Avondale College has been named the national winner for Excellence in Quality Teaching and Instruction (Secondary School) at the inaugural New Zealand Education Excellence Awards, held at Parliament in Wellington yesterday. The award recognises the college’s outstanding approach to strengthening teaching practice and supporting and growing its teachers and leaders to achieve excellent outcomes for students. Building a Strong Teaching Team Avondale College is one of New Zealan

Please find the Individualised Personal Achievement Course (IPAC) Schedule below:

Dear Parents/Caregivers and Students As we approach the end of the school year, please note the following important dates and arrangements for senior and junior students. Tuesday 3 November: Senior Prizegiving and last day of timetabled classes for senior students Tuesday 3 November is the final day of classes for all senior students (Years 11-13). Our Senior Prizegiving will be held on this day, at 5:30pm in the Stadium. Families of award recipients have already been notifi

A reminder that applications are now open for our Sports, Performing Arts, and Innovation Academies for next year. Applications to our Sports and Performing Arts Academies are open to current Year 8 students enrolling at Avondale College next year, and current Year 9 students applying for the first time for Year 10 entry. Please ensure applications are submitted before the closing dates. Sports Academy (Y9 &10) Applications close: Thursday 12 November. Register here Trials: T

A group of Year 9 Technology students took part in 'Project X' yesterday, an engineering programme run by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), after being selected by their teachers for demonstrating strong interest or achievement in the subject. The project, which has been running for 15 years, gives students hands-on experience with electronics and programming. This year, students are building robots from printed circuit boards (PCBs) that will eventually li

Last Thursday, the Media Studies community of Avondale College celebrated the incredible short films made by students this year. With the Performing Arts Centre out of action, we improvised! Turning the staffroom into a cinema for one night only was a huge success, with students, whānau, friends, and teachers gathering to watch a programme of ten films from a range of 2026's Year 12 and 13 students. The crowd went wild. Every film was a hit and with both psychological thrille

In this Issue From the Principal Upcoming Events A Celebration of Sporting Excellence Film Night, our night to shine 'Spelling Bee' Named the BEST School Production of 2026 Building the Future, One Robot at a Time Reminder: Sports Academy Applications Sports Results Notices

Our Sports Awards Evening brought together the Avondale College sporting community to celebrate an outstanding year of achievement, leadership, and service. The event recognised hundreds of students who demonstrated excellence across a wide range of sports, as well as the coaches, officials, volunteers, and supporters who helped make those achievements possible. For Director of Sport Ms Page, one of the evening's highlights was acknowledging the 43 student coaches and officia

Despite only being in Year 11, newly elected Student Representative to the Board Milo Wilson-MacLeod already has a wealth of governance experience. Having served as both a Home Room representative and a member of the Student Council, he has spent the last three years listening to students' concerns and helping bring their ideas to the attention of school leaders. It was these experiences, coupled with a slick election campaign, that secured him a comfortable victory over many

The Atrium was buzzing with conversation this week as Technology Resistant Materials (incorporating carpentry and product design) students showcased their completed projects. Each year level tackled a different design brief, requiring students to design and build a product with a specific person in mind. Year 11 students were challenged to design and build a lamp for a member of their whānau. Natalia Szypilo created an angular wooden lamp with coloured light panels for her da

Julius Caesar ensemble Our Performing Arts Awards evening was held on 15 October to celebrate our most outstanding Drama, Dance and Music performers across 2026. As students arrived on the red carpet in their finery, they were interviewed by members of our Student Media Team, giving the night the real feeling of a showbusiness event. In between the presentation of certificates and trophies recognising exceptional performance, leadership and service throughout the year, the au

In this Issue From the Principal Upcoming Events Red carpet, rising stars and remarkable talent Creative carpentry wows the crowds Introducing our new Student Board Rep! Upskilling with our Academies Nau mai, haere mai to our new international students Sports Results

Our Guidance Counsellors and Safe School Leaders put on a series of fun activities in the atrium recently to mark Mental Health Awareness Week, helping students connect, have fun, and learn more about looking after their wellbeing. Activities included a push-up competition, a skipping challenge, giant Jenga, a "mood check" board where students could post a cartoon representation of their current mood, and a compliment board where students could write encouraging messages to o

On the last Friday of the school holidays, our ADK Dance Crew competed in the K-Beat National Dance Competition at Kristin School in Albany. The competition was organised by Rina Chae, who has performed alongside international artists Beyoncé and Justin Bieber. Rina now shares her expertise through En Beat Academy and directs K-pop Live nationwide. Led by our talented Year 13 Dance Leaders Shanaya Krishna, Mika Gunning and Deevah Eti, ADK Dance Crew has worked diligently thro

In the final two weeks of Term 3, our Level 2 & 3 Technology Visual Communication (TVC) students proudly presented their architectural design projects at their annual TVC Showcase. Tasked with designing a gallery space for Avondale College, students developed a diverse range of innovative concepts that showed creativity and practical design thinking. Their final presentations brought their ideas to life through architectural models, detailed posters, and immersive walkthrough

In this Issue From the Principal Blueprints & Big Ideas K-Pop Group Ends 2026 on a High Note 17 Nominations for Spelling Bee! Mental Health Awareness Week SUSO Successes! Two Terrific Shows at TAPAC A Licence for Opportunities Innovation, Inquiry and Inspiration Drumroll, Please: Our 2027 Show Revealed Canvases, Creativity & Community Sports Notices Sports Results

A group of Avondale College students recently enjoyed a unique opportunity to go behind the scenes of the redevelopment of our Performing Arts Centre (PAC), gaining valuable insight into the many professions involved in bringing a major building project to life. As part of their contract, the contractors and consultants involved were asked to give back to the school community. This careers-focused initiative provided the perfect opportunity to do so, connecting students with

Avondale College marked Te Wiki o te Reo Māori with a week of celebrations that recognised and celebrated Māori culture, language and achievement across our school community. The week began on Monday with a powerful whole-school haka performed at assembly, followed by Te Pō Angitū, our annual Māori Success Evening on Tuesday. This special event honoured the contributions and achievements of our tauira Māori across cultural, academic and sporting pursuits, while also recognisi

We're buzzing with excitement to share that Avondale College's production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee has received an incredible 17 Showdown LIVE Award nominations! Congratulations to our phenomenal cast, creative team, and production crew, who have been recognised across a wide range of categories: Outstanding Musical Best Director of a Musical – Ms Stone Best Vocal Performance – The Cast Best Dance Performance – The Cast Best Performer in a Lead Role (

Our highest achieving students were honoured with a range of awards at our last Honours Assembly. A full list of award winners can be found here: Congratulations, all!