Ngā mihi nui kia koutou katoa,

It has been another busy few weeks at Mount Maunganui College with much to recognise and celebrate.

Our fantastic Sheilah Winn Shakespeare cast excelled at the national competition in Wellington scooping some of the most significant awards available. The team consisted of Florence Steer, Eva Dixon, Rain Denyer, Ruby Goodyear, Juno Steer, Lily Pearson, Leah Catley and Mpho Dyosi. As a result of their performances, Florence, Eva and Rain have secured three of the 25 places in the New Zealand Shakespeare team, which is a phenomenal achievement. Elodie Keeble won 3rd Place in the National Shakespeare Ida Gaskin Essay competition.

Four scholarship Chemistry students travelled to the University of Waikato in Hamilton to compete in the annual Year 13 Analytical Chemistry Competition. The competition consists of teams of four carrying out titrations and gravimetric procedures and a series of calculations to solve the molecular formula of the compound. Schools from all over the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions took part. Mount Maunganui College came 1st place. Congratulations to Skye Shaw, Mia Olsen, Shiloh Warner and Amaya Greene for this outstanding achievement against such high competition.

Congratulations to Year 11 student Waimea Moss for representing Mount Maunganui College at Manu Kōrero this year. This is a high quality Te Reo Māori speech competition that includes a five-minute impromptu speech delivered in Te Reo. As one of the youngest senior representatives competing, Waimea did an outstanding job.

Our Year 11 Business Studies students were lucky to dodge the rain on Thursday with the annual Market Day. This is a highly anticipated student-led event that has fast become a highlight in our school calendar. Well done students, and a huge thank you to the brilliant team in the Commerce Department for supporting this event.

Term Two has been punctuated by fundraising initiatives, with the Tauranga Business Ai Summit being a particularly successful event. Last Friday afternoon, over 80 delegates from a range of businesses gathered at the University of Waikato Tauranga Campus to hear the latest on advances in this space. The funds raised go directly to scholarships for Mount Maunganui College students, so it was wonderful to see our local business community there. Thanks to those of you who attended and to those who supported this event. Click here to read about the inaugural Mount Maunganui College Ai Business Summit - Bay of Plenty Business News article.

On Friday evening, the school hosted a Fiefia night to support our students heading to Samoa in a few weeks, and what an awesome night of entertainment that was. Our students represented their cultures with pride and had plenty of fun along the way. While supported by staff, this was a student-led initiative, so special thanks to Meere Kataueana and Milina Selau for pulling this together.

Hari and Sam from Star Safari have been on-site this week with their mobile planetarium. Year 10 classes have been benefiting from these amazing educators who have been tremendous supporters of our Earth and Space Science programme.

Best of luck to our ‘Rockquesters’ who have advanced through to the regional final held at Totara St tonight. Check out this article on their success here.

Best of luck to ‘The Grandpas’ who are competing at the National Dance Challenge being held in Auckland today.

Mount Maunganui College student leaders are taking on the 40-hour challenge this year. Students will walk around the Mauao base track 40 times, in 40 hours, from Friday, 13 June, to Sunday, 15 June. The students will complete each loop in small groups and will carry a 20-litre bucket of water with them. The students are completing this challenge to raise money for children living in the Solomon Islands. If you would like to donate to this cause, please click here.

As we near the end of the term, now is a good time to talk about academic goals with your children and check they are on track for 2025 and beyond. Do not hesitate to reach out of you have any concerns.

Ngā mihi,

Alastair Sinton
Principal

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CONGRATULATIONS…

Shakespeare Nationals

The Mount Maunganui College student directed “Julius Caesar” Shakespeare team performed at the National Shakespeare Festival in Wellington over King’s Birthday weekend. The performance was directed by students Florence Steer, Eva Dixon, and Rain Denyer, with a cast including Ruby Goodyear, Juno Steer, Lily Pearson, Leah Catley, and Mpho Dyosi. They performed magnificently with a cast of female assassins attacking Julius Caesar.

The team won two national awards:

Most outstanding Student Directed Ensemble work
Most effective Design Award,

Elodie Keeble won 3rd place in the SGCNZ Ida Gaskin Essay competition.

MMC at the Rockquest regional heats!

Huge congratulations to Three Man Tent (Florence Steer & Eva Dixon) for taking 1st Place in the Solo/Duo category (out of 16 entries)! Incredible!

We're thrilled that four of our bands will be moving on to the regional finals, making it into the Top 12 from 50 local bands:

Bath Salts (Joshua Bisley, Ollie Murrell, Theo Holme)
Sketch (Lucy van der Lem, Penny Eades, Charli Palmer, Rubes Emery)
Spud (Lennox Lloyd, Layton Cox, Bryn Lloyd)
Asylum - Pāpāmoa/Mount Maunganui College (Oliver Spence, Tayla Reid)

A big thank you to our dedicated music teachers Tia Beaufort, Julian Clark, Tamsyn Thamm, and a special mention to our Technology teacher Chris Brunskill for all their guidance and support.

And a final huge thank you to all the parents for your fantastic support behind the scenes!

Mark your calendars: Regional Finals are on 13 June at Totara St! We hope to see you there!

If you haven't seen already, check out the SunLive article on our Rockquesters by clicking here.

Summerset by the Dunes Performance

On Friday, 6 June, our String Ensemble, Senior Guitar Group, and some talented junior musicians visited Summerset by the Dunes in Pāpāmoa. They performed a delightful variety of new and old classics for the residents, receiving incredibly positive feedback. It was an awesome experience for everyone!

A special thanks to Glenys Wheatley (strings tutor), Julian Clark, and Tamsyn Thamm for organising and supporting our students.

SPORTS NEWSLETTER Brett Sorrenson
Director of Sport

Kia ora koutou,

I would like to start this newsletter highlighting the significance of the upcoming Polar Plunge on Wednesday 18 June at 7:15am at the Omanu Surf Club. The Polar Plunge is more than just an event and is an important community connection in memory of Jed Roberts and Harrison Mundy. We look forward to seeing many of you there in orange supporting a meaningful cause with Cooper Everett and Asha James leading the event. As we head to the back end of Term 2, a special mention to all the coaches, managers and supporters of the winter codes currently competing, the support we receive from the sporting community is much appreciated and it doesn’t go unnoticed.

Who are our people
Here at Mount Maunganui College Sport, we're proud of the community that positively contributes to our programmes – our students, staff, volunteers and supporters. Moving forward, we are going to spotlight people who are involved. First, we have a catch up with Tyler Ashton, a member of our golf team who are heading to the National Championships in August.

Student Sport Profile

Name: Tyler Ashton
Year: 12
Sport: Golf
Tell us about yourself: I'm a 16 year old born in South Africa and moved to New Zealand when I was 10 years old. I'm a very keen golfer and love to spend my time playing golf with my mates, as well as surfing.
Why did you start playing: I have been playing golf for pretty much as long as I can remember. Starting out as just a 3 year old playing with my plastic clubs that my parents had given me, I had an instant love for the game. I now enjoy playing tournaments and continually trying to better myself.
Aspirations: I have very big aspirations with my golfing future. I would really like to go to the US and play college golf and get some new experiences. With my main goal being to become a professional golfer and compete against the best in the world.
What do you enjoy Mount Maunganui College Sport: I really enjoy the pathway that Mount Maunganui College Sport offers which allows me and many others to compete against the best school athletes for our respective sport. I also really enjoy playing with my fellow schoolmates and making new relationships with other students and teachers.

High Achievers

Cole Hopoi has been selected to represent New Zealand at the 2025 Nike All-Asia Basketball Camp. Cole has been selected as one of three in the country, to travel to Beijing, to compete against 90 of the top players from 11 different countries.

Caitlyn Fortescue has been selected in the New Zealand Obstacle Racing Team and she will represent New Zealand at the Obstacle Course World Champs in Sweden in early September.

What’s been happening?

Winter sporting codes are well underway and it is encouraging to see so many Mount Maunganui College students representing the school throughout the week.

We encourage you all to make the most of your sporting opportunities and please ensure you set high standards when representing Mount Maunganui College. We look forward to seeing as many supporters on the sidelines across the venues.

What’s coming up?

All the best to Ryder Matthews this weekend as he competes in the New Zealand Secondary School Cross Country Championships in Whangarei.

Polar Plunge
The annual Polar Plunge is happening on the morning of Wednesday 18th June at the Omanu Surf Club. A gold coin donation would be much appreciated and all donations go towards the Leukaemia Foundation. Students are to arrive by 7:15am in the theme of orange.

Lynfield College Exchange
The annual Lynfield College exchange is happening on Thursday 17th July and we are looking forward to hosting. This year the teams competing are:
Basketball - Senior Boys’
Rugby League - Senior Boys’
Football - 1st XI Boys’ and 1st XI Girls’
Hockey - 1st XI Boys’ and 1st XI Girls’
Netball - Prem 1 and Prem 2
Debate - Teams (3)

WBOP Senior Badminton Qualifier - Wednesday 18 June - Tauranga
BOPSS Indoor Bowls Champs - Tuesday 24 June - Mount Sports Centre
NISS Road Cycling Championships - Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 June - Lake Karapiro

1st XV - Photo Credit - Finn van der Beek

Daily Notices
The best place to get all information regarding key sporting dates is the daily notices. Students, parents and caregivers can access these at: https://www.mmc.school.nz/NEWS-1/Daily-Notices.

Sponsorship
Thank you to our amazing group of sponsors who make a genuine difference to our school sports programme. Please reach out on bretts@mmc.school.nz if you’re interested in joining our sponsorship team to help sport thrive at Mount Maunganui College. We have a range of packages and sponsor benefits available and would love to connect with you to ensure a positive future for sport.

Physio
Please ensure you look after yourselves off the field. As a Mount Maunganui College student you have free access to an onsite physio during the week. Bookings are available via the Body in Motion website: https://nzappts.gensolve.com/body_in_motion/site/details/mount_college

Off-field Sports Uniforms
Off-field sports uniforms are available online at:
https://mountmaunganuicollege.nzuniforms.com/catalog/mmc-sports-uniform-1106695.htmx
These are available in store at NZ Uniforms, 94 Elizabeth Street, Tauranga. When representing Mount Maunganui College in sport it is important to ensure that you have the correct uniform and wear this correctly, 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.

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Social Media
Please follow us on;

Facebook: Mount Maunganui College Sport
Instagram: Mount Maunganui College Sport

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SCHOOL ACCESS AND VISITOR PARKING

We acknowledge that the new school development will mean additional difficulties for some families accessing the school during drop off and pick up times.

The previous ‘main’ school carpark has now only one point of entry and exit, thereby making it inappropriate for drop off and pick ups and is now restricted to visitor parking only. If you do have to use this gate when visiting the school, be mindful of cars entering and exiting. See the map below that designates visitor parking.

The new staff carpark now has barrier arms and is limited to staff parking only. The arms will be down from 7:30 am through to 3:20 pm during weekdays. Outside of these hours the carpark will remain open to all.

If you plan on picking up and dropping off your child before and after school, this needs to happen on the surrounding streets.

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UNIFORM

Thanks to all our families who ensure our students head off to school in the correct school uniform. We know you have high expectations of how our students present themselves, so we appreciate your support.

Occasionally, students present to school in incorrect uniforms, and it can be disappointing for staff to have to start the day by having a negative conversation with a student about uniforms.

Here are some reminders to help ensure your child has a positive start to the day:

Uniform guidelines.
As per the Board approved uniform the school skirt is not to have the length modified (eg shortened).
If sandals are worn they must be black and have a back strap.
If shoes are worn they must be completely black and polishable.
Please ensure your child also adheres to our jewellery standards. No septums or rings are permitted on the face.
Eyelash extensions are not permitted.
We would like to remind families that only Mount Maunganui College trousers are to be worn. These can only be purchased from NZ Uniforms.
Students can wear a non-regulation waterproof jacket to and from school on wet days.
Discipline and defiance procedures will be used to deal with ongoing uniform issues if not resolved promptly.

Young driver workshop registrations are open

This is a free workshop. Improve your knowledge, confidence and skills. Aimed at young road users, aged between 16 and 24, who hold a current learner or restricted driver licence.

Each workshop includes:

driver behaviour (speed, impairment, restraints, distraction and fatigue awareness)
a 60-minute one-on-one driving lesson with a certified instructor
Waka Kotahi NZTA skills to ensure your vehicle is safe and roadworthy
sharing the road with heavy vehicles and vulnerable road users.
importance of star safety ratings

For more information:
Travel Safe School Coordinator travelsafeschools@tauranga.govt.nz

Register below using the link for either of the next workshops on Wednesday 9th July at Papamoa Sports & Recreation Centre (Gordon Spratt Reserve), 80 Alice Way, Papamoa Beach, Papamoa and on Thursday 10th July at Bethlehem Baptist Church, 90 Bethlehem Road, Bethlehem.

https://tauranga.syd1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9tYOwLY4zxr2uQS

Video Travel Safe Young Driver workshop April Click here to watch a recap of the workshop.

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SCHOOL BUS SERVICE

This is a reminder to families that the school has a very efficient bus service. This service will ensure your child arrives at school on time and is ready for period 1 classes.

While students can use the commercial bus service free during school hours provided they have a BEE card they cannot guarantee that they will arrive ready for an 8.45 am start. Many of these services mean that students are missing up to 30 minutes of learning time each day.

Please encourage your child to use the school buses each day. This may mean they need to leave the house earlier, but it guarantees they are ready for the start of school.

Up-to-date information on the school buses is on the school website https://www.mmc.school.nz/key-info/bus-information

The afternoon buses leave the school grounds promptly at 3pm each day. The 712a buses are now arriving at 3 pm and the later one arrives at approximately 3.10pm.

Since the beginning of the 2025 academic year, we have seen an increase in the number of students travelling on some school bus services without a Bee Card.

While all school buses remain free to use, certain services require students to tag on and off with a registered Bee Card. This is important for monitoring usage and supporting ongoing planning.

To check whether a student’s school bus service requires a Bee Card, please refer to the list below or visit our website: www.baybus.co.nz/plan-your-trip/school-bus-services/below

School Services Requiring a Registered Bee Card:

710a Mount Maunganui College
711a Mount Maunganui College
712a Mount Maunganui College
712b Mount Maunganui Intermediate
714 Pāpāmoa College
802b Tauranga Girls' College
802c Tauranga Boys' College
803b Tauranga Intermediate & Tauranga Girls' College
901a Tauranga Girls' College & Maungatapu School
901b Tauranga Girls' College
902 Tauranga Girls' College & Maungatapu School

We kindly ask all parents, caregivers, and schools to ensure that students travelling on these services carry and use their registered Bee Card.

Please note that students without a registered Bee Card may be unable to travel.

Thank you for your continued support in helping us maintain a safe, reliable, and efficient school bus system.

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HONOURS BOARDS

Mount Maunganui College is looking to display our past achievements.

If you are a former student or know of someone who represented New Zealand or earned a national title while attending Mount Maunganui College and would like your name displayed, please complete the Google form.

We are also interested in former students who have represented New Zealand or earned a national title as adults.

While all information is appreciated, we are particularly interested in information from the 1960s to 2000.

All submissions must include any verification possible to ensure the information is correct. Achievements can be in Sports, Arts, Culture or Academia.

HONOURS BOARD LINK

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KEY DATES

2025 Term Dates (click to view)

June 2025
18        Polar Plunge
20        Matariki (School Closed)
26        Engagement Reports Issued
27        Last Day Term 2

July 2025
14        First Day Term 3
17        Lynfield Exchange
21-25    Year 13 Spirit Week
24        Career Pathways Evening 4pm-7:30pm
29        Talent Quest
30        Open Evening

August 2025
20        Sports Team Photos
21        Engagement Reports Issued
25-29    Winter Tournament Week
25        Mid Term Break (School Closed)

CONGRATULATIONS…

SCHOOL ACCESS AND VISITOR PARKING

UNIFORM

ATTENDANCE MATTERS

SCHOOL BUS SERVICE

STUDENT ID PHOTOS

HONOURS BOARDS

ALUMNI

KEY DATES