Term 3 - Week 6
From the Principal
Mālō e lelei,
This week we have been celebrating Tongan Language week with its theme this year of ‘Ko 'etau lea, ko e fe’unu mahu’inga ia ki he mo’ui ‘a e Tonga - Our language is a vital strand of our Tongan culture.’ Look for our newsletter in two weeks time for photos and information about these celebrations.
Book week
As part of book week I’ve started reading A Beautiful Family by Jennifer Trevelyan – told through the eyes of a 10 year old, and set on the Kapiti Coast in the 1980s. It is giving me throwbacks to my childhood!
On the same family theme I’ve also been reading Whānau – Reo Māori phrases to share with the people you love, by Donovan Te Ahunui Farnham and Rehua Wilson. Below are some of my favourites.
Thank you to our outgoing Board of Trustee members
This week we extend our heartfelt thanks to our outgoing Board members:
Trudy Bennett – a long time member, marae komiti member and kapa haka supporter, and finance guru;
John Vasquez our student representative who has served the BoT so well for two terms and leaves big shoes to fill for the new student representative; and
Dominica Ah-Lam and Michael Sangyum – both completing their terms as their children move on from Edgewater College.
Your service and contribution to the Edgewater College community has been greatly appreciated and we wish you all the very best for the future.
Now is also the time to take part in the elections for our new Board elections, with six excellent nominees standing. You should have received the voting forms online (or by paper if requested). You can check out the candidates on our website here: www.edgewater.school.nz/our-college/School-Board-Election-2025
It’s also been fantastic to see such strong student engagement for this election with 13 nominees for the student representative role and 49 students putting their hands up for leadership in 2026. The future of our school is in great hands!
NCEA Forum and Open Expo
Enrolment
A reminder that all prospective students for 2026 should enrol online now. If you are out of zone: the closing date for applications is Wednesday 27 August.
Click here for Enrolment information
Proposed NCEA and Qualification changes
Further information about the proposed changes to our qualification system is available here:
www.education.govt.nz/consultation-ncea
and the link to have your say as a parent or student is here:
allenandclarke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5i6eyRTZoZeEPGe
Or as an Employer / Industry:
allenandclarke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6fnwIUBltmRa0v4
Mālō 'aupito,
Louise Addison | Tumuaki
Student Leaders
Student Leaders
As we approach the end of the school year, many students are feeling the pressure of assessments and exams — especially with mock exams coming up in Week 8. To support you during this busy time, I’d like to remind everyone that Studypoint runs every week from Tuesday to Thursday, 3:15–4:30pm in E Block.
Studypoint provides a space where you can catch up on internals or prepare for externals. Healthy food such as Weet-Bix, toast, and other snacks are available to keep you energised, along with drinks to help you stay hydrated while you study. Seniors and Ms Cook are also there to assist you with your work to the best of their ability.
A special thanks goes to Ms Cook and the Academic Committee for generously giving up their time each week to run Studypoint and support students in their learning journey. I encourage you to come along — I look forward to seeing you there!
Muhammad Aiyub | Head Student
From our Teaching and Learning team
Assessment Week
Week 8 (Starting Monday 1st September)
In Week 8, our school will be running Practice Assessment Week for Years 11–13 in preparation for the official NCEA exams. Identified students in Years 9–13 will also participate in the Common Assessment Activities (CAA) for the Literacy and Numeracy co-requisite. These assessments are crucial for tracking progress and getting ready for end-of-year externals. Importantly, the results from these assessments may be used to generate Derived Grades. NZQA can use derived grades for students who are unable to sit their external examinations due to illness, injury, or circumstances beyond their control (such as a bereavement or a natural disaster).
Workshops for practical subjects will also be scheduled during this week to give students time to complete and refine requirements. More details about which subjects will be involved will be provided soon.
A detailed timetable of assessments and workshops will be sent to students and whānau next week, please look out for further updates.
Top 5 Study Tips for Success
- Make a plan: Break revision into small, focused chunks and spread them out instead of cramming.
- Use active recall: Test yourself on key concepts rather than re‑reading notes. Flashcards, summaries, and practice questions are helpful.
- Create the right environment: Find a quiet space, remove distractions, and prepare everything needed for study.
- Take breaks: Study in 25–30 minute intervals with short breaks to maintain focus.
- Look after yourself: Prioritise sleep, nutrition, hydration, and physical exercise for optimal brain function.
From the Pastoral team
From Sommerville School
Sommerville Unit students from Edgewater College have started their exciting woodwork sessions at our Tripoli Road site!
Students are learning hands-on skills like sanding, nailing, and assembling, which help them develop focus, coordination, and problem-solving. Each session gives our ākonga the chance to be creative, build independence, and take pride in the projects they make.
They are about to finish their project - just in time for Father's day!
School Events
Eastern Zone Speech Competition
We are proud to celebrate the achievements of Ella Kelly and Zoe Afamasaga, who recently represented Edgewater College at the Eastern Zone Speech Competitions. Both students delivered their speeches with confidence and pride, showcasing their talent and dedication.
This was an especially exciting moment for Edgewater College, as it marked the first time in many years that we have taken part in this competition – and what a return it was!
A huge congratulations to Ella Kelly, who impressed the judges and took out first place for Year 9. Both Ella and Zoe did an outstanding job and represented our school exceptionally well.
Edge visit to Goat Island
Our Future Problem Solving students (part of the Edge Innovation programme here at Edgewater) visited the Goat Island Marine Reserve Discovery Centre on Monday 11 August to learn about how marine reserves can help us understand problems such as overfishing.
We have been learning about kina barrens: areas where kina populations have taken over rocky reefs, eating all the kelp and destroying marine habitats. This is largely due to the overfishing of kina natural predators – snapper and crayfish. In addition to an informative presentation from the Auckland University marine science team, students were able to examine live kina under a powerful microscope and get an up-close experience with kina, long-spined sea urchins, starfish (sea stars), sponges and brittle stars in the touch tank. They were also lucky enough to see marine life in the reserve off the rocky platform, such as snapper and octopus.
It was a great trip and, with the support of Auckland University, we are looking forward to going back to snorkel in the waters of the marine reserve and see what an ecosystem in balance looks like.
Cook Island Language week
Last week we also celebrated Cook Island Language week. As part of the occasion our Cook Island group performed at two special events, proudly sharing their heritage with our wider community.
Their first performance took place at a Sky TV staff event, where the students showcased traditional Cook Islands dance in full cultural attire. The lively performance, set to the rhythmic beat of Cook Islands drumming and song, captured the attention of the Sky TV staff audience, and was met with enthusiastic applause. It was a proud moment that highlighted the importance of language, identity, and cultural expression.
The students also performed at Dannemora Kindergarten, bringing the same energy and enthusiasm to a much younger audience. The children were delighted by the colourful costumes, expressive movements, and dynamic drum rhythms. Following the performance, students interacted with the children, answering questions and sharing aspects of Cook Islands culture in a fun way.
These performances were the result of weeks of hard work, dedication, and cultural pride. The students represented our school and heritage with excellence, leaving a positive impression on both audiences. Their efforts not only celebrated Cook Islands Language Week but also helped strengthen cultural awareness and community connections. Our sincere thanks to Whaea Katarena and Ms Kingston for their ongoing support of this group.
Edgewater goes to KBB Festival
This year we had two Jazz Bands enter the KBB Bands and Orchestras Festival. This is one of the major events of the year for our bands. Both groups have been rehearsing all year and this was an opportunity to take our groups to a festival to showcase their talents.
Our training band known as the ‘EC Little Big Band’ comprising of 18 members entered this festival for the first time in a long time. Many students only started learning their instruments in the last year so this was a challenging and daunting task. We are so proud of how they came together and produced a quality performance of 3 pieces, many for who performed solos for the first time.
Our premiere Jazzband comprises of 21 students. They had a challenging repertoire and performed an outstanding set of 5 pieces. They received a BRONZE Award which is a great achievement. We were by far the smallest school represented at the festival and one of the only schools who had 2 bands perform. We should all be proud of these groups and their achievements.
It was also a wonderful opportunity for one of our Year 12 students, Shayne Scanlan who was selected to perform with the Honours Concert Band which performed to a sold-out crowd at the Parnell Cathedral. This band was made up of a selection of top musicians from a wide variety of Auckland Secondary Schools.
Barista Work Experience
Going from school to work is a scary transition, where does one go and how does one get a foot in the door? That's where work experience with Gateway comes in! With both training, credits, and work placements sorted for them, students can get a head start into their careers.
This term we have a number of Year 12 and 13 students complete their barista course, here they are!
Lookout for more updates in future newsletters.
Mr Daniel Huang | Gateway Coordinator
Book Week
Last week was our thriller/mystery Book Week!
On Monday, we found a pile of destroyed books in the library, ripped to shreds and left for us all to find! Who could have done such a terrible thing? All we had was a coded list and a scrap of note paper! Luckily, the coded list was a list of suspects and there was a new clue revealed each day to help us narrow it down. After putting together CCTV photos, hunting down receipts and analysing handwriting, the students were able to write in their deductions for the chance to win a prize! I can announce that the culprit was the suspicious Mr Reynolds, who had experienced one too many bad movie adaptations and took it out on our unsuspecting books, possibly in the hope of preventing more terrible movies! Those that guessed correctly are now in the prize draw, so keep an eye out in the notices!
On Wednesday we had our famous “Dress as a character day”. A lot of staff and students got involved, including our three leadership committees- Academic, Pastoral and Community. Running around the school was Nancy Drew, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and Pennywise to name a few. Thank you to all who joined in, it was a great celebration of literature and our library! See you all next year for another great Book Week!
Book of the Week
My Book of the Week this week is Dreamslinger by Graci Kim.
Dreamslinger has been described as children’s fantasy meets Pokémon and that is certainly an apt summary!
We meet Aria, who has a genetic mutation that allows her to gather elemental power in her sleep. People with this mutation, called Dreamslingers, are seen as dangerous. After messing up her father’s plan to maintain and control Dreamslingers, Aria agrees to go undercover in the only country which nurtures this gift, which has just opened its trials to become a Royal Dreamslinger.
This is an enjoyable read for all ages, you cannot go wrong with a light fantasy! Graci Kim is also a local - she lives right here in Auckland. Dreamslinger will be available in our new books drop from next week, come to the library to check it out.
Tara Holland | School Librarian
Sport
That’s a Wrap on Winter Sports!
Winter sports have officially come to an end, and what a season it has been! The past few weeks have delivered lots of action, with semi-finals and finals keeping our players and supporters on the edge of their seats.
The emotion many players have shown during the finals stage of the season highlights just how passionate our students are about their teams and the sports they play.
Most importantly, none of this would have been possible without the incredible support of our coaches, managers, and officials. We are especially grateful to our dedicated staff, many of whom have given countless hours of their own time to ensure our students get the opportunity to play. Alongside them, we are fortunate to have students, parents, and community members stepping into coaching, managing, and officiating roles.
We are now looking forward to Junior Summer Sports. Students, keep an eye on the daily notices for muster and trial dates. Parents and community members, if you’re interested in helping with coaching, managing, or officiating, please contact the school as soon as possible.
We’re always keen to offer new opportunities to our students if there is enough interest and support, we are open to introducing new and exciting sports to our programme.
Here’s to another fantastic season ahead – bring on summer sports!
