Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Welcome to SKC ERO

This week our Year 10 students welcomed staff from the Education Review Office to St Kevin's on behalf of our College Community.  The ERO team will be with us for the week.

Friday, August 26, 2016

Principal's Comment

Kia ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College

This week we have hosted His Excellency Mr Maris Sangiampongsa, Ambassador of Thailand. His Excellency was welcomed with the College Haka followed by speeches in the Auditorium. The Ambassador had a strong message promoting global citizenship and invited students to apply for the exchange programme that Holly Malcolm was selected for previously.
We also continued to have students, and staff from Gong'an No.1 Senior Middle School exploring the Kiwi way in our classes. Thank you to the hostel students who have acted as buddies to the group. Exchanges of this type, challenge us to reflect on our own culture and practice, and I am sure that all the students involved have grown in both understanding of each others customs and language. Thank you to the staff who have generously helped with evening activities. These have included cooking, horse riding and archery. We wish the group safe travel as they return home on Sunday.
At assembly this week we awarded Spark Cards. These recognise students who uphold the FIRE Values of our College. I am honoured to be able to award these to so many of our students.

May God bless you
PaulOlsen, Principal

The First Of Our Earnest Cast

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST
Introducing the beginning of a great cast of Oscar Wilde thespians! GypsyMae Harihona-Harrison as Algernon Moncrieff, Mark Whittet as John Worthing and Josh Cunningham as the formidable Lady Bracknell (Thursday evening performance)

The Importance of Being Earnest - Home & School Fundraiser

The Home & School are proud to be teaming up with the Senior Drama class to bring to you The Importance of being Earnest - A Supper Theatre.  Directed by Ms Jo Walshe, "Earnest" is a timeless Oscar Wilde classic.  Farcical and witty, be sure to get a group together and book an elegant evening of theatre.

Tickets are $25.00 per person and available at the school office (this is an exclusive 2 shows only season so book now to avoid disappointment!)

North Otago Rugby Lineup

Lining up for North Otago in the opening round of the Heartland Championship competition are some familiar Kevinian faces!  Y13 student Simon Lilicama will run out with HOF PE Craig Smith, as well as past pupils Robbie Smith, Filipo Veamathau, Mathew Vocea and Sione Misiloi.  Hostel staff member Joe Pickett is also hitting the field!  Their first game is against Mid Canterbury in Ashburton.  Good luck to all of the North Otago boys!

High Performance Programme

The Olympics may have been and gone but the glory of the athletes who competed for New Zealand will shine on for a bit longer!  This week the first resources redeemed using our ANZ Olympic School points arrived at the College and some of the students in the Junior High Performance programme were keen to try them out.  Fitbits and medicine balls were given a quick test run before a class fitness test for those students who were not with specialist coaches for a sport specific skills lesson.

The High Performance Class has been rolled out in our Y10 class this term and will continue on into Level 1, 2 and 3.  It aims to develop our elite sports people and give them the physical, mental and emotional skills to perform at a high level.  We are grateful for the support of local sporting development officers who have come on board the programme to give sport specific coaching sessions.
As a registered ANZ Olympic School you can still provide the College with additional resources when you choose ANZ for your next home or business loan of $50,000 or over, simply by letting bank staff know that St Kevin's College is an ANZ Olympic School.  By collecting points (similar to Fly Buys or Air Points) we can redeem them for a great choice of items - CLICK HERE to see just some of things on offer!


Thursday, August 25, 2016

Action Packed Assembly

Assembly was action packed this week.  Thomas, Max, Mark and GypsyMae presented the liturgy with the theme of respect, honesty and leadership.  In their short, animated play seeds wouldn't grow because they had been boiled, and whilst others swapped seeds to ensure success Thomas' character kept the same seed - staying honest.  It seems timely with the 2017 leadership positions applications opening soon!!
As it was their final assembly, our Gong'an students and their teachers were invited onto the stage and presented with a small momento from the College.  There was a lovely opportunity for one last photo together on the assembly stage.
And to complete the triple, Spark Certificates were awarded this week.  These acknowledge Academic, Cultural or Sporting Endeavour, the Demonstration of FIRE Values, OR Service to the School, Hostel or Community.  Students are nominated for the awards by College staff.  Congratulations to:  Cody Haynes,Emily McCoy, Roshan Khatri, Millie Coutts, Theo Van de Klundert, Lucy Hellewell, Faraz Hussain, Frano Flannery, Rata McMullan, Caleb Jopson, Rose McCarthy, Kate Nally, Sean O'Brien, Molly Kay, Briar Swanson, Madeleine Harrop, Sarah Dodd, Makeyla Massey, Rylee Bell, Rebecca Whittet, Taine Lanauze, Shannon McEwan, Alex Gibbons, Kaleb Frew, Froukje Edzes, Jenna Stuart, James Caldwell, Imogen Brew, Ami Wallis, Holly Malcolm, Harriet Hanning, Nadia Kerr, Amy Hunter, Ellie Monk, Taylah Byrne, Jarred Hardy and Simon Lilicama

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Thai/New Zealand Language and Cultural Exchange

Today we were delighted to welcome His Excellency Mr Maris Sangiampongsa, Ambassador of Thailand, who was here to speak to our younger students about the Thai/New Zealand Language and Cultural Exchange programme. The delegation was greeted with the College haka and then welcomed by Head Girl GypsyMae Harihona-Harrison. Mr Olsen then introduced Ambassador Marris who addressed students, talking about Thailand and the ASEAN community, as well as the Embassy's student exchange programme and it's aims, encouraging students to put their names forward for this incredible cultural opportunity. As one of the seven students nationwide who took part in the programme for 2016, Y12 student Holly Malcolm thanked the Ambassador for travelling to the College, before joining the Thai delegation, Senior Management and our Top Six students for a morning tea in the Redcastle.

The Thai/New Zeland Language and Cultural Exchange programme aims to promote the cultural exchange of ideas and experiences, and to also immerse Thai students in conversational English through the presence of the exchange students in their schools and communities. If you would like more information please see Holly.

Gong'an Presentation


At our Admin Assembly this week, the visiting students from Gong'an No1 Middle School were presented with certificates from the College.  Thank you to Diane Vidallon for helping us with the presentation.

Friday, August 19, 2016

Deputy Principal's Message

Kia ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College

With Mr Olsen away at the Aoraki Principals Meeting it is my pleasure to address you this week. I must say that it has been a week that epitomises what it means to be a Kevinian and to live our FIRE Values every day.

Last weekend we opened the College for the Bishop's Shield, to share our St Kevin's College Family with the visiting competitors and staff.  Thank you to all of the students who competed, the families who opened their homes and to the army of student and staff volunteers who made the weekend so successful.  
Well done to our sporting teams who have achieved so much over the winter sporting season, showing Integrity on and off the sports field.  Thank you to all of the coaches, managers and supporter who volunteer countless hours to bring out the sporting best in our students.  With Tournament week approaching I am always very proud of the Respect that our students display for the competition whilst wearing the St Kevin's College crest and all of the tradition that it stands for.

Yesterday Ms Walshe joined Riley Chandler, Max Stewart and their families at the Class Act Awards Ceremony in Dunedin.  Their all around Excellence makes them worthy recipients and I congratulate them on their many achievements during their time at St Kevin's.
Finally I would like to thank parents and caregivers for their support with our request to keep students who are unwell at home.  With winter colds and flu like symptoms holding on to the last of the winter days, along with tummy bugs and gastro illness, student health is important as we lead into the work end of the school year.

May God bless you
Kerry Ryan, Deputy Principal

Welcome Gong'an No.1 Middle School

As we bade farewell to our Obirin friends, we welcomed to our College Community a group of students from Gong'an No.1 Middle School in Wuhan, China, to St Kevin's.  During their stay in Oamaru they will be hosted by the College Hostel and take in a number of educational points of interest as well as joining their St Kevin's "buddies" in a number of regular classes.  They were welcomed on Wednesday morning with a powhiri from our Y10 students.

Making A Mark

Anna Craig (Y11) is making her mark in the trapshooting scene!  Last weekend at the Aoraki Secondary Schools competition she placed first in the Girls Single Rise and also the Girls Point Score, and took third in the Girls Single Barrel event.  However, the boys were not about to let her take all of the College glory and placed second in the team event!  Well done everyone and thank you to the parents and coaches who support and travel with the students.

Class Act 2016

Congratulations to Riley Chandler and Max Stewart who are our Class Act recipients for 2016!  They were presented with their awards by Prime Minister John Key at a special ceremony in Dunedin yesterday.  Both Riley and Max were nominated for the Class Act award because of their achievements in all aspects of College life and looking on the walls of the Auditorium foyer they are in great "Class Act" company.  The award comes with a scholarship to assist with future study. 


Thursday, August 18, 2016

Mother Courage

There was a real treat during lunchtime today as the Senior Drama students shared their interpretation of three scenes from Mother Courage as part of their NCEA assessment.  The Library Quad provided the perfect setting for a "theatre in the round" presentation and students and staff were a very appreciative audience.  Thank you to Colin Clearwater and Musical Theatre Oamaru for the use of the Mother Courage cart!   Well done everyone!



Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Otago Co-ed Schools Rugby Final

It was a close, hard fought match against South Otago from Balclutha on Murray Field yesterday at the College.  In their final game for the season the 1st XV were facing off in the Otago Co-ed Schools Final and were well supported by students and staff during the lunchtime fixture.  Unfortunately the 22-18 score did not reflect in our favour but Mr Fowler said he was proud of their commitment and determination shown by the boys.  Well done to all of you on your season.

Hockey Team Recognition

Some of our Senior Girls Hockey Players with the trophy
Congratulations to the Girls 1st XI Hockey Team who not only placed third in the league this season - beating Waitaki Girl's 6-1 in the playoffs - but they were also awarded the cup for The Most Improved Team at the recent North Otago Hockey Prize Giving.  They have had an excellent season, dominating interschool competition for the College.  Well done girls!

Guest Speaker At SKC Young Farmers

On the 16th of August Blue Cross vet, Dave Robertson gave a passionate talk to the SKC Young Farmers and budding vets about how he came to be a vet, what an average day for a vet looks like and he showed them the inside of his new truck!  Dave is a leading kiwi vet who won NZ Sheep and Beef Vet of the Year in 2015. The students really enjoyed the talk and it gave them great insight to life as a vet and how to become one! - Ella Sanderson

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Bishop's Shield 2016

What an amazing weekend at the College!   The Bishop's Shield came to town on Friday in the form of students from Verdon, St Peter's, Kavanagh and of course SKC and we were immediately presented with the best in public speaking the four schools had to offer.   Our sincerest thanks to all of the staff and students who rallied to volunteer their time over the course of the weekend and also to our adjudicators who had the unenviable task of ranking the competitors!  A special thank you to the staff who coached students in the various sections and also to Mr Mullally for coordinating the event on behalf of the College.

Whilst it was St Peter's who were awarded the Bishop's Shield for 2016 our St Kevin's College team did not disappoint in their efforts, taking 2nd place in both the Senior and Junior Drama's, 2nd in the Prepared Speech section and 2nd in the Senior Debating.  We also congratulate Josh Cunningham who won the Boyce Family Cup for Most Promising Senior Dramatic Performance.



North Otago U17 Netball

Gemma Dowling, Molly Kay, Tivinia Misiloi, Whitney Cleveland, Amanda Sheehan and Brytnee Firman were selected to play for the U17 North Otago netball team this season. The team, captained by Whitney and coached by Kate Mihaere and Georgina Salter, had a very positive season achieving excellent results. In their first tournament, the South Canterbury Tournament, they were unbeaten with wins vs South Canterbury, Selwyn A and Selwyn B. The North Otago Netball Centre hosted the South Zone Tournament at the beginning of July and North Otago finished very creditable Runners up to Southland in an exciting home final. Thank you to everyone who came out to support the girls in the final. The team then competed in the National U17 tournament in Rangiora, the first time North Otago has been represented at this level in more than 20 years. The team played very well finishing in 26th place out of the 40 entered teams. This was a great achievement. The girls represented North Otago with pride. Very well done girls.

Illness In The Community

With the high rate of flu and gastro related illness currently being experienced in the North Otago community we would like to remind parents and caregivers that if a student is unwell, they are not to return to school until 24 hours after the last symptom has passed. This includes fevers, vomiting, diarrhea etc, but also lesser symptoms such as headaches, general nausea etc. It is important to help the wider community keep outbreaks at bay.

If a student has an NCEA assessment, please do not have them come to school "just for the assessment". You can get a medical certificate from your doctor and contact Mike Seddon who can help apply for an extension so that the assessment can be done when the student has recovered from illness.
Hand washing is a good way to help combat the spread of illness


Friday, August 12, 2016

Principal's Comment

 Kia ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College

Today the College is buzzing with activity as the final preparations for the annual Bishop's Shield are being made. Thank you to the parents and boarding staff who are hosting students for the weekend. Please support the event, which is being held in the Auditorium and Chapel - entry is free.
On Wednesday at assembly it was a pleasure to present our Obirin visitors with their attendance certificates. The students have clearly enjoyed the hospitality of the host families and enjoyed their time in class improving their English language. Their trips to Tekapo and Dunedin have combined to be a superb show case of Kiwi life and culture. Thank you to Mrs Campbell for your work on behalf of the College.
Today we celebrated the Feast of St Dominic with a liturgy in the Chapel. Dominican, Sister Mary Horn, addressed the school and together we unveiled a plaque listing the deceased Dominican sisters who had a teaching role in the district. This is part of the continuing celebration of 800 years since the founding of the Domincan Order. Thank you to the local Sisters for your continued involvement with the Dominican Charism of the College.

May God bless you
Paul Olsen, Principal

Dominican Sisters Remembered

At today's liturgy a special plaque was unveiled in the College Chapel.  It notes the names of the Dominican Sisters who are buried in Oamaru.  Fittingly, Sister Mary Horn spoke in Father Wayne's absence and she shared a wonderful quote which challenged students to be courageous and brave ..... Catherine, daughter of Dominic in the 14th century said "Proclaim the truth and do not be silent through fear.  Nothing is ever achieved without much enduring.  Start being brave about everything.  We've had enough exhortations to be silent!  Cry out with a thousand tongues.  I see the world is rotten because of silence!"

Good Luck To The Bishop's Shield Team

Wishing our Bishop's Shield team the very best of luck ahead of the competition this weekend!  Competing for the College is Jino Kunnethedam (Prepared Speech), Jonte Kydd-Law, Emma Barclay-Fauklner and Cara Anderson (Junior Debating), Rebecca Whittet, Anna Craig and Levi Sherman (Senior Debating), Maria Wallace, Seth Humphries, Bethan Ardouin, Lewis Weatherly and Niveek Wilson (Junior Drama), Josh Cunningham, Mark Whittet, GypsyMae Harihona-Harrison, Ellie Monk and Harriet Hanning (Senior Drama), Nicholas Plieger (Junior Scripture Reading), Ceilidh Brookes (Senior Scripture Reading) and Holly Malcolm (Impromptu Speech).

Thursday, August 11, 2016

Redcastle Melodrama

All the world is a stage!  Certainly true at Redcastle as it became the backdrop for the Y11 Drama presentation this morning.  With Madeleine Harrop as the damsel in distress, Alex Gibbons in the role of the hero and Jackie Barratt as the dastardly villain their witty  promenade performance was enjoyed by the Senior Drama students who laughed and cheered them on.  Our thanks to Avril Keep from Musical Theatre Oamaru for giving her time to help the girls with their costuming.

CLICK HERE to view more photos from their performance.



Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Obirin's Final Assembly

Today was the last assembly for our visiting Obirin students and they were presented with certificates to commemorate their stay in Oamaru.  Thank you once again to all of the host families who opened their homes and extended such wonderful hospitality!
CLICK HERE to view the assembly photos

Monday, August 8, 2016

Home & School Uniform Shop

The team from the Home & School are looking for an extra pair of hands to help out Uniform Shop whiz Shelley Kerin!  If you have a little bit of time and are looking for a way to "do your bit" please contact Shelley on 021 258 2958.


Friday, August 5, 2016

Principal's Comment

Kia ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College

I may have spoken too soon last week with talk of warm temperatures and the first buds, as snow now falls steadily in Oamaru. A reminder it seems about the fast changing weather that can occur and the need to take care if you are travelling on the roads this coming weekend.

Last weekend a group of students, accompanied by Mr Mullallay and Mrs Buckham, joined young people from across the Christchurch and Dunedin Dioceses for a World Youth Day event in Christchurch.  The event was hosted by Catholic Cathedral and Marian Colleges as a companion event to the World Youth Day in Krakow, Poland.  You can read more about this and see images from the weekend later in the blog.
Students from St Peter's and Verdon were hosted at the College on their way to Christchurch
Also in this blog, I have shared a video with tips on managing examination stress.  As we approach both College and NCEA examinations I would encourage parents and caregivers to open discussions about productive study habits and ways of reducing stress at this time of year.

Finally, I look forward to seeing many of you at our School Interviews this afternoon.  If you have been unable to attend, or the weather has prevented travel, please feel free to contact staff to make an alternative time to discuss any concerns.  A staff directory of emails can be found on the College website.

May God bless you
Paul Olsen, Principal

Thursday, August 4, 2016

World Youth Day!


Last weekend Mr Mullally, Mrs Buckham, GypsyMae Harihona-Harrison, Mark Whittet, Sophia Alaloto, Ceilidh Brookes, Ami Wallis and Imogen Brew represented St Kevin's College at the World Youth Day celebrations.

Groups from Verdon College and St Peters College were hosted in the Hostel on the Thursday evening and our SKC crew joined them to meet Roncalli College in Timaru before continuing on for the Opening Ceremony on the Friday afternoon.  The weekend focused on the meaning of Mercy and Justice and the 170 pilgrims took part in a mix of workshops, community service and on the Sunday a pilgrimage where they visited a variety of different churches including Te Rangimarie and the Jewish Synagogue.  What an amazing and blessed thing to be a part of!

Polyfest Fundraising

Our Pasifika group have been hard at work fundraising for Polyfest which will be held in Dunedin next month.  They set up next to the rugby interschool against St Thomas' this week and raised about $200.00!