MBAS Newsletter, Term 3, Week 10, September 19th 2025

MBAS Calendar

Kia Ora tātou – Greetings to you all

Tēnā koutou katoa,

As we reach the end of what has been a truly busy Term 3, I want to extend my thanks to our entire school community for your incredible support. 

This term has been one full of energy and activity. From the classroom to the sports field and stage, our students have shown incredible dedication and talent. We've celebrated fantastic successes across a wide range of sporting and cultural events, and I am consistently impressed by the achievements of our students. They are a testament to their hard work and the commitment of our dedicated staff and they continue to show that we punch above our weight. 

We also navigated a more challenging term with a lot of illness circulating within our community. I want to acknowledge the resilience of our students and the fantastic support from all of our whānau and families during this time. Your efforts to help us maintain and improve attendance whilst ensuring we are keeping our students wellbeing at the front has been outstanding and you are a huge factor in our students' ongoing learning and progress. Thank you for partnering with us to keep our students healthy and engaged.

Next term we are in for a range of improvements across the kura and a good deal of planning will start for 2026. We welcome the newly appointed Board members and with that a new strategic planning round will begin. I encourage you to participate in the consultation that will be forthcoming as this is what shapes the direction of our school.

This holiday break is a well-deserved time for everyone to rest and recharge. I hope you all have a safe and relaxing time with your loved ones. We look forward to seeing everyone back refreshed and ready for an exciting Term 4.

Ngā mihi nui,

Ross Dunn

Principal, Mercury Bay Area School

Attendance Matters!

We made it to the end of Term 3!  Hope everyone enjoys their break and is able to come back in Term 4 refreshed and ready to finish out the year. We have had lots of sickness over this term and thank everybody for persevering and helping keep our students learning.

MBAS 2025 Magazine - Order Now!

Please note that below is our NEW MBAS bank account number NOT the previous BNZ one

Homestay Families Needed

Community Thank You

Thank You

The Warehouse Whitianga

For Your Generous Donation of Coathangers for our Unifom Shop

Senior Student Leaders

Last week our kura celebrated Cultural Identity Day for the second year, a vibrant and meaningful event that was entirely student-led. It was inspiring to see our young leaders, Brooklyn and others take the initiative to organise a day that highlighted the diversity within our school community, showcased traditions, and encouraged everyone to celebrate who they are and where they come from. Thank you to all the students, staff and community members who contributed. You made it a special occasion that reflects the values we are proud of at our school.

As we head into the term break, we encourage everyone to enjoy the holidays, rest, and spend time with friends and whānau. Stay safe, look after one another, and for our senior students remember to set aside a little time for study so you return prepared and confident for the upcoming exams. Helpful study resources include No Brain Too Small, Learn Coach, Khan Academy, Study Time, Infinity Plus One, Mr Whibly and past exam papers. 

Ngā mihi nui,
The Senior Leadership Team

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M1 - Fractions

The last two weeks we have been exploring fractions. Today we practised dividing our class group into equal parts according to the fraction on the board.

Quite a challenge as we discovered that not all numbers can be divided into equal groups eg 1/4 and 1/8.

Lots of learning happening here.

M4 - Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori

As part of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori we have been delving into some associated learning. Today we looked at poupou, the tiki figure that we can see carved into panels. They are generally build to represent the spiritual connection between iwi and their ancestors and each pou tells a story about the ancestor. Our ideas and learning came from Te Reo Club, which is an awesome resource to dip into for all things related to te reo Māori. We looked at a tutorial on how to draw our own poupou - have a look. They are not finished yet, but for a first attempt, we are quite proud of our efforts. Most tamariki made links with the Warriors logo, so that was a good starting point for our discussions. Our room is also decorated with poupou depicting the stars of Matariki, so it was great revisiting of prior learning.

Room 19 - Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori Symbol

Room 19 created their own Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori symbol and explained to their friends a te reo Māori word that they knew. 

Room 30 - Chemical Reactions

This term we have been reading about chemical reactions and conducting fair tests. This week Mr Fairweather and Mr Lidgard showed us elephant toothpaste and combustion experiments. We are continuing to conduct investigations and pose our own questions. Keep an eye out for some cool learning.

Room 34 - Week 10

Te wiki o te reo Māori
The is week Room 34 have been working on a variety of wero for Whaea Montana as well as ones from our kaiako. We have all said our pepeha, we have sung Ko Te Kura with actions (and had our kaiako join in for bonus points), we have made posters to encourage people to use te reo and today we are making a list of kupu we know! Kia kaha te reo Māori whānau!

Bird of the Year 2025
On Monday the voting for Bird of the Year 2025 opened. Have you voted for the bird you think should be bird of the year in 2025? In Room 34 we have written informative pieces of text about a manu we loved. Please vote at https://www.birdoftheyear.org.nz/

Open the link here to see our beautiful posters and writing.

Year 5-8 Speech Competition

Last Friday, Bonnie Roberts and Anabelle Leitch (Y6) along with Ian Choi (Y8) and Jimmy Flanigan (Y7) travelled to the Year 5/6 & 7/8 Speech Competition at Whenuakite School.

Our Year 6 girls did so well, with Anabelle placing 1st and Bonnie 2nd. Their speeches were a pleasure to listen to.

Both Ian and Jimmy did great - they were relaxed, confident, well rehearsed, and engaging. It was a tough competition and the standards were very high. Despite not getting placings, Ian and Jimmy did themselves proud and represented MBAS well.

Year 9 Drama Workshop with Detour Theatre

Our Year 9 Drama students were fortunate to take part in an inspiring workshop hosted by Detour Theatre. The session was an exciting opportunity for students to explore performance skills in a fun and engaging way, guided by professional theatre practitioners.

Throughout the workshop, students participated in activities that built confidence, encouraged teamwork, and challenged them to think creatively about character, voice, and movement. The hands-on experience gave students valuable insight into the world of theatre while helping them grow as performers.

A huge thank you to Detour Theatre for providing such a dynamic and memorable learning opportunity for our young actors.

Dance Workshop with the Royal New Zealand Ballet

Our students were treated to a fantastic dance workshop hosted by the Royal New Zealand Ballet. The session was led by Neve, whose enthusiastic and engaging tuition inspired everyone to get involved and give their best.

Students had the opportunity to learn new techniques, refine their skills, and experience what it’s like to be guided by a professional dancer. The workshop was both fun and challenging, encouraging students to step outside their comfort zones while developing confidence and creativity through movement.

A huge thank you to Neve and the Royal New Zealand Ballet for providing such an exciting and memorable experience for our young dancers.

Thames Valley Rugby Seven's Tournament

Last week our First XV team headed over to Te Aroha to compete at the Thames Valley Rugby Seven's tournament.  The team had big wins over Hauraki Plains, Te Aroha and faced Paeroa in the final where Paeroa won.
Team pictured-Back - Jay Lorimer, Oscar Williams, Reo McQueen, Tom Lamason, Trinity McQueen (Coach), Jacob Chamberlain, Jesse Hayward, Brynn George, Ridge Rameka.Front - Reice McKinnon, Oscar McGregor, Tyron Cummings, Ty Willigers, Taingarunui Hinds.

Thames Valley Rugby U16 Representative Campaign

Six of our First XV players have just completed a very succesful U16 Rugby representative campaign winning all the games and winning the Heartland U16 Representative Trophy. After coming of a successful Rugby Season with winning the Coulter Cup these boys have extended their season with being part of this young winning team.
Pictured are -Dwayne Mansell (U16 Coach), Taj Lorimer, Tyler Ray, Reo McQueen, Ty Willigers, Kyson Mansell
Front - Taingarunui Hinds.

NZ Barbarians

The Barbarians Area Schools XV Rugby camp came together in Ahipara, Te Tai Tokerau - Northland for the week 1-6 September.  The team participated in 5 days of training and skill development culminating in a game vs Northland Natives Academy on Friday night in Kaitaia.  The Barbarians came away with a win of 29-5.

Pictured: Taingarunui Hinds and Ty Willigers

Basketball Prizegiving

On Monday night we celebrated the 2025 Mercury Bay Boars Basketball season to honour the hard work, dedication, and talent of our basketball players.

Prizegiving recipients.

MVP
Junior Girls – Sharna Proctor
Junior Boys – Kaino Adams
Senior Girls – Angel Scobie
Senior Boys Development – Mathis Reece
Senior Boys – Ruben Thackray

Most Improved Player
Junior Girls – Madison Morgan
Junior Boys – Daniel Vaughan
Senior Girls – Miranda Coleman
Senior Boys Development – Reuban Vaughan
Senior Boys – Tom Lamason

Team Spirit
Junior Girls – Lara Sharman
Junior Boys – Charlie Bahr
Senior Girls – Lily McGrath
Senior Boys Development – Zhandro Jumapao
Senior Boys – Tyron Cummings

Best Defensive Player
Junior Girls – Lucy Thackray
Junior Boys – Rohan Percival
Senior Girls – Tallulah Lukic-Calder
Senior Boys Development – Nico Adams
Senior Boys – Kiani Van der Putten

Club Recognition
Senior Girls Players Player - Holly Simpson
Jared Adams  - Coaching and development to Basketball
Phoenix Newson - Beginner Referee
Thanks to all our Awesome Coaches, Managers and Referees - Te Rahoroi Clayton, Caleb Tane, Jared Adams, Taimania Hinds, Sandi Lowe, Amanda Scobie, Grant Vaughan, Jody Bowers, Terry Hill, Luke McGrath and Pheonix Newson

Rugby Prizegiving - New Date

RUGBY PRIZEGIVING NEW DATE!
To be held after school holidays when the rep program is done
Friday 10th October
5.30pm food followed by 6pm prizegiving
Mercury Bay Rugby & Sports Club

Dress in your number ones
All rugby jackets to be returned on this date too

Duke of Edinburgh Award

Expression of Interest Forms can now be collected from the office or from Mrs Reader and will are due back by the end of term 3.

We are super excited to announce that we will be offering students in Year 10 - 13 the opportunity to be a part of the internationally recognised Duke of Edinburgh Award starting next year here at MBAS.

There are three levels to the Award - Bronze, Silver and Gold. Each level has four specific sections that participants need to complete activities in (plus a fifth one at Gold level). These activities take place outside of school time and get verified by coaches/members of the community then checked off at school by the Award Leader. We will support students and help them to navigate the sections and assist with the Adventurous Journey.

• The total cost of completing an Award will differ depending on the activities and Adventurous Journey you select.
• Registration Fee - Bronze $95, Silver $95, Gold $125. You can not complete Gold until Silver is completed.
• If cost is a barrier to you, speak to your Award Leader (Mrs Reader) about our participant assistance fund which can help with registration fee and Adventurous Journey.

Registrations for this opportunity will be announced and available before the end of Term 3 and payment due in Term 4. We will begin the Award in March 2026.
More information can be accessed on the website https://dofehillary.org.nz or by emailing readerd@mbas.ac.nz. 

Nurses Notes

Community Notices

Mercury Bay Junior Cricket

Mercury Bay Junior Cricket is moving away from the traditional time consuming and travel heavy competition model and focusing on a newer, fresher, faster, local style of junior cricket.We're encouraging teams from Mercury Bay, Whenuakite and Te Rerenga to get involved in local 8-a-side cricket in Term 4 2025 and Term 1 2026. The benefits?

• Reduced numbers per side make it easier to establish teams
• Kids play with their school mates
• Faster games - a couple of hours, rather than five hours
• Games played fortnightly
• All games at Moewai Park
• Trainings are optional
• Three different age groups - years 3/4, years 5/6 and years 7/8

Each team will require a parent helper/manager/coach. The year 5/6 team is already sorted with this.
If you're interested, please contact Rob Corkill on 021 923 986, or email mercurybaycricket@gmail.com 

Mercury Bay Museum - Spooky Halloween

The Great Pumpkin Grow-Off

Whitianga Art Centre - After School Art Classes

Mercury Bay Clean Up

Game Vault - Holiday Programme

Bring A Kid To Bowls

Thames School of Mines - Holiday Programme

Oscar Explorers - After School Care

Skool Loop - One Stop School Information App