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Hobsonville Point Secondary School Communication15 May 2026 PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGEKia ora e ngā whānau, The term is moving quickly, and it has been wonderful to see students so actively engaged both in and out of the classroom. Across the school, there continues to be a strong sense of energy, participation, and pride in our community. Over the past two weeks, I have had the opportunity to watch some outstanding winter sports performances from our students. A particular highlight was our Girls’ Football team, who achieved a resounding win against Avondale College, and after another win this week at Kelston Girls, they are now at the top of the table. The teamwork, determination, and sportsmanship displayed by the players reflected the values we strive to foster at Hobsonville Point Secondary School. Saturday’s junior netball grading games were also fantastic to witness, with HPSS netball uniforms visible right across Te Pai Courts. It was impressive to see so many of our young people involved in winter sports, representing the school with enthusiasm and pride. Our staff and volunteer coaches continue to provide incredible opportunities for students, and we are grateful for the time and commitment they invest in supporting our young people. At HPSS, we strongly believe that involvement in co-curricular activities plays an important role in a student’s overall well-being and sense of belonging. Sport, cultural groups, clubs, service opportunities, and leadership activities all help students to build confidence, develop friendships, and strengthen connections within our school community. I encourage all students to become involved in at least one activity or group during their time at school. Participation outside the classroom often has a significant positive impact on engagement and success within the classroom as well. Today, families will have received student progress reports. These reports provide an important opportunity for students, families, and teachers to reflect on learning progress, celebrate successes, and identify next steps for growth. Strong partnerships between home and school are key to supporting student achievement, and we encourage families to take time to discuss the report with their child and help them set meaningful learning goals for the remainder of the term. We are also looking forward to welcoming families of Year 12 and Year students to our Individual Education Meetings (IEMs) next week. These meetings are a valuable opportunity to strengthen the partnership between home and school and to ensure students are well supported in their learning journey. Research consistently shows that when students, families, and teachers work together, outcomes for young people improve significantly. Even short conversations can make a meaningful difference to a student’s confidence, motivation, and success at school. Thank you, as always, for your continued support of our school community. It is a privilege to work alongside such engaged students, supportive families, and dedicated staff. I look forward to seeing many of you at the Individual Education Meetings next week. Ngā mihi Kirsty Dowding Tumuaki Principal
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CONNECTEDNESS: PINK SHIRT DAYOn the 15th of May, HPSS celebrated Pink Shirt Day. Throughout the week, the Peer Mediators and whānau coaches have been running activities with students on the importance of kindness and anti-bullying. The Peer Mediators put up positive Post-it notes collected from each student, which were displayed as a mural in reception. They also held a bake sale and raised funds for the Pink Shirt Day Foundation. The majority of students and staff dressed in pink on Friday to show their support, and it was a very festive and fun day. We took a photo of everyone together, and we are proud of the ever-growing support that the students and staff show each year for this event. It speaks to the value our school places on the importance of manaakitanga, community, and compassion.
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CONNECTEDNESS: EOTC YEAR 9 BAY OF ISLANDS CAMPEarlier this term, all of our Year 9 students were given the opportunity to travel to the Bay of Islands for HPSS’s first Year 9 curriculum-linked camp. The programme was designed to support both student transition into secondary school and the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum through authentic, place-based learning experiences.
Across three days, students visited significant historical and cultural sites, including the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, Kororāreka/Russell, Urupukapuka Island, and Ruapekapeka Pā. These experiences connected directly to students’ Term 1 learning in their connected learning modules for English, Social Sciences, Science, and Physical Education.
Year 9 student Emma Song reflected on the impact of visiting the historic sites firsthand: “Being able to stand in the same place where many key events in our history happened allowed me to understand them in a much deeper way. We learnt about the early interactions between Māori and Europeans, the signing of treaties, and the conflicts that followed. Each stop added a new layer to our understanding of New Zealand history.” She also noted the social benefits of the experience, saying the camp “was not just about learning and taking notes, it gave us the chance to connect with my classmates and teachers. We built stronger friendships and appreciated the stories of Northland, and it pushed me to step outside of my comfort zone to communicate with peers I hadn't yet talked to.”
Students particularly valued learning outside the classroom and seeing their Term 1 studies come to life. Year 9 student Samantha Fernandes described the camp as “really fun and very educational,” highlighting experiences including the cultural performance at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, kayaking at Urupukapuka Island, waka ama, and visiting Ruapekapeka Pā.
The camp was also intentionally device-free, encouraging students to fully engage with their surroundings and each other. Many students commented on the strong friendships and connections formed during the experience.
Recently, representatives from the Ministry of Education visited HPSS to see our implementation of the refreshed Year 9 curriculum in action. They were particularly impressed by how clearly students could articulate the links between camp experiences and their connected learning modules.
We are incredibly proud of the way our Year 9 students embraced the experience, challenged themselves, and represented our school throughout the trip. Camp One photos are immediately below. Photos of Camp Two and Three are featured throughout the newsletter. All photos were taken by the amazing staff who accompanied students on each camp. Thank you for making these camps possible.
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PATHWAYS INTERNSHIP: HOBSONVILLE VETSI've been interning at the Vet Clinic for a term now, and it has given me so much insight into what really happens behind the scenes working as a vet. My day at the clinic typically consists of many little things, such as washing and sterilising equipment, feeding the cats/dogs, helping the other vets with handling the animals, unloading stock, and overall just observing different procedures/surgeries. I really love working in an environment surrounded by animals, and the other people at the clinic make it so enjoyable to be there every week. Everyone is so welcoming and helpful, and they have shown me how things work around the clinic, making my experience so far really enjoyable. This has been such an amazing opportunity for me, as I really want to pursue a career in Veterinary Medicine. Having the chance to intern at a vet clinic has made me love the job even more and given me the upper hand in pursuing what I want to do. Overall, this internship has deepened my love for animals and given me so much new knowledge that you can only learn and experience from being at the clinic, and I'm so grateful to be able to learn and observe from the others there. Dana Lee, Year 12
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EOTC YEAR 9 BAY OF ISLANDS CAMP 2
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COLLABORATION: HAERENGA 2026 MĀNGERE MOUNTAINThis week, we took a trip to Mangere Mountain for our Connected Module. It was a really fun trip where we learned all the major information about the history of Māngere Mountain, the iwi that lived on the maunga, and their history. Even though the hike was short, it was challenging but interesting for all of our class. We learnt about the variations of the kūmara, how they use rocks to grow them and how they use the maramataka/ the moon phase to show when they should harvest the kūmara. On top of this, we learnt about the mau rākau used before going to war, which is heavily connected to Māori heritage. The tour guides at Māngere Mountain showed us about tapu (sacredness) and the degree used to respect that sacredness. This trip has heavily influenced our learning and has given us a better perspective of our module learning, especially Science, through a Māori lens. Shea Hannon, Yr 10
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EOTC YEAR 9 BAY OF ISLANDS CAMP 3
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INTER-COMMUNITY NETBALLFor the past two weeks, communities have been participating in the Community Netball competition. There has been some amazing talent on display, showing why our school netball teams are doing so well.
Thank you to the Sports Council for organising such a great event, and to the student referees for making it all possible.
Both finals were contested between Onekiritea and Tiriwa, with Onekiritea winning both games. Congratulations to everyone who participated and earned their communities the important participation points.
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INQUIRY: NORTH SHORE CAREER EXPOThe North Shore Career Expo is taking place on Wednesday 20 and Thursday 21 May at North Harbour Stadium, with sessions running from 4pm-7.30pm both evenings. This is a free event where students and their whānau can explore ideas for future career pathways, and take advantage of the opportunity to talk face-to-face with experts.
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KEY DATES 2026All key dates for the year can also be found on the Calendar on our SchoolBridge app, along with Attendance, Daily Notices, Reports, Results, and Payments. 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 2pm - 8pm. Bookings are open on SchoolBridge until the morning of IEMs. IEMs: Yrs 9,10,11 - Wednesday 1 July 2pm - 7.30pm and Thursday 2 July 3.30pm - 7.30pm
Term 3 (10 weeks) - Monday 20 July - Friday 25 September HPSS Open Evening for 2027 new students - Monday 27 July 5pm - 7pm Staff Only Day (Board) - Friday 4 September IEMS: Yr 12-13 - Wednesday 16 September 2pm - 8pm Derived Grade Exams - Thursday 17 September to Friday 25 September School Ball: Yr 12-13 - Friday 25 September
Term 4 (9 weeks) - Monday 12 October - Thursday 10 December Public Holidays: Labour Day – Monday 26 October Year 12 Prize giving - Wednesday 4 November 2.30pm Year 13 Graduation & Prize giving - Wednesday 4 November 5pm Staff Only Day (MoE: Curriculum) - Friday 6 November NCEA Exams - Tuesday 10 November to Friday 4 December IEMs: Yrs 9,10,11 - Wednesday 2 December 2pm - 7.30pm and Thursday 3 December 3.30pm - 7.30pm
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