Balmoral School Newsletter - 20 September 2024

Upcoming Events

Te Tumuaki / Principal

Kia ora e te whānau

Te Reo Māori: Ake ake ake - A Forever Language

As educators, we must foster the learning of Te Reo Māori as it is a taonga. This year, fifteen kaiako have learnt Te Reo over eight nights and two weekends. I would like to acknowledge the efforts our staff have made to support Te Reo Māori development in our community. 

This week 'Te Wiki o te Reo Māori' serves as an opportunity for all New Zealanders to celebrate and advocate for the continued revitalisation of our own unique indigenous language.

The theme, "Ake ake ake - A Forever Language," highlights the resilience and adaptability of Te Reo Māori. Despite encountering various challenges, Te Reo has continued evolving and being part of our DNA.

By embracing and learning Te Reo Māori, we are preserving our history and contributing to shaping our future. This function is the fundamental essence of schooling.

“Kia mau ki tō mana tuku iho.”

Hold fast to the prestige you have inherited.

Ngā mihi Malcolm

School Closed for MoE Training Day Friday 25 October

The School will close on Friday, October 25th, for a Ministry Training Day.

Our teachers will be engaged in working on a literacy programme to ensure that we are prepared for the new curriculum, which is mandated from 2025.

The Artz Festival

Seeing so many of our school whānau at the Arts Fest on Tuesday night was a pleasure. The arts festival is always a highlight for our school. It is an event where every child gets to share a piece of art with their whānau and our wider school community in a authentic environment. It is an essential recognition and celebration of the culmination of hard work and skill acquisition in The Arts curriculum. 

I thank everyone who came out on a cold night and supported the tamariki on their art learning journey.

A special thanks to the parents who helped set up the art in our auditorium and provided the behind-the-scenes organisation and food on the night.

Art Festival Gallery

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Library News

We have had a busy few weeks in the Library with extra activities.  We welcomed the tamariki suggesting us offering a space to trade their collecting cards.  This was open to all year levels, and we thought went very well.  The site has since moved from our Wall St to Joe's Trading Post.

We always welcome the children playing quiet games at lunchtimes. It is a delight to see Koru and Mahira children take on the intermediates, sometimes winning.  

This week has seen another successful Scholastic Book Fair. I really enjoy hearing the tamariki's suggestions for our library.  Thank you to all of you who visited and made purchases.  It is great to be able to chat with parents about books. The profit was over $900 so we've made some very welcome additions.

Liz and Nicola

Strep Throat

Over the last month, we have had a few incidents of tamariki being sick and diagnosed with strep throat. Strep throat, also called streptococcal throat, is an infection of the throat and tonsils caused by Streptococcal bacteria. Left untreated, it can lead to Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease.

Parents are encouraged to:

• Take the child to GP – every sore throat should be assessed
• Keep children home until they feel well enough to participate in normal school activities.
• If prescribed antibiotics, keep child at home until at least 24 hours of antibiotics have been taken.
• If you are having problems getting the child to take medication, please discuss it with your GP. The full course of antibiotics must be completed

Footnote: A new report about child health detailed that hospital admissions were "unacceptably high" for five priority areas, including respiratory conditions, rheumatic fever and heart disease, skin infections, dental disease, and mental health. So act early.

Primary School News

Whānau Whetu

In Hub 12 we were lucky enough to harvest a huge amount of delicious vegetables from the school gardens. There were things like turnips, spinach and kale. We then spent time thinking about what we could make and how these things could be made. We decided to make soup and a frittata. Everyone in the hub got to help with either peeling, chopping, slicing, grating and mixing. The frittata was absolutely delicious, full of cheese, spinach,garlic, onion and kale, and the soup was also yummy. Following that we had to write our own recipes for the things that we made thinking about the ingredients used, equipment needed and the steps it took to make. 

Rosie and Florence

After watching the Olympics and hearing about the water quality of the Seine in Paris we have been investigating how and why this happens to the ocean and what we could do. We thought we would begin by looking at our school and seeing what litter is around, why it is there, how it is impacting the environment and what we could do about it. This has also led our Inquiry into looking at ecosystems and how they can be disrupted and changed by things happening to them.

Hub 9

In Inquiry, we have been learning about life cycles and how things are connected within the environment. We started by looking at things around the school to figure out what things we could find that have a connection. The worm bin at school has scraps from our garden and our lunchboxes, and the worms eat the scraps making compost that can be put back onto our gardens.  

We have recently been learning about the thick brown kauri tree and the animals that are part of that ecosystem such as the kiwi, pukeko, ruru, weta, tuatara, kereru and weka. As a hub we decided to recreate the kauri tree and the different animals and non-living elements that are part of its environment. We have also been learning a song about the kauri tree that tells us all the animals in and around it! 

By Esme Bomba And Amaya Hemachandra

Intermediate School News

                                                                                                Year 7 Climb The Pinnacles

The Pinnacles was a lovely experience with amazing views and greenery. I really enjoyed stopping for lunch at the waterfall and looking out at the mountains stretched along the horizon from the top pinnacle. I wasn't exactly a fan of the dehydrated food but really liked being able to talk with my friends during the walk. It was so funny waking up to see Esme had kicked Ruby's sleeping bag onto the ground from the second bunk. Overall the walk was a magical experience and I would definitely love to go on more walks with my friends. 

By Amara

The Pinnacles was awesome. I loved walking the part between the hut and the top. I loved when we stopped at the waterfall for lunch and sitting on the rocks.I loved the feeling of reaching the top.

 It was great even if Esme kicked my sleeping bag off my the top bunk and rolled on to my bed. Overall I loved the experience and enjoyed walking and talking to Esme and Eesha.

By Ruby

The Pinnacles were an amazing experience because it was something that none of us had tried and it was great learning how to be careful while hiking up and  down the mountain and even though it had its twists and turns we all found ways to just be grateful because at the end of the day a little thing like having a little rest could honestly go a long way. Some of the best parts of the trip from my perspective was eventually getting to the hut at the top and playing together with some of the boys from my camp.

By Neil

We went to the Rangitoto Room and filled the black bag we got on Friday with food and the things we needed. We left the Rangitoto Room at 9.00 and got into a white van. It was a two hour drive to the Department of Conservation Kauaeranga Visitor Centre which is a fifteen minute drive away from the Pinnacles car park to get the flare beacon and to check in in case of emergencies. After around thirty minutes of walking we arrived at a bunch of massive rock steps. They were so exhausting and painful for the legs. After around another thirty minutes of walking we arrived at a collection of rocks with a river flowing around it where we stopped to eat. If you were hungry it got a bit harder from there with even more rock steps.Then it started hailing down on us really fast. Thankfully we got to the hut in time because a second later the hail was massive and pouring down even faster. It even covered some of the hut with a thick layer of hail, we had to stand under cover of the hut waiting for the hut warden to arrive at 3.00 to let us into the room where we would stay. It was so freezing!

By Eli

On Sunday and Monday I went on a trip up and down the Pinnacles. It's a pretty hard walk, and you need a lot of strength and scroggin to get through it. Anyway, now I'm gonna talk about my experience on the walk. So, I woke up excited and ready for walking! “Now it doesn't sound as exciting” I think, I shake my head in disagreement. “I’m sure it’ll be fun” little did I know the pain I was about to endure. I put on my shorts, fleece, t-shirt, tramping boots and Russian hat and grab my backpack. I feel the strain on my shoulders then I tell my Dad I'm ready to go. Once I arrive at school, I walk into the office's Rangitoto Room and see Max, phew if it weren't for Max I would have no friends on the walk. I see four teachers Lauren, Evan, Megan and Coby and seven other kids.  My Dad says me and Max look like twentieth century hobbits fake laughs. In the big white van we start driving, we listen to music and talk for like an hour before we get to the information room ten minutes away from the start of the walk. I'm pretty hungry. We eat morning tea and start to walk and walk and we walked and walked and we walked and walked. Three hours of walking later my feet are ACHING!!!!!!!! I sit down on a bed “come on guys we're gonna walk to the top!” “uuuuuauuauauaauauauauauauggghhghghghgh!!!!! more walking!!!” I drop my bag and we start to walk, walking, walking, walking and climbing? For some reason as I climb I look on the opposite side of the Pinnacles. I feel my stomach sink we're so high up I can lick the clouds WHAT!!!!!  We get to the top after half an hour of stress, I’m enchanted by the view, woah all of the pain was worth it...this is so amazing, this is better than the blue mountains. The mountains go on forever stretching across the landscape glistened by the sunset, I wanna build a log cabin there so bad and live out the rest of my days there this is amazing.

By Eddy

Sports Leagues

Minipolo, Term 3

Balmoral Makos

Another great term for the Makos as they continued to build their skills, strength and game play. It was a nail biting final on Sunday, fighting hard to the end we took home the Silver! 3 - 4 to St Mary’s Sharks.

Flippaball, Term 3

Balmoral Kingfish

What an incredible term it has been for the Kingfish Flippaball Team! From the start of the term to our final game, the progress we’ve made has been nothing short of amazing. It all came together in our last match when we triumphed 3-0 against the second-placed team – a real testament to how far we’ve come.

This term saw the arrival of some brand-new players, who learned the game quickly and contributed brilliantly At the same time, those who have been part of the team for a few terms really stepped up, showing leadership and taking their game to the next level. The pre game training provided by Atlantis was great for our squad.

As the coach and parent, the highlight for me has been the way we grew as a team (growth mindset!) and the way we played for each other while having FUN! The teamwork we displayed, along with the lessons we learned throughout the term, made every training session and match worthwhile. Watching the players come together, improve, and achieve success as a TEAM was truly rewarding.

I’m proud of every member of the Kingfish, and I’m excited to see what we can achieve next term. Keep up the great work, team!

Manager: Leigh Foster

Balmoral School Netball 2024

Netball is our largest external sporting code with over 115 Balmoral School students playing 13 teams in the 2024 season. This is one more team than was entered last year and the aim is to have more students again playing in the 2025 season. We play in the Auckland Netball Competition which runs the largest school netball competition in the country. We play at Windmill Park, one of their two venues.

Auckland Netball runs under the FutureFerns programme which is an excellent development programme created by Netball New Zealand. It has an emphasis on fun activities conducted in a safe environment, whilst building key netball skills. Balmoral School enters teams into the Year 3&4, Year 5&6 and Year 7&8 competitions.

Year 3&4

Year 3&4 netball games are designed to be fast and fun, maximising participation and touches of the ball. The 5v5 game is less complicated. Games are not played to a whistle and are not scored. The focus for this age group is on ‘learning’ the basics of netball and having fun. This game relies on the coach umpiring the game and encouraging the team as they play,

Year 3 Kea

The Y3 Keas began the season as complete beginners in netball. Their skills and knowledge improved significantly, and coupled with their huge enthusiasm and energy, they were a fantastic team throughout the season. They’re all excited to play again next year!

Coach: Amanda Hogg

Manager: Kate Ferraro

Year 4 Kiwi

Year 4 Kiwi had a great season and enjoyed some great wins and tough competition throughout the season. They worked well as a team and everyone got a chance to play different positions and try out new skills. We’re looking forward to next season already. Thanks to Brody for being such a great coach and Tibbles for being such a cute and cuddly team mascot!

Coach: Brody Nelson

Manager: Kerryanne Nelson

Year 4 Weka

Team Weka had a great season this year. All players were a little rusty at the start, but as the season progressed the girls’ skills improved dramatically. Positions were rotated every game so that everyone got a chance to play in all the different positions. The girls got much better at marking the opposition players, and at intercepting the other teams’ passes. The Weka team won most of their games, and put up a great fight in the few games that were lost. Overall the whole team had a lot of fun, and all the players are already looking forward to the season next year.

Coaches: Anna Hoggard & Michelle York

Manager: Vicky Cartright

Year 5&6

Year 5&6 play a 6v6 game. With only three positions on court it means the game is less complicated for children and easier for coaches to ensure the players learn the skills relevant to all and to provide them with equal opportunities. The game is played to a whistle and scored. Whilst the teams are graded into sections, there is no competition or results table. 

Year 5 Māwhero

The Balmoral Māwhero Year 5 netball team had an outstanding 2024 season. The girls continued to grow and enhance their netball skills, played in great spirit and support of each other every week and finished UNBEATEN in their grade! Their coaches Sarah and Shona are very proud of the girls’ dedication, energy and perseverance to achieve this amazing result. The team also loved participating in the Eden-Albert netball competition for the first time this year, finishing second in their grade for this one-day tournament. Finally a big thanks to the parents and supporters on the sideline every week, we really appreciate you. Roll on the 2025 season!

Coach: Sarah Johnstone-Smith

Manager: Shona Tagg

Year 5 Kākāriki

Y5 Kākāriki started the season with a mixture of half who had played before and half who were brand new to the sport.  With great commitment from the girls, a few special coaching sessions from Meredith and a cameo from Sarah, the girls' skill levels leapt ahead, with a lot of fun along the way.  The girls learnt loads, starting with netball rules, passing and shooting techniques, some positional play and how to work as a team.  This team showed amazing sportsmanship, perseverance and resilience, all the while having fun in bucketloads!  We are extremely proud of the girls. In the penultimate game of the season all the learnings came together for the most epic game, and with their newfound skills they are set for future netball success!  It was a privilege to coach/manage the girls for the season. 

Coach & Manager: Simonne Elliot 

Year 6 Whero

Team Whero had a great start to the year by entering the Auckland Netball pre-season tournament. We used this as an opportunity to see what we needed to work on for the upcoming season. I have been impressed by the commitment shown by each player and this has resulted in everyone’s skills improving over the season. We worked on positional play down the court, attacks moving in the circle, changed our shooters to a one handed shooting style, centre pass set moves and circle defense. This really showed when we came 2nd place in the Year 6 Grade A final at the Eden Albert competition. This team is ready to move on to the 7v7 format which we will have the opportunity to do as we will entering a social team into the Auckland Netball Summer League next term.

Coach: Meredith Hughes

Manager: Jenny Greet

Year 6 Kikorangi

This season has been a real challenge with some tough games, but the girls have shown amazing perseverance and never let it get them down. Their skills have really developed, especially in finding the positions they naturally gravitate towards. With every game, each player has settled into their role, playing to their strengths, building confidence on the court and within the team. Week by week they’ve become more in sync, improving their communication and teamwork, which has made a huge difference at their games. Throughout it all, they’ve had a fun time, forming great friendships and always showing up with positive energy, no matter what.

Coaches: Mila Morton & Sophie Brown

Manager: Jane Haagh

Year 7&8

By this stage players are now playing the full 7v7 netball game. The leagues at this age group become competitive. In term 2 we start the season allocated into grades playing in Round 1. Scores from this round are then used to place teams in the correct grade ready to play the Championship Round. Some of our grading in the Championship Round was tough this year with teams playing against some hard competition. We are proud of the effort and determination of all the Intermediate teams.

Year 7 Kauri

Year 7 Kauri had a strong start to the season in A Grade, Section 2 at Windmill Park.  Consequently they were shuffled up the division and met some stiff competition in the second half, eventually finishing 5th overall.  The team showed endless resilience and persistence through some very wet and challenging games on Monday nights. Under coach Mary's guidance, their positive attitude and team spirit shone through even when they played some very strong teams towards the end of the season.  

Results: Year 7 A Grade, Section 1, 5th place

Coach: Mary Pickering

Manager: Clare Woods & Jacqui Bailey

Year 7 Rimu

It was a slightly tumultuous season for tīma Rimu, with a lot of illness and quite a few injuries, as well as losing both our original coach and manager halfway through the season! The team really persevered though, and despite us having to try to round up additional players quite a few times, we had a great season and the improvement in play was really apparent. We often had Jan from Nikau playing and attending practices and were grateful to him for being an honorary "Rimu" when we were frequently in need of an additional player. Polly, Hazel, Jan and Georgia were super shooters and Jessie, Hayley, Rikisha and Zoe were amazing on defense, with all players really settling into their favourite positions by the end of season. We missed Ruby and Sophie who started the season with us. Most of all, the team maintained a wonderfully positive attitude throughout, were incredibly supportive of each other, great sports with their opposing teams, and they had a lot of fun! 

Results: Year 7 B Grade, Section 2, 6th place

Coach: Vanessa Young/Kate Rylatt

Manager: Belinda Thompson/Kate Rylatt

Year 7 Nīkau

We had a great season with many challenging games. Some impressive growth in skills from all players and it was great to see the commitment from the whole team.Thanks to all parents and players for a enjoyable season

Results: Year 7 C Grade, Section 1, 6th place

Coach: Molly Marshall

Manager: Matt Vogels

Year 8 Totara

Results: Year 8 A Grade, Section 1, 5th place

Coach: Mary Pickering

Manager: Amy Williams

Year 8 Rātā

As a coach I couldn’t be more proud of the effort, talent and skills all my players showed at every practice and at every game! Round 1 of the B grade, section 1 ended with us placed top of ladder with 5 easy wins & 0 losses. These results saw us progress up to the A grade, section 2 for the Championship Round. These games were a bit more challenging resulting in 2 draws & 3 losses. But EVERYONE gave their best and more all the way to the end of every game, they never gave up and were true fighters right  up until the final whistle! Every player had something special to give and always did their job. Once everyone was positioned on the court, our team just worked and as a team they owned the court!  

Results: Year 8 A Grade, Section 2, 6th Place

Coaches: Bashara Bracken

Manager: Jacintha Baber

Year 8 Miro

The Miro team were a new group who came together at the start of the season. Alongside their coach Emily they went on a journey of improvement in skills and team building all season. This journey took the players from early defects to a third place finish in their Championship Round. The improvement in the team could be seen each week as the defense improved, reducing shooting chances for the opponents. Improved passing  vision and skills though the centres, and increase in shooting percentages from Goal Attack and Goal Shoot.  Never was this improvement and determination shown more in the penultimate game. Where they came from a 7 goal deficit to score 10 in a row over the late 2nd and all of the 3rd quarter to lead by three at the end of the quarter then work hard as a team to close this game out. What a journey for Miro.

Results: Year 8 C Grade, Section 2, 3rd place

Coach:Emily Duke

Manager: Nadine Brown & Gavin Brown

Coaches/Managers
A big thank you goes out to all the 28 coaches and managers this season. We would not be able to run netball without all your volunteer time and we are grateful to all of you for putting your hand up to support our students to play netball again this season. Thank you to all the parents on the sideline supporting our teams as well. Your help with scoring, positive encouragement and cheers of support is very much appreciated.

A special thank you
Balmoral School has been incredibly fortunate to have had Mary Pickering volunteer to coach our top year 7&8 netball teams for the past 4 years. Mary’s children have long left the school and Mary has been volunteering her time to coach these teams. Mary has run before school trainings and has given up her time every Monday afternoon/evening to coach our teams. Mary always has high expectations of her players. Her calm and clear coaching style has enabled all her players over the years to grow their skills, be competitive and always do their best. She inspires excellent team spirit and positive attitudes. As this is the final year that Mary will be coaching our teams, on behalf of Balmoral School I would like to thank Mary and acknowledge the positive impact she has had on so many. Mary is a true taonga and Balmoral School has been lucky to have her involved with our Intermediate Netball for so many years.

Umpiring
As part of our netball development we offered the opportunity to our Year 7&8 students to take the Auckland Netball Umpiring Course at school again this year. From this course many of our Balmoral School students were placed on the Windmill Park umpiring rosters for Year 5&6. This umpiring is a paid opportunity for our students. The feedback to me was that they always had good attitudes and that they had done an excellent job on the court.

Netball 2025
Finally, we are looking forward to the 2025 season. Please look at the school website and school calendar when we start school in Term 1. Preparation for the netball season starts in week 1. Dates for trials and uniform ordering cut-offs will be posted there. Teams will be allocated for Year 3&4 and grouped with friends where possible, there will be trials for Year 5-8. The purpose of trials is to place players with others of like ability so teams can be entered into the competition at the correct level.  All players that sign up to netball will be placed in a team. If you are interested in helping out with netball next year, please get in touch.

Meredith Hughes
Balmoral Sports League Coordinator

Basketball Term 3 

Basketball at Balmoral is going from strength to strength with our 5 teams entering the ACB Basketball league again in Term 3. We have over 65 players entered making it the second biggest external sporting code for the school. See below for an end of term report from two of our teams.

Blazers

Year 8 Blazers Basketball are facing tough competition in their Tuesday night Auckland City Basketball League at Auckland Grammar. After a player reshuffle between teams for Term 3, the Blazers have learned to work together to make the most of their strengths.  Here's the team in action against ANI on Tuesday. Brax on attack keeping the ball away from ANI, with support from Cameron. On defense Ryan T, Shaurya and Haroop shutting down ANI's opportunities as they try to shoot. 

Coach: Alex Brown

Manager: Tammy Brown

Cyclones

The Year 7 Cyclones have been a dedicated team throughout term 3. Meeting in the gym every Tuesday for practices with their knowledgeable & enthusiastic coach - thanks Josh!! Games each Thursday at AGs and every game this term has been so close with a 1 or 2 hoop difference. Lately we have had a few wins!!! Outstanding improvements each week and a really supportive and fun team spirit. Go the CYCLONES!!!!

Coaches: Joshua Fountain & Jayson Cacdac

Manager: Kim O’Hara

As always, entering these teams would not be possible without the support of our parent coaches and managers. Thanks to Tammy Brown, Paul Fletcher, Alex Brown, Joshua Fountain, Jayson Cacdac, Lim O’Hara, Scott Stonex, Maree Quinn, Katie Higgins, Toby Morris & Katie Wright for enabling these teams to play basketball this term.

Term 4 Sports League Registration

Flippaball/Minipolo Year 4-6

Registrations are open for our Flippaball/Minipolo teams for Term 4. Flippaball is a fun modified waterpolo game played in shallow water standing on the bottom of the pool. 

No experience is necessary. The only requirement is being able to swim a length of a 25m pool.

Minipolo is for experienced Flippaball players.

Games are at Diocesan School on Sundays.

Further information can be found through the link to the school website. All dates and times are on the sign up form which can be accessed by clicking the registration button.

Registrations close FRIDAY 4TH OCTOBER 2024

https://www.balmoral.school.nz/flippaball-yr46

Basketball Term 4  Year 5-8

Registrations are now open for basketball for Term 4. If your child played in Term 3, we still need you to register for Term 4 so teams can be finalised and fees set. New players are welcome.

Registrations close on FRIDAY 4TH OCTOBER. 

Teams will be emailed to parents before the beginning of Term 4.

Further information can be found through the link to the school website. All dates and times are on the sign up form which can be accessed by clicking the registration button.

https://www.balmoral.school.nz/basketball

Community News

Auckland Heritage Festival 

The upcoming Auckland Heritage Festival is taking place essentially across the upcoming holidays between September 29th to October 14th.  Sessions of particular interest could include; 

• Meola Creek Walk starting from Ōwairaka maunga
• Pacific Voyaging experience at the Maritime Museum
• Support to investigate Pacific Island genealogy
• Neglected story of Auckland's founding
• Cornwall Park heritage activities for kids.
• Alberton House visit to make a wind vane.
• Stonefields and Ihumātao hikoi
• Heritage Etching class for kids aged 6-12 at Pah Homestead
• Origins of placenames across Aotearoa.

Click here to discover more!