Three members of the student Executive Council met veterans of the Vietnam war and listened to an address by members of the Howick RSA yesterday.
Below: Students Jamini Patel, Joanne Ting and Avneet Biln
A great term
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 The innovative approach of providing shared, stand-alone desktop computers has been replaced by a BYOD policy.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
New Zealand National Baseball Tournament
Ricky and AJ Bassano’s four day U13 National Baseball Tournament concluded on Sunday. The event saw thirteen teams from all over New Zealand assemble in Rosedale – they did not disappoint with some fiercely fought baseball being played.
Congratulations to AJ, whose Auckland Central team placed 10th overall. Ricky’s Howick-Pakuranga Hawks (H-P Hawks) impressed, by progressing through to the playoff for 3rd/4th against the Nelson Heat, which was televised on Sky Sport. This was very exciting for the players and for the sport of baseball here in New Zealand. We congratulate Ricky and the H-P Hawks for ultimately placing 4th in the U13 National Baseball Tournament.
Business Students Promote MHJC’s Cultural Festival
This term Business Studies classes have explored ‘marketing’ and have recently developed different forms of promotion for the MHJC Cultural Festival learning context. The following short video was voted as one of the most effective advertisements. We look forward to seeing our school community supporting the Cultural Festival this Saturday, at 11am!
Auckland Schools Mumps Outbreak
The Auckland Regional Public Health Service is managing a mumps outbreak in Auckland. More than 35 cases have been confirmed so far and more than half of these are occurring in children and teens aged 10-19 years.
“I urge parents to check with their doctors to ensure their families’ measles mumps and rubella vaccinations are up to date. I recommend this is done before the school holidays. Vaccination is free and it will protect your child and the community,” says Medical Officer of Health Dr Michael Hale.
Mumps can spread quickly among those who are not immune, particularly in schools. A single child with mumps at secondary school could cause an outbreak, because immunity in that age group is well below the national average.
“If parents do not organise vaccination quickly, their children’s learning could be disrupted. We are in the midst of an outbreak and already large numbers of students are scrambling to catch up on school work after falling ill with mumps for several weeks,” says Dr Hale.
Most people recover from mumps, but it can have serious complications. Although rare, infertility can occur. The disease can also cause inflammation of tissue surrounding the brain (meningitis), inflamed testicles or ovaries and deafness.
“The best way to avoid getting an infectious disease like mumps is to ensure you are fully immunised with the MMR vaccine,” says Dr Hale.
Learn more about mumps on the ARPHS website and about mumps vaccination [PDF]
Mrs Lal Gains ‘Masters in Educational Leadership’
Mrs Reshmika Lal has completed her Masters in Educational Leadership, gaining impressive feedback for her final thesis ‘Educational Leadership as Influence: The Provision of Critical Teacher Feedback to Students’
Mrs Lal’s thesis examined teachers’ perceptions about feedback and the ways in which educational leaders can influence teachers in providing this. The findings indicated that there was a general acceptance and awareness amongst teachers that feedback is an influential factor that supports students’ progress. The teachers emphasised that successful feedback can be provided to students if certain conditions exist. Mrs Lal’s research emphasises that school leaders need to develop and implement a balanced professional development programme that aids in enhancing teachers’ pedagogy and, as such, improve their self-efficacy. Congratulations Mrs Lal!
TravelWise Leadership Day
Four students from MHJC’s Travelwise Group went to MOTAT to learn about Auckland Transport’s Travelwise programme recently. The girls learned how to repair bike tyre punctures, test a speed gun, and used online resources to find alternate walking and cycling routes to school.
Mr. Neil Penfold moving to Selwyn College
We would like to inform the community that Neil Penfold has been appointed to the Senior Management team of Selwyn College. Mr Penfold has been with the college since July 2013 and he has served the college admirably as Mountains Whanau DP since that time. Mr Penfold’s replacement will start at the beginning of term 3.
Ricky & AJ’s Baseball Success
Ricky and AJ Bassano’s baseball team, the Howick Pakuranga Black Hawks played in the finals on Saturday, in Albany. Their team placed third for the 2016/2017 ABA (Auckland Baseball) season – congratulations!
Progress or perfection (part two)
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