AD SUMMA MARSDEN

Ad Summa Greetings to the Marsden family

Inside this issueDebating 2

Barbershop 3

M-Factor 3

Dance 3

Drama 3

Chamber Music NZ District Contest 3

Old Girls’ Success 4

Swainson Memorial Music 4

Uniform Shop 4

School Representatives 5

Marsden Primary 6

Marsden Collegiate School

Marsden Avenue, Karori

Private Bag Karori

Wellington 6147

Phone 04 476 8707

enrol@marsden.school.nz

www.marsden.school.nz

Issue 10 September 2014

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During my recent sabbatical I attended the ‘Happiness and its Causes’ conference in Sydney. There were two days of incredible speakers on topics as diverse as ‘Altruism and Happiness’ (Matthieu Ricard) ‘The Rise of Narcissism’ (Jean Twenge) and ‘Conservation’ (Jane Goodall). One topic that I found very interesting was that of willpower. One of the leading researchers in this area Roy Baumeister, presented a very engaging talk on his findings and those of others in recent studies.

We use our willpower in four main ways – to control thoughts, control feelings, for impulse control and for task performance. This means that it is used whenever we exhibit self-control and make decisions. Studies show that willpower can be viewed like a muscle – it can be strong for a period of time but will tire after use until there is not much left at all.

Do you ever find yourself being ‘short tempered’ at night, less tolerant and even a bit nasty? This can all be due to having

1. Learn to manage stress (figure out what causes you stress and try to avoid it)

2. Encourage yourself to stick to a plan (structure is good)

3. Get more sleep to help your brain manage energy better

4. Meditate

5. Get better physical exercise and nutrition

6. Postpone some things for later (I won’t check Facebook now – I will do it later!).

Willpower is simply a matter of using your physical and mental energy in the best way to reach your goals and get the best out of life. Don’t waste it!

Jenny Williams Principal

depleted your willpower reserves during the day – making decisions, controlling impulses etc. The good news is that just like a muscle we can work on building our willpower reserves, by completing simple exercises. Developing good habits (where we just do things without having to think too much) can be very helpful in saving willpower for other actions.

Recently a link has been discovered between levels of blood glucose and willpower. It appears that if blood glucose levels drop, we are less likely to be able use our willpower. There is a very interesting study of judges making parole decisions. It has been found that cases that come up just before lunch (when blood glucose levels are lower) have a near zero probability of being granted parole, compared to those who come straight after lunch who have a 65% chance of getting out of prison!

So how can we get more out of our willpower? Some points below are worth considering.

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Audience at the Year 8 debating workshop

Debating

On Wednesday 6 August, the Victoria and Canterbury University debating teams were hosted at Marsden as part of The Next Generation Debates, a tournament between the top university debaters from four of the main universities around the country. There are six round robin debates held in high schools, two semi-finals held in Auckland and Wellington, and a grand final where the winning team takes home $1,000 and $500 for the best speaker.

The debaters in the tournament often take part in world ranked teams. The end goal is for the audience and debaters to walk away thinking about the issue and have an open mind when it comes to public policy issues in general.

This year, the moot was “This house believes we should rewrite fairy tales with the aim of correcting gender stereotypes” and was debated by Tim Bain and Tom O’Brien (Canterbury University) vs Daniel Wilson and Aric Shakur (Victoria University of Wellington).

The debate was won by Victoria University, who were negating the moot, and certainly left our girls with plenty of things to think about when it comes to their favourite fairy tales!

Our own debating teams have made excellent progress this year and congratulations to the Senior Certificate

2 team who made it to the quarter finals, and all the best to the Junior Premier A and Junior Certificate 1 teams who are both heading to the semi-finals.

Stockley Cup

This public speaking competition for students across wellington was hosted at Marsden on Monday 23 June. We had two entries:

Molly McDouall spoke on Gay Marriage and Harriett Morrow’s speech was entitled ‘22 February 2011, the day it all changed’.

Unfortunately the girls were not placed, but gained valuable experience.

Impromptu Cup

We also had students enter the Impromptu Cup at Wellington Girls’ College on Sunday 15 June. Betty-Alice Orr-McFaull and Caity Cresswell made up the senior team and the Junior Premier A team entered the junior category and both teams gained some great skills.

Junior Debating workshops

We would like to extend a huge thank you to Mr John Dalgety for the workshops he has been running with our Year 8 and 9 students this year. The classes have been very popular and the girls are now well prepared to trial for teams in Year 9 and 10. The initial session drew a large number of students to see how it is all done.

Next Generation Debates

Year 8 debating workshop

Next Generation Debate hosted at Marsden

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Chamber Music New Zealand District ContestOn Sunday 8 June, our Chamber Music group, Earth, Sea and Sky, consisting of Maddy Hayward (flute), Tessa Dalgety-Evans (Cello) and Olivia Singleton (piano) performed Simon Eastman’s ‘Water Dance’ written especially for Marsden.

Tessa Dalgety-Evans played with students from another school in a cello and piano quartet and gained a Highly Commended Aaward, whilst Shan Boekholt along with students from Wellington College, was awarded the KBB Music Award, for groups striving for excellence in their music making.

BarbershopOn Wednesday 13 August the Barbershop ‘Sam’s Girls’ competed at the National Finals for Young Singers in Harmony at the Michael Fowler Centre. This was a huge competition with over 700 performers on stage across the day. Our girls were placed 9th in their category and their performance was very polished and professional. They were also the only student-led chorus in the competition.

M-FactorDuring our Cultural Week last term we held the annual M-Factor competition and congratulations to the following students:

1st – Anastasia King from Year 6, with her solo ‘Let It Go’ from Frozen

2nd – Maia Shackelford, Emily Stewart and Katie Morrison – Hip Hop routine

3rd – Lydia Sainsbury and Emily Lyons, with Kate O’Meeghan – Singing and Rapping

We raised $200 for the Neonatal Trust Charity and they were delighted with our girls’ generosity.

DanceGrace Ko in Year 13 competed in the World Supremacy Battlegrounds dance competition in Auckland last term. Her team ‘Esteem’ came second and qualified for the world championships in Melbourne this year, but due to unavoidable circumstances, they are not able to attend.

DramaNina Richardson and Sophie Parker were both in the Wellington College production of Riverside Drive, for 5 nights in July and were fantastic!

Barbershop National finals

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News from the Uniform ShopWe will be open during the holidays for the purchase of summer uniforms or general top ups on Monday 13 October from 9am – 12pm

Summer Blouses $44

Caps & Sun Hats $17

Straw Hats $58

We also now stock navy hoodies and jackets for upper school students and pale blue jackets for parents and supporters. Students’ tops can be embroidered with sporting and cultural activities.

Navy Hoodies $48 this includes the cost for one embroidery

Navy Jackets $50 this includes the cost for one embroidery

Pale Blue Jackets $48

During school term our hours are: Monday 8 – 9am and 12noon – 5pm and Wednesday 12noon – 5pm.

You can contact us on 04 476-8479 or email sonja.braddock@marsden.school.nz

Swainson Memorial Music CompetitionThis highlight of our musical year was held on Wednesday 6 August and the standard was once again fantastic.

Highly Commended were: Lizzie Summers (Year 12) and Srimoyee Chakravorty (Year 12)

The Betty Swainson Memorial Prize: Shan Boekholt (Year 11)

The Nell Clere Music Scholarship: Tessa Dalgety-Evans (Year 11).

Thank you to the Old Girls’ Association, the Parents’ Association and the New family for their generous support of this event.

Old Girls’ SuccessGemma New, Year 13 2004, has been named as one of the 30 brilliant musicians under 30 by Australian classical music magazine Limelight. Gemma is currently the associate conductor of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.

Bianca Andrew, Year 13 2007, was a finalist in the Lexus Song Quest Competition and has recently been awarded the Kiri Te Kanawa Scholarship for 2014. Bianca begins studying her Master of Music (Voice) at London’s prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama in September.

Nell Clere Scholarship winner – Tessa Dalgety-Evans and runner up Srimoyee Chakravorty

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Upper School Form Representatives Term 3 Deputy Deputy Form Captain Form Captain Sports Captain Sports Captain

10BH Grace Harvey Brittany Chapman Meggie Morrison —

10HZ Laura Huijser Christy Robinson Lucy Hornabook Alexandra Wilkins-Phear

10WA Yoo Jung Choi Amanda Chisnall Olivia Martin —

11CL Lucy Berger Megan Flannery Arielle Edwards-Brown —

11CR Olivia Hooper Molly McDouall Jessica Marett Nina Higgison

11JS Betty-Alice Orr-McFaull Olivia McCormack Olivia Smith

Middle School Form Representatives Term 3 Form Captain Deputy Sports Captain

7Ra Lucy Hegan Georgia Lang Celeste Sallee

7Wr Phoebe Morrah Mia Ulusele Madeleine Loughnan

8Mi Hannah Smith Molly McCalman Georgia Bowden Lottie Johnstone

8Ni Maya Nathu Eden Sturland Kelly Blanchard

8Sl Ella Tait Anna Reed Emily Stewart

9Cc Anastasia Theodorou Briana King Ashvini Navaratnam

9Cm Myfanwy Wong Anjali Gentejohann Lara Flannery

9Kh Charlotte McManus Megan Fitness Courtney King Claudia Adamson

School Council Representatives ICT Monitors

7Ra Lucy Dobson Emily Cager Lily Warrior

7Wr Madison Taylor Genevieve Austin Amanda Johanson

8Mi Molly McCalman Jemimah Middelkoop Ruby Callender

8Ni Piyali Sharma — Saro Thomson

8Sl Charlotte Strowger-Turnock Mila Ballara Jemima Dowle

9Cc Stephanie Chin Lauren Benseman Abbie George

9Cm Amy Cooper Daniyah O’Grady Emma Hassell

9Kh Kate Dobson Amira Bajema Claudia Adamson

FULL YEAR APPOINTMENTS

coffee supplier to marsdeN schoolCaffe L’affare | 27 College Street | Wellington

www.laffare.co.nz

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Marsden PrimaryPreschool – What interesting work the girls and boys have being doing in their explorations around the topic of boats. There is art to be seen in the classroom, a pictorial graph on the wall and I know the children also enjoyed making and floating their own rafts. This term we have welcomed Ben Gilkison, Molly Macri, Charlize Chan and Rose Brennan and their families to Preschool. The feedback from the new e-portfolio system has been very positive, with families able to view and comment on their child’s work as soon as it is posted online. Parent teacher interviews have also been very constructive, an ideal opportunity to jointly set goals for the next stage of learning.

Welcome to the families of Charlotte Humphries, Tina Giannakakis and Katie Haynes, new to the Primary School this term. We’re also delighted to have Ms Sarah Daly with us in Year 5 until the end of September. Sarah is carrying out the second practicum in her post graduate teacher training studies.

Swimming Sports – The annual Swimming Sports competition at Karori Pool was a showcase of determination, achievement, fabulous house spirit and fun. We are so fortunate to have a PE specialist teacher with the calibre of former Silver Fern, Cathrine Wilkinson. She is an excellent motivator and is fabulously well-organised. Cathrine puts in many hours of work behind the scenes to make our events run as smoothly as they do. Well done to all who took part – every point you earned for your house, made this a close competition. The winners of the House Relay and the overall winners of the competition this year were Innes House. Congratulations to you all and thank you to Caroline Mills, Sports Coordinator and all our parent helpers on the day. Nia and Samantha Year 6 Deputy and Head of Innes House

Nikhil and Zahra test their boats in Preschool

Lucy in Preschool relaxing with a book

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Play – Our girls love being out in the Primary playground at lunchtimes on sunny days in winter, when they can climb on the jungle gym, swing along the overhead ladders, find a way through the spider’s web and create their own fun and imaginary games. They use the natural environment of the Primary School playground to provide props for their play: petals and leaves become money in an imaginary shop, the sandpit and deck become islands, trees on the bank become a forest. Play is an important facet of developing literacy skills, of maturing social and emotional abilities, of creativity and physical wellbeing. When many after-school hours are filled with planned activities, the importance of unstructured play cannot be overstated. We have fabulous school grounds and it’s so satisfying to see the students take full advantage of them.

Academic success – Congratulations to Samantha Young in Year 6 who gained a High Distinction in this year’s ICAS Science competition placing her in the top 1% of New Zealand candidates. What a tremendous result. The names of our girls who achieved Distinction certificates, coming in the next 10% of participants in the country can be read on the school website. Our Year 4-6 entrants in this competition received a total of 30 awards from Merit to High Distinction. Well done to you all.

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Celia McCarthy Director of Marsden Primary

Darby and Grace, Year 6 Head and Deputy for Term 3 Helen, Zoe and Lulu Year 2 – photo by S Featherstone

Year 1 cheer on their house mates – photo by S Featherstone