Our senior students who returned to school this week have spent time with both homeroom teachers and subject teachers to make sure they have a clear understanding of where they’re at with their NCEA achievement, and what they need to focus on to make the most of the weeks leading up to their end-of-year examinations. Students should have set specific goals for each subject, and be utilising class time and tutorials, to get the help they need to finish this academic year well. Students have been given an updated Achievement Tracking sheet, showing how many credits they have achieved this year, as well as how many total credits they have gained at NCEA Levels 1, 2 or 3. Learner Recognition Credits (LRCs) Students in Auckland qualify for Learner Recognition Credits (LRCs) this year. For every 4 credits they have achieved, they gain one LRC (up to a maximum of 16 for Level 1, and 12 for Levels 2 or 3). These are to help students who need it, gain the required total of 80 credits for Level 1, and 60 credits for Levels 2 or 3. Note: LRCs are awarded as Achieved level credits, so don’t help students gain Merit or Excellence Endorsement for NCEA. Your child can show you how many total credits they have achieved towards their NCEA qualification this year, including Learner Recognition Credits. If they have any questions about their achievement they should see their homeroom teacher or dean. Unexpected Event Grades (UEGs) Students in Auckland also qualify for Unexpected Event Grades (UEGs) for externally assessed Achievement Standards this year (e.g. end-of-year exams). They can only be awarded a UEG, however, if they have provided their subject teacher with sufficient evidence of work towards that Achievement Standard (e.g. completed a practice examination or submitted relevant work during class or online learning). Teachers are spending time this week helping students provide the evidence needed, if they have not done this already. Students are expected to attend their end-of-year examinations as normal, if they are well and able to do so. If they attend, they will be awarded the better of the two grades, from their exam or their UEG. If they are not able to attend because of a COVID related reason, they will be awarded the UEG. If your child is unsure about whether they have provided enough evidence to be awarded an Unexpected Event Grade, they should see their subject teacher. Tutorials and IPAC Tutorials are available to senior students over the next few weeks. Students are encouraged to go to a tutorial if they need additional support for a particular subject. View tutorial timetable here IPAC is a program that is run at Avondale College to support students who need a final push to achieve their year-appropriate qualification, after senior students finish school to go on exam leave. Students are invited to come to tutorials and workshops, run by teachers, and you will receive a letter in the coming weeks if your child should attend IPAC for one or more of their subjects. At Avondale College, our aim is excellence. This means that every student, no matter their year level or academic ability, endeavours to achieve personal standards of excellence. For some students, this will be getting to 60 credits for NCEA Level 2. For other students, this will be achieving a Merit Endorsement in Mathematics. For others, this might be gaining enough credits to get into the courses they have chosen for 2022. Whatever the achievement, we want every student to look back on 2021 and be proud of the tenacity and endeavour they have developed on their way to achieving their qualification this year. For more information about changes to NCEA and UE visit: https://www.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/understanding-ncea/changes-to-ncea-and-ue- for-2021/

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Senior students can make the most of specialised subject tutorials at Avondale College. Download the timetable for 2021 here.

Dear Parents, Caregivers and Students We are looking forward to welcoming Year 11, Year 12 and Year 13 students back to school from Tuesday 26 October. We are working to put in place arrangements that exceed the public health regulations, and support everyone in our community to be safe. Students and staff on-site for the Cambridge exams and bubble school have been extremely careful about the health and safety requirements, and very respectful of each other’s personal space. I have every confidence that will continue next week. In making school safe, it’s important everybody continues to play their part. The vast majority of our staff are fully vaccinated, as well as many of our students. We will be inviting parents to share vaccination details with us over the next few days. Vaccination is just one of the ways to protect ourselves from COVID-19. Please can parents and caregivers carefully discuss the Public Health requirements on the attached page with your children, and emphasise the importance of every person in our community taking responsibility for health and safety. From Tuesday the primary focus for teachers will be classroom teaching for seniors, and continuing Distance Learning for Year 9 and Year 10 students. Senior students who are not in class next week may be able to access some of the learning materials through Teams, but teachers will not be able to interact with them in the same way that they have done over recent weeks. NCEA students will resume normal lessons, with a focus on completing internal assessments and preparing for exams. In the next few weeks teachers are likely to ask students to do practice exam questions, but there will not be any ‘formal assessments’ for the first few days that students are back in class. From Tuesday, Cambridge students will no longer need to do exams in bubbles, and most exams will be in D and E block. For classes who have not yet finished their exams, Cambridge teachers will be timetabled for their usual lessons next week. Students may choose to come to school to connect with their teacher and classmates in ‘tutorial style’ lessons. In the main, Cambridge students are on study leave, and there is no requirement to attend lessons unless they choose to do so. Year 9 and Year 10 students will continue with Distance Learning, although teachers will only be available on-line during your scheduled lesson times. Home Room teachers will also maintain contact with students and are likely to schedule a meeting on Tuesday. For families with no appropriate carer at home, and no other option to supervise Year 9 and Year 10 students, we will look forward to seeing your child at school next week. If your child needs to attend school it is important to inform the relevant Deputy Principal, to help us determine which students will need to be at school under Alert Level 3, and to plan for their supervision. Year 9 Mrs McNaughton B.McNaughton@avcol.school.nz Year 10 Ms Joynes E.Joynes@avcol.school.nz Additional NCEA Supports In regards to additional NCEA supports for students this year, information can be found at Additional NCEA changes for Auckland students » NZQA and Unexpected Event Grades for Auckland, Waikato and Northland students » NZQA. Students will be expected to attend exams where possible, and students in regions who cannot attend an exam because of a specific COVID-19 disruption will receive their Unexpected Event Grade. It is important for students to understand that to access the additional credits and/or Unexpected Event Grades, they have to complete the work and assessments set by their teachers for each separate Achievement Standard. Unexpected Event Grades are only given for external assessments (exams). We hope that our canteen will be able to offer a limited service next week, however, guidelines around this are not published yet. Please ensure that students have enough food for the day on Tuesday. At Alert Level 3 our water fountains are turned off, other than to refill bottles. Students should bring a water bottle with them to school. We expect all school buses to be running as usual next week. Students must wear face coverings on their journey to school, whether that is on public transport, school transport or by foot. Prior to returning on Tuesday, students should check with their teachers if they need to bring any particular work or materials with them to school. Students who have been working on laptops would be advised to bring their device to school (in an appropriate case) so that work done through Distance Learning can be easily accessed. Home Room time on Tuesday will start at 8.50am. All students on site must wear full school uniform, with the addition of a mask. The College Shop will be open from 8.30am on Tuesday morning, and have a supply of masks for sale. Parents should not visit the College Shop whilst we are at Alert Level 3, and should only come to Reception if essential and by appointment (e.g. to collect an unwell child). We look forward to seeing many students back at school next week, and continuing Distance Learning with Year 9 and Year 10. Best wishes for the long weekend, Lyndy Watkinson PRINCIPAL

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End-of-year exams are approaching fast for our senior students! Cambridge students can download the CAIE timetable for Avcol students below. Here is the timetable for NCEA: https://www.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/ncea-exams-and-portfolios/external/national-secondary-examinations-timetable/ Study forums open for NCEA students Students preparing for end-of-year exams in NCEA Levels 1-3 English, Maths or Science, can now make the most of the StudyIt forums. The online learning platform has moderated forums for students to discuss NCEA achievement standards with other students and facilitators. General study and exam advice, including tips on how to study smart, are also available.

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Dear Parents and Caregivers Thank you for your ongoing support with your child’s learning, as we continue to operate Distance Learning at Alert Level 4. I am writing to provide some important information about calendar changes, examinations, reports and arrangements for school during Alert Level 3. Calendar changes It was recently announced nationally, that NCEA examinations have been delayed to 22 November – 14 December. As a result we have made the following amendments to our Term 4 Calendar: 2 Oct – 18 November: CAIE (Cambridge) examinations 16 November: Senior Prizegiving. Final day of lessons for NCEA students 17-22 November: Year 9 and Year 10 examinations 22 Nov – 14 Dec: NCEA and Scholarship examinations. CAIE & NCEA examinations This lockdown has now been in place for an extended period of time, and I am aware that students are increasingly concerned about end-of-year examinations. These examinations are currently scheduled as above, and our teachers will continue to work to ensure that students are well prepared for the exams. Neither CAIE nor NCEA examinations can take place at Alert Level 3 or 4. Should either examination series be impacted by school closures, then there are arrangements in place to generate Unexpected Event Grades for students. Report evening and Reports The Senior Report Evening on 28 September has been cancelled. Senior Term 3 Reports will be emailed home and posted through Family Connection during the last week of term. All students will receive an end-of-year report in Term 4. School at Alert Level 3 The Government has indicated that Auckland is likely to move to Alert Level 3 on Wednesday next week. When we do move to Alert Level 3, you legally must stay within your household bubble unless for essential personal movement, including going to work and going to school. If the Alert Level change goes ahead next week, Avondale College will be open, just for Year 9 and Year 10 students who need to attend. Students may only attend school if there is no suitable carer in the home because their parents and caregivers need to leave home to go to work. All of our usual safety precautions for Alert Level 3 will be in place, to meet the strict protocols required by the Ministry of Health. Students will be closely supervised throughout the day, including break times. At Alert Level 3, Distance Learning will continue for all students. We acknowledge that supporting your child’s learning at home, along with juggling family and work commitments, can be challenging. However, at Alert Level 3 please keep your child at home if there is an appropriate carer available. For those of you with no other option for Year 9 and Year 10 students, we will look forward to seeing your child at school next week. If you are a parent or caregiver of a Year 9 or 10 student, you will be sent a Microsoft Form, later today, via text message and email. Please could you complete this to help us determine which students will need to be at school under Alert Level 3, and to plan for their supervision. Thank you for your ongoing support. Kia pai tō wiki mutunga. Yours sincerely Lyndy Watkinson Principal

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Nau mai, haere mai ki te wiki o te reo Māori mō tēnei tau, te tau 2021. Welcome to this year's Māori language week. In 2021 Te Wiki o te Reo Māori will be 13-19 September. Māori Language Week has been celebrated each year from 1975 on 14 September, and commemorates the presentation of the 1972 Māori language petition to parliament. Kia kaha te reo Māori ‘Kia kaha’ is well understood in New Zealand English with its meaning of ‘be strong’. We often talk about languages as if they are people – talking about language health, strength and revitalisation. So when we say ‘Kia kaha te reo Māori’ we’re saying - ‘Let’s make the Māori language strong'. The Māori Language Moment is an amazing and simple way to celebrate, you can find the info on how to join here. This is a national activity and currently 192,293 people are taking part!! Join the Avcol group by using this link: https://www.reomaori.co.nz/98901 At 12pm on Tuesday 14 September, we're encouraging all of New Zealand to stop and take a moment for te reo Māori. Your moment can be as simple or as hard as you want it to be. You can do it on your own, or with your flatmates, workmates or whānau! Sing a song, get everyone together to learn their mihi using our video, or even use Māori sign offs in the office for the day. At this website you can find a blurb from The Māori Language commission about our reo. There is also a link to some resources at the bottom of the page that you can use. Te Wiki o te Reo Māori » Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori Also there is an amazing website called Ako Panuku, they are running great activities this week for te wiki o te reo Māori: He Panga - Brain-teasing riddles to promote a fun way of engaging with te reo Māori. Kupu Whīwhiwhi - Tantalising tongue-twisters to test pronunciation skills. Whakapakari Reo - Activities to strengthen language use, accuracy and fluency. Hangarau Hikohiko - ‘Tech tips’ to explore the use of technology to strengthen te reo Māori skills. Here is how to access them, its easy and free! It will come up with a interactive poster that you can click on, there is a little tap on the right so you can change the language to English if you need to! » Ako Panuku (tki.org.nz) - Ms Ngarama Howell, HOD Māori, Avondale College