MBAS Newsletter, Term 4, Week 3, 1st Nov 2024

MBAS Calendar

Kia Ora tātou – Greetings to you all

From The Senior School

Kia ora whānau,

This week has been quite short but jam-packed with celebrations. We began by celebrating the successes of our students in the senior school on Tuesday morning. We held assemblies recognising the efforts of students in Years 11, 12 and 13 through the presentation of Merit certificates.

On Wednesday we held our annual Senior Years Prize Giving. Again, we celebrated and recognised all of the successes our students have had in 2024 in the academic, vocational and sporting arenas. During the prize giving we were treated to wonderful, intelligent and emotionally charged heartfelt speeches from our head and deputy head students as they reflected on their time in the kura and their leadership experiences while also sharing words of wisdom and advice to their peers.

We celebrated the students who had achieved incredibly well in the courses and were identified as the top students in their field. We also recognised the top academic performance in each year group for 2024.

Elizabeth Till received the Student Council 1990 Cup for top academic performance in Year 11.

Sienna Reader and Euan Stewart could not be separated and shared the Chilwell Cup for top academic in Year 12.

Chloe-Ella Jones received the Mercury Bay Area School Vocational Excellence Trophy recognising her success and dedication in pre apprenticeship work.

Francie Lidgard received the award of Proxime Accessit, recognising her outstanding academic performance in placing second in Year 13.

Poppy Carpenter was awarded the Phyllis Simpson Memorial Cup as our 2024 Dux with the top academic performance in Year 13.

All of these students have achieved very high grades and have worked incredibly hard to maintain such good results across all areas of study.

A large number of our Year 13 students have also been successful in earning very lucrative university scholarships to our top universities. We also celebrated apprenticeships in building and in the areas of heavy diesel mechanic and heavy vehicle technician.

It was fantastic to see a large number of whānau and community members making time in their day to share in the celebration with us. It was a special way to recognise the successes we have experienced so far this year and to send our senior students off on exam leave to prepare for the NCEA exams that begin next week.

We concluded the celebrations on Wednesday evening with the Year 13 Leavers dinner at Cooked restaurant.  The evening was hosted by the 2025 head students and was an evening of laughter and emotion as the Year 13 year group spent a few hours with each other and their teachers celebrating with their Dean Mr Hutt for the last time all together.

We would like to wish all of our senior students the very best of luck for their final exams next week and all of our leavers the very best for their futures as they pursue further study, apprenticeships and employment. May you all have long and happy lives.

For all Prizegiving photos see here.

Attendance Does Matter

MBAS 2024 Magazine

Y9/10 2025 Course Selection Currently Underway

All year 8 and 9 students need to make their course selections for 2025.
These are done through the KAMAR portal this year. 

Here is what you need to do:

1. Go to the MBAS web site, hover over the 'years' tab, then hover the mouse over 'Middle Years' - scroll down to 'Course Guide', and click. Scroll down the page until you see 'Year 9 courses'. Make sure you have read all of your options for Year 9 and made your decisions. 
2. Then login into the KAMAR portal ( https://kamar.mbas.ac.nz/ ) using your school login.  - Parents can do this too: log into the Parent Portal - go to  https://kamar.mbas.ac.nz/ and use the passwords shared with you at the start of the year. If you do not remember this login please e-mail the school office (mbas@mbas.ac.nz) and request your password.
3. The portal will give parents/caregivers access to their child's timetable, attendance by class, school calendar, student details, career pathways information and COURSE SELECTION.
4. Scroll through until you find the course name and code you want to take, click on the Course title and code and you can read the course description - if that's the course you want to select, then click  the 'x' to select - it will change to a green 'tick' once selected. Tick your back-up choice under 'Alternative'.
   
5. You need to select ONE course from each column. 
6. You have compulsory courses in: English, Mathematics; Science; Social Studies and Physical Education & Health.
   

NOTE: you need to select:

• Select 2 Literacy courses and 1 'alternative'
• Select 2 Numeracy courses  and 1 'alternative'
  
• Select 4 Option Courses and 2 'alternatives'
  
• Select 2 Academy Courses and 1 'alternative'
  

It is REALLY important that parents go through these course selections carefully with their child, as choices can NOT be changed once our timetable has been finalised. 

MBAS Twilight Gala - Save the Date!

We are on the hunt for some donations of items for our Twilight Gala on the 29th of November from 3pm - 6pm, to run a bric-a-brac/white elephant stall and a book stall. So if you have some good condition and working items that you would like to donate lying around your house this could be your opportunity to spring clean. Donations can come to school with your child to their teacher or to the office.

School Colour Fun Run - Sign Up Now

Join up and be part of the best day of the school year!

Sign up - create your fundraising page - share your unique link to friends and family via social media, text and email.

Share the fun with friends and family while getting fantastic rewards.

Sign up at schoolfunrun.co.nz

Host Families Required

MBAS is seeking interest from families to host international high school students (Years 11-13) in your home.  

Hosting provides your family opportunities to learn more about other cultures and enable your children to develop as global citizens through international connections.  Your family provides hosted students exposure to the wonders of New Zealand.

If you want to know more, please email (international@mbas.ac.nz); phone Jodie (Homestay Coordinator) on 0272489187.

Blessing and Handing over of Taonga

On Wednesday morning Hei 5 hosted a mihi whakatau and blessing of taonga. These taonga were handed over to Francie Lidgard and Taonga Popata. The taonga is an acknowledgment of the work in supporting and up holding the mana of our kaupapa. Both students have played an enormous role in being great leaders and role models for our tamariki.

Room 34 - Primary Bike Safe

What an amazing afternoon we had with the Pedal Safe ladies. We can signal our turns, left and right. We can signal to stop. We can check our bikes and some of us had our seats moved up.

M8 - Library

M8 Students love their visits to the Library, here we can see them enjoying selecting new books, sharing reading time with our classmates and reading to ourselves. 

MBAS Inaugural Cultural Identity Day

Last Friday we celebrated our inaugural Cultural Identity Day at MBAS.  This was not only an opportunity to acknowledge all the diverse cultures within our kura (from 24 different countries!!) but to also think about our own identity as part of the MBAS whanau.

Part of our celebration included our whole kura coming together for lunchtime activities.  It was awesome to see everyone sharing in the fun, from our little new entrants right up to our Year 13 students!  Activities ranged from facepainting (we totally underestimated how popular that would be!), to bat down cricket, three legged races, Tupawae and chalk art.  We also were super lucky to have members of the Filipino community come in to cook delicious food from their own culture, Kiki sharing yummy Brazilian treats and our own Hei Rima doing a good old kiwi bake sale!

Special thanks to our student leaders across our kura....you guys can achieve some pretty epic things when you all work together! 

Career Corner

To visit the virtual expo click this link:

https://www.mastacademy.com/

Use this link to read the Leaving School magazine online, 

 www.oliverlee.co.nz/leavingschool-issue31

Nurses Notes

Important reminder about the Dentist

All year 9 students need to enrol at Lumino dentist

Many have not enrolled, and it means they miss out on FREE Dental Care

Parents and Caregivers - Please call in to Lumino Dentist on Blacksmith Lane and fill out the form.

Waikids Free Children’s Ear Service in Whitianga

Waikids Free Children’s Ear Service will be in Whitianga on the following dates:

Monday 4^th Nov 2024 from 3pm-430pm (this is a drop in clinic only)
Tuesday 5th Nov 2024 730am-430pm (this is an appointment/ and drop in clinic)
Wednesday 6^th Nov 2024 730am-1030am (appointment/and drop in clinic.)

Any parents who would like an appointment for the 5^th and 6^th clinics can contact 07 838 3565 to book.

The Ear Bus will be parked up across from the cinema in the Lee St Carpark 

Free ear clinic service for children 

All children must be accompanied by parent or legal guardian, otherwise a consent form must be completed.

For enquiries regarding this service or to book an appointment please contact The Children’s Ear Clinic on 07 838 3565The Ear Nurse can provide advice on: glue ear assessment and management, wax/foreign body removal, grommet checks, treatment of discharging ears

Please note clinics may be cancelled without notice due to unforeseen circumstances. Clinic will be closed for staff breaks. These will be noted on clinic door. 

The T4 ear bus schedule can be found at the link below

Children's ear clinic » Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand Waikato (waikatodhb.health.nz)

Community Notices

Summer Sailing Program

The Mercury Bay Boating Club's sail training program for youth and adults will be kicking off mid-November and running through the end of March.  The club offers courses for our youth aged 8 - 18 and will also be offering adult learn to sail options.  Youth courses in November - December will be after school and on weekends (depending on the age group).  Adult course days and times are yet to be announced but will likely be a total of 9 hours spread over late afternoons/early evenings and a weekend.  During the summer holidays, our youth courses will be run in "blocks" of 4 days, spread over a 5-day week, with younger sailors training in the morning and older sailors in the afternoon.  

For more information and to receive our registration letter and Google form, please email mercurybayyouthsailing@gmail.com or visit our FaceBook page Mercury Bay Youth Sailing.

Mercury Bay Athletics Club

Want to learn new skills, get outdoors, and have fun? The skills you learn in athletics are the perfect foundation for almost any sport.

Every student can give athletics a go. Our local athletics club Mercury Bay Athletics Club is welcoming new members now and we encourage students to get involved and get active.

Contact details for all athletics clubs nationwide are available here and become a member.

Need Help Getting your Drivers Licence?

Skool Loop - One Stop School Information App