Term three is coming to an end and with that our seniors will soon be heading off on study leave to prepare for their IGCSE and AS/A level examinations. Our seniors should be looking at these holidays as an opportunity to get in some solid study. The next month or so can make a huge difference to their final grade. Parent – Teacher interviews for our Year 11 – 13 students this Thursday are an opportunity to pick up some last minute instructions from their teachers. Students should have a well mapped out study programme that ensures they are prepared as best they can be for their final exam. In Term 4 seniors (year 11’s after week 2) will not have to attend regular classes but we will be providing a supervised study room where students can come to school to study. Teachers will be rostered on and they will be available to help your child with their study in their particular subject. A schedule of teachers on study room duty will be available shortly.

John Key addressed parliament recently where he congratulated the New Zealand Olympic team on their record breaking medal haul at the Rio Games. In his address he talked about how athletes from a small country of 4.7 million can be world beaters if they set goals and work hard to attain them. As well as excelling in their events he said the way the athletes carried themselves with poise and dignity reflected incredibly well on New Zealand. He also used a saying often used that “New Zealand punches above its weight” on the international stage and that is something Kiwis take pride in.

His comments resonated with me when Huanui College athletes performed so well recently at the Secondary School basketball, Hockey and Netball tournaments and our juniors at the AIMS games in Cross Country and Hockey. It shows that athletes and teams from a small school in Whangarei can compete on a national level if they put in the hard work and compete with grit and determination. As a school we should take great pride in the performance of our teams and Huanui College most definitely punches above its weight. As our athletes in Rio, I am equally proud of Huanui College athletes on the way they conducted themselves while at their various tournaments. Our teams played hard but fair and their behaviour on and off the field/ court were impeccable and this reflected well not only on themselves but on their families and the school they attend. Our players did not do this on their own and they received great support from their coaches, managers, teachers and especially parents. I thank you for the time and effort you have put into our young people, you must be very proud of their performances.

I trust our seniors make the most of the time available before their exams and I wish everybody connected to the College a pleasant holiday break.

The Year 8 Food Tech group had their last Food Tech lesson for the year today and they competed in the class My Kitchen Rules Challenge! We had 5 groups compete where students had to come up with a dish of their choice which they could cook and serve within 1 hour. Our guest judges Matt Miller, Brad Edwards, James Martinac and Sarah Gover tasted all dishes and concluded that Sian Podesta on her own took out the top prize for today! Well done Sian with your Blackberry and Apple Pies and Whipped Cream Yum!

The Huanui College 1st Basketball team recently competed in the North Island Secondary School Single “A” basketball tournament in Tauranga. The team, captained by Head Prefect James Martinac, coached by Francis Heremaia and assisted by Evan Hamlet performed beyond expectations to make the final against Manukura School from Palmerston North. Along the way the team had 4 wins including an outstanding effort in the semi-final against a much bigger Kingsway School team from Auckland. The team competed strongly in a seesawing final where the lead changed several times, but eventually Manukua won by 7 points.

On Friday 26th August, 6 students from Huanui College's Rotary Interact Club presented a donation of toys to the Whangarei Hospital Children's ward. Jake McClure, Nathan Zu, Tomas Ashford, Jacob Monaghan, Ethan Codlin and Olivia Lengyel have spent the last two months collecting donations from their school, Huanui College, and The Warehouse. Rachel Mason, Assistant Manager at the Whangarei Warehouse, kindly gifted over $300 worth of toys, books, games and movies. The donations were happily accepted by patient Katie Reed and Play Specialist Rose Woods. The students will be continuing their project and are still accepting donations of toys – targeting children 8 years and above.