Hawke's Bay Pony Grand Prix

Congratulations to Emma Gillies who placed 1st and 2nd in the Pony Grand Prix at Hawkes Bay in the weekend.

Well done also to Sam Gillies who was 2nd in Junior Rider and won the 1.30 champ.

Network Waitaki Sports Awards 2021

Congratulations to the following Kevinian's for their placings last night at the Network Waitaki Sports Awards:

Jessica Crossley - Official in Sport

Emma Gillies - Junior Sportswoman of the Year

Clark Ewing - Junior Sportsman of the Year

Owen Gould who has coached SKC rowers for many years received Coach of the Year.

A big congratulations to you all!!!

Maadi Cup Results

Well done to our SKC Rowers who competed at Maadi Cup over the last week at Lake Karapiro.

The Girls Under 18 Coxless Pairs (Georgina McCarthy and Sophia Linares-Fontona) and the Girls Under 18 Coxed Four (Georgina McCarthy, Sophia Linares-Fontona, April Linares-Fontona, Amelia Wilkinson and Alexis Cuaresma) made B finals in their respective categories.

The Girls Under 17 Coxless Pairs (Amelia Wilkinson and April-Linares-Fontona) made an A final and placed 7th in New Zealand!

A big thank you to Owen Gould, Ivan Docherty, the Oamaru Rowing Club and parents and supporters who helped out during the regatta and over the course of the season.

Principal's Comment

Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,This week we marked a year since we went into Level 4 Lockdown as a nation. This is significant as a national milestone as we are very proud to have been one of the few countries in the world to have avoided the worst of the disaster by going into lockdown quickly and decisively. It is easy to forget that many students around the world have missed the better part of a year's worth of education while we are able to not only enjoy the benefits of the academic side of school, but also the sporting, cultural and spiritual elements it offers as a community, together and without restraint.

 
There have, however, been some changes to the way we approach education in New Zealand since lockdown which are causing issues for students and schools. The NZ Ministry of Education has noticed a significant increase in rates of truancy and unexplained absence of students which is supported in the data nationwide.

This week in assembly I spoke of the need to ensure that you are at school for as much time as possible. The data is extremely clear on this, for every day missed, every period skipped and every late arrival to school, there is a correlation in the number of credits passed and the level of Excellence gained. My message is simple. If you are sick, if you have something happen which is beyond your control, if you have a sound reason for being away from school, no problem, ensure you communicate with your Dean so you are supported and it can be managed.
If you are not at school because your didn't feel like getting up, felt like a duvet day or thought you'd extend your weekend, then those things become habit and that habit costs you in the long run in terms of your results, your relationships with others and ultimately your ability to make choices down the track.

 
Lets ensure we give ourselves the best chance possible to do the best we can.

Have a good weekend,

May God bless you.

Ngā mihi nui
Paul Olsen

Coaches and Managers Evening

Thank you to those who were able to come along to the coaches and managers evening held on Tuesday night. 

It was great having Kate Finn there to talk to us about how to best engage and motivate our students to participate in sport. 

We wish our teams all the best for their season ahead!

Southern Steel Netball Visit

We recently had some Southern Steel Netball players visit us to take a skills session with some of our netballers. 

A big thank you to players Shannon Saunders, Kate Heffernan, Renee Savai'inaea and Meletia Tatupu for sharing your skills and expertise! 

Thanks to Nicole Bautista for the photos.

Caritas Justice Leadership Conference

Recently some of the Year 12's from the Caritas team were lucky enough to go to Dunedin to attend the Caritas justice leadership conference, along with the other schools of our diocese (Kavanagh College, St. Peter's College, and Verdon College). 

The students reported it was an amazing experience and really opened their eyes to the importance of service and the work Caritas does around the world. The students will talk more about the Caritas Justice Leadership Day, and about Lent, at assembly tomorrow.  

Here are some photos from the workshop, which was held at Mercy Parish Centre. All SKC participants agreed the sunrise alone (taken near Katiki Beach at 7.40am) was worth the pre-dawn departure time, and had set them up for the fantastic day ahead.

Principal's Comment

Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,

It was with much joy and trepidation that our rowers left today for their Maardi Cup competition, with the ever present memory in the back of their minds of the cancellation of the event in 2020 and a quiet determination to make the most of the opportunity they now have. I was speaking to one of our staff the other day who was commenting on talking to a couple of the girls coming back from training early in the morning last week and she was saying how nice it was to see the girls so positive about their sport despite the early starts and the vigorous training.

 

Tomorrow we are all hoping our cricket team can triumph in the final of the local competition and we are all cheering them on, even the least sporting among us, because sport helps to bond communities. Just as we have seen the jubilation of the America's Cup win this week provide the NZ 'feel good factor', the same rush of endorphins is experienced by every parent ever who has watched a 'rippa rubgy' son or daughter touch down. It's the same high when a team walks off the netball court and can barely speak for the effort they have put in, or when a long jumper completes a personal best leap. There is something about sport which makes us push ourselves to be better than we are and which bonds us together as teams, communities and often too as a nation.

I would like to offer my sincere thanks to those in our community who have stepped up to give our young people the opportunity to participate in sport and find all of this for themselves. The coaches, managers, car poolers, jersey washers, cheerleaders and administrators. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

Enjoy your anniversary day weekend!

May God bless you.

Ngā mihi nui
Paul Olsen

Haka and Waiata Competition

Some photos from our recent Haka and Waiata competition.

Congratulations to Clancy who took it out, with Treacy and Magee  second equal and Whyte finishing third.  

Thank you to Rylee Hollamby for capturing these photos.

Borton Cup Cricket Final

Tomorrow the SKC 1st XI will compete in the Borton Cup final against Union. 

This is the first time since 1999 that the team has played in the final. That was SKC's first final, and is the only time the school team has won the competition, and there are some interesting quirks about both the games.

The game in 1999 was also against Union where current 1st XI member Jack Cameron's father (Glynn) and grandfather (Peter) both played in the game for Union. Peter was also the captain of the team. 

In the SKC side, current player-coach Craig Smith played in the game as a schoolboy (Year 10 at the time) taking 4 wickets, and Regan George's brother, Matt, was the captain of the team in 1999! Future Otago Highlander Matt Saunders was also a part of the team.

Good luck to the boys and we look forward to the game tomorrow which starts at 11.30am at Whitestone Contracting Stadium!

Reconciliation Liturgy

Last Friday was the end of the third week of Lent and the College held a Reconciliation Liturgy in the Chapel led by Fr. Wayne. Stones and bowls of water were used to symbolise being free and cleansed, celebrating the loving embrace of God when we turn toward him and away from our sins.

1st XI Cricket Team makes Borton Cup Final

A big congratulations to our 1st XI Cricket team who won their semi final on Saturday against WBHS 1st XI. They will now play Union in the Borton Cup Final!

 
Well done to Anthony Docherty who picked up his first 5 wicket bag for the team.

Short Scorecard:
SKC 1st XI 226 all out (Regan George 77, Craig Smith 84) beat WBHS 1st XI 144 all out (Anthony Docherty 5 for 38, Lachlan Brookes 2 for 16) by 82 runs.

Football Coaches Required

We are still desperately needing coaches for our Girls and Senior Boys football teams.

 
The girls team will play on a Wednesday night, and the Senior Boys will play on Saturday in the Timaru league (home and away).

 
It would be a shame to withdraw teams should we fail to get these roles filled. Please put the word out in the community. It is possible to share the roles and arrange a roster.

If you are interested in helping out please contact Jimmy McGeown jmcgeown@stkevins.school.nz or Sarah Clapperton sclapperton@stkevins.school.nz

Principal's Comment

Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,

Students relaxed today in Mufti as we held the first of our fundraisers for the year, our "Purple Shirt Day" for Relay for Life Cancer Support. In talking to students about this and the upcoming "School Strike for Climate", it is wonderful to see them truly participating in activity that supports good causes and getting to hear their viewpoints. Its easy to dismiss students as naïve because of their age, but without real hope and a positive outlook around what they can do for our world in the future, we would get nowhere. The cornerstone of the Christian Faith is Hope, this is not just for us as individuals but for us as community and society as a whole and nowhere is this better exemplified than in seeing young people turn their values into action.

I was also privileged this week to have been able to spend time with students who were away on camp for Year 11 PE. In a situations such as this, I am able to get a real glimpse into how students face challenges, meet expectations and work as part of a team. I was very impressed with many of the young people who were away with me and in reflecting on the camp, I am more convinced than ever that encouraging students to experience challenges in the great outdoors is a vital step in any adolescent's life. I thank the staff who were on camp with me and those who supported the campers with relief and holding the fort back at school.

Have a good weekend.

May God bless you.

Ngā mihi nui
Paul Olsen

High Performance Skills Sessions Underway

Skills sessions have started up for our High Performances classes and our Junior and Senior classes are well under way.

 
We are very lucky to have North Otago Rugby Development Officer and Heartland coach Jason Forrest and North Otago rugby player Josh Phipps helping the rugby players. Former Otago Spark and Beko netballer Ella Brown taking the cricketers and netballers, and former Otago Nugget Mitch McCrae looking after the Basketballers.

 
Thank you for guiding our young athletes and taking the time to teach them the technical and tactical aspects of their codes.

Year 11 PE Camp

On Monday Year 11 PE classes went on their outdoor education camp to Chinaman's Hut in Dansey's Pass. Over the three days students learnt how to develop interpersonal skills linked towards NCEA credits, as well as organising their own groups with equipment, food and cooking for themselves.

On Tuesday they climbed Mt Cone where they saw some spectacular 360 views of the Maniototo Basin and Waitaki Valley. 

A big thank you to Mr Smith for his organisation, and Mr Olsen, Mr Harris and Mr Tatupu for their guidance and supervision on the camp.

Year 11 PE Camp

On Monday Year 11 PE classes went on their outdoor education camp to Chinaman's Hut in Dansey's Pass. Over the three days students learnt how to develop interpersonal skills linked towards NCEA credits, as well as organising their own groups with equipment, food and cooking for themselves.

On Tuesday they climbed Mt Cone where they saw some spectacular 360 views of the Maniototo Basin and Waitaki Valley.

 
A big thank you to Mr Smith for his organisation, and Mr Olsen, Mr Harris and Mr Tatupu for their guidance and supervision on the camp.

Seeking Football Coaches

We have recently held Football trials at school and are pleased to announce we have the makings of three strong competitive teams. One girls team and two boys teams.

The girls team will play on Wednesday night like last year, and the two boys teams will play on Saturday in the Timaru league (home and away). We have a 1st XI boys team in the U18 grade and a Junior boys team in the U14 grade. The Junior boys will practice at 6pm Tuesday and Thursday as this is the only time available for the coach.

We desperately need coaches and managers for the other two and are seeking volunteers for these roles. It would be a shame to withdraw teams should we fail to get these roles filled. Please put the word out in the community. It is possible to share the roles and arrange a roster.

If you are interested in helping out please contact Jimmy McGeown jmcgeown@stkevins.school.nz or Sarah Clapperton sclapperton@stkevins.school.nz

Athletics Sports 2021

Some photos from the action from the school Athletics Day.

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

Here are the Athletics Champs for 2021 and the final House placings.

Under 14 Boys - Harrison King
Under 14 Girls - Grace Brydges
Under 15 Boys - Camden Burge
Under 15 Girls - Summer Borrie
Under 16 Boys - Liam Prouting-Gardner
Under 16 Girls - Olivia Mavor
Senior Boys - Jed Jabagat
Senior Girls - Georgina McCarthy

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

 
A big thanks to our student photographers Tahlia Sherwin, Annalise Kilgour and Mary Curtin for these awesome photos.