Western Springs College Nga Puna O Waiorea Newsletter No 3

Western Springs College
Nga Puna O Waiorea
Newsletter No 3 – 26 th March 2012
Springs Calendar
TERM ONE
2012
Week Nine
March 26 – March 30
Monday March 26
Junior reports mailed out.
Waka Ama teams out this week.
Friday March 30
Senior SPO camp Friday to
Sunday.
Week Ten
April 2 – April 5
Monday April 2
Junior report evening 2 – 7pm.
Bookings open now.
Tuesday April 3
Yr 13 PE Camp going to Waihi
Beach Tues to Thurs.
Yr 12 Biology students going to
Leigh Tuesday to Thurs.
Thursday April 5
Last day of Term One.
Friday April 6
Good Friday.
The remaining term dates are:
Term 2:
Mon April 23 – Fri June 29
Term 3:
Mon July 16 – Fri Sep 28
Term 4:
Mon Oct15 – Wed Dec 12
Next BOT meeting
26 March at 6pm in the Admin
Meeting Room
Message from the Principal:
Academic Results
NZQA’s recently released (16/3) comparative data indicates that for overall pass rates
across Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 and U.E.
WSC is the top decile 8 school in the country for the fourth consecutive year
(2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011).
WSC is the top Auckland state school (all deciles) across these four measures;
second in 2010; and first in 2009.
WSC has had the top U.E. pass rate among Auckland state schools for the last
three years (2009; 2010; 2011).
Our teachers and students will justifiably take considerable pride in these outstanding
results.
Nga Puna O Waiorea: Victors at Auckland Secondary Schools’ Cultural Festival
(Polyfest) 17 March
Nga Puna O Waiorea has for the second time in three years won the Division 1 title on
the Maori stage – an outstanding achievement. A remarkable feature at the
performance venue on the day was the vast sea of rumaki supporters including
whanau and former students whose strength in numbers made it very difficult to
secure a viewing spot.
Equally remarkable was the success of the rumaki kapahaka group, Nga Oho, which
was entered in the competition for the first time, and which won Division 3, thus
earning promotion to Division 2 next year.
Junior Parent / Teacher Interviews, Monday, 2 April, 2.00-7.00pm
A reminder to parents that the online appointment booking service for next week’s
interviews is accessible on the front page of the school website. Remember that
alternatively you may phone the school office to make appointments. Year 9 and 10
reports are being mailed home today (26/3) with further details to assist you.
This report marks a transition to reporting which is focused more on the Key
Competencies which are such a central feature of our modern curriculum, signifying as
they do the attributes we aim to develop in our learners throughout the five year
period of secondary education. The report adopts NCEA-style descriptors in
communicating grade levels for performance in relation to the competencies which
are as follows: E=Excellence; M=Merit; A=Achieved; N=Not Yet Achieving.
Please note that all students will be released at 12.30pm on Monday prior to the
interviews commencing at 2.00pm. We regret that the bus contractor is unable to
schedule the Ponsonby school bus for this time.
Be aware that the senior reports will be prepared for mailing out by the end of the
term break in time for the interviews which have been scheduled for Monday, 30
April.
Note also that we encourage students to accompany parents at these meetings.
Property Development
The master planning exercise for the rebuild programme will commence within the
next few weeks as we come close to the appointment of the successful design
consultants. We anticipate that negotiations with the architect appointed will quickly
clarify a consultation process involving teachers, students, trustees and other
stakeholders in the community as we develop further our design brief and articulate
our vision for the new school.

Keys to Success at Secondary School
Advice from the WSC Student Learning Centre
The NZ Curriculum identifies a number of Key Competencies. One of these is that of managing self.
For a student, this means making good learning choices and developing habits that will support, not
hinder, their learning.
In the Learning Centre we have identified six factors that contribute significantly to success at school.
They are: attendance, organisation, motivation, application, action and persistence. In this newsletter we
want to focus on the first two.
1. Attendance
Our experience and common sense tell us that regular attendance is critical for learning. Students who
frequently miss school, for whatever reason, tend to struggle, become disengaged and often give up
because it all becomes just too hard for them. The reality is that if they’re not there, they can’t learn and
catching up can be hard. Students need to take control of their learning by always endeavouring to be in
class. If they are finding school hard, they need to ask for help from their teachers, their peers, and/or
from the Learning Centre. When they return after a period of absence, they need to be proactive and
find out what they have missed, not rely on their teachers to follow up.
2. Organisation
Good organization is a critical skill. If a student is organised, they will know what they have to do and
when they need to do it. If they have everything they need in order to be a successful learner, it will
assist them with goal setting and meeting deadlines. It will also reduce stress. There are 4 aspects of
organisation that should be attended to.
a) Making a timeline – having a Year Planner, which gives them a complete overview of their year, with all
important deadlines integrated on it. This allows them to see the scope of their school year and enables
them to track their progress.
b) Having the right equipment - a diary, books, folders, paper, texts, pens, highlighters, glue, scissors, hole
punch, calculator, etc.
c) A homework diary – their diary should be the place they record all important tasks and deadlines and
plan for each week. It should be their reference point to keep them on task.
d) A system for organizing notes/ handouts – a sensible, simple system, which will enable them to quickly
find what they need, when they need it.
Organisation is not something that comes naturally to all people. So if guidance is needed about how to
get organised, students should book a session with us at the Learning Centre.
Helen Thorpe
Careers Happenings
Tuesday 29 May
University of Auckland Parent Information Seminar – City Campus
7:30 – 9pm, Owen G Glen Building, Building 260 Grafton Road.
This seminar will provide parents and caregivers with a great opportunity to learn about the entry
requirements, degree programmes, scholarships, accommodation and student services on offer at the
University of Auckland.
Parents and students are welcome to attend whichever seminar best suits their personal schedule.
(There is a seminar on the North Shore also.)
Alysha Bentley
School Adviser
The Schools Partnership Office
The University of Auckland RSVP DD 09 923 5211

This term we celebrated the French Film Festival with the senior students of French. They were given the
opportunity to attend two of French movies in order to improve their language skills, but also to learn more
about French culture. We went to see Le Fils à Jo and Two Days in Paris at the Rialto. This type of event will
occur regularly during the year as I'm hoping that the Rialto will play more French films. Here is what two
students thought of the movies and how they were enriched by them:
“On Sunday 4th March, a few students in our French class (including me) and our
teacher, Ms Bourgeois, went to the Rialto cinemas to see a film that was part of the
French Film Festival, Le Fils à Jo (Jo’s Boy).
It was a great story set in the south-west of France, where rugby plays a big part of life. It
is particularly important for the Canavaro family, who have been devoted to rugby for
over one hundred years; which is why Jo Canavaro, a former rugby star, cannot
comprehend that his own son, Tom, decides to give up playing rugby like his father, and
generations of fathers before, despite his dream of joining the New Zealand All Blacks.
However, when Jo forms a village rugby team to restore glory to the town and to the
Canavaro man, circumstances change and Tom becomes the star of the team. The film was funny and cool to
watch, especially when New Zealand was mentioned, and even better when a New Zealander acting as an All
Black performed a haka!
Seeing a film en français, outside of school, is an excellent way to learn French and have fun. That we chose to
go to the movies and attempt to decipher this other language means we are keen to participate in our
education! Ms Bourgeois picked the perfect movie to peak our interest too – one that made us laugh, feel sad
and happy, and even involved us, because it featured New Zealand (positively, too), and because of this we
really tried to understand not only the subtitles, but what the characters were saying as well. Rugby is a huge
part of our lives, just like it is for the French in the film, and it was wonderful to see two nations from opposite
poles of the world integrated into Le Fils à Jo.
Doing something by choice and as a leisure activity is the best way to learn – merci beaucoup, Ms Bourgeois!”
Leah Harwood, Year 12.
“I recently went to see ‘Two Days in Paris’ at the French film festival as part of an ongoing learning experience
into the French language and culture. Although it was not a movie that I would pick out as my first choice in
normal circumstances, I ended up thoroughly enjoying it. For those who like movies packed full of cynicism and
sarcastic humour, ‘Two Days in Paris’ would definitely be worthwhile.
The benefits of choosing to see such a film outside of school hours include the chance to
experience the language in a far more realistic sense than any school textbook could provide.
Watching French films (whether you are aware of it or not) allows you to experience films
that you may not ordinarily watch, and exposes you to the French language for a
concentrated amount of time - allowing you to pick up new vocabulary and appreciate the
culture.
For me personally, watching French films broadens my knowledge of the French language and
helps me greatly with my studies; however, there are many benefits to be gained by
everyone, not just French learners.
Jonnie Ribeira, Year 13.

Technology Department
The Technology Department is off to a busy start of term as usual. We are happy to report a large
increase in the number of students choosing Technology, so significant that it has been necessary to
employ another staff member. We are very pleased to have Kris Calder on our team. He has studied at
Massy University and will be commencing his first year of teaching as a Graphics teacher. Kris has
already settled in well to the department and we are confident that the students will benefit from his
fresh ideas and fantastic graphic skills.
Food Technology has also seen some growth, with the addition of a Year 13 class. The Year 13 course
consists of a collection of internal and external achievement standards from the Technology matrix,
making it a university recognised subject with the ability to be endorsed with Merit or Excellence
grades.
We can look back on last year and be very proud of our students’ achievements, but we will strive to
ensure that our students of 2012 maintain or improve these achievements.
Leaders’ Voice
Wises Camp 2012 - by Peter Robinson
Maria Moylan
On Friday 9th of March, a group of 24 students and teachers went to Kokako Lodge in Hunua for the
Wises camp. The group (Travel Wise, Waste Wise and Health Wise) consisted of the Wises student
leaders, and the Wises panels, made up of students from years 9-13.
The purpose of this camp was group-bonding and sustainability education, and included activities such
as high-ropes, orienteering, chariot-building, and seminars on Fair Trade, Sustainability and Psychology
which enhanced the students’ relationships with each other and their Wises teachers. There was also a
seminar on the proposed rebuild of the school, outlining what must be changed and the process
involved. This gave the students and teachers a chance to provide feedback and suggestions on the
rebuild as well as develop an understanding of the legal process behind such a project.
All in all, Wises Camp 2012 was an awesome weekend for everyone involved, and it created a strong,
close-knit group of Wises panels ready to make a change within the Western Springs College
community.

WSC Health Wise Update - by Faith, George, Tangaroa and Adele
This year the Health Wise team are very keen to encourage and establish a safe learning environment
where students and teachers feel comfortable and happy at school everyday. This term our focus has
been on mental health and creating positive and healthy relationships with others and ourselves at
Western Springs. Healthy mind ß à healthy body!!!
The Healthwise leadership team have created 'WSC Compliments,' a facebook profile for you guys to
to use. WSC Compliments was set up to promote a happy and caring environment specifically for
Western Springs students to use. We want to promote a good sense of community amongst you guys
and have come up with a profile where you can visit whenever you want to post a compliment about a
friend or even someone you don't even know that well. The act of doing this not only makes this person
happy but it makes you happy too!
How it works is you search for WSC Compliments and then private message with the compliment you
want to share and we will post it on the wall for you. You can remain anonymous to the person you are
complimenting yet still get your message across. So next time you log onto Facebook, if you have an
account, check out WSC compliments.
Next term our major focus will be keeping fit and having fun while doing it. For one whole month of
term two we will have one lunch time each week with 3 fun, new and exciting activities, for students to
come and participate in. Each activity will vary from yoga to jump jam, skipping to ballroom dancing.
There will be something there for everyone. Until then stay positive and keep fit!
Shave for a Cure - by Hannah Clarke
A HUGE thanks to everybody who has donated their time, effort and money to this wonderful cause!
The ‘Rockin, Bakin,’ Shave, which was held on the 15 th of March, was a great success - we raised over
$270! The student leaders hosted the awareness event for our upcoming Brave the Shave, which
included a bake sale and student performances from the music department. Much organisation went into
planning the awareness event as well as the actual event, with posters going up around the school,
numerous face book pages created and many talks in many assemblies given. So another big thanks
goes out to all the Student Leaders, Charlotte Clabrough, Ms Kilian and all the people who donated
baking and performed on the day, as without your support this wouldn’t have been such a success!
Brave the Shave (this is what we are calling it at Springs) is taking place on Tuesday 27 th March at 1pm
in the Hall. It would be great to see as many people there as possible! For a gold coin donation at the

door, you can watch the nine students (and maybe some teachers too) get their heads shaved, which is
sure to provide loads of entertainment, possibly some tears too!
We have raised over $2000 already as a school, a little way off our target of $10,000. Keep checking
out our profile in the link below for updates on how we are doing!
http://www.shaveforacure.co.nz/view_group_event_profile/975
Student Council Update – by Hannah Clarke
All the votes are in! Congratulations to Jake Olliff, Eddie Liu, Marlon Drake, Qi-An Tan, Jack Jones,
Keanu Michaels, Moetu Bell, Takau Dean, Matt Woodall and Jessie Cooper who were voted by their
peers to join the Student Council for 2012.
Rajiv and I held the first meeting on the 14 th of March where we all introduced ourselves and shared
why we wanted to be a part of the Council for the year through games and activities. Then we knuckled
down to the more serious stuff. Putting a couple of ideas on the table got the ball rolling and allowed
everyone to have a say. It was fantastic to see such maturity and dedication, so early on in the year from
all our council members. I am looking forward to working together with such a great group of students!
Debating
The 2012 Auckland Secondary Schools Debating competition got off to an excellent start for our Junior
Open team 1. Sophia Scott, Ollie Sutherland and Taylor McLaren were successful against Avondale
College, negating the moot "This house would ban parents from adopting children of a different
ethnicity to their own." This was a difficult first topic but the team's confident approach and engaging
style, and their willingness to argue against the points of their opposition in a thoughtful, persuasive
manner, saw them win their first ever debate. Sophia led the team capably and was named best speaker
of the debate.

Congratulations are also deserved for the Senior Open team who won their first debate, affirming for the
moot "This house would suspend a household’s internet access where a member of that household has
been caught illegally downloading," against ACG Sunderland. First time debaters Ryan McHugh and
George Caccioppoli were well supported by the experienced Tas Stephenson, who was also named best
speaker. A big thanks goes out to Ms Fitzsimmons, the co-ordinator for this team.
The wonderful Ms Tai's Advanced Open team had their first debate on Tuesday the 13th of March,
having an hour to prepare for a debate on the pre-announced topic of arranged marriage. Not knowing
if they would be supporting or opposing the topic beforehand led to some interesting discussions on the
potential benefits and negative effects of this issue. Rae Ward-Lerew, Erin O'Flaherty and Lucy Vete
were negating against Auckland Girls Grammar, with the announced moot being "This house would ban
arranged marriages." Although they appeared to have the more difficult side of this argument, the
team's approach was to focus on the flaws with modern notions of romantic love and the logistical
difficulties of "banning" arranged marriage. The team were unlucky to be judged on the wrong side of
the score sheet. The team also represented the college at the ASD Winter Championships on the 17th
and 18th of March, an experience (as with last year) they found challenging but a great learning
opportunity.
We are very lucky to have the help of Ms Sinclair and Ms Webber with our Premier Junior team this
year. Isabella Lenihan-Ikin, Oscar Coultman and Marlon Drake were beaten on the night by a very
experienced Grammar team. Our debaters took a lot from this experience and will build on this in their
future debates.
Thank you, parents of our debaters, for your ongoing support. It would not be possible to put forward
this many teams without your enthusiasm and willingness to get involved.
Belinda Develter
Sports Sports Sports
2012 SOUTHERN SKIES TOURNAMENT
Now that we have all settled back into school, I am pleased to report things are moving along nicely,
with team registrations being confirmed for the big tournament. From our netball team, we welcome
their new manager and two new players. From our footballers, we can confirm a coach and two new
players have jumped onboard. Both netball and football teams would however like at least one more
adult per team to assist in the management and both teams would ideally love to enlist 1-2 extra players.
So if you are interested, feel free to contact Richard, details are below.
All Southern Skies parents and players evening is set for
TUESDAY, MARCH 27 at 7.30pm inside the Sports Centre (Te Whakamanu.)
At this meeting, we will look to confirm our netball and football programmes for the winter months,
leading up to the tour. We will also have a debrief on our fundraisers to date and discuss the new ones
coming up. We will also discuss other important matters, eg. flight details, accommodation, etc. A
gentle reminder that the next coaches’ and players’ deposit will be due in a few days time.
Tournament Co-Ordinator : Richard Anderson college : (09) 815 6730 xtn 730
mobile : (027) 486 1681 e-mail : sports@wsc.school.nz
Tournament information : www.southern-skies.org
RUGBY
Record numbers of players have registered their interest for the 2012 rugby season. With 90 + students
weighing in, we focus on the three grades we will be entering this season. Although there is still 2-3
weeks before we confirm the grades, we are tentatively looking at three restricted weight grades for this
winter:
3 RD GRADE (under 85kg) 5 TH GRADE (under 68/72kg) 6 TH GRADE (under 60/64kg)

All students should check the daily notices, or the noticeboards inside the sports centre from Friday,
March 23 onwards for team lists and training dates. Students who have yet to confirm their weight, or
register for rugby, can do so for the final time, at lunch on Friday, March 30.
Mums or dads interested in assisting any of the above teams, as a manager, asst. coach or a
team/associate referee, should contact Richard (027) 4861681 or e-mail sports@wsc.school.nz
TOUCH
Congratulations to our impressive college mixed touch team – champions of the Central Zone Mixed
competition. Their record was outstanding, fairly whipping all comers, including winning the grandfinal
13-1 against MAGS, and remaining undefeated with six easy victories.
On March 24, our mixed champions will be representing the Central Zone in the high profile Northern
Regionals at Avondale Racecourse. The standard will be very high as 72 teams strive to make the top 3
in their respective grades, to make the prestigious Touch Nationals in early December. Favoured to
finally make it this year, we wish our team the very best of luck.
Richard Anderson
Community Notices
Term 2 Community Education Classes
Leisuretime Learning at Western Springs College
Term 2 Teen and Adult Community Education Classes start 7 May 2012. This term some weekend
workshops are on offer.
Teens are welcome to join adults for most of our classes. Of special interest to teens will be the
Learner Licence course, and How to Write an Essay.
In addition to our regular classes, we offer the following NEW classes:
• Art Clay Silver Jewellery • Mexican Cooking
• Cuban Dance (Salsa & More) • Raising Hens in Your Back Yard
• Hand Embroidery
• Hawaiian Hula Class
• Heating Your Home
• Learner Licence
• Sew a Tote Bag or Apron
• Sewing Machine Basics
• Watercolour Secrets
For details on all classes, see: www.leisuretimelearning.co.nz
Or contact Bridget, info@leisuretimelearning.co.nz Phone 815 2222
Impro with Yuri : An Improvisation Theatre Workshop Part of the Focus on Fundamentals
Workshop Series. Renowned Japanese-NZ professional improviser and actor Yuri Kinugawa will be
conducting a workshop in Auckland exploring basic skills of improvisation, based on the teachings of
impro pioneer Keith Johnstone.
Workshop & Registration Details: Impro with Yuri will be held at Studio 4, The Auckland
Performing Arts Centre (TAPAC), 100 Motions Road, Western Springs (opposite the Auckland Zoo,
next to Western Springs College), on Saturday 31 March 2012 from 10am to 5pm. The workshop will
be split into two 3-hour sessions, with a lunch break in between. Please bring along something suitable

for sharing with your fellow participants during lunch. Tea and coffee will be provided throughout the
day.
Impro with Yuri costs NZ$50.00 per participant. A non-refundable deposit of NZ$20 (by bank transfer)
is required to confirm your registration, with the remaining payable on the day. To register, please email
square@oryzafoundation.org.nz. Spaces are (very) limited so register early to avoid disappointment!
Impro with Yuri is presented by Neko Theatre Company with support from The Oryza Foundation for
Asian Performing Arts.
Western Springs College
MOTIONS RD • WESTERN SPRINGS • AUCKLAND PHONE (09) 815 6730 • FAX (09) 815 6740
email: admin@westernsprings.school.nz