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.

Daily Online Learning Journal

Hi everyone,

We are very pleased with the way you have started your second term as online students. We are seeing some great teaching and learning going on and it's lovely to see that you are enjoying being back with your classmates, even if that is just online.

Please remember to fill out the online learning diary. You can find this by going onto the main SKC web page and clicking on 'Online Learning'. This leads to a drop down box. Choose the box that says 'Online Attendance' and open it. In that space you will find the Daily Online Learning Journal. Here is the direct link:

https://www.stkevins.school.nz/on-line-learning/on-line-attendance

We will be using the data from this to monitor engagement to help guide our teaching and learning so it's quite important.

Thank you and have a great weekend!

Ms Walshe

NZQA Summary of Learning

Are you wondering how your child's learning has been going this year? Don't worry, we've got your back and have developed an easy way for you to track where they are at with their credits across all of their subjects!

Today parents and caregivers will be emailed an NZQA summary for each individual Senior student. This will be ongoing throughout the year, and will not only keep you in the loop with how your child is progressing, but it will also be a useful tool to start conversations about how their learning is going.

This is also available to students and parents/caregivers on the portal.

On another note, could all personal email addresses and contact details please be checked on the portal and if there are any changes, email Leanne Wolfe at lwolfe@stkevins.school.nz.

Junior Prize Giving

Our Junior Prize Giving will be held on Friday, 14 December from 11am in the auditorium. All students will be released after the prize giving. Please note, that buses on Friday will operate at the the normal time of 3:20 pm. Students who do not wish to wait around after prize giving will need to arrange their own way home.

Performance Unit & Students Art Work

The end of year presents students with the opportunity to show their work, particularly in the Creative & Performing Arts' departments. On Wednesday, Year 9 Drama students performed a thought-provoking piece at assembly, which explored how Social Media affects the brain. Next week, Year 9 & 10 students will be showcasing routines they have created in PE lessons as part of their Performance Unit. And finally, Year 10 art students will be selling their hand-printed tea towels. The tea towels designs were created on the theme "Protest" and are available from today. The towels will be available for purchase at the Performance Unit and before Junior Prize Giving.

Stationery Lists for 2019

Stationery lists for 2019 have been published on the SKC MySchool website. You can find the website here. The MySchool website is facilitated through Office Max and provides parents with a practical way to select, purchase and pay for their child's stationery. The products are even delivered to your front door!

Late start tomorrow

Due to a union meeting tomorrow morning (Wednesday, November 21), school will start at 11am. Buses will run as normal. There will be supervision in the College library for any students who are at school.

Equestrian at St Kevin's College

St Kevin's College is looking to lease horses for 2019. Horses need to be capable of Equestrian Events including Show Jumping and Dressage and need to have good temperaments. These horses will be ridden by three riders from Germany over the course of the year. St Kevin's College will meet the costs for dental and farrier work as well as winter feeding and medical costs throughout the year. Horses will be vet checked at the beginning of the lease and at the end of the lease period to ensure soundness. We are also looking for lease horses for less capable riders.

Please contact Jo Walshe 0278401330 if interested.

Staff Appointment

Congratulations to Mr Mathew Harris who has been appointed as the Teacher of Social Sciences, Religious Studies and Guidance and support for 2019. Mathew is a familiar face to many as he was the student advocate in 2016 -7. Mathew has been training in the Masters of Education programme with the Faculty of Education at Otago University. We warmly welcome Mathew to our Staff.

The SKC Uniform Shop

A reminder that the SKC Uniform Shop will buy good quality kilts, blazers, jerseys and jackets, and accept shirts, shorts and trousers as donations.
Items may be left at the school office with your name and address or taken directly to the Uniform Shop on Thursday from 12:30 to 1:30pm.
Proceeds from the sales are fed back into the school via the Home & School committee.
The shop will be open for additional hours on Mon, January 28, 2019 from 2pm to 7pm and Tues, January 29, 2019 from 2pm to 4pm.

Shake Out

Staff and students at the College took part in the nation-wide Shake Out today. The event is an opportunity for participants to become aware of safety procedures if an earthquake or tsunami should occur.
St Kevin's College takes the safety of it's staff and pupils seriously and the event allowed Senior Management and Leaders to asses how well the school's emergency procedures are working. We also used the opportunity to asses how efficiently our parent portal app could communicate with students, parents and caregivers in an emergency.
Deputy Principal Kerry Ryan said he is happy with the drill practice and emergency communication, and thanked everybody for their mature involvement.
Well done, St Kevin's!

In the event of an earthquake, Drop, Cover and Hold.

Year 10 Camp

Each year, St Kevin's College Year 10 students enjoy a fabulous time away at in the Year 10 Camp. There have been some slight changes to this years' camp due to several circumstances. However,  the overall experience will still be similar to previous year’s. The camp is an extremely enjoyable experience for students and often becomes a highlight of their time at the college.

The students will be attending camp in two groups:

- 10C and 10K 

Depart: 8:50am Monday 12th November at the school gym.
Return: 3pm Wednesday 14th November at the school gym. 

-10S and 10T 

Depart: 8:50am Wednesday 14th November at the school gym.
Return: 2pm Friday 16th November at the school gym.

All students will travel by Pearsons bus and will be staying at Middleton Lodge and camping in surrounding areas.

Throughout the camp, students will rotate through kayaking, swimming, boating, mountain biking and orienteering activities, while also taking part in other team building exercises throughout the three days. 

Please see the Student & Parent information sheet here

BOT Student Representative Election results

There was a good voting turnout for the Student Representative on the Board of Trustees for 2019. Over 3/4's of the College voted. Each candidate brought their unique style and personality to the campaign. Well done to all the candidates that participated.

The Board of Trustee Student Rep Election Results are as follows:-

Total Votes: 382

Cara Anderson 137
Francesca Black 129
Nathan Cundall 87
Cameron Yeoman 21

Invalid Votes: 8

I hereby declare Cara Anderson duly elected:

Signed




Sue McErlane

Returning Officer

Enrolling for 2019

2019 is just up ahead!

If you have a student or know of a friend/neighbour who is planning to send their child to St. Kevin's College in 2019, please fill in an application. Forms are available at the school office or on the SKC website.

BOT Student Representative Nominations

STUDENT NOMINATIONS FOR 2019 BOT STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE

At the close of nominations on Friday 7th September 2018, there were 4 valid nominations received for the 2019 Board of Trustee Student Representative:-

• Cameron Yeoman 
• Francesca Black 
• Cara Anderson 
• Nathan Cundall

Their Personal Statements are shown below.

Signed,

Sue McErlane 

Returning Officer

Cameron Yeoman 

Board of Trustees Student Rep. Nominee - Personal Statement:


Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa, My name is Cameron Yeoman and I’m a year 12 student studying at St Kevin’s College. I have been nominated to run as a Student Representative for the B.O.T of SKC. My key attributes that I can bring to this role, are integrity, leadership and my ability to communicate with all students on different levels as proven by my awards within cultural endeavour at the school.

If elected, I will level the playing field and treat everybody's points of views and suggestions as equals, while doing this applying my best leadership skills to conveying these ideas to the board trustees to get the best possible outcomes.

Over my last four years at the college, I have proven my leadership skills through successful running of events and earning gold service award for voluntary work, within the community. If given the opportunity to represent my fellow students I will do my best to uphold the values of the school and seek the best possible outcomes for students.
Francesca Black 

Board of Trustees Student Rep. Nominee - Personal Statement:

I am Francesca Black, a year 12 student here at the College and I am interested in becoming the Board of Trustees Student Representative for 2019. I have always been interested in being a leader, with being Head Girl at St Joseph’s Primary School, and taking on service work throughout this year in order to achieve the Service Awards. In my past years at the College, I have also taken part in sporting endeavours, where I have enjoyed working with people within the school and the wider community.

I believe that it is important that all student voices are heard within the College and I would like to take an active approach to this role and ensure that the student voice remains alive for the upcoming year. I am also interested in viewing school life from a different perspective, and using this to the advantage of not only the school as a whole, but in particularly, the lives of those within the school community. I would like to contribute to making this school a better learning environment for our students through this opportunity, and this is why I am interested in becoming the Board of Trustees Student Representative for 2019. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I look forward to seeing where this opportunity takes me.

Cara Anderson 

Board of Trustees Student Rep. Nominee – Personal Statement:

I think that it’s really important for students to be able to have a voice in the future of our school, as well as for us to have insight on its direction. I want to do this for experience, the understanding and for the chance to do something that could, potentially, have a positive impact on our school family and community. I want to be able to make quiet voices heard and understood, to offer perspective on topics that otherwise may not be touched on at all.

As a member of the Youth Council, I’ve already gained understanding of the conduct and importance of such meetings, as well as gained insight into how they can work for and help to improve our community.

I think accountability is important, working my best to try and complete work and goals to high standards. While holding high ambitions, I am also able to look at things objectively, working my best to set out realistic goals that can help to achieve what I want in the long run. I have a genuine interest into the inner running of things and feel that not only will I be able to apply skills that I currently have to this position, but will also be able to gain valuable new skills I will be able to apply all thought my life.

I am able to not only communicate my own ideas, but to listen to their thoughts and help to convey them and their significance. I believe in the importance of giving voice to those that are otherwise voiceless and feel that I would work with dedication to let them be heard. Beyond this, I feel that at the core of it, I would be a good candidate for Student Board Rep. because I genuinely care about our family, our future and our values.

Nathan Cundall 

Board of Trustees Student Rep. Nominee – Personal Statement:

My name is Nathan Cundall and I believe that I should be chosen to be on the board as a Student Representative because I am trustworthy, I get things done and I am a hard worker who pays attention to my surroundings and what goes on around the school.

I am 17 years old and I enjoy fishing computers, English, History and making things. I enjoy fishing, running, gym and biking in my free time. My favourite classes are English, History and M Tech.

I have never been on the board before or ever done a job like it before but I would like to give it a try and experience it for myself. I have always had an interest in these sorts of things but I have never given it a go. I am a people person and I like to socialise with others. Therefore, I believe I should on the board for this position.

I have good leadership qualities as I like to take charge and enjoy leading and working in groups. I am European, Fijian and Indian so therefore I would love to represent the students on the board.

Exeat Weekend

A reminder that this weekend is our Exeat Weekend and school will be closed on Monday 3 September & Tuesday 4 September. The Hostel will also be closed from Friday, August 31 from 4:30pm and will open from 2pm on Tuesday, September 4. Have a restful long weekend!

BOT student representative elections

St Kevin’s College Student Representative Election for the Board of Trustees

Nominations are invited for the election of one Student Representative to the 2019 St Kevin’s College Board of Trustees. A nomination form and a copy of this notice is being distributed to all eligible voters on the student roll. Further nomination forms can be obtained from the school office. 

Nominations close at noon on Friday, 7 September 2018, which is 14 days before the election date and may be accompanied by a signed candidate’s statement. 

The voting roll is open for inspection at the school and can be viewed during the hours the office is open. There will also be a list of candidates’ names for inspection, as they come to hand, on the St Kevin’s College Blog, Student Noticeboard, Daily Notices and the e-newsletter. 

The poll closes at noon on Friday, 21 st September 2018. 

Sue McErlane 

Returning Officer

Reminder about Student-Led Conferences

Student-Led Conferences are on Friday, August 17 from 12pm. These meetings are a fantastic opportunity for students, teachers and caregivers to reflect on students' studies and their academic and vocational goals. This session is particularly important in regards to selecting subjects for 2019.

Bookings are now open and can be arranged via by clicking here and entering your details. School will be closed for the day, though students are expected to come to school for their conference.

If you require child care for these conferences, please contact the office as we can arrange for students to care for younger children while the interview is being conducted.

SKC e-news Week 3

We have been experiencing some technical issues with delivery of the SKC e-news. For those who may have missed it, please find the latest newsletter below.

Welcome to your weekly e-news

Student-Lead Conferences are on Friday, August 17 from 12pm. These meetings are a fantastic opportunity for students, teachers and caregivers to reflect on students' studies and their academic and vocational goals. This session is particularly important in regards to selecting subjects for 2019.
Bookings are now open and can be arranged via by clicking here and entering your details. School will be closed for the day, though students are expected to come to school for their conference

Year 11, 12 and 13 students have now had the fee for NCEA added to their accounts in the Parent Portal. The domestic student fee for 2018 is $76.70 per student and this must be paid by 31 August. Applications for Financial Assistance have now closed. However. if you have any questions, please contact Mr Seddon on mseddon@stkevins.school.nz or via the school office.

A new, computer-generated text system has been implemented at Student Kevin's College to follow up on unexplained student absences. The system will generate a text to parents, informing them of the unexplained absence and requesting parents reply to the school by following the prompts.For added security, the text will come from an individual, one-off, randomised number that will only be available to reply to until the end of the current school day. It can not be used to report absences on any other day. Please continue to report absences by leaving a message on the absence phone line, submitting an absence report online via the website or emailing absences@stkevins.school.nz.

Reporting absences

A new, computer-generated text system has been implemented at Student Kevin's College to follow up on unexplained student absences.
The system will generate a text to parents, informing them of the unexplained absence and requesting parents reply to the school by following the prompts.
For added security, the text will come from an individual, one-off, randomised number that will only be available to reply to until the end of the current school day. It can not be used to report absences on any other day. Please continue to report absences by leaving a message on the absence phone line, submitting an absence report online via the website or emailing absences@stkevins.school.nz.