SCIENCE Biology The Biology year started with a successful (if weather disrupted) trip to Temple Basin with Year 12 students. This is always a positive start to the year and a great opportunity for whakawhanaungatanga (establishing relationships). In Year 13, students can explore the bigger picture of Biology and start to see where the sections they have been studying over the past few years relate to each other. A highlight was the trip to Orana Park to see one of the best skull collections in the country and better understand the human evolution topic. The Diploma courses are well embedded, but this year has allowed for refinement. This has included adding a field trip in the prep course so we can teach some of the practical skills required for the Ecological Patterns internal in Year 12. This, in turn, has allowed for more time in Year 12 to focus on the content and material. In Year 9, the focus is on creating a positive experience in Science, with many students not having done a lot of practical science. We also aim to build some basics of the main elements of Biology, such as cells and DNA. In February, several students gained Scholarship Biology (Charles Beale, Matthew Brett, Angus Gifford, and Boyuan Li) and I would like to thank Dr Graeme Swanson for running the Scholarship programme. We also had three students (Ericsson Ye, Aaron, Kwak, and Bill Li) – our highest number for several years – who were successful in the first round of the New Zealand Biology Olympiad and gained entry to the tutorial programme for the 2024– 2025 competition. Staffing wise, the department has welcomed back Emily Buckley from maternity leave and Kirstie Tucker has joined the department full-time. Additionally, we were fortunate to have Amy Fisher teaching some core Biology courses. This has given us a wealth of knowledge, ideas, and resources to add to the department.
The Year 11 Diploma course again changed with new courses introduced. This year, a prep course effectively replaced the Sports Science course. Students could choose this as an optional prep class, with one class each semester. All students were expected to complete Health and choose one option from Move to Improve and Active in Leisure. Both courses were new this year and would continue to develop. The other key change was that each student did only one PE semester, with four periods a week instead of the previous two periods throughout the year. In Year 12, students completed the NCEA Level 2 course with a mixture of practical and class sessions. The two classes looked at leadership, which included teaching and coaching Year 9 students, developing their kayaking skills through canoe polo and learning about the skill process, considering the intricacies of fitness training programmes in the context of touch rugby, and taking a sociological look at the impact of the Olympic Games. In Year 13, the department again offered both the Sports Leadership course, which is a unit standards- based course, and a full NCEA Level 3 programme. The Sports Leadership course was practically based, with students also coaching younger boys and studying where recreation and sport fit into New Zealand society. The Year 13 NCEA Level 3 course was one class this year, with the highlight being a two-day trip to Peel Forest for rafting down the Rangitata River as part of the Safety and Risk Management standard. Overall, it has been a very busy year. The third year of the Diploma meant there was a lot of work still being done in this area, particularly regarding the new Year 11 courses. The completion of Upper West and Upper meant that we could resume a normal programme, and, more importantly, consider more opportunities to expand and enhance our PE & Health curriculum at College.
A primary focus in 2025 is to improve the Psychology course’s academic standards and maintain assessment integrity in the face of AI issues. We are also working hard to ensure our course has high standards while maintaining consistency with assessment standards across the country. Embedding literacy skills into the course is a priority. Put simply, we will teach the boys cool stuff about Psychology that one day
of Anglicanism in its aspiration to hold a middle ground as a bridge across differences. In Year 10, students explored the commonalities and differences across five major world religions. Islam, in the context of historical events in Oˉ tautahi Christchurch, was a key area of focus. In Year 11, students examined the causes of ‘The Reformation’, and the effects of this on society at the time. They assessed the ambition of the Elizabethan Settlement as a model for maintaining unity in the face of theological diversity, and how this model might be used in contemporary Aotearoa New Zealand, both theologically and socially. Strand three: Meaning and Purpose In Year 9, students were introduced to scripture and holy writing, the form and layout of the Christian scriptures, and explored how communities have sought to reveal God’s purpose and meaning in their context, including in the church sacraments with emphasis on Baptism and Holy Communion. In Year 10, students explored introductory ethics, human values, motives, and choices. Students voiced their ideas and opinions and were challenged to question. Class discussions explored ‘the big questions of life’ in a safe, yet challenging, environment. In Year 11, students engaged with ethical models and explored Christian ethics through the lens of the CS Lewis work The Four Loves . Students were introduced to the theory of Moral Law, the theology of Grace; and its impact on right and wrong action based on the statement ‘God is Love’, and the commandment ‘to love one another as I have loved you’. Prize winners Tyndale Subject Excellence prizes Year 9 – Sam Moore Year 10 – Sebastian Wynn Thomas Year 11 – Charlie de Costobadie Balfour Service to Chapel prizes Year 9 (Chapel Bell) – Jayden Ferrier Year 13 (Chapel Prefects) – Ollie du Toit, Oliver Biggs Reverend Canon Cameron Pickering HoD Religious Education
they will use. Travis Dixon HoD Psychology
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION All students in Years 9–11 study Religious Education. In Year 9, this is one period per week for four terms (34 lessons, on average). For Years 10–11, it is two periods per week for two terms (35 periods, on average). The assessment of student learning was based on completing engaging in-class assignments and contributing to smaller group and class discussions. In 2024, in alignment with the aspirations of the College Diploma, we continued our three-year strand progressions implemented in 2023. Strand one: Belonging In Year 9, students explored their sense of belonging in a new school. Moses and the Hebrew people’s flight from Egypt was investigated as an archetypal story of communal self- awareness and belonging. At Year 10, students looked at how different religious traditions form and foster community. They explored five major world religions and their contribution and place in a religiously diverse contemporary New Zealand society. In Year 11, students examined a contemporary social issue (ordination of women, the blessing of same-sex marriages), and the theological initiation and/or response of the Church, with a particular focus on the Anglican Church of Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia. Strand two: Unity and Diversity In Year 9, students were encouraged to engage with the liturgy and form
Prize winners Year 13 NCEA Ollie Gormack Y13 Sports Leadership Ollie Nicholson Y12 NCEA Fynn Harrington Year 11 Nisal Pathirana Year 10 Jack Gorrie Year 9
explaining psychological phenomena, conducting effective research, and evaluating research and arguments. The Criminology course remains popular and this year the topic of ‘Attraction’ was introduced. This also proved popular with the boys, but is perhaps too nuanced to be taught at Level 2. Next year, we will teach this content in Term 4 after all internals have finished. Studying the ‘Stanford Prison Experiment’ before conducting their own research was also popular with the boys. They are enthusiastic when they get a chance to do something practical. We expect 2025 to be an exciting year for Level 2 as we study Criminology, Motivation, Ethics, and Experimentation. The Level 3 course continued its focus on ‘Men’s Mental Health’. However, there’s a temptation to drop the ‘mental’ from the title as boys seem to be more engaged in the biological and environmental side of Psychology, rather than the cognitive. Topics such as PTSD and depression were covered. Resilience was dropped from the course as it’s difficult for assessment purposes. However, it might be brought back in the future. Next year, we will also introduce Psychology as a Scholarship subject.
Tom Osmers Rob Clarke HoD Physical Education & Health PSYCHOLOGY The profile and popularity of Psychology at College continues to grow. This year, we expanded to three Level 3 classes and our department welcomed Ginny Patterson as our second teacher. In 2025, our Level 2 course will grow from 42 to 63 boys. The Level 2 course is designed to give students a strong foundation in a range of Psychology skills. This includes reading and summarising research, comprehending and
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