AKO AKO AKO Term 4 2012 - Porirua College Intranet

AKO AKO AKO
Term 4 2012
Porirua College eclipses all other schools in the region
Mr Luther, Art Teacher, took this photo of the recent eclipse. Thanks
to a tip from Mr Light, PE and Hard Materials Teacher, who suggested it
would be safe for Mr Luther’s eyes to take a photo through a welding
helmet, Mr Luther took several fabulous photos.
Mrs Jackson, HOD Science, provided special glasses for students and
staff to look at the eclipse and it was AMAZING!
2
This is the final Ako for the year. 2012 has been a wonderful year with
good academic, sporting and cultural achievements of our rangatahi.
We have also had some great learning going on in the adult language
classes, evident in the GRADUATIONS we held for Samoan, Tokelauan,
Cook Islands Maori, Tongan, Niue and te Reo classes.
We also look forward to improving NCEA results - better than 2011 results at all three levels of NCEA.
We have a good "crop" of Year 13s going to university and other tertiary
institutions in 2013.
May I wish you all a safe and happy Christmas and New Year.
Susanne Jungersen
Principal
Pacific Language Classes 2013
MONDAY
5.30—7.30pm
TUESDAY
5.30—7.30pm
WEDNESDAY
5.30—7.30pm
THURSDAY
5.30—7.30pm
TONGAN
Beginners
SAMOAN
Beginners
COOK ISLANDS
MĀORI
Beginners and
Advanced
TE REO MĀORI
Beginners
SAMOAN
Advanced
COOK ISLANDS
MĀORI
Beginners and
Advanced
NIUE
Beginners
TOKELAU
Beginners
These language classes may be joined at any time—enrol before the class at
the college office (237-5465) or on the evening of the class. There will be a
$20 charge for photocopying for hand-outs. Classes are held in Rangituhi
House – the green building on your right as you enter the car park.
Porirua College develops powerful learners who are willing and able to use this quality in the
service of their communities.
3
A Note from the Chairperson of the Board
of Trustees, Kate Calvert
2012 has been a busy year for the Board. We have reviewed
policies, excitedly gained new members and have been hearing
from Heads of Department about how we can continue to
support all students to achieve.
The main aim of the Board of Trustees is to make sure that all students are able to reach
their potential. At Porirua College we use our vision for a school community where
everyone is responsible, builds positive relationships and
becomes a powerful learner to guide us.
On behalf of the Students we would like to thank you for embracing the model of Positive
Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) to lead us to a 100% achievement in an audit undertaken
by PB4L visitors to the College. Families, we thank you for your relationships with
Porirua College. We can’t work without you.
As we look forward to 2013, the Board will be looking at the remaining use of the older
buildings on the college site; we hope to strengthen our language course development
through partnerships with other organisations, there are tri-annual elections as well as
continuing to support Porirua College with the Board’s main purpose
‘To raise student achievement.’
I would like to thank all the Board members: Susanne Jungersen, Karl Payne, Aroha
Marsh, Ngavaine John, Veronica Vaovasa, Metua Tengaru, James Faraimo and Faitala
Filipaina, as well as Ruth Avery for all her administrative support. Also our fabulous
student rep for 2012, Terai Rota and our two new student reps for 2013 Lauagaia Akerise
and Moana Lualua.
Wishing you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.
SCHOOL TIMETABLE
Learning Coach
Check and Connect
9.10 – 9.20am
Period 1
INTERVAL ONE
Period 2
Period 3
INTERVAL TWO
9.20 – 10.50
10.50 – 11.10
11.10 – 12.05
12.05 – 1.00pm
1.00 – 1.40
Period 4
Period 5
1.40 – 2.30 **
2.30 – 3.20
** (On Thursdays school finishes at the end of Period 4 at 2.30pm)
Porirua College develops powerful learners who are willing and able to use this quality in the
service of their communities.
4
DINE (Delight, Inspire, Nourish, Enrich)
Ms Avery and Ms Gunson attended a new event called DINE which was designed
to get secondary school students involved in the hospitality industry in a range
of roles from waiting staff to chefs. Students were recruited, coached and
nurtured by selected industry mentors to experience hands-on industry training.
This added purpose and passion to their learning.
The menu was created long before the actual event that took place on Friday,
28 September.
The week before the actual dinner, the group started at renowned Wellington
restaurant Logan Brown, learning skills from Steve Logan, along with other
prominent chefs.
Porirua College's very own Celicia Mailei was among this group of Wellington
students and on the night she waited on our table (although like a true Chef
she was itching to get into the kitchen) and she shone with her beautiful smile.
Celicia's proud mother was also there to enjoy the occasion.
DINE was held in of the major sponsor’s venues, The Westpac Stadium Trust,
and there were 200 guests. Schools from around the region were represented
and the five course menu was delicious. DINE will become an annual event.
The photo is of Celicia entertaining her fellow DINE colleagues with a story.
Porirua College develops powerful learners who are willing and able to use this quality in the
service of their communities.
5
Polyfest 2012 was a fantastic event that PC shone at.
The pictures below tell the story...
Porirua College develops powerful learners who are willing and able to use this quality in the
service of their communities.
6
PC
PREFECTS 2013
Sae Alapati
Parke Williams
Camilla Time-Tautua
Toa Mailo-Alexander
Maima Liona-Lutau
Ram Hram
Olouta Faraimo
Ngaupoko Taratoa
Sepola Fa’avae
Matariki Wilkins-Hodges
Victoria Faraimo
Tupusa Pulega
Deputy Head Boy Wayne La’ai
Kimiora Alefaio
Peter Pilli
Wayne La’ai
Truvon Lukitau
Aloese Tioti
Lauagaia Akerise
Jordana Va’sili
Shayleigh Te Kira
Tavita Lemauga
Chyenne Tengaru
Jamie Nansen
Deputy Head Girl Camilla Time -Tautua
Head Boy 2013—Sae Alapati
Head Girl 2013—Olouta Faraimo
Porirua College develops powerful learners who are willing and able to use this quality in
the service of their communities.
7
This year has seen another step down the PB4L pathway. Postive Behaviour For Learning
is a Ministry of Education programme that requires a school to closely examine their
systems and processes. The final outcome is to produce positive learning environments.
At PC we have our 3Bs. These are our three key expectations for all parts of the school at
all times:
100%
This year we scored
in the annual survey of our progress by the Ministry!!!
Well done to all staff, students and parents who contributed to this great outcome!!
As part of PB4L, Karma Kards are awarded to those students doing the right thing.
This year staff have given out more than
25,000!!! Amazing :)
Students have been able to cash in their cards for a variety of rewards. They have
claimed more than 40 hairstraighteners!! Many, many movie tickets, boomboxes, and
alarm clocks have been claimed. Also hundreds of canteen vouchers and uniform items,
such as shorts, have been popular rewards.
Look out next year for a new range of fun rewards!! Doing the right thing is not only
about getting presents!! It is also about doing the things that will help you to have a
successful year by getting along with people and becoming a powerful learner.
GO PC PRIDE SCHOOLWIDE
Porirua College develops powerful learners who are willing and able to use this quality in the
service of their communities.
8
At the beginning of Term Four, we launched our uniform
campaign. One way of showing PC Pride is to look sharp
in PC uniform. Also when students are wearing the
correct uniform, teachers are able to focus their attention
completely on student learning—and not have to have
conversations during valuable learning time about
non-uniform items.
2013 will begin with the same focus on correct uniform!
Uniform Shop Hours 2013:
Monday 14th January - Friday 25th January : 10am 2pm
From Tuesday 29th January: The Uniform shop will
be open from 10am - 2pm (Tuesday - Friday)
Cash, EftPos or Credit Card payments are accepted.
Looking Good!
Other important dates for Term 1 2013 are on the back
page of this Ako!
In Term Three, the PB4L team continued its focus on making
sure that students had adequate opportunities to purchase filling and yummy food on school grounds at interval and
lunchtime.
This has led to a partnership between the Heart Foundation,
Regional Public Health, Libelle (our canteen providers) and
our very own Ms Gunson of the Hospitality / Food Department.
The year 9/10 option class have investigated
student opinion on the issue and developed
healthy menu items. These were offered to
students and staff in a tasting session recently
and received very positive feedback (“The
yummiest chop suey I have ever tasted,” said
Ms Wainright). Watch for some of these
items appearing on the canteen menu next
year!
Porirua College develops powerful learners who are willing and able to use this quality in
the service of their communities.
9
For the second year running PB4L as a P.C.
school wide initiative has put its money where
its mouth is and presented our top students with
an amazing opportunity to go snowboarding on
Mount Ruapehu— only this time we had such a
great number of students receiving Karma
Kards for all their positive behaviour, that we
had to take two separate trips!
the return trips.
The main topic of conversation being “when
can all do it again…!”
As a teacher/supervisor, and it being my last
year at P.C., I personally took great pleasure
spending this time with these students. It was
fantastic to watch these young people step
After a 4am (!) departure from the college and completely out of their comfort zones, persefour hour drive, we arrived at the hospitable
vere and in the end conquer the mountain.
Ossie's Alpine Chalets in Ohakune to drop off
Mr Luther
our gear and supplies. Then it was straight to
It was an awesome trip because I had my mates
Whakapapa where each of the students were
there with me and it was my first time on actual
booked in for their first snowboarding lesson.
thick snow. Even though I didn’t know how to
Some struggled to stay upright, in fact some
snowboard, I tried my best and had some good
even struggled to get a snowboard attached to rides—but some were not so good because I
their feet, but most importantly all persevered kept falling over. Overall,
and before long we had students carving up the it was an opportunity
mountain from the higher more advanced
that I am so glad I
slopes (credit to Fitu Fuialo and Ram Hram).
didn’t miss out on.
Our students showed how responsible they can Rotiva Siomumua
be while on the mountain, they followed all the
rules laid out for them, they were always help- Snowboarding was
one of the best
ful, well mannered and proved to be a credit
experiences of
to our school and the Porirua community. By
my life.
the end of both trips, we were completely
Jesse Brown
shattered, sleeping for most of the journey
home. A great time was had by all.
Although barely able to open their mouths to
speak from tiredness, there was such a
beautiful sense of camaraderie in the van on
A BIG thanks to:
Ms Gunson
Mr Luther
and Ms Taptiklis!!!
Porirua College develops powerful learners who are willing and able to use this quality
in the service of their communities.
10
Breakfast Club (BC @ PC)
Due to customer demand I’ve been opening Breakfast Club up at the earlier time
of 8am—9am on Wednesday and Friday each week of term. Dr Ruth reports...
Diabetes is a big problem in our community. I notice the students load up their
milo drinks and Weetbix with sugar so I’ve decided to replace the white, refined
sugar with raw sugar as that will help a little. I encourage the families of our students to use less sugar on all their food including drinks. We provide bananas for
the students and they provide natural sugar and are a great food as they
provide a slow release of energy and contain potassium.
You may have seen the newspaper article about the man who was going to lose limbs
(yes—have his legs amputated) because he chose
to ignore his type 1 diabetes! Too much sugar
and fat would have contributed to his disease as
well as a lack of exercise.
Students often ask me where the food comes
from for BC and I tell them the following
companies and people kindly donate it:









Brumby’s Bakery (fresh bread)
Challenge 2000 (bananas)
Fonterra (boxed UHT milk )
New World Porirua (fresh milk and bread)
Sanitarium (Weetbix and a box of Peanut Butter)
Ron Pyne (tinned fruit , bacon and IT expertise)
Ruth Avery (Nutella, bacon and eggs)
Porirua College (spreads, margarine, Milo & extra milk)
Ms Gunson—the hospitality room as our venue and she helps cook and clean up!
A big thank you to our sponsors without whom we wouldn’t have BC @ PC. Please support our
sponsors.
Brain Fuel
Andrew Fuller, a psychologist from Australia and researcher and expert on adolescent behaviour has sent
us the following piece on why breakfast is so important:
Your brain runs best when you give it best fuel. If you don’t eat right your brain is like a car full of the wrong
sort of petrol, chugging up the hills and needing more revving to get going.
Brains Need Breakfast
The research is in: if you want to do well at school and in life you have to eat breakfast. Breakfast eaters
get 40% higher marks in Maths. People who eat breakfast are less likely to be absent from school and are
less likely to be late for school.
Studies indicate that non-breakfast eaters are twice as likely to be depressed, four times less likely to suffer
anxiety and 30% more like to be hyperactive.
Having a high protein – lower carbohydrate mix for breakfast enhances concentration and memory. So
avoid lots of sugary cereals, juices and heaps of toast and eat some eggs, milk and porridge or bacon.
11
FAREWELLS
Mr Luther, Art Teacher, is moving to America to be closer to his in-laws.
Mr Payne, HOD Performing Artsm is going to teach in the Cook Islands for a year and then
will return to Porirua College (the boomerang teacher).
Mr Aitofi, Music Teacher, is moving to Brisbane to further his career.
Ms McCarthy, Itinerant Music Teacher, is going to be HOD at the Rudolph Steiner school
in Johnsonville.
We would like to thank the above teachers for all their hard work, passion and commitment to
our school and we wish them well in their endeavours. Students and staff a-like will miss you
and all you did for us but other students in other parts of the world will now benefit from your
expertise and love of teaching. Aroha.
WE
WELCOME
YOU
WE
WELCOME
YOU
WE WELCOME
YOU MS LEWIS
Kia ora koutou,
INTRODUCING
MS SMTYH
Katherine may look very
familiar to you as she used to
relief teach here years ago.
She came back to manage
Term 4 English and liked it so
much so applied for the
permanent job and stayed!
“I am very glad to be back
home in Aotearoa after four
years teaching English in
London, living the fast life and
travelling as much as possible.
I like all sports, particularly
netball and basketball.
I am originally from Nelson, but
studied and taught in Dunedin
before moving to Wellington.
I am very happy to be at
Porirua College and have been
welcomed into the Whitireia
community.”
INTRODUCING
MR COLLIER
I was born in Nelson and attended Nelson Boys College.
I spent four years studying in
Christchurch at Canterbury
University where I completed
a BA majoring in Political
Science and History and a
Diploma in Teaching and
Learning. I have spent the
past five years teaching Social
Sciences at Opotiki College in
the Eastern Bay of Plenty. I
am moving down to
Wellington to be with my
partner who works in radio
and to enjoy all the benefits
the city has to offer.
My hobbies include surf cast
fishing, playing golf and home
brewing. I am a keen
sportsman who enjoys playing
football and spectating rugby
(go the Crusaders!) and
cricket.
I am 22 years old and of Ngai
Tahu descent. Born and bred
in Otautahi. I went to Burnside
High School then studied at
both Otago and Canterbury
Uiversities.
I studied a degree in music
and majored in contemporary
performance. I am a singer
and pianist and can't think of
any place I’d rather be than in
a restaurant, singing and playing jazz/soul/rnb/pop music in
the background!
My hobbies involve anything
that is high energy from social
netball to tubing down rivers in
a big tyre! I love seeing live
music, exploring outdoors and
travelling overseas.
I look forward to inspiring students and being inspired by
them. I am persistent and believe the key to being a great
teacher is to lead by example.
I sing for you, you sing for me!
I am so excited to be joining a
brilliant schooling environment
and staff at Porirua College!
12
Prize Giving 2012
It was a fantastic night, with dancing, singing, rapping and laughter. The
Dux for 2012 is Terai Rota and the joint winners of the Proxime Accessit
were Jayne Lafaele and Agnes Sianava.
13
Special Academic Awards,
Scholarships and Bursaries
SPECIAL ACADEMIC AWARDS
Sanderson Cup
The Murray Bloxham Memorial Award
Award for Senior Mathematics
Senior Accounting Award
Level One Geography Research Award
Level Two Geography Research Award
Level One Overall Excellence in English
Level Two Overall Excellence in English
Level Three Overall Excellence in English
Senior Creative Writing Award
Year 11 Speech Competition Winner
Year 13 Speech Competition Winner
Sir George Seymour Prize
Junior International Languages Cup
Senior International Languages Cup
Kai Ora Award
MUSIC AND PERFORMING ARTS AWARDS
The Lila Nixon Cup
The Rising Star Cup
The Whiti Te Ra Cup
Excellence in the Arts
Contribution to the Arts
LEADERSHIP AWARDS
Student Board of Trustees' Representatives 2013
Head Boy 2013
Head Girl 2013
Deputy Head Boy 2013
Deputy Head Girl 2013
TOP ACADEMIC AWARDS
Year 11 General Excellence Award - Porirua City Council Cup
Year 11 General Excellence Award - W J Brown Cup
Year 12 General Excellence Award - joint winners
Year 12 Frances Brown Cup
Year 12 Lions' Cup
Gounder-Meremere Cup (Proxime Accessit) - joint winners
Foundation Cup - Dux
SCHOLARSHIPS AND BURSARIES
ASB Bursary Award
Otago University Scholarship
The Derek Wootton Memorial Trust
The Girls' Friendly Society Incorporated
Hutt Mana Charitable Trust Energy Scholarship
Porirua Youth Awards
Trust Porirua Scholarship
Victoria University of Wellington - Maori
Victoria University of Wellington - Pasifica
Jeanette Leaupepe Sua
Lema Kaikura Lefao
Terai Rota
Leilanah Suailua
Dominic Su'a
Sepola Faavae
Tiana Ranfurly
Victoria Faraimo
Jayne Lafaele
Debbie Kini
Tiana Ranfurly
Mark Moe
Ahorangi Tihi-Ormsby
Moetu Moetu
Aukuso Tuitama
Celicia Mailei
Jayne Lafaele
Jesse Brown
Peter Briggs
Laki Tato-Betham
Peter Briggs
Lauagaia Akerise & Moana Lualua
Sea Alapati
Olouta Faraimo
Wayne La'ai
Camilla Time Tautua
Junior Iona
Tiana Ranfurly
Sae Alapati & Victoria Faraimo
Rinaaz Hakim
Wayne La'ai
Jayne Lafaele & Agnes Sianava
Terai Rota
Sugaluopea Filipaina & Ponesa Muna
Sugaluopea Filipaina
Agnes Sianava
Jayne Lafaele
Bawi Hlong
Ponesa Muna
Bawi Hlong & Rung Hram
Ramari Biddle
Terai Rota
14
PRIZE GIVING 2012 CULTURAL AWARDS RECIPIENTS
He Taonga Te Reo Tiakina
Mahinerangi Thompson
Nga Mahi - a - te rehia
Te Hiraka Teaho
Tikanga Me Ona Ahuatanga Trophy
Nastasja Taueki-Rogers
Te Roopu Rangimarie Citizenship Shield
Nastasja Taueki-Rogers
Junior Māori Studies Cup
Tauwhitu Hillman
The Lecia Hopping Memorial Cup
Sepola Faavae, Rosana Faraimo, Mareta Talo and Celicia Mailei
The Whiti Te Ra Cup
Vila Nua, Sepola Faavae, Rosana Faraimo, Mareta Talo and Celicia Mailei
Polynesian Group Leader
Tokelauan Group
Samoan Group
Tuvaluan Group
Cook Islands Māori
Tongan Group
Niuean Group
Vaitusi Nofoaiga Cup
Kapeteni Polutea
Samoan Cup
Tolufale Aviata & Agnes Sianava
Mua Matagi Cup
Elina Afamasaga
Rosana Faraimo and Tessa Peniata
Mareta Talo & Barbra Taumoli
Kimiora Alefaio and Sepola Faavae
Ngaupoko Taratoa and Chyenne Tengaru
Teresa Tuangalu and Tala Sau
Celicia Mailei
15
JUNIOR VOLLEYBALL BOYS NORTH ISLAND NATIONALS CHAMPIONSHIP
The Porirua College Junior Volleyball Team attended the North Island Nationals
Championship held at the ASB Arena out in Kilbirnie. The competition started off with
an Opening Ceremony, where all schools participating got the opportunity to see their
opposition for the week.
Captains from each team were to gather together to read the Players Oath Laki Polutea represented Porirua College and did an awesome job. From Tuesday-Friday all teams were to play it
out in their divisions to try and fight to get to the top of the table. Unfortunately, the boys weren’t able to come away with the result we all wanted but they played their hearts out in every
game and there wasn’t much more that I could’ve asked for as a coach (Ms Taumoli reporting).
Throughout the tournament for every game that is played the coach of the opposing team chose
the Player of the Match. Here they are as follows:
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
vs
vs
vs
vs
vs
vs
vs
vs
vs
St Bernards – Laki Polutea
St Pats – Tuiuli Tialia
Kew HS (Aus) – Laki Polutea
Newlands – Jamie Soapi
Wellington HS – Tuiuli Tiatia
Taita – Misiaga Ioane
Wainuiomata – Terence Tou
Scots – TJ Seuseu
Kew HS – Misiaga Ioane
Also three of our boys were selected to attend the NZ U15 Volleyball Trials next year. They are:
Misiaga Ioane, TJ Seuseu and Jamie Soapi. A massive CONGRATULATIONS to all.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank parents, families and friends of these boys for supporting them in their fundraising which enabled them to get to nationals and also helped them to
look good with their warm-up gear. Without the help of you all my job as a coach wouldn’t be as
easy as it was. Also BIG thanks to Camilla Time-Tautua, Junior Iona for coming out to Ref our
duty games and for helping out throughout the week and also to Terry Taumoli for driving the
boys to and from the venue.
16
SPORTS PRIZEGIVING
Drum roll please—and the major winners were:
Junior Girls Sports Cups:
Maddison Rangi and Sorann Penn
Initiative is the word that best describes this duo.
An asset to their codes, working behind the scenes,
their service to sport has not gone unnoticed.
Sorann Penn
Maddison Rangi
Junior Boys Sports Cup:
Lumafale Lualua
Wellington Rugby Union U14 Reps & Western Bays rep. Lumafale
has also been selected for the Wellington development squad 2013.
This squad is a specialised team chosen from all representative
grades. He will have the opportunity to learn from some key and
talented
Senior Girls Sports Cup:
Camilla Time-Tautua
Once again the youngest member in her U19 team and the
only player from the Wellington region. Represented NZ U17
2011, then selected for NZ U19 this year Camilla TimeTautua jetted off to Thailand for the Championships.
On top of her role as a New Zealand player, Camilla coached
basketball, played netball for Collegiate 1 and continued to
play volleyball during the off-season for her club.
UNDERHILL TROPHY: Jack Lelilio
Representative in North’s Invitation XV, Captain PC 1st XV
team. Jack showed true commitment and strong leadership
skills in the 2012 rugby programme, a valuable asset to his
team.
17
Senior Boys Sports Cup: Aukuso Tuitama and Luke Cummings
Outstanding achievement from both students. Both students deserve to have this recognition for
their achievements this year.
Aukuso Tuitama: breaking a four-year drought U18 Wellington Rugby Union Reps, He has
been focused on this representative level since he started school at Porirua College.
Luke Cummings: NZ Rep for: Softball, Tag, Wellington Māori League and Orcas, Luke is no
doubt a very talented sportsman. Whatever he sets out to do, he does it well and at the highest
level in his grade. Keep in the direction you’re going and you will exceed. Watch this space.
Aukuso Tuitama
Luke Cummings
ALBERT ALAPATI – SPORTSMANSHIP CUP:
Badminton – Junior Girls’ Team
This special award has been donated by Classic Embroidery
This trophy is a memorial trophy for a son, a brother, head boy, a sports man, a friend, a
relative, a colleague, someone that is loved and will always be remembered in the Porirua
Community.
18
The Albert Alapati trophy represents, the “golden rule” of all sports in other words,
treating the people you play with and against as you'd like to be treated yourself. You
demonstrate good sportsmanship when you show respect for yourself, your teammates,
and your opponents, for the coaches on both sides, and for the referees, judges, and
other officials.
But sportsmanship isn't just reserved for the people on the field. Fans and parents also
need to be aware of how they behave during competition. Sportsmanship is a style and an
attitude, and it can have a positive influence on everyone around you.
THANK YOU TO: Our Coaches, Managers, Officials, Supporters, PC Staff & Families for your
invaluable support. Without you, sport would not be possible at Porirua College.
I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. See you all in 2013 and have a safe
and happy hoIiday. From Rachel Falemaka, our hard-working Sports Coordinator.
Y9 Stars Peer Mentoring Programme
Community Challenge Planting and Beautification Day
For an afternoon last term all Y9s, their Learning Coaches and prefects/peer
mentors were involved in spreading top soil, creating gardens, planting shrubs
around their houses and
clearing debris from the
entrance of our school and
also the lower sports fields.
The students and their learning
coaches Mr Koloamatagi,
Ms Taumoli, Mr Light,
Mrs Hutton, Mrs Kelemete
and Mr Dan Squires created
amazing gardens around their
houses. Congratulations to all our Y9 students and their teachers.
A big thank you to Porirua City Council for providing the knowledge and advice of
how to layout, plan and plant the shrubs. Porirua College is also thankful to the
Council for providing some of the plants at no cost to the school.
Porirua College would also like to thank the Wellington
Foundation of Youth Development Y9 Stars Co-ordinator,
Veronique Rocheouste, who helped organise the
Community Challenge as part of our Y9 Stars Mentoring
Programme and of course our Office Manager, Lynne Best,
for all her hard work in ensuring the day went smoothly
for everyone.
19
SENIOR PROM 2012
There was a King and Queen of the Prom and a Mr and Mrs Prom.
It was a fun night filled with masks, fun and dancing—PC style.
A big thanks to Mrs Joan Aitken, who left us at the end of Term 3,
for her fantastic organisation of the Prom over many years.
20
Wellington College Sport Dinner
What an evening!!
Definitely one to remember for our
winner of the night, Camilla TimeTautua. She was the recipient of the
Volleyball award and rightly so
because she was the only
Wellingtonian in the NZ U17's Girls'
team. A great representative for our
young up and coming Porirua
College sports people.
Accompanying staff were Rachel Falemaka (Sports Co-ordinator), Tapeni
Simmons and Fou Taufitu. Other students present include Jack Lelilio and
Luke Cummings.
This was a poignant morning for Tangare staff
and senior students. Our senior students had
their final gathering with Tangare community,
as well as with staff members leaving.
Kai was shared and tears were shed, but the
seniors will leave Porirua College with a vast and
varied bank of memories. Arohanui, Miss Taufitu.
“Dog and Bone" at Pataka
It was moving, powerful, funny and poignant play
set during New Zealand Land wars.
Our very own year 12 JAMIE NANSEN had a small part but shone. He took his
opportunity and caught Mr Payne’s eye many times during the show. His parents and
whānau were very proud.
21
My School
Written by Ioane Lafaele
My school is very important for me, because school is the beginning of my life.
When I come to school I want to study hard and do my best. Sometimes when I’m at
home, I think about my school in my country, because it is a different environment
to my school in New Zealand. The students in Samoa show good behaviour. They
listen and respect the teachers all the time. But I want to come to school everyday to
become a powerful learner.
PC rules:

No hats inside please.

Out of bounds—the ring-road around the school is the out of bounds
area. Students are not to leave the school grounds during the day
unless they have an exit pass from the office.

No smoking anywhere on school grounds including the sports fields,
car parks, steps down to Driver Crescent.

10 kph—please drive carefully when on site.
Tongan Language class graduates
The Tongan Language Evening Class marked the end of its first academic year
with the awarding of certificates to its participants on Monday 19 November 2012.
It has been a challenging but successful year. The class is conducted from 5.30pm
to 7.30 pm on Monday evenings. The participants range from aged 9 to their midthirties and came from various ethnic backgrounds. The Tongan Class is tailored
for those wanting to learn and converse in Tongan—whatever level they begin at.
22
PC TO OPC
By roving reporter Rotiva Roki Siamomua
I was excited to hear that I and nine other girls got the opportunity to go to OPC for a week.
Even though we started with tears and good-byes it meant that we were ready to face new
challenges that came our way.
Day one, our first day at OPC we were introduced to our new instructor Chris Whitehouse. Our first
activity was rock climbing on a solid rock wall and it took guts but I did it along with my girls. The
second activity we had to do was an upstream tramp. It was tiring and painful but most of all it was
hot. Basically we had to follow the stream upwards and use our climbing skills in challenging areas.
On this day I learnt a new habit which was moaning. I found the activity tiring because it felt like we
had been walking for six hours but luckily I wasn’t the only one feeling like this.
On day two we went kayaking on Lake Taupo. We had a wobbly start but when we got the hang of
how to kayak we were all good.
On day three we camped overnight and went caving. Caving was pitch dark and scary when we got in
the cave but having my girls there with me made me feel safe. The hardest part for me was having to
squeeze in to tight spaces. In the cave we saw glow worms, there were a lot of them and Chris was
telling us great facts about them. When we got deep in the cave Chris gave us our last challenge for
the day and that was to find our way without him leading us. We started looking at the map trying to
sort out which way to go. It was painful as well because the rocks were hard and sharp and we had to
crawl under, jump over and even squeeze between them. But at the end of the day we found our way
out and Mr Light was standing at the opening laughing and taking photos.
On day four we went abseiling, flying fox and tube floating. Abseiling was scary at first but once you
went over the edge there was no going back. What I was really happy about was that we all did it
even though some of us were scared of heights. Even Miss Taumoli and Mr Light did it. The last
activity of the day turned out to be the best activity of the whole week, tube floating. We had to float
in our tubes down the river which was full of lots of big rocks. We had to follow Chris who made it
look easy so I assumed it would be a piece of cake. Nekminite I started to float all over the place
hitting every rock that came my way as well as most of the girls and there was even numerous flips
on the way down.
23
Day five was our last day at OPC. First up we had to clean
the chalet that we had been living in as well as all the gear
we had used. We had to make the place look as if we had
never been there ready for the next group. After that we
went to complete our last activity which was the high
ropes. Of course I offered to go first but when it came to
jumping off the big swing I dropped and so Luluvita went
instead. That was what helped us all to just jump like it
was our last day to live. What made me proud that day was
we all did something that we had never done before and
having fears did not hold us back.
This was a camp to remember. I’ll never forget all the
good times we had together and all the tears and laughter.
There were some unforgettable moments and in the end it
was awesome.
Big thanks to Mr Light and Miss Taumoli for being
there with us and always laughing and taking photos
of our facials and to Chris Whitehouse for being the
coolest instructor and putting up with our moaning.
Big thanks to Mr Wood for helping organise the trip f
or us and finally a big big thanks to the Outdoor Pursuits
Centre for giving us this opportunity to explore new
things and giving us new challenges. Thank you for the
support Erenei, Eve, Talimai, Wiki, Michala, Lulu,
Maddy, Leata and Elizabeth.
24
HOLD
THE
FRONT
PAGE!
Article by
Jody O’Callaghan
of the Dominion
Post newspaper
(Many thanks Jody for your kind permission to reproduce this article and photo, Ed)
Fighting, graffiti and vandalism at Porirua College disappeared when it said goodbye to dark corridors and concrete,
cell-style buildings.
The school's 1968 design was replaced by four integrated "whanau-style" houses with state-of-the-art equipment and
transparent, modern classrooms in an $18.5 million redevelopment that began in 2010. Two years later, principal
Susanne Jungerson has noticed behaviour has improved "quite dramatically" within the decile 1 school.
She used to have to charge the Education Ministry one of the country's highest vandalism clean-up bills of about
$160,000 a year, reflecting the pupils' lack of respect for their learning environment. "It didn't happen overnight,
but once they realised, ‘Gosh, this is real, this is our flash new school,' they do want to look after it. It's just
extraordinary."
Now there was no fighting in the school, and a change of attitude to one of a real pride in their new surroundings.
"They are much more positive towards school, their teachers and towards each other now."
Morale had lifted, pride had increased, and pupils no longer felt "diffident" about the school, she said.
"I think it was the uplift in pride that you get from flash new buildings, good technology and the environment looking
a lot nicer." The rest of the school was being refurbished, but it was in the award-winning houses where the change
happened.
Peter Briggs, 18, said the new layout meant pupils were no longer "stuck in a box" and, while they were mainly separated into four community houses, when they came together it was as one proud school.
"They're not tagging it, they're not treating it badly. They are treating it like their houses."
Jayne Lafaele, 17, said there were no more fights or aggressive attitudes, whereas there used to be "lots".
"We want to give our school a good name and I think we've achieved that since the buildings and everything. There
is no-one tagging on the buildings because we want to keep it fresh."
It used to be "hard", because of the vibe within the buildings; pupils found isolated places to hang out "in their own
buzz".
Head boy Ponesa Muna, 17, said he had noticed a big change in pupil attitudes since the "outdated" buildings were
replaced.
For the full article please check out the following link: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/7914713/
Porirua-College-New-buildings-new-attitude
25
BIGGER PICTURE
Just thinking about this trip brings back the thrilling, excited and nerve wracking feelings I once had. Our plane
took off on the 30th of September 2012. We were on our way to a new experience.
A group of ordinary teens from Porirua sat nervously spread out on the plane. We had no idea what we were in for.
We thought about the little things we’d do in Brisbane; blazing hot sun, shopping, tanning, holiday. Small things
any teenager would think about, yet we didn’t look at the bigger picture. Some of us in the group had never left the
country, let alone sat on an actual plane. We achieved something that made us average teenagers see the big picture to aim higher.
At first when we set foot on the land of Down Under, I looked around with disbelief in my eyes. But even though my
mind could not get over the fact that I was here in Brisbane, my body temperature sure increased and noticed we
were no longer in NZ. On our way to Surfers Paradise I looked outside my window. never really noticed how small
our surroundings in New Zealand were. Australia is a huge country and very large in life. The excited feelings
came back, then it hit me like a tonne of bricks, we were in Gold Coast, travelling on a road, where to our left the
beach rest and to our right the bright lights of the city shone through. We drove around and took in every bit of it.
The first day went past slowly, shopping, sightseeing, and the little things we thought about on the plane, and we
did. Every spot we stopped we took a photo, “Gavin where’s the camera? Take a photo” or “Can you take it, go
quickly” I swear that is all you could hear throughout the day, as a matter of fact throughout the whole trip. That
day seemed so simple but then thinking about it now, that day is the day where we got to know each other, we
started to bond and really come together, again we never really looked at the bigger picture.
I saw the biggest Time Zone I have ever seen in my life, huge shopping malls everywhere we went, loads of cheap,
rich, labelled stores full of clothing, SHOES and bikinis, so many kebab stores I couldn’t keep count, different ice
cream stores every corner you turned and heaps of dairy’s that were titled as “milk bars”. It was like a whole new
world there, and all we could do is compare.
There were many highlights on our trip, but one that stood out was Dreamworld and White Water World. It was
scorching hot that day, yet we had a thrill of a lifetime. You even had one of us yelling out “let’s go on the Long
Drop” throughout the day, when it’s actually called the “Giant Drop” only Porirua. Everyone had a good vibe and
enjoyed every second of it. We chilled, screamed, worried, laughed, nearly cried, and some of us even got angry
because the ride was too scary. Trying to keep together as a group was hard, a couple of us were so excited, would
go running off in a different direction from the others, so yes we did lose each other now and then. For most of us,
it was our first ever to be at a theme park and we loved it, this opportunity gave us the chance to widen our perspective of the world, and also gave us a chance to see the bigger picture.
Although, the city was awesome the theme parks and material things were indescribably amazing it was the company we had that made this trip unforgettable. The times we cracked jokes, those little arguments we’d laugh
about, times we chilled in the rooms and munched on biscuits, or when the girls would take forever to get ready
just to walk down the road, when we saw a different side of some people and treasured times when we all came
together as a group and reflected. These moments made this trip undeniably memorable.
One day we went away from the city and drove to the other side. This is where we captured the “million dollar
view”, across the harbour on a beautiful sunny day, the whole city stood spread before our eyes. This is when we
saw the bigger picture, what life is like out of Porirua, that there is more out there than just the simple life we live in
now. We saw and experienced a new life that we never thought would be possible. We now see the bigger picture,
to aim further and higher; there is more out there than what is here in Wellington or Auckland, THE WORLD IS A
BIGGER PLACE.
Huge thanks to our Principal Susanne Jungersen, the BOT, supporters of the trip, family and friends, Gavin’s
whanau in Brisbane, Porirua College, Gavin Shepherd and Nane Kimiangatau :)
26
Admin staff are doing it for themselves
Pam Mulford, blonde uniform lady to us but bowler extraordinaire to others,
got to the semi –finals of the Wellington open singles for lawn bowls recently.
Not bad for a third year bowler playing against Wellington and New Zealand reps!
Many thanks to the Dominion Post for use of this photo of our Pamela in action.
(Pam’s let go of the ball, it’s not the new invisible bowls game which is quite tricky
to umpire!) Ed.
Year 13 Samoan graduation
Our Samoan parents, organised by
Ali’imuamua Uelese Lalau, recently
acknowledged and celebrated our
2012 Year 13 graduands from
College. We recognised those who
had gained NCEA and those who
had succeeded in National Speech
Competitions.
Cook Islands Māori Graduation
This was a fantastic event with 62 students graduating. It was
held at the Pacific Island Hall, the graduates got up and danced
and it was a big party. Pictured right is Teremoana Hodges a
nd the Cook Islands High Commissioner, Papa Tiki Matapo.
We are proud to have held successful language classes for
adult learners in our after 3 programmes. We are grateful to
Mapu Taia (Cook Islands Maori) and Maulolo Amosa (Samoan)
for the three short courses we held this year.
Porirua College develops powerful learners who are willing and able to use this quality
in the service of their communities.
27
Police College
Visit
On 14 November 22 Year 10 students
visited the Police College with
Constable Andy Alexander of the
Neighbourhood Policing Team from
Cannons Creek Police Base, RTLB
Belle Tuimaseve-Fox and Maxine
Williams.
The purpose of the visit was to encourage as many Pasifika and Maori students from Cannons Creek to look at
joining the Police Force when they leave school and to give students the opportunity to see some of the courses
the Police recruits need to complete in order to graduate from the College. There is a shortage of Pasifika and
Maori adults (mainly women) joining the Police Force, therefore, the Police Department are very keen to encourage
our young students to start thinking about a policing career at the junior level of secondary schooling.
The visit also enabled our students to observe the Police Driving Instructors who talked about the advanced driving
courses they run at the College which are designed to help Police recruits identify and avoid or handle potential
hazards when they are driving. They also teach skills that can help reduce the likelihood of being involved in a crash,
such as eye scanning while driving, hazard identification and risk management.
The students were also taken on a tour of the Police Museum and were able to look at the different displays around
the Museum namely evidence of Police history in action. There were historical objects and original evidence used in
the displays that tell the story of the formation of New Zealand's Police as well as their changing role in areas such
as drug and alcohol enforcement. Many major historical events also feature, including the 1913 strikes, 1981
Springbok Tour, the Erebus plane disaster and the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior.
The next stop was the lunch in the Police Canteen with the current recruits who are due to graduate at the end of
November. The students loved this part of the tour as they were able to mix and mingle with the recruits and also
have second helpings of food in the canteen!!!
After lunch we attended a lecture with Inspector Anaru George, Maori Iwi Liaison Advisor, who talked about what
subjects students need to take in order to join the Police, fitness levels, living on site, study hours each recruit
needs to complete in order to pass all their courses and the high standards required in order to stay in their
courses and graduate.
Last but not least, the students had the opportunity to ride in the Police cars with the Driving Instructors who
performed spinouts and drifting on the special speed track which is used to train recruits how to manoeuvre their
vehicles out of trouble if their vehicle slide in wet weather.
A big thank you must to go our Neighbourhood Policing Team Dennis Ngatai and Andy Alexander who
organised the day and also provided transport. The students had a wonderful time and many of them are
now thinking of joining the Police Force when they leave school.
Porirua College develops powerful learners who are willing and able to use this quality in
the service of their communities.
28
Our community
You count – Mā tātou
Census is coming | 5 March 2013
The Census provides important planning information for anyone
who needs it e.g. local communities, schools, government.*
Make sure your community needs are counted by

getting your household to fill out their forms when they are delivered in February. You can even
do it on-line – that way it’s secure, quick and easy.

being a Collector for 6 weeks from mid-February. Collectors deliver forms locally. They are trained
and paid. We like local Collectors who know their area as that helps get a form to every person in
every household so everyone can be counted.
To apply go to www.census.govt.nz/jobs or call 0800CENSUS from 7 December.


You can find census stories at www.census.govt.nz/census/ search “2006 community stories”
All the information gathered is completely confidential to Statistics New Zealand: no individual
is identifiable from the statistics that are produced and no information is shared with any other
government department, agency or community group.
Starship hospital needs your help!
“A big thank you for your school’s support throughout 2012 with the Starship Mobile Phone Appeal.
As the school year comes to an end, we ask that you give one last push, in your newsletter and within
your school community, for any further stray phones that may be out there. Schools continue to be one
of our best supporters and next year we hope to have an updated rewards list with some great new
products for your school to enjoy.”
Kate Bunge
Starship Mobile Phone Recycling Partners
Please drop your old mobile phones off to the school office and we will arrange for them to be collected by
Starship Mobile Recycling Partners.
EASY CHRISTMAS SHOPPING – PLUS WIN UP TO $500 FOR YOU AND
$500 FOR YOUR SCHOOL
Shop, save money, save time and raise funds for your school.
Step 1 – sit down & relax !
Step 2 – get someone to make your favourite coffee !
Step 3 - simply go to www.yourfastshop.co.nz, select your school and start browsing for Christmas presents.
 No queues, No parking problems, No aching feet !
 Save on petrol costs.
 Over 60 online stores to choose from including electronics at Apple, fashion at Ezibuy, books at The Nile, toys at
Mighty Ape and so many other gifts.
 Your shopping is dealt with directly by your chosen online store.
 Please go to www.yourfastshop.co.nz to see how you could win $100 to $500 for you and your school. We also
automatically provide extra funds to your school.
Treat yourself to easy shopping and help your school this Christmas.
Porirua College develops powerful learners who are willing and able to use this quality
in the service of their communities.
29
Year 10 Science Umu Unit
In Term 4 KP10A and WT10B studied the science of cooking food in an Umu.
We studied how heat moves through the rocks, the type of rocks that are best
to use, how our body uses food and the different types of food groups. The
students were the experts when it came to teaching us what foods to cook and
how to prepare the food and the umu.
We had a lot of help from parents on the day. They worked alongside us
showing us how to prepare the food and the umu. Everyone enjoyed the unit
and we all learnt new things.
A very big thank you to all the parents who gave up their time to make sure
the umu was a success.
We must also thank Whitireia Polytechnic for their help and the presentation
they gave parents on NCEA and careers in science. We are now looking at
ways to make this a regular unit in Y10 science.
UMU 101: Step 1—Build a roaring fire
Step 3—Cover the food with wet paper
Step 2—Prepare the food
Step 4—The food is ready to be
Porirua College develops powerful learners who are willing and able to use this quality in
the service of their communities.
30
ROCK ON PC!
The jungle drums
Mr Payne’s story:
“Year 9s Tau, Seti, Christian, Obeda and Mati along with Tina Paulo (Year 11) gave an
invigorating drum display at the Te Papa theatre to open the prize giving ceremony for the
Inspiring Stories Film awards.
“They all looked very dapper in their school blazers as they played to the excited audience
(which included our very own Terai Rota!)
“Every Wednesday and Thursday after school this group of drummers practised thoroughly
to ensure they shone on the night.
“Thanks to Doug Aitofi for the extra support and transport.”
Mr Aitofi’s story:
“Big-ups to Karl for seeing their potential, getting them to the gig and giving up his own time
to get them ready.
“As a drummer, I was very impressed. As their teacher I was very proud. It was a great to
be part of it.”
Thanks Karl and Doug for the HUGE investment you’ve made in our talented students
and all the best for your next endeavours. We wish you well in 2013.
Porirua College develops powerful learners who are willing and able to use this quality
in the service of their communities.
31
Summer fun in the sun
Some of the junior music students decided they wanted to throw a concert at lunch time
and the perfect spot for them to set up was outside East Block.
They picked a perfect day as we had the Year 8s from local schools taking part in
our Transition Day (Friday, 16 November). There was touch rugby being played on the
astro-turf, girls in the front row waving their hands, the sun was shining and it felt like
Summer City!
Mr Aitofi rapped with Celestial who was Alicia Keys for the day and they did a great
performance without even practising!
Mr Aitofi had some guys playing musical chairs literally:
Filipo was on Keyboard & Bass
Obeda was on drums and keyboards
Chris was on Drums and bass
Tiputa was on guitar
Celestial and Leesah were singing
Makaela was on Keyboards
Eve and Talimai sang with Jesse, and Jordan was playing guitar.
We look forward to more concerts like it in the future.
Porirua College develops powerful learners who are willing and able to use this quality in
the service of their communities.
32
Term one DAtes 2013
DATE
Monday 28 January 2013
DESCRIPTION
Year 11 Orientation—10am—12 noon
Year 12 Orientation—1pm—3pm
(Students may go home after Orientation has finished).
Tuesday 29 January
Year 10 Orientation—10am—12 noon
(Students may go home after Orientation has finished).
Wednesday 30 January
Powhiri Years 9 & 13—10am—12 noon
(Students may go home after the Powhiri has finished).
Thursday, 31 January
Classes for all year levels start today at 9.10am
and finish at 2.30pm
Wednesday, 6 February
Waitangi Day—Public Holiday
Thursday, 21 February
Touch Rugby Senior CSW
Tuesday, 26 February—
Friday 1 March
Year 9 STARS Camp
Monday-Friday 18-22 March
Senior National Volleyball Competition
Tuesday-Friday 19-22 March
Softball Division 2 and Waka Ama Nationals
Wednesday, 27 March
Kilikiti competition
Friday 29 March
Good Friday—Public Holiday
Monday 1 & Tuesday
2 April
Easter—Public holiday
Monday 22 April—3 May
inclusive
Term One holidays
Monday 6 May
Term Two begins at 9.10am