Mercury Bay Area School eNewsletter

MBAS Calendar

Kia Ora tātou – Greetings to you all

From the Primary Years

"Ko Puanga te kairūri i te tau tawhito,
Ko Matariki te kaiuaki i te tau hou"
Puanga draws the line to end one year,
Matariki opens the door to the new year.

Kia ora rā e te whānau,

Mānawatia a Matariki, te tau hou Māori… Celebrate Matariki, the Māori New Year…
Kua tau mai a Hinetakurua… Winter is here…While it took a little longer to arrive, we can definitely feel the chill in the air now and the warmth from the fire is definitely welcoming. If your child has misplaced their uniform hoodie or jacket please have a look in M0:) We are at the end of week 7 and have two weeks left in this term:) The next two weeks are going to be busy ones…

Te Whakatupu Tāngata Ngākaupai - Growing Good People
Ngākau Atawhai - Kindness
Being a PB4L kura means we emphasise and reinforce positive behaviour through learning, coaching conversations and our KAURI expectations. For the most part, through using effective strategies and maximising authentic teachable moments the behaviour of our students is positive.

An aspect that we have had to have a few conversations with some students about last term and this term is the use of ‘name calling’, with particular reference to another students culture, skin colour or appearance. While as adults we understand such references to be racist, we have found that our students are hearing this language and using it without understanding that it is more than just ‘name calling’.

Despite where our tamariki are hearing this language, we all need to do better:)

He kai kei aku ringa - There is food in my hands
In week 5, Lilly, Caden, Ilyana, Rosie and Olly helped Mrs Lidgard make ham, lettuce, and cheese buns for the children of the primary school. This week two year 5/6 students Ailaeyah and Ōrlaith, teamed up with two new entrants Manaia and Poppy to help make garlic bread using the herbs from the primary garden. They have had lots of positive feedback from their peers about "how great the buns were".

Te Whakatupu Tāngata Ākongapai - Growing Good Learners
Ngā kōrero ā ngā akonga - Student voice
As part of our reporting to parents we include student voice. Over time we have seen a clear progression of clarity and confidence in our student’s agency to articulate how their learning is going and what their next steps are. Here is a sample of some of their voices:

New Entrant - Yr1
"I am proud that I didn't know things and now I do know how to do things. And I just think, "WOW, I did that."
"Sometimes I need help with writing the sounds because sometimes I get mixed up with them."
"I am proud of my writing because I sound out the letters to write them down."
"Sometimes I need help with the hard bits in writing like the letters we haven't learned."

Year 2
“I am proud that I can spell out any words that I sound out if I set my mind to it. I'm proud of my maths because I know pluses and minuses. I think I might need a bit more help with minuses.”
“What I am most proud of this year is my handwriting, because I can form my letters properly. I do not put my ‘p’ as a nine. Also, I use my kindness to help others.”

Year 3-4
“I am most proud of my art, especially my cat face because I think it is pretty and reminds me of my cat and I worked really hard. I think I am good at art because I find it fun and relaxing and I like how it looks. I am also good at swimming because I love the water and worked on learning new strokes.”
“I am working on my reading by sounding out words I don’t know and reading lots at school. I find coming up with ideas for something to write about really tricky, my teacher helps by sharing other people’s ideas before we start.”

Year 5-6
“I would like more help with spelling and reading because sometimes the words have bits that don't make sense and it confuses me.”
“I am most proud of my maths learning because I have been improving on the times tables. At first I had no idea about the seven times tables or nine times tables and now the nine times tables is one of my favourites! I am proud of learning about fronted adverbials because I used to have no idea what that was.”

Te Whakatupu Kaiaratakipai - Growing Good Leaders
Hui a kura - Whole School Assembly
Our year 6 leaders hosted their first whole kura assembly for the year. So proud of the confidence they demonstrated despite their nerves, and how well they spoke in front of everyone. We experienced an extra special treat of leadership from our students in our Yr 4-6 Rōpū when they led “Ko te Kura”, our school waiata ā-ringa (action song) composed by Matua Brandon. Tau kē koutou mā!

Ngā rā hei maumahara - Primary dates to remember

Tuesday 17th June - Parent -Teacher Interviews

19th June - Matariki Assemblies - ALL IN THE HALL
- 9:00am - 9:30am (assembly and then into classes for soup) - Years 1&2
- 9:30am - 10:00am (assembly and then into classes for soup) - Years 3&4
- 10:30am - 11:00am - Morning Tea
- 11:15am - 11:45am (assembly and then into classes for soup) - Years 5&6

Monday 23/6 12:20 pm - Whole School Assembly in the John Wright Gymnasium

Friday 27th June - Primary Years Assembly in the hall

- Last day of term - Reports emailed home (Please make sure admin knows if you have changed your email address:)

Ngā mihi,
Hira, Pip & The Primary Team

Attendance Matters!

Attending school on a regular basis is important. Our children learn social skills, academic achievement, develop problem-solving skills, critical thinking, confidence and resilience.

Attending class helps a student to make connections between concepts; during class time and class discussion a student's brain will find connections to the assigned reading, previous class lessons and their own life experiences. These connections serve as the foundation of learning.

A student is justifiably absent if they are:-
M - ill/unwell
Q - Board approved off-site activity
D - approved external appointment such as doctor, nurse, dentist, physio, chiropractor, xray, specialist, hospital etc
X - exam leave
U - stood down or suspended
J - justified that the school Principal has approved the absence; for example, tangi, funeral etc

Parent Teacher and Student Led Conferences

Year 1-6 Parent Teacher, 7-8 Student led Conferences
Year 9-13 Student led Conferences 2025

Dear Parents/Caregivers

Here is the information for this years Parent Teacher & Student led Conferences.

Year 1-6 Parent Teacher are all day Tuesday 17 th 8.45-6pm
Please book a meeting with your children’s class teacher

Year 7-8 Student led Conferences are Monday 3.15-6pm and all day Tuesday
Your children will provide feedback on all subjects during their conference please only book an interview with your children's class teacher.

Your time slot with the teacher is 10 minutes and we have built in time to move between bookings.
Years 1-8 use this link: https://parentinterviews.co.nz/book/welcome?code=W4VJVZGU

Year 9-13 Student led Conferences are Monday 16 th June 3.30-6pm, Tuesday 9-6pm and Wednesday 9-4.30pm

Year 9 & 10s have student-led conferences on Monday afternoon, all day Tuesday until 6pm and Wednesday until 4.30pm.

Parents are to select and book in with the teachers they would like to have a student led conference with. Academy, Literacy and Numeracy subject teachers will not be available for bookings.

Years 11-13 with their parents can book a time to see all of their teachers at separate times between Monday afternoon, all day Tuesday and Wednesday until 4.30pm.

Your time slot with the teacher is 10 minutes please ensure you leave time to move between bookings

Years 9-13 use this link: https://parentinterviews.co.nz/book/welcome?code=N2AUWJHB

12OED Tramp – Northern Coromandel Adventure

Our Year 12 Outdoor Education students recently took on the stunning yet demanding Northern Coromandel Coastal
Walkway tramping between Fletcher Bay and Stony Bay. The group faced a true test of resilience as the weather threw everything it could at us—rain, wind, and slippery conditions making the challenge even greater.

Despite the testing conditions, students showed incredible grit and teamwork throughout the journey. Their perseverance was rewarded with some amazing coastal views. It was an unforgettable experience that highlighted the importance of determination, resilience, and connection to the outdoors.

Well done to all involved!

Room 18 - Museum Visit

How we got here.
Bex from the museum visited us today. We spoke about the different ways people traveled to New Zealand and when they arrived and some of the things they brought with them.
We revisited our learning of Te Wheke and the Shining Cuckoo and the Warbler. We talked about the different reasons that people may Migrate to a different country.

Room 32 spent some time creating these wonderful stars to decorate the classroom and celebrate Matariki.

The trip was amazing! Thank you so much to our parent helpers, we couldn't do it without you! What a fabulous experience, we were definitely able to see the difference between a marine reserve and an unprotected area of ocean. We also saw a seal. So good!

In Y7/8 Wood technology, students have been designing and building their own taonga Box. Their design had to incorporate a shape and laser cut design which reflects them as a person and their culture. Here are some of the creations from FOR and OXM.

Weekly Plane Build Log

Plane build Log 11.06.2025 - Mid Fuselage Construction, Wing Construction.

Open Photos below for full log.

Sports Round Up

Y5-6 Girls Tackle Day

What a day at Girls Tackle day with our year 5-6 Mercury Bay Mako’s. These young ladies have been training for the tournament.

We had 3 lovely girls from Waihi Beach help to bolster our numbers. The girls had 4 games with 2 wins and 2 close losses.

Pictured:
Tia, Kaleesha, Mereaneta.
Zoe, Marli, Amber,Isla,Taej.
Izzy.

Boulton Cup Netball

The Boulton Cup Netball Tournament is always a great day of competition. The MBAS team did us proud playing hard in trying and rainy conditions.

All schools competing pictured.
MB Boulton Cup team - pictured.
Isabella White, India Percival, Angel Scobie, Brooklyn-Jade Marks, Leah Clow, Beth Sharman, Holly Simpson

Sports Results

Football
MBAS Senior Boys (mixed) beat Cambridge High School Hammers Senior Boys 5-0
MBAS Junior Boys (mixed) lost to Hamilton Boys High School Green Senior Boys 1-0

Netball
Years 5 & 6
TRS Taniwha (8) vs MBAS Team Go (0)
CAS Coro Kutai (1) vs TRS Tui's (11)
MBAS Squad Goals (4) vs WS (4)

Year 7 & 8
No games

College
MBAS Blue Magic (13) vs MBAS The Panthers (17)
CAS Coro Ferns (1) vs Placies Tradies Ladies (12)
Hot Mess Express (17) vs MBAS Blue Magic (6)
MBAS Sharks (6) vs Placies Tradies Ladies (12)
Marlins Black Defaulted to MBAS Senior AMBAS
The Panthers (7) vs CAS Coro Ferns (15)
Tairua White (14) vs MBAS Sharks (7)
Dynamos (28) vs MBAS Stars (15)
Marlins College (21) vs CAS Senior A (48)

Rugby
Tuesday night game
MB 1st XV 39 v Tikapa 17
Players of the day - Ridge Rameka & Tyron Cummings

MB Girls 1st XV 10 v Paeroa 50
Player of the day- Sarah-Kate Lusby & Sharna Proctor
Paeroa pick of the day Paiggon Kereopa

Sports Fixtures

Upcoming Apiculture Course

Tertiary Tidbits

University of Otago Radiation Therapy

Waikato University Scholarship/Accommodation

Wednesday 18th June, 10am-11am

Yr13’s only - Andrew is here again to help you apply for all the scholarships you are eligible for, as well as applying for Accommodation.

Digital Passport - Get digital skills - 100% free

Careers Corner

Planning for life after school?

Te whakamahere i tō ao mō muri i te wehenga i te kura

Feeling unsure about what to do when you leave school? You’re not alone. We can help! Watch the video for inspiration.

https://tahatu.govt.nz/school-and-ncea/moving-on-from-school/planning-for-life-after-school

Nurses Notes

Vaping number 3 - How to have tough conversations with Rangatahi

Most Vapes that Young People use are high in Nicotine which is highly addictive.
How do you reduce Nicotine ?
- First steps -

More tips on how to quit vaping next week.

Waikids Children’s Free Ear Service- WHITIANGA

Community Notices

Looking for short films for our Film Festival

Mercury Twin Cinemas are looking for short films for the "Shorts" progamme at our 2nd CoroCine Festival this coming August. If you have something you'd like to share, please email Anne-Maree at am@mercurytwincinemas.com. OR if you are a student and you want to talk about an idea, pop over to Hei 8 and see Mrs McDougall.

School of Mines - Matariki

Thames Valley U14 Boys Rugby Muster

– Wednesday 18th June

Muster Details:

Date: Wednesday 18th June
Time: 4.30pm – 6.30pm
Venue: Paeroa Rugby & Sports Club (Centennial Park)

Following this session, a squad of up to 25 players will be selected.Coaching & Management Team:

Coaches: Pieter Aucamp, Dwayne Mansell, Herman Harmzen
Managers: Michelle Johnson, Michelle Mulholland

Eligibility:

Players must be Year 9 or 10 students.
Must be 13 years old or younger as of 1st January 2025.
Please note: This muster is not open to Junior Rugby players.

Upcoming Key Dates for Selected Squad:

Training Sessions:

Wednesday 25th June – Venue TBC
Wednesday 2nd July – Venue TBC

North Island U14 Heartland Carnival – Taupo:

Monday 7th July
Tuesday 8th July
Wednesday 9th July
(Transport, accommodation, and meals will be provided by TVRU.)

Registration & Info:To register or for more information, please click the link below:
https://forms.gle/9FHSRmw7ruQhf7Do7

Predator Free Hauraki Coromandel upcoming Winter Forum

Our recent Innovation Summit stimulated some interesting conversations around the latest developments in predator control technologies. Following on from this, we are pleased to have Shaun Ryan of 2040 Ltd presenting on the range of products they have developed, including A.I. thermal cameras and High Interaction Rate traps.

2040 Ltd is a social enterprise whose mission is to use technology to eliminate predators of NZ native birds by 2040. They manufacture, sell and support technology developed by The Cacophony Project: thermal cameras, traps and bird monitors.

Please RSVP using this link https://form.jotform.com/251327397532056

Event details are:
Whitianga, Saturday 14 June 6-8 pm, Whitianga Community Centre, 2 Cook Drive Whitianga Room 15

Oscar Explorers - After School Care

MBAS Newsletter, Term 2, Week 7, 13th June 2025