Friday, October 26, 2018

Principal's Comment

Kia ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College

It has been a challenging week for the College Community, as we come to grips with the loss of Zara.  She was an energetic, vibrant young person and to see her potential cut short is a tragedy. Students and staff from the college attended the Tapu Lifting Ceremony at Severn Street this afternoon. Kaumatua, David Higgins, lead the ceremony. Our students supported the family with the college haka and a pray which was followed by the hymn, ka waiata.

Once again I would like to thank everyone who has sent messages of support and aroha as we mourn. Zara's funeral will be held at the college chapel, 2pm on Monday. All are most welcome to join us for a celebration of Zara's life.

May God bless you all
Paul Olsen, Principal

BP Business Challenge

St Kevin's College hosted the Young Enterprise NZ BP Business Challenge this week. Students from Waitaki Boys High School and Maniototo Area School joined St Kevin's students for the three-day event, which sees groups of students create and develop a business idea, and pitch it to a panel of judges. Participants also learn about business strategy, marketing, production, financial management and how to put together a business plan.  Thank you to Mr Tim Hitchcock for organising the event and to the fantastic judges from within the community.



Thank you from St Kevin's College

We are incredibly thankful for all the support and gifts we have received from both our local and wider school community this week! A big thank you to our sister school Kavanaugh College and New World Northside for the gift baskets and goodies.


Thursday, October 25, 2018

Cuban Ambassador to Visit St Kevin's College

Earlier this year a selection of SKC staff and students had the privilege of visiting Cuba, a first for any New Zealand secondary school. It was an incredible once-in-a-lifetime trip, and the College is now looking forward to welcoming the Cuban Ambassador to the school on October 31. The Ambassador, Mr Mario Alzugaray Rodríguez, is visiting to thank the school for their support to the city of Baracoa, which is still recovering after being hit by hurricane Matthew in 2016. He also plans to spend some time Oamaru with his family who is joining him on the trip.
Mr Rodríguez, will be officially welcomed to the school upon arrival and, after lunch, will be the guest of honour at an assembly. The assembly will also be attended by Waitaki Mayor, Gary Kircher, who will give a brief address.  
Following the assembly, Mr Rodríguez and other invited guests, will view an exhibition of photos taken in Cuba by SKC students and staff.



Aoraki Sports Awards 2018 finalists


Congratulations to the following Athletes who have made it through to the finals at the Aoraki Sports Awards for 2018. We wish them all well for the awards night on November 2 in Timaru.

Amber Cunningham- Cricket
Anna Craig - Trapshooting
Caitlin Middlemiss - Gymsport
Clark Ewing - Trapshooting
Corbin Fraser - Swimming
Corbyn Hocken- Trapshooting
Liam Direen - Squash
Max Yanzick - Cross Country
SKC Trapshooting Team - Team Sports
(Clark Ewing, Corbyn Hocken, Jack Murphy, Joel Klenner and Ryan Kennedy)
Tiana Mansfield - Swimming

Senior Drama play Opens at SKC

The Senior Drama class play, Juno & The Paycock, opened last night in the SKC Auditorium. The play is an opportunity for Year 11, 12 & 13 to showcase the skills they have learnt throughout the year, and is part of their final assessment. It will show again on Thursday and Friday night at 7pm. Tickets are still available by emailing jwalshe@stkevins.school.nz.
Well done to everyone involved! A big thank you to Mrs Jo Walshe for all her hard work teaching the students and directing the play.





Check out more fabulous photos from the show taken by Anna Taylor here.

Wednesday, October 24, 2018

School Mourns Loss

Dear Whanau and Community of Saint Kevin’s College,

It is with profound sadness that we acknowledge the death, last night of one of our year 10 female students. As expected, this has and will continue to have a traumatic effect on our school and particularly on the students who knew and loved her. We have held a full school liturgy in our chapel this morning to help students work through this tragic loss. Support systems are in place in the form of counselling and our Chapel has been opened as a safe space for students to meet and grieve.

Community mental health organisations, other schools and relevant agencies are supporting the College Community.

At a time like this, it is important to communicate with staff if you are concerned for your students so that we are able to fully support them as they come to terms with this tragedy.

Our thoughts and prayers are with her family at this time.

Eternal rest, grant unto her O Lord
And let perpetual light shine upon her
May she rest in peace
Amen.

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

The Adventures of Simba

The College cat, Simba, has been enjoying all the visitors to the college recently.
Here she is snuggling up to a Mr North Otago competitor during practice for the show on October 13.


She also stopped to learn about human brain development from Nathan Wallis who hosted an event at in the college auditorium in early October!


Never one to miss an opportunity, she can often be found on the catwalk.


Being the College cat is pretty exhausting. Here she is curling up after the Home & School fundraiser, Mr North Otago.


North Otago Men Strut Their Stuff for Home & School

A bunch of North Otago men hit the catwalk on October 13 to fundraise for the SKC Home & School. The event, aptly named Mr North Otago, was a Miss World-type competition that saw the men model a variety of outfits to a crowded St Kevin's College Dinning Room.

The competition came together after the Home & School decided to look for something a bit different for their main fundraiser. Thinking outside the box was a challenge but the event was a huge success, with a sellout of 300 people attending.

A big thank you to all the men who took part and to the Home & School team for putting the event together.


Check out more of the fabulous photos here.

Principal's Comment

Kia ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College

Term four is now well underway with our focus on completion of NCEA internal assessment and preparation for the external examinations that commence in a couple of weeks time. At last weeks assembly, we welcomed past pupil Bernadette Hyland to our assembly. She reported back to students about the successful mission to bring glasses to people in remote villages in Cambodia. Pictured are villagers sorting through the many pairs sent by our community to find an appropriate set.
Thank you to Ms Walshe and the House Prefects for organising this appeal which was a practical example of us living our "Justice and Solidarity" Touchstone.

May God bless you all
Paul Olsen, Principal

Friday, October 19, 2018

Hostel Happenings

Labour Weekend
The hostel will be closed from this afternoon until Monday 2pm for Labour weekend

Hostel High Tea
This will be held on Monday 5 November starting at 5pm . The senior school prize giving is held after the High Tea. Parents are welcome to join as for the High Tea. Please email Mr Justin Fowler if you would like to attend. An invitation has been sent to all parents via email but in case you missed it please take this as your invitation.

Well being presentation
This week we had some guest presenters come into the girl's hostel and deliver a presentation on "well being and developing resilience". This was a very good presentation and provided some good information and strategies for the students to use




Yoga at Sunrise
The year 13 girls had a great morning as they went up to Lookout point with Raelene and the gap students to watch the sun rise and they the had some fun and did some yoga. They then wen to a cafe for a hot drink and some breakfast before returning to school.



Thursday, October 18, 2018

Shake Out

Staff and students at the College took part in the nation-wide Shake Out today. The event is an opportunity for participants to become aware of safety procedures if an earthquake or tsunami should occur.
St Kevin's College takes the safety of it's staff and pupils seriously and the event allowed Senior Management and Leaders to asses how well the school's emergency procedures are working. We also used the opportunity to asses how efficiently our parent portal app could communicate with students, parents and caregivers in an emergency.
Deputy Principal Kerry Ryan said he is happy with the drill practice and emergency communication, and thanked everybody for their mature involvement.
Well done, St Kevin's!


In the event of an earthquake, Drop, Cover and Hold.

Year 10 Camp


Each year, St Kevin's College Year 10 students enjoy a fabulous time away at in the Year 10 Camp. There have been some slight changes to this years' camp due to several circumstances. However,  the overall experience will still be similar to previous year’s. The camp is an extremely enjoyable experience for students and often becomes a highlight of their time at the college.
The students will be attending camp in two groups:
- 10C and 10K 
Depart: 8:50am Monday 12th November at the school gym.
Return: 3pm Wednesday 14th November at the school gym. 
-10S and 10T 
Depart: 8:50am Wednesday 14th November at the school gym.
Return: 2pm Friday 16th November at the school gym.

All students will travel by Pearsons bus and will be staying at Middleton Lodge and camping in surrounding areas.

Throughout the camp, students will rotate through kayaking, swimming, boating, mountain biking and orienteering activities, while also taking part in other team building exercises throughout the three days. 

Please see the Student & Parent information sheet here

Anna at the Trapshooting Nationals

Congratulations to Anna Craig who competed at the Trapshooting Nationals as part of the South Island ladies team over the holidays! The team won against the North Island 122-101, while Anna placed in the Top 3 of the North/South ladies teams, gaining free entry and ammunition for all Mackintosh events. She was also selected for the Central South Island team which placed 6th. In skeet, she took part in a shoot off for 1st, 2nd and 3rd after the initial South Island and National skeet rounds, and placed 2nd in the South Island event, taking 2nd place nationally after an 18 target shoot off. Well Done, Anna!