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       

 

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