middlemore - king's college, aucklandmiddlemore girls have had a very exciting and successful...
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MIDDLEMORE
Term 1
A WORD FROM THE HOUSEMASTER By Nichola Hayes
Dear parents and friends of Middlemore,
Well what a great term! I’ll begin by saying well done
to all the girls in Middlemore. Term one can be a bit
of a shock to the system after the long summer
holidays where school fades into the distance and
you tend to lose track of what day it is. In particular
the year 12s have had to adjust to a totally new
environment ‐ new friends, new teachers, routines
and rules, structured times in the boarding house and
a new school culture (including for some a new
assessment system). Now that you have had ten
weeks of experience I would expect that term two
will be your term to show Middlemore and your
teachers what you can really do. I am looking forward
to seeing you all become true Middlemorians and
involving yourself fully in the life of the College. The
year 13s have taken their new year 12 housemates
under their wing and there have been some very
successful mentor/mentee friendships develop. Term
one is a vital in terms of developing House Spirit and
molding the culture of both the yr 12 and 13 dorms
and the staff and I think both groups have had their
challenges and successes and we look forward to a
consolidation of positivity and sisterhood in term
two.
I have been particularly proud of our three from
three wins in the Taylor vs Middlemore sports
competitions. Volleyball, cricket and orienteering all
saw fierce competition and well‐deserved wins to
Middlemore. Another area in which the girls have
shone has been the Glee performance of ‘Grease’.
This is an enormous commitment made by both cast
and backstage crew and resulted in a very slick and
polished musical. Bianca Escobar‐Flaunty, Holly
Sutcliffe, Lucy Currey, Rose Tapper, Amelia Gunson,
(cast), Leela McElroy, Issy Jorgensen, Emily Ordner,
Ally Price, Georgia Newbigin, Imogen Sharp, Sarah
Jones, Holly Ford, Emily Derrick, Taylor Morgan,
Milly Barrett and Caitlin Treacy (backstage) – a big
well done and congratulations.
I am very pleased to announce that Mrs. Karen
Thompson, a Middlemore boarding house tutor, will
be stepping in to replace me for 16 weeks from April
20th to August 10th. During this time I will be on
maternity leave. The House will be in the good hands
of an experienced Middlemore staff member. Karen’s
contact details will be emailed to you in a future
email.
The contributors in this newsletter sum up the rest of
the term very nicely so I’ll leave the girls with my best
wishes for a relaxing break and I hope parents enjoy
the time spent with their daughters at home.
Nulli Secundis, Nichola Hayes
HEAD OF HOUSE REPORT By Lucy Currey
Middlemore girls have had a very exciting and successful start to an amazing year. Everyone has worked incredibly hard with
new girls having to settle in, year 13s enjoying their privileges and the girls learning more about each other in order to make
what I can already see, will be strong and meaningful friendships.
At the beginning of this term, as a House we travelled to the school camp Ahuroa. Throughout this day, the girls ‐ particularly
the year 12s, were able to learn new things about the girls of their dorm and who they will be living with for the next two
years. While on this day trip, I talked to the girls about my vision for Middlemore. I said that most of all, I want the girls to
have a positive attitude and open mind with everything that comes their way throughout their time here at King’s. I was
pleased to see that the girls in the House took this on board and that they quickly learnt that the best way to have fun was to
get involved!
The boarding house has many rules and schedules that the girls must learn and live by in order for everything to run
smoothly. It has been great to see how the girls have learnt how to adapt to this huge change in their lives and take a chance
to experience self‐management. I find that forward planning and thinking ahead is very important to keep on top of things in
the House and I encourage all girls to think about this too, even if it is just packing your bag for school the night before or
charging laptops during prep so that there is no need to run around a few minutes before bed trying to find a charger!
I have been very impressed with the House spirit that has been shown throughout Middlemore this year, and would
particularly like to thank the year 13’s for their hard work in all they do in order to make activities fun for those in the House.
This term, Middlemore has competed against Taylor in two sporting events, Volleyball and Cricket. I am very proud to say
that Middlemore has successfully won both games, a big thank you to our sports prefect Courtney Varney and the teams that
participated! The supporters are also very important so thank you to the girls who attended the games in House colours and
chanted to encourage our outstanding teams! In community service, we baked cupcakes for hundreds that visited on
Otahuhu Fun Day. The House has been able to support the school and the community on many occasions and we will
continue working hard together in order to win the community service trophy again this year!
This year was the introduction of the boarding weekend activities which have been a success with all sorts of adventures such
as snorkelling at Goat Island, surf lifesaving, Jump and Tree adventures. I encourage the girls to make it their aim to stay in
during the weekend at least once over the next term as it not only is a lot of fun, you are able to get to know more people
from the house and form great relationships.
This term is one of the busiest and it has just flown by! I myself have been busy, with a number of the other girls, in the
school’s production of Grease. Next term we will have a new temporary Housemaster while Mrs Hayes looks after her new
baby and I would just like the girls to understand that they can talk to me about anything and at any time for whatever they
need. I know that each and every one of the girls of Middlemore deserve a well‐earned break after coping and working so
hard over the first term and I can’t wait to see what next term hold for us as a House and as a school.
Nulli Secundis
CULTURAL REPORT By Catherine Fu
This year, girls in Middlemore have taken cultural participation to a whole new level. With new activities and student‐led
initiatives starting within the College, and many new opportunities for cultural activities, Middlemore girls have impressed the
teachers and other students with their dedication to many commitments.
Firstly, we as a House congratulate the amount of hard work Glee Club members have put into the musical “Grease”. Starring
our very own Bianca Escobar‐Flaunty (Year 12) as “Frenchie", Holly Sutcliffe (Year 12) as “Jan”, Lucy Currey (Year 13) as
“Patty”, Rose Tapper (Year 12) as “Cha‐cha” and Amelia Gunson (Year 12) in the female ensemble. The show has stirred the
school into a frenzy of romance, cars and 1950’s rock and roll. It is heart‐warming to say that their hard work in the late Friday
and Sunday night rehearsals have paid off, and the show was an outstanding hit.
We also recognise the amount of behind‐the‐scene work done by the makeup and costumes girls. Congratulations to the
makeup girls, especially Leela McElroy (Year 13) as head of Glee makeup for doing an incredible job. (The girls looked
stunning!) Applause goes to Imogen Sharp (Year 12), Sarah Jones (Year 12), Caitlin Treacy (Year 12), Holly Ford (Year 12), Millie
Barrett (Year 12), and Georgie Newbigin (Year 13) for their work on makeup, and Emily Derrick (Year 12), Taylor Morgan (Year
12), Ally Price (Year 13) and Emily Ordner (Year 13) for their work on costumes.
Next up, this term has also bore witness to various new musical opportunities for girls in the College. We acknowledge the
formation of the Middlemore Girls’ Band, involving Amelia Gunson (Year 12), Holly Sutcliffe (Year 12), Maddy Smart (Year 13),
Alanna O’Riley (Year 13), and Ally Price (Year 13), and we all look forward to hearing you play very soon! Meanwhile, the
newly formed girls’ choir “Les Filles de Roi” (meaning “the heart of King’s”), has performed in a chapel service and is entering
the Big Sing in June. Stage Challenge has also started, and the efforts of the girls involved must be applauded. We look
forward to a promising performance and competition. Special mention goes toward Annabel Thomas (Year 13) and Lucy
Currey (Year 13) for their leadership in choreography. These are chances for musical girls at King’s to perform and experience
working together as a team, and I implore girls to make the most out of these musical opportunities.
This year, the Round Square Pillar Committees have been formed. Featuring the themes of Democracy, Internationalism,
Leadership, Environment, Service and Adventure, they are entirely student‐led and student‐run, and seek to promote these
values and ideals across the school community. With our very own Annie Lane (Year 13) leading the Internationalism Pillar,
girls have enthusiastically participated in various committees. This is an excellent leadership opportunity, and allows the girls
to have a say in student‐run events and put their own ideas forward. I would like to congratulate them on their initiative, and
encourage them to keep up the good work!
The amount of cultural involvement this year is astounding. Middlemore girls have also been involved in other cultural
activities, such as debating, orchestra, bands, chapel choir and theatre sports. Term 2 will be a busy time, with most of the
competitions taking place, including Stage Challenge, the Big Sing, KBB, as well as our Big House and Small House
Competitions. We look to the many successes of our girls in the future and their many achievements.
Nullis Secundis.
SACRISTAN REPORT By Annabel Thomas
Middlemore has always given 100% in their efforts towards Community Service and King’s offers so many fun ways to volunteer and
be involved in a wide range of activities and events supporting our wider community. Its been great to see many of the girls sign up
for 3‐4 regular service activities and also getting involved with many extra events.
During this term, we have been involved in many regular service activities, including Reading in Schools – a program where both Year
12 and 13 girls head out into local primary schools (Otahuhu and Panama Primary School) assisting children to become better
readers. Both schools value our voluntary services and we have received positive feedback about what great role models the
Middlemore girls involved are and the way they conduct themselves supporting the younger students.
Throughout this term, an optional but popular activity for both Year 12 and 13 are the Lent groups that have taken place during the
Lent period before Easter. This gives the students an opportunity to deepen their understanding of religion whilst watching the
movie “Mandela” and discussing themes of the film with either Rev Wilder or Rev Walters.
The annual Otahuhu Fun Day was held on Saturday 28 February, and which attracts thousands of people from South Auckland.
Everybody in the house contributed to the baking of 800 cupcakes to help reach the school goal of 2,500 cupcakes to give away on
the day! A massive thank you goes to Gabrielle Maguire, Kate Gatfield‐Jeffries and Maddy Smart who helped organize this fun and
crazy event and also to the girls who assisted on the day, face‐painting, cooking sausages and working on the cupcake stall, their
efforts were outstanding and they gave so many little people in our community something to smile about. It is rewarding for girls to
see the positive effect they can have on other people when they take part in community service and see first‐hand the gratitude of
those the college offer our services to.
Another favourite activity the girls have loved getting involved in is helping prepare meals at the Ronald McDonald House in Grafton
for those staying there. This term, plenty of the girls have been involved and have thoroughly enjoyed themselves in a very
rewarding evening.
More recently, events have taken place such as Visually Impaired People Camp that Ally Price, Claudia Cooper and Lucy Rasmussen
attended on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 March. That same weekend, the Sunrise Walk for Hospice took place at the Auckland
Botanical Gardens. A big thank you to Courtney Varney, Kelsie Taylor, Emma Thompson, Caitlin Treacy, Gabrielle Maguire, Tori Kerr,
Anna McCallum, Kate Prebble and Emily Derrick who gave up their Sunday morning to participate in this fun and worthwhile event.
Our BIG event this term was the annual KC Runathon, which is an occasion for all the girls to get involved and participate raising
funds through sponsorship for running laps on the school track.
Everyone was welcome – parents included! Food was available, the best of King’s College musical entertainment provided and prizes
were given away, all to raise money for two very important charities – Kiwican and St. John’s ambulance.
Overall, Term One has been a busy 10 weeks and I am so proud of how much effort the girls have put towards the chapel activities.
Whether it is volunteering to collect for a campaign or to help at day care, the chapel is very appreciative of the all the work the girls
do. Next term is another term full of new opportunities to get involved in community service and with enthusiasm and commitment,
Middlemore will beat our strong oppositions and retain the Inter‐House Community Service trophy for 2015.
I wish everyone a restful and safe holiday after a magnificent term and thank all of the Middlemore girls and their involvement in
community service and look forward to seeing you all next term.
SPORTS REPORT By Courtney Varney
Middlemore has opened the year with great success as the sports got underway for 2015. With over half of the
House new to the college, it has been great to see that there has been huge involvement and enthusiasm in
House events and weekly sports.
In House swimming, each girl competed for their boy house and Middlemore had some outstanding results.
Courtney Varney (Greenbank) won girls champion for 2015. Diana Young (Parnell), Emma Thompson (Selwyn)
and Maddy Smart (Peart) all made A finals in their respective events.
Athletics was much the same with the Middlemore girls really getting involved. Highlights of the day being
Emerson Deverell placing 1st in 800m, 2nd in 1500m and 2nd in 3000m. Georgie Newbigin also had successful
results, placing 2nd in discus and Courtney Varney placing 2nd in 1000m steeples chase and 300m hurdles.
We have also had many girls inter‐house competitions against Taylor House (the girl’s day house).We
competed in Volleyball and Cricket. Winning both these events was a great success for Middlemore. Volleyball
was a closely contested game with Sidney McNamara and Taylor Morgan serving some great shots. In cricket,
Middlemore had a great win scoring 99/0 with Taylor scoring 46/6. Kate Gatfield‐Jefferies and April Kerr must
be commended on their batting, with April scoring half a century. Kate Prebble also got two wickets for
Middlemore.
Outside the House we have also had girls excelling in their sport. Emerson Deverell competed at the national
athletics championships held in Wellington where she placed a commendable 4th place in the 3000m. Also,
Maryann Panoho did an outstanding job competing in the North Island champs for Rowing. Congratulations are
also in order for the Girl XI football team who qualified for the premier grade late this term.
RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE By Kate Gatfield‐Jeffries
On Tuesday the 17th of March a group of Middlemore girls went to Ronald
McDonald house in Auckland to prepare and cook dinner for the families
staying there. Girls from Taylor House and the Bartones joined the
Middlemore girls. Ronald McDonald House offers families from out of
Auckland a place to stay when their children need to be close to Starship
Hospital for treatment. The girls arrived at Ronald McDonald House
straight after school and got to work preparing a delicious dinner and
dessert. The nachos were especially popular with the younger kids! All the
families and staff at Ronald McDonald were very appreciative of our
efforts. All the girls enjoyed the evening and found it to be a very
rewarding experience.
MIDDLEMORE VS. TAYLOR VOLLEYBALL By Alanna O’Riley
After weeks of competitive talk and preparation, the Taylor vs. Middlemore
volleyball game finally came around on the 23rd of February. Both teams displayed
incredible skill, and both side‐lines gave all of their support. The atmosphere was
intense and both teams knew how important this game was. It was clear from the
beginning of the game that Middlemore were the more skilled of both teams. After
20 minutes of fierce play, Middlemore won the game 2 – 0. This was particularly
special for the girls of Middlemore as we felt the victory was deserving and meant a
lot to get a head start in the yearlong competition between Taylor and Middlemore.
The final blow of the whistle meant screaming and hugging all around with
Middlemore gaining the deserved title as the 2015 Volleyball winners.
MIDDLEMORE VS. TAYLOR CRICKET By Claudia Cooper
Emotions were running high when the Middlemore girls played their annual game of cricket against
Taylor House. Although Taylor had essentially admitted their defeat before the game had even
started there was still a lot of pressure on the girls to hammer home a win considering that the
entire Girl’s XI Cricket team is comprised of Middlemore girls. The game got off to great start, with
Middlemore batters Kate Gatfield‐Jefferies and April Kerr taking home 99 runs after 10 overs. By
this time the girls were confident that they had secured a win and now all they had to do was hold
off the Taylor Batswomen, which proved to be an easy task with bowlers Kate Prebble, Tori Kerr
and Courtney Varney. Taylor put up a good fight but their efforts could not overcome the success of
the Middlemore batswomen in the first 10 overs. In the end, Taylor managed to score 35 runs,
which was still a great effort for a team of amateurs. At the end of the game the pressure came off
a bit as Taylor’s chances of securing a win began to diminish. When the last ball was bowled the
Middlemore girls stormed the cricket pitch and celebrated their victory. There was then a
Middlemore‐Taylor ice cream sundae event in the pavilion which was enjoyed by both houses.
SWIMMING SPORTS By Maddy Smart
Swimming Sports has always been one of King’s College’s biggest annual sporting
events, and this year was no different. On Thursday the 5th of February, students,
teachers and parents alike came together to be a part of the incredible KC spirit. The
students from all 9 houses set the mood by parading into the pool area with music
and costumes specific to each house. It was wonderful to see all the Middlemore
girls, old and new, getting so involved with their boy houses, not only in the pool but
also with the chanting and spirit pool‐side. Right from competitive swimmers to
boys and girls just giving it a go to get extra points for their house, were in the pool,
and it didn’t matter what place you came, the support and cheering was endless. It
was a gorgeous way to start the school sporting events for the year and one of the
best as well. A huge well done to everyone involved and may the rest of the year go
ahead with just as much spirit and enthusiasm!
ATHLETICS DAY By Emerson Deverell
On Tuesday the 17th February House Athletics commenced and emotions were running
high. For those competing either competitively or not, the prospect of running, jumping,
and throwing in front of your peers was scary to say the least. All the Middlemore girls got
involved, with each girl competing for her boy house. It was great to see everybody trying
their best for their boy houses, even if it was in an event that they had no experience in or
were dreading. Overall it was a fun day that everybody enjoyed whether they placed or not.
The atmosphere was awesome and everyone was encouraging towards the girls and their
efforts. Following an afternoon of spirited competition, Selwyn cinched the win with a
narrow five‐point lead over Major House. The Senior Girls category was won by Averill
which includes Middlemore girls Alex Cochrane, Bianca Escobar‐Flaunty, Annie Lane, Madz
Spence, Holly Sutcliffe and Rose Tapper.
AHUROA CAMP
BY ROSE TAPPER
On the very first weekend of boarding all the 2015 Middlemore dorm spent the weekend in, and on the Sunday
we all got on the bus early in the morning to go to Kings’ off campus property, Ahuroa. We arrived and were
briefed on the activities of the day which included team building exercises, the “leap of faith”, raft building and a
flying fox. Then we set off and were split into groups with a mixture of year thirteen’s and year twelve’s,
beginning with the team exercises. This included using only a few planks of wood and tyres to get across to make
it to the other side and using only our rope and trust of the other person to allow someone to walk across the
rope. We then moved onto the climbing wall and “leap of faith”, my personal favourite of the day. We were
harnessed in and then moved onto the climbing wall, each being belayed by another girl, or moved onto the “leap
of faith” where you climbed up onto a tall pole and jumped from the top out to try and grab the bar. This was a
challenge for most of the girls, many having trouble with the height, but all making it to the top, however
Catherine was the only one to grab the bar! We then went up the hill to do the flying fox. Each of us took a turn,
having a competition to see who could scream the loudest, being caught by some trusty year 13’s at the bottom
of the hill. After lunch we then moved onto the raft building. This was rather difficult as we were only given
barrels, bamboo and rope to construct a raft with that would to get the whole group and raft back to get to the
other end of the swamp and back. There was a lot of squealing and splashing however everyone made it back to
the finish in one piece! Overall it was a successful day and the Middlemore girls all enjoyed themselves.
YR 12 AFTERNOON TEA
BIANCA ESCOBAR‐FLAUNTY
On the 10th March all the year 12’s were told that they had to come straight back to Middlemore house to attend a compulsory
punishment, for something that had happened the previous week. We all found it slightly unfair, as most of us were not to blame,
but we assumed it was to teach us a lesson. The Tuesday after school, we all rushed back, dreading what would be in store.
Hesitantly, we were all sat down in the year 12 common room, not allowed to look out some of the windows, and given a harsh
talking to by Lucy, the head of house, and two other prefects.
We were asked to line up in single file, and I happened to have the honour of being first in line. We were lead down to the start of
the corridor. Everyone silent, the door to the cat corridor opened, and I saw the floor sprinkled with pink petals. My immediate
thought was “They’ve had a party and going to make us clean up!” At the end of the corridor on the door hung pink streamers
forming a curtain, and I walked through. I was greeted with a huge “SURPRISE” from the year 13’s, a blast of music started playing,
and everything was pink! There were gorgeous decorations, pink lotus‐like flowers sitting on each table, pink cups, pink table cloths,
and more. To my left was a table laden with food, and three mini tables in the centre with plates and name labels for everyone to
sit. I was lucky being the first, I got the full view of everything, and also got to stand back and watch everyone else walk through,
with expressions of shock, relief, and one girl was so touched she started crying (naming no name’s Kate GJ).
When everyone was sitting comfortably, and had been explained to that there was never going to be a punishment, we were called
to feast on the food the year 13’s had graciously supplied us with. There was a huge lolly jar, chocolates, muffins, chips, popcorn,
biscuits, punch, sausage rolls; there was so much food there, I didn’t know what to grab first! Unfortunately some people had to
dash, to make it to other commitments, but not of course without grabbing something to snack on.
It was so lovely, sitting there chatting to friends and stuffing our faces full without hesitation, instead of doing the punishment we
had thought we were in for! There were little pink paper bags in which people could full with goodies to save for later, and people
started drifting away.
Once again, a huge thank you to Lucy for organising this unforgettable event and all the year 13’s who had aided this trick and
provided us with all the decorations, food and fun. I really feel like we have bonded well as a house, and the party really celebrated
what special relationships we’ll make with each other over the course of this year.
A WORD FROM MATRON
Dear Parents/Guardians,
We can all breathe a sigh of relief, having got through Term 1, without too much sickness in the House, and
can now look forward to a well‐earned break and a chance to re‐charge the batteries.
Terms 2 and 3 traditionally see a lot more coughs/colds in the House, so I tend to jump at the first sign of a
sniffle, and nip it in the bud! I have Panadol/Strepsils/Vick Vapour Rub plus the famous (and dreaded)
Cough Mixture to combat all the winter nasties, but as hard as I try, some sniffles still creep in.
So, can you please remind your daughters to come to see me at the first sign of feeling unwell, rather than
waiting until they are on their last legs, and falling over with the ‘flu – I’d much rather catch these things
early than late, that way they spend less time at the Med Centre, and away from their classes.
Enjoy having the girls with you for the holidays, encourage them to catch up on sleep, and remind them that
they’ll need Winter Uniform only when they return to school. As always, know that my door is always open,
should you need to discuss anything with me.
Kind Regards,
Brenda (aka Matron)
UPCOMING DATESMon 20 April – Staff Development Day. Boarders
return either before 8.30pm or Tuesday 21st
before 8.15am.
Mon 27 April – Anzac Exeat (no school).
Boarders return before 8.30pm or Tuesday 28th
before 8.15am.
Fri 1st May – Small House Music
Fri 8th May – Dinner for parents of new
boarders and new girls.
Fri 15th May – Big House Music
Sun 24th May – Middlemore Evening Chapel
Service 7pm
Mon 1st June – Mid‐Term Exeat
Fri 26th June – 1pm Term Ends