or short sleeve tee and / or hoodie if they don’t already have an off-field uniform.
Sponsorship Please reach out on danm@mmc.school.nz if you’re interested in joining our amazing group of sponsors who make a genuine difference to sport at Mount Maunganui College. We have a range of packages and sponsor benefits available and would love to hear from you. High Achievers Harry Burns and Gus Tustin have been named in the Northern Districts Under 19 representative cricket team. Congratulations boys!
What’s been happening BOPSS Jr Beach Volleyball Mount Maunganui College sent an army of teams to the Year 9 and Year 10 Bay of Plenty Junior Beach Volleyball Championships at Mount Maunganui Main Beach last week. Some of the most notable results below;
YEAR 9 BEACH RESULTS Girls Div 1 Gold, Charis and Shamar Broughton Bronze, Harvey Pahuru/Kora Rosemeyer 4th, Anna Potter/Jojo Petelo-Titi 5th, Stella Coffey/Lucy Newsom
Girls Div 2 Gold, Lexi Windleborn/May El-Agez Silver, Ava Nelson/Ambar Flavell 4th, Mia Kramer-Pickering/Frida De la Cerda Alcala
YEAR 10 BEACH RESULTS Boys Div 1 4th, Hoko Horne/Cole Hopoi
Girls Div 1 5th, Mira Hofstetter/Maria Tavares
Girls Div 2 4th, Marlo Anderson/Violet Ebbing
NISS Junior Volleyball Champs We currently have one boys team and two girls teams competing at the North Island Secondary School Junior Volleyball Championships. Both the premier boys and girls teams are through to the top 16 with our Year 9 girls team still chasing their first win.
Fitness Centre Upgrade A lot of work has recently gone into the upgrade of the school fitness centre. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Grass Roots Trust, Tauranga City Council, MACMAD and the Mount Maunganui College PSG for their generous contributions. The space is now far more functional for larger groups and we look forward to getting our students in to work on their physical well being and athletic development.
What’s coming up? BOPSS Tennis We have five students competing at the Bay of Plenty Tennis Championships this Friday in Rotorua and wish them the best of luck.
NZSS Track and Field Champs Entries open 16 October and close 15 November 2023. Register at the Sports Office. Payment of fee confirms registration. Dates: 8 - 10 December 2023, Venue: Nga Puna Wai Sports Hub, Christchurch Road Race: 10 December 2023, Venue: Canterbury Agriculture Park on Sunday 8.00 am -11.00 am.
The entry fees payable per athlete for track and field and/or road race are as follows: • $27.00 - one or two events (including the road race) • $35.00 - three or more events • $15.00 - relay only competitors
North Island Secondary School Junior Waterpolo Champs Best of luck to our Junior Waterpolo teams who compete at North Island Secondary School Championships this Thursday to Sunday.
BOPSS Junior Ultimate Frisbee Any students wanting to compete in the Bay of Plenty Ultimate Frisbee Championships to sign up with Loren in the Sports Office. A trial will be held on Wednesday 8 November at lunchtime on MacVille Park.
Learn to Sail If you are interested in a Learn to Sail course for teenagers, email Mr Meade on danm@mmc.school.nz
NZSS Touch Championships Best of luck to our senior touch team as they prepare for the NZSS Touch Champs held in Rotorua in December.
Mauao Tournament On Monday 27 November we will host approximately 200 year 5 and 6 students for the annual Mauao Sports Tournament. The tournament is a great opportunity for us to connect our community through sport and also gives our Year 9 and 10 SPS/MAP classes an opportunity to develop their leadership skills as they take on key roles on the day.
Sports Academy The Mount Maunganui College Sports Academy, run in conjunction with Athlete Factory, is up and running again this term. It provides a great space and top level strength and conditioning coaching to help your child reach their physical potential for their sport. Different options available for Juniors and Seniors.
Sign up here: https://forms.gle/3RTshBb46rycUBaQA
Holiday Athlete Factory Membership The Athlete Factory is offering a special deal for Mount Maunganui College students over the holiday period. See below for details.  |
 |
Social Media The Sports Department has updated their Social Media pages. Please follow us on.  |
______________________________________________________________ NASA TRIPMount Maunganui College is proud to have 25 students and five adults visiting Haleakalā Observatory and the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) in Pasadena, LA in July, 2024. Dr Robert Jedicke will host the group at the Observatory. Robert is an expert in near Earth asteroids, so he will host the group at Haleakalā. Kaimana Bingham will also host the group. Kaimana is the Hawaii Green Growth partnerships manager for Maui. After four nights in Maui, the group flies to Los Angeles for seven nights. We have applied for accommodation at Caltech, and if successful, we get to stay in the university for the whole time in LA. At JPL, Sarah Marcotte who is the Mars Public Engagement Specialist and Dr. Mitch Schulte who is a Programme Scientist for the Mars Rover program will host the group for three to four days. The group then has about three days to be a tourist around LA. This trip could not have happened without the support and contacts of Hari and Sam from Milky-Way.Kiwi . Their friendship with Robert and Mitch has enabled the group to be exposed to behind the scenes tour of the Observatory and JPL that money simply can not buy. Hari and Sam run their Star-Gazing business in the Wairarapa and are passionate Space Science Communicators. Some of you may have experienced their mobile Planetarium and star talks when the visit the school around Matariki the last couple of year. If you like the sound of the trip, and would like to help out in any way. Whether this would be sponsorship (https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/mmc-visit-to-hawaii-and-nasa), or a donation of a prize that could be auctioned or raffled off. Then please contact either Jim Critchley (jimc@mmc.school.nz) or Anita Crosby (anitac@mmc.school.nz) to discuss this possibility. The trip is a wonderful opportunity for everyone that is going, and the contacts we make with the hosts will last a lifetime. The learning that students will be exposed to will help them make those decisions in the future. A perfect fit for the whakatauki, Whāia te iti kahurangi ki te tūohu koe me he maunga teitei: Seek the treasure you value most dearly, if you bow your head, let it be to a lofty mountain.  |
______________________________________________________________ NZQA EXAM TIMETABLENCEA exams start on Monday 6 November and finish on Thursday 30 November. To view the timetable for these exams click here. ______________________________________________________________  |
______________________________________________________________ UNIFORMThis a reminder to all families to make sure their child’s uniform meets our guidelines, for next term. We are continuing to see students with non-polishable shoes and incorrect socks. Please ensure your child is also adhering to our jewellery standards. No septums or rings are permitted on the face. Our discipline and defiance procedures will deal with ongoing uniform issues if not resolved promptly. ______________________________________________________________  |
 |
 |
ENHANCING SAFETY MEASURES ON LINKS AVENUEWe are constantly working towards improving the safety of students travelling on Links Avenue. We have already implemented several measures, including the construction of a pedestrian crossing near Golf Road and Ascot Road, which is currently underway. In addition, The Links Avenue evening peak restriction is set to drop from 6 pm to 4 pm on weekdays. We have seen much less congestion in the afternoon peak because of the opening of the Bayfair to Baypark project. Therefore, we believe this will still provide a high level of safety for students after school but provide more access to Links Avenue. The change in this restriction will come into effect prior to the Christmas holidays. As part of our ongoing efforts, we invite you to provide your feedback on the proposed transitional design by visiting the Links Avenue Safety Improvement page on Let's Talk Tauranga before December 15, 2023. We believe that your constructive feedback will help us further enhance the safety measures on Links Avenue. ______________________________________________________________  |
 |
FOOTPATH CLOSURE As part of the Baypark to Bayfair Link project, works will start to construct three permanent overhead signs on SH2/Maunganui Road, and includes a temporary detour for pedestrians. This work is currently scheduled to start from early morning on Tuesday 24 October and continue until late 2023, assuming favourable weather and ground conditions. While the works are underway, the footpath on SH2/Maunganui Road between Spur Avenue and Bayfair Shopping Centre’s Countdown entrance will temporarily close 24/7. As pictured, a signposted pedestrian detour via Spur Avenue, Links Avenue, Concord Avenue, Harris Street and Bayfair Shopping Centre’s Countdown entrance will apply. People walking and cycling are asked to take extra care. Vehicle and pedestrian access to all Maunganui Road properties will be retained at all times. For more information on the Bay Link project please visit nzta.govt.nz/baylink. You can also register for traffic notices at nzta.govt.nz/baylink-traffic.  |
 |
______________________________________________________________ KEY DATES 2023 Term Dates (click to view)
2024 Term Dates (click to view) December 2023 4-6 ………… Year 10 Camps 4-6 ………… Year 9 Activities 6 ………… Graduation 7 ………… Dean’s Prizegiving 8 ………… Junior Academic Prizegiving 8 ………… Last Day Term 4
January 2024 30 ………… Year 11, Year 12 and Year 13 Subject Confirmation Day 31 ………… Teacher Only Day
February 2024 1 ………… Year 9 & Year 13 Onsite / Year 12 RYDA Course Off Site 2 ………… Year 9 ONLY 5 ………… Whole School
 |
|