Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,
Thursday, September 5, 2024
Principal's Comment
Friday, August 16, 2024
Principal's Comment
Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,
Next Friday, our senior students will be beginning their exam leave. This will last from the 23rd to the 30th August and will be followed on the following Monday by Teacher's Only day.
This timing seems very odd, so I am taking this opportunity to explain it to you. Firstly, our teachers only day is a mandated TOD. We usually choose to take this on the Monday of Tournament Week as that is usually a disrupted week anyway.
With regards to the timing of examinations, by adding the IGCSE in Year 11 we are now bound to the same timelines as the rest of the countries in the world who undertake Cambridge examinations. The Year 11 Mathematics examination will be held on the first day of Term 4, as it is on the same date all over the world. As we are also offering NCEA examinations in selected subjects, we are combining both sets of exams in our upcoming derived grade examinations. In order to have enough time and space to create derived grade examinations for both systems, we have had to take the Friday of next week as well as the following normal Term 3 examination week. By pushing these forward, we are ensuring that we are allowing a greater period for revision and study leading up to exams than usual. We believe that this added to the purposeful use of the study periods we have provided all year for students will enable them to meet their potential in either system and across all year levels.
This week we received the results from the Cambridge English Literature course which we embarked on last year as a trial run. The results were excellent. Of the small group who sat (18 students) 16 of them achieved a B or above (a D is a pass in Cambridge) with 3 of them achieving A Star results which ranks them as the best in the world at their level.
Earlier in the week the SLT put together a pack for Year 11 students with the examination time table, a letter from myself and a wall planner study guide to help support students to create a study plan.
If your Year 12 or 13 student would like a copy of this planner, please ask them to pick one up from the office.
I would like to thank Lorena Marshall for this beautiful shot. You will see more of her amazing work in our school magazine. There are still a number of these that have not been collected from last year, so if you have paid for one as a family, please ensure it is picked up from the office.
Have a lovely weekend
God Bless
Jo
Friday, August 2, 2024
Principal's Comment
Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,
Wednesday, June 26, 2024
Principal's Comment
Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,
Firstly, I wish to congratulate the Religious Education department on the beautiful Matariki liturgy we had today to celebrate this special time of year. It was a very moving acknowledgement of God's creation of the world and our place as travelers to this country in it. Congratulations to Mr Devereaux on organising a great trip for Year 11 Geography last week.
There are several things that families need to be aware of as we navigate the next few school days.
School reports will be published in the next few school days. Please ensure that you check these, and if you have questions or concerns, feel free to contact your class teachers. You will have basic levels reporting on Reading, Writing and Mathematics. This should give families a quick reference with regards to how well your student is performing compared to their cohort expectations. These numbers in writing have been taken from across the curriculum areas so are a fair result of their writing overall not just in English classes.
With the wet weather we are seeing at the moment, it is very important that students stay off the grass. This is for two reasons, firstly they drag wet grass into our carpets which then need to be cleaned and secondly when their leather shoes constantly get wet and dry out after contact with the acid in the grass, they start to crack which is an expense for families. On the day of the Waitaki matches, if students are watching the rugby or football games on wet turf, I am happy for them to wear gumboots or waterproof boots.
The wet weather is also bringing out all of the variety of colors of jackets. Can I please remind families that we have two styles of wet weather jackets available for purchase at the Uniform shop and that the other option is a plain black or navy jacket. Camouflage jackets, swandries and bright colours are not part of the uniform.
Lastly (this is a big information dump and I do appreciate that), can we please have a real push by families to remind our young people and ourselves of the importance of good sportsmanship both on the field and on the sidelines. It is always very disappointing when we have to deal with discipline issues with regards to this and it is my hope that TEAM SKC will conduct itself well in the upcoming events. I know I sound like I'm betraying my NZ citizenship when I say this, but it is just a game…. Refs will get it wrong, people will make mistakes. Let's make sure our kids aim for a bigger picture than just what happens on a field for an hour in aiming to be decent citizens and team players.
Have a wonderful long weekend, rain too is a blessing…
God Bless
Jo
Monday, June 17, 2024
Principal's Comment
Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,
As we come to nearing the end of the term we are very conscious that there is a lot going on at the College for families and staff alike. We are at the time of the year where we are faced with the shortest day, the weather is getting cold and the inevitable cold and flu season is upon us which means that we end up demanding the most of people when they are least equipped often to give it.
Which means, when people do go out of their way to make sure events run smoothly it's very important that they are thanked so here we go! Firstly, a huge thank you to Mrs Jennifer Gower who has balanced being away from school following an accident with coaching our ‘Big Sing’ choir. This is the first time in many years we have entered the competition and we won a prize for ’ best newcomers’. Thank you also to pianist Peter McMullen for all of his support.
Thank you to those families who had input on our sexuality education survey. This is run every second year and we appreciate the time and effort that goes into this feedback which helps to shape how we deliver this very important topic in our college.
Finally, I do need to signal that with an increasing number of staff members testing positive for Covid 19 as well as the flu that has hit, there is a possibility that during exam week, next week, we may need to roster a cohort home. As you will be aware, we are very tight for relief teachers in North Otago and with a number of those available also being reader - writers for exams, we are very tight indeed on staffing. We will do our best to avoid this.
Have a wonderful week.
God Bless
Jo
Friday, May 17, 2024
Principal's Comment
Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Principal's Comment
Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,
I would like to begin by wishing all the Mums Happy Mother's Day for last Sunday. I am in my second phase of this now after becoming a Grandma last year. My granddaughter is an amazing wee girl who I love to pieces! The bad news was that I got Covid for Mothers Day so I am working from home for a couple of days this week which has not been an ideal start to the term.
I would like to thank all of the families who came to our open day last week. It was great to have the opportunity to speak with you about the direction and expectations of the College. As I alluded to in my speech, I think that because we are in an even greater state of flux than normal in education at the moment, it is really important for schools to be able to map a clear pathway for families in terms of what they have to offer as they move into the next decade.
At St Kevin’s we are doing this in conjunction with our sister school St Joseph’s. That our young people have a clear pathway through their education from primary to secondary education with shared values, approaches to learning and strategic vision seems to be something very valuable that we can offer collectively. That we can hope to offer environments from ECE, all the way through the Year 13 where students identify with the signs and symbols of the faith and the values which that faith offers, to help form their lives and outlook seems to me to be a very good reason for us to pull together as a Catholic educational community.
Over the next few weeks, in order to finalize the process, in conjunction with the Ministry of Education we will work to collate the community voice regarding the merging of our School Boards and the relocation of St Joseph’s to the St Kevin's site. Whilst both schools have been engaged in this conversation for some time, it is important that the Ministry of Education records this independently. We thank the MOE team in advance for their work and support in this process.
God Bless
Jo
PS: In this picture, my Granddaughter is getting annoyed with me because I wouldn’t let her go paragliding ... .watch this space.. :)
Monday, May 6, 2024
Principal's Comment
Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,
Friday, April 12, 2024
Principal's Comment
Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,
As we come to the end of our first term for the 2024 year I am very pleased with how the school is tracking both in terms of teaching and learning and it's overall health.
Teachers and faculty leaders have done an excellent job of embedding the Cambridge curriculum alongside of our NCEA offerings. This has taken a lot of planning and hard work and I am very proud of the way in which our staff and students have stepped up to the challenge. In a recent survey conducted with the year 11 students, they fed back to us that although it was a challenge, they are enjoying the structured nature of the courses and have improved in areas such as personal time management. I believe that if we expect a lot from our young people, they will deliver.
I would like to thank the staff and students for their efforts this term. Our staff have supported students in retreats, milestones within their spiritual life such as confirmations, artistic and sporting events. We have also hosted a brilliant group of young international students and gappers, thanks to the tireless work of June Campbell and our ODENZ agent May Britt Christiansen. Thank you to the hostel staff, our wonderful learning assistants in the Ako Hub and our dedicated grounds and admin staff.
You all make our College the dynamic, warm and hopeful place that it is.
I have included a picture of our grotto which has recently had its original lighting reinstalled in time for ANZAC Day.
Have a safe, restful and happy break.
God Bless
Jo
Wednesday, April 3, 2024
Principal's Comment
Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,
This is feeling like a very strange 'end of term one' as we approach the holidays after having two, three day weeks. Next week students may find it tough going to school for the final week as they are all getting very tired and Covid is certainly making its rounds. I do encourage you all to 'hang tough' until the holidays as we rely on terms one and two for laying the foundations of our learning for the year.
Last week our Student Council met for the first time this year. They were tasked with giving feedback on a number of issues. One of these was the amount of time students miss in term one for sport. This has been a topic of conversation with our Senior Leadership Team as we are pulled between giving students as much in - class time as possible, with the need to also develop all round students with the ability to work in teams, develop their physical and sporting capacity and learn the skills they will need to be good citizens. As parents, you are best equipped to judge how well your student is coping with the demands of their school work, any extra employment they have and sport. Please do not be afraid to let coaches and sport staff know if you are concerned about your student's ability to manage all of the demands on their time.
It is ok for caregivers to say 'no' to sports or sporting events for which your students may have been selected. If this is done in a timely manner and with good communication, teams can manage. I am also personally not afraid to turn down sporting opportunities if families feel that their students are being disadvantaged in the classroom. Whilst I value sport and the opportunities it can provide, I also ascribe to a 'balance is better' approach. Most of our students will have all of their lives to play sport, the same cannot be said for making the most of their very plastic young minds in terms of their academic ability at this stage of their lives.
I hope Easter was a blessed time for you and your family
God Bless
Jo
Friday, March 15, 2024
Principal's Comment
Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,
Today I thought I would write about our new study periods and the thinking around these. This year, because we have moved to a ten day time table and because we are introducing Cambridge at Year 11, we have made the conscious decision to allow regular study time in the timetable for all students in Years 11,12 and 13.
The thinking behind this is as follows:
We are trying to focus assessment on doing five subjects well rather than six subjects in an average manner. We believe that study periods will enable students the time to consolidate their learning.
We are aware that the Cambridge course does signify a significant step up in terms of the pace of learning required and the academic language used compared to NCEA. We feel that it is only fair to extend study times to Year 11 students to give them the best chance of passing these examinations.
Finally we are also very aware that many of our students are working after school and on the weekends. We are therefore trying to make purposeful space in our time table to ensure that homework and independent learning is done without students having to choose between work and study. We are aware that many families are struggling and students working in after school employment enables them to support themselves, thereby relieving family financial pressure.
We do ask however, that all families carefully balance the commitments your students are taking on. Whilst we fully support young people in work, sports and cultural endeavors as a school our main focus is academic achievement. A balance is required in order for students to attain the best grades they can. If families need support in talking to your young people about this, please speak to our Deans who are happy to help.
Best of luck to our cricketers for the weekend
God Bless
Jo
Friday, February 16, 2024
Principal's Comment
Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,
Today we have been fortunate to have struck a beautiful day for Athletics. Athletics day is an opportunity for all of our students to have fun, compete and support each other. It is the first opportunity in the year for students to compete in their house teams and for younger students to get the feel of what being in the secondary house competition is like. It is also their chance to show us what they can do. I saw some very speedy year 9 participants today and am feeling that there are some champions among them!
Speaking of which, we are very proud of our rowers this weekend who are competing at the NZ Rowing Champs . I wish everyone the best of luck for their events.
Over the holidays I sent out two forms, one asking for feedback regarding the strategic plan and another looking at the phone policy. I have sent the results of the phone policy survey back to families to let you know how that shaped up for us and what the policy is that we have set with regards to phone use at SKC. These should be in you e mail in boxes this weekend.
With regards to the 'not so exciting' idea of strategic planning, thank you to those of you who did give feedback. On Tuesday night, we also took the opportunity of holding our 'meet - the teachers' evening to gauge new families' ideas around our strategic direction. I would like to thank all of our new families for their input into the discussion around this. We are collating the information and will feed that back to families once it is through.
Our year 9's are due to have an election for student council this term. The Student Council provides vital student voice for our strategic thinking so if you have a young person whom you think would contribute to this, please encourage them to stand.
Wishing everyone a great weekend, especially the hostel who are away on their annual lakes trip.
God Bless
Jo