Last week we welcomed soon-to-be Year 9 Tauira Māori into the Avondale College whānau.  The day began with a whakatau in the whare, where tuakana welcomed our teina and spent time building whakawhanaungatanga before joining their rōpū. Students then moved to the Technology building, where Ms de Thierry and Mr Abraham guided them through making porotiti, a traditional decorative disc which spins on string. Afterwards, everyone returned to the wharenui to share kai together, be

Twenty Year 10 students volunteered their Saturday night to partner with the Chefs for Compassion Trust in hosting an incredible banquet at Avondale College. The event was designed to honour an Auckland family for their courage through adversity. Technology teacher Ms Eleanor Battley explains: "When our family was introduced to us, they noted that since their child was diagnosed with cancer in May, they haven't had many opportunities to go out as whanau."  After the event the

Harper presenting at the NZ Coastal Association's conference Harper Spurway may not have reached her 14th birthday yet, but she’s already discovered her life’s passion: protecting our waterways so they remain clean and healthy for generations to come. Since completing a NIWA Science Fair project on the topic last year, Harper has continued to use commercially available API kits to test the water in Manukau Harbour, and found that the results aren't just consistently bad - the

Our Performing Arts Academies students took to the stage for the final time in 2025, presenting an impressive showcase of their work across each discipline. From a La La Land  medley, interspersed with scenes from Peter Pan , to award-winning dances, and an impressive big-band jazz ensemble, the students shone as they shared their joy and passion for the arts with their friends and whānau. It was a particularly bittersweet night for our Year 10 graduates, which was evident by

In this Issue From the Principal Upcoming events Tears & triumph: our 2025 Performing Arts Showcase The next Erin Brockovich? Harper's Harbour Mission Chefs of Compassion Welcoming our Tauira Māori Thanks for the guidance, Mrs Birkhead Sports News Noticeboard

This week at assembly we honoured those who students who have completed two years' dedication to one of our Performing Arts or Sports Academies. You can see the full list of award recipients here: Congratulations all - you stayed the course and came away with some incredible experiences and outcomes, and we are immensely proud!

First four mo nths of living and studying like a Kiwi L-R: Nona Walpuski, Nguyen Minh Uyen, Caja Janitz, Ingrid Gjermundsen Hermansen Avondale College's international students come from all over the world and are a vibrant and important part of our diverse school community. This week we caught up with Nguyen Minh Uyen from Vietnam; Nona Walpuski from Germany; and Caja Janitz and Ingrid Gjermundsen Hermansen about how their journey as Avcol international students has gone so f

Please find below timetables for examinations as follows: Junior exams: NCEA exams: Cambridge exams:

The Avondale College Board acknowledges the government’s recent decision to remove the requirement from the ‘Education and Training Act’ (2020) for school boards to “give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi”. While we recognise this legislative change, we note that this does not change our commitment to Te Tiriti. Avondale College School Board commits to giving effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi including by working to ensure our plans, policies and curriculum reflect tikanga Māori, m

Mr Stephen’s science lab was filled with wide eyed wonder (and bubbles!) last week as a group of curious tamariki from our Early Childhood Education Centre came over for a science showcase! The children explored what it means to be a scientist — asking questions, reading big ‘science words’, observing closely, experimenting, and discovering how the world around them works. The adventure began with biology, meeting Avondale College's friendly skeleton and learning about the am

An informal get-together for some former Avondale College students from the 1960s, held at the Henderson RSA on Saturday 8 November, was a great success. Twenty attendees enjoyed the chance to reconnect, share memories, and catch up with friends - some of whom they hadn’t seen in decades. Organised by Neville Exler for some of his fellow classmates from the 1960s school cohort, the gathering sparked plenty of reminiscing. Many brought along old school photos, while others che

From the Principal Avondale College School Board Update Upcoming events Centenary Time Capsule Challenge Little Scientists in the lab! First four months of living and studying like a Kiwi Students discover futures on Careers trip to Massey University Avondale Classmates Reconnect Noticeboard

One of HEART values at Avondale College is respect, and part of respect means recognising the people and traditions that came before us. To this end, we are creating a Time Capsule to capture what life is like at Avondale College in 2025, celebrating our people, culture and achievements, for our students to open in 2045. We're asking students and staff to contribute letters, reflections, artwork and poetry and getting them to film short video messages. We will also enclose it

The highlight of the International Students' activity programme this week was a trip to Weta Workshop, New Zealand’s world-renowned studio behind The Lord of the Rings  and Avatar  films. From learning how props and costumes are designed, to seeing the intricate models and creatures up close, the group gained a deeper appreciation for the blend of imagination and craftsmanship that goes into Weta's work. They even got to have a go at creating their own mini model film sets. F

In this Issue From the Principal Upcoming events Wearing uniform with pride, year round International students wowed by Weta Year 10 Drama Students visit UNITEC for “Our Town” Putnam County needs more boys! Encouraging the next generation of Drama students Noticeboard

Our Performance Academy students work hard all year to hone their skills in drama, jazz, classical music and dance, and now they're ready to showcase their talents to the wider community! When: Thursday 20 November, 6:30pm Where: Avcol Theatre Entry:  Gold coin If you have a Year 8 student attending Avondale next year, this is a great opportunity for them to see the amazing work that comes out of the Performance Academies. If they want to register for 2026, they can do so her

On Tuesday 21 October, 23 Year 9 students completed a full day Engineering workshop, sponsored and hosted by the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET). This opportunity arose from their achievement and enthusiasm for Year 9 Product Development Technology and a recommendation from their Product Development teacher. Each team was tutored by an engineer from various disciplines in the field. In the morning, students constructed and soldered an electronic circuit for thei

We’re proud to announce that six of our senior students have successfully graduated from the NZ Police’s Moana Project — a six-month leadership programme aimed at inspiring more Pasifika youth to explore careers in policing. Reflecting on the experience, Year 12 student Gideon Vaopunimatangi shared: "The Moana project was amazing. We were definitely taught some valuable lessons and fed some mean kai! The feeling of graduating the course is great but knowing we won’t get to se

As the school year heads into its final few weeks, our Garden Club students have been digging deep into sustainability and community care through their involvement with the Second Bite project. Second Bite, run by EcoMatters Environment Trust, is a food scraps collection initiative that transforms waste into nourishment for local gardens. Our students have been hands on in this process, helping divert food waste from landfill and turning it into compost for our school garden.

In this Issue From the Principal Upcoming events Senior Prizegiving Second Bite initiative nourishes the Garden Club Exploring Robotics at IET Moana Project fosters leadership skills for Pasifika youth Out and about with our International Students You're invited to our Performance Academy Showcase! Noticeboard