Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa.

Many of you will know of 2024 Dux, Luca Ririnui’s achievements. We are proud to share his recent achievement in the national Scholarship examinations in November. Luca earned nine scholarships in total, including five Outstanding Scholarships. This places Luca among the top 12 students nationwide, earning him a Premiere Scholarship. Notably, Luca was only one of two students outside of Auckland to receive this award and the only one in the North Island outside of Auckland. Luca has shown our students what is possible and sets the bar high for those who follow.

On that topic, we had another successful year of Scholarship results, and I want to particularly congratulate last year’s Year 11 students, Nathan Appleton and Madison Tuaa, Year 12 students Sophia Monserrat, Anna Calder, Keenan McGregor, Skye Shaw, and Amaya Greene, and Year 13 students Sarah Adlam and Flynn Nisbett for their success. While our Scholarships were earned across various subjects, special mention needs to go to our Head of English, Melissa Flett, who supported students through nine English Scholarships in total.

It is my pleasure to announce Dan Meade as a new member of our senior leadership team. Dan will be in charge of a range of portfolios, including overall responsibility for Year 11 students. Many of you will know Dan through his role as Director of Sport at Mount Maunganui College. In one of his last acts as Director of Sport, Dan has provided an update below highlighting recent successes and upcoming opportunities.

The Mount Maunganui College Athletics Day was another great success this year, with House Spirit in fine form. It was our largest day in terms of student numbers with the stands at the Tauranga Domain filled with energy. Participation was high across all the houses and this was shown in the final tally for each house. However, Takahē is out to an early lead for 2025 with 453 points, followed by Ruru on 419, Huia with 409 and Kōtuku close behind with 403 points. Our swimming sports were held today, so I will provide an update in our next newsletter.

Thanks to all families who took the time to pop in for our Year 9 barbeque and those who came to our information evening last night. We are always keen to develop the home/school partnership and getting to know each other is the best way to do that. Learning Conferences are coming up in Week 7, please make the time to meet your child’s teachers.

Construction around the school continues at pace, and I appreciate your support during this time. Alongside the new builds, some refurbishments are planned for other blocks that will happen over the next couple of years to ensure our staff and students continue to have teaching and learning spaces that are fit for purpose.

Tomorrow, Saturday, 1 March, we farewell Sioux Clarkson, a long-serving staff member who passed away during the summer break. Her service to our community will be celebrated in our school hall tomorrow from 2pm. Many of our past pupils will remember her from their time here, and all are welcome to attend.

As always, please contact us with any questions or concerns. We always want to hear from our families and provide many ‘open doors’ through which to walk. Here is a list of key contacts. If you are in doubt, please contact principal@mmc.school.nz, and I will point you in the right direction.

Ngā mihi,

Alastair Sinton
Principal

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LEARNING CONFERENCES

Mount Maunganui College will hold Learning Conferences on:

Thursday, 13 March, 4pm - 7pm, and
Friday, 14 March, 9am - 2:30pm.

The Learning Conferences are 7 minutes each, and bookings are open. Please click the link to make a booking https://www.schoolinterviews.co.nz/code/vpy75

On Friday, 14 March, there will be no regular classes as students are expected to attend Learning Conferences with their whānau to discuss their learning and goals for 2025.

SPORTS NEWSLETTER Dan Meade
Director of Sport

Kia ora koutou,

The best place to get all the information regarding muster and trial dates is the daily notices. Although we encourage students to take responsibility for themselves, parents and caregivers can access these at:
https://www.mmc.school.nz/NEWS-1/Daily-Notices.

Off-field Sports Uniforms
Off-field sports uniforms are available online at:
https://codesport.co.nz/catalog/MMCSupporters-1106457.htmx
or in store at 94 Elizabeth Street. It is important to have all our sports players looking the part and we encourage students to buy a long sleeve or short sleeve tee and / or hoodie if they don’t already have an off-field uniform.

Sponsorship
A massive thank you to our amazing group of sponsors who make a genuine difference to our school sports programme. Please reach out on danm@mmc.school.nz if you’re interested in joining our amazing group of sponsors who make a genuine difference to sport at Mount Maunganui College. We have a range of packages and sponsor benefits available and would love to hear from you.
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High Achievers
Daryl Murray-Thomas recently trialled for the Warriors U16 League team. Best of luck for selection, Daryl.

Congratulations to Lane Ririnui who has been selected in the NZ Secondary School U18 Girls' Football team.

Rylee Kara competed at the Artistic Swimming Dubai World League Championships held in December 2024. The event hosted athletes from 14 different countries, including NZ, USA, Singapore, Russia, Italy, and Kazakhstan. Rylee competed as part of the New Zealand Artistic Swimming Junior Development Koru Squad. Rylee received the following results:

1st Place - Junior Free Team
3rd Place - Junior Acrobatic Team

What’s been happening?

National Speed Climbing Championships
The National Speed Climbing Championships were held in Mount Maunganui recently, with some of our students taking part.

RESULTS
Open Women
Cara Hicks: 4th

U19 Female
Cara Hicks, 1st

U17 Female
Caitlyn Fortescue, 1st (and a national record)
Mila Piatek, 2nd

U17 Male
Rio Piatek,1st (PB).
Cooper Holley, 5th

U15 Female
Autumn Parchomchuk, 3rd,
Gwyneth Parchomchuk, 6th

U15 Male,
Pourewa Rangi, 3rd

Oceans
The Surf Lifesaving NZ National Junior Champs were recently held in Mount Maunganui. Congratulations to all our students who competed and represented their various clubs.

School Athletics Sports
Mr Parker and the PE Dept ran a fantastic Athletics Day last week. Student engagement was the best it’s ever been and we have a number of students who have qualified for BOPSS Athletics.

Awesome to see so many students giving it their all, and congratulations to Takahē on taking out the first competition of the year!

ATHLETICS CHAMPIONS
SENIOR BOYS
Tama Hawkins

SENIOR GIRLS
Freya Clark

INTERMEDIATE BOYS
Ryder Matthews

INTERMEDIATE GIRLS
Sophia Maltai-Spence

JUNIOR BOYS
Jacob Roberts

JUNIOR GIRLS
Quinn Murdoch

Cricket
Our First XI cricket team has had a tough few weeks, with three interschool fixtures against St. John’s College, Tauranga Boys' College, and Rotorua Boys' High School—all resulting in losses. Losing six Year 13 members from the 2024 squad has left a significant gap in the team, and the responsibility for runs and wickets now largely falls on new co-captains Nathan Tutt and Fraser Tustin, as well as Year 13 seamer Kale Wellington. The team will be hitting the nets in the coming weeks to improve in preparation for the Gillette Cup Regional Qualifying Tournament (March 24–27).

MMC 1st XI 193/7 (F Tustin 45, K Wellington 30) lost to St John's 1st XI 195/7 (2/43 K Wellington, 2/34 O Tutt) by 3 wickets.
TBC 1st XI 148/8 beat (C Martin 2/15) beat MMC 1st XI 91/10 (N Tutt 23) by 57 runs.
MMC 1st XI 161/9 lost to RBHS 163/5 (N Tutt 3/46) by 5 wickets

Billabong Grom Series
The NZ Billabong Grom Series has just finished with our students achieving some incredible results. Congrats to all involved.

RESULTS
Zade Pitkeathley, 9th U18
Sage Fritchley, 2nd U18 girls
Sol Fritchley, 1st U16 boys
Zen Mouldey, 5th U16 boys
Remy Sale, 11th U16 boys
Noah Ramsbottom, 15th U16 boys
Charlie Hartston, 18th U16 boys
Izzy Evans, 8th U16 girls
Maddie Tod, 11th U16 girls
Haru Marsden, 4th U14 boys

BOPSS Volleyball Champs
We’re one weekend into Senior BOPSS Volleyball Championships and our teams have made great starts. We wish them the best of luck for the remaining two rounds and will publish the full set of results in the coming weeks.

BOPSS Futsal Champs
BOPSS Futsal Champs were held at Mercury Arena on Thursday 20 February and were a great success.

RESULTS
Junior girls, 1st
Senior girls, 1st
Junior boys, 2nd
Senior boys, 3rd

What’s coming up?
School Swimming Sports
School swimming sports is being held in the school pool on Friday 28 February. Best of luck to all our competitors and thanks to Mr Parker and the PE Dept for their organisation with this.

BOPSS Triathlon
Unfortunately the BOPSS Triathlon was postponed due to poor weather. The postponement date has not been set yet but we plan to send a strong crew of six individuals and one team.

BOPSS Tennis
We are sending seven singles and six doubles teams to the BOPSS Tennis Champs. Great to see numbers in the sport growing. We don’t have results at the time of writing the newsletter but will include those in our next newsletter.

BOPSS Golf
Four teams head off to Opotiki Golf Club to take part in the BOPSS Golf Champs on Tuesday 4 March. Best of luck to all players.

BOPSS Ultimate Frisbee
Best of luck to our two senior Ultimate Frisbee teams heading to BOPSS Champs on Monday, 10 March at Waipuna Park.

BOPSS Athletics
An email has been sent home to all students who qualified for BOPSS athletics. Students will need to indicate to the sports department whether they wish to compete before they are registered. BOP Athletics will be held at Tauranga Domain on Wednesday 12 March.

BOPSS Swimming
Our top athletes from school swimming sports will be invited to BOPSS Swim Champs. This is held on Friday 14 March at Baywave.

BOPSS 3x3 Basketball
Best of luck to our seven teams competing at BOPSS 3x3 Basketball Champs on Friday 14 March at Mercury Arena.

Winter Sports Processes
Basketball
Person in Charge: Mr Sam Davidson basketball@mmc.school.nz

We provide the opportunity to play in three leagues; Premier Grade, A Grade, and Age Group. Both the Premier Grade and A Grade are played on Wednesday nights. Age Group is played on Friday nights.

The Premier Grade and A Grade leagues are for players who want to play competitively, be coached, and train regularly through the week.

The Age Group league is for players and teams who want a more casual approach to basketball, where you can form a team with your friends, have a parent/ caregiver manage the team, and only be required to show up for the game.

You will need to trial to play in the Premier and A Grade competitions. The trial dates and times are as follows:

Senior Boys Basketball trials:
- 11 March, 5.30 - 7.30pm, MMC gym
- 18 March, 5.30 - 7.30pm, MMC gym
- Please be aware that trialing is necessary to play in both the Senior Premier Boys and Senior Development team.
Senior Girls Basketball
- Open training sessions, Friday’s 7.30pm - 9pm. The team will be selected from these training sessions.
Junior Girls Basketball
- To be confirmed
Junior Boys Basketball
- Open training musters: Thursday, 13 March and Thursday, 20 March, 3.15 - 4.45pm, Mount Sport Centre
- Trials: Thursday, 27 March and Thursday, 3 April, 3.15 - 4.45pm, Mount Sports Centre

All students who want to play Age Group basketball (running clock) for MMC on Friday nights, please follow the instructions below:

Email team list to Mr Davidson (basketball@mmc.school.nz) and CC in your team members and team manager.
Each team needs a minimum of 8 players.
If you do not have an adult managing the team, you cannot enter a team.

Football
Person in Charge: Mrs Sally Jackson sallyj@mmc.school.nz
Please register your interest to play at https://tcafc.co.nz/register

In 2025, we will only hold Identification (ID) sessions for players who want to be considered for selection in the Premier Girls and Boys teams. These ID sessions will take place in Week 7 and Week 8 of Term One. The exact date and time will be confirmed via email for students who have registered their interest through the form.

Selection notifications for the Premier teams will be sent by email. Teams will be formed for all other players, and we will do our best to accommodate requests.

If you have already formed a team, please email the team list to Mrs. Jackson at sallyj@mmc.school.nz and CC your team members.

Hockey
Person in Charge: Miss Cendrine Pfister hockey@mmc.school.nz
Please register your interest to play at https://www.sporty.co.nz/viewform/280089

We have trials booked March at Tauranga Hockey Center for the following dates. Please make sure that you have registered to play on our school website, and then get your name checked off in the Pavillion before making your way to the turfs.

Trials are open to all players, please come to both relevant sessions if possible. This will give the coaches a chance to see your skills and ability to work with various players and make sure you're placed in the right teams. 6 Aside players are encouraged to come along, but it's possible to be placed in a team without trialling.
Please get in touch at hockey@mmc.school.nz if you have any questions or are unable to attend trials.

March 6th 16:00-17:30 - All Girls
March 9th 18:00-20:00 - All Girls
March 13th 16:00-17:30 - All Boys
March 16th 18:00-20:00 - All Boys

Our 1st XI Girls and Boys coaches are be holding preseason trainings. If you're wanting to be considered for the 1st XI or just want to dust off the cobwebs, please come along to these sessions on our school turf!

Girls:
Monday 24th Feb and 3rd March on School turf - 6:50 to 8:00 am

Boys training
Monday 3rd and 10th March on School turf - 6:00 to 7:00 pm

Netball
Person in Charge: Mrs Ri Bidois rianneb@mmc.school.nz & netball@mmc.school.nz

Please register your interest to play at https://www.mmc.school.nz/sport/sports-codes-1/netball-1

Trial dates this year will be rolled out over two afternoons at the Tauranga Netball Centre.

Friday, March 28 - Juniors: 3:30-5:00PM & Seniors: 5:15-6:45PM

Sunday, March 30 - Juniors: 2:15-4:00PM & Seniors: 4:15-6:16PM

Tuesday, April 1 (for those who are in our Prem 1 & 2 as well as our Junior A & B teams)

Please ensure you sign up to these trials by registering on our school sport website under the Netball code tab. This is now open!

Cost for the season per player is approx. $150 - A deposit of $100 needs to be paid before you can trial. You can pay for this on the parent portal, in the office, internet banking, main office, or via automatic payments (must be specifically for netball). If there is any issue with this, please don't hesitate to contact Loren at the sports office on lorenr@mmc.school.nz and we will be more than happy to organise something that works for you and your whanau.

2025 Netball Pre-season Musters
Netball pre-season sessions for all keen players are being held Tuesday 4th, 11th & 18th March at the Mount College Courts from 3.20pm. Getting into some skills, fitness and a bit of a shake out. Great way to lead into the upcoming trials! See the student netball email to indicate attendance at the musters.

If students want to register a social team - they need to register, have 10 players and have an adult to manage them. Email the player names to netball@mmc.school.nz. We can then make a note against their registration that they are already in a team. If you are an individual social player, register and we will put you in a team.

Keep an eye out on your student school email as there will be further info regarding trials, and the season ahead. Check and read these carefully.

We are also in desperate need of umpires. There is a course this weekend at the Tauranga Netball Centre if you are new to umpiring or need to refresh. Please let us know if you would like some help to become an umpire.

Rugby
Person in Charge: Mr Jarrod Clarke jarrodc@mmc.school.nz

A sign up day has already been held but if you missed it and would like to register, please email Mr Clarke and let him know what team you’d like to play for and your year level. The cost of rugby this year is $80 per student. A rugby letter with information about how to pay etc will be emailed home in the next few weeks to the families of those who have signed up.

All boys and girls teams will begin training in the next few weeks. Players and parents of those who have signed up will get email communication regarding their squad’s training in the near future. If you are a parent who is keen to be involved in coaching rugby this year, we have openings with our U14 boys team, our junior girls team and our 1st XV. Please email Jarrod Clarke if you are interested in helping out.

BOPRU RULE UPDATE: All high school students born after April 2012 can now no longer play down in the U13 club grade if they are lighter, as per previous years. They must play for a college team, unless the college cannot supply a team for them.

At this stage it is looking like we will have enough players registered in the U14 grade for one team, but not enough for two. We would like to have an U14 squad of roughly 24 players.

As a result, any ‘overflow’ players, who weigh less than 55kg will be provided a letter to play U13 rugby.

Social Media
Please follow us on;

Facebook: Mount Maunganui College Sport
Instagram: Mount Maunganui College Sport

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SCHOOL ACCESS AND VISITOR PARKING

We acknowledge that the new school development will mean additional difficulties for some families accessing the school during drop off and pick up times.

The previous ‘main’ school carpark has now only one point of entry and exit, thereby making it inappropriate for drop off and pick ups and is now restricted to visitor parking only. If you do have to use this gate when visiting the school, be mindful of cars entering and exiting. See the map below that designates visitor parking.

The new staff carpark now has barrier arms and is limited to staff parking only. The arms will be down from 7:30 am through to 3:20 pm during weekdays. Outside of these hours the carpark will remain open to all.

If you plan on picking up and dropping off your child before and after school, this needs to happen on the surrounding streets.

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UNIFORM

Thanks to all our families who ensure our students head off to school in the correct school uniform. We know you have high expectations of how our students present themselves, so we appreciate your support.

Occasionally, students present to school in incorrect uniforms, and it can be disappointing for staff to have to start the day by having a negative conversation with a student about uniforms.

Here are some reminders to help ensure your child has a positive start to the day:

Uniform guidelines.
As per the Board approved uniform the school skirt is not to have the length modified (eg shortened).
If sandals are worn they must be black and have a back strap.
If shoes are worn they must be completely black and polishable.
Please ensure your child also adheres to our jewellery standards. No septums or rings are permitted on the face.
We would like to remind families that only Mount Maunganui College trousers are to be worn. These can only be purchased from NZ Uniforms.
Students can wear a non-regulation waterproof jacket to and from school on wet days.
Discipline and defiance procedures will be used to deal with ongoing uniform issues if not resolved promptly.

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SCHOOL BUS SERVICE

This is a reminder to families that the school has a very efficient bus service. This service will ensure your child arrives at school on time and is ready for period 1 classes.

While students can use the commercial bus service free during school hours provided they have a BEE card they cannot guarantee that they will arrive ready for an 8:45 am start. Many of these services mean that students are missing up to 30 minutes of learning time each day.

Please encourage your child to use the school buses each day. This may mean they need to leave the house earlier, but it guarantees they are ready for the start of school.

Up-to-date information on the school buses is on the school website https://www.mmc.school.nz/key-info/bus-information

The afternoon buses leave the school grounds promptly at 3pm each day. The 712a buses are now arriving at 3 pm and the later one arrives at approximately 3:10 pm.

Clarifying Bee Card changes – No action needed right now

How you travel or how your Bee Card works today is not changing right now.

The update to Bee Card terms and conditions is just to prepare for the future introduction of Motu Move, the new national public transport payment system.

What does this mean for you?

You can keep using your Bee Card as usual – no action is required.
Bay of Plenty won’t transition to Motu Move until later in 2025 – we’ll provide you with plenty of notice before any changes take effect.
When the Bee Card scheme is eventually replaced, new payment options will include:
- Contactless debit or credit card
- Digital payments on mobile phones and smart watches (including Apple Pay and Google Pay)
- A prepaid Motu Move card

What do you need to do now?

Keep using your Bee Card as normal – nothing is changing yet.
If you keep a higher balance on your Bee Card, may want to consider running it down to avoid any inconvenience when we do transition later in 2025.

For now, there’s nothing you need to do - just keep travelling with your Bee Card as usual.

For more information on Motu Move go to motumove.govt.nz

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HONOURS BOARDS

Mount Maunganui College is looking to display our past achievements.

If you are a former student or know of someone who represented New Zealand or earned a national title while attending Mount Maunganui College and would like your name displayed, please complete the Google form.

We are also interested in former students who have represented New Zealand or earned a national title as adults.

While all information is appreciated, we are particularly interested in information from the 1960s to 2000.

All submissions must include any verification possible to ensure the information is correct. Achievements can be in Sports, Arts, Culture or Academia.

HONOURS BOARD LINK

CONGRATULATIONS….

INFORMATION EVENING

LEARNING CONFERENCES

SCHOOL ACCESS AND VISITOR PARKING

UNIFORM

ATTENDANCE MATTERS

SCHOOL BUS SERVICE

LINKS AVENUE TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT

STUDENT ID PHOTOS

HONOURS BOARDS

ALUMNI

KEY DATES