ACES Weekly Buzz

Tēnā koutou katoa parent(s), caregivers, whānau and external providers

This week's rundown in the ACES Weekly Buzz:

ACES Pink Shirt Day Champions

We look at the winning entries to our amazing ACES Pink Shirt Day event celebrating our school-wide Anti-Bullying kaupapa. We also get to sit down and chat with Hayward, organiser of Pink Shirt Day at ACES and look at his role in supporting Rangatahi, "Moving In" and "Moving On" processes. We show some examples of ACES Pink Shirt Day mahi, demonstrating authentic reflection and creativity in understanding how bullying impacts Rangatahi on a personal level.

Attendance HEROES

Over June we are proud to launch our HERO programme to help drive attendance. The brainchild of our very own Greg Davis, this programme highlights the importance of attendance to build and drive, engagement with our school, resilience and consistency, which ultimately leads to improvement in learning outcomes.

ACES is pleased to announce our H.E.R.O event. The (Here Everyday, Ready On Time) event is an exciting initiative to celebrate and encourage outstanding student attendance throughout the month of June. This program aims to recognise students, who demonstrate effort and dedication by attending school consistently and arriving on time, ready to learn. By fostering a culture of commitment and punctuality, HERO empowers students to take pride in their reliability and engagement. Join us in cheering on our Heroes as they shine with perfect attendance, and trending improvement with fantastic prizes awaiting our most dedicated participants! Cue Mariah Carey voice, "....and then a hero comes along.... " Mauri ora.

Congratulations to all of our students who participated in Pink Shirt Day - the Anti-Bullying kaupapa was the real winner on the day.

Winner of Pinkest Roopu - Carrington (Mark's roopu)

Winner of Pinkest Food - Adams (Isaak's roopu)

Winner of Poem Contest - Hillary (Ezra's roopu)

Each winner will receive a $150 voucher for their roopu to spend.

Poems - Excerpts from Hillary Roopu (Ezra's Roopu)

Some amazing examples of student reflection on the Kaupapa of Pink Shirt Day.

Student M : `

A shade of pink, A vibrant hue

A symbol of what’s right and true.

Against the darkness, we shall stand tall

For kindness' sake, for one and all.

Student F :

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can

really hurt. You can make me feel so low, deep down in

the dirt. I feel sad; I feel pain when you call me that

name. Why do you have to make me feel so lame?

Student B:

How would you feel if I punched you in the head? You’d

probably feel like you're going to bed. You pushed me

down to the ground, everyone laughed as though I was

a clown, and you turned my whole world upside down.

Those sleepless nights, the cries with no sound.

Student D :

Remember that I have feelings just like you; bullying

happens just as often as catching the flu. Always do

what’s right and never go left; just remember that

bullying at the end of the day can lead to death.

I'm a 'student support advisor' which involves doing a little bit of everything, but specifically the 'Moving In' and 'Moving On' process. Greg and I are the first point of contact for new students and I help to support our Tuakana transitions team to help our rangatahi to move into youth guarantee courses or employment. I also do a bit of Mentoring and Careers Counselling with some of our students who really struggle to attend or manage themselves at ACES.

How did you come to be at ACES?

I started working with youth in early 2018 at Reconnect Family Services in their Care and Protection and Youth Justice Programs. I've always found the work we do rewarding, but did not find the 7:30am - 11:30pm shifts every Sunday very rewarding. Working at ACES has been great for the work life balance which can be so difficult to find in this sector.

What’s the best part of your job and the one thing that you most look forward to every day?

Using the coffee machine every morning! Nah definitely catching up with the rangatahi. Youth can have such a sense of humour and resilience, it can be really inspiring. With what youth have had to deal with these days with technology changes and pandemics it's a miracle these kids are attending at all. Seeing the young people make an effort to get to school every day through adversity definitely drives our mahi as professionals.

WHO: Auckland City Education Services - AE and Professionals.

WHERE: Action Central Indoor Sport Arena, 911 Dominion Road, Auckland.

DATES: Friday 6 June (Practice and Orientation Sessions) & Monday, 9 June (Full Tournament)

WHAT: A thrilling round-robin Futsal Tournament with Plate and Cup winners to see who has the best soccer players in ACES! Eight Roopu Teams playing all rounds, powered by guests from our professional team joining each squad!

RUNTIME: Two action-packed hours! 8-minute halves, 30-second swap-overs—fast and furious!

REFS: Action Central is supplying top-notch referees for Monday, 9 June 2025.

STRIP: Warwick's (Action Central owner) got us covered with slick International tops! Roopu Squads to send sizes to Thelo—don’t miss out! First come, first served for registering teams.

The first three teams to register get to choose which country strip they wear (in that order), the remainder will be randomly allocated.

TEAM LINE-UP:
- Team 1: Rutherford
- Team 2: Hillary
- Team 3: Cooper
- Team 4: Carrington
- Team 5: Jones
- Team 6: Adams
- Team 7: Savea
- Team 8: Blake

FRIDAY, 6 JUNE PRACTICE SCHEDULE: (Action central)

- 09:30: Thelo onsite with Warwick
- 10:00: Student Leaders Meet (Lincoln and Jacob)
- 10:25: Maungarei/Panmure Campuses arrive
- 10:30: Team brief—get pumped!
- 10:35: Practice Skills & Drills with AFC pros + Tournament Orientation
- 11:30: Debrief and depart
- **Break**
- 12:00: Maungawhau - Central Campus arrives
- 12:05: Team brief—let’s do this!
- 12:10: Practice Skills & Drills with AFC pros + Tournament Orientation
- 13:10: Debrief and depart

MONDAY, 9 JUNE MAIN TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE:

- 09:30: Thelo and Student leaders onsite, ready to roll!
- 10:00: Professionals briefing (site pack-in)—PA, Lunch Area, signage, it’s game day!
- 10:25: School arrives—bring the energy!
- 10:30: Team brief—time to shine!
- 10:45: Opening Ceremony—team march, National Anthem, goosebumps guaranteed!
- 11:00: Tournament Kicks Off—let the goals fly!
- 13:00: Tournament wraps, time for lunch!
- 13:05: Catering arrives—fuel up!
- 13:10: Prizegiving in the Lunch Area—crowning the champs! Cup and Plate winners, Best Dressed, Best Roopu and Fair Play Award (Double Rawe cards for effort and RAKs (Random Acts of Kindness)).
- 13:30: Depart with memories that’ll last a lifetime!

Get ready, ACES Roopu Teams!

This is your chance to cheer, play, and celebrate as our teams, backed by pro talent, go head-to-head for futsal supremacy! Let’s make some noise at the first-ever ACES FIFA Futsal Cup!

Go! Go! Go!....Ole! Ole! Ole!

If you are a local Auckland business keen to connect or advertise, we are looking for the right Partner to join ACES on our learning waka. Contact me on 021 913576 or thelo@aces.school.nz for a confidential chat.

2 June - Kings Birthday - Statutory Holiday

3-6 June - Samoan Language Week

6th June - ACES Futsal Practice sessions at Action Central

9th June - ACES FIFA Futsal Tournament

18 June - NO SCHOOL! Tutor PLD Day

20 June - Matariki - Statutory Holiday

25th June - Wednesday (NO HALF DAY)

26th June - Thursday (Half Day)

27th June - NO SCHOOL! Tutor PLD Day

Term 3 Reminder

14 July - Whakawhanaungatanga Day and

New Students / Whanau Greet and Meet 9.30am - 12.30pm

15 July - New Students Induction

16 July - Term 2 Students Return

17 and 18 July - All Students 9.30am - 12.30pm

Please go to attached LINK here to see previous editions on our Public domain.

Alternative Education and Attendance Service | Auckland City Education Services | Auckland

With our Alternative Education Services, students receive so much more than an ordinary education. We pride ourselves on creating a unique, exciting environment that embraces all.