Ms Filimoehala conducting the Avondale College Symphony Orchestra at KBB Music Festival last year One of our music teachers and conductors, Ms Linda Filimoehala, has returned from an extraordinary professional development experience, one that placed her among just five associates selected nationwide to train with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO). The programme consists of three intensive workshops, with the first taking place over four days in February. It opened wit

Athletics Day was a time for the whole school to join together and support each other to try something new, whether it be gumboot throwing, sack racing, javelin, discus, shot put, relay racing, long jump or high jump! Year 13s dressed as polar bears, unicorns, superheroes, fairies, Super Mario characters and more, which added even more fun to the day. The 2026 Athletics Day Champions are as follows:

The first day of Performing Arts Academy 2026 was filled with energy, excitement, and a real sense of whanaungatanga as students came together to begin their creative journey. The teachers focused on building connections through a series of fun icebreaker games, setting expectations, and sharing stories about the opportunities that have arisen out of the Academy from last year's members. The strand leaders, Miss Kettley, Ms Stone (Drama), Mr Robinson (Jazz Music), Miss Hewitt

Toby Barrett playing alongside our student saxophonists Alumni musicians Tyler Diprose, Toby Barrett, Max Crook, and Feiyang Wu returned to Avondale College last week for a day of mentoring current student saxophonists, drummers, guitarists and keyboardists. The mentoring opportunity came about through a timely reconnection at the Auckland Jazz and Blues Club, where Avondale’s jazz teacher Mr Robinson met alumnus saxophonist Toby Barrett during his visit to New Zealand. Toby,

In this Issue: In this issue From the Principal Upcoming Events Congratulations to our 2026 Scholars Athletics Day a time for giving it a go Echoes of excellence: Alumni musos mentor young musicians New beginnings for Performance Academy members Beyond the Beat: Ms Filimoehala’s NZSO breakthrough From Sport Academy football to the big league! Meet our Attendance Officer Sports Notices

Monday's Scholars Assembly was a celebration of excellence as we recognised students who achieved top results nationally in Cambridge International exams last year, and those who achieved NZ Scholarships - placing them in the top 3% of New Zealand secondary scholars. An extra round of applause goes to Yi Feng (Feng Feng) Chen who received a national Outstanding Scholar Award in recognition of his achievements in the NZ Scholarship exams. Feng Feng achieved six NZ Scholarships

We have a team of caring, highly skilled Guidance Counsellors to support your child when life gets tough. Leading the team is Mr Jin Tai, who has been at the College for 19 years. Students see a counsellor for a range of issues, including low mood, anxiety, grief, and struggles with adapting to a new environment or culture. The service is free and non-judgemental. "Throughout life, there's going to challenges, so it's about learning coping strategies to manage them," says Mr

If you’ve been wondering what’s been happening behind the scenes of our Performing Arts Centre project, we’ve been hard at work refurbishing the building to make it watertight and fit for the future. We've taken the opportunity to transform the theatre foyer area into a larger, modern space that can also be used for events. The theatre is on track for completion in 2027, while our refurbished Music rooms will open in the next few weeks. Below are the artist’s impressions of w

Most of our student body poured into the Atrium last week for our Join In @ Avcol event, keen to have a look at the vast array of activities, groups and clubs we have on offer at Avcol, including: We had an incredible number of sign ups! Co-curricular activities are a great opportunity for students to meet like-minded peers and to challenge themselves to something new. If your child didn't attend Join In @ Avcol event, or they have decided to sign up to an activity or group a

Phenomenal results! Avondale College is delighted to announce that our students have been awarded 57 Scholarships from the NCEA programme, including 6 'Outstanding', across 19 different subjects. 24 were awarded to Year 11 and 12s. Our warmest congratulations to all recipients.

L-R: Shivam Mehta, Oscar Cao, Shrihan Bobbala, Xincong He, Louis de Biaiso, Remi Baudet Avondale College has once again celebrated a remarkable year of Cambridge success, with students earning a Top in the World placing, four Top in New Zealand placings, and three High Achievement Awards in the November 2025 Cambridge International Examination series. The results reflect the depth of talent across the school and the dedication of students who consistently push beyond expectat

Home room class photos and ID photos will be taken across Wednesday 18 February and Thursday 19 February, as per the schedule below:

In this Issue From the Principal Introducing our 2026 Prefects Simply outstanding: Avcol students top world & NZ in Cambridge results Join in @ Avcol Get ready for Athletics Day tomorrow! Coming in 2027... Introducing the Guidance Team Wearing uniform with pride, year round Sports News

Head Prefects: Lola Kelleher & Marco Li Senior Prefects L-R: Chipor Cheng, Rudra Patel, Maddie Tomilap, Marco Li, Lola Kelleher, Savindi Dissanayake, Gideon Vaopunimatagi, Ryhana Khan Prefects (in alphabetical order) Aena Setia Akeliana-Faith Leauga Alex Hutchinson-Jones Andrew Pedrezuela Ashleigh MacBride Atapana Falefatu Ava Phipps Caitlin Fox Carlos Tausi Celena Jones Christina Wright Clarissa Paulus Collins Faagalo Wells Danielle Gaviola Ella E

Next Thursday 12 February is the School Athletics Day. This is a whole school event with everyone expected to get involved in the various events taking place on the day. Year 9 and Year 10 students are expected to wear full PE gear, and seniors may wear plain black and white sports gear. There is limited shade on the field, so students should wear a hat, sunblock and bring a water bottle. Students will be given more information in Home Room time next week. Information will al

We operate a Health Clinic onsite at the College which means students can book in and see a nurse the same day, without having the need to miss too much class time. The service is totally free and confidential. HEADSSS Assessment Between Lead Nurse Pat Hutchinson and the team, the nurses meet every Year 9 student to complete a "HEADSSS" assessment. This involves checking a student's height and weight, completing an eye and hearing test, and recording blood pressure. They also

We welcome all parents/caregivers of Year 9s (and students!) to our Year 9 Students Information Evening on Tuesday the 10th of February at 6pm in the school atrium. This will be an opportunity to find out more about what we have to offer our community in terms of activities, support, curriculum, our Family Connection parent portal and the online services that are available to you. The Principal will welcome families at 6pm, and then Home Room teachers look forward to meeting

We started off the new school year with a pōwhiri to warmly welcome our new students, including our Year 9s, students of other Year levels joining us from other schools, and our international students from all around the world. The pōwhiri was led by our kaumātua, with new students welcomed by our staff and Year 13 cohort. We were delighted that so many whānau were able to join us and we look forward to seeing you at events for parents over the coming weeks.

In this Issue From the Principal Nau mai, haere mai: welcome to the Avondale whānau Welcoming our new staff Year 9 Parent Info Evening More top tips for newcomers! Introducing: the Health Clinic Athletics Day next Thursday Careers Noticeboard Noticeboard

We are looking forward to welcoming students to Avondale College in 2026. Please find below important information for each year level. Stationery Stationery lists for each year level can be viewed here , and include information about bringing your own device (BYOD). Should you wish to purchase stationery from Warehouse Stationery in-store or online, Avondale College has lists available with them. Please note that back-to-school pricing starts early January. Uniform The Colleg