On the morning of 25th April MHJC’s Executive Council assembled at the Stockade Hill, Howick to reflect and honour the fallen heroes at a special ANZAC memorial service. Students, who were accompanied by Principal Ian Morrison, laid a wreath on the cenotaph, marking the 102nd anniversary of the Gallipoli landings by Anzac troops – LEST WE FORGET.
As with tradition, term 1 ended with our Champion’s Assembly when students were acknowledged for achieving excellence in our four cornerstones of extra curricular activity.
We also recognised ANZAC Day with a poem read by Paul Chen who entered the ANZAC Poetry Competition run by the Auckland Museum and “In Flanders Field” by John McCrae read by three members of our Executive Council. The assembly closed with the school singing the National Anthem and respectfully reflecting on the personal and collective sacrifice of those who fell during a minute silence.
Our Executive Council will be joining the parade marching from Stockade Hill, Howick on ANZAC Day at 11 o’clock – we hope to see you there.
Growing greatness – Kia mana ake
Owing to the severe weather forecasted, the Mission Heights Junior College will be closing at 1:00pm. If you feel it is safer for your child/children to stay at school until 3:00pm there will be teachers on-site to supervise them. Please remember that the library is closed after school. All students must leave the site at 3pm.
Please have patience and be careful when picking up students.
Thank you to everyone who has supported MHJC’s School Outreach Programme’s initiative to assist Dawson Primary School’s ‘Breakfast Club’. Over 70 boxes of cereal and 30 packs of milo were collected and gifted to their school. Principal of Dawson Primary, Mrs Angela Funaki has expressed her deep gratitude for this service, and acknowledged the impact that the provision of breakfast supplies makes to the learning of her young students.
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
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 The innovative approach of providing shared, stand-alone desktop computers has been replaced by a BYOD policy.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
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.
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!
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]
