In today’s ANI Guild we have the following:
Mr Ng Back for Business
Gone for 3 weeks, Mr Ng comes back with crutches, casts, and bandages all over him! He came back with the exact passion and energy that he started with. Students crowded around him because they missed him so much and they were excited that he was back. Mr Ng missed ANI so much that he got right back into his job!
On the weekend, Mr Ng, all the way in Hamilton, was playing in the semi-final game for the national qualifying tournament for Ultimate Frisbee. Smashing every move and thrashing the opponent’s team. He was trying to jump into the end zone for a point, but then, unfortunately, he broke his Fibula on the landing. The Fibula is a long, thin bone located on the outer side of the lower leg. He was rushed to the Waikato Hospital. He had to get two surgeries to fix the bone. Mr Ng even said his bone was sticking out!
“I’m recovering well and very excited to be back to teach with the amazing Ms Chowdhury” – Mr Ng.
But even after everything, Mr Ng’s ankle is getting better, and he is back to teaching with Ms Chowdhury in ILE 5/6. We really hope Mr Ng makes a full recovery soon.
Written by: Reese, Nina, and Flora
Edited by: Reese, Nina, Flora, Soleil and Mason
Table Tennis Takeover: A smash hit in school!
Monday, 23rd March, in our weekly assembly, we had a demonstration on how to play table tennis. It was so exciting to watch as the balls bounced across the table. A coach from an official table tennis club visited our school to teach us how to play this staggering sport. He explained how we could apply to be a part of this amazing sport and represent our school in competitions. They played a short game of Table Tennis, and the students who were lucky enough to be selected proved their skill when they played. Even as beginners, they were able to hit almost right, but of course, there was a student who was a pro at it and ended up winning a brand new bat.
A while after the assembly, a lot of students came to try out if it was the sport they should try. There were more than 30 students who showed their appreciation and joined the table tennis. Classes then had the opportunity to play table tennis for a period the following week. Students were lucky enough to be involved and really enjoyed their time!
I think the assembly was the perfect introduction to table tennis, and it’s exciting to learn more about the upcoming events and who knows? Maybe you might even discover a new passion you never thought about.
Written by: Riya
Edited by: Riya and Yeheni
Illustrated by: Riya
The Panic of ANI: THE DENTAL VAN STRIKES!
The time has come. The dental van strikes ANI! Some students are panicking, while others are so excited. Some say they’re mean, while others say they’re nice. Who knows? Everyone has to go there to find out! All the students passed the van with worried, excited, and anxious thoughts. “When will the van go away? “When is my appointment? I can’t wait!”, “I’m so nervous.”
People fear the dentist. They dread having to go back to have their teeth checked. Although a lot of dentists are kind, it can be terrifying as some might remove your teeth when they perform surgery on you; ESPECIALLY when they know that you’ve been sneaking lollies. They might steal your teeth because you’re not flossing or brushing properly. Dentists sure are sneaky!
The dental van comes to schools around New Zealand to provide free dental care for children. This week, it’s here at ANI. The van is clean, nice looking and seems friendly, but when you step inside, all your hair stands on end! All your horrible thoughts run straight through you. “Oh no!” That’s what some students feel like when they go to the dentist. When they step inside, they think, “ Oh, isn’t this lovely, this is like heaven, I could be here all day.”
The dental care is free in New Zealand for children under 18. This is to help children keep their teeth clean easily, brush their teeth every day, and prevent decay from becoming a serious problem. Parents sign up for appointments online, and the students get their check-up during school time. The dental van is only there for kids who have their dental check due and is organised by the Ministry of Health. But for those who haven’t had their dental check, they will have to go to the dentist instead of the dental van for their check-up.
The school has been on edge for the last week about the dental van and the result of their visit. Most people have taken a trip to the dentist now. Overall, people stated that it was OK with the way it turned out. Others were not so happy with what was going on with their teeth, but it’s all for their benefit, and it’s not that scary after all!
Written by Chloe, Declan, and Samantha
Photographs by Samantha
Edited by: Chloe, Kavisha and Declan
Welcome to the ANI Roadshow. An
Student-Led Clubs
ANI introduces Student-Led Clubs to the students! ANI offers tons of opportunities for students to show Rangatiratanga, one of our core values, and Student-Led groups are among them! This term, our students have planned to start their own clubs, and now we have finally got them started! Each group is hosted by either 1 or more students, who carefully and accurately plan and execute each activity for students to enjoy and participate in.
After careful consideration, the students finally got the chance to present their groups on Culture Day! We had all sorts of groups – sport, art, drama, filming, culture and music! Most of our clubs have decided to start this term! It’s so great to see so many students take the lead and help create a place where everyone is welcome and included, with their interests respected.
Some of the student-led clubs include:
- Film Club – Where Students can express their inner interest in acting and performing, they spend time conveying their emotions through dance and performing.
- Chess Club – This club is where students engage in competitive/fun chess games. They play against other students during lunch for their games, but also do trials at some point to go to tournaments.
- Sri Lankan Dance – Led by two amazing students – Shanela and Ranuli! In Sri Lankan Dance, people are taught the culture of Sri Lanka, and they express it in amazing ways, like moving and dancing!
- Bollywood Stars – In the club, they teach and dance with others to learn how to express themselves through Bollywood dance. They have choreographed 7 dances so far and will continue to perform more amazing dances in assemblies.
- Volleyball Club – In the volleyball club, they teach new students to improve their basic skills and experienced students get to compete in competitive matches at school.
- Performing Arts Club – in P.A.C our students learn to express themselves using different movements and make themselves belong with positive energy!
- Comic Club – Led by a student in Room 11, Kayla Simmons! Where they create new and different comics.
- Painting Club – The painting club is one of our first groups to start fundraising at ANI. They have shown a lot of leadership and taken initiative, which has paid off since they funded more than $100 during their bake sale!!
We also got a chance to interview two of the leaders of the Sri Lankan dance group – Shanela and Ranuli. Here’s how it went:
Q – Question
A – Answer
Q: Hi there, Shanela and Ranuli, thank you so much for taking the time to be with us today, to get right in, how did you get the idea to start your own club?
A: Well, we always wanted to share the beautiful culture of Sri Lanka. We wanted to join a new culture group last year, but we didn’t like the dance they wanted us to do. So we decided to make our own club instead!
Q: That’s perfect! We also heard that your dance group got the chance to perform at an assembly. When you heard that, how did it make you feel?
A: Our first reaction was shock when we first heard that. However, we were really proud of how far our club had come!
Q: That was great! So, do you have any advice for upcoming clubs that hope to follow in your steps?
Overall, we’re so happy to see how many students have taken the lead to share their interests with others by hosting a club. So to our students, if your amazing peers can start their own club, so can you. Don’t be afraid to show Rangatiratanga and become a leader yourself!
Written by Kavisha, Nicole, Mya, Mason and Grace
AIMS Squads!
Every year, there is a competitive sports event in Tauranga called AIMS. The team sports we send to compete are Netball, Football, Futsal, Basketball, Waterpolo, Rippa, Hockey and Hip Hop. The individual sports are going to be announced later in the term. The squads are not the final team, but they are the teams narrowed down, then from there, the Coaches, Managers, and Mr Rice will decide on the final teams.
After some hard consideration, the teachers came to a tough decision about the squads. They called a meeting about the squads for everyone who trialled. Everyone was so anxious to find out. It takes a lot of courage to try out for a team, and great work for everyone who tried out, regardless of whether or not you made the squad.
A huge congrats to all the people who were successful. Here are the final squads:
Again, congratulations to everyone who trialled. Whether or not you got in or not.
Written by: Nina & Ayla
Edited by: Soleil, Mason
Research lessons in the library
Over the past two weeks, Miss Olivia, our wonderful librarian, has been teaching the Year 8s how to find information and present it in their own words without plagiarising. To avoid plagiarism, they have been taught to cite their resources clearly and reword the information they find by putting it into their own words. They learnt about the problems they could face if they plagiarised and how important it is to use up-to-date information. They were also shown how to use quotation marks to indicate when something has been said by someone else.
“I thought it went well. Students seemed to really engage in finding information and understanding where AI gets its research from. People really loved the question about Odell and River,” said Ms Olivia. It seems that her research lessons went very well.
During the research activity last week, they had to split into groups of 4 to 5, with each group assigned a colour such as red, blue, yellow, orange, or green. They completed a quiz with many questions and were required to cite their sources. There was also a fun quiz, in which the first group to finish the quiz received 50 house points each!
The Year 8s found these lessons very helpful because it taught them how to research properly and avoid plagiarism. They especially enjoyed the competitive aspect of the activities.
Overall, the research lessons went well, and everyone actively participated and paid attention. Even those who did not win the house points stayed focused and completed their work properly, ending the lessons on a positive note.
Written by: Riya, Mason and Alisha
Edited by: Riya, Kavisha
Illustrated by: Riya
Region of origin dodgeball tournament
On Friday, Week 7 Term 1, there was a Region of Origin dodgeball tournament, where different people from different cultures in the school came together and played dodgeball. It was packed with amusement and fun, truly an amazing way to combine Dodgeball with Cultural Day!
Everyone was so hyped up, and it was super entertaining! There were so many students from different cultures, such as Europe, the Middle East, the Pacific, Africa and more, what an exciting event! All the teams tried their best and did incredibly well, resulting in a thrilling game, in which Samoa and India took the lead with their strong skills.
There was no winner, but everyone got to participate and join in with the chaos. Students gathered around the court, all hoping to have a look at this spectacular event and hopefully watch their country score some points. Everyone gave it their most in this ecstatic lunchtime dodgeball game.
As the students walked out, they were all drained and tired from all the energetic playing, but still absolutely elated for the upcoming finals! It is not confirmed when or if the final will occur, but many of us are all excited for the Manu Competition in Week 9.
Overall, they all had an amazing time, and I’m sure all the team players are overjoyed and proud of the accomplishments they made for their teams!
“It truly was a spectacle in the battle of regions!” – Mr Rice
Article written by: Olivia and Romee
Edited by: Lucy and Olivia
Photos by: Xavier Rice (Mr Rice)
That's A Wrap!
What if we tell you that… we’ve finished ¼ of the school year! Would you believe how fast time flies? It’s been a mind-boggling term with AIMS trials, student-led groups, choir and orchestra, central zones and many more thrilling activities. Starting from the very first week of school, it has surely been filled with endless ventures.
ANI has been a blast. Remember the very first moment you stepped into school grounds after the 2-month holiday. Did you feel excited? Nervous? Or maybe even a mixture of both?
“It’s been a very fun first term with my Year 7 class, and I’m looking forward to term 2.” – Miss Chowdhury.
The holiday, known as Easter, is on the 5th of April (Sunday), which is 3 days after the last day of school. Easter is a Christian festival which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It symbolises victory rather than death with hope and new life.
During Easter, the tradition is that men hide an easter egg for the women and children to find it. Why do we do that? When children and women hunt for eggs, it means searching for the resurrected Christ. The eggs symbolise a new life, the emptiness of Jesus and rebirth.
The Easter bunny, a well-known folkloric character, supposedly first came to America in the 1700s with German settlers who travelled into Pennsylvania and transported their tradition of an egg-laying hare, most commonly called Osterhase.
We hope you enjoyed the first term of 2026 at ANI! We hope you had a wonderful holiday and you’re ready for what this second term has to offer!
Written by: Jackie, Cherie
Edited by: Jackie, Agness
Illustrated by: Angeline
Stars
Each ILE made their own displays of all nine stars, using paper, cardboard, paint and many other materials. The end result was dazzling, bright and beautiful window displays.
Written by: Libby, Saanvi M, Erin
Edited by: Saanvi R
Language Week
This week at ANI has been pretty special because it is… Cook Islands Language Week! The Cook Islands are islands in Polynesia with a beautiful and rich history that deserves to be showcased. ANI has decided to celebrate the rich heritage of our islander students by showcasing a Cook Islands Dance.
The dancers have been working incredibly hard to memorise the beautiful
HappANIngs
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