Principal's Comment

Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,

Please consider this last week's blog as I did not get a chance to write my Friday comment given that I was out attending the wonderful 'Man of Steel'! production. I could not have been more proud of the work put into the show by the amazing team of Director Mr James Devereaux and Musical Director Theanne Bulatao who along with an awesome team of staff volunteers, created an exceptional opportunity for our students to be involved in the first musical we have done for many years. It was great to see a wide range of students on stage from those who are extremely well versed in musical theatre to those giving it a go for the very first time. I had a sore face from laughing so much!

                                                 Photo courtesy of Lorenna Marshall

Last week also saw our Student Council visiting businesses to gather feedback on what we should be teaching our students to make them fit for employment for the 21st Century. These have been being returned steadily and the two overwhelming themes are that we need to concentrate on financial literacy and skills around being a decent citizen such as turning up on time, working in a team and respecting others. This helps us to understand that our strategic direction, which is primarily focussed on living and working as a community, is driving in the right direction. Please keep returning these.

Since Monday, myself and a team from the Foundation have been visiting Alumni in Alexandra and Gore, following on from our roadshows in Christchurch and Timaru last week. There are another two roadshows planned for Wellington and Auckland coming up. Thank you to all of those who attended these. The purpose of the roadshows is to reestablish connections with our past students in the lead up to the 2027 Centennial year. We understand how important these connections are for our College both now and into the future. If you are a past pupil, we encourage you to join our Alumni Facebook page and to reach out to Kara Cox our community builder so that we can add your name to our database for newsletters and events. On September 9th we are hosting the first female students from 1983 and are looking forward to a good night of laughter and reconnection.

I am hearing some good results from Tournament week. We will post these as the week goes on.

God Bless

Jo

 

Principal's Comment

Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,

I thought I would feature Lorenna Marshall's gorgeous picture of Simba our school cat tonight because not only is she looking amazing for an old lady but she captures some of the special spirit of SKC. We have "family" as our first FIRE value because we really want our students to feel as if our community is an extension of their own homes. Having our beautiful gardens starting to come into flower, the trees blossoming and of course our favourite furry friend running around, helps us to feel much calmer and more at home.

  

In the last couple of weeks we have been lucky enough to open our home to new students from Germany. These girls have already made friends and are attending classes. Having students from the other side of the world in our community is an amazing experience for all of us. We are very glad they have come and we welcome them with open arms. I would like to thank Mrs June Campbell who does such a good job of looking after our International Students for her love and support and all of you in the community who welcome them into your homes, teams and hearts. "Danke"

Congratulations to the girls' Trap Shooting team for their awesome win last week and to the girls' Rugby team, who along with WGHS had a nail biting win. I am reliably informed that the hat trick for senior girls sport was achieved by the girls' Footballers this week as well. Well done also to Jake Harquoil who was 2nd in the Skeet competition and to the First XV, Football Boys First XI and the Basketballers who also had wins.

Culture was the winner on the day along with Mr Herbst and Mr Devereaux and their teams at the Bishop's Shield event in Gore last weekend. Our drama teams were amazing, our scripture readers and speakers were outstanding and our debaters proved that being an argumentative teenager does pay off at times! I was incredibly proud of the whole team and of our wonderful staff who coached them.

I posted earlier today about a couple of Covid cases which we have recorded at school. I envisage this will be the beginning of another wave, please be vigilant and keep sick students at home. If you need test kits please contact the school. The rules are that students begin a 7 day isolation from the first sign of symptoms.

Have a great weekend.

God Bless

Jo