Dear Parents, Caregivers and Students

 

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

As we approach the halfway point of Term 3 it is pleasing to report on the number of successes that are being achieved by our students.  Most notable is the achievement of our 1^st XI Boys 15A Soccer team in winning the Auckland Secondary Schools Championship.  This is the school’s first A Grade Championship victory.  Our senior girls Hockey team have also won the championship and three of our netball teams were grade winners and four were placed second.  Our Debating team  made the semifinals of the Auckland Debating Societies interschool competition and our Mathex teams performed most creditably in the Auckland wide competition.  Last week our Jazz Band, Concert Band and Orchestra performed at the Aotea Centre in the KBB Secondary Schools Music Festival.  This is only the second year that we have entered this prestigious competition and to be awarded a silver award (Concert Band) and 2 bronze awards (Orchestra and Jazz Band)  is a wonderful achievement.

Our Academic focus is still in place and with only 44 school days till our senior students leave for their NCEA externals it is vital that they all maintain their concentration on this vitally important component of school life. 

 

 

 

SAFETY WITH NETWORKING WEBSITES

Social networking websites such as MySpace, Facebook, Bebo and Twitter are becoming increasingly popular with New Zealand teenagers.

The networks allow users to create personal profiles that can be shared with friends and classmates.  Users can upload photographs, write their own blog and keep in touch with friends through instant messaging and online forums.

Some schools are seeing the benefits of this social technology and use it to connect and communicate with students to provide help with homework assignments and remind them of important events at the school.  Others have banned the use of these websites at school and blocked access to them from school computers.

While the argument that these websites can be a useful tool for students to connect outside the classroom is a strong one, there can also be a dark side to their use, as many are now finding out.  Recent research has revealed that almost 20 per cent of young people in New Zealand have been sent a nasty or threatening message by mobile or the internet, and eight per cent admit to being the victim in a cyber-bullying campaign.

Many of these bullying campaigns start through the use of social networking websites where personal information can easily be made public.  Research from netsafe, an organisation providing cybersafety and security advice, shows that almost half of New Zealand teenagers have posted sensitive information, such as their mobile phone number or home address, on these websites, information that can make them easy targets for cyber-bullying campaigns.

 

The challenge for teachers and parents is to ensure that students stay safe when using social networking sites  and to ensure they are equipped with the knowledge to remain safe when using these websites at home.

To help, MySpace New Zealand has launched a guide  that provides a number of safety tips for users of the website.  Many of these tips can also be applied to other social networking services.

 

Top tips include:

·      Blocking contact from people students don’t know or who are known bullies through the ‘Block User’ function.

·      Concealing their ‘Online Now’ status, so that a user can be on MySpace but it isn’t advertised to the wider community.

·      Making their profile private so that only accepted friends can access their information.  All users under 16 years old automatically have their profile set to private, so only their designated friends can be within their network.

·      Using wide identifiers, such as a suburb rather than street name when entering public details into a profile.

·      Reporting all instances of cyber bullying by clicking on the ‘Contact MySpace’ link at the bottom of each page.

·      David Batch, director of safety, MySpace.com, New Zealand says the technology on MySpace allows users to proactively combat cyber-bullying.  “We encourage anyone who has been bullied to set their MySpace profile to private, block other users who have bullied them and to conceal their online now status, three tactics which can considerably minimise the occurrence of cyber-bullying on MySpace”.

·      Those found guilty of harassing and bullying other users of social networking sites face having their account suspended and may even have their actions reported to the police.

·      Each of the social networking sites has its own way of dealing with a false or offensive profile and will often take it down as soon as they are notified.

 

To ensure that our young people are kept safe when using the network we have a responsibility  (parents and teachers) to provide them with the knowledge they need to stay safe when on-line.  The tips suggested above are a starting point.

 

God Bless

 

Paul Daley

Principal

 

SPECIAL CHARACTER – Mrs G Devoy

Last Friday, the school community celebrated the Feast of the Assumption. This feast day commemorates when Mary was taken, body and soul, up into Heaven. We believe that Mary being taken to Heaven, body and soul was a logical outcome of her immaculate nature which was uniquely protected from sin through God’s grace. The Assumption is a special feast day in the Catholic calendar as it is a sign to us, that through God’s goodness and our own efforts, we too will, one day, be with Mary in Heaven.

The Mass was celebrated by Fr Francis Poon and Deacon Brian Large of St Mark’s parish, as Fr Ezio, our chaplain was unable to be present. During the homily, Fr Francis spoke of the choices faced by Mary, and then went on to compare these choices to the many decisions faced by our students, showing that Mary’s life and actions are still relevant in today’s society.

During the Mass many students were able to demonstrate various talents, worshipping through music, song and movement. I would like to congratulate these students for their contribution and for their fine performances and also to encourage other students to involve themselves in our liturgies.

Emily Ashurst, one of our Year 12 students, is driving an initiative to knit jerseys for Fish and Chips babies. These are African babies suffering from AIDS who are often discharged from hospital, wrapped only in paper (hence the name).  Emily has a pattern for jerseys and is asking the help of anybody who is willing to knit for these babies. If you are able to be of assistance, please contact me on 2744081 extension 226 and I will be able to send you a pattern.

 

 

Mary’s life was a great journey of faith and for each of us life is a journey Birth is the beginning of this journey  And death is not the end but the destination It is a journey that takes us from youth to age From innocence to awareness From foolishness to wisdom From weakness to strength and often back again From loneliness to friendship From pain to compassion From fear to faith From defeat to victory and from victory to defeat Until, looking backward or ahead We see that victory does not lie at some high point along the way  But in having made the journey, stage by stage.

 

 

 

PTFA

TRIVIAL PURSUIT

Our annual Trivial Pursuit night was closely fought out between the teams and was won narrowly by the “FABB” Team.  (See website for photos of winning team.)  A big thank you to everyone that attended and supported this fundraiser as we raised $407 on the night.

 

PTFA Fundraiser

 – presenting an evening with “Nigel Latta”

Mastermind behind The “Politically Incorrect Parenting” TV Show.

Wednesday 7 October  -  Sancta Maria College 7.30pm

Parenting Talk on “Revenge of the Teens”

(Please note that content includes language that may offend some people)

Tickets $15 – Available from Tracey Monaghan 535 7609 or 021658700

 

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

English tutorials are being offered to students on Tuesday afternoons. Details are:

Year 11 – in AM4 with Mrs Robins

Year 13 – in AM2 with Miss Leafberg

 

DEBATING

Both our Advanced and Senior Open teams made it through to the semi-finals of their grades in the Auckland Secondary Schools Debating Competition. These semi-finals took place on Saturday 22 August. The Advanced team lost narrowly to Mt.Albert Grammar School and our Senior team lost by one point to St.Cuthbert’s. Congratulations to all team members on this achievement – huge numbers of teams are involved from all over Auckland and this has helped to establish us firmly on the debating map!

Senior Debating Team:

Lauren Kubala, Sam Vincent, Dominic Osika

Advanced Senior Debating Team:

Christina Walker, Freddy Conquer, James Stolten, David Agnew

 

 

TECHNOLOGY NEWS

NCEA Portfolios for Year 11 -13 technology students are now due in to be assessed. Students will have the opportunity to add more detail to their work. Please encourage your son or daughter to work on this each night, at home.

 

Year 12 Food Technology students will be visiting MIT later this term to be assessed on US 167 – Kitchen Hygiene and Safety. This is an industry recognised qualification. We wish them luck.

 

Year 13 Food Technology students are in the final stages of their Barista training and will be assessed at MIT in a few weeks. Once again we wish them luck.

 

The Year 11 Food Technology students who represented the school in the recent Activate series on TV were on TV last weekend. The episode with Hebron V Sancta Maria College  aired on Saturday 22nd August at 9.30am on TV2.

 

Also check out the Activate website at ; www.tvnz.co.nz/activate

 

Mrs Boyle

HOD Technology

 

COLLEGE BASKETBALL - Mrs R English

Basketball is a game of passion and skill, which every student that participated this year has shown. This season has been a very successful one for the players. The junior and senior teams performed extremely well in their grades. The U15 boys showed great improvement from last year’s season. They won the majority of their U15 B pool games, which led to them being placed second in their grade. They then moved onto the U15B Counties Manukau Championship round and placed second overall in this division. 

 

The U15 girls also played extremely well in the Counties Manukau Secondary Schools U15 Girls Basketball division. The girls had some tough games in their division, only losing one game in their pool matches. They made it to the finals against McAuley High School, where they lost and were placed second in their division.

 

The U17 Boys had a challenging season in the Counties Manukau Secondary Schools U17 Eastern Basketball division. They faced many top ranked teams and showed great improvement through the season. They played well and placed 11^th out of 16 teams in their division. They are to be commended for their commitment, passion and dedication to the team and to the game, even when things seemed difficult.

 

The U19 Boys also had some tough games in their pool. However, they played exceptionally well in all their games and placed in the top four of their grade. This allowed them to progress to the semi finals of the U19A division, where they played Macleans College. They had a hard semi final game which they narrowly lost. Overall the boys placed fourth in the Counties Manukau Secondary Schools U19 Boys Basketball division.

 

All of our players are to be commended on their dedication and commitment to their sport. All the teams played well and showed talent and good sportsmanship in every game and I know this will continue in the seasons to come.

 

 

BOYS 15A FOOTBALL     

Final match/season report - Mr Wannamaker - coach

 

The Boys 15A Football team played against Rutherford College for a chance to win the prestigious 15A1 division. This was the last game to be played by both teams to complete the championship rounds. This was a must win match for Sancta Maria.

 

Within the first 2 minutes of the match, Rutherford struck a quick goal that went between keeper Alex Rooza’s legs. Not even 2 minutes after the restart of play, Sancta Maria replied back with a swift strike by Callum McKenzie. From this goal onwards, Sancta Maria began to display supreme ball control and overall teamwork against an overmatched Rutherford College. The second goal was scored by Nathan Noble Campbell, who re-directed a Calvin Opperman left footed cross into the net. Sancta Maria continued to display a positive winning attitude while showing excellent passing skill. 

 

Up 2-1 from the first half, Mr. Wannamaker was satisfied with the first half’s efforts but knew his team could pull ahead further with increased effort and team focus. The team confidently took to the pitch for the second half. For his second goal of the match, Nathan Noble-Campbell struck again and Calvin Opperman finalized the scoring with a strong left footed shot that eluded the Rutherford keeper.

Final score of the match Sancta Maria 4, Rutherford College 1. This win clinched the boys 15A1 Championship round.

 

As coach of this team I would like to extend a thank you to all the players including reserves and injured players who have contributed to the success of this team -Alex Rooza, Mathew Rooza, Ryan Martin, Cameron Martin, Calvin Opperman, Callum McKenzie, Connor Gallen, Ricky Lines, Thomas Daniels, Nathan Noble- Campbell, Brad Leathard, Wayne Stalls, Elliott Diver, Daniel McGivern, Giordano Santana-Drago, and Aidan Fraei.

 

 

GIRLS JUNIOR A FOOTBALL – J Nourish

Won the Counties Manukau division beating Macleans

3-0 in the final.  The team qualified for the knock out Auckland Provincial Championship for the top 12 junior teams in the Auckland Region.  The team finished 4th in this competition. 

 

Team members are Jessica Valk, Summer Brooke, Sarah Cammell, Aimee Leher, Nicole Tuyay, Amber Cooke (Captain), Maria Castro, Brodie Brookland, Kaajal Shirley, Emma Nobel-Cambell, Caitlin Papali'i, Olivia Davey, Amber Oosterhof, Cassandra Driessen, Gurpriend Rajput.

 

 

HOCKEY

Sancta Maria College has had a successful hockey programme this year with six teams being involved in the Eastern Zone and the College Sport programme.

 

The Senior Girls Team of Tori Shrimpton (Captain), Lea Abuyan, Gianina Castro, Monique Cooper, Jennifer D'Cruze, Jessica Danbrook, Anna De Jong, Katie Howell, Emma Hutchinson, Kerry Keenan, Charlotte Long, Andrea Malto, Stephanie Morgan, Sonya Morrogh and Rachel Nath have won the College Sport Eastern Suburb’s competition.  They won every game and have not conceded a goal.  This team are currently involved in the Auckland Championship playing the semi-final and final.

The Senior Boys Team has also had a good season, winning all their games in Term 2 and despite some narrow loses this term have recently returned to their winning form.  With two games in the competition this team are likely to finish in the top 3 teams for their division.  The Team consists of James Daniels (Captain), Jonathan Blake, Vaughn Cagayat, Kristan Dantas, Joel Gardner, Cory Hooker, Waldron Martis, Sam Monaghan, James Mullan-Douglas, Jonathan Nazareth, William O'Connell, Chris Stickland, Carlos Ter Huurne and Michael Wigmore.

 

The U15 Girls Team finished 5^th in the division and are now in the playoff round for the Plate competition.  The team consists of Katie Cammell, Gillian Castro, Jaimee Ann Dick, Natasha Evans, Teresa Fifita, Natalie Hanson, Hannah Horne, Anna Huynh, Mary Malto, Emma Morgan, Carmela Nepomuceno, Francesca Osten, Reah Rojos, Julianne Rongo-Kea, Tianna Simpson-Croxford, Tasha Steedman and Samantha Woollaston.

 

The U15 Boys team also finished 5^th in their division and are now the Championship round of games.  The members of this team are Kenzie Alan, Michael Berriman, Ryan Brearley, Fraser Campbell, James Codlin, Dylan Cooper, Zane D'Souza, Joshua Estores-Allport, Stephen Kelly, Brayden Kerr, Lewis Monaghan, James Moody, Liam Owen, Eythan Prendergast, Wayne Stalls, Gerardo Sullivan and Kyle Wigmore.

 

Two teams were entered in the Year 7 and 8 Eastern Zone competition.  These one day competitions proved to be a value learning experience for the students.

 

Special thanks to the Coach of the Junior Boys Team Mr Brearley, and to the Teachers involved in hockey this year. Mr Adams (Senior Boys), Mrs Wakker (Senior Girls), Mrs David (U15 Girls) and Mrs Croxford and Mrs Williams (U15 Boys).  Thanks also to the student Coaches and Umpires; Elizabeth Cooper (Senior Girls), James Daniels (Senior Girls and Junior Boys Umpire), Emma Hutchinson and Michael Wigmore (Junior Boys Umpires) and Kristan Dantas (Junior Girls Coach and Umpire). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS

Madison Milne - New Zealand Representative - World FISAF Aerobic Championships

Freddie Conquer – Bucklands Beach Lions Club, Young Ambassadors Award -  Runner Up

 

KEY DATES

 

 

 

 

 

Monday	31 August	Alliance Française Competition Year 12 – 13 French Students   Year 13 English.  Auckland University 9.00am at University
Tuesday	1 Sept	Y13 History, Auckland University 6.00pm – 10.00pm   Y10 Careers Day   Year 8 Camp Parent Helpers Meeting 6.00pm – 7.30pm.  (Staffroom)
Wednesday	2 Sept	Meeting for Parents of Pasifika Students – 7pm
Monday	7 – 11 Sept	Y10 Camp Week  / Retreat Day
Tuesday	15 Sept	Senior School Exams Begin
Wednesday	16 Sept	Girls Barbershop National Competition 3pm Newsletter Distributed
Tuesday	22 – 25 Sept	Yr 8 Camp
Wednesday	23 Sept	Staff Professional Learning 10am start for students Note: The School Office will be closed until 10am
Friday	25 Sept	End of Term 3