David Hamilton is one of New Zealand's most internationally well known and widely performed composers. This year he was commissioned by Avondale College's Director of Music, Dr Julie Garner, to write a piece for the College's Symphony Orchestra, and the resulting composition, Te Kurī-a-Pāoa, will receive its world premiere here at Avondale College! Hamilton says the piece is broadly about the arrival of Pākehā to New Zealand: "The initial on-stage music suggests a quiet landscape which is suddenly interrupted by the smaller group playing a kind of pseudo-British folk song," says Hamilton. "The piece is not intended as a literal presentation of all the events, but mainly takes that idea of two cultures clashing on first contact as the starting point. The Māori text speaks of the land: "Look at the children of Tāne, Standing as shelters to the wind, Treasures to be admired, A remnant of ages past." The dramatic piece features the use of traditional Māori instruments - taonga pūoro - as well as te reo, (performed by the solo voice of Avondale College's Head Girl, Olivia Mallon). These were two significant elements requested by Dr Garner; she had previously commissioned two pieces by Hamilton that had incorporated traditional Māori instruments, and these three compositions were to be performed for the first time ever as a triptych at the College's 'Sound in Colour' classical concert in August. Unfortunately, the concert has had to be postponed given the uncertainty around alert levels in August, but we will keep our community posted as to when this world premiere will take place.

While there is some uncertainty as to the way the final act will unfold, the school show has been steadily coming together over the last few months, thanks to the hard work of a huge 'show family' of staff, students and helpers - including directors, choreographers, music leaders, cast, troupe, band, set builders, painters, cake makers and more! "I have been amazed at the joy and collegiality of all involved with the show so far," says Mrs Norton, Show Director. "Sunday afternoons have been propelled by the shared enthusiasm of our talented group of performers, instrumentalists and behind the scene-ers. Whatever may come, this year has been very special already." Here are a few behind-the-scenes photos from some of the recent Sunday afternoon rehearsals.

Avondale College's chess team has won the western zone competion. The team of Xin Yang Liu, Rohit Mudaliar, Aanand Madhav and Justin Yang  competed in the West Auckland Chess Competition held at Kelston Boys High School in August. The boys played against teams from Kelston Boys, Massey, Liston and AIC. They didn't go in overly confidently, but despite the tough competition, the boys went on to win and are through to Nationals in Tauranga in September. Rohit Mudaliar, who was playing on board two, won all his matches and, for the second year in a row, was crowned top of board two.

19 August 2020 A confirmed case of COVID-19 within our school community makes the global pandemic seem much more real, and certainly makes me feel very glad that in New Zealand we moved to Alert Level 3 so quickly last week. Thank you very much for the many messages of support that we have received over the past few days, and for the thoughtful and caring response that has been shown by students and families across our community. I am humbled by the atawhai that is evident. Whilst the cases of COVID-19 within Auckland are worrying for us all, we know that the virus is the problem, not the people. The way forward is for us to continue to work as a community, both to follow the public health guidelines for Alert Level 3 and also to support each other. My thanks go to the many families across our school community who have put themselves forward for COVID testing. I know that some have been for tests even when their symptoms have seemed minor. It is through actions such as these that cases can be detected early and decisions made quickly, which is the best response to this virus. Thank you to parents and caregivers for supporting students in returning to Distance Learning. Teachers continue to use Microsoft Teams and email as the primary form of communication with students. Please do not hesitate to contact teachers or subject Directors if you have any questions about the work, or if your child needs any support or guidance. When school closed last week, many students were just finishing assessments of their learning for the first half of the term. I encourage students to use the time at home to make sure that they complete and submit this work. If students missed any deadlines from earlier in the year, this time at home could also be an opportunity to catch up and finish the work. A small number of students have been attending school over the past week. Following government announcements this week, we hope to be able to offer Year 12 and Year 13 students the opportunity to come to school for their learning if they need to. This is most likely to benefit students who are not able to access Microsoft Teams, or other software at home. Students who are interested in taking up this opportunity should contact Deputy Principals Mrs McNaughton mhn@avcol.school.nz (Year 13) or Mrs van Etten vtn@avcol.school.nz (Year 12) Students may come into school to collect any learning materials or resources that they may have left there, if they are able to do a ‘contact-less pick up’. Students must have an appointment to come into school and should contact the relevant Dean or subject Director to make arrangements for this. Finally, I have become aware that some senior students who have part-time jobs, are being asked by their employers to work during school hours. It is important that students are able to prioritise their school work. If any student needs a letter from school stating that they may not work during the school day, please contact the relevant year level Dean or admin@avcol.school.nz. We look forward to welcoming all teachers and students back to school as soon as we can. Yours sincerely, Mrs L Watkinson, Principal

Monday 17 August 2020 Late yesterday afternoon we were informed by the Ministry of Education and Auckland Regional Public Health that a student who attends Avondale College has been diagnosed as a case of COVID-19. I have been in touch with the student and their family and they are doing fine. Close contacts of the student have already received an email from me. Others in our school community are considered casual contacts and more information about this is in the attached letter from Auckland Regional Public Health Service. I realise that this information may be concerning for you, and if you have any questions please use the contact numbers which are detailed on the letter. The College will continue to work closely with government departments over coming days. I send you my very best wishes, Lyndy Watkinson Principal, Avondale College

12 August 2020 Dear Parents and Caregivers The announcement that Auckland is now at COVID-19 Alert Level 3 is one that none of us wanted. Thank you very much for your support in following the instructions given by government, and keeping your children at home. School is only open to children who need to attend, particularly those who have parents and caregivers working in essential services. If your child needs to come to school please contact Mrs Drew, Deputy Principal, drw@avcol.school.nz. Students attending school during Alert Level 3 should report to the Attendance Office in E block. They must wear full school uniform, bring a water bottle and food for the day, and it is recommended that they bring a mask (although this is not compulsory in schools). Health and Safety The health and safety of our community is our highest concern. As we did last term, we will follow all of the public health guidelines for students who attend school, including physical distancing, maintaining contact registers and frequent hand washing (with hand sanitiser available). Parents should not come into school unless absolutely necessary. Teaching and Learning All students are encouraged to continue their learning at home if they can. Students who have ongoing classwork, homework or exam related work at home should prioritise completing that. Where possible, teachers will contact their classes over the next couple of days, to provide work. Most of the TV programmes that were recorded for Home Learning TV are still available on demand through TVNZ. There are some excellent programmes that are very relevant to Year 9 and Year 10 students. Senior School exams School exams will be delayed by a few days, and will run from Wednesday 19 August to Wednesday 26 August inclusive. Senior students should utilise the next few days for revision. Hard copy learning materials There is considerable uncertainty regarding the next few weeks, and we strongly recommend that Year 9 and Year 10 students who do not have school work at home or a device, come to school at the following times to collect hard copy study materials. As we did in March, just the student (or one parent) should come into the Atrium. Other family members should stay in the car. Thursday 13 August 10am-12pm Friday 14 August 10am-12pm Laptops Last term a small number of students were provided with Ministry of Education laptops. If the laptop is at school, the student / family will be contacted, and invited to come to school to collect it in the next few days. If you have any questions around this contact Mr Hill, Deputy Principal, hil@avcol.school.nz. School activities and events As we receive further information and announcements over the next few days we will review school activities and events and make further decisions as necessary. All school activities until the end of this week have been postponed, including school trips and co-curricular activities. The school show rehearsal on Sunday is cancelled. Rugby games this weekend have been postponed until Saturday 29th August and we will forward notifications about other Saturday sports fixtures as we receive them. Trip 11 to Taurewa, due to depart on Monday 17 August is postponed. The payment date for the School Ball has been extended to Wednesday 19 August. Communication with school The best way to contact school at this time is using email. A full list of staff names and email addresses is on our website, under Our School > Our Team. General concerns, or concerns about student wellbeing should be sent to the year level Dean or one of our Guidance Department. Subject specific concerns should be sent to the subject teacher or Director. Questions or concerns about digital access for students should be sent to servicedesk@avcol.school.nz. Concerns about digital safety or inappropriate use of digital platforms may be referred to this email address, but should also be reported to Netsafe – www.netsafe.org.nz. Thank you for your ongoing support of Avondale College. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. We look forward to welcoming students back to school soon. Yours sincerely Mrs L Watkinson Principal

15 August 2020 Dear Parents and Caregivers With the announcement regarding the continuation of COVID-19 Alert Level 3 in Auckland, Avondale College will remain closed for the next 11 days, to all students except for children of essential workers or children who need to attend school. If your child needs to attend school over this time, please contact Ms Drew, Deputy Principal, drw@avcol.school.nz so that arrangements can be made to set up classrooms safely. Most students’ learning for the next eight school days will be through digital Distance Learning. Most teachers have already made contact with their classes, using Microsoft Teams or email, regarding their work. School exams will not take place next week. We are aware that many students have done significant preparation for these exams, and were anticipating the opportunity to provide evidence of their achievement levels. We will work with subject Directors to put in place alternatives to the planned exam session and will forward details to you next week. The best way to contact school at this time is by email. A full list of staff names and email addresses is on our website:  https://www.avcol.school.nz/our-team Thank you for your ongoing support of Avondale College. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. We look forward to welcoming students back to school soon. Yours sincerely Mrs L Watkinson Principal

Thursday evening's Jazz & Soul concert was a spectacular night of music by some of Avondale College's finest musicians. The evening included items from our Jazz Academy students, a number of jazz combos, the Dale Soul band, the Avondale College Stage Band, Big Band, Gospel Choir and more! For many students, this was the first real opportunity they have had to perform this year, given the cancellation of events such as the Tauranga Jazz Festival, the Auckland Schools Jazz Festival, the KBB Music Festival - and it was clear that much hard work has been taking place in practice rooms, classrooms and at home throughout the year! Congratulations to the more than 100 performers who took part, and to Head of Jazz, Mr Mike Robinson, and the other dedicated music teachers and tutors on putting on such an entertaining evening! If you missed the event, you can still see some performances from the night as they are uploaded to the Avondale College Vimeo site over the next few weeks.

The annual New Zealand Engineering Science competition is a problem-solving event for teams of senior secondary students organised by the University of Auckland's Department of Engineering Science, and sponsored by Orion Health and Fisher & Paykel Healthcare. This fun and challenging competition is for teams of three or four Year 12 or 13 students who are interested in Mathematics and Science. Avondale College entered 11 teams who spent eight hours on 1 August 2020 solving the following open-ended engineering problem in school: How many satellites can be launched into orbit before astronomers on earth can no longer observe the night sky without interruption? The event was a success. Each team worked diligently to produce their solution to the problem in the form of a written report. All of them enjoyed the challenge, with most indicating that they would like to do it again next year. - Dr S Hoh

Three Avondale College students have danced their way into a new reality television show: K-Pop Academy. The series follows the progress of a group of 25 young performers who make it through the audition process into a two-week boot camp where they are coached by New Zealand’s very own Queen of K-Pop, dancer choreographer and instructor, Rina Chae, in preparation for live group performances. Rachel Kim (Year 10), Levi/Minwoo Jung (Year 11) and Juna Hall (Year 9) all made it through the auditions and into the five groups where they had to learn dances and receive vocal coaching for singing or rapping. They then performed in their own music videos, took part in a photo shoot and finally after hours and hours of hard work were ready to perform live on stage. In addition to the eight 15-17 minute episodes, there are eight four-minute tutorials fronted by Rina with star dance assistants chosen from each K-Pop group. From these, viewers can learn the moves to dance to each track. The tutorials include an entry level K-Pop dance, the audition dance, the dances each group learnt and performed in the series - Crush, Crazy, High, Hasty, Balmsae and the trickier Battle dance. Episodes can be screened On Demand: https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/k-pop-academy Find out more here: https://www.facebook.com/kpopacademynz/videos/333159491418527/ PHOTO CREDIT: K-Pop Academy/ NZ On Air / TVNZOnDemand

This week has been Mental Health Awareness Week at Avondale College. Deputy Head Girl Emily O'Callaghan, who has organised this initiative, spoke at the school assemblies on Monday to let the students know more. "You matter. You may be wondering why I said that. For many of us, life feels like just one long struggle. There’s always yet another assignment, yet another deadline and yet another exam. Let alone peer pressure, family pressure, work pressure and the pressures of merely growing up. Some of us cope with these pressures – or appear to. For others, these pressures become daily mountains to climb. We, as humans, are well adapted to concealing the pressures in our lives, our doubts, our fears and our insecurities. However, in the pursuit of a poker face, we have stumbled upon our greatest weakness – not starting the conversation about what goes on in here (gestures to head). I’m here today to start that conversation. You matter. We all have mental health. Just as we all have physical health. But too often we choose to ignore our mental well-being. I’m here talking to you as a Safe School Leader. But I’m also standing here as a student just like you. Perhaps like me, you too have family members or friends experiencing mental health issues. Or you may be experiencing them directly for yourself. You matter. That is why I am excited to announce and to be part of Avondale College’s first ever Mental Health Awareness Week." While the move to Alert Level 3 has unfortunately meant the activities planned for the second part of the week have had to be put on hold for now, students and staff thoroughly enjoyed the staff v prefects basketball match that was held in the gym on Tuesday lunchtime! The stadium was packed with supporters cheering on both sides, and the atmosphere was fantastic. Winning the kudos and the victory this year was... the teachers: 25-22! Thanks to all who supported the event by playing or cheering - and especially to all those who donated coins as they entered. These proceeds will be going to the work of the New Zealand Mental Health Foundation.

A stop-motion short film with a powerful message created by Year 13 student Malisha Munidasa during lockdown has won third place in a creative competition. The Kate Edger Educational Charitable Trust challenged students in Years 12 and 13 to put together a piece of writing, art, poetry, photo or video that explored the idea of 'rising above the limits'. "While currently we might feel that our physical space has been limited, there are no limits to our spirit and imaginations!" "My entry is about the mental struggles youth have during this lock-down," said Malisha. "Through a stop-motion video I wanted to convey the idea that we all can Stop, Think and Reflect and let go of our negative feelings and have a more positive outlook on life." The competition judges said they faced difficult choices with such a wide range of wonderful and imaginative entries. "The competition showed the value of the creative arts in dealing with adversity and challenges. It also demonstrated how a creative and optimistic spirit was unleashed in many people during lockdown. We hope all those who entered will continue to use their creativity and imaginations to ‘Rise Above the Limits’!"