SPORTS REGISTRATION - 4-8pm Wednesday 8 February in the Function Room.

YEAR 9 PARENT INFORMATION EVENING - 7pm Wednesday 8 February in the Staffroom.

A group of Year 10 students at Long Bay College have been busy making nest boxes for native kakariki (red crowned parakeets) which will be placed on Tiritiri Matangi.  The students and their teacher Mr Jeff Evans are helping Dr Bethany Jackson (NZCCM at Auckland Zoo) with her PhD which is researching the ‘beak and feather disease.  Dr Jackson has recently found the virus in kakariki on Tiritiri Matangi, an important island sanctuary where threatened and critically endangered native birds exist.  This island provides Dr Jackson with the opportunity to closely monitor the virus and one major part of her study will be to place the nest boxes on the island and in Regional Parks on the Auckland     mainland.  The nest boxes will then allow the close monitoring of the kakariki.

Dr Jackson recently spent an afternoon with Mr Jeff Evans and his students at Long Bay College seeing how the nest boxes were being made.  During her time in class Dr Jackson was shown how to use the band saw by student Stephen Van Es.

Teacher Jeff Evans said ‘I explained to the students why we are designing the boxes in a certain way.  The boxes will have a little ladder inside to help the young kakariki climb out.  The boxes had to be made very solid and because the birds will be chewing the wood all the boxes are made from un-treated timber.  For the Year 10 students this is a real opportunity to be involved in a fantastic project to try and save the kakariki.  Many of the students have never been to Tiritiri Matangi so we are hoping to take some of them there with the nest boxes’.

Year 10 student Adre Smuts said ‘This means a huge amount.  We’re helping to stop the birds become extinct. I haven’t been to Tiri Tiri but working on these nest boxes has made me want to visit the island now’. 

For Year 10 student Matthew Thomas working on the nest boxes has brought the subject alive, ‘when I was small I used to imagine making things and I used to make things with my Grandad but this is a real experience of a lifetime. It’s real teamwork, we’ve all worked together in making the boxes’.

Samantha Bleakley (Year 11) and Katie Patridge (Year 11) entered the Secondary Schools’ Trash 2 Fashion Competition with a joint design.  Emma Watson (Year 9) and Cassidie Cable (Year 9) also spent many hours completing their creations.  Their entries were part of the 125 garments displayed in the final fashion shows.  These garments were made from rubbish and recycled materials showing the idea of Auckland.  After the show Samantha Bleakley was chosen to model her design with 20-30 other garments at The Cloud as part of the Auckland Arts Festival.

Future Problem Solving at Long Bay College has gone from strength to strength over the last few years.  2011 has seen a first at the College with both senior teams qualifying for the National finals to be held at the end of October.

The two teams are made up of Year 11 students Kelly Bingham, Samantha Bleakley, Courtney Davies and Laverne Robillard. The Year 12 team is made up of Tiffany Anns, Kaavya Benjamin, Andrea Chase and Maryke Fouche.  Both groups look at potential problems that could face society in the future and then suggest ways in which these issues could be dealt with to ensure the best outcome. 

The National competition will see the five best teams from around the country competing to gain a place at the international finals to be held in the USA next year.

Future Problem Solving challenges some of the most academically able students to perform at the highest level and we hope to hear great things from both teams.  Good luck at the Nationals.

Students are (R-L) Kelly Bingham, Samantha Bleakley, Courtney Davies, Laverne Robillard, Tiffany Anns, Andrea Chase, Maryke Fouche (absent Kaavya Benjamin)

Year 13 student, Megan Stewart, competed in the Fashion Week finale show Walk-the-Line, organised by the YMCA's Raise-Up Crew.

Forty designers, aged 14 to 18, competed across four categories - Cultural, Wearable Arts, High Fashion and Open.  Megan's garment entry, Tied, is inspired by the docks of Scotland providing a picturesque backdrop, whilst cleverly incorporating the traditional tartan that proudly showcases Scottish Culture in a modern street wear garment.  Megan's entry brightly shone through and won the Cultural category and she received $250 worth of Westfield vouchers.   

Earlier this year, Megan won the North Harbour Mazda Fashion competition.   Megan plans to study Fashion Design and Business Management at Massey University in Wellington next year.  Another young LBC Superstar in the making!

Long Bay College student Eden Corbett (Year 12) is planning to shave her hair for Canteen on 30 September.  Eden said ‘I’d already decided to shave my hair off for charity before hearing about the Bandana Challenge organised by Canteen, knowing quite a few people who have been affected by cancer really motivated me to do something’.  Eden who says she has always had long hair and hasn’t had it cut for two years says that her hair is between 50-60cm long and plans to donate it to be made into a wig.  One of her friends is making her a beanie to wear once all of her hair has been cut off.  Eden only started raising sponsorship money two weeks ago and has already raised $1,600. Anyone wishing to donate sponsorship to Eden can call her on 09 4739093.

The 2011 International Education Excellence Award for Innovationand Internationalisation has been awarded to Long Bay College for their partnership with the Korean Culinary Academy. Students from Korea training to be chefs can spend two years in New Zealand attending Long Bay College, and supplementing their regular curriculum with extra English language and hospitality training. The school has built a brand new professional kitchen so hospitality students get a top quality experience. At the opening of the facility, Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully said, "I'd like to welcome the partnership between Long Bay College and the Korean Culinary Academy. This is the sort of relationship which is New Zealand's future."  The International Education Excellence Awards were presented at the 20th New Zealand International Education Conference at Sky City in Auckland. The awards were presented by Sir Ray Avery, who was the 2010 New Zealander of the Year. 

Long Bay College’s Ms Bryant said ‘Over 70 students were involved and it’s 100% student run.  They do all of the choreography, costumes, performance, rehearsals, hair, make up and music and lighting choices.  It’s amazing what they can do’.  The students this year have surpassed all expectations.

Awards:

 Girlfriend award for Performance Skill

 Excellence award for Community

Excellence award for Choreography

Excellence award for Drama

Excellence award for Soundtrack

The Spirit of Stage Challenge award

NZQA Deputy Chief Executive, Qualifications Bali Haque visited Long Bay College on Tuesday 28 June.  During his visit Bali met with Senior Managers, Heads of Faculty and student academic leaders to discuss NCEA.  Principal Russell Brooke said “NCEA is an outstanding qualification, one that is envied around the world. However, its richness brings with it some complexity and our time with Bali allowed us to explore this and understand how we can further develop this qualification. Long Bay College’s wide curriculum fully embraces all that NCEA has to offer.  It reflects international thinking and research on the modern approach to what an academic curriculum for 21^st Century students should be. We have moved away from the days of narrow and prescribed subject choices.”

During the discussions Bali was able to outline progress on the standards realignment, the developments in the writing and marking of external examinations and the need to help the community to understand the qualities of NCEA.