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Hobsonville Point Secondary School Communication25 September 2026 PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGEKia ora e ngā whānau, What a term it has been at HPSS. Term 3 has been full of opportunities for our students to learn, compete, perform, lead and connect, with so many achievements and experiences worth celebrating. Our Cultural Evening was a wonderful celebration of the diversity and talent within our school. Students had the opportunity to share their cultures, talents and identities with our wider community. Our Whānau Evening also provided a special opportunity for students, parents and whānau to come together, connect and celebrate our school community. We have also continued to strengthen our connection to mana whenua and our local community. Our Matariki and Puanga learning, including the artwork connected to Te Kawerau ā Maki and the work around Te Onekiritea (Bomb Point), has provided opportunities for students to understand and celebrate the history, stories and significance of the place we call home. Our students have continued to grow as leaders, taking on opportunities to support others, contribute to school life and make a positive difference to our community. It has been fantastic to see students stepping forward and taking responsibility across many areas of school life. For our senior students, the completion of their derived grade examinations this week marks another important step towards their final NCEA examinations. Thank you to our staff for making this process smooth and easy for students to navigate. There has also been significant behind-the-scenes work as we continue to prepare for and implement the new curriculum, with staff working collaboratively to ensure our students are well supported through this change. Thank you to our staff, students and whānau for another fantastic term. Our senior students, in particular, deserve a well-earned break — take the time to rest, restore, and recharge before returning, ready for the final term of the year. We have much to be proud of at HPSS, and much to look forward to in Term 4. Ngā mihi Kirsty Dowding Tumuaki Principal
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KEY DATES AND INFORMATION FOR TERM 4Public Holiday: Labour Day – Monday 26 October Board Voting for Parent Nominations Close: Thursday 29 October Year 13 Final Walkout: Wednesday 4 November 1.45pm Year 12 Prize giving: Wednesday 4 November 2.30pm Year 13 Graduation & Prize giving: Wednesday 4 November 5pm Staff Only Day: Friday 6 November NCEA Exams: Tuesday 10 November to Friday 4 December IEMs for Years 9,10,11: Wednesday 2 December 2pm - 7.30pm and Thursday 3 December 3.30pm - 7.30pm Year 10 Prize giving: Friday 4 December Year 10 Camp: Monday 7 December to Thursday 10 December Year 9 & Year 11 Prize giving: Thursday 10 December
School Board Parent Elections Thank you to everyone who put their name forward for our School Board Parent Elections, and to those who took the time to nominate. We appreciate your interest in supporting our school community and contributing to the future of our school. Voting papers will be released on 10 October 2026, with voting closing on 29 October 2026. We encourage all eligible parent and caregiver voters to take the opportunity to review the candidate statements which will be available shortly, and to participate in the election. Thank you for your continued support of our school community. Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Returning Officer - Urszula Craighead urszula.craighead@hobsonvillepoint.school.nz
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YEAR 10 CAMP IS TAKING SHAPEPlanning is well underway, and the programme is starting to come together. Camp will be a chance to finish your junior school journey with your year group, take on new challenges, work as a team and get ready for the move into Year 11. You can look forward to: A range of adventure activities and challenges Team competitions and activities The Year 10 Survivor Cup Opportunities to show leadership, teamwork and resilience A costume party with a DJ Plenty of chances to spend time with peers and celebrate the end of Year 10
If you are planning to attend camp, make sure your whānau has completed the Expression of Interest Form. Last chance to complete this is today. Students who are not attending camp will come to school as usual during the week of camp. More information about activities, cabins, what to bring and the final camp programme will be shared next term. We’re looking forward to making this a memorable way to finish Year 10.
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We have our inaugural whole school speech competition in Term 4. Open to all students from Year 9 to Year 13. This will be one of the last chances to represent your community for important community shield points! |
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CONNECTEDNESS: BUZZLYLast Wednesday, the Buzzly team visited HPSS to show our Year 9s how Buzzly works, what they do for the community, and the challenges they face. During the visit, they introduced a new challenge. Our question was: What would make a future park in Whenuapai feel special, unique, and like it belongs to young people? This question challenged us to consider what we personally would want in a park we would use. There is still an opportunity to win money through the challenge. After submitting your idea on how to improve the new Whenuapai park, if Buzzly thinks your concept is a “power idea”, you can receive one of ten $50 prizes. If Buzzly thinks your concept is a “good idea”, you can earn one of a hundred $10 prizes. One of the student spot prize winners said: “I enjoyed the insight it gave us into the council's ideas for the community, and it allowed us to share our own.” - Logan Job Overall, we really enjoyed the experience and found it interesting to learn about the council's plan for our community. It was also nice to feel like our ideas and opinions really mattered.
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COLLABORATION: SCIENCE OF BAKINGIn a collaborative mentoring session between the HPSS Year 11 class and HPPS Food Science class, students explored the science of baking through the lens of biology and chemistry. A hands-on investigation into yeast activity and chemical reactions brought their learning to life. They followed this up by researching the deeper biological mechanisms of fermentation and the key chemical transformations behind ingredients like yeast, sugars, and proteins.
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CONNECTEDNESS: PATHWAYS INTERNSHIP- HANNA REEDInterning at the Forest School has been an incredible experience, which has allowed me to learn and improve my confidence and skills in working with children in outdoor spaces. My typical day here varies a lot. I generally turn up to staff briefing at 8:00 am, where we discuss any potential risks on-site that day (such as weather warnings). From here, I often help out as a teacher aide in the students’ literacy and numeracy blocks, which usually run until 10:45. Classes then have an opportunity to do specialty learning, which I often help run. In these timeslots, students get to learn various bushcraft skills, carpentry, art, beach exploration, and many other learning opportunities. I also assist in lunchtime duty, where students spend 90 minutes free-playing in the forest. One of the things I love about working here is seeing how much students love coming to school. Education has never been one size fits all, so offering kids opportunities to build skills outside of the classroom is truly valuable, and makes learning more engaging for kids who perhaps “didn’t fit the mold” at a state school. I’ve been learning so much about active risk assessment and behavioural management when working with kids in the outdoors, which has led me to be more confident in these settings. I’m hoping to continue building these skills as I complete my level one outdoor first aid certificate as well. The teaching team at the forest school are incredibly welcoming and supportive of my role here. If you’re thinking about doing an internship next year, I advise you to give it a try. You will learn so much regardless of whether you choose to continue with your internship as a career path.
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YEAR 11 INNOVATION PROJECTS: YOUR FEEDBACK NEEDEDA group of forward-thinking year 11 students have been hard at work on their projects to promote economic, social, cultural, and environmental sustainability in an industry of their choice. To take their projects to the next level, they need real-world feedback from our school community. Click here to give feedback to Ella, who is developing this website to promote sustainable tourism in New Zealand. Click here to visit the website that Aman is building to promote the use of sustainable aviation fuel. Click here to give your feedback to Lachie about how AI is affecting the 3D modelling industry.
Taking just a few minutes to review their sites makes a huge difference to their learning and final assessments, and possibly the world. Thank you for supporting our Year 11s! If you have any further questions, comments, or feedback, feel free to get in touch with danielle.myburgh@hobsonvillepoint.school.nz.
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CONNECTEDNESS: AUSTRALIAN DANCE FESTIVALMichaella Job, Year 12, was selected to represent Neverland Studios in a senior team competing at the Australian Dance Festival in Sydney recently. Their team, with their dance titled "The Stake", came in the top three of 24 teams and progressed through to the grand finale/showcase. They were the first-ever New Zealand team to achieve this. In addition, they participated in 14 dance workshops across the three days of the festival in musical theatre, fusion, jazz funk, lyrical, contemporary, hiphop and jazz, lead by top choreographers from across Australia.
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EXCELLENCE: PERFORMING ARTS - SMOKEFREEROCKQUEST AND PLAY IT STRANGESMOKEFREEROCKQUEST 2026 FINALS HPSS student Madi McLellan has been working with students from Rutherford College with great success. A few months ago Auckland five-piece band SIDETRACKED clawed their way through 64 bands at their regional heats, then backed it up at the Auckland Central final with a second-place finish and a Best Song win for their original "I Like You." This landed them one of just eight band spots at the Smokefreerockquest National Final. On Friday 18 September SIDETRACKED took out Best Vocals and Best Song honours in the national final in Wellington. They have evolved from practising in a garage to performing on the country's biggest stage for teen musicians, out-singing and out-writing acts from every corner of Aotearoa. We are proud of their success, and we will eagerly watch what they get up to next. Introducing SIDETRACKED PLAY IT STRANGE - SONG OF THE YEAR - MONIQUE MAGADADARO - “you you you” On Sunday 20th Monique Magdadaro spent the day at Pink Shark Studios with producer Dan Martin. Dan Martin is a Silver-Scroll winning producer whose work has generated over 70 million streams and 700 million TikTok views. With strong pop instincts, he collaborates with artists across New Zealand and Australia, bringing elevated vocal production and mainstream polish to every track. Monique handled the recording session like a professional - making decisions and communicating the sound she was after. We look forward to sharing the song and video when they are finished and released.
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INQUIRY: TPA-2 STUDENT SATELLITE KICKOFFIt was an incredible evening at MOTAT exploring space and satellite launches alongside researchers from the New Zealand Space Agency and the University of Auckland’s Te Pūnaha Ātea – Space Institute, focusing on the CubeSats TPA-1 and TPA-2 missions. Our students were deeply engaged as they discussed ideas for student payload development directly with lead researchers. They walked away inspired to begin project ideation, with one student sharing, 'I know that if we work hard, we have a great chance of success,' and another saying, 'I can't wait to see what we build.’
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SPORTS: RUGBY LEAGUECongratulations TJ Uhatahi Tuputasi (Year 11) who has recently been awarded the following by his club: TJ has also been selected to play Harold Matthews U16 for the Warriors Pathway, which is an incredible opportunity for him and something he has worked extremely hard towards. TJ is also currently awaiting confirmation to potentially represent New Zealand Kiwis in rugby league in Brisbane in late November. We look forward to hearing how TJ is progressing.
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CONNECTEDNESS: JUNIOR BOYS BADMINTON AND JUNIOR GIRLS BADMINTONThe two Junior Boys Badminton teams had a phenomenal season this term, displaying strong passion and a competitive spirit throughout. The Blue team was unstoppable on the court, culminating in a well-deserved victory to claim the North Harbour B Grade Championship title. Meanwhile, the resilient White team never gave up, securing an impressive 4th place finish. Congratulations to all the players on a fantastic season! The Junior Girls’ Blue Badminton team enjoyed an outstanding season this term. Displaying immense passion and a fierce competitive spirit throughout, they displayed good skill on the court and won all their matches. Their hard work culminated in a well-deserved victory, claiming the North Harbour B Grade Championship title. Congratulations to the girls! Thank you to Melody Hu for diligently helping coach the girls. Thank you to the parents for their help and support with transport to the Badminton games; it is much appreciated.
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SPORT CELEBRATION EVENING
Tuesday 3rd November
Save the date and join us as we celebrate our 2026 sports teams, athletes, coaches, managers and supporters.
Space in the Auditorium will be limited, with priority given to award recipients and their whānau. If you’re keen to come along and the Auditorium reaches capacity, a livestream will be available in the Reception area.
We look forward to celebrating another awesome year of HPSS Sport.
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CONNECTEDNESS: INTERNSHIP STORY - SUAH AHN JEONG I have been interning at the Kumeū Arts Centre for over six months now and have learnt so many things I never expected to. Every day at Kumeū Arts is filled with new experiences, opportunities to learn, and people to meet. I always arrive at the centre with a sense of anticipation, excited to see what the day will bring. Some days it will consist of admin work - making sales, updating the stock online or making social media posts. On other days, I get to help curate exhibitions, hang up beautiful artwork and discover a whole new world of art. I really enjoy the variety of experiences the Arts Centre offers, as no two days are ever the same. I also get to witness the impact of the centre on the community through my interactions with visitors and artists. Moreover, everyone in the Arts centre is incredibly friendly, welcoming and supportive so it has made my internship at Kumeū Arts even better. They helped me to see how working in a centre consists more than just exhibiting art but creating connections and opportunities for artists. Through my time at Kumeū Arts Centre, I have realised that beyond high school, I want to pursue a career where I can make a meaningful difference in people's lives. This experience has shown me the importance of empathy, communication, and building genuine connections with others, and I hope to continue developing these qualities wherever my future takes me.
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ARTS SHOWCASEWe warmly welcome you to our visual arts showcase in the second week of term 4. On Tuesday the 20th of October our art students will be sharing the fantastic work they've created throughout the year. The exhibition opens at 5pm and goes until 7:30pm. The showcase will also feature an interactive artmaking space created by the team from Squiggla, in association with Hobsonville Point's ArtPoint collective.
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OUTSTANDING SPORTING ACHIEVEMENTNominations for Wings Awards are open If your child has been selected for a national or representative team, or has achieved a placing at a national level tournament/competition so far this year, they may be eligible for a HPSS Wings Award. These awards are presented at our Sports Celebration Evening in Term 4 and recognise outstanding sporting achievements from November 2025 through to October 2026.
If this applies to your child, please follow the link below, read the eligibility criteria, and submit an application if they qualify. We look forward to celebrating their success. HPSS Sports Wings award nomination 2026
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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 Term 3 (10 weeks) - Monday 20 July - Friday 25 September Term 4 (9 weeks) - Monday 12 October - Thursday 10 December Public Holiday: Labour Day – Monday 26 October Board Voting for Parent Nominations Close: Thursday 29 October Year 12 Prize giving - Wednesday 4 November 2.30pm Year 13 Graduation & Prize giving - Wednesday 4 November 5pm Staff Only Day - 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 Year 10 Prize giving - Friday 4 December Year 10 Camp - Monday 7 December to Thursday 10 December Year 9 & Year 11 Prize giving - Thursday 10 December
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