Principal's Comment

Kia ora Kevinian's and supporters of the College

The infectious buzz of pre-ball excitement is mixed with end of term anticipation as we prepare for the Waitaki Inter-school and the school Formal Ball. Senior students have been hard at work practicing their dancing in the hostel dining room during lunch times. I am impressed to see the rapid evolution from tentative stomping to more elegant and graceful moves. The 1920's themed decorations are coming along well with Home & School support. Thank you to the many parents and Home & School helpers for the mammoth contribution that you are making to a successful evening. I look forward to the culmination on Saturday evening and wish all involved, the very best for an outstanding event.

Earlier in the week students participated in several sporting fixtures. The Mercy Cup was held in Christchurch and we had a strong contingent of our girls attending. Congratulations to all the teams for representing the College so positively. Fair play and tenacity are hall marks of St Kevin's teams and we were proud to see that these teams continued this tradition. Our girls and boys basketball teams also competed in the Aoraki Regional Secondary School Competition earlier in the week. Although they did not manage a podium place, they were competitive and this reflects the current strength of basketball in the College.

As we near the end of term, staff are currently preparing student reports for the mail out. Even though term two has been a shorter 9 week block, we need to remind ourselves that over half the academic year has passed. If caregivers have concerns, now is the time to raise them with deans so that together we can support students to make the most of the remaining time and ensure a purposeful start to the new term.

This week at assembly I highlighted the issue of students with concussion returning to contact sport too rapidly. Can I encourage caregivers and coaches to take a conservative approach to treatment. Please allow plenty of time for healing to take place before returning to contact sport and if a concussion is suspected, stop the player from continuing the game. We all want to be active and be involved, however there is a real cost to developing brains that are repeatedly damaged through concussion. By identifying the issue and educating ourselves, we become part of the support network that limits the risk for our students.

Finally, please keep Mrs Burton's father, in our prayers as he is recovering from illness.

May God bless you all.
Paul Olsen, Principal