Dear Parents, Guardians and Homestay Families |
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End of Year Message from Ms Tina Kwok,Head of the International Department and Languages: |
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| At the start of the year, all international students were encouraged to contemplate what it meant to be a Westlake student and consider their own holistic development. I am now pleased to see a large number of international students participating in a wide range of co-curricular activities and representing our school in many different areas. These experiences not only improve students’ sporting or musical abilities, but also give them skills to manage their time and learn the importance of team work. |  |
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| International students were also heavily involved in the organisation of the Korean Night, the Chinese Night and several activities during the Cultural Week. I am delighted that our international students are proud of who they are and where they come from, and are eager and confident to share their cultures with us. | ||||||
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Homestay Families |
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| I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all our very wonderful homestay families. Not only do they make sure the students have a warm and comfortable room, with good space to study, and of course provide good, healthy food each day, they do many other things to support the students in their care, including helping with transport, attending parent interviews, helping with homework, providing advice for problems, doctor visits when unwell, celebrating birthdays, watching school sport, or even taking a student travelling on holiday. | ||||||
To our homestay families:Thank you for giving our students a place that they can call home in New Zealand. |
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Academic Success |
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| 2015 saw a huge improvement in international students’ academic performance. I have included in this report a list of international students who were prize winners at the annual Senior Prizegiving. I am proud of the outstanding results these students have achieved and would like to acknowledge the work my team have put in to make this happen. |
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2015 Senior Prize Winners |
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| Nate Virapriya Distinction in Level 1 Design & Visual Communication
Wenxu Yao Distinction in Level 1 English Literacy Programme – Reading Jacky Lin 1st in Level 1 Japanese Yitau Gu 1st in Level 1 Foundation English Zixi Wang 1st in Level 1 English Literacy Programme – Writing Pengyu Chen 1st in Level 1 Food Technology for Beginners Haudong Bai Distinction in Level 1 Foundation English, 1st in Level 1 Accounting Nam Hun Kim Distinction in Level 1 Mathematics with Algebra, 1st in Level 1 Science Jingxin Yu Distinction in Level 1 English Literacy Programme – Writing 1st in Level 1 English Literacy Programme –Reading Jin Han Distinction in Level 2 English for University Entrance – Writing Yidong Wu Distinction in Level 2 English for University Entrance – Reading Yiwei Song Distinction in Level 2 Food Technology Kazaf Tse 1st in Level 2 English for University Entrance – Reading Changsheng Sun 1st in Level 2 English for University Entrance – Writing Jinda Dong 1st in Level 2 Mathematics with Algebra Kusuga Komolong 1st in Level 2 German Sipu Liu 1st in Level 2 Accounting for Beginners Yu Chen 1st in Level 2 Art Design Steven Kim 1st in Level 2 Food Technology for Beginners Shuo Cao Distinction in Level 2 Mathematics with Algebra, 1st in Level 2 Physics Blair Duan Distinction in Level 2 Accounting, Distinction in Level 2 Physics, 1st in Level 2 Economics, 1st in Level 2 Chemistry Akito Hirata Distinction in Level 3 Physics Junbin Choi Distinction in Level 3 Calculus Andrew Hsu 1st in Level 3 Technology (Power Tool Shop North Shore Award) Vincent Yang 1st in Level 3 Science |
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In addition we have just held our Junior Prizegiving where we celebrated the success of our junior international students. Well done to all our students for their effort and academic success. Pictured far right: Martin Shen |
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International TeamA huge thank you to all the staff of the International Department. |
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Message to the Boys |
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| To all the boys who leave us: I hope you have enjoyed your time with us and that we have prepared you well for your life beyond Westlake. To all the boys who are returning next year: Have a wonderful and safe summer with your family Warm regards Tina Kwok Head of International and Languages |
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2015 Westlake on Show:Mr Borok, Director of the International Department |
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Meeting up with former students in Germany |
Westlake Boys High School was presented to new and existing friends in many countries in 2015. This year, for the first time, we visited many new cities and regions in China. For me, the most exciting city was Urumqi, way out in the north west of China. Although I have visited China on many occasions, I am always amazed about the depth and breadth of what China has to offer. This year I was lucky enough to be in Europe at the same time as our Hockey team and I accompanied them for 1 week while they toured Holland and Germany. Afterwards I had the real pleasure of meeting some of our prospective students and their parents – Severin and Mats- as well as Robin Fricke a Westlake old boy studying at university in Holland. |
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Westlake is building up the number of brother schools we have in Thailand. We visited Satit Pattana School in Bangkok. Mr Ferguson, Headmaster Westlake Boys High School, and Ms Mexted, Principal, Westlake Girls High School, were both present to sign the agreement for cooperation between our schools. From Thailand we visited Indonesia and were invited to speak to three schools about Westlake Boys and Girls High Schools. Lastly we visited a De la Salle College in Singapore. Being an all-boys school, I immediately saw the many similarities between this College and us and we hope to build on this initial contact. Westlake International students now come from many countries. This year we had for only the second time, students from Vietnam. We also had our first students from Holland and Indonesia. While these countries are new to the International Department they are not new to Westlake Boys where, I am proud to say, we have students from over 74 different countries. Diversity is to be cherished. |
Sumatra School music |
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Korean Visit |
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Korean Advisor, Kevin Ahn, pictured far left. |
In September this year, Kevin Ahn, our Korean Advisor was away on a school marketing trip to Korea and Japan with Westlake Girls High School. They visited numerous schools and met parents of our current students to update them on their child’s progress. The clean, green, safe and peaceful image of New Zealand did its part to attract future students, but being the nation’s top performing school for scholarship certainly got their ears tingling. |
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Our achievements in music, sports and the school facilities we provide also contributed towards students’/parents’ decision to enrol at Westlake. We look forward to seeing the new students next year and helping them to achieve their goals. Kevin Ahn, Korean Advisor |
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Celebrating Music: Two Thai Students Excel |
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Starting school at Westlake in 2013, two of our Thai students showed their flair for music and quickly joined our school music programme. Otto Anukarnsakulchularp and Roykhien Wanglert took up the opportunity to travel with our Music Department to perform at the 2014 Summa Cum Laude International Music Festival in Austria. The boys got 2 Gold awards as part of the Westlake Symphony Orchestra and Concert Band and one Bronze award as part of the Westlake Chamber Orchestra. During their music tour, they joined all our Westlake musicians to give a two outdoor concert performance at the Town Centre in Hungary. Otto and Roykhien said they had a great time and gained a lot of experience on this school musical tour. |
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The boys continue to perform and be part of the fabulous musical groups here at Westlake. To the left is a photo from their recent performance at the KBB Music Festival. Well done boys! Sara Limpapath, Thai Advisor |
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End of Year Activities |
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As the busy school year draws to a close our junior students have had the opportunity to have some fun and enjoy some activities outside the classroom participating in a swimming day and an athletics day. |  |
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Congratulations to one of our international students Marcel Yang who recently competed in the Lake Taupo cycle challenge, finishing the ride in a time of 3:29:05. | |||||
| Marcel only arrived at our school in term 4 and already he has become involved in a great outdoor pursuit and visited a beautiful part of the country. | ||||||
Goodbye to our Year 13: Leavers Lunch 17 November 2016 |
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We recently held our 2015 Year 13 Leavers Lunch to farewell and wish our leavers all the very best with their adventures ahead. Mr Reed, our Associate Headmaster, thanked the boys for the valuable contribution that they had made to our school and for the enrichment that they had brought to our school. He praised their successes in all forms of school life: academic, sporting and personal and wished them all the best as they left school to head to university. He asked them to keep in touch via our Westlakers Group and that they would always be welcome back at Westlake. Once a Westlaker, always a Westlaker! Mr Reed, together with Mr Lou Borok, Director of International Students, presented the boys with their Leavers Certificates, testimonials, attendance records and a disc containing a video presentation of our school and of NZ – a momento of their time at Westlake. |
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 The 2015 Year 13 Graduates |
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| A more formal Graduation Evening was also held on 28 November where the boys dressed formally and enjoyed an evening of food, music, speeches and fun, celebrating their time at Westlake. |  |
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Cultural Corner: Christmas in China and New Zealand |
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Holidays in NZ and China Christmas is the most celebrated holiday in New Zealand. Unlike the normal White Christmas images that many people are familiar with, Christmas in New Zealand is hot. In this beautiful summer holiday season, people take time to enjoy the sunshine on the beach and barbecue in their backyards. Early seamen and settlers started to celebrate this holiday in the 17th century. Now Santa or Christmas parades take place throughout New Zealand in November or December each year. Christmas is becoming more and more popular in China during the past decade. People celebrate it as it is another perfect reason to gather with friends, buy nice gifts and have great food. However, the most popular holiday in China is still the Chinese New Year Holiday (CNY), i.e. Spring Festival. |
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Although there is no official holiday for CNY in New Zealand, the holiday is widely celebrated in this culturally diverse country now. For example, the Auckland Lantern Festival lights up the whole city sending best wishes to all for joy and prosperity. At our school, boys need to study during the CNY holiday. However, the school will arrange celebrations for our international boys so they can still enjoy the happiness of the festival while they are away from their home countries. Jennifer Fan Chinese Advisor |
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