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Hobsonville Point Secondary School Communication22 August 2025 PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGEKia ora e ngā whānau, Kia ora e ngā whānau, It was great to see so many of you attending the IEMs last week. The individual education meetings (IEMs) are the platform for students to celebrate their learning and set clear goals for the future. The IEMs enable families to support students in achieving their goals. The mock examinations will be taking place in weeks 9 and 10. It is important that students are studying at home to prepare for these. Students can use the teacher-only day this Monday to create a study plan and begin preparation. If you feel your child is experiencing exam jitters, please read the resources available on SchoolTV. https://hpss.nz.schooltv.me/newsletter/exam-jitters Thank you to those who have completed the survey for our school's next strategic plan for 2026-2028. Dr Gabrielle Wall from Leadership Lab is facilitating this process. We are excited to start planning with all the feedback provided. I also wanted to congratulate all our netball teams in last week's finals. Our Premier Netball team played a fantastic game; they showed resilience, strength, and teamwork, and narrowly lost to Massey High School by two goals. This team should be very proud of their achievements. Thank you to all our volunteers, coaches, and parents for helping with all our teams over the winter sports season. It is winter tournament week next week, and we wish all those competing good luck! Next week is also our school production; Alice - A Tale of a Curious Girl. I look forward to seeing many of you there. Ngā mihi Kirsty Dowding Tumuaki Principal
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION This is a reminder for whānau that there is a Teacher Only Day scheduled for Monday, 25 August (Week 7). As mentioned above, Year 12 and 13 students will be undertaking mock exams in Weeks 9 and 10, from Wednesday, 10 September until Wednesday, 17 September. Mock examinations are important practice for end of year exams and can act as ‘derived grades’ in the case or serious illness. During this examination period, Year 12 and 13 students are to revise at home unless attending school for examinations or pre-arranged workshops. The mock examination timetable will be communicated to all Year 12-13 students and their whānau next week.
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CONNECTEDNESS - UN+PREDICTABLE, MODEL U.N.From August 8–10, the HPSS Model UN Club held our second-ever conference, UN+Predictable, which brought together delegates from schools across Auckland. Over three days, delegates debated mock UN resolutions on pressing world issues, tested their critical thinking and problem-solving skills in our Interactive Problem Solving (IPS) activity, and heard from our inspiring guest speaker, Stephen Noakes. The event began with Dr. Stephen Noakes, Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations and Director of the China Studies Centre at the University of Auckland, who delivered a compelling presentation on the gap between global perceptions of China and its reality. This was followed by our first debates in the UN General Assembly on the resolution, The Question of Freedom of Speech. On the second day, delegates split into smaller committees to debate the remaining resolutions, including The Question of Equity of Education, Criminal Punishment, Reproductive Rights, Virus Outbreak and In-Crisis Regulations, and International Military Regulations. The third and final day concluded the event with further committee debates and an awards ceremony. Congratulations to the HPSS delegates who received awards: Neil Vyas (Best Quote) and Brodie Hole (Best Diplomat). This event required months of preparation and would not have been possible without the dedication of the HPSSMUN organising team, who gave their time and energy to make it a success. A special thank you goes to Tashvi Ardhanari (Logistics), Suah Jeong (Education), Vani Batra (Promotions), and Ronald Wang (Communications). I’m incredibly proud to have coordinated such a prominent event for our school, and I look forward to seeing HPSSMUN continue to grow in the years ahead. Lastly, thanks Katie and Oasis for the photos! Monique Magdadaro (Year 12), UN+Predictable 2025 Event Coordinator
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ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE - SPELLING BEE FINALISTSCongratulations to Our Spelling Bee Semi-Finalists! We are very proud to announce that 12 Hobsonville Point Secondary School students have qualified for the 2025 Aotearoa New Zealand Spelling Bee Semi-Finals, sponsored by The Wright Family Foundation.
This is a huge achievement. Only 350 Year 9 and 10 students from across the country have advanced to this stage, and not every school has students make it through.
Please join us in celebrating our amazing semi-finalists:
Ella Cliffin, Gloria OuYang, Casey Mackay, Ellie Hung, Bridgette Geerken, Daniel Wang, Abigail Tamihere, Ary Zhen, Markus Orog, Kahlo May, Amelia Gallagher, Gerald Munyaradzi
These students will represent HPSS at the Auckland Regional Semi-Final on Saturday 13 September at Uxbridge Theatre in Howick. We are very proud and wish them all the very best as they continue their Spelling Bee journey!
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CONNECTEDNESS - CULTURAL EVENINGCultural evening 2025 is coming your way! On 5 September, from 5.00pm - 8.00pm HPSS will be hosting its annual Cultural Evening, an exciting night with many food trucks, activities, and heaps of performances, including performances from Hobsonville Point Primary School, Scott Point School, and many more amazing groups from HPSS. Bring all your family and friends and make sure to be there to experience different cultures from all over the world!
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2026 TERTIARY COURSE PLANNING MEETINGS: During Weeks 8 and 9, our university liaison officers will be on site at HPSS conducting course planning meetings for students undertaking tertiary study next year (or applying to the NZ Defence Force). Students have been emailed a booking request form, and parents are welcome to attend these meetings.
Dates are as follows: Unitec - Thursday 4th September Massey University - Friday 5th September Victoria University of Wellington - Friday 5th September University of Otago - Friday 5th September University of Auckland - Monday 8th September 9:30am (large group session) University of Canterbury - Tuesday 9th September AUT - Tuesday 9th September 11am (large group session) New Zealand Defence Forces - Tuesday 9th September
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ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE - MATHEX COMPETITIONOur Year 9 and 10 teams recently took part in the annual MATHEX Competition, an exciting inter-school mathematics event that draws participants from across Auckland. This year’s competition was held at Selwyn College, Kohimarama, with more than one hundred high schools in attendance. The atmosphere was intense, fast-paced, and full of energy as teams raced against the clock to solve challenging mathematical problems. The following students took part: Year 9: Ary Zhen, Casey Tait, Kavinya Kaluthara, Hermione Zhang, Zack Lu, Yuto Ikeda, Kevin Zhao, Lucas Sun. Year 10: Cheston Leung, Talia Chao, Jeremy Smeal, Gloria Ou Yang, Joshua Kim, Ha Jun Li, Prabhnoor Mahant.
Both of our teams rose to the occasion, working collaboratively under pressure and achieving excellent results. It was a fantastic experience for our students, combining the thrill of competition with the joy of problem-solving. The event not only showcased their mathematical ability but also their teamwork, resilience, and determination. Special thanks to Cairan, Ashneel, and Alice for their help.
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EXCELLENCE IN PERFORMING ARTS ALICE - A TALE OF A CURIOUS GIRL Hobsonville Point Secondary School proudly presents "Alice - a Tale of a Curious Girl" - this year's school production. The production will run over fours night next week, from Tues 26th - Fri 29th August. The show starts at 7.00pm each evening and door sales ($10/$5) will be available from 6:30pm. Join us to see the talented performing arts students in our annual school show!
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION - EOTC WEEK SELECTIONSAt HPSS we value experiences outside of the classroom and each year we end our school year for Year 9s and Year 10s with either a school camp or selecting from a wide range of experiences.
The last week of school this year is EOTC week (Monday 8 - Thursday 11 December); all Y9 and Y10 students will be participating. Students can make their selections from the booklet linked below and need to complete the selection form by next Friday, 29th August. OPTION BOOKLET SELECTION FORM Queries about EOTC are welcome at info@hobsonvillepoint.school.nz
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EXCELLENCE IN VISUAL ARTS - RONALD WANGCongratulations to Ronald Wang who has been selected as a national finalist for the Arts House Trust Secondary School Art Awards, representing Hobsonville Point Secondary School in this esteemed art competition. Ronald’s selection was based on his impressive artwork, “The World is Served”, pictured below. If you would like to view “The World is Served” and support Ronald there is an open evening at Arts House Trust Gallery in Hillsborough, Auckland on 11 September, from 3.30pm - 5.00pm during which is artwork can be viewed.
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INTERNSHIP STORIES - JOSH CURTISThis year, I started my Year 12 carpentry internship with Weatherby Projects, gaining hands-on tradie experience every Wednesday for the whole year. For the past three weeks, we have been working at two businesses in Takapuna, undergoing renovations involving framing for a bathroom, laundry, and garage, as well as earlier this term, helping renovate a bathroom on a separate property, and re-cladding the exterior of a house. Throughout the internship, I've learnt to confidently use a range of tools, including the skill saw, drop saw, jigsaw, multi tool, and track saw, and many other tools. I have especially enjoyed learning framing techniques and seeing the progress of a project from start to finish. The work environment has been welcoming and supportive. I've been working closely with Jonathan, the project manager, and have had the opportunity to observe how contractors and customers interact during a job. The highlight of my internship has definitely been learning new practical skills and building my on-site confidence. I hope to gain further experience in tradie-like work. Josh Curtis, Y12
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LEARNING HUB UPDATEFor the past three weeks, students have spent their Monday Learning Hub in year level workshops, exploring a combination of health, positive relationships, study skills and financial literacy. Below are images of Onekiritea students focusing on study skills and financial literacy. Thank you to our Health & P.E. staff, hub coaches, community leaders, and Westpac for running these valuable workshops.
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SPORTING EXCELLENCECongratulations to Kartier Hall for earning a well-deserved place in the Auckland Rugby League State of Origin squad!
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KEY DATES 2025Term 3 - Monday 14 July - Friday 19 September Term 4 - Monday 6 October - Friday 12 December 24 October - Staff Only Day Public Holidays: Labour Day – Monday 27 October 12 December - Staff Only Day
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