Principal's Comment

 Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,

Firstly, I wish to congratulate the Religious Education department on the beautiful Matariki liturgy we had today to celebrate this special time of year. It was a very moving acknowledgement of God's creation of the world and our place as travelers to this country in it. Congratulations to Mr Devereaux on organising a great trip for Year 11 Geography last week.

There are several things that families need to be aware of as we navigate the next few school days.  

School reports will be published in the next few school days.  Please ensure that you check these, and if you have questions or concerns, feel free to contact your class teachers.  You will have basic levels reporting on Reading, Writing and Mathematics.  This should give families a quick reference with regards to how well your student is performing compared to their cohort expectations.  These numbers in writing have been taken from across the curriculum areas so are a fair result of their writing overall not just in English classes. 

With the wet weather we are seeing at the moment, it is very important that students stay off the grass.  This is for two reasons, firstly they drag wet grass into our carpets which then need to be cleaned and secondly when their leather shoes constantly get wet and dry out after contact with the acid in the grass, they start to crack which is an expense for families. On the day of the Waitaki matches, if students are watching the rugby or football games on wet turf, I am happy for them to wear gumboots or waterproof boots. 

The wet weather is also bringing out all of the variety of colors of jackets.  Can I please remind families that we have two styles of wet weather jackets available for purchase at the Uniform shop and that the other option is a plain black or navy jacket.  Camouflage jackets, swandries and bright colours are not part of the uniform.  

Lastly (this is a big information dump and I do appreciate that), can we please have a real push by families to remind our young people and ourselves of the importance of good sportsmanship both on the field and on the sidelines.  It is always very disappointing when we have to deal with discipline issues with regards to this and it is my hope that TEAM SKC will conduct itself well in the upcoming events.  I know I sound like I'm betraying my NZ citizenship when I say this, but it is just a game….  Refs will get it wrong, people will make mistakes.  Let's make sure our kids aim for a bigger picture than just what happens on a field for an hour in aiming to be decent citizens and team players. 

Have a wonderful long weekend, rain too is a blessing…

God Bless

Jo 

Principal's Comment

 Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,

As we come to nearing the end of the term we are very conscious that there is a lot going on at the College for families and staff alike.  We are at the time of the year where we are faced with the shortest day, the weather is getting cold and the inevitable cold and flu season is upon us which means that we end up demanding the most of people when they are least equipped often to give it.  

Which means, when people do go out of their way to make sure events run smoothly it's very important that they are thanked so here we go!  Firstly, a huge thank you to Mrs Jennifer Gower who has balanced being away from school following an accident with coaching our ‘Big Sing’ choir.  This is the first time in many years we have entered the competition and we won a prize for ’ best newcomers’.  Thank you also to pianist Peter McMullen for all of his support. 

Thank you to the amazing team who ran a very successful Ball on Saturday night.  Mrs Mellor and her team, spearheaded by Summer Moriarty and Kristiana Whiston did a fantastic job in the planning and decorating.  Thank you as always to Sam Growcott and the Te Ngakau Nui team who put up and broke down the Ball.  Thank you to the Hostel for accommodating the event and thank you to the SLT team and teachers who supported the event on the night without whom we could not run a successful ball.  Thanks to Mr Dupu for sorting out the auditorium lighting and for those who also helped out at the Ball Parade. Last but not least, thank you to the families who have supported nervous young people through the ball season.  It can be a challenge financially and emotionally which it is important to recognise. 

Thank you to those families who had input on our sexuality education survey.  This is run every second year and we appreciate the time and effort that goes into this feedback which helps to shape how we deliver this very important topic in our college. 

Finally, I do need to signal that with an increasing number of staff members testing positive for Covid 19 as well as the flu that has hit, there is a possibility that during exam week, next week, we may need to roster a cohort home.  As you will be aware, we are very tight for relief teachers in North Otago and with a number of those available also being reader  - writers for exams, we are very tight indeed on staffing.  We will do our best to avoid this.

Have a wonderful week.

God Bless

Jo