As our senior debating team reached the top 8 schools in Auckland it struck me how well our Year 9 and 10 students are performing in all areas of inter school competition. Some highlights include our cricketers who are currently top in the Colts 2 Competition which would place them in the top 10 in Auckland. Similarly the Boys’ Soccer Team are currently near the top of the Second Tier of competition which would also place them in the top 10 schools in Auckland. Our Under 15 Basketball team has reached the top 8 schools in Auckland and will compete for higher honours this Thursday. We have been invited to an awards evening thanks to the efforts of a number of our students who raised funds for World Vision and we are placed second in the world in Education Perfect’s international academic competition.

A great effort indeed!

Growing greatness – kia mana ake

My compliments to all our students for the incredible effort they showed on Friday. The annual event was a show case of much that we promote at MHJC. While Mountains Whanau emerged as the overall winners, in a sense every student “conquered their mountain”. Our top athletes competed for top honours and as importantly, this year, every position counted. This meant we saw every student trying to get that crucial point which would assist their whanau to succeed. That sense of individual purpose contributing to something bigger is what we wish to promote at MHJC. We saw individual excellence and great effort by all. It was also pleasing to see and hear students cheering each other at the finish – first to 200th we all achieved something.

For the record Mr Morrison (aka Mr Plod) achieved a creditable 55th place in the Year 9 Event….He is aiming for a top 50 finish next year!

Now we look forward to our top Maths students competing in the much anticipated annual Mathex Competition this Thursday evening.

Growing greatness – kia mana ake

Reports were recently sent to parents regarding progress towards National Standards for Year 7 and 8 students. This has been our practice as it helps students to make plans and access the support they might need to reach their goals for the year.

It is important to note however that some students who have been reported as being below standard at this point are being measured against the standard that needs to be reached at the end of the year.
In a sense, it is expected that some students would be below standard at mid-year and my message to them would be that with consistent work they should be at standard or above by the end of the year.

The Senior Leadership Team has analysed the whole school National Standards and e-asTTle data which shows the progress of our students in Mathematics and English and we are extremely pleased with the results so far. While National Standards are aspirational goals we also consider each individual’s progress as of equal importance.

We will be having our Student Led Conferences in a few weeks where your child’s Learning Advisor will be able to give more information about e-asTTle and National Standards or you can contact your Whanau Leader.

Growing greatness – kia mana ake

The last two weeks have been very busy at the college and the focus has been on strengthening connections with our community.

Our information evening for year 8 parents to share information about our curriculum and opportunities for year 9 and 10 was well attended. The exciting transition programme from year 8 to senior college was discussed, the new subjects we offer and leadership opportunities in particular. There were a number of questions about the accelerate class (year 9 and 10) and the provision for gifted and talented students which is run through the DEEP programme as well as the NCEA achievement standards offered in year 10. In short we learnt a lot from the interaction and appreciate the parents’ perspectives offered at the meeting. The Senior Leaders who attended and I felt that those who were able to attend have a better understanding of how their children can benefit from a further two year transition in an environment which is specially designed for this age group. Our students succeed wherever they go after year 10 and I am convinced that this is due to the opportunities they receive in year 9 and 10 which enable them to build and grow on the foundations laid in year 7 and 8.

On Friday we trialled a breakfast for boys to attend with their significant adult. The event was well supported by Family and Friends and students and staff led by Mr Penfold. Our guest speaker Mr Richie Barnett, former National Rugby League star and commentator shared some personal perspectives on the importance of having someone who can support and guide our young men and his speech was well received. A similar event for our girls is being planned for later in the year.

Last but certainly not least was our inaugural Matariki Celebration Evening organised by Mr Tuhaka and the Maori and Pasifika Committee. Students, staff and parents came together to provide a wonderful evening of entertainment and insight into the meaning and significance of Matariki. The performances were extremely entertaining and we look forward to some of the singers and dancers appearing at Talent Show this Thursday!

It is gratifying that these efforts to connect with our whanau are appreciated and that so many parents have made an effort to strengthen our connections for the benefit of our students.

Growing greatness – kia mana ake

Last week, Mrs Hewlett and I had the privilege of attending the 23rd Student Leaders’ Convention at the Hwa Chong Institution in Singapore. We are the only school from New Zealand who has this opportunity and our students were able to share their thoughts, views and experiences with students from India, Hong Kong, China, Australia and Singapore. The theme of the conference was “Amity – Achieve As One” and delegates explored various sub-themes ranging from cyber wellness to elitism and racial discrimination. These themes were presented after two days of workshops to the judges and finalists announced at a festive finale.

I was incredibly impressed by Singapore and Hwa Chong Institution. The school and the government agree that much of their success has been achieved by finding solutions to problems that are unique and perhaps may not work in other societies – context must be considered. However the ideas of “win-win” or both parties being prepared to compromise if there is disagreement and a strong sense of community where consideration is shown to the environment and those less fortunate than others resonated powerfully with our own values.

I believe we and our students emerged better from the experience and I express my appreciation to Mrs Hewlett for her time and effort and to our students for their impeccable behaviour – they were true ambassadors of our school and our country.

By virtue of our strong association with Hwa Chong Institution three teachers have been invited to an international conference as members of SWIFT (Schools with an interest in future technologies). This provides us with an opportunity to share our experiences with schools from other countries which maintains our innovative approaches to learning.

Growing greatness – kia mana ake

This Friday we encourage staff and students to wear a pink shirt or item of clothing to join an international movement that celebrates who we are rather than isolates or persecutes those who are different. Many schools will be promoting “Bullying free week” in New Zealand, however we and the primary school prefer to promote a more positive message. Whanau assemblies will remind students and staff of how we can make a difference on an individual level by being friendly, welcoming and mindful of how other people feel and the effect of what we say or do.
Our school has countless ways of making people feel included, ranging from the year 7 camp to DEEP classes which have students mixing from every whanau and every year level. Our whanau engender a sense of belonging, our extra-curricular programme encourages teamwork and our learning programmes promote collaboration which all contribute to making MHJC a safe learning environment.

We also wish to ensure that everyone feels safe hence the title Safe school week. A proactive way to add to the well established communication pathways for students who can see a trusted adult – Learning Advisor, Senior Leader, teacher or coach is a new email system which will allow students to report their concerns for themselves or their friend who may be experiencing a difficult time. This may have been caused by any number of factors but includes persistent, personally directed messages which often appear on social media and originates outside school.
The email address safeschools@mhjc.school.nz will be trialled to see if we can help students who may not normally come forward to do so knowing their message will be confidential and dealt with sensitively in the first instance by our counsellor.

I believe we have a wonderfully vibrant school culture which is based on respect and understanding. However it is important from time to time to reinforce what we do and why we do it to make everyone at MHJC feel safe and valued.

Growing greatness – Kia mana ake.

I am excited to say that we have never had so many players and teams represent the college as this year. This is due to the efforts of our Sports Department, enthusiastic students, passionate supporters, teachers and volunteer managers and coaches. With the high number of students involved in winter sporting activities it is worthwhile reminding ourselves about how our attitudes and behaviour can influence our children. I am pleased that in my time at MHJC I have seen outstanding sportsmanship. On Saturday our girls’ premier netball team was complimented by its opposition (who we had beaten) for being so gracious in victory. Our coach, the players and parents can feel justifiably proud of such a compliment which indicates a depth of character as much as sporting ability.

We will be tested during the season. We play sport to win and sometimes the ball does not bounce our way or a referee may make a poor decision. It is up to us as adults to maintain a balanced perspective when this occurs and show our students how to respond to adversity by demonstrating resilience. Support our students and coaches in a positive manner and may we receive as many compliments for our conduct as for our performances.

Thank you for your support and involvement, it is appreciated.

Growing greatness – kia mana ake

The start of 2017 has been significant for MHJC. The school has taken a direction which will continue to ensure it is at the forefront of teaching and learning. The innovative approach of providing shared, stand-alone desktop computers has been replaced by a BYOD policy. This allows every student the chance to benefit at any time and in any place (including home) from the well established digital learning platforms provided by the school. It has also allowed teachers to push the boundaries of e-pedagogy for the benefit of our students which had become limited by our existing IT infrastructure. The use of digital technology is a well established practice at MHJC so the transition was not expected to be too difficult, however I wish to thank the teachers and support staff who have helped to successfully deliver this important outcome, particularly the IT Managers, Mr Mark Chang, Mr Ben Doughney and their assistant Mr Razak Shukor.

I would particularly like to thank our supportive parents who realise the need for their children to be as well equipped as possible to enjoy the benefit of learning in a digital age. We look forward to continuing our journey with you and helping our students to become responsible, capable digital citizens while valuing the importance of personal connections.

A long and busy term comes to an end – my best wishes to our community for a restful recovery during the holidays.

Growing greatness – Kia mana ake

Following my previous blog I have enjoyed several conversations relating to the topic and listened to several interesting talks. The first was by a sports psychologist who has assisted athletes to improve their performance by staying what he defines as the “green zone”. This is where the athlete focuses on process not outcome. This could mean the mechanics of a golf swing, the set up, body position and pre-shot routine. These are things the athlete can control while he/she cannot control what others are doing in the tournament, the weather conditions or the crowd. He argues that if athletes focus on what might happen next or what others are doing he/she moves into the “orange” or even “red” zone and the focus on the outcome can have a harmful effect on the process. Put simply by focusing on the process, the results will come.

In an educational context I would urge teachers and parents to focus on the process. Setting goals is a good way to motivate ourselves but we should not be consumed by the goal, particularly if it is beyond our control. So students may set a goal of gaining a top scholar award or improving their e-asTTle scores, however what we need to focus on are the processes that will take students in that direction. These include regular times for homework and completion of Maths Buddy and Reading Plus; integrating assessment deadlines into google calendar etc.

If we focus on the process, results will come.

Growing greatness – Kia mana ake