Otago Performance Programme Netball

There are exciting times ahead for Brytnee Firman and Molly Kay (both Y11) who have successfully trialed for a place in the U17 Otago Performance Programme.  This is a development programme for the national netball team Southern Steel and it will continue throughout the 2016 season.  Comprising of four, one day camps held across the southern region the girls will also be given training programmes and nutritional guidance.  Congratulations girls!

1500m Athletics Races

Students entered in the 1500m races took to the track yesterday after school to muster up the final house points in the Athletics competition.  Well done to everyone who took part!

Visting World Renowned Guitarist

Next Wednesday (2 March) we will have the opportunity to hear world renowned guitarist Jonathon Harper at a free concert in the SKC Auditorium during P6 (this follows on from a sneak peak at assembly!). Thank you to Mrs Foster for organising this fantastic visit.  Mr Ryan will do a reminder, but students will go to their usual P6 class to take a roll before heading to the Auditorium for the concert.

CLICK HERE to visit his website.

Home & School AGM

Home & School AGM

Tuesday 1 March

7pm, College Staffroom

Join us for some wine and cheese.

Everyone welcome!

NZ Touch Rep

Y10 student Brylee More is the most recent Kevinian to represent New Zealand on the international stage following her selection into the NZ U15 Mixed Touch team.  She is only one of five from the South Island out of the eighteen person squad (which includes two non traveling reserves).  They will travel to the Gold Coast for a tournament in September.  Well done Brylee!

National Club Rowing Championship

There were great results on the water from past pupils Charlie Wallis and Sydney Telfer who both came away with bronze medals at the Club Nationals at Lake Karapiro, Friday and Saturday last week.  Sydney teamed up with Maysie Scott to win bronze in the Womens Club Double event while Charlie and team mates Jared Brenssell, Jimmie Scott and Mark Taylor took the bronze in the Mens Club Coxless Quad event.  Sydney and Charlie are now studying at Auckland and Waikato University respectively, and we thank them for their contribution to rowing at St Kevin's and the example that they provide to all of our SKC rowers who continue to work hard to achieve their own success this season.

Gillett Cup Cricket

Congratulations to the 1st XI Cricket team on their fantastic 20/20 win over Logan Park today. SKC batted first and scored 139-3 (Will Sunderland 55 not out and Matt Brien 41) while the visiting Logan Park team fought their way to 95-7 at the end of the 20 overs.  

Aoraki Tennis Success

Last Thursday the Mixed Tennis team took on Aoraki's best at the Aoraki Secondary Schools Tennis Tournament.  Sarah Dodd, Brylee More, Josh Eckhold and Zand Sew Hoy were rewarded with second place which will give them the opportunity to compete at the South Island tournament.  Well done!

Kermadec Exhibition Opening

Last week Ami Wallis and I had the privilege of accompanying Mrs Plunkett to the opening of the Kermadec Exhibition at Forrester Gallery. The honorable Maggie Barry was welcomed by Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher. She opened the exhibition by explaining what the Kermadecs are and why it is so important that they be protected. "At 620,000 square kilometres, the Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will be created in the Kermadec region of the South Pacific Ocean, about 1000 kilometres northeast of New Zealand, and will be 35 times larger than the combined area of New Zealand's existing 44 marine reserves. The sanctuary will mean 15 per cent of New Zealand's ocean environment is fully protected." - Timaru Herald. 

  

She was followed by Dame Robin White who was one of the nine artists involved in the exhibition. She talked about their voyage to the Kermadecs and what a wonderful experience it was. Then we witnesses an amazing cultural dance to finish to formalities.

Ami and I were also lucky enough to have to opportunity to meet Chris Howe who is the Executive Director for WWF New Zealand. This was especially exciting for me as I am a huge fan of WWF and the work that they do.

                                        Nadia Kerr

Click here to go to the Forrester Gallery

Click here for more information about the Kermadec Initiative

THE EXHIBITION IS ON AT THE FORRESTER GALLERY UNTIL 8TH MAY.  ALSO CURRENTLY ON DISPLAY ARE SOME ETCHINGS BY ST JOSEPH'S YEAR 7 TECHNOLOGY STUDENTS (THEY'RE PLACED IN THE STAIRWELL)

A Moment Of Remembrance

At 12.51pm the College fell silent as students and staff, along with much of the country, took a moment to remember those effected by the earthquake in Christchurch five years ago today.  The College doors were opened to students and their families in the days, weeks and months that followed  the quake and they will always have a special place in our College Family.  On this, the anniversary, we take the opportunity to once again share the inspirational words of hope written by Alice McAtamney at that time.

Space

Floating

Floating in a dark endless place

No up, no down

No green grass, no blue sky

So many unknown places you can end up in

But there is the stars,

Little glimmers of hope

Scaring away indecision

And replacing it with order

It might not be so bad that space is endless

It means there can be endless possibilities

Infinite chances to make things right.

Principal's Comment

Kia ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College

We have been blessed with another brilliant sunny North Otago day for our Athletics Sports. Students have been engaged in all the traditional track and field events and we are looking forward to some records being set. Thank you to our Physical Education Faculty and Sandra Kitto for the organisation. Thank you also to staff and the Home & School team for making the day run so well.

This week we have celebrated our Commissioning Mass with Bishop Colin, It was a pleasure to be able to join with St Joseph's for this occasion. The Bishop blessed the new staff and we the existing staff re-committed to upholding the College values.

During the week we have been finalising courses and balancing some of the larger classes. Thank you to Deans for the extra hours they have committed to working with students and family.

Finally, please keep in your prayers the family of past pupil Felicity O'Hagan who passed away this week.

May God bless you this Lenten Season
Paul Olsen, Principal

Athletics Action

Another great day for our Athletic Sports!  A big thank you to staff, the Home & School team and all of the families who joined us for the day.

Y12 Retreat

Year 12 students traveled to Teschemakers last week for their annual retreat day and were blessed with blue skies and sunshine.  Thank you Mrs Eatherley for these great photos from the day.

Championship Swimming

The temperature had dropped since Friday's Swimming Sports Day but that didn't deter those seeking the last few house points with the Championship Swimming after school today.  Well done to those who braved the water!

Itinerant Music Under Way

The Itinerant Music Programme at the College is underway this week.  The programme provides students access to tuition for instruments such as violin, viola, cello, double bass, flute, bass guitar, classical/chordal guitar, drums and voice.  The tuition is provided free and the school has a number of instruments that may be hired at a very reasonable rate, so this is a very accessible way for students to learn, regardless of any previous musical knowledge or experience.  Lessons are held weekly at the College, mostly during school hours and are about 20 minutes long.

If you are keen to take up the opportunity to learn or want to know a bit more, contact Mrs Foster in the Music Suite or at tfoster@stkevins.school.nz

New Teachers Commissioned

We were joined by staff and students from St Joseph's today as Bishop Colin was on hand to commission our new teaching staff, the first stop on a series of school visits by the Bishop around the Diocese.  We have several new staff on board at the College this year and Mr Olsen was pleased to be able to share this special occasion, with Mrs Jackson presenting the new teachers from St Jo's.  After the sharing of the Eucharist, Edmund Rice Service Certificates were also presented to a number of students - congratulations.

Hawke Cup Victory

Congratulations to Old Boy Brady Kingan and Old Boy/Hostel Supervisor Ben Cant, as well as the rest of the North Otago Cricket team, on their victory over Buller to bring the Hawke Cup back to North Otago for the first time in five years and only the second time in the 106 year history of the competition!

Te Waipounamu Maori Netball Selection

Peta Grant will take to the netball court over Easter as a member of the Te Waipounamu Maori Netball U19 team.  Her form in the team last year saw her invited back into the squad despite being unable to trial due to an injury.  The National tournament will be played at the Minogue Park Courts in Hamilton.  Good luck Peta!

Early In The Morning

So this is what 6.32am looks like on the Waihoa Box?  Y12 students Reuben Mihaere and Kalas Taukamo were hard at work this morning, preparing for the upcoming schools regattas next month.

Principal's Post

Kia ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College

Waitangi Day at the the Lakes, Year 13 Retreat, Ash Wednesday Liturgy, Excellence Awards presentation, Year 12 Retreat, Meet the Teachers evening and Swimming Sports - all in one almighty second week!  A big thank you our hard working staff who have made sure that these events have been well organised and have run smoothly.

Thank you also to parent helpers who arranged the water sports for the Boarders at the Lakes. Your enthusiasm and skill were appreciated by all the participants.

With Easter being so early this year, the Lenten season is already here. At the Ash Wednesday liturgy, we were reminded by Fr Wayne, that the next forty days before Easter are an opportunity to do some reflection on our spiritual life. Religious Studies classes will be exploring these concepts over the coming weeks.

Today we have been blessed with a beautiful North Otago day for the Swimming Sports. Free sunscreen has been liberally applied  and regular reminders to cover up have been have been a priority as we take seriously our obligations to keep students safe in the sun. It is a constant challenge to switch teenagers on to this important message and get them to take it seriously. I would ask caregivers to support us and make sure that our students are equally well prepared for next Friday's Athletics Sports.

I look forward to catching up with as many caregivers as possible next Friday.

May God bless you this Lenten Season
Paul Olsen, Principal

Making a Splash

What a wonderful day it's been!   There's little more to say other than enjoy these images.

7 /12 Laps

Check out these great shots from the 3000m races this morning!

Athletic Sports Next Week

Our Athletics Sports Day will be held next Friday.  Make sure you bring hats and sunscreen, as well as some warm clothing if it's a bit chilly!

The Home & School team will be back out in force selling cones ($2), lemonade popsicles ($1) and the crowd favourite sausage sizzles ($2).  Make sure you have some change in your pockets to support these fantastic people!

Hostel Waitangi Weekend Trip

There was plenty of fun on the water during the annual Hostel Waitangi Weekend trip to Loch Laird!  It was wonderful to have so many families join us for the day and a big thank you to those parents and caregivers who bought boats, biscuits etc for the students to enjoy.  What a great family day!

Excellence At SKC

Academic excellence at St Kevin's was celebrated today as staff, students and family gathered to acknowledge and applaud over 100 students who received a Merit or Excellence Endorsement at NCEA Level 1, 2 or 3 in 2015.

Academic Blues were presented to: Jayde Pickworth, Jacqui Malcolm, Holly Malcolm, Belen Mino Zubiri, Emma Fox, Amy Hunter, Kimberley Dyster, Imogen Brew, Ami Wallis, Harriet Hanning, Ella Hitchcock, Kalas Taukamo, Alexander Gonzales, Brinkley Botting, Adam Sew Hoy, Tom Sinclair, Kate Nally, Sophia Alaloto, Meghan McCorkindale, Emma Middlemass, Pierce McLeod, Jino Kunnethedam and Max Stewart.

We also acknowledged our 2015 graduates who will receive their final Academic Blue from SKC in the coming days: Georgia Malcolm, Sydney Telfer, Georgia-Kate Blair, Lily Webster, Milali Singh, Julia Fauth and Jack Sinclair.

Congratulations to all of our award recipients today!

Murder They Wrote

There was an air of mystery at SKC this morning as Mrs Evan's 10Y Cambridge English class came across a murder scene in the Library Quad.  Not to panic!  It was a creative writing exercise in which students were challenged to observe the scene and think about the possibilities surrounding the event before writing on an aspect of their choice.

Sacramental Invitation

Sacramental Invitation 

All students are encouraged and supported to engage actively in the Catholic nature of the College.

An open invitation is extended to any SKC parents and students from non-Catholic backgrounds who might wish to engage in the College's "Sacramental Programme".  The four sacraments of the Holy Catholic Church initiated at St Kevin's are: Baptism, Reconciliation, Eucharist (Holy Communion) and Confirmation.  Equally, Catholic students who have not yet received any or all of these sacraments are also urged to participate in the programme.

Making a commitment to the Catholic faith allows individuals to take a more full part in religious ceremonies such as weekly Masses and the receiving of Eucharist at Holy Communion time.  If students and/or parents wish to participate in this invitation or would simply like to know more about the Colleges Sacramental programme, please contact the Director of Religious Studies Mr Tony Mullally (tmullally@stkevins.school.nz), phone 03 4371665 (extn 738) or the school office.

Netball Coaching

Netball Coaching

Interested in coaching a netball team for 2016?

Contact Athena Evans for a coaching application at aevans@stkevins.school.nz
or Sandra Kitto our Sports Co-ordinator at skitto@stkevins.school.nz

Images From Friday

Principal's Comment

Kia ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College

This week it has been my pleasure to welcome a record number of students into the Kevinian Family.  The warm weather has made it a challenging transition from holiday mode to classes, but staff have set clear routines and students are enthusiastically engaged in their learning. Thank you to the Deans for the work they are doing to arrange student courses and Mr Gower for his work on the timetable which is a truly mammoth task.

We have a number of new staff who are also settling into the school culture. The Senior Management Team have been working hard to ensure that all staff are aware of our systems and procedures and I would like to thank them and the new staff for the commitment and professionalism they have shown.

Students have been able to connect their devices to the computer network which has had a major upgrade during the holidays. Initial reports from happy users are that the system is a significant improvement in terms of speed and reliability. We look forward to seeing the benefits to teaching and learning that this superb ICT tool will have.

Today we celebrated our first College Mass for the year. It began with the Prefect's Investiture Ceremony. Our Chaplain, Father Wayne, welcomed the community and and challenged us to use our talents fully and take every opportunity in the new year.

On Tuesday, the Home and School committee met for it's monthly meeting. I would encourage caregivers to get involved in this pivotal group and invite everyone to the AGM which is on Tuesday 1st March. Thank you from the staff and students for the financial contribution you have made to the College in 2015 and we wish our H&S team every success this year.

I look forward to catching up with caregivers over the next two Fridays at swimming sports and athletics sports.

May God bless you
Paul Olsen, Principal

Investiture Mass 2016

Today the College gathered in the Chapel for our Investiture Mass, where our Student Leaders were celebrated and formally presented with their badges. Thank you to Father Wayne and all of the friends and family who joined us, and congratulations to the Student Leadership Team for 2016!

Head Boy - Max Stewart

Head Girl - GypsyMae Harihona-Harrison

Deputy Head Boy - Mark Whittet

Deputy Head Girl - Ellen McAtamney

Deputy Head Boy Special Character - Thomas Pickles

Deputy Head Girl Special Character - Niamh Farrell

Hostel Head Boy - Tarn Crow

Hostel Head Girl - Moriah Tyrrell

Hostel Deputy Head Boy - Pierce McLeod

Hostel Deputy Head Girl - Riley Chandler

Clancy House Captains

Karan Ratgali, Scott Ruddle, Sophia Alaloto, Francziska Yanzick

Magee House Captains

Ashley Pink. Emma Slater, Matthew Cullimore, Rose McCarthy

Treacy House Captains

Riley Chandler, Tarn Crow, Meg Knowler, Matt Brien

Whyte House Captains

Sean O'Brien, Jino Kunnethedam, Kate Nally, Brittany Kerin

Pre-Season Training And The Steel Club

Sport at the College is well under way and today students had the opportunity to sign up for summer sports.  Looking ahead to winter, rugby fitness training is already under way, and netabllers have a great chance to improve their game and train with the Steel players as part of the Steel Club (for more information see Mrs Evans or go to www.netballsouth.co.nz)

Swimming Sports Next Friday

Next Friday we will celebrate the spirit and good humoured rivalry of inter House competition at our 2016 Swimming Sports.  The day will begin with the running of the 3000m races and continue with swimming after morning tea at 10.50am.  Please make sure that you have everything you need for the day, including sun protection or warm clothing depending on the weather!

The team from the Home & School will be there selling cones and popsicles.  The cones are $2 each and the lemonade popsicles are a bargain at just $1! So make sure you bring along some spare change to support them!

News From Thailand

 

The team arrived in Bangkok on the 15th January and met up with our families on the 16th. I went to the province Sakon Nakhon. It was extremely different to anything I had experienced before. The living standards are really low compared to New Zealand. The average Thai person only makes $15 NZ for a 12 hour shift, but sometimes the employer can't afford it so it's only $10. On the 4th day I was hit quite hard with the culture shock but after a few more days I was absolutely fine and started to really enjoy my time here. At my school I was put in the class Ep5 which is part of the English program. Most people can speak English. The purpose of my time here is to interact with the students and to help them out when needed. For the past two weekends I have been to Bangkok for my sisters university tests and interviews.

Holly Malcolm

Welcome Powhiri

Student noise came back into the College grounds today as we welcomed the Y9 class for 2016, as well as other students and staff new to St Kevin's, during our Welcome Powhiri today.  Sami Havea lead the College in a resounding haka for the newest members of the SKC Family and Mr Bristow (English dept) spoke on their behalf.  The Welcome Powhiri was followed by the sharing of kai in the College Dining Room, before Deans meetings and House meetings this afternoon.

Prefect Leaders Day 2016

The year kicked off early for our 2016 Student Leaders with our Prefect Leaders Day, which was run on Saturday at the College.  As well as team building challenges, students were given an insight into the expectations of being a student leader at St Kevin's and a briefing on the running of our school assemblies etc.  We wish them well for the year ahead and extend an invitation to our College community to the Investiture Mass, which will be held at 1.45pm this Friday (5th Feb).

Great Beginning To 2016 Rowing

This month our rowers competed in the Canterbury Regatta and then stayed on in Twizel for 5 days of rowing camp. There were 26 athletes, 4 coaches and 4 parent helps for the week with the ages of the rowers ranging from Sydney and Charlie (Y13 last year) down to Tegan (Y8 at St Joseph’s this year) as a coxian. The rowers started their training with sessions at either 6am, 8am or 10am, with the additional fitness of having to bike to and from the lake for their sessions! Most of the rowers then included an afternoon session each day. Bethany Robertson, an Old Girl of the College, joined the team as a coach and fitness trainer. We also had Kate Mihaere, Neville Hill and Roger Norman as coaches for the week. Roger came from Christchurch to help with coaching and he and the rowers thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

The rowers were all training for the recent South Island Club Regatta and of course the South Island Secondary Schools in March, and Maadi Cup in April. Thank you to Kate for all of her organisation and to our parent helpers - Christine Mabon, Kelly Firman, Marie-Clare Kay and Tina Souness.

If you, or someone you know, would like to be part of SKC Rowing we are looking for coaches/helpers to assist with developing our Junior and Senior athletes. Please contact Kate Mihaere 027 434 9939.