Dear Parents, Caregivers & Friends of the College

The first week of August signals a need for our senior students to focus on the academic tasks ahead of them.  Only 11 weeks of school remain before Years 11, 12 and 13 are released on study leave for NCEA Externals.  During this time the boys need to ensure they prepare themselves for these external exams whilst also completing the NCEA Internals.  

August also signals a time for boys to be planning for next year.  For Year 13 this means prioritising applications for tertiary study at university or polytechnic, and for accommodation in halls of residence or firming up of employment plans once they leave school.  It is important to make the most of the opportunities and to be informed about the various university scholarships available and apply for those that are appropriate. Boys are traditionally slow to do this and often undersell themselves. I would encourage parents to ensure your son researches and applies for the scholarships that are appropriate.  At assembly this process was emphasised to the boys and details given on how they could be supported in the application process. 

Term 3 is very much the business term of the year and the most important academically.  With only three school weeks in Term 4 prior to Senior Study Leave and Senior Academic Prizegiving, and 8 weeks of Term 3 remaining, 

there is urgency in ensuring Internal Achievement Standards are completed and boys well-prepared for the NCEA External Exams beginning on the 7th November.

Senior Assessment Week begins Friday 14th  September, so there is real urgency for our senior boys to focus on the academic tasks ahead of them.

Option Choices for 2019

As well as a strong focus on academic achievement, we also need to begin planning for 2019 and guiding our boys as they make option choices.  This began last Wednesday night with our Option Evening.  May thanks to all parents who attended this evening to support and guide your sons in the decision-making process. As we did last year, the process will be guided by the Form Teacher and completed electronically.

Each week we will focus on a year level, provide time in Form Class for the selection and give guidance to the year group as a whole at a year level assembly.

Your input as a parent is essential in this process.  We will communicate instructions to the parents of each year level during the appropriate week explaining how to access the parent login via our website so as to complete this subject selection process.  Full details on all courses are available on the Option Selection Folder on the Parent Portal.

The Timeline for option selection for 2019 is as follows:

Week 3 - Year 12 end 10 August

Week 4 - Year 11 end 17 August

Week 5- Year 10 end 24 August

Week 6 - Year 9 end 31 August

To support this process I would encourage you to have a conversation with your son and make decisions about his subjects for next year so that when he meets with his Form Teacher the selection of options can be made. This process is important for staffing the College as we create a timetable based on student subject choice and respond to their selections to create classes accordingly.  Option changes after this final confirmation cannot be guaranteed unless justified due to boys academic results and non-achievement of pre-requisites.  Therefore I would appreciate you working with your son to get it as accurate as possible for future planning.

Should you or your son require further assistance with selecting options I would encourage you to email contacts available in each curriculum area as listed on the website.

Junior Reports

These are now available on the Parent Portal providing detail of your son's level of academic achievement and progress so far this year.  If you have specific concerns regarding academic matters I would invite you to email your son's teacher in the first instance or, alternatively, the Academic tutor of his year level:

Year 9 Mr Justin Brewer  j.brewer@tbc.school.nz

Year 10 Mr Harlie Deacon  h.deacon@tbc.school.nz

Year 11 Mr Mark Orchard  m.orchard@tbc.school.nz

Year 12 Mr Gareth Hyett  g.hyett@tbc.school.nz

Year 13 Ms Rhian Elmes  r.elmes@tbc.school.nz

As part of our academic programme, Year 12 and Year 13 students are able to study Stage One University Papers, through Waikato and Auckland Universities.  Most of these boys will sit Scholarship Exams in these subjects later in the year.  The following boys have achieved outstanding results in first semester papers:

University of Waikato 

Economics 
Matthew Brittain  A+ 
Adam Hitchiner   A+
Ryan Holt   A+
Ryan Hart   A
Max Loomb   A
Samuel Guest  A-
Kale Adair  A-
Josh Stewart  A-

Legal Studies
Kale Adair  A-

Philosophy
Samuel Hemingway  A
Jackson Smith  A-
Ryan Holt  B+
Rihari Matthews  B
Oliver Harrop  B-
 

University of Auckland

Calculus
Matthew Brittain  A+
Md Shadman Jahin  A+
Drew deWet  A
Matthew Taylor  A-
Mitchell White  A-

Statistics
Adam Hitchiner  A+
Ryan Holt  A

Pictured below 
Back Row from left: Drew deWet, Max Loomb, Ryan Hart, Matthew Taylor, Ryan Holt
Front Row from left: Matthew Brittain, Adam Hitchiner, Kale Adair, Md Shadmin Jahin, Sam Guest

Clay Target

Hamilton Boys High School Shoot
In Single Rise Alex Williamson shot 20/20 and went on to win 2^nd place in Junior boys.
In Points Score Shaun Gwillim shot 59/60 to qualify for the 2^nd-3^rd place shoot off but didn’t place. 

In the teams Points Score event our A Team shot 278/300 and after a shoot off placed 1^st boys’ team for the day - Shaun Gwillim, Max Shallard, Thomas Box, Joel Edmonds, Brady Anderson.

The B Team was 1st out of all the B Teams in Super 8 and were 3rd overall once the A and B team scores were combined - Alex Trask, Jeremiah Hay, Luke Miles, Alex Williamson, Ollie Goodie

North Island Secondary Schools' Championships including NZ Super 8 Schools Competition
Hamilton Boys High and Tauranga Boys' College  finished on 419 points, therefore 1^st equal in the Super 8 Competition.
Skeet was the first event for the day and Thomas Box shot 23/25 to qualify for the shoot off for 1^st-3^rd boys’ but unfortunately did not place. Thomas and Shaun Gwillim then qualified for a shoot off in the 2 man skeet teams event and managed to win 1^st place.

In Single Rise Joel Edmonds, Brady Anderson, Alex Williamson and Jerramiah Hay all shot 20/20 and after the shoot off was completed Joel secured 7^th place in the boys’ event.  Joel’s efforts also meant he was top Single Rise Shooter in the Super 8 competition being held in conjunction with the NISS Champs.

In Points Score Shaun shot 60/60 and after the shoot off placed 2^nd in the boys event.  Thomas shot 59/60 to put him in the shoot off for 3^rd boy but didn’t place.

In Single Barrel Luke Miles shot 10/10.  While he didn’t place in the boys’ event his effort earned him top Single Barrel Shooter in the Super 8 competition.

In the teams Points Score event TBC A shot 280/300 which put them in a shoot off for 2^nd and 3rd, eventually being placed 3rd in the Super 8 Competition (which takes the scores from all 3 events) a total of 450 points per team. Hamilton Boys High and Tauranga Boys' College  finished on 419 points, therefore 1^st equal in the Super 8 Competition.

Shaun’s efforts for the day saw him shooting 88/90 which was only one point off the top boys score for the DTL events for the day.

Pictured below:  from left:  Shaun Gwillim and Thomas Box
Team Photo: 1st= Team NZ Super 8 Schools Champions with Hamilton Boys' High School
from left: Thomas Box, Brady Anderson, Shaun Gwillim, Joel Edmonds, Max Shallard

Motocross

The Tauranga Boys' Motocross team attended the National Secondary Schools Motocross Champs hosted by the Cambridge Motorcross Club on Saturday 14th July. Tauranga Boys' team had 19 of its team members turn up to compete.

The team performed to the highest level taking out the overall school points for the year and were crowned Secondary School Champion for 2018. The conditions were very trying with the track being very muddy in some parts, but the boys rode outstandingly and rose to the occasion on the day.

Some outstanding results from Brodie Connolly finishing first in his 125cc class follow closely behind by teammate Madoc Dixon finishing second respectively and an outstanding performance from Connor Hart finished third in a very competitive 85cc class with the rest of the team mates most of the them finishing in the top 10 in their classes.

Pictured below
Brodie Connolly 1st NZSS 125cc (#88) - 
Madoc Dixon 2nd NZSS 125cc. (#318) - 
Connor Hart 3rd NZSS 85cc. (#67)

NZSS Football 
Dean Power was a member of the NZSS U15 Football Team that competed in Malaysia over the July holidays.  Dean played as central defender and was named as Tour Vice Captain.
 

Surfing
Jack Hinton, competed at the Billabong Occy's From Competition in Australia over the July holidays, coming 2nd in Round 1 of the U16 boys, and 3rd in Round 2.

Te Tauranga o ngā Waka kapahaka (Tauranga Boys' College and Tauranga Girls' College)  combined efforts recently to compete at the 2018 National Secondary School Kapahaka Competition - "He pou whenua, he puapua" in Palmerston North. The competition ran from the 3-6 of July. The kapa represented Tauranga Moana well.

Te Tauranga o ngā Waka won third place in Pool B for waiata-ā-ringa (action song), the poi and kākahu (costume).

Although the kapa did not make the finals day they represented Tauranga Moana in the highest esteem both on and off the stage and in honour of the recent passing of Matua Wiparata Ngatoko. Moe mai rā e te Matua, haere atu rā.

Te Tauranga o ngā Waka look to further improve on their performance and results for the coming Regional Competition next year and National Competition in two years time with a very young group having expert skill and enthusiasm.

https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/tauranga-college-students-perform-stunning-waiata-ahead-national-kapa-haka-competition?ref=emailfriend

A follow up performance and fundraiser for the next regional campaign is scheduled at Tauranga Boys' College Graham Youth Centre on Thursday the 16th August 2018 at 6pm - $5 entry fee, under 5s free. Contact Nikki Broughton on 021 024 19371 for tickets.  Be in quick as ticket are selling fast...    Sorry 7pm already sold out.

On June 29^th our second Tama Tū overseas tour departed Aronui, bound for Europe. Thirty Four students from Year 10 to Year 13 had spent nearly two years fundraising, preparing and researching for this tour and it was great to finally set out on the adventure of a lifetime.  We arrived in Belgium after over thirty hours of travelling and were straight into tracing the footsteps of our ancestors who had fought in World War One with the Pioneer Maori Battalion. The Village of Le Quesnoy, the tunnels of Arras and the battlefields of the Somme and Paschendaele were all opportunities to gain some insight from the actual places that were central to the war.
 
We also visited many cemeteries where students and staff had whanau buried. This reinforced the distance from home and also the rationale behind war and why these young men left home, never to return. At Menin Gate were fortunate to take part in the ceremony by having Javan Schuster, Rivo Webster and Moihi Gardiner lay a wreath on our behalf. These three students all had whanau who served in the Pioneer Maori Battalion in this part of the world. As we moved from Belgium to France and on to Paris we were fortunate to enjoy temeratures that never fell below 30 degrees. Evenings would be dark about 10:45 pm. Very different from what our whanau back in Tauranga were experiencing.

In Italy we spent time with people who recounted stories of the 28^th Maori Battalion helping to liberate their lands. We also had special events where we were hosted for dinner and also played in a touch tournament with rugby players our age from the Scandicci rugby cub. After a whirlwind tour of Rome we left for Greece. The Island of Crete saw us visit many battlefields which were witness to the initial baptism of fire for the 28^th Maori Battalion.
 
We enjoyed the heat, the beautiful food, the people of each country. We swam lots and visited many beautiful places. We did some great things. The cemeteries that keep our fallen soldiers are immaculate and often in stark contrast to their surroundings. The pride and care that goes into maintaining them is impressive. The importance of maintaining our connection to these places is as important as it is to preserve the memory of the Soldiers who fought in Europe and came from the end of the world to be there. Every cemetery and battlefield was a reminder of the importance of this. It also serves as a reminder about our own ambitions and realising of what we are truly capable of.
 
One of the last graves we visited was an old boy of the College. He was 22 when he passed and now lies in Souda Bay Commonwealth cemetery. 

Pictured below, members of our tour group in the trenches at Passchendaele and the Tyne Cot Cemetery Passchendaele and Ypres Belgium

A message from Priority One

https://www.facebook.com/YoungInnovatorAwards/posts/10156043220699998

Another Stellar Line-up for this year's YiA Innovation Forum

Be inspired through hearing about:

    •    the latest in gaming (includes the development of SPARX, a self-help e-therapy tool that teaches young people the key skills needed to help combat depression and anxiety)

    •    how google is revolutionising global education

    •    how robotics is changing farming.

While you enjoy your breakfast, you’ll be transported into the world of three fast-paced and innovative industries that are changing the way we eat, play and learn. Our three speakers, all leading figures in their fields, will share their experiences in paving the way for the future.

This year’s speakers include: video game producer and designer and founder of Metia Interactive, Maru Nihoniho; Google’s Head of Education in Australia and New Zealand, Suan Yeo; and Chief Technology Officer and director of Robotics Plus, Dr. Alistair Scarfe.

This is a rare opportunity to hear from these three innovators – book your tickets now at ww.yiaforum.co.nz
 

Event Details:

When? Thursday 30th August – 7am – 9.30am

Where? Classic Flyers, 8 Jean Batten Drive, Mt Maunganui 3116

Price? Priority One Members – $50.00 and $70.00 for non-members + GST
 

Book Now:

This is a one off chance - book your tickets now.

If you would like to purchase bulk tickets please let us know and we will provide a discount code.

We look forward to seeing you there!