Inside this issue

Samuel Marsden Collegiate School

Private Bag, KaroriPhone 04 476 8707

enrol@marsden.school.nz

PO Box 58040, WhitbyPhone 04 234 1070whitby@marsden.school.nz

www.marsden.school.nz

Ad Summa Greetings to the Marsden Family

Issue 5 | August 2011

Jenny Williams

Principal

GREASE was the word! 2

Homework Club 2

Vietnam Trip 3

Gold Duke of Edinburgh Recipients 2011 3

2011 Leavers Ball 4

Middle School Class Captains 4

Year 12 Classics 4

Upper School Positions of Responsibility 5

Year 13 Classics Field Trip 5

Marsden Whitby 6

Future Minds 6

Marsden Primary 8

What is all the fuss about fish?? 

 

Recently at Marsden fish have been very much a topic of conversation. All staff and senior

students have been introduced to the FISH! Philosophy. FISH! is all about choices and

awareness. What impact do you want to have on others? What kind of person do you want

to be? It’s easy to forget those things when we’re busy, stressed out or self-absorbed, but they

make all the difference in the choices we make and the culture we create for ourselves. The

FISH! Philosophy gives us a new language to talk about how we want to treat one another,

and to keep it in the front of our minds every day.

There are four fundamental practices that

capture what makes up a fulfilling workplace,

great service and effective relationships.

These practices – Be There, Play, Make Their

Day and Choose Your Attitude – are the

foundation of the FISH! Philosophy.

Be there – be in the now – be physically and

mentally present in the moment. To be there

for another person has a powerful effect.

Think about how good it feels when someone

gives you their undivided attention, focusing

on your needs. The act of being there shows people that you respect and honour them. It

builds and strengthens relationships.

Play- play is more than an activity. It’s an attitude, a spirit you can bring to everything you do.

Benjamin Franklin said, “We do not stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because

we stop playing.” A playful environment leads to creativity.

Make Their Day – do something nice because you can. When done wholeheartedly if feels so

good that it produces more energy than it consumes. It can be something big or small – even

a smile could make someones day.

Choose Your Attitude – you are responsible for the mood or attitude you have at home, at

school or at work. You can be happy or grumpy – it is a simple choice. You can’t always

put on the happy face, sometimes you will be sad but it is about being aware of what your

attitude is and that it does affect you and others. “Attitudes are contagious—Is yours worth

catching?” Robyn Simpson

Be an active participant in creating the culture you want at home or work.

Be There, Play, Make Their Day, Choose Your Attitude

What is all the fuss about fish

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Homework ClubFew students would rate homework time their

favourite part of the day. It is all too easy to

procrastinate, to attempt to complete homework in

a social environment or to give in to the distractions

of Facebook, online shopping and other electronic

diversions. For this reason Marsden is trialling the

Homework Club for students in years 11 to 13. As

final internal assessment deadlines loom and the

exam season approaches, we are keen to see our

students perform to their potential. The Homework

Club is a warm and quiet environment, free from

outside distraction and temptation. Girls who have

been using the Homework Club in the first few

weeks have been very positive about the benefits.

Katie in year 13 was particularly pleased with the

amount of work she managed to get through the

night before two internal assessments were due.

Rebeckah in year 12 is proud of the amount of work

she completed over two nights. Both are positive

about the benefits of the Homework Club. While

we wish to keep numbers relatively small in the

Homework Club, there are still spaces for students to

join on most nights. If you are interested in finding

out more, check out the details on our website or

contact vijay.raj@marsden.school.nz

GREASE was the word!

Huge congratulations to everyone involved in GREASE last term

– what a fantastic show! Audiences were so impressed with the

quality of the acting, singing and dancing and all four shows

were sold out. Many found it hard to believe that these were only

school students on stage.

A big thank you must go to the production team of Miss Wilson

and Ms Smith, Francesca Emms, Kate Marshall and Stacey Neale

for their time and effort. Mrs Hazelton and Mrs Dianne Wylie did

a superb job creating over 160 costumes and Mr Sanmaneechai

and Alexandra Stevenson handled the technical elements so well.

Keep an eye out for the Word from Marsden annual magazine

next month for a more detailed review of this fantastic show. Hayley MacIntosh - La Rocque (Frenchie) and Georgia Wright (Sandy)

The Pinks and the T birds

Greased Lightening

Ad summA mArsden | 3

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Vietnam Trip

Cosy atmosphere

Three private rooms

BYO Wine and Fully Licensed

Phone 499 0567 328 Tinakori Road, Thorndonwww.tinakoribistro.co.nz

Mr Tim Overton with Whitby students in Vietnam

Amazing, unforgettable and educational are just three words that

can only slightly describe our two week tour of Vietnam in July.

Our group of two teachers Ms Mattheus and Mr Overton and 21

students, most of whom are history students, visited the places that

have been made iconic by the Vietnam War. Conflict sites such as

Dien Bien Phu and museums such as the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

made our daily excursions individually unique, each with a different

part of the story to tell. Beginning in Hanoi in the North and leaving

from Ho Chi Minh City in the South, we visited various tourist

attractions and historical sites and experienced local food and local

life. A night in a local homestay to finish really helped us to get a

true Vietnam experience, something we may never be privileged

enough to experience again.

We all gained different things

out of the trip. Some learnt

about Vietnam’s history and

some ate new foods and

stepped outside of their

comfort zones. The one thing

we all gained was a greater

understanding of how other

cultures live and how the

Vietnamese people have been

affected by the Vietnam War.

The trip was truly an eye-

opening experience.

Hannah Scott-Mackie

Vietnam Trip participants

On the last day of the recent school holidays, Chelsea Grant (past

pupil), Vania Tan and I were invited to Government House to receive

our Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Awards. It was particularly

special for my family as my cousin was receiving his award at the

same time. We were there with students from all around NZ, and

it was really interesting to hear their stories and memories from

completing this award. A couple of famous people were also there,

Peter Hillary spoke to us about his father, and the core values that

are gained through completing this award. We each had our photo

taken with the Governor General, Sir Anand Satyanand as we

were presented with our certificates.

Afterwards we were given the option

to wander around the house and

gardens. I took this opportunity to go

and find the gift that the Satyanand’s

had received after attending William

and Kate’s wedding! It was a very

exciting day, and I thoroughly enjoyed

the experience.

Emma Rennie

Gold Duke of Edinburgh Recipients 2011

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Year 12 Classics

Middle School Class Captains

Form Captain Deputy Form Captain

7Do Alexandra McKendry Amanda Chisnall

7Ha Katie Reed Gothami Jayasinha

7Sl Lucy Bruce Caitlin Bowden

8Co Justina Koh Elizabeth Agnew

8Wa Alex Moffat Annabel Johnstone

8Wi Emma St Clair Nina Richardson

9Al Harriette Dunphy Samantha Jordan

9Cm Luhama Tau’alupe Florence Wellington

9Cr Kate Alderton Izzy Barbalich

9Jo Shenna Dunn Isabel Grubi

We specialise in International travel for leisure, business and all groupsCnr Featherston & Brandon Streets, Wellington

04 472 4294 worldtravellers@hct.co.nz www.hct.co.nz

Directors: Chris and Barbro Scott

Harbour City Travel

It has been a very busy few months

for the Classical Studies classes.

A trip for 18 students to travel to

Greece and Rome in April 2012 has

been confirmed, some great results

in internal assessments have been

achieved and both Classical Studies

classes have been on rewarding field

trips. The Year 12 class is currently

learning to examine a work of classical

architecture so they ventured out of

the classroom to examine Wellington’s

classically inspired buildings. The

students’ knowledge of the features

of the architecture increased

dramatically by analysing the local

architecture, everyone had fun with

the treasure hunt and the students

were surprised by the many classically

inspired buildings in our city.

2011 Leavers Ball - Saturday, December 10

Tickets to this year’s Leavers’ Ball, a celebratory occasion for Year

13 girls and their families, will shortly be on sale.

The Leavers’ Ball is a formal black-tie event, held in the beautiful

Wellington Town Hall. This year’s Ball will begin with cocktails,

followed by the presentation of each Year 13 girl to the Bishop

of Wellington. Then the girls and their families will enjoy a three

course dinner, and dancing until late.

Marsden girls and families who are not in Year 13 are warmly

invited to view the Presentation and the formal dances from the

Town Hall Viewing Gallery, and tickets for this will be available in

advance, through the school office, or at the Town Hall on the

night.

Year 13 families will receive order forms through the mail,

requesting ticket orders.

We look forward to warmly welcoming every Year 13 girl to this

wonderful evening.

Ad summA mArsden | 5

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Year 13 Classics Field Trip

Year 13 classics class took a field trip to Wellington, where

we spent the day making our own Grecian vases and

exploring the Classical art collection at Victoria University.

We soon discovered that Classical vase-making is no easy

task. The template amphora shape was quickly replaced by

our own creative pottery, which included several gourds, an

almost-bowl and a Winnie the Pooh honey pot. However,

by the time the morning was over we had assembled a

vaguely recognisable collection of homeware. Now we had

established an understanding of how hard it is to make

vases, we were genuinely appreciative of the ancient pottery

and sculpture kept at the University. The Classics Department

generously showed us around their impressive collection,

which included an ancient marble sarcophagus, a huge

collection of Greek and Roman pottery, and a marble ‘stele’

or gravestone. The trip was a fascinating day out, and as

a class we have gained a new perspective on the Classical

World.

Poppy Shelton

Form Captain Deputy Captain Sports Captain Deputy Sports School Council Representatives

10Bh Emily Schwer Annabelle Blue Rebecca Goddard Olivia Payne Emily Janus & Delaney Abeyesundere

10Sp Shalini Rajasegar Julia Latchem Kate O’Meeghan Milli Abrahams

10Wd Taylor Forsythe Holly Thomas Grace Ko Fiona Cameron Nicole Rennie & Anna Singleton

11Ti Demelza Newton Christie McArley Isabella Harley Emma Leech & Isabelle Kelly

11Wh Mishalee Wickremesekera Jessica Reese Sophie Snaddon Abbey Palmer & Laura Wiltshire

11Ni Emily Fiennes Alicia Ang Hannah Fletcher Leandra Fiennes & Morgan Archer

Uniform Shop

Uniform Shop Hours

Monday : 8.00am to 9.00am

11.30pm to 4.30pm

Wednesday : 11.30am to 4.30pm

Shop hours for October holidays will be advised in the Deans email and on the

Uniform Shop website.

Marsden cyclists Hannah Fletcher and Ellie Beverley lead out a group at an advanced training session held at Wanganui in the holidays, where they impressed national elite coaching staff from Bike NZ. Track cycling season starts in October, with Tuesday after school sessions for beginners. Students who would like a free no-obligation trial should speak with Mr Tideswell. No previous cycling experience needed and a bike will be provided.

Upper School Positions of Responsibility Term 3

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Marsden WhitbyAs an Anglican Church School, Marsden Whitby comes under the

pastoral and spiritual care of St Mary’s Anglican Church in the Parish

of Whitby. To build on the chaplaincy provided by the Reverend Sandy

Williams, the Parish’s Children and Youth Worker, Emma Atkinson is

working alongside our Deputy Sacristan, Christopher Turner, to facilitate

a weekly lunchtime discussion group, optional for all. The aim of

this discussion group is to give students an opportunity to discuss the

“Big Questions” of life and faith. The discussion topics come from the

students themselves, with support and spiritual oversight provided by

Emma and the School Sacristans.

We are dedicated to service within the school community and have been

delighted throughout the year with the generous response of students to

a range of community projects, such as raising funds for the Christchurch

earthquake appeal and the $1,808 raised through this year’s 40 Hour

Famine. Year 7 & 8 students are now working on service projects under

the guidance of their form tutors. This has taken many forms and so far

students have raised money for the SPCA, helped tutor a junior dance

class and washed ambulance for the Wellington Free Ambulance Service.

On a recent Saturday we hosted a Marsden Old Girls Association

lunch – the first time this has happened on this site. The members of

the Old Girls who attended shared many memories of schooling vastly

different from that being experienced by our current students but all the

participants – young and older – shared the same depth of pride in and

affection for their school. It was particularly gratifying to receive such

wonderful feedback about the maturity of our senior school guides and

their obvious love for and pride in their school.

Over the past two terms we have been extending our links with Partners

Porirua, an organisation which facilitates partnership between local

schools and businesses and other organisations. These partnerships

enable students to experience real-time learning experiences, particularly

in the areas of science and technology. So far Year 10 students have

spent a day focusing on the geology of the Wellington area, with

considerable input from renowned scientist Dr Hamish Campbell; a

Ten Marsden students recently attended a presentation by

author John Marsden as part of our Future Minds programme.

700 students from around the region attended and it was clear

that this is an author who appeals to a wide age range. John

Marsden spoke about the skill of developing fluency in language,

both written and spoken, and was an engaging and entertaining

speaker. The girls wished that John Marsden had spoken for

longer as his advice and insightful comments were interesting

and thought provoking. He encouraged parents and teachers to

keep their literal and figurative red pens in their pocket and allow

young people the chance to develop fluency in language, even if

it is initially littered with space fillers such as ‘um’, ‘like’, and ‘of

course’. John Marsden encouraged those present to think about

their writing in terms of verbs and nouns. His advice was to

make the nouns specific and the verbs lively as he believes this is

what makes writing powerful.

John Marsden answered questions from the audience and most

students wanted to know about his books. He revealed that his

inspiration comes from real life conversations as well as books,

magazines, news and history. As an example he set “Tomorrow

when the war began” in Australia as he was aware while

growing up of just how close his home country had been to

attack and invasion during World War II. He also explained that

the nationality of the invaders in his book is never stated so that

it can’t be misused by groups looking for support for their own

agenda. He believes that this detail is not important as his book

is really about resilience and the ability to cope. John Marsden

also confided that he sometimes doesn’t know how his books

will end until he is half way through but he always has faith that

it will lead somewhere. Just don’t try writing an essay for your

English teacher without an outline first!

John Marsden signs books for students

Future Minds

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www.wellingtonstar.co.nz41 CAMBRIDGE TERRACE, WELLInGTOn PHOnE (04) 385 2244 AnYTIMEAUTHORISED DEALERS FOR MERCEDES BEnz PASSEnGER CARS

Proud sponsor of the Mercedes-Benz Artist in Residence Programme at Marsden

Wellington Star

Year 10 Geology trip

Ambulance washing for Wellington Free Ambulance

group of Year 12 students visited the National Patient Simulation Centre

at Wellington Hospital and Year 7 students are currently writing and

producing a 2-page newspaper spread in conjunction with City Life

news.

House Drama this year was based on the re-telling of a Maori myth and

it was evident that a tremendous amount of work and effort had gone

into the planning and preparation of these pieces. The presentations

were thoughtful, witty and highly entertaining. There had clearly

been a great deal of work and effort spent on costumes, props and all

participants did a magnificent job. It was a very close-run thing and

eventually equal first placing was awarded to Discovery and Endeavour

Houses.

Marsden Whitby staff have continued to give students the opportunity

for Education outside the Classroom as and when appropriate. Year 7

and 8 enjoyed a night time visit to Wellington Zoo and an overnight stay

on site, Year 7 had a day at trash Palace and Year 8 went to the Museum

of City and Sea; Year 11 Geographers went to a working dairy farm

while the Year 12 students stayed at Tongariro. On the social calendar

Year 7 and 8 students held a social and Year 11 had their annual dance

at the Boatshed.

Recently we were privileged to host Footnote Dance Company in

school. They performed for us in assembly and then spent the rest of

the week working with students at every year level. It was a wonderful

opportunity to work alongside this renowned contemporary New

Zealand dance company and a huge success.

Oliver Lusk had an extremely successful time at the recent swimming

Nationals. He gained a bronze medal and a Wellington Record in the

100 metre breaststroke and in the 50 metre breaststroke he achieved

silver and a further Wellington record. His biggest achievement,

however, was to go under 30 seconds in the 50 metre breaststroke. His

time of 29.66s is a real milestone: only a very few swimmers break 30

seconds, and it puts him in the top ten in the country.

The Year 11 History students visited Vietnam during the Term 3 break

together with their compatriots from Karori. It was an extensive and

incredibly stimulating itinerary and all the students have described the

experience as ‘unforgettable’.

The Parents Association held their annual Quiz Night fundraiser on Friday

5 August, facilitated by Lynda and Michael Corcoran. The event was a

terrific success and we are very grateful to The Lodge Pauatahanui, Peter

and Viv Gurrey, for the use of their function premises, and to Progressive

Homes, Danielle and Andrew Leslie, and the Henshaw family for their

donations of raffle prizes. The Marsden Whitby staff team comprising

Anne Winnall, Tim Overton, Kirstie Macdonald and their respective

partners, were the overall winners but it was a close-run affair with only

2 points separating 1st and 3rd places.

Finally, in an ongoing series of firsts, we have experienced snow and

what a beautiful winter wonderland our site turned into! Luckily it did

not disrupt learning for too long but it was a useful reminder of how

fortunate we are in normal circumstances not to have to face the winter

hardships felt by many in other parts of the country.

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Marsden PrimaryThe big news for August was the day the School was closed due to

snow in Wellington. Who would have believed it! The children had a

great time on the Monday building snowmen and playing excitedly

in the snow flurries. There were lots of happy shrieks and squeals as

their excitement filled the air. Of course, we did not know that more

was yet to come!

In a moving service at St Mary’s Church, thirteen girls from Years 5

and 6 received the Eucharist after completing a preparation course

led by Chaplain, Mrs Rosemary Poland. Six of those girls were also

baptised on the day. It was lovely to welcome the families of the girls

involved and for the rest of the school to share in the service. We are

grateful to Rev Sandra Williams who assisted Rev Poland with the

service.

The girls in Years 4 & 5 were fortunate to be visited by librarian,

Mrs Rosalba Finnerty who talked them through the main ideas to

be aware of when arranging flowers. The girls will then develop

paintings over the next few weeks that reflect these colours and

form.

Our annual Swimming Sports ran very successfully recently at Karori

Pool and we were grateful for the help of many parents who were

able to assist with the event. The girls thoroughly enjoyed the

morning and demonstrated the results of their hard work as they

swam their best in every race. Well done to all those who advanced

to the Western Zone competition.

Congratulations go also, to Zoe Cooper (Y3) who was Highly

Commended in the Year 0-3 age group writing competition run

recently by the NZAGC to celebrate Gifted Awareness Week.

As I write, classes are

part way through their

Gymnastics sessions

of this term’s PE

programme. As our

weather is so changeable,

it is imperative that

each girl has her school

raincoat with her at

school. The new coats

are fabulous – they have

been tested and refined

over the last year and we

now have a coat that is

fashionable, keeps the

girls dry and costs less

than $70. The uniform

shop is open at Marsden

Village on Mondays and Wednesdays and details about ordering can

be found on the school website.

Our Primary Enterprise Programme PrEP is well underway in

years 4-6 and there is a buzz in the air as girls work hard in their

businesses to create products and services for Market Day on Friday

23 September. In Years 1-3 Discovery Time is a weekly highlight and

the girls love choosing an activity for the afternoon. It is lovely to

have Preschool join us for these sessions. Many thanks are due to

the parents who help out each week with these activities.

Mrs C McCarthy

Director of Marsden Primary

coffee supplier to marsdeN schoolCaffe L’affare | 27 College Street | Wellington

www.laffare.co.nz

Mrs Finnerty demonstrates the art of flower arranging Preschool go for a walk in the snow

Tzu-Ting Y6 enjoying the snow