End of Term 2 update - Monday 23 June
End of Term 2 update - Monday 23 June
Tēnā koe
Mānawatia a Matariki. We hope you had an enjoyable Matariki long weekend celebrating with whānau and friends. Matariki ki Te Onewanewa o Toitehuatahi, our school Matariki celebration last Wednesday evening was festive with powerful kapa haka performances from local schools and beautiful sharing of kai. He ataahua.
There have been many academic, sporting, and co-curricular triumphs this term; please keep an eye on our social media pages and school website for stories and photos. The Performing Arts Faculty deserves special mention. Dance is thriving at Northcote College, in and out of the classroom; our Contemporary Troupe placed second in their category at the National Dance Challenge. We wish our Hip Hop and Jazz teams all the best for their competition at the start of next term. Our Showquest team of over 50 students was fabulous at the Aotea Centre last week. We won awards for student leadership (Caitlin King and Annabel Barlow, Year 12), recognition in Drama, recognition in Dance, and Lily Clendon (Year 10) was awarded Whetū Rangatira, Star of the Show. Our tech wizard, Arthur Sian (Year 11) took our show to the next level with his expert lighting design. More magic made in the Music Department includes Sienna Fitzgerald (Year 10) winning the Play It Strange 2025 Junior Songwriting Competition, Abby Allan (Year 11) winning the Solo-Duo section at the Smokefree RockQuest North Shore competition, and three bands (The Chums, See You Next Time, and Vandal) making it through to the regional finals for Rockquest. Our two school choirs, the Northcote College Chamber Choir and Onewa Voices, also sang beautifully at the Big Sing 2025. Ka rawe!
Please see the key dates for Term 3 at the end of this email.
Northcote College Board elections
At the June board meeting, three parents were co-opted onto the Northcote College Board: Tamsyn Matchett, Leanne Barlow and Guy Wilson. 2025 is a triennial election year for school boards. If you would like to find out more about being a board member and supporting our school community, please contact our Presiding Member Trina Lincoln at board@northcote.school.nz
Here is a message from Alan Curtis, our Returning Officer.
Nominations are invited for five board members to the Northcote College Board. Nominations can be made online at any time, or forms are available from the school office. Anyone can be nominated to stand as a candidate, and you may nominate yourself. Go to www.myschoolelection.nz Nominations close at noon on Wednesday 6 August 2025.
The electoral roll will be open for inspection at the school office during normal school hours. The names of candidates will also be displayed as they come to hand. It will be an online ballot, and you will be sent an invitation to vote via email after nominations close. If you wish, you may request a postal vote to be sent to you. Voting closes at 4pm on Wednesday 10 September 2025.
Student Council update
Our Student Council is made up of volunteers from Years 9-13 who meet fortnightly and discuss issues concerning students of Northcote College. The topics discussed recently include health and safety, generative AI, school and community initiatives and events, the school cafe, and our uniform guidelines. The Council’s proposed updates to the guidelines around jewellery and nail colour were presented to the Board, and most were approved. The Student Council also decides on charities for fundraising, and we are proud of the money we have raised for Youthline and the Abilities Group.
School uniform
As mentioned above, there have been updates to the Northcote College Uniform Guidelines. Please support your child to wear the correct uniform which should all be named. In the colder weather, black shoes with black socks or tights are encouraged. Socks may not be worn with sandals. The school jacket is warm, as is the wool jumper. Skirt length should be just above the knee. All uniform items are available at Yarnton’s, and there are a limited number of second hand items at Harakeke | Student Reception.
The Uniform Guidelines are posted on our website and are here for your reference: https://www.northcote.school.
Road safety - Onewa Road
We continue to be concerned about students crossing roads unsafely, especially on rainy days. Messages about road safety are given in classes and at assemblies, and there is an increased staff presence after school. Please urge your child to cross Onewa Road responsibly at the lights, to always triple check for cars before stepping out to cross Kauri Glen Road, and to never jaywalk. Kauri Glen Road becomes very congested before and after school. If you are dropping off or collecting your child from school, we strongly encourage you to use Gladstone Road.
For your information, the ‘Onewa Road corridor optimisation community feedback report’ from Auckland Transport is linked here: https://tinyurl.com/373va7hb The project team will meet with Kaipātiki Local Board to discuss the public feedback later in June. Afterwards, they will make the final decisions on design plans based on the local board and the community’s feedback.
Progress reports
Progress reports will be published on Parent Portal on Friday. These reports give an indication of your child’s learning dispositions and academic achievement in their different subjects. Academic achievement can be tracked at any time via the Parent Portal.
Parent-Teacher-Student meetings in Term 3
Subject teachers look forward to meeting you at the Parent-Teacher-Student meetings in Weeks 4 and 5 next term. This is a valuable opportunity to discuss your child’s progress report and their next steps to achieve their academic learning goals. Instructions for the electronic booking system with the school event code will be emailed home early next term.
Kia Manawaroa and Matavai e-newsletters
Please see the links below for e-newsletters which are also linked on our school website under ‘Resources’. The monthly pānui have a range of interesting articles and useful information and resources for Māori and Pacific families and caregivers with children in education.
Kia Manawaroa: https://www.education.govt.nz/
Matavai: https://www.education.govt.nz/
Northcote Kāhui Ako
In the government budget announcements it was officially communicated that Kāhui Ako, or Communities of Learners, will be discontinued at the end of January 2026. Our Northcote community has been highly effective in recognising shared concerns and addressing them. Our current areas of across community focus are: 1) improving skills and confidence in Maths, 2) developing our local curriculum, 3) supporting the wellbeing and learning of our individuals. Our team will continue to work on these goals, and at the same time we will make plans for how we can continue to work together as a community of schools. There has been considerable progress made and we intend to carry on working together collaboratively.
Health Education community consultation
As required by the Education and Training Act 2020, the Northcote College Board consults with the school community about how the Health curriculum is implemented (s 91). The aim of the consultation is to: determine the health education needs of our students, inform the school community about the content of the health curriculum, and receive feedback from the school community about how the health curriculum should be implemented.
Please read the draft Northcote College Health Education delivery statement here: https://docs.google.com/
Here is a link to a google form for your feedback: https://forms.gle/
Homestay families needed
We are looking for caring homestay families to accommodate our wonderful international students. We have options available for one term, two terms or long term students. Northcote College hosts international students from Asia, South America and Europe. This is a great opportunity to experience another culture. We offer a homestay fee of $400 per week.
For further information please contact our Homestay Coordinator Manny Mauricio at homestay@northcote.school.nz
Thank you for your ongoing support of our school. We encourage you to stay in contact; if you have any queries, please contact your child’s Dean in the first instance.
Ngā manaakitanga
Vicki Barrie
Tumuaki | Principal
Key Dates for Term 3
Week 1
Monday 14 July - first day of Term 3, Timetable Day 5
Saturday 19 July: Northcote College Open Day 12-3pm
Week 2
Week 3
Thursday 31 July: Careers Expo
Week 4
Thursday 7 August: Parent-Teacher-Student Meetings 4-7pm
Week 5
Tuesday 12 August: Parent-Teacher-Student Meetings 4-7pm
Saturday 16 August: School Ball
Week 6
Week 7
Monday 25 - Friday 29 August: Winter Sports Tournament Week
Thursday 28 August: Flexible Learning Day
Friday 29 August: Mid-term Break - school closed
Week 8
Monday 1 - Wednesday 3 September: No timetabled lessons for Year 10 because of NCEA Common Assessment Activities (CAAs)
Monday 1 September: Literacy, Reading CAA (morning: senior students yet to achieve, afternoon: Year 10 students yet to achieve)
Tuesday 2 September: Literacy, Writing CAA (all Year 10 students)
Wednesday 3 September: Numeracy CAA (all Year 10 students)
Thursday 4 September: Literacy, Writing CAA (senior students yet to achieve)
Friday 5 September: Numeracy CAA (seniors yet to achieve)
Week 9
Monday 8 - Friday 12 September: Senior Derived Grade Exams (no timetabled lessons for seniors)
Week 10
Monday 15 - Tuesday 16 September: Senior Derived Grade Exams continue
Friday 19 September: last day of Term 3
Monday 6 October: First day of Term 4, Timetable Day 5