Achievement Highlights

Congratulations also to all of Sabrina’s Acorn (and ex-Acorn) pupils who did so well in the recent Piano Exams.

Bernadette achieved Distinction at Preliminary Level, with her older sister Elitisi also achieving Distinction at Grade 4.

Charlotte achieved a Pass at Grade 2, while her older brother Alex achieved Honours in Grade 4.

All of Terry’s piano pupils did very well at the Competitions held in Remuera on Saturday 12 June 2010.

The following medal results were achieved by the Acorn and ex-Acorn pupils who entered:

Alex	1^st - Modern Piano tuition up to 12 months 1^st - Intermediate Level Open Own Choice 2^nd - Intermediate Level Open Test Piece 2^nd - Pupils at Grade Two 2^nd - Leading an Audience (Intermediate) 2^nd - Intermediate Level Latin American

Charlotte	2^nd - Modern Piano tuition up to 12 months Test Piece 3^rd - Modern Piano tuition up to 12 months Own Choice

Elitisi	1^st - Intermediate Level Latin American 1^st - Pupils at Grade Two 1^st - Leading an Audience (Intermediate) 2^nd - Intermediate Level Boogie Woogie 2^nd - Intermediate Level Open Own Choice Highly Commended – Intermediate Level Test Piece

Bernadette	Very Highly Commended – Junior Level Latin American

Ivan	1^st - Senior Level Boogie Woogie Own Choice 2^nd - Senior Level Boogie Woogie Test 3^rd - Senior Level Latin American 3^rd - Pupils at Grade Three and Four Very Highly Commended – Senior Level Open 3^rd - Leading an Audience (Senior)

Alex & Charlotte	2^nd - Intermediate Level Duet

Ivan (& Jerry-Moses)	1^st - Senior Level Duet

Trophies Awarded

Alex	Patsy Fisher Trophy (Modern Piano up to 12 months tuition) Pupil of the Year (Overall top scoring pupil for the whole competition)

Elitisi	Gail Beaver Trophy (Grade 2 Pupils) Norcross Trophy (Intermediate Level Latin American) Gail Turner Trophy (Intermediate Leading an Audience) Musictronics Trophy (Intermediate Level Boogie Woogie)

Ivan	Jill Sutherland Trophy (Senior Level Boogie Woogie)

Ivan (& Jerry-Moses)	Two Matching Trophies (Senior Duet)

The Waitakere Libraries Art Competition invited illustrations based on the Picture Book Finalists in the NZ Post Book Awards.

There were 3 age categories, and Acorn Academy won places in all three.

Here are the results of the competition:

5 -7 years	Third Place	Mitchell Adams
8-10 years	First Place	Caitlin Turnbull
	Second Place	Perry Wilton
11+ years	First Place	Loi Fuimaono
	Second Place	Arielle Wakelin
	Third Place	Marc Pritchard

Yes, Acorn Academy’s Junior Book Quiz team scored a decisive win at the Final of the Great NZ Book Quiz on Saturday. Our team competed against teams from Flanshaw, Green Bay, Kaurilands, Titirangi and Woodlands Park schools, and Acorn Academy won every round, finishing with final score of 45 out of 50, 8.5 points ahead of the second-placegetter.

Contestants were quizzed on New Zealand children’s literature, including picture books, fiction and non-fiction.

Our team comprised Caitlin Turnbull, Kirsten Turnbull and Perry Wilton, with Jack Streat as reserve. Perry made a very capable team leader and all team members co-operated very commendably to achieve a real team effort.

All of the four children involved received a bag of prizes, and the school also received a generous allocation of Whitcoulls vouchers to help up build up our already impressive collection of books here.

Our next ‘book quiz’ challenge will be on Wednesday, 8 June, when four of our intermediate pupils will take part in the Kids’ Lit Quiz at the Auckland Town Hall (12.30 – 3.30pm).

Photo of proud winners

Pictured, from left to right, the proud winners: Kirsten Turnbull, Jack Streat, Perry Wilton, Caitlin Turnbull.

In the Waitakere Libraries Limerick Competition, two current and one past pupil of Acorn Academy, were successful with their submissions.

In the Children’s Category, Samantha Knight won the third prize, with Perry Wilton being highly commended. And in the Adult’s Category, former pupil Christopher Penk was also highly commended.

Their limericks are shown below. If you would like to read the limericks of the other contestants, please see All Limerick Results from Waitakere Libraries

CHILDREN

3rd Prize - Samantha Knight

I went to the Waitakere fair

There was candy floss everywhere

It tasted very sweet

But some fell on my feet

And I also got some in my hair

CHILDREN

Highly Commended - Perry Max Wilton

There was a young man from the west

Who was sent on a difficult quest

to save all the trees

he did so with ease

The green-fingered man from the west

ADULTS

Highly Commended - Christopher Penk

Everyone from Alice to Zachary

Would swear til they’re blue and blackery

That great growths of greenery

(if you know what I meanery)

Wind wonderfully within Waitakere

Congratulations to you all.

Back in 2004 the pupils of Acorn Academy wrote essays to enter into the J.T. Diamond Essay Writing Competition which was organised by Waitakere Libraries. The J.T Diamond Essay Competition prize giving was held on Monday, 6 December at Council Chambers, and three Acorn Academy pupils were presented with certificates and prizes… they were as follows:

Intermediate Category

First place

Thomas Brockwell-Parker (of Acorn Academy)

‘Travel Through Time’

Judges comments: This entry contained original research with a wide breadth of well-written and logical progression. A well presented chronological history of the Glen Eden railway station between 1876 and 2004. It contained a good selection of photography to give further colour. Very well done.

Second place

Loi Fuimaono (of Acorn Academy)

‘The Old Methodist Church in Glen Eden’

Judges comments: A very well researched and detailed essay with good resources and excellent use of oral history. This entry, accompanied by an excellent set of photographs, puts the resulting information to good use as a comprehensive history of the church since its early days in the old mortuary chapel at Waikumete Cemetery. Congratulations for the attention to detail while researching this topic.

Commended

Arielle Wakelin (of Henderson)

‘The Falls Hotel’

Judges comments: This entry refers to many jottings and research, including work by Jack Diamond before updating the old buildings, as well as more recent history of its relocation and upgrade. It also covers the paid car parking system. This entry was well presented and thorough, with good accompanying photographs.

Congratulations to Thomas, Loi and Arielle, and very well done to the other pupils that submitted entries.

For those of you who wish to read the full text, you may go to:

J.T Diamond Essay Competition 2004

Also, in 2007 a group of students – Kirsten and Caitlin Turnbull, Perry Wilton and A’aone Malifa – won second place in the Memories section for their ‘photo essay with poems’ on Waikumete Cemetery. Judges comments: Judges' comments: A creative and powerful piece of work.

For those of you who wish to read the full text, you may go to:

J.T. Diamond Essay Competition 2007 Prize Winners

Do you know when the first Europeans came to live and work in Titirangi? Or what happened to four of Abel Tasman’s sailors? Do you know what the Ngati Whatua sold to Captain Symonds? Or of the significance of Nicholas Young to New Zealand history? If the answer to any of these questions is ‘No’, then you may be interested to know that you can find out the answer to these, and many more questions, in a new study unit ‘Early Days in West Auckland’.

The unit, which was the feature of an editorial in ‘The Aucklander / West Edition’ on September 29^th, 2004, was compiled by Deborah Penk, Principal of Acorn Academy, Glen Eden, Auckland, and is, she believes, the first in which the subject has been packaged for primary and intermediate school children.

“It is all West Auckland history presented in language suitable for children”, she says. “No one has written any children’s material. I’ve tried to pick out all the main areas.”

The study unit includes the history of Henderson, Huia, Glen Eden, Waikumete Cemetery, Oratia, Swanson, Avondale and more.

If you would like to purchase a copy of the study unit, which is suitable for use in schools, as well as for the home-schooling environment, please go to Deborah Penk's 'Ready-to-use Resources' website, where you can download and print off an order form, and also view other study units that are available.

PressRelease

Click here to read this article.

‘Janet Clews meets the senior pupils of Acorn Academy at Glen Eden’s historic station

and reviews a copy of Deborah Penk’s new resource on West Auckland history for schoolchildren’

Pictured are: Thomas Brockwell-Parker, Jack Wilton, Janet Clews, Arielle Wakelin, Loi Fuimaono.

Acorn Academy pupils have been delving into the past of West Auckland - with the help of a new resource written by their teacher, Deborah Penk. This resource is a history of the area presented in a worksheet format, all ready for classroom use.

It covers the development of all the main areas of settlement - from Glen Eden's birth as 'Waikomiti', often called the 'City of the Dead', to Henderson's early days as a mill town and to the 'confidence trick' which promised so much and delivered so little to the pioneers at Cornwallis.

'I have trialled this local history unit with my own pupils,' says Deborah Penk. 'They have been fascinated to discover what really happened here in days gone by.'

The senior pupils are pictured with Janet Clews, Waitakere City Councillor and Chairman of the Portage Licensing Trust. Mrs Clews spearheaded the effort to have the historic station building renovated and re-established in Glen Eden in October 2001.

'I fully support this initiative to make West Auckland history accessible to the next generation,' says Mrs Clews. 'The more that our young people know about their heritage the better.'

Illustration of cover sheet.