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10 October 2025  |
Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa, Welcome to the final term for 2025. Term four commences with our prizegiving season, beginning with our Arts Awards next week, followed by our Sports Awards the week after, and our Senior Academic Prizegiving after that. Typically, staff and students will be flat out organising these events while focusing on the final approach to NCEA examinations. It is a busy time, but with so many achievements and so much to celebrate, it is a great time to reflect on what a great community we are. Our students have achieved many notable milestones during the recent school break, and some staff have compiled some highlights below. However, I would like to extend a special congratulations to Joshua Kelly and Cole Hopoi for their selection in the Junior Tall Blacks squad for 2025. Their selection is based on a huge season with a great team around them. Well done and good luck to Lane Ririnui, who will soon be off to the U17 Women’s Football World Cup in Morocco. Congratulations to Florence Steer and Rain Denyer, who have this week been named in the Young Shakespeare Company to perform at the Globe Theatre in London. Florence and Rain are among a prestigious group of Mount Maunganui College students who have reached this level over the years. Welcome back to our Media Studies students who returned from their trip to Los Angeles over the break, and safe travels to our mixed touch rugby team who have departed for tournaments in Australia. Unfortunately, I must signal the possibility of further PPTA industrial action in the coming weeks. Rostering home and strike days may be necessary, and it is not always feasible to provide families with advance notice. We will share all relevant information as soon as possible. As always, please contact the relevant staff if you have any questions or concerns regarding your child’s progress at Mount Maunganui College. Ngā mihi, Alastair Sinton |
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______________________________________________________________ ONLINE PAYMENTSKINDO IS HERE We have a new payment system for our school! To ensure a seamless and easy process for managing your student fees, please take a moment to set up your account as soon as you can. Getting this done early will help everything run smoothly from the start. Click here to read further information and to start your setup. Why families love Kindo: Flexible Payment Options:
One Simple Account for the Whole Family:
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______________________________________________________________ MEDIA STUDIESMedia Studies Showcase This week, our Year 12 and 13 Media Studies students lit up the big screen at The Village Cinema in The Historic Village, Tauranga, for our annual Media Studies Showcase Evening. The event featured an incredible line-up of student-created film trailers, music videos, and short films, highlighting the creativity, technical skill, and storytelling talent our young filmmakers have developed throughout the year. A huge congratulations to all our Media Studies students for producing such fantastic films and for their hard work, dedication, and collaboration across what has been a wonderful year. We also extend a warm thank you to the parents, whānau, and friends who came along to celebrate and support our students: your encouragement made the evening one to remember. |
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Media Studies Hollywood Trip During the school holidays, a small group of students and staff went to Hollywood to immerse themselves in the media industry. A workshop facilitated by the New York Film Academy engaged learning into cinematography using industry standard equipment. A studio tour at Warner Brothers and a visit to Universal Studios were highlights for all. We also spent time at the Academy Award Museum, Hollywood Museum and the world famous TCL Theatre, absorbing displays from films such as ‘Jaws’ and ‘Barbie Movie’. In amongst these visits were wonderful tours of the Hollywood Hills, Hollywood Boulevard, Walk of Fame, Santa Monica Pier, Griffith Observatory and a bike tour down Venice beach. A great time was had by all supplemented by our accommodation at the Magic Castle Hotel with unlimited snacks, drinks and ice cream along with many shopping experiences at The Grove and The Citadel Outlets. A great opportunity for the students to engage with the media industry and extend their knowledge and passions. |
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Brett Sorrenson Kia ora koutou, Welcome back to Term 4 and we look forward to finishing the year positively with all things sport. On Tuesday 21 October we have our Sports Awards and we look forward to celebrating the year that was. Congratulations to Grace Richardson who has broken a New Zealand record for the U19 Mixed 4 x 25m Manikin Relay. This brings our tally of New Zealand records being broken by students to three since the beginning of Term 3. Olivia Verryt: NZ U17 Record - 100m Manikin Tow with Fins |
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What’s been happening? |
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Congratulations to Cooper Everett and Griffin Hunt who have been selected in the New Zealand U20 Men Development team for the Fluidra Australia Cup and Nations Series in Canberra, Australia, 10 - 17 December. |
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Congratulations to Cole Hopoi and Joshua Kelly who have both been selected for the Junior Tall Blacks New Zealand U17 Men for the FIBA Oceania Cup in Apia, Samoa, 8 - 13 December. |
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What’s coming up? Social Media Facebook: Mount Maunganui College Sport |
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Mount College Music Band Win Gold in Wellington Congratulations to our Big Band, Jazz Combo and Street for all receiving Gold awards at the Musicworks Ensemble Festival Aotearoa in Wellington, at the end of last term. The students all had a great time in Wellington. The Street Band also did their first busking performance in Cuba St Mall. Watch the video here. |
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A Cappella Workshop Hits the Right Note On Thursday, October 9, the Music Department hosted an inspiring vocal a cappella workshop led by Bridget O’Shannesy, with 43 enthusiastic students taking part. The day began with body stretches and lively traditional songs to warm up, before diving into the art of four-part barbershop singing. Students were divided into vocal ranges, elected section leaders, and rehearsed an arrangement of You’ve Got a Friend in Me using sheet music and MP3s. By the end of the session, all four parts came together beautifully in a fun filled group performance. The energy and harmony of so many voices singing together was a highlight of the day. Bridget encouraged students to explore further opportunities in singing competitions and encouraged everyone to join the school’s vocal group, MMC Voices. |
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______________________________________________________________ Host an International Student🌍 Have You Considered Hosting an International Student? Bring the world to your doorstep! We are looking for warm and welcoming families in Mount Maunganui and Papamoa to host international students arriving in January 2026 from Europe, South America, Mexico and Asia. ✨ Experience another culture Each student requires their own bedroom and families can host up to two students at a time. Interested? Get in touch with Kriss, our Homestay Co-ordinator, today or APPLY HERE NOW Open your home — and your heart 💕 |
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______________________________________________________________ RYDAROAD SAFETY EDUCATION WORKSHOP Year 11 students have been given the opportunity to participate in the award-winning RYDA Road Safety Education Workshop. RYDA is designed for 16 - 17 year olds as they begin to drive or ride in cars driven by their peers. This workshop encourages students to rethink road safety and build lifelong safe habits. It aims to increase awareness of risks, clarify rights and responsibilities, and equip students with the tools to make safer choices on New Zealand roads. Additionally, there is a free workshop for whānau to support teens in driving safety. Free parent evening - Thursday, 16 October, 6pm. Please click here for further information. |
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______________________________________________________________ CONTACT DETAILSA reminder to caregivers to check that your contact details are up to date and correct. If you have moved or changed contact numbers, please click here to update your details. |
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______________________________________________________________ SCHOOL ACCESS AND VISITOR PARKINGWe 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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______________________________________________________________ UNIFORMThanks 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:
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______________________________________________________________ ATTENDANCE MATTERSHelpful links: Guidance for Parents and Caregivers - Knowing if your child is well enough to go to school |
______________________________________________________________ PUNCTUALITY AND UNIFORM EXPECTATIONSPunctuality and wearing the correct school uniform are key parts of maintaining high standards at our school. Being on time shows respect for learning and allows students to make the most of their education, while correct uniform fosters a sense of belonging and pride. If your child is late to school for a legitimate reason and arrives before the end of Period 1, please provide them with a note to give to their Period 1 teacher, who will update the attendance system. Students arriving after Period 1 must sign in at the front office to ensure their attendance is correctly recorded. Thank you for supporting these expectations. |
______________________________________________________________ SCHOOL BUS SERVICEThis 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 visit our website: www.baybus.co.nz/plan-your-trip/school-bus-services/ 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. |
______________________________________________________________ STUDENT ID PHOTOSAs ID cards are not required for school, students will not receive one this year unless they order it through the Photolife website. Information on how to order will be sent out from Photolife, and cards will be sent directly to them. Parent Queries – Please contact Photolife at: enquiries@photolife.co.nz |
______________________________________________________________ HONOURS BOARDSMount 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. |
______________________________________________________________ ALUMNIMount Maunganui College is developing a database of former students who are interested in keeping up to date with the college's past, present and future. Please click the link below to register your interest and/or share with others. Access to the link can also be found on the college website. MOUNT MAUNGANUI COLLEGE ALUMNI ______________________________________________________________ |
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OMANU WAY SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS 20 August 2025 What is changing? |
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Following the significant improvements in traffic flow observed since the installation of the Girven Road roundabout and the layout changes at the Oceanbeach–Girven intersection, no changes will be made to the Omanu Way layout while traffic counts are underway. Find out more Further details on the construction timeline and traffic management changes will be available via our Weekly Bulletin noticeboard at www.tauranga.govt.nz/newsletters as construction begins. If you have any questions or concerns, please phone us on 07 577 7000 or email our community engagement team at papamoamountlink@tauranga.govt.nz. We appreciate your patience as we continue to improve safety on your roads. Ngā mihi |
______________________________________________________________ KEY DATES2025 Term Dates (click to view) 2026 Term Dates (click to view) October 2025 |