Northcote College International

FROM VOLCANOES TO VILLAGE VIBES
Our international students had a fantastic day out in nearby Devonport this week!

They explored Maungauika North Head, a historic dormant volcano famous for its early Māori settlement and fascinating network of military tunnels and fortifications. The spectacular views of the Waitematā Harbour and Auckland city were an absolute highlight!

Afterwards, the group enjoyed some downtime wandering through the charming Devonport village and relaxing with lunch by the waterfront.

This trip is all part of a special week of activities designed for our international students who aren’t sitting senior exams.

COOKING UP A STORM!
This week, some of our international students got a true taste of New Zealand by whipping up a traditional Kiwi roast lamb with all the trimmings.

While our senior students are busy with exams, this group has been taking part in a special week of activities.

The delicious reward for their hard work was sitting down together to enjoy the hearty lunch they worked so hard to create!

LEARNING TRADITIONAL MĀORI FLAX WEAVING

Since not all of our international students are sitting the senior exams this week, they’ll be enjoying a special activities program instead.

On Tuesday, students explored the traditional art of raranga (Māori weaving) using harakeke (flax)

Guided by Deputy Head Student Waihuia Thein, the room was full of focus and creativity as everyone learned to craft beautiful putiputi harakeke (flax flowers) and harakeke whetū (flax stars).

A huge thank you to Waihuia for sharing her knowledge and passion with us!

With senior exams running this week, we’ve organised a special programme of activities for those international students not sitting exams.

On Monday the teams enjoyed a range of social sports – with some competitive but friendly games of table tennis, volleyball, and netball.

Our Spanish Language students recently put their Spanish knowledge to the test at an exciting inter-school quiz competition!

It was a fantastic experience that pushed our learners to use their Spanish in real-time. Moving beyond the classroom, they tackled complex rounds entirely in the target language. Also, we were especially proud to have the participation of international students Isabel Ceballos from Chile, and Valentina Centofanti from Italy (who is speaking Spanish as a third language!)

Beyond the scores, it was wonderful to see our students connecting with peers from other schools in such a high-energy environment.

¡Enhorabuena a todos! Congratulations everyone! You represented our school with brilliance and orgullo (pride).

𝗙𝗜𝗘𝗟𝗗𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞 𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗔𝗬!
Our Year 13 Geography students headed out into the field last week to conduct hands-on research at Omaha Beach!

Three International students from Germany – 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝗞𝗼𝗰𝗵, 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗲𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗵, and 𝗝𝗮𝗻 𝗪𝗮𝗵𝗿𝗵𝗲𝗶𝘁 – were among the budding geographers getting up close and personal with New Zealand’s landscapes.

The classmates braved the elements to investigate spatial variation across the environment, closely analysing the relationships between dune height, vegetation species, density, wind patterns, and longshore drift.

They also investigated how human interventions—like sand-retaining groynes, dune planting, and predator-proof fencing to protect the local population of endangered NZ dotterels—help protect and shape the coastline.

Back in the classroom, students will now use their collected data to demonstrate their understanding of these complex geographic patterns, working toward an internal assessment. This practical fieldwork also provides invaluable real-world context for their external exam at the end of the year. Brilliant work, team!

International students 𝗔𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝘂𝗶, 𝗬𝗶𝗻 𝗙𝘂, and 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗜𝗽 were among the Year 11 Business students swapped their pens for paddles with a trip to Wero Whitewater Park!

As a Social Enterprise, Wero’s 𝘱𝘶̄𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪 (reason for being) is centred on social community impact – a powerful model for our students to study – and the trip was a great way to apply theoretical decision-making to real life.

After experiencing the park's grade-three rapids, the class sat down with park manager Jesse to discuss the strategic and financial decisions the business faces annually, such as equipment replacement and potential expansion.

Students will now use these firsthand observations to complete an assessment requiring them to manage a limited budget and make sound financial decisions on behalf of the business.

A huge thank you to the team at Wero for hosting us!