St Kevin's College News and Reminders Term 2 Week 2
Kia ora whānau and friends of St Kevin's College,
We are ending the week on a high unless you go by the temperature. We've had a superb start to the winter sports season. This week, we also held our Year 12 retreat, participated in the Oamaru Music Exchange, had a very successful open day and were delighted to host Lorraine Kerr and Natasha Watson from the NZ School Boards Association at the College.
School Notices
- This is a friendly reminder that parents and caregivers must let the office know beforehand if students have appointments during the day: 03 437 1665 or 021 437 176.
- Also, students in Years 9-12 are not permitted to leave the school grounds during intervals and lunch breaks.
School photos are available at the office.
Attendance Matters
As we venture into Term 2, it is an excellent time to check in on your school attendance.
Every day matters!
Cathconnect
Dear Families,
The Catholic Education Office, which collects fees for students in Catholic schools, is using a new system this year called Cathconnect.
This system went live last night, generating an invoice for families for school fees.
As the system is brand new and has to interface with an older manual system, not all information is accurate.
Over the next month, the office will work through the system, ensuring that records are corrected.
Until this is done, the Catholic Education Office asks that any issues be emailed to them at dues.cdd@cathconnect.nz so that they can work through them methodically.
Please do not use phone calls or messaging systems.
Note: Cathconnect only delivers invoices, not statements, as the previous system did.
Warm regards
Jo Walshe
School Magazines
There is still a significant number of 2022 & 2023 School Magazines waiting to be collected from the school office.
If you have already paid for either of these yearbooks and have yet to receive them, please remind your child to pick them up from the office during break times or before/after school hours.
SKC uniform shop
SKC desperately needs donations of any and all second-hand clothing for the SKC uniform shop. We especially need pants, shorts, white and blue shirts, and socks. Depending on their condition, we are able to buy back kilts, blazers, jumpers, soft shell jackets, and new PE tops.
Drop off at the shop on Thursdays (1-2 p.m) or the main school office.
For all inquiries, call Jane at 0211996525.
Paid Union Meeting - Thursday 16th May
Next Thursday, 16th May, there is a Paid Union Meeting.
The school will close at 1.10 pm.
For those catching the bus, these will run as usual, students can wait in the gym or library if needed.
This week at SKC
Year 12 Retreat 2024 - 7th May
On Tuesday our Year 12 students were fortunate enough to spend the day at Teschemakers for their annual retreat.
St Kevin’s has a profound connection with Teschemakers, and the students were captivated by the history and the old buildings. The touchstone at Year 12 is “Challenge”, a theme that inspires us all to live lives of courage, integrity and justice, even when it requires personal inconvenience and sacrifice.
A special thank you to Father Fredy for joining us in the beautiful chapel for a reconciliation service to end the day.
Lorraine Kerr and Natasha Watson Visit to SKC - 8th May
On Wednesday Lorraine Kerr, President of the NZ School Boards Association Te Whakaroputanga, and Natasha Watson, National Policy Advisor for the NZSBA, visited St Kevin's College.
Lorraine is an esteemed influencer in education, known for her intelligence, extensive experience, and unwavering commitment to excellence. She is well-versed in various fields, with degrees in education, law, accounting, and psychology.
Lorraine has had a remarkable 18-year term as President of Te Whakaroputanga. She is also a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, which acknowledges her exceptional contributions to society.
It was a privilege to host Lorraine and Natasha at the College.
Open Day 2024 - 9th May
On Thursday we welcomed several potential students and their families to our school open day. It was a great pleasure to have them with us.
Both afternoon and evening tours were held, and the library was completely full. Our prefects did a fantastic job taking parents and students on tours and answering their questions.
We would like to thank Mr Devereaux for his excellent organisation of the event.
School Events
Coming up this term
Thursday 16th May - Paid Union Meeting. The school will close at 1.10 pm.
Friday 17th May - Pink Shirt Day
Tuesday 28th May - Numeracy Common Assessment Activity
Wednesday 29th May - Writing Common Assessment Activity
Thursday 30th May - Reading Common Assessment Activity
Wednesday 29th - Thursday 30th May - Prefects Retreat
Friday 31st May - Teachers Only Day
Tuesday 7th June - Loves Me Not programme- Year 12
Tuesday 11th - 13th June - Year 11 Geography trip
Saturday June 15th - SKC Formal
Monday 24th June - Thursday 27th June - Cambridge Practice Assessment Week
Term 2 Holiday Dates
Monday 3rd June - King's Birthday. The Hostel will be closed.
Friday 28th June - Matariki
Sports
Coming up this term
Tuesday 14th May - Aoraki Cross Country
Wednesday 22nd May - Roncalli Exchange
Friday 24th May - Aoraki Swimming
Sunday 26th May - South Island Secondary School Cross Country
Sunday 26th May - Aoraki Chess
Saturday 1st June - Smallbore Postal Shoot
Wednesday 5th June - Junior Quads/Aoraki Squash
Sunday 9th -10th June - Otago Secondary Schools Netball
Tuesday 11th June - Mercy Cup
Thursday 13th June - Aoraki Open Basketball
Tuesday 18th June - Aoraki Junior Boys Basketball
Wednesday 19th June - Aoraki Junior Girls Basketball
Sunday 23rd June - Aoraki Netball
Monday 1st -5th July - Waitaki Week
The Past week in Sports
Junior basketball - 3rd May
Congratulations to our Junior basketball team for winning their first game of the season against Kings High School with a score of 52-37 last Friday.
Awesome game!!!
Aoraki Golf - 6th May
On Monday 3 of our students participated in the Aoraki Golf competition in Pleasant Point.
Left to right, Tai McLean, Hunter Growcott and Riley Tuffley.
Nice work, lads!
Rugby
Rugby Registrations are now open.
If your son or daughter has not yet registered, please register at this link to register
We are also looking for people to coach the boys under 16.5 team and another coach for the girls under 15 team. If you are interested in finding out more, please contact Justin Fowler at jfowler@stkevins.school.nz
Art and Cultural Events
Coming up this term
Friday 17th May - Pink Shirt Day/Mufti Day
Monday 10th June - Big Sing
Thursday June 20th - Scripture Reading
Pink Shirt Day
Pink Shirt Day has been celebrated annually in Aotearoa since 2009.
Pink Shirt Day is about working together to stop bullying by celebrating diversity and promoting kindness and inclusiveness. It's about creating a community where everyone feels safe, valued and respected, regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, religion or cultural background.
Next Friday, 17th May, is Pink Shirt Day/Mufti Day; you are encouraged to wear a pink shirt and show your support to help raise awareness and support the stop-bullying movement.
For more resources, head over to https://pinkshirtday.org.nz/
2024 National Youth Art Awards
The National Youth Art Awards entries will be open on 11th March.
This award and exhibition are attended by schools throughout Aotearoa, and over 300 students and young artists entered.
A new drawing prize has also been added this year, so there is plenty of opportunity and choice for any artist between 13 and 25 years old in 3 age categories.
Below is the entry form, with all the details.
Mattering - a political play
MATTERING a play by Dr. Delia Baskerville
Attention Youth Actors/Singers:
Mattering is a political play about the lived experiences of youth who truant class and school.
This play brings into the light real-life stories that have been pushed into the darkness. We hope to stir the audience to reflect, think about the action on stage, and to see the need for social justice. Student actors will have the opportunity to engage professionals, decision makers, and community members in a post-performance discussion about truancy, based on the voices of the marginalized youth showcased in the play.
In a previous production, students said:
For me, Mattering was really interesting cause it was really good to be that character’s voice, performing in front of an audience. (Actor 1)
I really related to the character Rose. It was really hard for me to go back to that time in Year 11 when I wagged. I was happy to have acted to it because it was part of my life, and these things are real. (Actor 2)
There was one class I never went to because I felt dumb. Like Christina, the teacher did not notice me. It was great to know someone understood my story. (Actor 3)
Delia is inviting students to audition for a role in her play and/or ensemble. The audition will be held in the Ink Box Theatre, Oamaru Opera House, on Saturday, 8th June 2024. There is a group audition (10 am -11 am), and then individual audition times will be between 11:00-12:30 or 1:00 to 3:00. You can still audition even if you do not sing. Rehearsals will be timetabled between 3 and 5 in term two and the first week of the July school holidays.
Dress Rehearsal and performances will occur from Monday, 15th July – Saturday, 20th July, 6:00 to 9:00.
Please contact Delia if you are interested: baskervilledelia3@gmail.com
Term 2 Faith Facts
Guidelines for Attitude to Learning
General philosophy.
The purpose of ATL feedback is so that parents and students can have real time information about how students are engaging in each subject.
The overarching objective should be to have ‘no surprises’ for caregivers.
ATL numbers should cover how students are working generally in relation to:
How they are developing the habits of an independent life long learner.
This means:
Teachers will be providing opportunities within classes for independent, differentiated learning opportunities.
ATLs will be used with the Junior reports. This will require additional weight to be given to ATL, meaning that periodically, a curriculum statement will be added to the ATL report. At the end of Term 1, the focus will be on setting goals and identifying learning challenges for the students so that we head things off before they become a problem.
Comments.
These should be specific and address immediate concerns or celebrate recent, specific achievements.
These should provide caregivers the opportunity to be able to participate in supporting their student.
These should be brief and accurate.
Only be provided for immediate and relevant issues.
What ATL’s are NOT.
They are not a method for punishing a student.
They are not a forum for diagnosing medical or learning issues e.g. suggesting a student is dyslexic
They are not a place for long term guidance such as large general statements about learning.
They are not a report which you must feel compelled to write every fortnight.
They are not a replacement for Dean involvement, discussions with HoF’s, phone calls to parents etc.
They are not a ‘restorative chat’.
School TV
Bullying
Bullying is an ongoing or repeated misuse of power in relationships with the intention to cause deliberate psychological harm. Bullying behaviours can be verbal, physical or social. It can happen in person or online via various digital platforms and devices and can be obvious or hidden. Bullying in any form or for any reason can have immediate, medium and long-term effects on those involved, including bystanders.
Despite the efforts made to reduce bullying behaviours, the research tells us that one in four students still report being bullied every few weeks. However, not all negative behaviour should be considered bullying. The key difference is that bullying does not stop on its own. It’s important young people learn how to identify behaviours that are rude, behaviours that are mean, and behaviours that are related to bullying.
Often, the reasons for bullying can be complex. Some young people do it to get approval from others, some do it to regain control, whilst others may do it because it makes them feel safe. Supporting young people as they work through their emotions will help them unpack the motivation and reason behind the behaviour.
In this edition of SchoolTV, caregivers can better understand why some young people engage in bullying behaviours and what to do to support a child experiencing it.
We hope you take time to reflect on the information in this edition of SchoolTV. If you have any concerns about your young person, please contact their Dean or Esther, our Student Advocate, for further information or seek medical or professional help.
Community Events/Notices
TE NGAKAU NUI (The Big Heart)
Te Ngakau Nui, the parents/caregivers and supporters group of St Kevin's, is a beacon of hope for our school. Our collective efforts have raised significant funds that have made a substantial difference to St Kevin's.
We are not just a small group, but a close-knit community of dedicated individuals. We meet once a month to brainstorm and organise fundraising ideas for the school. We welcome new members and invite everyone to our upcoming AGM on Tuesday, 21st May, at 7 pm in the staffroom.
As a group, we have a constant fundraiser thanks to Rebecca Hefferman, who runs the Hungry Course Cafe at the race course. This involves providing and selling food for at least 10 race meets annually. So far, we have made around $10,000 through this venture.
We run the Uniform shop and provide quality second-hand uniforms and new kilts, blazers, PE tops, beanies, scarves, and soon-to-be-sold winter jackets. We are looking for donations of any uniforms to restock our supplies.
Our primary fundraiser is held Biannually, which involves a 'Do' of some sort. This year's will be a Masquerade Ball, date to be confirmed, so watch this space!
Anyone can help out, and everyone is welcome to join in. Money from our last 'Do', 'Mr North Otago, ' $18,000, was used to help resurface the gym.
If you are interested in joining Te Ngakau Nui - please get in touch with Sam Growcott at tengakaunui@stkevins.school.nz
Ngā mihi
The Te Ngakau Nui team.
Waitaki Community Recreation Centre Events
Roller Disco!
Friday, 24 May, at the Rec Centre, 6-8 pm, $10 entry, $5 skate hire (limited sizes available), all ages welcome! Cash only.
Creche – Rec Centre
This service is for parents who want to attend a morning class or work out in the weights room, knowing that their children are being well looked after just down the hallway!
When: Mon - Fri - 10-11.30 am; Sat 9 am-12 pm
Where: In the kitchen/meeting room
Price: $3.00 per child, per creche session
(family discounts available - see office)
Rec Centre 6 am Bootcamp
Boot camp time! 10 weeks – Tues / Thurs 6-7 am. Suitable for all levels!
It runs continuously - you can join at any time! Casuals are also welcome!
Waitaki Community Recreation Centre. Register Now!
Members $105 / Non-members $190
https://www.sporty.co.nz/waitakicrc/6am-and-6pm-bootcamps/Registration-6am-MORNING-bootcamp-1
Rec Centre 9 am Circuit class
10 week circuit challenge! Mon / Wed / Fri 9-10am. Creche is available on application. Suitable for all levels!
Starts Monday 29 April 2024. Waitaki Community Recreation Centre
Register Now! You can join at any time.
https://www.sporty.co.nz/waitakicrc/9am-bootcamp-10-week-circuit-challenge/register-online-1
Members $157.50 / Non-members $285
Musac Edge portal and app guide
We have an updated guide on how to use the Edge caregiver portal/app that allows you to view school information about your child(ren), and to pay school bills online if your school supports this. The portal & app gives you quick and easy access to the information for the children in your care and can receive announcements and notifications from the school. Please view the guide here
News to Share?
We love celebrating our students' success. Photos are always a bonus; please email these as Facebook Messenger compresses the quality!
Please let me know via email any relevant news we could share - srees@stkevins.school.nz
You can follow St Kevin's College on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
Have a great weekend!
Ngā mihi
Shane Rees
Communications and Events