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Te Reo O Te Roto
The Language of the Lake
Issue 62 | 6 April 2023
From the Principal

From the Principal

Kia ora parents and caregivers,

Over the last two weeks of Term 1, we have had some incredible success through Summer Tournament Week in national events and competitions. Our Rowing squad represented Westlake Girls at the Aon Maadi Regata in Lake Karpairo winning Gold in the Under 15 Coxed Four, and Silver in the Under 18 Novice Four. Westlake Girls placed first in Auckland overall and fourth among all girls’ schools.

At the New Zealand Secondary Schools Softball Championship our team placed second and in the New Zealand Basketball Championships our teams won two Silvers and a Bronze. Our sailing team also won Gold at the Auckland Secondary Schools Sailing Championship and will be competing in the New Zealand Secondary School Championship during the holiday break.

On Friday 31st March our Year 9 student Avishi Jain won the title of 2023 Idol in New Zealand’s Radio Tarana singing competition. This is a fantastic achievement and Avishi is the youngest competitor to have entered in the fourteen years the competition has been running.

On Saturday April 1st our Westlake choral singers were fortunate to perform with Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir, American soloist Sasha Cooke and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra at a full capacity Auckland Town Hall. The concert opened with a new waiata commissioned from Robert Wiremu especially for the event, which was sung by Voices NZ and the Westlake Cygnet Choir.

On Tuesday this week our Kapa haka Group competed at the ASB Polyfest Māori & Pacific Islands Cultural Festival where they came third overall in Division 2. This is a fantastic achievement and results in a promotion to Division 1 next year. They also won the Haka taparahi for best female haka and placed second for Moteatea and mita (Pronunciation). Caitlin Jenkins was named third best female leader.

We are very proud of all our students who have represented us admirably in events over the last few weeks. You can read more about these in the newsletter.

Our ‘House’ system is a great way for our students to show support, feel united and work together as a team. With the results of the Cross Country this week just in, the Champion House at the end of Term 1 is Onewa. Congratulations to our Onewa House students. You can see the latest numbers on the ‘houses’ page on our website.

On Thursday 30th March and Tuesday 4th April we held interview evenings where parents were able to meet with their child’s subject teachers and it was great to see so many of you attending these.

It has been a busy but rewarding Term 1 and I’m sure you are all looking forward to a well-deserved break. Safe travels if you are going away and we look forward to seeing all our students back on Wednesday 26th April.

Kind regards

Jane Stanley
Principal

Important dates for the start of Term 2:

  • Monday 24th April – Teacher only day.
  • Tuesday 25th April – Anzac Day (school closed).
  • Wednesday 26th April – first day of Term 2.
  • Wednesday 10 May & Thursday 11 May – North Shore Careers Expo North Harbour Stadium.
Arts & Culture

Cygnet Choir with Voices Chamber Choir and the NZ Symphony Orchestra

On Saturday April 1st our Westlake choral singers were fortunate to perform Mahler’s Third Symphony with Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir, American soloist Sasha Cooke and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. The 37 singers selected from school choirs Nota Bella, Cigno Voce and Cantare;  formed the Westlake Cygnet Choir and were trained by Elise Bradley (Director of Nota Bella). The Auckland Town Hall was at capacity with 2,000 audience members and the singers remained on stage for the entire performance. The concert opened with a new waiata commissioned from Robert Wiremu especially for the event, which was sung by Voices NZ and the Westlake Cygnet Choir.

The Mahler Third Symphony is a colossal Romantic work, with an orchestra double its usual size and twice as many movements. The choirs sang in the fifth movement – the German text describes ‘Love’ as the most important aspect of our earthly lives.  It was an amazing and enjoyable experience for our students to be performing with national ensembles and the performance received a standing ovation and rave reviews.

Arts & Culture

Best female haka at ASB Polyfest

On Tuesday 4th April our Kapa Haka Group of 18 students took to the stage at the ASB Polyfest Māori & Pacific Islands Cultural Festival.  The team placed 3rd overall in the 2nd Division (with a likely promotion to the 1st Division next year). They won the Haka taparahi for best female haka and placed second for Mōteatea and mita (Pronunciation). Caitlin Jenkins was named third best female leader.

The team were led by tutors: Maddison Gerbes (Alumni) and Tirakahurangi Takuira-Leaf, and accompanied by guitarists were Natana Herewini and Murray Hawke.

Academic

Avishi Jain wins 2023 Radio Tarana Idol!

Our Year 9 student Avishi Jain won New Zealand’s Radio Tarana Idol singing competition for 2023, last Friday Night (31st March). Avishi is the youngest ever contestant in the competition that has been running for fourteen years. Along with a cash prize, Avisha will have the opportunity to perform in Australia with an esteemed singer along with a movie playback contract.

Avisha’s sister and Westlake Girls Alumni Rashi Jain was also selected to audition however she wasn’t able to participate due to her university schedule.

This is a fantastic result and a testament to the time Avisha put into practice, rehearsal, and the many hours of bus rides after school to attend the live in-studio performances throughout the competition.

You can watch Avishi signing Kuch To Hai in the final via the link below:

 

Sports

Gold and Silver at the Aon Maadi Regatta

Last week during Summer Tournament Week, the Westlake Girls rowing squad travelled to Lake Karpairo to compete in the annual Maadi Regatta (New Zealand Secondary School Rowing Championships). Our squad represented Westlake Girls admirably over the course of the week, achieving 4 A finals (top 8 finishes) and 4 B final (top 16 finishes) including a Gold medal and national title in the girls u15 four and a Silver in the girls u18 novice four.

Westlake Girls finished as the 9th best sweeping school overall, fourth among all girls schools in New Zealand and first in Auckland. Of the 26 girls titles, Westlake Girls win in the u154+ was the only from an Auckland program and one of only four North Island schools to win girls titles, with South Island schools dominating proceedings. Maadi Cup 2023 marks the second consecutive year our senior 8 has earned a place in the u18 8 A final, after a 7 year absence. They were one of only two North Island schools to line up in the final on Saturday afternoon, finishing seventh in the final and the second North Island school.

Off the back of these results, individual squad members have been recognised for the efforts and ability. Tessa Guthrie and Phoebe Dobson have been awarded North Island trials, if they earn a place in the team, they will compete against the South Island later this month.

Results:

Girls u154+ : 1st (Gold) Talia Chatfield (stroke), Charlotte Mawston, Sacha van der Net, Maeve Lockett + Tessa Guthrie (cox)

Girls u18N 4+ : 2nd (Silver) Charlotte Mawston (stroke), Sacha van der Net, Annabel Savage, Annabel Drew Ross + Tayla Coplestone (cox)

Girls u18 4+ : 5th Taylor Penberthy (stroke), Stephanie Severin, Phoebe Dobson, Caitlin Naude + Tessa Guthrie (cox)

Girls u18 8+ : 7th Taylor Penberthy (stroke), Stephanie Severin, Phoebe Dobson, Caitlin Naude, Maeve Lockett, Talia Chatfield, Anna Greenhlagh, Carla Pethers-Boak + Tessa Guthrie (cox)

Girls u174+: 11th Talia Chatfield (stroke), Phoebe Dobson, Maeve Lockett, Stephanie Severin + Tayla Coplestone (cox)

Girls u168+ : 13thNeva Currie (stroke), Hollie Fraser, Isabella Davies, Payton Berry, Amelie Rerekura-Peters, Annabel Drew Ross, Annabel Savage, Kathryn Farac + Grace Kennedy (cox)

Girls u154+ : 15th Sophia de Felice (stroke), Rikyla Kennedy, Holly Christiansen, Rosa Morris + Delilah Clements (cox)

Girls u184x+ : 16th Olivia Wingate (stroke), Amalie Hoban, Maia Brown, Ruby Iversen + Grace Kennedy (cox)

Arts & Culture

Māori sculpture artwork

We have two new Māori sculpture artworks on display in Reception (Admin Building) and in the foyer in the Events Centre. The pieces were created by 2019 Alumni Emma Jane Ormsby along with a group of our talented art students. Informed by Ataria Rangipikitia Sharman’s thesis “Mana Wahine and Atua Wāhine” the artworks draw inspiration from the school house stories alongside Matariki.

The artworks are prototypes for the planned Whare Wānanga on campus which will be our  “Tūrangawawae” or “special place of learning” which will embellish “Te Mana Wāhine” or “The Empowerment of Women”.

If you are keen to support the Whare Wānanga project in anyway, please contact Matua Eddie Hudson at Westlake Girls E: [email protected]

Picture above: Emma Jane doing the finishing touches to the artwork above reception. You can see more of Emma’s incredible work on her website.

Sports

The Young Westlake Girls Sailing Team Does It Again

After unexpectedly winning the 2022 Auckland Secondary Schools Teams Racing Regatta, the Daniella Wooldridge led team, was more than ready to defend their title this year. Sailing in 420’s  (double-handed boats), the team of 8 met Diocesan School again in the Girls final and won 3-0.

Now the team heads up to Algies Bay over the holidays to compete in the New Zealand Secondary Schools Teams Racing Championship from 17 – 21 April.

Sports

Westlake Girls Fastest Cross Country

The annual School Cross Country took place over two days under blue skies this year.  Compulsory for Year 9 students, who ran the 2.8 km course around the school during their P.E classes and optional for Year 10 – 13 students who were eager to earn house points, they all contested the Championship Titles.

Year 9 runner Emma Davies was the star performer of the event, running the fastest time (11:37:33) but hotly contested by fellow Year 9 athlete, Freya Beaumont.  Much like the Juniors, the Intermediate battle was very heated with Charlotte Mawston and Ava Lewis crossing the line at the same time.  The Senior Cross Country Champion is once again, talented athlete, Kalei Morgan-Tafea.

Junior Cross Country Champion – Emma Davies – Onewa

Intermediate Cross Country Champion – Charlotte Mawston & Ava Lewis – Akoranga & Onewa

Senior Cross Country Champion – Kalei Morgan-Tafea – Wairau

Picture – Emma Davies

Sports

Historical Softball win at NZ Secondary School Champs

Westlake Girls performed incredibly at Dynasty Ball Park in Christchurch to meet One Tree Hill College in the final of the New Zealand Secondary Schools Softball Championship last week.  First timers at the Premier Championship, Westlake had only competed at the Division 2 Champs in the past and so they knew that it was going to be a tough competition.

The tournament began with abandoned games due to the early onset of winter weather, icy rain and low temperatures, which northern teams struggled in.  However, Westlake was led admirably by NZ Under 18 representative, Charlotte Graham, and other Year 13 students, Jayah Lee and Kalani Mariner who took them to 5 – 3 the final but a surge from the Auckland champs, One Tree Hill College meant that they had to settle for a runner-up after losing narrowly, 5-6.

Congratulations to coach Fergus McAlpine and Charlotte Graham who was named the Top Pitcher of the tournament.

Arts & Culture

Westlake Symphony and Concert Band Camp

From Friday 31st March to Monday 3rd April, the students in Westlake Symphony Orchestra and Westlake Concert Band gathered at Willow Park Christian Camp for a combined music camp. The schedule included around 9 hours of rehearsal on the weekend days but there was also time for games, homework, eating delicious food and much needed sleep. The students were also privileged to workshop with professional players from the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, who visited camp on Saturday. It was a fantastic four days of music-making and team bonding, and we look forward to sharing the music with our school community in Term 2 performances.

Music Department Concerts coming up in Term 2:

Westlake Girls Soloist Competition – Friday 19th May, 7:30pm in the WGHS Event Center. For more information click: WGHS Soloist Comp ’23

Music of the Lake Concert (presented by the Westlake Premier Ensembles) – Friday 12th May, 7:30pm in WGHS Event Center. For more information click: Music of the Lake Prem Concert ’23

Academic

Careers Expo 10th & 11th May

The North Shore Career Expo is at the North Harbour Stadium on Wednesday 10th and Thursday 11th May. There are evening sessions between 4-7.30pm making this is a great opportunity for senior students and their families to explore what is on offer from the 50 plus exhibitors. Exhibitors include all NZ universities, Te Pūkenga and tertiary training providers from Auckland and across NZ, Education USA, Police, Defence Force, AFS Exchanges, Industry Training Organisations and more…

For more information visit the website here:

Sports

NZ Secondary Schools Basketball 3x3 Nationals

Our top basketballers performed strongly at the New Zealand Secondary Schools 3×3 Championships at Bruce Pulman Area during Summer Tournament week to put Westlake Girls onto the podium three times at the end of the week:

Senior Elite – Division 1 Silver

Junior Elite – Division 1 Silver

Senior Open – Division 2 Bronze

Junior Open – Division 2 4th

Strong Senior Elite team of Rebecca Moors, Amy Pateman, Emma Schroeder and Lily Fotu were pressed by Tauranga Girls in the final 8-11.

And the exciting Junior Elite team of Imani Rasmussen, Honor Coates, Katie Moors and Brydie McMillan lost to Rotorua Girls.

 

Sports

Strong performance from our Cricket Team

Our Westlake Girls First Cricket XI bounced back from a tough start to perform with credit at the Auckland College tournament in Mt Roskill at the end of March. After losing to the highly fancied TGS and MAGS on day one, Westlake came back strongly on day two with a big win over Western Springs and comfortably beat North Harbour rivals Rangitoto to finish on a good note.

Co-captain Emily Watton led the way with the bat, her 96 runs putting her in the tournaments top 10, but it was the bowlers who shone. After three days play Lily Johnson was top equal bowler for the tournament with 10 wickets including a hat trick! Aaliyah Patel with 8 wickets was also top 5, but all contributed and the team spirit was outstanding.

After losing several top players at the end of 2022, this has been a rebuilding season for a young team under coach Mr Lacey and things look promising for the coming years.

Community

Dance troupes perform for residents at the Poynton

Dance troupes is an extra-curricular activity run at Westlake Girls High School and is an opportunity for students to extend themselves in their chosen genres. This year we have groups for Lyrical, Contemporary, Jazz, Latin, Hip Hop and K-Pop. Students are working toward competing in a couple of competitions, but also enjoy doing performances and leading workshops. This year we have 55 students involved and all of our choreography is created by the students.

Our Dance troupes recently had the opportunity to perform at the Poynton in Takapuna. The students had a great time and enjoyed sharing their skills with the local residents. This was a fantastic checkpoint for them to see how their choreography looked in front of an audience and an experience in building their performance protocols. The residents loved the performances by the different groups of our extra-curricular troupes. We look forward to more performances in the community to show off our talented students!

Community

Join us - Community Fitness classes

Have you tried a fitness class yet? Classes are held in Gym 2 (Dance studio) and ALL are welcome. We cater for different levels of fitness, strength and co-ordination. Our current timetable includes dance fitness, circuit/Tabata sessions, Stretch, toning and body-weight workouts. These are small group classes with a welcoming and relaxed environment.

Evening classes are held at 6:45pm and weekends around 8:15am. Come and give it a go!

For more info email [email protected]

Community

Pupuke House first fundraiser

Pupuke House held their first house fundraiser on Monday 27th March to raise funds for their house charity for 2023, RESPECT. RESPECT is a Takapuna-based community organisation whose purpose is to support victims of domestic violence and promote healthier relationships. They offer a range of programs, including both support programs for victims, as well as educational programs.

The Pupuke Service Committee had a brunch-bake sale where they sold an array of baked goods and waffles. They raised just over $830 towards the charity.

Notices

Process to see the Health Nurses

Just a reminder of the process if students become unwell during class time, they will be issued a health note by the class teacher so that they can visit the Health Centre. The nurses will assess the student’s medical needs and contact a caregiver or emergency contact if they need to be sent home. Very often students can be treated and sent back to class. Students must follow the correct procedures in the case of illness and they are not allowed to make their own arrangements by texting or calling parents or caregivers to collect them from school.

Thank you!

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