Principal's Comment

Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,

This has been another hectic week here at the College with our Celebration of Excellence being held on Tuesday where we celebrated over 100 of our students who had achieved NCEA Merit and Excellence awards in 2020 as well as those junior students who achieved well in their Cambridge Examinations. A notable mention must go to Chloe Wilson who was awarded 'A Star' grades in both Cambridge Mathematics and English. I would extend my sincere thanks to Mr Nick Bristow, Mr Herbst and Mrs Stephanie Leong Son who do such a wonderful job of coaching our Cambridge students.

We have also had a busy week on the sporting front with cricket matches being played on Monday by both girls' and boys' teams, the championship swimming held after school on Tuesday and today we enjoyed our annual Athletics competition where Year 12 student Jed Jabagat set a new high jump record of 1.87 m. I would like to thank Mr Smith and his team for the effort put into setting up these sporting events and especially Mrs Sarah Clapperton for her work around today's competition.

I am sure staff and students alike are looking forward to a restful weekend.

May God bless you.

Ngā mihi nui
Paul Olsen       

 

Swimming Sports 2021

Some photos from our annual Swimming Sports, including the 'Manu Competition'. Congratulations to all students who took part in the day.

A big congratulations to our winners for 2021:

Under 14 Boys - Neight Fraser
Under 14 Girls - Sophia Lastimosa
Under 15 Boys - Olli McDiarmid-Jones
Under 15 Girls - Tarona Taafaki
Under 16 Boys - Sam Plieger
Under 16 Girls - Olivia Mavor
Senior Boys - Corbin Fraser
Senior Girls - Iessha Mansfield

Manu Competition: Matthew Metcalfe

House placings:

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

Thank you to student photographers Anish Raj, Lily Clarke and Maddison Jones for capturing all the action.

Past Pupil Hamish Robertson- Assistant Coach Otago Nuggets

Congratulations to past pupil Hamish Robertson who has been named as assistant coach alongside Suzy Bates for the Otago Nuggets this season.

 
Hamish played an important role in game analysis for the Nuggets last season, and despite being a very capable squad member, made the decision to focus on his coaching career this season.

 
Well done Hamish, and all the best for the season ahead!

 
Photo: Angela Ruske

Excellence Awards 2021

Today we celebrated the academic success of our students in the 2020 NCEA and Cambridge Examinations.

 
18 Year 13 students received Level 3 Excellence Endorsement and and 10 received Merit; 25 of our students were awarded Level 2 Excellence Endorsement and 15 were awarded Merit; 18 of our students were awarded Level 1 Excellence Endorsement and 14 were awarded Merit.

 
It is pleasing to see so many students achieving a Merit or Excellence endorsement. Once again we are well above the national average for Excellence Endorsements. It is a credit to both our students, their whanau, and our staff.

 
Thank you to the parents and extended family who attended to support our young achievers as they were acknowledged. We are all very proud of their achievements.

Thank you to Mrs Sara Plunkett and Rylee Hollamby for capturing the ceremony today.

Silver/Gold Duke of Edinburgh Tramp

Some photos of the recent Silver/Gold Duke of Edinburgh tramp in the Ruataniwha/Ohau area up the Huxley River to Brodrick Hut in the Southern Alps.

 
Mr Harris and Mr Olsen were away with the group of 9 students for their Adventurous Journey for the Silver and Gold Awards. They were also away in the middle of the Covid Alert Level change!

Thanks to Mr Harris for the great photos.

NZ Rowing Champs Success!

Congratulations to the Women's Intermediate Coxed Eight from the Oamaru Rowing Club who won Gold at the NZ Rowing Champs today!

 
Amelia Wilkinson, Sophia Linares-Fontona, April Linares-Fontona and Georgina McCarthy were part of the 8, and were also in the Women's Intermediate Coxed Four, with Alexis Cuaresma, that took out a Bronze medal as well.

 
Amazing effort girls!

Principal's Blog

Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,

Today we were fortunate to strike weather gold for our annual swimming sports which saw lots of good natured competition, plenty of worn out voices and some very tired students by the end of the day! I would like to thank Mr Smith and the team from the PE department for their exceptional organization of the event and the addition of the 'Bombing' competition which introduced many of the older staff (myself among them) to the concept of the 'Manu' and the 'Staple'. The ability to have fun alongside each other helps to bond us as SKC family and we appreciate the opportunities days like this provide.

 

Today was special in another way for us as a family as well as we attended the funeral of long time supporter of the College; Gwen Dodd. Gwen served the College in many capacities including being a leading figure in the establishment and running of the Girls' Hostel as well as serving on many school boards over her years of involvement. Today as we celebrated the life of this truly remarkable lady, I was mindful of the many, many wonderful people who have left their mark on this place and I am deeply appreciative that we are standing on some big shoulders. We send our heartfelt thanks and condolences to Gwen's family at this time.

May God bless you.


Ngā mihi nui
Paul Olsen       

 

Switch on Your Future

The Vocational Pathways department have been busy organising work experience and courses for our senior students.

 
We are grateful to Network Waitaki for having Anthony Docherty back on work placement through the GATEWAY programme. Anthony joins them every Friday from 5th March and will spend time out in the field with their team, gaining valuable on-the-job experience.

Thanks very much to Network Waitaki for their continued involvement with St Kevin's College.
If you know of an organisation in the Waitaki District that can offer Gateway work experience placements we would love to hear from you!

Please contact Sue on smcerlane@stkevins.school.nz or Paula on peatherley@stkevins.school.nz if you are able to help.

 
If you are a senior student at SKC and would like to do a Gateway Course or Work Experience please email us also.

Covid-19 Update

Kia ora koutou

It was great news to hear we are moving to Alert Level 1 so quickly. While new cases in the community are always disappointing to hear of, it is reassuring to see how quickly they have been identified. I am sure we are all grateful for the efforts of our health workers, scientists and technicians in this regard, and the thousands of people who have been tested.

As a community, we need to avoid the complacency which New Zealanders tend to quickly move into when we are at lower alert levels. Please do continue to scan QR codes and monitor closely for illness within your whānau.

Our focus as always will be to support the learning, safety and wellbeing of our rangatahi and tamariki, and we continue to be here to support you too.

Being at Level 1 means we will be able to have spectators at our swimming sports which are on tomorrow at 11am at the school pool. We can now also welcome whanau to the Domincan Excellence Awards ceremony that has been rescheduled for Tuesday at 1.10pm in the school chapel.

 
Please don’t hesitate to contact the school office, if there is something you need assistance with.

Ngā mihi
Kerry Ryan
Associate Principal

International Students Stay for Christmas

Our international student families elected to have their children stay in New Zealand over the Christmas break. We want to acknowledge the generous contribution so many of our local families made towards the happiness of the students' over the holiday period.

 
We are delighted to thank the Sun/Xiong, Muldrew, Daunheimer, Prouting, Lowen and Read/Lindsay Families for their kindness and care of Kanta, Kumika and Elmo. The Students received wonderful experiences while staying with the families, along with many wonderful gifts and styles of New Zealand holiday living.

In particular, Kanta celebrated his 17th birthday in January, and really enjoyed laser tag, bowling, dinner and birthday cake out with his friends and NZ hosts - even with his arm in a cast after fracturing a small bone in his hand!

A big thanks to all of you!

Adult Riding Classes - St Kevin's College

St Kevin's Arena will be available on Friday's for any adults wishing to have riding classes with our in - school Tutor Ingela Anklew.

Lessons are $45 and are booked through Jo Walshe at jwalshe@stkevins.school.nz.

Pens are available for keeping horses at school during the day as is parking for floats etc. Horses must be vaccinated for Strangles before being on site.

Network Waitaki Sports Finalists

Congratulations to the following students who are finalists in the 2020 Network Waitaki Sports Awards on the 29th March:

Plunket Electrical Stewart Mitchell Award for Official in Sport
Jessica Crossley

Aon Insurance Junior Sportswoman of the Year
Emma Gillies - Equestrian

Milligans Food Group Junior Sportsman of the Year

Harry Murphy - Clay Target Shooting

Clark Ewing - Clay Target Shooting

Also congratulations to past pupils Logan Docherty (Rowing) and Holly Edmondston (Cycling) for being nominated in the Male and Female Sportsperson of the Year categories.
Well done everyone!

Covid-19 Level 2 Update

Dear St Kevin's College Community
Having just listened to our Prime Minister we are sharing the latest information from the Ministry of Education.

We will move our protocols at school up to Level 2 and inform students about these first thing in the morning.

 
St Kevin's is well prepared and ready to respond as part of the team of 5 million.
We will be in touch if things develop further in the coming days.

*Alert Level 2 - All of New Zealand excluding Auckland region. Alert Level 2 applies from midnight tonight for 72 hours*.

1. Schools are open to everyone, and all children must attend.

At Alert Level 2 the disease is contained but there is still risk of community transmission. It is safe for children and staff to attend school and for school hostels to be operating as there will be appropriate measures in place, including for children and staff vulnerable to severe illness.

2. Learning will be onsite with distance learning offered in some circumstances.

Distance learning will be provided for those required to self-isolate, those individuals who health authorities have asked to stay away while waiting for a test result, or those choosing to remain at home because they are vulnerable to illness.

3. Schools are not classified as gatherings and a range of events and activities can go ahead.

For most day to day activities at schools, the rules for gatherings do not apply. Under the COVID-19 Public Health Response Order, schools are exempted from physical distancing requirements when people are there to receive, provide, or support education services.
However as soon as an event or activity brings people onsite who are not there for education purposes, including students, parents and caregivers, then the rules for gatherings do apply. This means that if we are at any Alert Level's on Friday, the school Swimming Sports will be closed to spectators. This also applies to other cultural events and sporting activities.

4. Schools will close for cleaning and contact tracing if there is a confirmed case who was infectious when at school.

We will work closely with you and health authorities should this occur.

5. Face coverings are not required at school or on any school transport.
This includes charter buses hired by the school to transport students and staff. Anyone who chooses to wear a face covering in any setting will be supported to do so.

6. Sick people must stay at home.

If you have Covid-like symptoms please seek medical advice and get tested if advised to do so. If that person displays relevant symptoms of COVID-19, tests positive for COVID-19, or has been in close contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19, they must self-isolate.

7. There must be a contact tracing system in place.

Please ensure you scan in using our QR code posters at our entrances, or use our attendance register and visitor register.

8. Fundamental public health measures continue to apply at every alert level:

- Physical distancing (not touching and not breathing on each other at Alert Level 2)
- Hand hygiene
- Cough and sneeze etiquette
- Regularly cleaning and disinfecting high touch surfaces.

Kind regards

Kerry Ryan
Associate Principal

Principal's Comment

Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,

Our buildings have been pulled down and our teaching staff has had some changes, we have new students starting in our community, not just year 9's but also from other years. We have a new Top 6 and Prefect leadership team and students and staff are operating in unfamiliar rooms, taking unfamiliar routes around the school and reinventing systems to help accommodate the amazing team of builders from Gilchrist Construction who are operating in the middle of it all!

All of this has given me the inspiration to think about the role of change in our community. It seems to me that change is a very necessary element for progress. Every system that exists needs challenging from time to time to check that it is still fit for purpose. Just because we feel comfortable with something, does not mean that we should preserve it against all odds. SKC prides itself on being able to thoughtfully and carefully move towards the future making changes which enable us to continually support students. At times this means challenging our own perceptions or experiences. The world we grew up in in no way reflects the world our students are growing up in, and we need to pivot to those changes with a single exception. That exception is enshrined in our FIRE values which, through all change, we strive to uphold.

 

So as we move forward through a range of changes this year, not in the least the building of our brand new technology block and relocation of learning, teaching and office spaces, our induction of wonderful new staff members and students, lets remember that while things might seem painful or annoying at times as we move through, we are positive it will be worth it when students step through the doors of our biggest building projects in years. Thank you all for your patience and support.

May God bless you.

Ngā mihi nui
Paul Olsen

Coaches and Managers Required for Winter Sport Teams

St Kevin's College invites expressions of interest for Coaches and Managers for the 2021 season across the following sports:

Hockey -
Boys 1st XI
Girls 1st XI
Mixed Team

Travel will be required for the boys competition, as it is in Timaru on a Monday night.

Volleyball -
Senior Boys
Senior Girls
Junior Boys
Junior Girls

Travel will be required for all Volleyball teams as their competition is in Timaru on Friday afternoons/evenings.

Applications close Friday 19th February and can be made using this form. 

School Haka Competition

Our haka competition will be underway in just a few weeks. The house captains have been busy rounding up their troops to get them organised!

This is a great way for our new students to learn the school haka and at the same time building some great school spirit!

Bus Stop & School Drop Off/Pick Up Information

We would like to remind everyone that our temporary bus-stop on Taward St is now in place.

The area that the Waitaki District Council have allocated for us is from the corner of the road entrance into Centennial Park along to the front entrance of the school gates. Although there are no yellow lines there, please do not ignore the bus signage. This area is for buses only from 8.15 – 8.45am every morning and from 2.45 – 3.45pm every afternoon, and will be for the next 6 months, while the College is a construction zone. A more ideal pick up/ drop off location is at Lismore Street which will help avoid congestion at the busy school gate.

If drop offs at Lismore St aren't possible for you, please remember the driveway is strictly one way at the start and end of the school day. Can we please have cars enter the Taward St entrance and exit out to Redcastle Rd. To avoid congestion at the office entrance where the construction is taking place, we also ask that students are dropped off at the school gym.

We would also like to take this opportunity to remind people about the 20kph speed limit when driving by a stopped school bus with its signs out.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation during this time.

Hostel Lake Day 2021

Yesterday the Hostel enjoyed their day off with a trip to the lakes.

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!

Thank you to Marie-Claire Kay for these fantastic photos!

Principal's Comment

Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,

Staff have had the first week back now with students here at school and we have managed to get through a lot in our first few days including course confirmation, timetable alterations, our welcome to new students, sports sign ups, investiture mass and even managed to fit in some lessons!

We started a few days early this year to allow for our Cambridge students to have two days of tutorials so that they knew what to expect from the course before getting started. I thank Mr Herbst and Mr Gower for their organisation in ensuring that our Cambridge students got the year off to a flying start.

This early start also allowed us to have some staff training from the New Zealand School Trustees Association's legal arm around the new Education Act 2020. Staff were ably assisted in their understanding of their rights and responsibilities by lawyer Mr Patrick Ikiua, who was able to unpack what it means to be a school, a partner in Te Triti O Waitangi and a Crown entity. It was good for staff to be able to learn about where the lines of responsibility are drawn around school, home and student and the conversations in law around what these look like. Mr Ikiua talked about the increasing demands being placed on schools as a social influence and the difficulties they can bring.

 

As we head into the shortened second week for students, I would like to take the opportunity to remind parents and caregivers of year 9 and new students to the school of the 'Meet the Staff' evening on Tuesday 9th in the library.

Have a wonderful long weekend.

May God bless you.

Ngā mihi nui
Paul Olsen     

 

Rowing South Island Club Championships

Well done to our rowers who placed at the South Island Club Championships in the weekend!

Georgie McCarthy, April Linares-Fontona, Amelia Wilkinson, Sophie Linares-Fontona and coxwain Alexis Cuaresma won a silver medal in the Women's Intermediate Coxed Four.

The girls were also part of the Women's Club Coxed Eight that won bronze.
Way to go girls!

Photo: Rowing Celebration

Investiture Mass 2021

It was an exceptionally proud day for the friends and families of our student leaders for 2021, as the Top 6 and Prefects were presented with their badges at the Investiture Mass in the College Chapel today.
As role models of our school they pledged their commitment to the responsibilities they have accepted and promised to continue to uphold the Special Character values of the College.

Congratulations to our student leaders and thank you to Mrs Plunkett and Anish Raj for capturing images of this special occasion, and Sarah Clapperton for taking the video.

Head Boy - Jacob Klemick
Head Girl - Jocelyn Fellowes
Deputy Head Boy - Sun Yi Tao
Deputy Head Girl - Sophia Linares-Fontona
Deputy Head Boy Special Character - Kaleb Cant
Deputy Head Girl Special Character - Leyanne Monoy
Hostel Head Boy - Caleb Abrahams
Hostel Head Girl - Megan Dodd

Student Board of Trustees Representative - Jocelyn Fellowes

Clancy House Captains
Antonia Black, Michael Misiloi, Rhea Ratgali, Tegan Souness, Marcus Herrera

Magee House Captains
Chloe Tillard, Cameron Mather, Laura Scobie, Chanel Williams, Kate Gibson

Treacy House Captains
Jacob Fowler, Megan Dodd, Johanna Alegado, Caleb Abrahams, Laurinda Lowen

Whyte House Captains
Anthony Docherty, Watson Tuapati, River Cunningham, Elizabeth Plieger, Georgina Houston

150 years of Dominican Sisters in Aotearoa-New Zealand

18th February 2021 will mark 150 years since ten Dominican Sisters arrived in Dunedin from Dublin, Ireland, to begin the Congregation in New Zealand.

A Mass of Gratitude will be held at St Mary’s Church, Mosgiel, at 10.00am on Saturday 20th February. All are welcome.

In the spirit of gratitude, the Sisters intend to mark this occasion by donating to three specific charities. If you would like to contribute to this project, please see details at www.dominicans.org.nz

School Photo's Reminder

A reminder we have our school photos tomorrow and we ask students to come ready dressed in Number 1’s (white shirts and ties and girls blue socks).

Classes for the day will be Monday's timetable and Periods 1 - 4 will be when photographs are taken.
After class photos have been taken in the auditorium event entry sign-up for swimming and athletics sports, and sports sign ups will take place.

Our Investiture Mass will take place at 1.40pm in the Chapel, and all whanau are welcome. Students will be released after mass at approximately 3pm.

Photo: Year 13 2020

New Buildings Update

You may have noticed some building action around the office block since we have been back at school. The demolition has finished and the Roger Gilchrist builders are now hard at work on construction!

Once completed this new area will house our Food Technology classes that will include a commercial quality kitchen! It will also include two general purpose classrooms, our School Office suite, Careers, School Counsellor, Gateway, and our Senior Management Team. The project intends to be finished in June.

As a result of this work, some staff moved to locations. If you need to find anyone, please call into the school office so they can point you in the right direction.

U19 Te Waipounamu Maori Netball Team Selection

Congratulations to Year 13 student Jasmine Emery who has been selected in the U19 Te Waipounamu Maori Netball team.

 
The team will attend the Aotearoa Maori Netball Nationals in Whangarei at Easter weekend.
Congratulations Jasmine!

 
Photo: Ruby Bradley

Fine Results at Equestrian New Zealand National Show Jumping

We had some students compete at the Equestrian New Zealand National Show Jumping in Christchurch towards the end of the school holidays.

Year 10 student Summer Borrie was placed 2nd in the 1m -1.10m class on her pony Missing Pieces. In the 1.10m - 120m class, she was placed 3rd on her pony Silver Shadow.

Emma Gillies won the national pony Grand Prix for the second year running on Benrose Eclipse. Emma was the only rider to finish round D and E double clear! Emma then went on to compete Benrose Starlight in the 1m to finish 3rd and 2nd in the 1.10.

Samantha Gillies won the 1.20-1.30 championship class on her horse Socrates De La Vie Z. Samantha then competed in the 1.10-1.20 championship class finishing 3rd.

Outstanding effort girls!