Here at Macleans College, we have around a hundred and seventy-five international students from all over the world, including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Germany, Spain, and Brazil, just to name a few.
On the 4th of March, over seventy-five international students attended an Induction day, where they learned about the general aspects of life in New Zealand. The presentations were given by Mrs Lum, a counsellor from the international department. There were also other presenters, such as Ms Jennifer Edwards, our school nurse, who came over to the Bentley Pavilion to speak about health and safety at Macleans.
First off, every single student in the room introduced themselves with their name, year, and the country they were from; a wide variety was cast.
The first presentation was to warn these students about a phone call scam – one that some may remember was quite persistent from last year. This scam was mainly targeted at international students, aiming at striking fear into them with the threat of their visa expiring. The second presentation followed with safety in New Zealand, such as what to do in an emergency, and the usual conventions followed.
In between the presentations, Mrs Lum got all the students to play a game of team rock paper scissors. Everyone had fun laughing whenever they lost or won a game – some students even shocked everyone by winning multiple rounds in a row.
Lastly, there was a final presentation about cultural and gender diversity. As students are from all over the world, it means that their culture is very different from one another. Mrs Lum spoke about how some students may identify differently to what is normally perceived, and how to respect that. The presentation focused on respecting each and everyone’s identities and cultures, making sure everyone feels safe here at Macleans College.
The day ended with Mrs Ashby organising the International Prefects to introduce themselves to the students, reaching out their hands for help whenever needed. Thank you to all the prefects and teachers who helped the new students get stuck into their new school, Macleans College.
5th March, 2024
Written by Emma Li, edited by Aaron Huang and Mrs Lum
Photography by Emma Li
