Tuesday, November 2, 2021

Principal's Comment

 Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,

It was with great sadness this week that we heard of the death of Owen Gould. Owen was a staunch supporter of rowing in the college for many years and on the night he passed was working with many of our students doing what he loved. Owen was a man of great passion and selflessly gave his time in order to coach many of our past and present students in rowing. North Otago owes a debt to Owen and indeed many young people will be feeling that they lost a great influence from their lives. I have included this photo from our 'out takes' from the Sports and Cultural photos this year, as you can clearly see the joy on the faces of the student rowers as they interact with him. Rest in Peace Mr Gould and may perpetual light shine upon you.

May God bless you.

Ngā mihi Nui

Paul Olsen 

Friday, October 22, 2021

Principal's Blog

 Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,

Over the past two days I have been attending a meeting of the Otago/ Southland Secondary School Principal's group in Wanaka where we have been lucky enough to have heard from some very interesting speakers. I was very impressed with a presentation by Dr Chris Bowden on the impact of trauma on children and how schools can support recovery. It is very exciting to hear about the research being conducted around brain development. In the past few years schools, social agencies and the health system have all benefitted from research in this area as we learn more about how the brain functions and why people respond the way they do to stressful situations. The more we understand, the better tools we can develop to target the response.

Today at school we had a mufti day to support the building of the new stadium and we hosted the icon Te Ara a Maria (Mary's way). This is a beautifully painted piece which blends the traditional symbols of French Catholicism with Māori Taonga to represent the journey of the Catholic faith to the Māori via the first French missionaries. Painted by Damien Walker, this lovely piece served as a focus for our students in RST and liturgy today of not only devotion but also provided the backdrop for learning about how iconography is used to express ideas.

I wish all of you a happy and safe long weekend.

May God bless you.

Ngā mihi Nui

Paul Olsen 


Saturday, October 2, 2021

Principal's Comment

 Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,

This week leading to the holidays has been a busy one at the College with our continuing the process to put our new senior management team in place, finish what has been an interrupted term with our junior classes and run mock exams. Not all subjects have run exams at this stage, but departments where study for exams was largely done prior to lock down decided to continue with the scheduled 'mocks' to take the stress off students around the actual NCEA exam period.

We have also celebrated Catholic Schools day at the College with a smaller gathering of students from Year 8 at St Josephs representing their connection to our College. The students had a busy day with us with technology classes in the morning, pizza for lunch with the senior leaders and then participating in our liturgy to celebrate Catholic Education in New Zealand. One of our staff commented this week that he saw us as not only educating the students in terms of their brain but that we also educate their souls. That sentiment struck a chord with me as perfectly encapsulating the essence of what makes a Cathoolic school different.

Have a great holiday period. I urge our senior students to take time to regroup, rest and revise.

May God bless you.

Ngā mihi Nui

Paul Olsen 


Friday, September 17, 2021

Principal's Comment

 Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,

This week has been a great week in the College that has made me feel very proud of my community. I spoke to my staff this morning about the mahi being done by the various boards we have in the school and just how much I appreciate the support these groups give us and the way in which the mission of the school, to live our values of Family, Integrity, Respect and Excellence really is held sincerely by the people who serve on them. It is so much easier to paddle the waka when we are all heading in the same direction!

This week we have worked hard to ensure that our students are feeling prepared for external examinations and completing their NCEA requirements. We have reinforced to students the importance of asking for help and letting someone know if they need assistance prioritising their learning or with study tips. I appeal to anyone out there who might be concerned about their student after lockdown to please get in touch with the pastoral team. I have reinforced to the students in assembly this week that we need to assure ourselves that with the correct approach, everything will turn out fine.

I have included a picture this week of Jacob's cooking class. Jacob enjoys cooking on a Friday with Tanya and Sami. Sami is a talented young cook who volunteers his time to help out with these lessons and I wanted to give a shout out to him for the work he is doing here.

As it is Maori language week this week, I leave you with this thought

'He taonga rongonui te aroha ki te tangata'

Good will towards others is a precious treasure

May God bless you.

Ngā mihi Nui

Paul Olsen       

 




Friday, September 3, 2021

Principal's Comment

 Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,

The sun is shining brightly, we are in Level 3 lockdown as opposed to Level 4, the blossom trees down the driveway of the school look absolutely amazing, the birds are singing and its Friday! I am following the advice from 'The Five Ways of Wellbeing' and 'Taking Notice' of the good things that I see around me, and as we head into the weekend I strongly advise our students to do the same because there are a lot of really good things going on.

I have been thrilled to see the variety of different activities that have been popping up on the Google classrooms and it has been wonderful to see the different ways teachers have chosen to engage with you from making movies and robots, to photography, to passion projects. There have also been a number of different competitions which have been shared up to keep you entertained over this lockdown period. Mr Farrell sang a song to our staff this morning which was written with his Year 11 group which we loved! Jocelyn has shared recipes online and, as you can see from the photo included, Mrs Plunkett has even found a way to continue with her putiputi flower placement onto a Kakahu which was made during the last lockdown.


For anyone having connectivity issues or issues with computers, we are here to help. You will have seen our post about the Skinny Jump deal and we can also help with Chrome books if needed, just contact Leanne in the office.

Covid lockdowns are frustrating and can be challenging, but how we think about the challenges they present really can make a big difference to how well we deal with them. Looking for the good things and maintaining positive self- talk is enormously important. It helps us to keep a steady course, especially those senior students sitting NCEA. It would be a mistake to bank on getting learning credits at this stage. What would not be a mistake is focussing on having a balanced, cohesive, and well advised approach. Please contact the Deans, Mr Harris or Ms Walshe and your whanau teachers if you need any help.

May God bless you.

Ngā mihi Nui

Paul Olsen       

Sunday, August 8, 2021

Principal's Comment

 Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,

On Friday, the staff enjoyed a trip down to East Otago High School in Palmerston to share a training day with our colleagues there. There were two aspects we were working on, the first being the changes to NCEA which are coming into effect over the next few years and the second, a look at the latest thinking around Restorative Practice. We were thrilled to have Richard Matla from Restorative Schools there to facilitate the day and it was great to be able to share thoughts and experiences around the implementation of both systems with staff from another school. We are looking forward to working with East Otago more in the future as there is a good fit with us both being coeducational schools in a rural setting. I would like to thank the staff there for making us feel very welcome.


This weekend we are hosting the Bishops' Shield competition here in Oamaru. This competition attracts the best speakers, performers, debaters and theologians from the other schools in our Diocese and we are thrilled to be able to host them this year after the cancellation of the competition through Covid in 2020. We are still short of billets for the weekend so I urge you to contact Jo Walshe jwalshe@stkevins.school.nz if you are able to take students. These are fine young people who will be very easy to host and I would appreciate the support.

May God bless you.

Ngā mihi Nui

Paul Olsen

Friday, July 30, 2021

Principal's Comment

 Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,

Term three has started in an extremely positive manner with our being able to begin using our new classrooms and food technology area. While we will miss the Gilchrist Building Services staff who have done such a fantastic job on our new classrooms, we will not miss the inconvenience of not being able to cook food in the food technology room or use our own offices.

Staff and students have been equally impressed with the new facilities and all that is left is for us to officially open them on August 13th. That date also signals the beginning of the Bishop's Shield weekend which is being held here at Saint Kevin's College. Thank you to all those involved, including volunteers from our community who are judging. I would like to especially single out Jennifer Herbst for thanks for her organisation of this which is a big ask at any stage, let alone when you have just taken on the organisation of the Religious Studies faculty. I would like to remind whanau that everyone is welcome at the Bishop's Shield event.

Have a happy weekend

May God bless you.

Ngā mihi Nui

Paul Olsen

Friday, July 9, 2021

Principal's Comment

 Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,

Ms Walshe told me today I need to find a new word rather than 'magnificent' as I've somewhat over used it this week, but that is how I feel about the display of sportsmanship, camaraderie and passion that I have seen across the codes in the last few days. The competition this year was always going to hold an extra element of meaning for us as we have held Watesoni in our hearts throughout our games. The sense of community we have felt as a school this week has certainly reinforced our identity as 'family' and, I hope, has reinforced for our students the importance of being together as a school, 'supporting each other in love'.


My heartfelt congratulations to all of the teams who have participated over the course of the week. We have had some stunning (another of my favourite words) wins and some gracious losses and we have all enjoyed being part of the SKC team. As one of our Old Boys so eloquently put it in our assembly today, TEAM means 'Together Everyone Achieves More'.

Well done everyone.

Have a well deserved break

May God bless you.

Ngā mihi Nui

Paul Olsen

Friday, June 25, 2021

Principal's Comment

Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,

As we approach the end of the term I must admit to looking forward to moving past important calendar dates where a potential Covid 19 disruption could throw a spanner in the works. Two major dates coming up for the students are the Ball on the 3rd July and the Waitaki Week sports exchanges held during the last week of school. Based on the positive news we have had out of Wellington so far of no community spread, I believe we should be excited about both of these events going ahead, but I also want to reassure the community that we have alternative plans in place if there were a Covid related lockdown of any sort. That is an important message to reiterate too around the rest of our core business. We are prepared for lockdowns if they are ever deemed necessary and we are confident we have good plans in place for looking after our students.
 

I would like to congratulate the Arts Faculty for a great night last night where students were able to showcase their various talents. Visual Art, Costume Design, Photography, Music, Drama and Dance were all featured and having the various strands collected together into a showcase certainly reinforced the wide variety and depth of talent we have here at the college.

I pray that the weather is kind to those of you planting trees on Service Hill on Sunday morning and encourage anyone who wants to be part of this historical event to bring a shovel and lend a hand. This is our opportunity to truly live our value of respect for our planet.

May God bless you.

Ngā mihi nui
Paul Olsen

Thursday, June 24, 2021

Introducing Coach Ella Brown!

Next up for our 'Coach Highlights', we have Ella Brown!

Ella coaches our Senior B Netball and Junior Cricket teams. 

⭐How did you get involved in coaching at SKC?

I moved to Oamaru at the beginning of Summer to work for North Otago Cricket and part of this role involved coaching at SKC. I coached the Junior Cricket team, High Performance Netball and Cricket.

⭐What sports do/have you played?

I am currently club netball in Oamaru for Maheno. While at school I used to play cricket, basketball, tennis and squash. I took this summer of cricket to train and complete a half ironman.

⭐Have you played any sport at a representative level?

I have played for the Netball South Beko team for a couple of years. I also played for the Otago Sparks Women’s Cricket Team for a few seasons and captained the Otago Under 21 Cricket team when I was younger.

⭐What is your favourite part about coaching?

I thoroughly enjoy working with players and building relationships to get to know them better. I love being in a position where I can give back to the sport and pass on my knowledge. Seeing a team achieve success is one of the most rewarding things of coaching.

⭐What is your personal coaching philosophy?

I believe that playing a team sport enables you to develop life long skills. The people you meet and friendships you make through sport can last a life time. Coaching has enabled me to pass on knowledge that my own coaches have taught me and develop our next up and coming players.

⭐Advice to young sportspeople?

Make the most of every opportunity you are given. You never know what might be around the corner. Lastly, don’t be afraid to ask for help, someone is always more than willing to offer support.

⭐Favourite Quote?

“Better than before”

So great to have you on board Ella!





Wednesday, June 23, 2021

Tree Planting- Sunday 27th June

A final reminder of the tree planting that is happening this Sunday 27th June, starting 9.30am and meeting at the Redcastle. 

Jimmy will kindly have all the trees at the top of the hill to make it much easier for the planters, so you won't have to carry them up! This will make it a lot quicker and we anticipate to be finished at lunchtime. 

Let's hope we get a day like this! Please spread the word!

Please email jmcgeown@stkevins.school.nz if you would like to put your name down, or have any questions about the morning.



Scripture Reading Results

Congratulations to all our finalists who took part in the recent Scripture Reading competition. 

Special mention to the following who placed in the top 3 in their year levels:

Year 9 

1st - Alex Scadden
2nd - Kezia Pestell
3rd - Janelle Casitas

Year 10

1st - Cooper Jones
2nd - Cheska Tion
3rd - Shanvi Mani

Year 11 

1st - Samuel Plieger
2nd - Anika Winders
3rd - Olivia Mavor

Year 12 

1st - Vince Vidallion
2nd - Cushla Bridges
3rd - Lance Calbone

Year 13 

1st - Joseph Spillane
2nd - Rhea Ratgali
3rd - Tristan Serrano

A big thank you to our awesome judge, Michele Fatafehi from GIANT LEAPS Speech Co.

Pictured: Senior winners (Vince Vidallion Year 12, Joseph Spillane Year 13 and Samuel Plieger Year 11)

Tuesday, June 22, 2021

PE Leadership Class

This year as one of our Friday options our PE Leadership class has been attending Weston School and running Physical Education activities for the students. 

A big thank you to Pearson’s who have provided us with vans for transport.  

Thank you Weston School for having us!














Monday, June 21, 2021

Feedback on Proposed Changes to NCEA Subjects

As part of the NCEA Change Programme the Ministry of Education is proposing changes to the New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa subjects available in schools and kura.

The Ministry are seeking your views on the suggested changes discussed below with your feedback enabling them to make better decisions. Please be assured that any feedback you provide will be confidential to those involved in analysing the consultation data. They will not identify any individuals in the final analysis and report writing unless you give permission for this.

Proposed subject lists:

The New Zealand Curriculum

Te Marautanga o Aotearoa

You can either complete the survey in English or complete the survey in te reo Māori.

The subject changes are not final, and you can provide feedback on all of these proposed changes, or only on those of interest to you. 

The survey will close on 11 August 2021.

For more information please visit:

https://ncea.education.govt.nz/have-your-say 

Senior Art Trip 2021

 Dunedin turned it on for the SKC Senior Art Trip to Dunedin last month! Weatherwise it was a T-shirt and jandals day. Artwise it was a colourful, visual, creative and informative experience for the senior photographers, painters and sculptures.   

The Dunedin experience opened up the world of art to our students and how you apply art to career paths.

Our Itinerary included:

- Tour of small Art Galleries in Dunedin Central 

- Gallery De Novo - Works by Phillip James 

- Olga - Guest artist Phillip Madill 

- Blue Oyster Galleries  - Guest artists - Miranda Bellamy and Amanda Fauteux

- Moray Gallery - Works by Liz Abbot

- At Olga and Blue Oyster Galleries -Students were able to listen to the guest artists and ask questions about their artworks.

- Dunedin City Art Gallery in the Octagon - Learning session with John Neumegen (Art Gallery Educator) in the Gallery, tour of the Exhibits including Guy Ngan, Scott Eady and Octavia Cook.

- And finished off the Art Trip with a guided tour of the Dunedin Art School.






Friday, June 18, 2021

Principal's Comment

 Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,

There is has been much going on in the College this week and there will be many coaches and teachers embracing a weekend off after a very busy start to the week with both the Otago Secondary Schools Netball Tournament and the Mercy Cup having been played last weekend through to Tuesday. I would like to thank those community volunteers and staff who drove teams from Dunedin to Christchurch to ensure that we had teams represented across all disciplines. I spoke to our students at assembly this week about taking the time to thank coaches. Otago has one of the highest rates of staff involvement with school sport in the country which means that in many other places, students are simply missing out. Unless we all continue to step up, the options for students around sport will inevitably disappear. It will be hard for us as a society to complain about our students' screen time if we are not offering alternatives, so to those who are, I am eternally grateful.



A big thank you to Jennifer Herbst for running an excellent Scripture Reading competition this week. Proclaiming the word of God is, in my opinion, the second most important thing for a young Catholic to be able to do, behind of course modelling the compassion of Christ. It is wonderful to see how many of our young people are keen to give this a go. 

Finally, best of luck to Mr Carter and the Drama students for their performance on Thursday night. I have reliable information that there will be ice creams for sale from Te Ngakau Nui. See you there!

May God bless you.

Ngā mihi nui
Paul Olsen

Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Rhea Ratgali Wins Lions Young Speech Maker

Congratulations to Rhea Ratgali for winning the Lions Young Speech Maker held on Sunday. 

Rhea delivered an inspiring speech about racial equality and refugees. The standard of all the contestants was very high and the judges found it very hard to decide. Their comment was that Rhea's speech was one of the highest standard of speeches that they had ever heard.

Well done to Jocelyn Fellowes who also took part. The competition also involved an impromptu speech with the theme 'what does the world currently need right now?'

Rhea will travel to Wellington for the finals on 14th August. 

Well done!



Monday, June 14, 2021

Introducing Coach George Karamaena

We are so lucky here at St Kevin's College to have some excellent coaches for our students who volunteer their time in our sports programmes. We thought we would take some time to profile some of our coaches so you can get to know them! 

First up we have George Karamaena, U14.5 Rugby Coach

⭐ How did you get involved coaching at SKC?

I have been coaching on and off for around 5 years. My brother in-law is a student at SKC and plays rugby and it so happened that they were looking for another coach for this season. Craig Smith also used to teach me down at Southland Boys and made the connection and got in touch. 

⭐ What sports do/ have you played?

Currently I don’t play any sports. I like to play a bit of softball and touch when I can. Unfortunately I can’t play contact sport due to an accident. I played rugby, touch and softball for many years.

⭐ Have you played any sport at a representative level?

I have played at a representative level with all 3 sports over the years for Southland. Men’s major league for softball too. 

⭐ What is your favourite part about coaching?

Working with young men and passing on my past experiences to inspire them for their future. I also still love to be involved in the sport I grew up having a passion for. Unfortunately playing rugby got taken away from me due to an accident back in 2016.

⭐ What is your personal coaching philosophy?

I am a firm believer that if you have knowledge, pass it on to those who do not. I also believe that playing sports as a child, not only builds character and confidence but also gives them a sense of accomplishment. It also prepares them for life. Working as a team or as a team player, not as an individual. 

⭐ Speak on a challenge you’ve faced and what you did to get through it? Sporting or otherwise.

In March 2016 I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was underneath a falling balcony at a Six60 concert and sustained some pretty life changing injuries. I broke my back and both of my legs which put me in hospital for many weeks and was unable to walk for a couple of months. I had just started back rugby for the season and was absolutely devastated at the fact I couldn’t play for not only that season but for many seasons to come. Being faced with such a life changing experience taught me a lot being a young 19 year old. I suffered not just physically but also mentally as sport was such a huge part of my life. I made sure that I surrounded myself with friends and family and who brought the best out of me. Keeping busy by exercising, studying at the institute of sport- which helped guide me through tough times. Talking to people that have gone through similar situations and being open about it.

⭐ Advice to young sportspeople? 

Respect - Respect each other and everyone around you. 

Team work - working together and communicating. There is no “I” in team

Work ethic - if you are passionate about something, you’ll push your self to achieve set goals

⭐ Favourite quote? Sporting or otherwise

You don’t get what you wish for. You get what you work for.






Sunday, June 13, 2021

Thank you to our amazing tree planting volunteers!

A big thank you to this amazing group of volunteers who planted 3000 trees as part of our tree planting project!

Thank you to Jimmy McGeown and Cushla Bridges for efforts to get this project happening.



Friday, June 11, 2021

Principal's Comment

Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,

I could not have submitted the blog this week without addressing the fact that this week I have resigned from the College effective from Jan 2022. This has been a tough decision as I truly feel that St Kevin's College is my spiritual home. It is in my teaching DNA having been where I have spent my most formative years as a teacher and senior leader and finally as Principal. My wife and I have lived on site, I have raised my children here and it is no overstatement to say that I love this place. Over my time at the helm, I have been lucky to have formed an excellent team of administrators, leaders, curriculum leaders and staff and together I feel that we have developed not only a high performing school academically, but a school which lives its values of Family, Integrity, Respect and Excellence. I have no qualms about leaving the school in such capable hands and I thank the School Board for not only its support of me in the past, but for its ongoing support as we move into the future.

I am excited about the prospect of being able to develop and support Catholic Education across Otago and Southland in my new position and am thrilled that while my relationship to the College will be different, there will still very much be a link in my new role. I am looking forward to the appointment of our next Principal and ask that the community support them in the way that you have supported me. It is an exciting time for the college community. The Board will be seeking community feedback around the attributes you feel are important in our next school leader and I encourage you to contribute to that process.

May God bless you.

Ngā mihi nui
Paul Olsen



Thursday, June 10, 2021

Parent, Spectator and Player Sport Expectations

As we near the middle of the winter sport season, here is a timely reminder of parent and spectator expectations we have at SKC.

Coaches, Parents and Spectators are expected to:    

-Encourage your family member and all other students in their efforts while playing sport. 

-Display self-control on the sidelines at ALL times. 

-Remain positive. Do not shout or ridicule players or match officials.

-Respect those involved in taking and playing the sport efforts regardless of whether St Kevin’s College has won or lost. 

-Respect the decisions of those who volunteer their time - referees, coaches, managers. 

-Do not place undue pressure on your child to play or perform especially in pressure finals. 

-If your child is hospitalised as a result of a serious injury, it is your responsibility to meet them as soon as possible, or arrange for a friend or relative to meet them there. This applies if the incident took place within a driving distance of 4 hours.

Good luck to all those involved this weekend!

Equestrian Arena Maintenance

Thank you to Road Metals who came out today and spread some new sand on our equestrian arena. This is routine maintenance to improve the surface for the horses, helping with injury prevention.

Our equestrian programme provides a unique opportunity for students to develop and foster their passion for horses while improving their equestrian skills. The programme at the College has been developed to cater for students of all abilities from the beginner to the experienced rider.

We are so lucky to have this great facility on site!



Tuesday, June 8, 2021

Important Update to St Kevin's College Community

 Kia ora Kevinians and supporters of the College

It is with regret that the St Kevin’s College Board announces that Mr Paul Olsen has tendered his resignation as Principal of St Kevin’s College effective from the start of the 2022 year. Mr Olsen began his tenure as Principal at the school in 2010 and has, over the course of the past two years, also worked as Lead Principal for the Whitestone Kāhui Ako - Community of Learning. 

Mr Olsen has had a long association with Catholic education having served as Principal of Verdon College in Invercargill from 2007 - 2010 and having served St Kevin’s College previously as Deputy Principal from 2001 - 2007. He is continuing to support Catholic Education in his new role as Manager of the Catholic Education Office for the Otago Southland Diocese where he will continue to put his many and varied talents to good use across a wide range of areas; including assets and curriculum. 

Throughout his time at St Kevin’s College, Mr Olsen has created an environment which has a strong pastoral focus with an emphasis on the teaching of values and inclusiveness. He guided the College through the changeover of ownership from the Christian Brothers to the Dunedin Diocese whilst keeping the founding vision of Edmund Rice, of education without barriers, as a key focus. Mr Olsen’s desire to articulate his vision for the Special Character of the school saw him lead the development of the FIRE values framework (Family, Integrity, Respect and Excellence) and embed this doctrine as the basis for establishing Restorative Practice at the school which has been in effect for the past six years. 

Mr Olsen’s selfless dedication to community has seen him involved in a variety of areas including being the Chair of the Safer Waitaki Coalition since its inception in 2013. He is also President and Musical Director of the Waitaki District School Pipeband since 2005. Mr Olsen has been involved in a variety of different community projects over the years, the most recent having been the development of a community bike track behind the College.  

Whilst filling the role of Principal of the College with a candidate of 

Mr Olsen’s calibre will not be easy, the lengthy lead in time allowed in this transition period will certainly help in ensuring that the good work Mr Olsen has done in the school will be continued. It is with a great deal of gratitude that the College acknowledges that Mr Olsen will still be involved with the school in his new role. We wish him every success in his future endeavours. 

On behalf of St Kevin’s College Board

Eugen Dupu
Presiding Member

Friday, June 4, 2021

Drug Free Sport Seminar

Over the first term the Junior and Senior High Performance Sports classes have been working hard during their skills and fitness sessions.

In the last few weeks the students have been lucky enough to hear from two guest speakers. Cassie Bowry from Drugfree Sport NZ spoke to both classes about values, the awareness of influences of behaviour, identification of risks and supplement use. Drug Free Sport NZ.

Kate Finn has also been in to explain the need for positive mindset, language patterns for success, mantras for individuals, body language, visualisation and limiting beliefs for performance. Kate Finn - Your Life Live It

A big thank you to both speakers for giving up your time and inspiring our students!



Principal's Comment

 Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,

This week started off in a fairly crazy manner for many of our families. Some students who were cut off from school by flooding have still not been able to make it back and so have had a disrupted time of it. Fortunately, if Covid taught us anything it was how to continue to deliver the curriculum online and I thank the staff who have helped students this week to keep up with their work through this medium. Whilst North Otago avoided the worst of the weather there are many families in our community who have connections in Canterbury and I would like to express our sympathy to you on behalf of the College family. We know what a great toll this sort of event can have.

Today a group of students from the College traveled to Dunedin to participate in the 'Media Matter's' day. This event was organized through the University and focused on various topics around the media and how the way it is owned, manipulated, used in entertainment, and created all has an impact on culture and the way we see ourselves. In the Fake News era, this sort of event is incredibly important. As well as developing students' critical thinking and observational ability, the event also gave students a glimpse into what university life is like.

Have a wonderful long weekend

May God bless you.

Ngā mihi Nui

Paul Olsen 

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

Duke of Edinburgh Awards

We presented six Duke of Edinburgh awards during assembly today. They were presented by special guest, Mr Russell Dixon, who was our award leader and Guidance Counsellor for many years. It was a privilege for him to come back for the ceremony, as he has put a lot of hard work into helping these students achieve their awards.

Mat Harris explained the award and invited students to sign up and we heard from Ben and Edward about their recent tramp, and Megan about her Outward Bound experience.

A big congratulations to the following Award Recipients:

Gold

Jocelyn Fellowes

Silver

Megan Dodd
Fergus McMullan
Ellen Swanson (In Absentia - Yr13 2020)

Bronze

April Linares-Fontona
Katelyn Walton



Farm Shed Cleanout Touch Fundraiser

Are there any farmers out there needing wool sheds cleaned out? Our SKC Touch team are looking to do this as a fundraiser.

If you would like your shed cleaned please get in touch with Mr Tatupu at statupu@stkevins.school.nz

Tuesday, June 1, 2021

Aoraki Cross Country Results

Well done to our runners who recently took part in the Aoraki Cross Country champs.

There were 15 schools with approximately 140 participants.

The Results were:

Junior Girls

Grace Brydges 2nd
Kezia Pestell 15th

Junior Boys

Quinn Burge 4th

Intermediate Boys

Camden Burge 1st
Mathew Metcalfe 7th

Senior Girls

Jocelyn Fellowes 9th
Georgina McCarthy 15th

Senior Boys

Liam Prouting-Gardner 16th
Ben Kay 17th



Monday, May 31, 2021

Principal's Comment

Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,

The weather has been playing havoc with much of our planning recently as we have twice had to postpone our Year 12 Bike Trip and Saturday sport was washed out this weekend for many of the codes. This causes all sorts of knock on effects down the line and sometimes one wonders if it is worth even trying to get out of the classroom and into different environments, BUT the answer to this is always a resounding YES!

Looking at our calendar over the past week one can see the plethora of different thing ours students have been involved in from sport to singing at a recent citizenship ceremony, arts trips to venturing into the wilderness for a tramp. We have also had 'Mates and Dates' in school looking at healthy relationships and Footnotes Dance Co were also here last week to give the students a taste of professional dance.



In education, this is called the 'Hidden Curriculum' those learnings students have when they are not even aware they are learning. These moments foster maturity and developing a growth mindset by interacting with experiences which are different from your own. These are the things that challenge us as people, and it is our challenge as a school to continue to provide these opportunities to our young people. I'd like to thank the staff and caregivers who have supported these efforts. Long may it continue.

May God bless you.

Ngā mihi Nui

Paul Olsen 



 

Friday, May 28, 2021

University of Otago and Otago Polytechnic North Otago Information Evening

There will be a joint University of Otago and Otago Polytechnic North Otago Information Evening on Tuesday, 29 June.

It will be held at the InkBox, Oamaru Opera House from 7-9pm.

Prospective senior students and their parents and caregivers are invited to come along to hear about study options, scholarships, support services, accommodation options and much more.



Thursday, May 27, 2021

Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Tramp

Zac, Ben, Edward and Yi Tao headed out for their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh tramp in the Waianakarua Area recently with Mr Olsen and Mat Harris. The boys spent the two challenging days climbing, looking for deer and enjoying views across North and East Otago with many memorable experiences.

Big thanks to Jimmy McGeown and Russell Dixon for picking them up at the end!

We are about to begin sign ups for the Duke of Edinburgh award next week, so stay tuned if you are interested in participating.







Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Success for Swimmers!

Our swimmers have been busy the last few weeks!

Well done to Neight Fraser, Olli McDiarmid-Jones and Halalova Asi who competed at the recent NZ Division 2 Swimming Champs. Neight won silver medals in the Boys U13 100m Butterfly and in the 100m Breaststroke race, and also finished 4th in the 100 Individual Medley. Olli won a bronze medal in the Boys U15 100m Breaststroke and was 4th in the 200m Breaststroke. Halalova won two silver medals as well as 4th in the 1500m freestyle, swimming a personal best time.

And there has been more swimming success last week with those who attended the Aoraki Swimming Champs in Timaru:

- Neight Fraser (Boys 14 & Under): 3rd 100m Individual Medley, 4th 100m Butterfly

- Olli McDiarmid-Jones (Boys 14 & Under): 2nd 200m Freestyle, 200m Individual Medley, 3rd 100m Butterfly

- Tarona Taafaki (Girls 14 & Under): 1st 50m Freestyle, 1st 50m Butterfly, 2nd 100m Butterfly.

A big thank you to Lenore Fraser for helping with transport.

Well done to all!



Monday, May 24, 2021

Social Studies- Refugee Simulation

Last Term our 9S Social Studies class experienced a refugee simulation. They formed into ‘family’ groups, and each family had just eight minutes to choose what items to pack into two bags each before fleeing their village. They worked their way through a series of unfortunately realistic scenarios in an effort to make it to a refugee camp. Not everybody made it safely.

Afterwards there were some strong reflections, realising that it had been important to think quickly to “bring the right gear to survive”. For others the key idea of the lesson had been to “introduce the uncertain life of a refugee…and understand the struggle of people in our world today”. Others pointed out that this idea is important because “this happens in real life”, and several students also reflected that the desperate situations of many refugees is very sad.

Others suggested to “to think ahead for problems that might occur in your lifetime” because “we might need survival skills in the future because you can never completely know”, and “to help each other out in tough times”, because “we are all humans and we should stick together”.

Everyone agreed the simulation was engaging and gave them a good introduction to the plight of refugees and how we can help to welcome former refugees to new homes in Aotearoa NZ.




Friday, May 21, 2021

Pink Shirt Day

It was a sea of pink at SKC today in support of Pink Shirt Day. 

Thank you to Mr Harris for coordinating, and thanks to all those who donated and supported this worthy cause. We raised over $300 for the Mental Health Foundation!

Pink Shirt Day is all about celebrating inclusion and shutting down the bullies.
Kōrero Mai, Kōrero Atu, Mauri Tū, Mauri Ora – Speak Up, Stand Together, Stop Bullying.