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Hobsonville Point Secondary School Communication27 March 2026 PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGEKia ora e ngā whānau, As we approach the end of term, our students are busily completing their final assessments. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge how proud I am of their efforts and dedication to their learning throughout the term. It has also been a pleasure to see our students representing the school so positively in sport. I had the opportunity to watch the futsal team last week, and they demonstrated our school values with pride, securing a well-deserved win against Long Bay College. In addition, our team competing at Volleyball Nationals delivered an outstanding performance, finishing with a strong win against Rangitoto College B in their final game. It is fantastic to see sport continue to grow at Hobsonville Point Secondary School and the positive impact this is having on our school's culture. As this will be the final newsletter for the term, I would like to sincerely thank you for your ongoing support. I wish you all a safe and restful long weekend, and hope our students enjoy a well-earned break over the holidays. Ngā mihi Kirsty Dowding Tumuaki Principal
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KEY INFORMATION:END OF TERM REPORTINGNext Thursday, 2 April, caregivers of all students in Years 9-13 will be sent an end-of-term Academic Progress Report. 2026 is a transition year for reporting at HPSS. With the introduction of the new curriculum at Year 9 and changes to assessment practices in Year 11, reporting for both year levels will differ from that at Years 10, 12, and 13. Information regarding reporting at each year level will accompany the reports to ensure caregivers have a clear understanding of their student’s academic progress in each learning area. MATHS SUPPORTSupporting Year 9 and 10 students with Maths To help students feel confident as they head into new topics next term, we have assigned Recommended Tasks on Education Perfect. These tasks are tailored to individual students and are designed to review and reinforce the learning we covered this term.
How you can support your child: Take a look: Ask your child to show you their assigned tasks. Review together: Each task includes explanations and practice problems to help bridge any gaps. Small steps: A bit of review over the holidays and into the beginning of next term will really help ensure they are ready to hit the ground running with new material in Term 2.
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EXCELLENCE: ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE BREAKFASTOn Wednesday, 25 March, Hobsonville Point Secondary School hosted our Academic Excellence Breakfast. The annual event is an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the academic efforts and success of our senior students in the preceding school year. Our 2025 Year 12 and 13 students achieved some impressive results, with 85% of Year 12 students gaining NCEA Level 2 and 83% of Year 13 students gaining NCEA Level 3. Almost half of all students gained a Merit or Excellence Endorsement. In attendance at the breakfast were the students who gained Endorsement in NCEA Level 2, as well as the students in Year 11 who achieved in the top 25 in their academic year. A total of 205 students and their whānau attended this year. We would like to extend our thanks to Megan Wiggill and the Student Academic Council and Peer Support team for helping facilitate the event, to our musical performers, Eman Tuazon and Nathanial Busque, and to Evan Qian and Pravaan Naido for their professional lighting and photography. Thank you also to our alumni, Yevetta Xiang, for closing the morning with her inspiring address. Yevetta has recently completed her Bachelor in Biomedical Science with First Class Honours and has gained admission to Oxford University to complete her PhD. We are proud of her and wish her all the best with her future studies.
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CONNECTEDNESS: SPOKEN WORD POETRYRecently, in our Year 9 English and Social Science Connected Module, we had the opportunity to learn from two sets of guest speakers, which deepened our understanding of poetry and different perspectives.
When Whaea Josie (Te Kawerau ā Maki) spoke, we learned about Māori land loss and how it continues to affect her and her iwi today. We came to understand that losing land is not just something from the past, but something that continues to impact people’s identity, culture, and connection to where they belong. We learned about the significance of land to those who have lost it, how it impacted their ancestors, and how it continues to impact them today. This made us realise how important it is to listen to these stories so we can better understand Aotearoa New Zealand’s history and the people who live here.
The spoken word poets from Action Education showed us how powerful poetry can be for expressing ideas and identity. We started with a fun circle activity where we were given prompts to talk to different people in our year group who we might not have spoken to before, which helped us share our ideas and opinions. We watched a clip of a spoken-word poem that used humour to express strong feelings about Māori history and culture, making it both engaging and meaningful. Through activities like creating our own past, present, and future poems, we were encouraged to think more deeply about our own lives and how to express our ideas.
Overall, both workshops highlighted the importance of our voices and how we decide to use them. We were inspired to reflect on our own experiences, think critically about Aotearoa, and even consider writing our own poems about our own past and New Zealand’s history. Victoria Manford Yr 9 & Emma Song Yr 9
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COLLABORATION: WHĀNAU HUILast Wednesday, our kura hosted a highly successful whānau hui, with over 80 people in attendance. It was a wonderful opportunity to focus on whanaungatanga, strengthening existing connections and beginning meaningful relationships with our new whānau.
The evening was made even more special with a delicious hāngī, prepared and cooked by our kaiako and ākonga.
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INQUIRY - L3 CHEMISTRY & THE WAIHI GOLDMINE TRIPOur Year 13 Chemistry students have been investigating the complexities of periodic trends, electronic configurations of atoms, and excited states, alongside chemical bonding. They have also been analysing enthalpy changes within various reactions, utilising a combination of hands-on laboratory investigations and peer collaborations to deepen their understanding of thermochemical principles. To deepen their understanding, the Year 13 Chemistry students recently travelled to the Gold Discovery Centre and the iconic Martha Mine in Waihi. It was a beautiful day for being outdoors, and the field trip provided a tangible context for their study of the standard 'Demonstrate understanding of chemical processes in the world around us.' By observing the scale of the Martha Mine, students moved beyond the classroom to explore the complex redox chemistry involved in gold extraction. They also captured first-hand accounts of the environmental management of mining by-products and the chemical principles used to recover gold from ore, providing a real-world framework for their upcoming internal assessments.
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CONNECTEDNESS: LEVEL 2 BUSINESS STUDIESOur Level 2 Business Studies class recently took their learning beyond the classroom with a visit to a local retirement village, where they conducted a real-world focus group as part of their market research assessment. Students brought along samples of their developing cookie products, giving residents the opportunity to taste, evaluate, and provide valuable feedback. This experience allowed students to gather primary research directly from their target market, deepening their understanding of consumer preferences, product appeal, and areas for improvement. They practised asking effective questions, listening to feedback, and analysing responses - key skills in developing a successful business idea. —————————————————————————————————————— INNOVATION IN ACTION: Q3 BUSINESS STUDENTS AT YES SPARK TANKWe are incredibly proud of our Q3 Business Studies students, who showed immense professionalism and drive at the YES Spark Tank event today. All eight of our student-led teams stepped up to the challenge, engaging in intense, five-minute consultations with seasoned entrepreneurs. These rapid-fire sessions required our students to discuss their prototypes and business logic with experts who hold deep industry knowledge. It was a joy to watch our young entrepreneurs navigate such a high-pressure environment with poise, soaking up expert feedback to help refine their concepts. The insights they gained today are invaluable as they move from the design phase to the real-world market. Seeing their growth and the way they defended their ideas was truly a highlight of the term.
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INQUIRY: YEAR 9 HEALTH, PE & SCIENCEYear 9 students have been exploring how an organism's traits are determined, specifically focusing on how genetics influences body types and suitability for various sports. To understand this at a molecular level, they examined DNA structure, the biological "blueprint of life" that carries these hereditary codes. To make the theory tangible, students performed a DNA extraction, successfully isolating the physical genetic material from strawberries. This process allowed them to connect the dots to the physical substance that dictates every biological trait - from natural aerobic capacity and muscle fibre type to overall height. —————————————————————————————————————— INQUIRY: STEM 9&10It’s been an action-packed term in STEM. Year 9 and 10 students have been exploring the ESP microcontroller, learning how to turn lines of code into physical reality. From making LEDs blink and using buzzers to capturing live environmental data with water sensors, the classroom has been a hub of activity. The journey hasn't been without its "glitches"; students had to navigate tricky device compatibility issues, which proved to be a fantastic lesson in troubleshooting and resilience. For their final project, students are now collaborating and applying these skills to design their own water-sensor systems. It has been inspiring to watch them move from individual learners to a collaborative community of young engineers.
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EXCELLENCE: SPORTSCongratulations to Isla Barker-Clarke (Yr 10), who competed and won gold at the Oceania Tag Championship, playing three days of back-to-back matches for the NZ Barbarians U14 Girls. Congratulations also to Summer Mathison (Yr 9), who competed in the same tournament, representing Pasifika Invitational U13 Girls. In a tough match, the Pasifika Invitational girls won the grand final 3-1 to secure the gold medal. We also want to acknowledge to Dhenith Amaraskara (Yr 9), who competed in the Kids & Youth Jiu-Jitsu League Auckland Open II 2026 on Sunday, 15 March, and won double gold in Gi and No-Gi in his weight division.
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LEARNLETICS 2026Over the past two weeks the inter-community Learnletics competition has been held, on Wednesday in week 8 all whānau participated and on Monday in week 9 we held the finals where the winning whānau from each community battled it out for community shield points. The Learnletics competition tests each whānau's teamwork as they must memorise and recall school-subject-specific questions and answers. The final round is either a scavenger hunt where whānau runners follow clues or a riddle round, with the whānau that recalls the most answers correctly deciding the winner. Congratulations to Eleanor's whānau (Tāhere tikitiki) for winning the final, Petra's whānau (Tiriwa) in second place, Danielle's whānau (Onekiritea) in third place and Brosnan's whānau (Waiarohia) in fourth. Everyone represented their community with pride and demonstrated that teamwork is the key to success in Learnletics. Megan Wiggill Yr 13
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ENVIROMENTAL SCIENCE: TRIP TO MURIWAILast Wednesday, our Year 9 and 10 environmental science class went to Muriwai. We are investigating whether human recreational activities at the beach affect biodiversity, in particular birds and invertebrates. We collected data by doing five-minute bird counts and invertebrate transects at different locations in Maukatia Bay and Muriwai Beach. We also visited the gannet colony and saw the juveniles preparing to fledge. It was hard work and a spectacular place to visit.
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PATHWAYS: UNIVERSITY VISITSThis term, the Pathways team has been hosting a series of university overview presentations on Monday mornings, giving senior students valuable insights into a wide variety of tertiary pathways. So far, we’ve welcomed representatives from the Universities of Otago, AUT, Auckland, and Canterbury, as well as the New Zealand Defence Force. These sessions have been well-attended and highly informative. There are more opportunities ahead, with Massey, Victoria, Waikato, Unitec and Lincoln still to visit. Students are encouraged to check the Ka Awatea Google Classroom for full details and upcoming session information.
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HPSS NETBALL HOLIDAY PROGRAMMEHobsonville Point Secondary School is offering a netball development programme during the April school holidays. Designed by our Premier team coach, Nat Pati, and delivered in conjunction with experienced player/coaches from our 2026 Premier Netball squad, it will be a fantastic three days of skills, drills, games and FUN. To register a player, please use this link: https://forms.gle/pYdo2rsUAFpCUkEaA Or email sports@hobsonvillepoint.school.nz for more information. Places are limited, so get in quick. *This initiative is also a fundraising activity for our Prem girls as they build towards the Upper North Island Secondary Schools' tournament in Hamilton at the end of August. We are hoping to offer another 3-day holiday programme in July - watch this space!
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KEY DATES 2026
Term 1 (10 weeks) - Friday 30 January - Thursday 2 April
Term 2 (11 weeks) - Monday 20 April - Friday 3 July Public Holidays: ANZAC Day Observed - Monday 27 April, King’s Birthday – Monday 1 June IEMs: Yr 12-13 - Wednesday 20 May IEMs: Yrs 9,10,11 - Wednesday 1 July and Thursday 2 July
Term 3 (10 weeks) - Monday 20 July - Friday 25 September Term 4 (9 weeks) - Monday 12 October - Thursday 10 December Public Holidays: Labour Day – Monday 26 October Staff Only Day (MoE: Curriculum): Friday 6 November IEMs: Yrs 9,10,11 - Wednesday 2 December and Thursday 3 December
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