Principals Comment

Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,
Deans have spent a busy few weeks with senior students finalizing the options for year 12 and 13 Friday courses which kicked off today.  Flexible Friday, off time table courses, aim to give students the opportunity to look at shoring up their academic courses, enrolling in scholarship lines or exploring new future work or study pathways, without letting go of the safety net of school.  

With students studying Journalism, Heavy Transport Licences, Equestrian, Music, Horticulture, STEM and Design to name a few, we are connecting them with people and experiences which will support their transition as they move into the adult world of work and qualifications. 
We are very excited about this new curriculum development.  

May God bless you.

Ngā mihi Nui

Paul Olsen       

Year 11 PE Camp Postponed

The year 11 PE camp has been postponed next week due to an unfriendly weather forecast. We are currently working on rescheduling the camp for Week 8 of this term, but we will confirm this and let parents and students know the outcome as soon as possible.

Home & School AGM- Tuesday 10th March 2020

The Home & School AGM will be held on Tuesday 10th March in the Redcastle at 7.30pm. All new members welcome!

Duke of Edinburgh Awards

Congratulations to Amy Coutts (Year 13 last year) who has been awarded her Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award. Amy completed it while she was still at school, but admin processing was delayed over the holiday break.

Amy completed the following:

Physical Recreation: Running, Football and Horse riding

Skills: Hockey Coaching, and Horse Care

Service: Youth Group leadership, Food Bank and Coaching

Residential Project: Outward Bound

Adventurous Journeys: Outward Bound, and at School with Mr Dixon.

Well done to Rhea Ratgali, Fergus McMullan and Fern Mcrostie who were awarded their Bronze Award recently.

Attitude To Learning (ATL's) now available on the portal.

Your childs Attitude To Learning (ATL's) are now available on the portal.

If you have any trouble accessing please contact Leanne from the School Office on lwolfe@stkevins.school.nz

Athletics Day 2020

Some photos from the action at Athletics Day last Thursday.

Thank you to all the students that took part, and of course to those that helped with the organisation and running of the event.

Some awesome action shots- a big thanks to the photographers for these awesome photos: Isaac Steele, Anish Raj, Isla Harrington, Renee Sheehey and Tahlia Sherwin.

https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1auzIM3Lcj-qWnQ1N8VbuHnJIErj0rmlX

3000m, 1500m and House Relays Notice

A reminder:

- 3000m is afterschool today. Please meet at Centennial Park at 3.30pm.

- 1500m is afterschool on Wednesday. Please meet at Centennial Park at 3.30pm

- House relays are at lunchtime on Thursday. Please meet at Centennial Park at 12.50pm. House captains need to get their relay teams sorted before then. The gate between SKC and Centennial Park will be open for people to come through and watch. Runners must bring PE gear.

Interhouse Haka Competition

It was a tightly contested Interhouse haka competition! Well done to all the prefects for getting your houses to perform such fierce hakas and also sing such beautiful waiata!

Results:

1st: Clancy
2nd: Whyte
3rd: Magee
4th: Treacy

St Kevin's College Wearable Arts 2020

Tēnā koutou,

Thank you to those that took the time to register their interest in the St Kevin’s College Wearable Arts Event. Please take a moment of your time to fill in this survey and add your name to our email list if you haven't already done so and are interested in participating.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc3iw2ALUSDOgyY8tGb72-bAy2mqqb950OYpv_Eqr6z_K9vSw/viewform?fbclid=IwAR0pkjV7TvY3rUhiRXOf93_bQm1tltTp46ab-0VuuiaHp-binRK1eee4xrE

Please note the SKC Home & School will be running a separate Waitaki Wearable Arts Event as a fundraiser for the 18+ category.

We have had enough interest from local and out of town schools for a small Student Wearable Arts Event at St Kevin's College. The date we have decided upon is the evening of Friday the 26th of June.

The purpose of the event is to raise the profile of the Arts in Oamaru and to give students, emerging artists, and established artists an opportunity to develop their wearable art skills in a local context.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Sue McErlane our Arts Coordinator. smcerlane@stkevins.school.nz

Ngā mihi,

Sara Plunkett (HOF Arts St Kevins College)
Sue McErlane (Arts Coordinator)
St Kevin’s College Home and School (18+ Category only)

Principal's Comment

Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,

Yesterday saw the sun shining on a successful Athletics Sports day which was held for the first time in recent years at Whitestone Contracting Stadium.

Our FIRE values were on show as students encouraged each other to participate and try their best in a range of disciplines.  I was thrilled to see members of our parent community enjoying the day with us, and was heartened to see the way in which our older students interacted with and supported our new year 9 students. 

Students may all need a good sleep in on Saturday.  Have a great weekend!

May God bless you.

Ngā mihi Nui

Paul Olsen

Earn as you Learn Careers Days

St Kevin’s College is pleased to have been awarded some ministry funding to host some targeted Careers events.

These events will:

- Provide opportunities for young people, their teachers and whanau to connect to the world of work and explore vocational pathways while in school.

- Enhance the student perspectives on vocational education and ‘earn while you learn’ pathways, showcasing the trades and service industries.

- Focus on ‘one or many’ of a range of strategically important sectors (Social & Community Sectors, Construction & Infrastructure, Manufacturing & Technology, Primary Industries, Service Industries and Creative Industries.

- Provide opportunities for local iwi, and whānau, local council, non-profit organisations, local business and trades associations to be involved, hopefully creating ongoing relationships.

Events Format:

St Kevin’s College is proposing to host up to four events throughout 2020 to raise awareness of each of the Vocational Pathway’s. The format will be similar for each day.

A bus will transport students around local businesses. Hosting each trip will be at least one ITO representative, teachers from related subjects, community representatives and up to 20 selected Year 11 students.

The main objective is to meet employers and employees involved in “Earn as you Learn” training (eg. apprentices or recently qualified), to learn more about specific vocational pathways and training opportunities.

Towards the end of Year 11, students will make their senior subject selections. Alongside traditional subjects, vocational courses such as Gateway, STAR, Ara and Primary Industries Trades Academy and Carpentry/Engineering are offered. It is hoped that these careers days will help them to make more informed choices.

The Vocational Pathways staff; Margaret Burton (Dean of Vocational Pathways) Paula Eatherley (Gateway and Primary ITO Trades Academy Coordinator) and Sue McErlane (Vocational Pathways Support) will be contacting businesses and organisations in the district over the coming weeks to invite them to be involved. If you would like to be involved, we would love to hear from you.

Please contact Sue initially, by email smcerlane@stkevins.school.nz or phone 03 437 1665.

Pictured below is Henry Guerin at Johnson Gluyas last year.

Swimming Sports Photos 2020

Some photos from the action at Swimming Sports last Friday.

Thank you to all the students that took part, and of course to those that helped with the organisation and running of the event.

A big thanks to the photographers for these awesome photos: Michelle Buckham, Sarah Clapperton, Isaac Steele and Koru Parry

https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/15Yb1bEGElwEB6oph0QeA6cJrZcjQ7RCl

Emma and Sam Gillies finish well at Pony Grand Prix

In the weekend the Gillies sisters, Emma (Year 10) and Sam (Year 9) competed at the South Island Horse of the Year championships show at the Marlborough Equestrian Park.

The pony Grand Prix was run over two rounds where Emma and Benrose Playtime finished first place with 2 clear rounds and Sam and Junior Disco went onto finish second place.

Awesome effort girls!

Principal's Comment

Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,

Congratulations are the order of the day this week for  former Head Girl Rata McMullan who gained a scholarship in Physics in 2019.  We were delighted with the result which was announced this week and we are thrilled that she has capped off her Dux award from the college last year with this awesome achievement.  We look forward to seeing what she is able to achieve in the future. 

That we are a school of excellence was further celebrated this week as we congratulated those students who gained Merit and Excellence endorsement in our Dominican Assembly on Wednesday.  Thank you to those parents and caregivers who supported your students in the effort they put in, over the course of the year, in gaining these awards.

Students who have achieved Merit and Excellence endorsement in the 2019 year. 

Rata McMullan, who gained Scholarship in Physics in 2019. 

May God bless you.

Ngā mihi Nui

Paul Olsen

Cold Weather Alternative for Swimming Sports Tomorrow

Please find below the plan for Swimming Sports if the weather is cold tomorrow. This is to avoid students being outside in the cold all day. Events will continue to take place at the school pool.

- Period 1 and 2 as normal (Thursday timetable)

- Period 3 and 4: Under 16 and Senior age groups will be swimming; Under 14 and 15 age group will be doing house competitions in the school gym

- Lunch will be at 1pm

- Under 16's and Seniors will be released after lunch to go home (school library will also be available for use).

- 1.30-3.20pm: Under 14 and Under 15 age group will be swimming

A call will be made in the morning as soon as possible, but please be prepared for this alternative arrangement if it's required.

Please ensure you bring warm clothes and blankets!

1970 1st XV Reunion

Calling all those from the 1970 1st XV for their reunion which is set to take place at the Waitaki Interschool game this year. The dates for the get together are 2nd and 3rd of July.

For those interested please contact Paul Oliver (44444@yahoo.com), Owen Williams (golden.fleece@xtra.co.nz) or Russell Dixon (jennruss59@gmail.com).

Do you recognise any of these faces? Help us spread the word!

Catching up with Past Pupil Isobel Ryan

A great read on past pupil Isobel Ryan who has completed a double degree at the University of Wyoming in the United States, where the former top Oamaru Swim Club swimmer earned an academic and sporting scholarship.

Click the link below to find out more:

https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/north-otago/swimmer-revisiting-gold-pedigree

Interhouse Haka Competition

Practice for the Interhouse Haka Competition is well underway!

Who's going to take it out this year?

It will take place on Tuesday 18th February and Thursday 20th February at 1.20pm in the school gym. 

Early finish at 2pm on Thursday 13th February

There will be no Period 6 on Thursday 13th February and school will finish at 2.10pm due to a Paid Teachers Union Meeting.

The library will be open for use if required, and school buses will run as normal.

Hostel Lake Day

On Waitangi Day the Hostel set off for a trip to the lake!

A big thank you to all of the parents that came and joined us for the day. A special thank you to those who brought their boats and for taking the students for rides. It is much appreciated!

Beginner Riders Horses Needed

St Kevin's College is looking for horses to lease which would be suitable for beginner riders.

We have several students new to riding or who have been riding only a short period of time and we are looking for safe reliable horses for them.

All costs associated with the horse's keep, shoeing, feed, worming and strangles injections are covered for the period of time horses are here.

Please contact jwalshe@stkevins.school.nz

Principal's Comment

Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,

It was mortal combat for a time in the hostel this week as students pitted their wits against each other in Lazer Tag.  This activity was part of a range of  ice breaker activities organised by staff which  also featured mountain biking, cricket, swimming and a trip to the lakes on Waitangi Day where we celebrated the national day as a family.

I spoke about the importance of seeing ourselves as a family at St Kevin's College this week, and this sense of belonging and identity is especially important in the hostel where young people are often living apart from loved ones for the first time.  I would like to thank all of those involved in organizing these events which truly capture the spirit of what we are trying to achieve. 

May God bless you.

Ngā mihi Nui

Paul Olsen

Meet the Staff Evening

The rain didn't put people off on Tuesday night for our Meet the Staff evening in the school library.

Always a great way to start the year off and also a chance to put faces to names.

Introducing our Student Leadership Team for 2020

Introducing your Student Leadership Team for 2020:

Bethan Ardouin (Special Character Deputy Head Girl), Emily McCoy (Deputy Head Girl), Annie Metcalfe (Head Girl), Alex Houston (Head Boy), Carl Alegado (Deputy Head Boy), and Joel Kunnethedan (Special Character Deputy Head Boy).

I think it's fair to say we are in safe hands once again this year!

Welcome to our New Gap Students

A big welcome to our Gap Students for 2020- Theresa (Germany), Duncan (South Africa), Michael (Zimbabwe), Mitchel (South Africa), Kaye (South Africa).

Welcome to the St Kevin's College family!

St Kevin's College Hostel Takeaway Meals

Available every second Wednesday afternoon during school term only (on pension weeks) from the St Kevin's College Dining Hall (in the school canteen). Pick up only (no deliveries) between the hours of 2 - 4pm.

These main meals will be $5 per container and will be frozen when purchased. These are ideal for people living alone, or unable to cook for themselves after a stay in hospital.

Cash or Eftpos only.

For more information and to order please contact Laney Millar on 021996001.