Former student Lex Revell‑Lewis continues to make waves on the international athletics stage, shaving one‑hundredth of a second off his own New Zealand 400m record at the Adelaide Invitational. Running from lane six, Lex delivered an impressive 45.87s, finishing second behind Australian Luke van Ratingen. This performance builds on his historic achievement last year, when he became the first Kiwi man to run under 46 seconds for the distance. Just a week earlier, he defended his national title in Auckland with another sub‑46 run (45.97s), securing qualification for the upcoming World Indoor Championships in Poland. Congratulations, Lex, we love seeing you go from strength to strength!

On Wednesday 11 March, the Year 11 and 12 Drama classes went to see Waiora - te Ūkaipō - The Homeland  at the ASB Waterfront Theatre. Presented by the Auckland Arts festival with Auckland Theatre Company and Kawata Productions, this was a revival production of Hone Kouka's classic work first performed in 1996, and set in 1965. It tells the story of a Māori family who have recently moved from Waiora in Tairāwhiti to urban Christchurch. Their sense of displacement raised questions around the impact of colonisation, and the urban drift of tangata whenua. As Kouka himself explains, '“Ultimately, it’s an immigrant story. We as tangata whenua were immigrants in our own country.” The production was a moving experience for our ākonga, who were also given the incredible opportunity of a Q&A session after the show, and then a special moment of meeting one of the actors, Te Mihi Potae, who played "Boyboy". Reflecting on the production, Year 12 Drama student Floyd Benfell says, "I have some Māori heritage, so Waiora really resonated with me. I've never seen something so unique yet so touching before. It was truly an outstanding performance!" Year 11 students Izzabelle Chong adds, "This performance of Waiora truly opened my eyes into this world how these matters not only existed just in the 60's, but until now still do!" Students will now take their learning back to Avcol where they will critically reflect on how theatre communicates social issues and informs creative practice in the classroom.

Jazz Lounge – Saturday 28 March Avcol Atrium | 1:30–5:00pm Join us for an afternoon of smooth, live jazz as our talented combos and Big Band showcase their repertoire in preparation for the National Youth Jazz Competition in Tauranga. This relaxed event is the perfect chance to enjoy great music and support our young musicians as they fine‑tune their sets. All welcome! Line-up: 1:30pm – Birdland 2:00pm – Blue Note 2:30pm – Rob's Dogs 3:00pm – 52nd Street 3:30pm – Five Spot 4:00pm – Swing 46 4:30pm – Big Band Come along, grab a seat, and enjoy the vibe!

From the Principal Launching new uniform item - 'ie Lavalava Fiafia Nights a sampling of what's to come Reminder: Year 13 Independent Study Day this Friday Jazz Lounge Displacement & identity: Drama Students experience Waiora Avcol Alum Lex beats national 400m record in Adelaide Behind the Bee: Arlo stars as VP Panch! Careers Notices Sports Notices Notices

Dear Parents and Caregivers, Many of you will be aware that this week is Polyfest Week, and many thanks to all of the families who have been supporting our groups over recent weeks. Due to some unfortunate scheduling, almost all of our groups will be performing on Friday, and the cohort of students with the highest number of students involved is Year 13. In addition, due to the scale of the event, a large number of teachers will be away from school on Friday to accompany our groups. Therefore, we have decided that  Friday 20 March will be an independent study day for Year 13 students . All Year 13 teachers will make sure that their classes know the recommended independent study that students should be doing. Students who are involved in Polyfest should complete this work over the weekend. The School Library will be available for Year 13 students to study on Friday and will be supervised by teachers. Students may study at home if they wish. If they decide to come to school to use the Library, they must come for the whole school day. Students who are in mixed level classes (most frequently a combination of Year 12 and Year 13) may leave the Library to go to their class. We will also ask teachers to make the work available on TEAMS for the Year 13s who choose to work at home. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Year 13 Deans in the first instance. We wish our groups competing at Polyfest all the best for the week ahead. Mrs L Watkinson Principal

Please find the Cambridge Resit Exam Schedule for 2026:

To mark International Women's Day (8 March) this year, our Girls in STEM group came to school wearing their hair in plaits. Plaits symbolise resilience and solidarity, and are often worn to honour ancestral roots or as a sign of strength.

Avondale College's Environmental Group recently took ten students to Lynfield College to attend a sustainability conference called Green Jam. The day was filled with a range of engaging workshops and hands-on activities designed to promote environmental awareness and action. Students had the opportunity to make seed bombs - small balls of soil mixed with native seeds that can be thrown into bush areas to help grow native plants. They also experienced a virtual reality tour of a cow milking shed, learned practical composting techniques, and created “eco bricks” by tightly packing small pieces of plastic into plastic bottles to repurpose waste. It was an inspiring and enjoyable day where students learned valuable sustainability skills and ideas. They returned to school motivated to take positive environmental action and explore ways to implement sustainable practices within our school community.

Tickets to the Avcol production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee officially go on sale today! Spelling Bee is the story of an eclectic group of teenagers vying for the spelling championship of a lifetime. While candidly disclosing hilarious and touching stories from their home lives, the teens spell their way through a series of (potentially made up) words, hoping never to hear the soul crushing, pout inducing, life un-affirming ‘ding’ of the bell. The show is directed by Avondale College's Director of Drama, Ms Rita Stone. Show times: Wednesday 13 May, 7pm Thursday 14 May, 7pm: $10 Thursday! Friday 15 May, 7pm Saturday 16 May, 2pm Matinee Saturday 16 May, 7pm Venue With our Performing Arts Centre currently under reconstruction, the shows will take place at Te Pou Theatre (part of Corban Estate Arts Centre), 2 Mount Lebanon Lane, Henderson Tickets: $20 for Adults $15 for Children/Students/Seniors $70 for a Family of 2 Adults and 3 Children On Thursday, all tickets are just $10. (Please note: a 50c booking fee per ticket will apply at checkout). Purchase tickets here

Year 12 Biology students have been studying the biological phenomenon of 'zonation,' specifically looking at the distribution of organisms found in the intertidal zone. Venturing out to Long Bay Beach, they set up rope transects and quadrant grids along the rocks at even distances, moving from the high tide mark to the low tide mark. Black nerites - small, dark sea snails were immediately obvious, dotted across the rockpools in large numbers. Other species took a little more patience to find, but closer inspection revealed a rich and varied community of marine life.  "I saw lots of species like barnacles and periwinkles that I haven't seen before coming to New Zealand," says Natchaya Sriphai, an international student from Thailand. "When I see things I 'get it' more than I do when I'm in class." "The organisms were much smaller than I expected, so you had to get quite close to record what you were seeing," says Phoenix Clayton. "Doing research perched on rocks that were quite slippery and uneven was quite tricky, but all part of the experience." Students will be connecting their observations to their understanding of the organism adaptations to explain why the organisms change as they moved from the high tide mark to the low tide mark. The data collected at Long Bay will inform a report worth 4 credits, to be completed over the next three Biology lessons.

In this Issue From the Principal Exploring life between the tides Spelling Bee tickets go on sale today! Green Jam: Growing the seeds of sustainability Plaits for power, professionalism, and parity! Don't miss a beat: Avcol Polyfest times confirmed Adventures abound on first Taurewa trips Sports Notices Notices

Avondale College will finish at 12:30pm for all students on Tuesday 10 March 2025. This will allow us to hold the Junior Academic Mentoring sessions from 1:00pm to 7:30pm, where Year 9 and 10 students will meet with their parents/caregivers and home room teachers. In the afternoon, students are required to study from home, and independent study tasks will be set by their classroom teacher. Please note that Senior Subject Teacher Meetings with parents will take place on Tuesday 31 March. Booking for Junior Academic Mentoring: Bookings for the mentoring sessions are now closed. If you missed the deadline but still wish to meet with your child’s home room teacher, please email them directly to check for availability. Email addresses for all staff can be found on  our website . School Bus Arrangements: Ritchies school buses have been booked to accommodate the 12:30pm finish. However, students taking other bus services will need to arrange alternative transport home. Supervision and Co-curricular Activities: Supervision will be available in the library for students who require it (please contact your year level Dean). Some co-curricular activities will continue as planned in the afternoon, so students should check with their group’s teacher for updates. Finally, a reminder to keep an eye on upcoming school events in our weekly Heartbeat newsletter, on our Facebook  and Instagram  pages, and on the school calendar on our website: https://www.avcol.school.nz/calendar