Middle of Term 3 Update

Mālō e lelei

We have enjoyed celebrating Uike Lea Faka-Tonga - Tonga Language Week.

We are halfway through a very busy term. This newsletter highlights some recent events and looks ahead to some key events and dates.

Deadline for Out of Zone Enrolments

If you have family members or friends intending to enrol at Northcote College for 2025, please make sure they meet the out of zone enrolment deadline of 4pm Wednesday 4 September. This is a hard deadline for out of zone applications. If the deadline is missed, the student can not be accepted. We are keen to have all enrolments (in and out of zone) by the end of September to allow us to plan for staff and the timetable.

Emergency Lockdown Exercise

Yesterday we practised our emergency procedures. The procedures we follow allow us to respond safely and quickly to a range of situations. Students did extremely well and responded calmly to instructions. Should we need to go into lockdown in a real event, you will be notified by email and via the School App, and there will be updates as appropriate on our school website. It is important that we conduct regular practices for lockdowns and evacuations so that we can all be prepared and familiar with our procedures should an emergency occur.

School App

This is a timely reminder for you to install our Northcote College School App, if you have not yet done so. It is a great way to receive communication from the school and for groups/teams. There are links to Kindo, Parent Portal, and you can leave absence messages. https://northcotecollege.apps.school.nz/install/

Daffodil Day Non-uniform Day: Friday 30 August

We are having a Non-uniform Day, and students are encouraged to wear yellow and to donate generously. Donations can be made by giving cash to the period 1 teacher, online via Kindo, or directly to our Northcote College fundraising page at https://daffodilday.org.nz/o/northcote-college   Every dollar raised for Daffodil Day will go towards cancer care for patients and their whānau, education and awareness programmes, and life-saving cancer research.

Te Wiki o te reo Māori | Māori Language Week: 14 - 17 September

Te Wiki o te Reo Māori is an annual celebration for all New Zealanders to show our support for the Māori language, an official language of this country. The theme for Te Wiki 2024 is ‘Ake ake ake – A Forever Language’. It represents the resilience, adaptability and endurance of te reo. It also reflects the commitment New Zealanders have to embracing and learning te reo Māori now and in the future. Te Wiki o te Reo Māori is when our seniors have their school exams, so we will be celebrating te reo with activities in and out of the classroom for Mahuru Māori | Māori Language Month throughout the full month of Hepetema | September.

Flexible Learning Day: 5 September and Mid-term Break: 6 September

As per the year calendar, there is a Flexible Learning Day on Thursday 5 September when timetabled classes will not run. Students are expected to use the day for independent study. Teachers will be available to students between 9am and 10am and again between 2.30pm and 3.30pm. The rest of the time teachers will be engaged in professional learning activities. Students who choose to attend school may work independently in the school library.

The school will be closed on Friday 6 September for Mid-term Break.

Common Assessment Activities and Senior Exams: Week 8

The Common Assessment Activities (CAAs) for students yet to achieve Literacy - Reading and/or Writing and Numeracy are on Tuesday 10th, Wednesday 11th and Thursday 12th September.Senior students have their school exams from Thursday 12th to Friday 20th September. The exam timetable will be shared with students and posted on our school website next week.

Below is a link to a SchoolTV special report on healthy study habits to help you support your young person as they embark on studying for exams.. Healthy study habits not only improve a child's ability to absorb and retain information but also help them manage stress, maintain focus, and foster a lifelong love for learning.  https://northcote.nz.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-healthy-study-habits-nz

Course selection 2025

Planning is well underway for next year. Deans, form teachers and subject teachers will be explaining the process of course selection 2025 to students in Years 9-12. You will also be emailed the information and links to resources to help you have conversations with your child to support them choosing their courses for next year and pathways through and beyond school. The 2025 Northcote College Course Directory will be given to students to help them decide on courses and pathways, and the flipbook version will be available on the school website.

Performing Arts Highlights

Congratulations to all involved in the enormously enjoyable musical, ‘The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals’; it was a fabulous show! Our Northcote Big Band competed at KBB and received a bronze medal. Our new Concert Band went along as observers; they'll be playing in the festival next year. We had the SUSO (Stand Up, Stand Out) Festival last week where two solo artists and five bands competed. Our Year 12 band 'The Chums' gained a place in the semifinals (Aug 31st) at the Town Hall. We wish students performing in the Northcote Talent Showcase (a smaller event than our previous Talent Quests) all the best when they take to the stage in Oro on 29th August.

Winter Sports Highlights and Tournament Week: Week 7

We are very proud of the many and varied successes of our sportspeople throughout the winter season with many of our teams making it to the semis and finals in their grades. We are grateful to all the coaches, managers, drivers, and supporters for creating the opportunities for our young people to participate, develop, and thrive. Here are some highlights:

Basketball
Girls Year 9 won their grade at the Harbour Competition. They were unbeaten throughout the season.
Boys U17A won their grade at the Harbour Competition.
Boys U17B won their grade at the Harbour Competition.
Premier Girls won their Auckland Premier grade semi-finals last week and will be playing the finals tonight.
Junior Girls came 3rd in their grade at the Harbour Competition.

Football
Girls 1st XI came 3rd in A1. This is our best result for the girls football team ever.
Boys 1st XI are currently 3rd in A1 grade. They have one more game to go for the season.
Boys 13B are in the finals for 13B North grade. The game will be played this week.

Netball
Premier Girls won their semi finals against Kingsway 1 on Saturday and are in the finals this week on Saturday.
Year 9 Team 1 made it to the finals and narrowly lost in that game.

Hockey
Boys 1st XI are currently 3rd in 1A grade at Harbour Competition.
Boys 2nd XI are currently 2nd in 3A grade at Harbour Competition and will be playing the finals this week.
Girls 1st XI are currently 1st in 3A grade at Harbour Competition and will be playing the finals this week.

Rugby
Boys 1st XV had a great win against Orewa College 1st XV in their final season game to book a place in the semi final. They had a narrow loss against WBHS last week in the semi finals.

We have a huge number of students (15 teams!) competing around the country in the Secondary Schools Winter Tournament Week, and we wish them all the best. Good luck to all sportspeople for the rest of the season - play hard and fair!

Reminder of Uniform Guidelines

Please support your child to wear our uniform correctly and with pride. There should be no hoodies worn, nor socks with sandals. The skirt length should be close to the knee with the school crest visible. The uniform guidelines are on our school website:  https://northcote.school.nz/enrolments/uniform-stationery

Homestay families needed

We are looking for caring homestay families to accommodate our wonderful international students. We have options available for one term, two terms or long term students. Northcote College hosts international students from Asia, South America and Europe. This is a great opportunity to experience another culture. We offer a homestay fee of $380 per week. In 2025, this fee will rise to $400 per week.  For further information please contact our Homestay Coordinator Manny Mauricio at homestay@northcote.school.nz 

Term 3 and 4 planning

To help you with forward planning, we want to highlight important events and key dates in the second half of Term 3 and Term 4, as below.

Thank you for your ongoing support of our school. We encourage you to stay in contact; if you have any queries, please contact your child’s Dean in the first instance.

Mālō ‘aupito

Vicki Barrie
Tumuaki | Principal
23/8/24

 

Key Dates for Term 3

Week 6
Tuesday 27 August: Music sharing day with NIS
Thursday 29 August: Talent Showcase in Oro 6-8pm
Friday 30 August: Daffodil Day - Non-uniform Day
2025 subject selection process

Week 7
Winter Sports Tournament Week
Thursday 5 September: Flexible Learning Day
Friday 6 September: Mid-term Break - school closed

Week 8
Tuesday 10 September: Common Assessment Activity (Numeracy) for NCEA Co-requisite
Wednesday 11 September: Common Assessment Activity (Reading) for NCEA Co-requisite
Thursday 12 September: Common Assessment Activity (Writing) for NCEA Co-requisite
Thursday 12 September: School exams begin (for seniors)

Week 9
Te Wiki o te reo Māori | Māori Language Week
Monday 16 - Friday 20 September: School exams (for seniors)

Week 10
Wednesday 25 September: Deadline for online 2025 option selection
Friday 27 September: Last day of Term 3

Key Dates for Term 4

14 October: first day of Term 4 - timetable Day 5
22 October: 2025 Parent Information Evening
24 October: Sports Prizegiving
28 October: Labour Day - school closed
30 October: last day of timetabled lessons for seniors
31 October: Senior Prizegiving
5 - 29 November: NZQA Examinations
25 - 29 November: Year 9 camp to Motutapu Island
10 December: Year 10 Prizegiving and last day
11 December: Year 9 Prizegiving and last day