High School Update - Manukau Christian School
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November 2019
High School Update
Dear Parents,
In this final update for 2020, we celebrate God’s goodness to us as a school. For the first time ever,
we send away from our school students who have experienced all their primary and secondary
education with Manukau Christian School. This is an exciting achievement which has involved the
hard work of many different people, staff, volunteers, parents and students. Thank you! It is our
prayer that God will continue to use this school to train up young people with a solid Christian
worldview, who are passionate about using the gifts God has given them to serve their
communities and bring the light of the gospel into all that they do.
Term Four is jam-packed with external examinations, and all students involved in these have an
exam timetable which indicates the days and times of their examinations. We would encourage all
our students to ensure they are keeping good routines in terms of sleep, study and exercise.
Sometimes it is hard to study at this time of the year, but continued diligence can pay dividends.
In addition to our external examinations, there are some other
important dates to be aware of. Our senior students (Year 11-
13) are finishing on 15th November. To celebrate the
achievements of all our high school students we will once
again host a Thanksgiving Evening on 14th November. A notice
will be sent out in the near future to remind you of this date.
Year 9 and 10 students will have their final day on
29 November, and will finish at 12:30pm on that day.
Building and Beautification
Our handy caretaker Ken
Barthow has been working ex-
tremely hard beautifying the
southern end of our site. He
has built some raised gardens
and planted some native
plants. In addition he has built
a deck to our smallest class-
room, and been involved in
updating this room for more
Aug 2019
regular use. Watch this space!
p:269-1050 e:admin@manukauchristian.school.nz
Farewell from the Year 13s
I can hardly believe that I have almost finished school. This is all I have known so it seems a bit
scary – but also exciting – to be moving on to the next stage of my life. Over these past 13 years,
and especially the last five, I have formed amazing relationships with both students and teachers.
I have loved how everyone has been so supportive of me over the years and I am going to miss
this loving school environment.
I want to thank Mr K for all the years he has taught me (9!). You have really developed my love
for maths, and I will be eternally grateful for the solid biblical foundation you have given me. I
also want to thank God for blessing me with good friends, teachers and the opportunity to go to
such a high-quality school.
Next year I will be going to AUT to study Paramedicine and I am quite excited to start this new
step in my life. Please pray that I will be able to form good relationships with fellow students and
teachers and that I will proclaim Christ in all I do. Also, it feels great to be finishing Year 13 after
starting at MCS in Year 1. The sense of achievement is amazing. I really recommend it to all
students who are still at this school after beginning in Year 1. Caitlin Shallard
What a ride my schooling has been, and what a privilege to complete it here at Manukau
Christian School. I did not begin my time at MCS until 2016, as I received the first 9 years of my
education at Immanuel Christian School. Immanuel will always have a special place in my heart,
and I am forever indebted to the character developed during those years, and the investment of
my teachers there.
When I began at MCS, I found the initial step up to the Cambridge Syllabus a challenge; however,
the learning curve of especially my first year was foundational to my intellectual, spiritual and
personal growth. Without a doubt, the thing I am most grateful to MCS and especially to Mr K for
is the incredibly solid Biblical teaching I have received here. You have taught me to love the
Scriptures, to think critically about the world and to seek Christ in everything I learn. I have also
been privileged to receive a small taste of theological study at a tertiary level during year 13 – I
took one paper per semester at a couple of tertiary institutions alongside my Cambridge
subjects, and I am so grateful for the flexibility and support that has enabled me to do so.
Heading into 2020, I will be continuing my theological education at Carey Baptist College,
completing a bachelor’s degree in Applied Theology. I am so excited about this next step in my
journey, but I most certainly owe the birth of that passion to Manukau Christian School. Please
pray for financial provision in the next few months as I finalise my course, and pray that God
would use what I learn for His kingdom purposes, and to point others to the life we find in Christ.
Grace Paddison
Subject Spot: AS Mathematics Why do we do Maths? Number is a part of God’s creation. Like all aspects of His creation, it brings glory to Him and speaks of Him. In particular mathematics speaks of God’s wisdom orderliness, precision, consistency, beauty, purity and truth. Like God Himself, mathematical truths never change and are dependable. They are the same yesterday, today and forever regardless of place or time. Like God Himself, number is infinite. The practice of mathematics requires order and systematic process which reminds us of the way God operates in His creation. As we engage in Maths, as image bearers we reflect in a small way the mind of God and bring Him glory. So, what do our senior students learn about in Mathematics? The Year 12 & 13 mathematics course is made up of four parts. Pure Mathematics 1 is studied in Year 12, and helps students further their skills in algebra, trigonometry, coordinate geometry and circle geometry as well as introduce them to the world of calculus with units on differentiation and integration. In Statistics 1, students continue to develop skills in representation of data and probability. They are introduced to the field of permutations and combinations and learn about and use the normal distribution. Mechanics 1 is a course that focuses on maths associated with Physics. In this part of the course, students learn about forces, kinematics and straight line motion. They also solve problems related to energy, work and power and apply Newton’s laws to a variety of problems. Pure Mathematics 3 is studied in Year 13, and develops these skills still further. At this level some extremely complicated differentiation and integration techniques are studied. Students continue to develop their algebraic skills, and are introduced to logarithmic and exponential functions as well as complex numbers. Many students are surprised to learn about i, imaginary numbers and complex numbers. Scott Kennedy Changes to Textbook Policy As a result of frequent syllabus changes and the need to replace textbooks frequently to keep up, we are altering our approach to high school textbooks. From 2021, most courses from Year 10 upward will require our students to purchase textbooks. These textbooks will be able to be pur- chased from the school. This will enable us to ensure that all students have access to the most up to date textbooks that cover the material in the latest syllabi. In 2020, the current policy of MCS providing all textbooks will be retained.
Photography Module
In the second half of Term 3 the Year 10s have been participating in a photography module
taught by Mr Boyd. We had an enjoyable and educational experience as we learnt about some
different photography techniques in order to create aesthetic photos. An example of this is the
rule “Figure to Ground” where you contrast between the figure and the background. Along with
this, we used an editing app called Polarr to make the pictures more vibrant. My highlight this
module was using knowledge and creativity to take our own photos. Kenny Pan
Iris Wong Samantha Whyte
Pakawat Phoncha
French Module
For the past few weeks, the Year 9s have been doing
a French Module taught by Mrs Kennedy. There were
difficulties in this module; especially learning the ac-
cents like the acute accent (é) and the circumflex ac-
cent (â). My favourite part of the module was playing
a French rendition of Battleships. Overall, this module
has been a great experience and has given me a
whole new perspective on the French culture.
Au revoir! Preston GIllet
Personality Module
Missions Team Review
When Ruth Harrowfield began teaching this module, I was surprised by the practicality of
knowing your personality type. Once we all decided which type we fit best, we did some research
on some common careers for that type and found some interesting suggestions. We also found
out some exciting facts about each other such as what we like, what annoys us, our strengths/
weaknesses, and how we prefer to work in the classroom. Overall, this was a useful module
which will hopefully help us work together smoothly and conflict-free. Zachary Simons
Home Economics
Missions Module
Team Review
This term the Year 10s have taken part in a cooking module with Mrs Prakasa. She has taught us
to bake cookies, apple cake, coconut biscuits and make mango lassi. We have also cooked Indian
puff pastries and tacos. At the end of every cooking experience, we got to eat the delicious food
we had made and give some to the teachers, and sometimes other students. My favourite thing
we made was definitely the mango lassi, because it was just sooo good. I thoroughly enjoyed this
module because we didn’t burn anything, and it was a fun and chill way to end the week.
Sylvia Humphreys
Culture Day After a long term filled with study and hard work, we finished off the term by having a Culture Day. Culture Day was a day where we celebrated the diversity of God’s creation by coming to school in our cultural clothing and bringing a plate to share at morning tea of our cultural food. Despite the cold and dull weather, the school was bursting with different colours as people came dressed in bright sulus, leprechaun hats and sarees. One of the highlights of Culture Day was the assembly at the beginning of the day. During assembly, it was amazing to see all the different cultures represented in our school while everyone was gathered together. There were two exciting cultural dance performances done by an Indian group and a Samoan group from the high school. It was intriguing to see how different cultures celebrate and the uniqueness of their traditional dances. Talitha Sharma
Book Review: Love Thy Body by Nancy Pearcey
Love Thy Body by Nancy Pearcy was a really interesting and help-
ful book. In it, Pearcy discusses the Personhood theory that is be-
hind the secular worldview of today – the split of body and mind
that dehumanises us and leads to a low view of the body. In the
book she applies this to a number of current issues including abor-
tion and same sex marriage and shows us how to overcome this
damaging split. I recommend this book for teenagers and adults
who want to know why the current issues are wrong and to learn
how to unify our bodies and minds in a culture that is so set on
dividing them. Caitlin Shallard
Love Thy Body is an intriguing book that helps to capture the personhood theory dichotomy.
Nancy Pearcey points out especially how this theory affects all of society since everyone’s
decisions implies a worldview of some sort. Chapter 6 of the book especially caught my attention
in regards to transgenderism. Pearcey shows how transgenderism, with its promotion of gender
freedom, actually restricts you as a person due to placing people in gender stereotypes.
Christianity, on the other hand, values the whole person and as a result allows for the person to
have a greater sense of freedom in regards to their own choices. This book helps people to realise
that only in Christianity can you ever find true value and worth by accepting the way that God has
created you. Griffin Arendse
This term during Bible we’ve been studying Term 3 Bible saw us reading a book called
the effect of worldviews on controversial ‘Love Thy Body’ by Nancy Pearcey. This book
topics such as abortion and homosexuality explores contemporary issues, such as abor-
in the book, Love Thy Body by Nancy Pearcy. tion, euthanasia and same sex marriage,
One of the things that she touched on that I through a Christian worldview. Pearcey focus-
found interesting was the fact that when es on what she calls the “body- person dual-
gender is not rooted in our biological sex, ism”, showing how it is at the centre of these
then the thing that defines our gender are issues and explains the ramifications of it. Be-
restrictive gender stereotypes. For example, hind these issues is the idea that nature is not
if you like blue and sports you must be a boy as important as consciousness and thinking,
or if you like pink and Barbie dolls you are a leading to an attitude of disregard for the hu-
girl. However, when your gender is rooted man body. Pearcey explains that a Christian
in your sex, you have more freedom. For ex- worldview actually respects the human body
ample, you can like sports and still be a fe- more than a secular worldview does. She
male or you can like watching romantic films shows that basing a person’s identity on their
and still be a male without your gender be- natural body rather than their level of con-
ing questioned. Talitha Sharma sciousness, feelings or their ‘authentic self’
leads to a stronger basis for human rights and
greater freedom of expression.
Rebekah Shallard
Staff Changes
Missions TeamforReview
2020
We regret to announce that our English teacher Mr Boyd, has resigned in order to pursue an
OE with his wife in 2020. We have greatly appreciated Mr Boyd’s enthusiasm and teaching
ability. He will be missed, but we wish him well with his travels. Interviews have taken place for
a new replacement, and a decision will be made shortly.
In other news, a new Bible and PE teacher has been appointed for 2020. Mr Aloiai who taught
here a few years back as a primary teacher is excited to join our growing high school team next
year. He brings a wealth of biblical knowledge and training and will be a real blessing in the
lives of our students.
Dates for 2020
Missions Team Review
The Cambridge external examination dates for the 2020 October November series have just
been issued. As a result of this, we are now in a position to update and finalise term dates for
2020. The dates are as follows.
Term 1: 30 Jan to 9 Apr 2020
Term 2: 28 April to 3 Jul 2020
Term 3: 20 July to 25 Sep 2020
Term 4: 7 Oct to 2 Dec 2020
Please note that 7 October is the second Wednesday of the primary school holidays. Senior
students (Y11-13) will finish 27 November, while Year 9 & 10 students will have their final day
on Wednesday 2 December. The Year 12 & 13 North Island trip is tentatively planned for
23-26 November 2020.
Thanks and Prayer Missions
77 Rogers Road • P O Box 75-623 • Manurewa • p 269-1050
admin@manukauchristian.school.nz • manukauchristian.school.nz
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