End of Term 3 Newsletter - Monday 21 September
End of Term 3 Newsletter - Monday 21 September
E rere ana te hā o mihi maioha ki a koutou katoa. Ko te manako ia, ka nui ō koutou nei ora.
Warm greetings to you. It is my hope that you are well.
We are celebrating Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori at Northcote College this week, instead of during the official week last week, because seniors were taking derived grade exams last week. The theme is Ake, Ake, Ake – A Forever Language. We are encouraged by the growing interest in learning Te Reo Māori in our kura and community and are determined to continue supporting this trend.
Education Review Office ERO
We are very pleased to share our confirmed ERO report and that our kura was judged to be ‘Excelling’ (the highest judgement) in seven areas:
- Engaging and belonging
- Teaching
- Curriculum
- Leadership
- Provision for students with additional needs,
- School improvement,
- Governance and the school board.
Excelling means the school demonstrates consistently strong performance. We are proud of our Board, staff, students and school community, and this report affirms that Northcote College is a great place to learn.
Student Success
- Basketball
Our Premier Boys team are A Grade Champions. It was a thrilling final against Avondale College with our players digging deep to secure a 57-56 victory right on the final whistle.
- Tournament Week
Our teams experienced significant success around the country, and we are delighted that our First XI Boys Football team beat Kings College 2-0 in the final to bring home the Rex Dawkins Cup. Our First XI Girls Football team came an impressive third in their competition.
- Linguistics Olympiad
Seven Year 9 students were selected for the inaugural New Zealand Linguistics Olympiad National Finals at Massey University.
- Art
We are thrilled to have four artists selected for Ringa Toi, an annual exhibition that showcases student artwork with a focus on Toi Māori and Pacific Arts at Excellence level. Waihuia Thein won her division in the Toi Wharepora section (contemporary and traditional weaving forms) for her piece 'Te Marae o Hinekirikiri'. Joelle Young received a Highly Commended award in the Toi Matihiko section (digital art and print) for her digitally manipulated piece titled 'Ake, ake, ake!
We also have five artists selected as finalists in the National Secondary School Art Awards, and Katerina Isobel won the Through the Lens School Property Photography Competition.
- Music
Congratulations to Year 13 band Fever, who rocked their way to the finals of the Stand Up Stand Out (SUSO) in the Original Composition section. Jesse Scott is also a finalist in the solo section. They will perform at Auckland Town Hall on Saturday evening.
Please see our school website and social media for more details about these and the many other successes. We would like to thank our staff, coaches, managers, and family supporters whose commitment and time make these opportunities possible for our young people to thrive.
Course Selection 2027
Students returning to Northcote College need to have selected their subjects through the Parent Portal by Wednesday of this week. If you have yet to do this, please spend some time talking with your child about subjects of interest and potential pathways.
Attendance
We acknowledge your support to ensure your child is at school on time and ready for learning. Punctuality to lessons is critical to maximise learning opportunities. If you are logging an absence, the preferred way is through Parent Portal.
Examinations
We are proud of the way students prepared for and sat their Common Assessment Activities (CCAs) and senior derived grade examinations. At our recent Fono Pasifika and Hui Whānau, the keynote speaker, Katalina Ma from the University of Auckland, showed the strong correlation between attendance and achievement in examinations while at school with success at university.
The preparation for and completion of the derived grade exams for seniors sets them up for success in the NZQA exams at the end of the year. Students should have established revision plans; an email was sent earlier in the term with links to resources for study skills. For your reference, here is the NCEA Examination Timetable 2026.
Year 9 Camps to Motutapu Island
This is a reminder for Year 9 parents to please complete the camp permission form in the email from Louise Inwards, our teacher in charge of camps. If you have any camp related questions, please email camp@northcote.school.nz
We understand the financial burden camp can put on families and want to support and work with you to ensure the cost is not a barrier to students attending camp. We also recognise some families are in the fortunate position to be able to support another child. If you are able to support another child to experience camp, please donate through the Kindo Shop - Y9 Camp Fundraising; look for Camp Pay it Forward. There are different amounts that you can pay. We greatly appreciate your generosity in making this important learning experience possible for all.
Charity fundraisers
We are thrilled with the total we raised last month for the Cancer Society on Daffodil Day - $1874.61. Thank you for your generosity and manaakitanga.
Our Term 4 Non-Uniform Day is Friday 23 October. The Student Council decided that we will support Be Green and Be Seen to raise money for the Cerebral Palsy Society of New Zealand. Students are encouraged to wear green and to donate generously, either in cash in period 1 classes or online at Kindo.
2026 Yearbook
The 2026 yearbooks are $25. You are encouraged to purchase a copy through the Kindo Shop before the end of this month so we can estimate the printing order number. The yearbooks will be ready for issue at the start of December.
School Donations
We are grateful to families who pay the school donation; without these payments we would not be able to offer the variety of learning opportunities our students currently enjoy. All payments to Northcote College can be made in one place with your myKindo account. Kindo allows partial payment so families can make the donation with the amount they are comfortable with at any time suitable for their situation.
Online GP care now free for ākonga 13 and under
With health services experiencing high demand, online GP care is an option for accessing care and the service is now free for all ākonga up to, and including, the age of 13. Appointments usually take place through a video app or a phone call and the service can prescribe medicine and send prescriptions to your nearest pharmacy. It also provides another care option for rural communities.
To learn more visit Online GP care: Online GP care – Health New Zealand
You can also find out more here: Care options for you and your whānau
Kia Manawaroa and Matavai e-newsletters
New issues of Kia Manawaroa and Matavai have been published.
Kia Manawaroa Issue 19: September 2026 – Mailchimp
Matavai Issue 17: September 2026 – Mailchimp
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 4
Week 1
Monday 12 October: First day of Term 4, Timetable Day 6
Monday 12 - Friday 16 October: Year 9 camp (group 1) to Motutapu Island
Wednesday 14 October 6pm: 2027 Welcome to Northcote College Evening
Week 2
Tuesday 20 October 12.45pm: Shave for a Cure
Friday 23 October: Non-Uniform Day to raise money for the Cerebral Palsy Society of NZ
Week 3
Monday 26 October: Labour Day - school closed
Tuesday 27 October 7pm: Whānau Prizegiving
Wednesday 28 October 7pm: Film Evening
Thursday 29 October 7pm: Senior Sports Prizegiving
Week 4
Wednesday 4 November: Last day of timetabled lessons for seniors
Thursday 5 November 7pm: Senior Prizegiving
Week 5
Tuesday 10 November - Friday 4 December: NZQA Examinations
Friday 13 November: Ministry of Education Teacher only Day - no junior students at school
Week 6
Monday 23 - Friday 27 November: Junior Assessment Week
Week 7
23 - 27 November: Year 9 camp (group 2) to Motutapu Island
Week 8
Friday 4 December 6pm: Leavers’ Event
Week 9
Wednesday 9 December 6pm: Junior Sports Prizegiving
Week 10
Tuesday 15 December 10am: Year 10 Prizegiving and last day (12.45pm finish for students in Year 9)
Wednesday 16 December 10am: Year 9 Prizegiving and last day