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 From the desk of...
David Boardman, Senior School Principal
It is hard to believe today is the last full school day for our Year 13 IB students and next Friday marks the last day for all NCEA students.
With this in mind, as we enter the examination season, I thought I'd pass on some guidance on how to ensure students manage their time in examinations, regardless of what year they are in. At a time when we discuss holistic education, inquiry-based learning and inter-disciplinary approaches, formal examinations are a left over from by-gone times. The inherent format of this assessment can seem strange to students and places pressures on them very different from what they might have experienced before, especially in terms of time management.
Before the examination.
- Know what you are up against – What format will the exam take? How many questions do I need to answer?
- Practice writing quickly – As more and more work is completed using devices, the dreaded ‘Aching Hand Syndrome’ is an issue for students and can be a distraction during the exam.
During the examination.
- Read every question carefully and at least twice – When under pressure it is very easy to misread a question or misunderstand what the question is asking for.
- Divide up your time – If you have two hours for an exam, don’t spend 90 minutes on the first section, only leaving yourself 30 minutes to complete the next two.
- Plan long answers – Having a structure to your answer when you start, will allow you to make much better use of the time and help form a cohesive argument or discussion when under pressure.
- Show all working or ideas – If your mind does go blank half way through a question the examiner will be able to see what your thoughts were. Their job is to give credit where due and they can only do this is you show your thought process.
- Don’t leave early – As tempting as this may be, especially if your mind has gone blank and there is still 30 minutes left, resist it. Sit and re-read your answers, double-check answers, check spellings, rewrite any illegible or hastily scribbled words. This is far more beneficial than leaving early.
Hopefully, these few points will help students to maximise the use of the time in examinations, giving every opportunity to show examiners their understanding.
Finally, good luck and all the best for next few weeks.
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Just to let you know...
Congratulations to Josie Taylor who is a finalist in the INTERFACE Awards, ‘Best 3D Printing Project’ category. Year 6 teacher Josie integrated the project into her students Exhibition work, a term-long personal inquiry related to ‘Sharing the Planet’. We would now like the Kristin community to vote for Josie and the students in the awards. Please vote for Josie here >>
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Sports Award Dinner
The abiding memories of sport are those that create the joyous occasions we feel with others, suggested radio sportstalk personality Kent Johns at the Kristin School Sports Awards.
Mr Johns, who was guest speaker at the awards, noted it's the fistpumps, the handshakes and the human emotion that sport generates that create the abiding memories from sport.
“What I remember is the smiles. If you look back at why you participate at first in sport, it’s because you loved it,” Mr Johns told the large crowd at the Kristin Awards. “Enjoying it and having fun is what it’s about, whether you’re a sports person or someone like me who is more of an observer of sport. That said, we all like to celebrate the excellent performances, standouts and over-achievers in sport," he said.
There was plenty of this on display at the Kristin Awards with a profusion of students having success in local, national and international sports competitions and teams over the year.
Kristin Director of Sports Rob Taylor noted Kristin offers students a wide range of sports to play. “The opportunities that are now available are significant.”
View news item and full list of winners >>
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Forensics in Year 6
Last week we were introduced to Senior Seargent Catchcrooke (Mrs Neubert), Detective Doright (Mrs Ashley) and CSI Special Agent Sharpshooter (Mrs Taylor). We were told of a crime committed in JS23 where the teachers’ secret lolly stash was stolen - shocking.
Our job is now to use forensic evidence and clues from the scene to identify the perpetrator. So far, we have analysed a note left at the scene using chromatology testing to identify the pen used. In order to do this, we tested 5 different pen samples to identify the different pigments that made up each ink. Then we were able to compare our results with the note, also tested, and match the pen used. We still need to look at boot prints, fingerprints, teeth marks, hair and fibre samples, among other evidence, to be sure we are able to convict the right person.
As rookie detectives, we feel confident we will catch this master criminal and bring them to justice!
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New Zealand Yachting Youth Team
Yachting New Zealand has announced a team of 13 sailors (four from Kristin School) to compete at the 2016 Aon Youth World Sailing Championships which runs during December in Torbay, Auckland. Congratulations to Oscar Gunn (29er), Josh Berry (420), Henry Haslett (420), and Jackson Keon (multihull).
The prestigious international event sees national teams from around the world gather together for a week long regatta for youth class sailors under 19 years of age. New Zealand will be represented in eight of the nine events being contested in 2016.
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Ice Cream Heaven
Year 3 had an exciting adventure last Friday when they headed off to the Tip Top Ice-cream factory to help with their Market Place inquiry. They toured around the factory, investigated Tip Top’s marketing and packaging, learnt about their history and, at the end, got to choose any ice-cream they wanted. Yum!
"We learnt all about how ice-cream is made and we were amazed to find out Tip Top also make sauces and cheesecakes. We smelt different flavours of ice-cream from large tubes and had to guess what each flavour was. It was harder than we thought. What an awesome day." - Isabelle and Frances
"We found out New Zealand is 2nd in the world for eating the most ice-cream and we think that Tip Top ice-cream is the best ice-cream in the world. What an outstanding and delicious trip." - Hansen and Ki En
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Mangere College Music Exchange
As part of the music exchange with Kristin, Mangere College visited this week bringing students from Year 10-12 to enjoy a range of workshops. Students rehearsed together, sharing ideas and putting together a fantastic performance in the Octagon which was enjoyed by Kristin students and staff in the beautiful lunchtime sunshine.
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Kristin Golf Championships
This was contested by a small group of keen golfers at North Shore Golf Course. Conditions were very blustery and the greens had recently been cored, but the students played their best and there was no rain.
Dexin Kong (Premier Captain) and Logan Hooper battled it out over the full 18 holes and on the 18th it could have gone either way. At the end of the day though Logan Hooper won the Open Championship by one stroke from Dexin Kong.
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Youth America's Cup Selection
Congratulations to Leonard Takahashi on being selected for the Youth America’s Cup team where he will compete on the AC45 foiling catamarans in Bermuda next year, before the main America’s Cup. Leonard will be continuing his representation for Team Japan. This is an outstanding achievement as the Youth America’s Cup was created as a stepping-stone, a pathway, to the America’s Cup
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Senior School Announcement
Amid great excitement at the conclusion of the recent Cultural and Sport Awards, WEST SIDE STORY was announced as the major Senior Production for 2017.
Described by some as “the greatest musical of all time” and winning 10 Academy Awards as the original 1961 movie, it depicts the electrifying gang rivalry of 1950’s New York and is inspired by Shakespeare’s legendary Romeo and Juliet. Its ground-breaking choreography and unforgettable score changed the face of musical theatre for ever when it burst onto the Broadway stage in 1957.
2017 marks both the 60th anniversary world-wide of this momentous production, as well as celebrating the 10th anniversary since this show first ignited the Kristin stage. See below for audition information. The Kristin season of the show is 11-13 May 2017.
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New Zealand U21 Hockey Selection
Congratulations to Hattie Jones, Head Girl, on her selection to the New Zealand Under 21 Women’s Hockey team. Hattie will be competing at the Junior World Cup in Chile later this year.
Head coach Sean Dancer said, “It’s a brilliant opportunity for these girls to stand up on the world stage. They have had development opportunities around the Black Sticks environment so are well prepared,”
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Myth Busting Religion
For Year 9 Base Day we explored three different places of worship with our first stop at the Hindu temple. After we had all been seated the presenters gave us an informative and interesting presentation on Hinduism. We saw where people worship their gods, there were people praying so we walked silently past. Overall, I really enjoyed going into the Hindu temple. - Sydney Power.
We then went by bus to the second adventure of the day, the Mosque in Ponsonby. After making sure everyone was appropriately dressed in headscarves and tights for the girls and long pants for the boys, we were told about the Muslims daily prayer routines and that they only worship one god called Allah and he has four angels that serve him. I enjoyed the Mosque and felt glad that I had left with knowledge about the Muslims so that I can understand their religion a little more. - Aurora Kilfoyle
Our last stop was the Holy Trinity Cathedral located in Parnell. Inside the Cathedral, we were able to explore the different areas including, St Mary’s chapel and the Bishop Selwyn chapel. In the newest section, the cross is on the outside, and three sides of the building are glass. It was very beneficial for use to see things for ourselves, because sometimes media portray religions as one way, and that is not always the way they really are. - Siena Edwards
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Kristin Girls Rugby 7s
On Monday, the Kristin Girls 7s rugby team played their first ever matches in the North Harbour 7s Rugby schools tournament. After two terms of learning the game and fantastic commitment to training, they played two matches back-to-back. Unfortunately, they lost their first game against Rangitoto College but found their feet in the second game to beat Westlake Girls, which was a fantastic result.
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Writer's Camp
By Tiffany Ho
In the last school holidays, world renowned author Brian Falkner held a Writer’s Camp that attracted 24 students from all over Auckland. He gave us a thought-provoking writing course on Schadenfreude: pleasure derived from the misfortune of others. This was useful, because it is much more interesting for a story to have an argument instead of a peaceful, happy world where nothing goes wrong! This technique, plus numerous other secret tips, make for fascinating characters. As Brian Falkner stressed: “It is not the story that readers fall in love with. It is the characters.”
A huge thank you to the dedicated student helpers, illustrator Michaela Sangl for the terrific drawing techniques, Nick for the drama class, Mrs Mansfield and Ms Casey for their amazing organisation. We’d be lost without your help. And of course, Brian Falkner. It was a wonderful and worthwhile camp.
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Hi, My Name is ...?
Thanks to all who put forward a name for the Kristin caravan. It's now time to vote on the top three. Vote now >>
- The Dove Shack
- Krissy
- The Aviary
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