Friday, August 31, 2018

Principals Comment

Kia ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,

Last evening, a packed auditorium resounded to the talented voices of both choir and individuals at the annual Singing Festival. Finely crafted harmony in the House Waiata was nicely complemented by the passion displayed in the various renditions of Abba classics. The evening is a celebration of homegrown talent and is truly student-led. Thank you to our Prefects who have led by example and encouraged students to step outside their comfort zone. Behind all of the student work has been our committed staff team, lead by Mrs Foster. Staff have each brought their talents to the evening: creativity, inspiration, technical support and administrative support, mentoring and presence. Thank you to our staff on behalf of an appreciative community.


Last Wednesday I had the pleasure of attending the St Taki Girls Rugby end of season function. St Taki is the highly successful combined banner under which St Kevin's and Waitaki Girls' High School play. The Under 15 and Under 18 teams are a credit to both schools, with the Under 15 girls placing second in their competition. Thank you to our coaches and long-serving parents Mr Guyton and Mr McAtamney.

Finally, we wish those heading away to winter tournament fixtures all around the South Island next week, safe travel and every blessing.

May God bless you all
Paul Olsen, Principal

Thursday, August 30, 2018

Girls Football 1st XI

The SKC Girls 1st XI Football team played against the South Canterbury Girls Rep team on August 19. The team played well with the game finishing as a tie 1-1, with Millie Coutts scoring. Thanks to Mrs Hesselin for coaching the team and to Ellie Graham for taking photos.




First Equestrian Event for the Season

On Sunday, three riders from SKC took part in the first Endurance equestrian event for the season. The event was held at Mt Somers Station, Mid Canterbury under brilliant blue skies and all horses finished the event with perfect scores and in a good time in the novice events.

From left: Mrs Phillippa Sutton with Shar, Lucy Hellewell with Tarquin and Anna Wallis with Tui. 

Singing Festival Live Stream Link

How awesome is it that we can live stream our school events?! If you would like to watch the Singing Festival from the comfort of your computer desk, click on the link below. The event starts at 7pm NZ time.



Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Exeat Weekend


A reminder that this weekend is our Exeat Weekend and school will be closed on Monday 3 September & Tuesday 4 September. The Hostel will also be closed from Friday, August 31 from 4:30pm and will open from 2pm on Tuesday, September 4. Have a restful long weekend!

Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Mead Te Pirita Secondary School Shoot

The SKC Trapshooting team Corban Hocken, Ryan Kennedy, Joel Klenner, Clark Ewing, Jack Murphy and Hunter Reading competed against Canterbury Schools in Rakaia on August 19.
There were 4 St Kevin's shooters out of 6 in the shoot off for Single Rise (70 shooters in the competition in total) and our team of shot possibles (maximum points) in the end. Clark Ewing  placed 1st the Single Rise in the A grade competition as well as a 2nd in the Single Barrel A grade competition.
Corban Hocken also placed, coming in 2nd in the A grade Skeet, and Ryan Kennedy took 4th in the A grade Single Barrel. SKC came Second overall in the shoot to Lincoln College, who beat them by 2 points.
Well done boys!


Friday, August 24, 2018

Principal's Comment

Kia ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,

Congratulations to Sauku Elise and Michael Misiloi who were awarded certificates of achievement for their contribution to and leadership of our Pasifika students group at the College. Thank you to Mrs Tina Dooley for the support and guidance she gives to our Pasifika students. As principal, I am grateful for all the parental support and encouragement which is ensuring that our Pasifika students are succeeding proudly as Pasifika.
Congratulations to the young filmmakers who presented their short films to the community on Wednesday evening. Noah's Ark, a mockumentary, was the overall winner and people's choice winner. Congratulations to Noah Martin, Jonte Kydd-Law, Lewis Weatherley and Jayden Hetet-Morris. Jonte was also awarded 1st place for Best Actor. 
Four SKC teams entered films in the festival and we are very proud of them all.
Thank you to Mr Ryan Gower who took the Mathematics team to the annual Dunedin Competition. The students placed well and were a credit to the College.

May God bless you all
Paul Olsen, Principal

SKC filmmakers number 1

Congratulations to all our budding filmmakers whose films were shown at the Filmmakers in Schools Festival and Awards night on Wednesday August 22. The film "Noah's Ark" from SKC team Noah Martin, Jonte Kydd-Law, Lewis Weatherley and Jayden Hetet-Morris, took out 1st place in the Best High School Film category and 1st in People's Choice Award. Jonte also took out 1st place for Best Actor. Take a look at the winning film below :)


Another SKC team, featuring Barnaby Brown, Carl Alegado, Prajit Brij and Alexander (Alex) Houston, also took out a prize, placing 3rd in the Water Theme category. They were also nominated for the Best High School Film category. Check out their movie below.


Fenella Ballantyne, Krystalee Sheehy, Vannisah Ramu and Grace Firman also received a nomination for their film "The Milkman" in the same category.


Mekeisha Hurley, Chloe Tillard, Adam Devon and Ella Cochrane also entered a film on Water Pollution which was shown at the festival.


Well done to everyone who took part! A big thank you to Maddy Maxwell and Bridget Ellis for the running the programme and event, and to Mrs Plunkett for arranging for our students to be apart of it.

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

BOT student representative elections

St Kevin’s College Student Representative Election for the Board of Trustees


Nominations are invited for the election of one Student Representative to the 2019 St Kevin’s College Board of Trustees. A nomination form and a copy of this notice is being distributed to all eligible voters on the student roll. Further nomination forms can be obtained from the school office. 

Nominations close at noon on Friday, 7 September 2018, which is 14 days before the election date and may be accompanied by a signed candidate’s statement. 

The voting roll is open for inspection at the school and can be viewed during the hours the office is open. There will also be a list of candidates’ names for inspection, as they come to hand, on the St Kevin’s College Blog, Student Noticeboard, Daily Notices and the e-newsletter. 

The poll closes at noon on Friday, 21 st September 2018. 


Sue McErlane 
Returning Officer

Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Budding Filmmakers Take 3

Our budding filmmakers have completed their min-movies. Head along to The Filmmakers in Schools Festival and Award Night on Wednesday, August 22 to see the finished creations and vote for your favourite.
The festival begins will be held at the WBHS Auditorium at 7pm. See you there!

 

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Monday, August 20, 2018

Finals for St Taki U15 10s

Good luck to all our SKC St Taki team members who are competing in Under 15 10s finals this week. The big game will be held in Dunedin on Wednesday. We wish you all the best!



Friday, August 17, 2018

Principal's Comment

Kia ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,

A big thank you to all those who took time out of their busy day to attend the Student-Led Conferences on Friday! The meetings prove to be a valuable asset for students, teachers and caregivers to reflect on students' studies and their academic and vocational goals.

Student-Led Conferences are valuable for reflecting on students' studies, academic and vocational goals.
The visiting Obirin students returned home this week and it was our pleasure to wish them well at our assembly on Monday. They treated us to a beautiful rendition of "Jesus Loves Me", which they had learnt during their English studies here. Thank you to all our students and staff who welcomed them with open arms, especially to the families that hosted a student over the past three weeks.

The Obirin students played and sang for us at their final assembly.

May God bless you all
Paul Olsen, Principal

SKC 1st XV knockout Wakatipu

The SKC 1st XV team are through to the Otago national co-ed schools 1st XV championship finals following a brilliant semi-final on Wednesday, August 15. The team played against Queenstown's Wakatipu High School, finishing 31-10. The 1st XV have already had a stellar season, winning the coveted Blood Match trophy back from WBHS. We wish all our boys the best for the final!




See more photos from the game taken by our student photographer Ellie Graham.


Thursday, August 16, 2018

Trap Shooting champs

Congratulations to the St Kevin's College trap shooting team who placed first at the Aoraki Sceondary Schools Clay Target Shooting Championships on August 12. What a fantastic team effort!


Farewell Obirin

After three weeks of learning, exploring and making new friends, SKC students and staff farewelled our new Obirin friends. The farewells started on Monday with a special assembly where the students were presented with certificates to mark their time at St Kevin's College and offered their thanks for the time spent here. On Tuesday, the Junior Girls and Boys' basketball teams battled it out against Obirin teams in a farewell match. Both teams played very well, though it was SKC that came out on top for both the girls and boys. The Obirin students left for home early Wednesday morning. We wish them all the best!




Click here to see more photos of the Obirin students visit, trips and farewell.

SKC U14.5 Rubgy victorious at finals

Congratulations to the SKC U14.5 Rugby team who won the season final on Saturday, August 12 in South Canterbury! The team played against the Timaru Boys High School Panthers and won 36-12. The win finished off an awesome season for the team who were unbeaten throughout! A huge thanks go the team coaches, Mr Justin Fowler and Mr John Clunie. Well done everyone!



See more photos from the victorious game here

Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Back from Bishops Shield

Congratulations to all SKC students who competed at The Bishop's Shield interschool cultural tournament in Gore over the weekend. The students took part in speech, debating and drama competitions against other schools in the Dunedin Diocese. SKC won Senior Drama and Debating, came in second in scripture reading and second in prepared speech, finishing second overall. Great job!
Thank you to all the staff that accompanied the students and to Michelle Buckham and our student photographer Bethan Ardouin for the taking photos.




Click here for more photos!

Year 13 Ski Camp

Last week, Year 13 Physical Education students enjoyed a three-day skiing camp at Ohau. The weather was glorious, albeit a little chilly, and everyone learned something new, despite a few tumbles.
Thank you to Mr Smith for organising the trip and Mr Olsen for accompanying.






Check out some more photos and videos here

Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Reminder about Student-Led Conferences

Student-Led Conferences are on Friday, August 17 from 12pm. These meetings are a fantastic opportunity for students, teachers and caregivers to reflect on students' studies and their academic and vocational goals. This session is particularly important in regards to selecting subjects for 2019.

Bookings are now open and can be arranged via by clicking here and entering your details. School will be closed for the day, though students are expected to come to school for their conference.

If you require child care for these conferences, please contact the office as we can arrange for students to care for younger children while the interview is being conducted.


SKC e-news Week 3

We have been experiencing some technical issues with delivery of the SKC e-news. For those who may have missed it, please find the latest newsletter below.



Welcome to your weekly e-news

Student-Lead Conferences are on Friday, August 17 from 12pm. These meetings are a fantastic opportunity for students, teachers and caregivers to reflect on students' studies and their academic and vocational goals. This session is particularly important in regards to selecting subjects for 2019.
Bookings are now open and can be arranged via by clicking here and entering your details. School will be closed for the day, though students are expected to come to school for their conference

Year 11, 12 and 13 students have now had the fee for NCEA added to their accounts in the Parent Portal. The domestic student fee for 2018 is $76.70 per student and this must be paid by 31 August. Applications for Financial Assistance have now closed. However. if you have any questions, please contact Mr Seddon on mseddon@stkevins.school.nz or via the school office.

A new, computer-generated text system has been implemented at Student Kevin's College to follow up on unexplained student absences. The system will generate a text to parents, informing them of the unexplained absence and requesting parents reply to the school by following the prompts.For added security, the text will come from an individual, one-off, randomised number that will only be available to reply to until the end of the current school day. It can not be used to report absences on any other day. Please continue to report absences by leaving a message on the absence phone line, submitting an absence report online via the website or emailing absences@stkevins.school.nz.









Sunday, August 12, 2018

Principal's Comment

Kia ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College

The theme of preparation has been evident in many of our College activities this week.
Preparation for the upcoming Bishop's Shield to be held in this weekend in Gore. Preparation for the subject section process and the discussion that will be generated with family at next weeks student lead conferences. Preparation for tertiary study with scholarship applications falling due at this time.
Thank you to our staff for the work they are doing to mentor and support students with these challenges.
During the week I was privileged to help with the year 13 Physical Education Ski Camp.
Congratulations go to Mr Smith on a well-organised camp and to the hard-working students who diligently improved their skills and were rewarded with some pleasing NCEA grades.
Today at Mass we celebrated the Feast of St Dominic. We welcomed our local Dominican Sisters to this celebration of charism. The strong Dominican influence is evident in the scripture reading and oratory skills of our students, which will help them with the challenges they will face this weekend at the Bishop's Shield. We wish the team every blessing and safe travel.

May God bless you all
Paul Olsen, Principal

Friday, August 10, 2018

The Bishops Shield

Good luck to all SKC students who are competing in The Bishops' Shield competition from August 10-12. The students left the College this afternoon for Gore where they will take part in Drama, Debating and Speech competitions. 
The competition has been run by the Diocese of Dunedin for the past 75 years and is the biggest cultural tournament of the year. All the best everyone!


Thursday, August 9, 2018

Budding Fillmmakers Take 2

Our budding SKC filmmakers spent their final session with A Stones Throw Productions shooting their short films and learning about the process of editing . The filmmakers are expected to edit their own work, adding any additional sound, music and special effects. The completed films will be shown at the Filmmakers in Schools Festival & Award night at the Waitaki Boys High School auditorium on Wednesday, August 22 at 7pm. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $3 for a child, $5 for an adult and $15 for a family.




Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Student Led Conferences - August 17, 2018


Student-Lead Conferences are on Friday, August 17 from 12pm. These meetings are a fantastic opportunity for students, teachers and caregivers to reflect on students' studies and their academic and vocational goals. This session is particularly important in regards to selecting subjects for 2019.
Bookings are now open and can be arranged via by clicking here and entering your details. School will be closed for the day, though students are expected to come to school for their conference

Monday, August 6, 2018

Meeting Helen Clark

Caleb Jopson and Hannah Cunningham, along with Mrs Buckham and Mrs Eatherley, were stoked to meet with Miss Helen Clark on Saturday evening at Limelight Cinema. The SKC group were attending a fundraiser for Vanished World and Waitaki Whitestone Geopark as representatives of JAG. 








Saturday, August 4, 2018

Principal's Comment


Kia ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College

As we are well underway with the new term, our attention has moved to ensure students have their pathways and academic planning reviewed. To begin the exercise, staff have been taking the time to explain how their subject builds unique skills that will support students with their potential career pathways. Senior students have been using assembly time to explain the various subjects from their personal experience. Next week year 10, 11, and 12 students will have personal interviews with deans to explore their passions, their overall performance and possible career pathways. Those with questions will have the opportunity to get more detailed information and support to formulate a future-focused plan.

Today at the College, we are holding the New Zealand Engineering Science Competition. This is an annual problem-solving competition for teams of secondary students throughout the country. This year we have 17 senior mathematics students entered to solve the open-ended problem.
Pictured are some of the students hard at work researching the questions. We wish them all the best.

May God bless you all
Paul Olsen, Principal

Friday, August 3, 2018

Hostel Happenings

Astro Turf
Last Sunday a large number of Hostel boys volunteered their time to help start ripping up the old astro turf on the school courts. This was hard physical work and it will take some time to complete. The boys did a great job and their efforts were much appreciated. The turf is going to be relaid with new cricket nets, a combined netball/basketball court and an area for futsal and hockey. This new turf will be a great asset for the school and obviously the hostel students will be able to use this new facility as well.




Winter Sport
Winter sport continues for hostel students and a number of teams are coming into semi finals. A large number of the junior boys are playing in the under 14.5 rugby semi final tomorrow and a large number of seniors are into the 1st XV Championship final tomorrow as well.

The senior A netball team are on the verge of qualifying for their semi final and the intermediate team has already qulaified. Both teams have a healthy contingent of hostel students in them.

Ski Trips
Weekly ski trips organised by the school are underway on Sundays and we encourage the hostel students to participate in these. These trips make for a great year level excursion.

Year 12 Biology Trip

Year 12 Biology students travelled to Gemmells Creek yesterday to study freshwater and collect data on the insect larvae population.
The students measured factors such as the waters pH levels, temperature (which was a chilling 4 degrees!), flow rate, amount of algae and dissolved oxgyen. They also gathered data on the insect larvae population including the number and species found. It was concluded at the end of the day that the creek is 'fairly healthy'.
Thank you Mrs Jean Hesslin for organising the trip and Mr Ryan for accompanying the students.



A New Keyboard for SKC Musicians

A big thank you to The Ruby Marris Trust, who's kind donation has enabled the SKC music department to purchase a new electronic keyboard. Both staff and students are thrilled to be able to make music on such a beautiful instrument! 

Abbey Mabon and Kachamas Mangmee try out the new electronic keyboard.

Wednesday, August 1, 2018

North Otago U17 Rep Netball

In the second week of the holidays, Hannah Cunningham, Gemma Dowling and Molly Kay travelled to Palmerston North as part of the North Otago U17 Rep Netball team.
The team had a superb tournament, beginning with pool play on Monday and Tuesday. They came second in their pool, which put them into the Top 16. Other memorable games for the tournament  were the two games which resulted in wins over Christchurch and North Harbour 1.
The team finished 12th place out of the 42 nationwide teams entered, and were the second placed South Island team (with only Dunedin ahead of them by one place in 11th ) – an outstanding achievement! 
This team was a group of fabulous girls who played as an awesome team and achieved something very special on the national netball stage. All three SKC girls were in the starting 7 and all three played outstanding netball representing North Otago with pride.  
Congratulations Gemma, Hannah and Molly!