Chinese Bridge Success

The South Island Regional "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition was held in Dunedin on Saturday and three Yr10 students from the College were placed for their efforts.  Diane Vidallon took second place and Nicole Orogida third, in the Junior Secondary Category for their fluent Chinese speeches and as a result have moved on to the National final in Wellington on the 17 May.  Chris Olsen won third prize in the Otago Sub-regional Junior Secondary Category.

This international competition began in 2002 with an aim of sharing and promoting the Chinese language and culture.  Mandarin lessons were introduced at the College last year and a group of 11 students will travel to China in the upcoming school holidays.

South Island U18 Trialists

The final days of Maadi saw four finals for SKC crews and whilst the medals eluded the College this year, all of the rowers, their coaches and managers are to be commended on a superb set of results.  Despite some illness there was success across all levels within this young team, with exciting prospects for next season.  As a result of their consistent performances throughout the regatta Julia Fauth and Sydney Telfer are the only rowers from North Otago to have been selected to trial for the South Island U18 team.   Unfortunately the College student trip to China coincides with the trials and Sydney won't be available to contest a place.  Congratulations to Sydney on her selection, well done to all of our SKC rowers and good luck to Julia.

Full Maadi results are:

Sydney & Tiana U18 Dbl 8th in NZ - A final (the girls are now holders if a NZ "Top Ten" pin, it is only awarded in straight Under 18 age group events)

Sydney & Tiana U17 Dbl 5th in NZ - A final

Charlie U16 Single 8th in NZ - A final

Sydney & Georgia U18 Novice Dbl 3rd in B final 

Meg & Molly U15 Dbl 1st in C final 

Reuben & Kalas U15 Dbl 1st in D final

Charlie & Adam U16 Dbl 1st in D final 

Reuben Adam Kalas & Leam 21st in NZ for the U15 Four event.  

Principal's Comment

Kia Ora Kevinians and Friends in the St Kevin's Community

It is great to be back in the College following a very productive trip to China over the last fortnight. It has taken me a few days to shake of the jet lag as there is a five hour time difference. I wish to express my sincere thanks those who have helped in my absence, especially  Mr Ryan, Deputy Principal. I am pleased to report that we have confirmed the sister school relationship and hope to have a delegation of 20 students and three teachers from Gong'an No1. Senior Middle School visiting in term three. I am looking forward to reciprocating the superb hospitality Mr Brand and I have received. At assembly this week I had the opportunity to share some images of the school with the students.

Congratulations to our rowing squad who are participating at the Maadi Cup this week which is being held at Lake Ruataniwha. I am looking forward to joining the team on Saturday for the final races.

Also active this week have been our kayak team who participated in the National Secondary School Competition. Thank you to Mr Haig for accompanying the squad and providing the coaching in this emerging sport.

Today I was invited to view a rendition of the new haka which will be performed at the welcome to the Senior Catholic Schools Sports exchange in Gore in two weeks time. I am very impressed with the way the College has supported this initiative and how positively they have embraced the challenge. We are looking forward to this annual fixture which is being hosted by St Peter's College in Gore on Sunday 13 and Monday 14 April.

Thank you to the Sports Council for organising the Netball Sevens Competition next Saturday April 5. This venture is aimed at raising funds for sports development within the College. This fun team day will have excellent prizes as well as other actives within the College grounds. Call the office if you know of anyone wishing to enter a team.

This Sunday I will be welcoming Mr Peter Leuenberger from Edmund Rice Education Australia. Peter is looking to establish trans-Tasmin  links between Edmund Rice Schools. Edmund Rice Education Australia is larger than the entire New Zealand Catholic Secondary system and has a wealth of experience and expertise which I am keen to be able to share.

May God bless you

Paul Olsen, Principal

Tee Off

Keegan Anderson, Brady Kingan, Logan More and Zain Pennycook have been representing the College at the South Island Secondary School Golf Tournament this week and the Waitaki interschool rivalry has been fierce with our lead being overrun by the slightest of margins going into the last day!  The final result saw us in third place, with WBHS 2nd and Roncalli 1st, and we congratulate the boys on an outstanding effort on the fairway.

Chinese Explorations

Gong'an No1. Senior Middle School is now officially linked to St Kevin's College by a formal sister school agreement. The school is about three hours travel from Wuhan. The campus is barely one year old and has cost close to $300 million USD to construct. The 22 floor staff accommodation building and the Olympic size swimming pool will be completed by July. The school is a model school for the province and has 4,000 students, 3,000 of whom board at the attached hostels. There are over 360 staff, class size is about 80 students and the structure of the school day is considerably longer than our New Zealand students would be used to. Hopefully the students heading to China under the banner of the Confucius Institute will be able to go to the school and enjoy their hospitality. We are looking forward to a group reciprocating this visit in early term three.

Maadi News And Updates

The College rowers have had an outstanding week at Maadi with a swag of semi-finals and finals over the past couple of days.  This morning Sydney Telfer and Tiana Miharae raced in the A final for the Girls U18 Double, finishing 8th in a very tough field of crews - congratulations on a great effort!  Sydney will team up with Georgia Dyson in the B Final for the Girls U18 Novice Double later this afternoon before hitting the water again tomorrow with Julia Fauth for the Girls U17 Double A Final.  The last race for the College will be Charlie Wallis in the Boys U16 Single A Final.  

Watch the races on the live feed at: http://www.r2.co.nz/20140327/

For full results visit: http://www.rowit.co.nz/results/mads2014?cn=stkv

Parent Teacher Interviews

PARENT TEACHER INTERVIEWS

Friday 11 April 2014

3pm until 7pm

To book your interview times on-line please follow the link:

www.schoolinterviews.co.nz

EVENT CODE:   JJB22

Home & School Fashion Showcase

Preen New Autumn Fashion Showcase

at Housekeepers Function 

(formally Loan & Merc)

Thursday 3 April 2014

6pm - Drinks & Nibbles

7pm - Fashion Showcase

Raffles at the door

$20 per ticket
(available from the School Office, Preen or any Home & School Committee Member)

Come along for a great night and support this Home & School Fundraiser

Thank You For The Ripple Effect

Geoff Sutherland (NZ Police) and Elton Crane (Road Safety Waitaki) are pictured with Brent and Christine at the College last Friday

Thank you to Brent and Christine Laurenson for coming to the Waitaki District and sharing their story as part of The Ripple Effect.  Their son Nathan and his friend Udo Fourie died in a car accident in 2009 and they tried to give students a "snapshot" of how the accident had effected them and other friends and family.  For more information on the presentation please visit The Ripple Effect website: www.therippleeffect.org.nz

Gold Duke Of Ed Explorations

Four students completed the Expedition sections of their Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award over the past two weeks.  A final practice to Chinaman’s Hut, where the new door was given a coat of paint (Bright Red), and then the qualifying expedition in the Hopkins Valley.  This effort was over four days and had to be planned entirely by the team of four.  In beautiful weather, Trampers and their “Shadow Party” enjoyed an eventful and satisfying experience in a stunning mountain setting.  Kaleisha Jones, Sara Gunnarsdottir, Logan Chandler and Mitchel Bolstridge were followed by Mr Dixon and Mr Collins.

SKC Netball Sevens

Momentum for the SKC Netball Sevens is ramping up and it already looks like it will be a great event for the College.  Inter-house competition is being used to full advantage with a number of fundraising efforts underway.

Clancy House will be holding a car wash, a raffle with fantastic prizes (donations for the raffle hamper can be left at the school office) and are challenging mathematical minds with a jar full of lollies.  Whyte House has organised a chocolate wheel, pony rides (a gentle introduction into the College Equestrian programme) and will be sharing their creativity with face painting.  Treacy House is running a BBQ for hungry spectators and players, as well as an alpaca and golf chipping competition - not in the same competition mind you!  Finally, Magee House is rallying the support of their Magee Teacher Mentors who will risk being "dunked" for money, and running a horizonatal bunjey and a weetbix/balloon competition.  

With something for everyone, there is no reason to stay home on 5 April.  Join us for a great day!

1st XV 2014 Rugby Draw

The Divisional Draw for the 1st XV 2014 Season is now available.

CLICK HERE to view.

Deputy Principals Comment

Kia Ora Kevinians and Friends in the St Kevin's Community

It was with great pleasure that I traveled to Auckland this week to address a meeting of Past Pupils who live in out largest city.  I left the College well prepared with banners, year books, pamphlets etc and also prepared a power point entitled 'St Kevin's College Redcastle: then, now and the future'.  I didn't know what sort of generational spread I would have in the group so I tried to cover all bases.  Brother Don Murray had been acting as my liaison and he met me at the airport.  Auckland was its usual hot and humid self, the group met at the Cornwall Cricket Club where the view of Maungakiekie [One Tree Hill - except it has no tree on top now] was outstanding.  Around 60 people were in attendance featuring many St Kevin's Old Boys but also Teschemakers Past Pupils.  After nibbles and introductions I spoke to the group for at least an hour, there was much banter and great memories shared.  The night was a tremendous success and it was agreed that another would be arranged next year and the network would be expanded by each person there getting two others to come along.  I am therefore looking forward to addressing one hundred and eighty people at a much bigger venue.

On the home front the school has been humming along nicely with the Year 12 Cycling trip returning after 3 days away, Scripture Reading was held on Tuesday and as usual the standard was high.  A number of our teachers are heading off to train in the PB4L Project. Positive Behaviour for Learning represents a major shift in managing disruptive behaviour by students in our education system.

· Positive behaviour is a prerequisite to improving the engagement and achievement of our children and young people.

· Positive behaviour can be learnt, and difficult and disruptive behaviour can be unlearnt.

· Individual children are not a ‘problem’ – we need to change the environment around them to support positive behaviour.

· Punishing and isolating children doesn’t bring about long-term and sustainable changes in behaviour.

· We need to concentrate on a small number of evidence-based programmes and frameworks that we know work.

· There are no quick fixes. Behaviour change takes time.

This will be a challenge, which these lead teachers will bring back to the full staff.  I suspect St Kevin's is well placed to take advantage of this initiative as we have been integrating many of these aspects by stealth for a number of years.

We also welcomed Elton Crane from Road Safety Waitaki to the College with "The Ripple Effect" presentation for our Year 11, 12 and 13 students.  It was a hard hitting yet poignant look at how the choices our young people are making effect the lives of all those around us and it encouraged them to make positive decisions when taking to the road.  I encourage students to discuss their thoughts on the presentation and the topic of road safety in general at home.

Lastly we look forward to Mr Olsen's return to school next week as he has been in China visiting our brother/sister school establishing the relationship and fostering connections.

May God bless you

Kerry Ryan

The Ripple Effect

Today our Year 11, 12 and 13 students gathered in the Auditorium where Elton Crane from Road Safety Waitaki facilitated the presentation of nationally the acclaimed The Ripple Effect, which looks at the ongoing effects of tragedies on New Zealand roads.  The College encourages all of our students, parents and caregivers to discuss the presentation and further information and resources can be found on The Ripple Effect website:
www.therippleeffect.org.nz

Junior Scripture Reading

Year 10 - Hamuera Turnball, Reuben Mihaere, Sister Madeleine and Celidh Brookes

The Year 9 and 10 Junior RST classes ‘Scripture Reading’ competition was held on the Tuesday following St. Patrick’s Day.  This year’s competitions were adjudicated by retired teacher and former BOT member Dominican Sister Madeleine who gave contestants a good appraisal of how they had performed prior to announcing the winners. First place at Y9 level went to Madeline Harrop,  2^nd placed was Georgia Oakes followed by Rebecca Whittet in 3^rd place. The first placed contestant at Year 10 level was Celidh Brookes, 2^nd was Reuben Mihaere and 3^rd place went to Hamuera Turnball. 

Alpaca Shearing

It was hard work on his birthday for one of our German Gapp students.  Fabian spent time helping our College caretaker, Mr Grant, with alpaca shearing on his property just outside of Oamaru.  

Cambridge International Examination Success

Last week at assembly the 2013 Cambridge English class were presented with their certificates following outstanding results in the Cambridge International Examinations.  With a 100% pass rate Mrs Jackson was particularly pleased because the course was designed to be done over a two year period, yet the students completed it in one.  After such a successful first year at the College the Cambridge programme has been extended.

Arty Creations

As we head into the home stretch of Term 1, students are already showing signs of interesting artworks for assessments and portfolios.  It seems timely to remind students about protecting their uniforms and themselves in Art so please read this message from Mr Burton.

It's great to see the creative and skillful work coming out already this year.  We want this to continue but without damage to your expensive uniforms, or to yourself.  This year we have already noticed too many "paint or wet media" accidents and this is becoming a problem for us as well as your parents/caregivers.  To help prevent this from happening we would recommend the following:

1. Get an Art Shirt, an old sweatshirt, heavier material T-shirt or similar (nothing too thin or loose that could drag or droop in wet paint).  These will need to be taken home and washed occasionally.  They are NOT to be decorated inappropriately and must be fit for purpose.
2. School blazers should NOT be worn in the Art room, they are quite large and can easily be brushed against wet work and get in the way when moving around a busy workspace.
3. Art students are reminded that there is NO SUBSTITUTE for being RESPONSIBLE for yourself and the welfare of others in this busy room.  Accidents do happen but there is no excuse for irresponsible actions.

These simple precautions can really help.  We have tried a range of things over the years with mixed success.  Thanks to everyone for your help and support in this matter

P Burton

HOF Art

Otago Southland Athletic Championships

During a lunch break Francziska, Sophia, Brittany, Michael, Hamish and Mere catch up with Pua Magasiva (Vinnie from Shortland St) and Tiki Tane (Musician) outside the Velodrome.

The St Kevin's College Athletic team had a great meet at the Otago Southland Athletic Championships which were held in Invercargill over the weekend.  There were some very impressive results and 9 students have qualified for the South Island Championships to be held in Timaru on Saturday 5 April.

Full results for the team that traveled are:
Hamish Robertson - 4th High Jump
Merekite Wahitapu - 6th Long Jump
Sophia Alaloto - 4th Shot Put
Michael Stevens - 7th Long Jump
Brittany Kerin - 8th Long Jump / 3rd 800m
Alex Collier - 6th 100m / 3rd 200m
Jinnesh Ramu - 6th 3000m / 4th 1500m
Francziska Yanzick - 2nd 3000m / 2nd 800m
Matthew Cullimore - 5th 800m / 9th 1500m / 4th Steeplechase
Connor Ryan - 2nd Steeplechase / 6th 1500m
Emma Slater - 5th 800m

Assistant Principal's Comment

Kia ora Kevinians and Friends of the College,

It’s hard to believe a week has gone by since I wrote the last comment on this blog! 

As you may have noticed in today’s paper, we are very pleased to be offering an Equestrian Course, beginning next term.  We are attempting to cater to a range of students and ensure that everyone gets a chance to enjoy what’s on offer.  However, we would never have had the opportunity to develop this course had we not had the support of the local community.

Community participation is a cornerstone of any functioning school.  

While parents and caregivers may feel that we are constantly asking for help, it is important to understand that there are simply not enough school staff to ensure that students get a wide range of sporting and cultural opportunities, unless we get help from parents.  I would like to personally thank those parents who do help out and encourage anyone who is thinking of volunteering their time and energy to the school to do so.  Working with young people can be an exciting, humorous and rewarding endeavour.

Mr Olsen is in China for the next week.  He has been invited to there to showcase his teaching ability and to introduce New Zealand teaching methods.  For those of us who have seen Mr Olsen at work building rockets in the Science lab, we know the Chinese students will thoroughly enjoy the experience of having him.

Have a safe weekend.

God Bless.

Jo Walshe

World Day of Prayer

Year 10 student Ceilidh Brookes joined other members of the community for World Day of Prayer, reading during the Order of Service.  Christian groups around the globe held an Order of Service at the same local time, resulting in a continuous Day of Prayer for 24 hours.

St Kevin's College Netball Sevens

Network Waitaki Sports Awards

The Network Waitaki Sports Awards were held on Monday evening at the Oamaru Opera House and the College was well represented at the event.  Highlights of the evening included Holly Edmondston being awarded the Junior Sportswoman Award before taking top honours with the Network Waitaki Supreme Award.  Sportsperson of the Year was awarded to past pupil and world rower, Johannah Kearney.  Congratulations to Stacey Kerin and Isobel Ryan who were finalists with Holly in the Junior Sportswoman of the Year category.

Edmund Rice Leadership Camp 2014

Last week the Top Six arrived back at the College having spent four days at the Edmund Rice Leadership Camp in Auckland.  The camp consisted of working with three other Edmund Rice Schools where they met fellow school leaders and had the opportunity to share thoughts and ideas on the coming year.  Brother Damien from Melbourne lead the camp and in true Brother Damian fashion was an inspiration to everyone.  On the Monday the students ventured out into the greater Auckland area to volunteer at a variety of places ranging from Starship Hospital to the Carlson School for children with cerebral palsy and other schools specialising in the education of children with special needs.  They found the experience very humbling, giving them a new found gratitude for life and what we often take for granted.

Excellent Showing At Otago Secondary Schools Athletics Champs

The first regional athletic competition was held over the weekend with a team of twenty traveling to Dunedin to compete in the Otago Secondary Schools Athletic Champs.  Once again there were some excellent performances with eighteen students moving on to the next level of competition, along with the Senior Boys Relay Team.  Overall results are:

SENIOR BOYS:
Siosuia Ngalo - 4th Javelin, 4th Shotput, 2nd Triple Jump / Connor Newlands - 5th Shotput, 7th Discus / Paea Palaa - 4th Discus, 12th Shotput / Keegan Anderson - 10th Shotput / Matthew Vocea - 2nd 400m, 4th 200m / Alex Collier - 2nd 200m, 4th 100m / Michael Stevens - 5th Long Jump / Hamish Robertson - 2nd High Jump, 7th Long Jump / Senior Boys Relay (Michael Stevens, Matthew Vocea, Connor Newlands, Alex Collier) 2nd
SENIOR GIRLS:
Merekite Wahitapu - 1st Long Jump
U16 BOYS:
Matthew Cullimore - 5th 3000m, 5th 1500m, 4th 800m / Connor Ryan - 54th 1500m, 5th 800m, 6th 3000m
U16 GIRLS:
Francziska Yanzick - 2nd 3000m, 2nd 800m, 4th 1500m / Emma Slater - 3rd 800m, 8th 1500m, 9th Long Jump / Brittany Kerin - 4th 800m, 5th Long Jump, 5th 400m / Rose McCarthy - 6th Shot Put, 7th Long Jump / Sophia Alaloto - 4th Shot Put
U15 BOYS:
Angus Macaulay - 3rd 800m, 5th 100m / Levi Emery - 5th 400m, 9th 100m
U14 BOYS:
Ben McCarthy - 12th 100m
U14 GIRLS:
Gemma Dowling - 6th High Jump

China Bound

Back Row: Connor Ryan, Sam Hocken, Sydney Telfer, Aislinn Craig, Sean Daley
Front Row: Charlie Wallis, Diane Vidallon, Chris Olsen, Louie Baster and Reuben Mihaere
Absent: Connor Daly

A group of 11 students will have an opportunity to use their newly learned Mandarin when they travel to China in the upcoming school holidays.  Accompanied by Mr and Mrs Ryan, they will be based in the Beijing area and are excited about the prospect of immersing themselves in the Chinese culture.

South Island Secondary Schools Tennis Championship

Congratulations to the members of the St Kevin's College mixed team who competed in the South Island Secondary Schools Tennis Championship which was held in Timaru in the weekend.  They all played some great tennis and represented the College well, displaying the Special Character of St Kevin's on the court.  With some wins under their belts, the experience will only "serve" to improve their tennis game!

South Island Secondary Schools Rowing Regatta

Congratulations to our College rowers who traveled to Lake Ruataniwha to compete at the South Island Secondary Schools Regatta in the weekend.  It was an outstanding effort by all of the team with crews making A and B finals in all but two events, and then only missing in those events by just one place.  Tiana Mihaere and Sydney Telfter took Gold in the U18 Double before Sydney teamed up with Georgia Dyson for a Silver in the Novice Double.  Julia Fauth was pipped for Bronze in the U17 Single, placing 4th and the boys missed their chance for a medal by only half a canvas in the U15 Four.  Well done!!

Assistant Principal's Comment

Kia ora Kevinians and Friends of the College

As both Mr Olsen and Mr Ryan are away today, I would like to take this opportunity to let you know about all the great things that have happened around the College this week.  Where are Mr Olsen and Mr Ryan you might ask?  Mr Ryan, ever the scientist, is away on our Year 13 Biology trip to Portabello this week, where he will no doubt be ‘knee deep’ in seawater. Mr Olsen, on the other hand, will be ‘knees out’ in his kilt as he competes with North Otago’s young pipers in the National Pipe Band Championships.  We wish them both all the best in their endeavours.

I attended my first Home and School meeting on Monday night as the new staff representative for the College.  I was struck by the professionalism and dedication this tireless group of women display and the passion they have for our College.  I would like to encourage everyone to get behind them over the course of 2014 as they continue their efforts to make our school a better place.  Advertised below you will see a call for interest from local artists for the Art Auction and an advertisement for the Preen fashion parade.  Both of these events directly benefit our students so your support would be greatly appreciated.  The Home and School are always looking for new members, so if you feel you would like to dedicate some time to this worthy organisation, please get in touch.

Our school celebrated the beginning of Lent this week with our Ash Wednesday liturgy.  This was a lovely event which brought our school together for a period of reflection as we move towards the Easter season.  We ask God’s blessing on our school over this time and thank Mr Mullally and Father Wayne for the effort they put into the service.

Finally this week, eleven students and their families met yesterday to hear from Professor Hong Hu of the Confucius Institute ( University of Canterbury ) as she outlined what to expect on their upcoming trip to China.  This is the first opportunity our Mandarin students have had to go on this trip and they are very excited, if not a little nervous, about what to expect.  No doubt we will have some amazing photos for the blog on their return.

Have a safe weekend.

God Bless.

Jo Walshe

Assistant Principal

Year 13 Biology Trip

Our Year 13 Biology students traveled to the Portobello Marine Laboratory for a three day study which will make up part of their NCEA Level 3 assessment.  This is the practical component of the internal assessment and students are required to create their own studies and related experiments.

Calling All Budding Artists

Home & School Art Auction - Term 3

The Home & School are looking for expressions of interest ... 

If you have, or know of somebody that may have any art items that might be suitable for this please contact Leanne on 027 373 2862.  

Thank you!

Ash Wednesday Liturgy

This week the College gathered in the Chapel to mark Ash Wednesday with a liturgy and students reflected on how we are all journeying together, coping with the challenges life brings us.  Father Wayne blessed the ashes and in turn all those who received them.

Netball

All those wishing to be coaches for the 2014 season please fill out and return a coaching application form (found on the netball website or by emailing aevans@stkevins.school.nz) by Friday 7 March.