St Kevin's College News and Reminders Term 3 Week 1

Kia ora whānau and friends of St Kevin's College,

Term 3 is here, along with an awesome warm start to the week, and a crisp chilly end. But have you all noticed it getting darker later, spring is on its way!! 

This week we celebrated Matariki at Mass on Wednesday and Thursday we had our Scripture Reading.

Also, welcome to our new weekly newsletter, we are now able to share images that were unavailable to families without social media. This newsletter remains live each week and will be updated and a new weekly one published every Friday afternoon. A link will still be emailed out but in case you wish to bookmark it you can. This new platform will archive each week so you can go back through the previous versions. 

This week at SKC

Scripture Reading Competition

Thursday, 20th July, we had our annual Scripture Reading Competition in the school chapel. Congratulations to all who participated and a special thank you to Mrs Michele Fatafehi who gave up her time to adjudicate. 
 
The results were as follows:
Year 9
1st - Harriet Carter Trotman
2nd - Caleb Sharpe
3rd - Riley Stevenson
Year 10
1st - Toe Halalele
2nd - Jessica Byrne
3rd - Gabriel Davison
Highly commended - Kacymea Tahitu'a
Year 11
1st - Sasha Slee
2nd - Leilani De-La-Ford
3rd equal - Lisiate Hausia and Tadiwanashe Mandiwona
Year 12
1st - Cheska Tion
2nd - Bridie McGeown
3rd equal - Drewbert Monoy and Liam Cameron
Year 13 1st equal - Samuel Plieger and Leah Morrow
3rd equal - Anika Winders and Maikey Quiachon 

Thanks to Harry Winmill for the 📸s

SKC Caritas Crew

Our SKC Caritas Crew spans every age group from Year 9 to Year 13. 

Here they were at lunchtime, Wednesday 19th July, preparing for next week's fundraiser for cbm (Christian Blind Mission). 

All students; please remember to bring in your donation on or before next Wednesday 26th, and as long as we meet our minimum fundraising target then school uniforms will be optional on Thursday 27th. 

Please give as generously as you can afford to; every dollar we donate to cbm can end up making $7 of difference to people in Africa suffering from the devastating disease of River Blindness.

Matariki

Matariki is the Aotearoa Pacific New Year.  

At this time of year, the cluster Matariki, also known as Pleiades, The Seven Sisters or M45, reappears above the horizon, after having dipped below the horizon for some weeks.  

Today, as a school, we gathered in our school chapel to honour and celebrate the love of Te Atua, our Creator, and to give thanks for the many blessings we have received.

Many thanks to Paolo Mordeno for the 📸's

School Notices

• This is a friendly reminder that if students have appointments during the day parents and caregivers must let the office know beforehand. 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.

Otago Polyfest 2023

Otago Polyfest 2023 will be held at the Dunedin Edgar Centre from 11th September to 15th September 2023. Polyfest is an opportunity for children, young people and whānau to participate in Māori and Pacific cultural experiences that broaden and celebrate their individual and collective cultural identities. We are asking the SKC Community for interested persons to contact us regarding teaching the students different Pasifika dances/songs and sewers to make the costumes. Without the support of our community, we will be unable to represent SKC. If this sounds like you please contact Tina Dooley at tdooley@stkevins.school.nz as soon as possible. 
https://www.facebook.com/events/763428534911808

Whanau Reading Initiative

Would you like the chance to win $1000.00 for your family or $500 for your students at the end of the year?
Hopefully, that got your attention! Over the past year, we have been thinking about the problem of how to support families to develop their student's reading abilities. For most families with students of secondary school age, reading is something that is done by the student independently and it can be a struggle to get them to engage. We invite families who would like to participate in this programme to collect a copy of the booklet from the office. There are 20 activities in the booklet which range from ice breaker conversation starters to how to analyse text. The activities are designed to be able to be used with any reading material your student is interested in. Once you have worked through the activities, please date and sign the back page so your student can register for their reading badge at the office and go into the draw for themselves and their family at the end of the year. This is a first attempt. Feedback is welcome!

School Events

Tuesday 25th July - Senior History Trip
Wednesday 2nd August - Senior Photography trip
Wednesday 2nd August - Aoraki Maths comp
Friday 11th August - Student-Led Conferences
Thursday 17th August - Otago Uni Course planning
Friday 25th August - Monday 28th August - Hostel Closed
Monday 28th August - Teachers Only Day
Sunday 3rd September - Tuesday 5th September - Yr 13 Tourism trip
Tuesday 5th September - Cambridge information evening
Monday 18th September - Friday 22nd September - Assessment Week 

Musical Production - Man of Steel - Tickets now on sale

Man of Steel is an action-packed musical spoof and a spectacular show of heroically super proportions. This musical is the entertaining battle of our Super Hero and Heroine over the evil Countess Olga and her motley henchmen. It is full of fun, with fast-moving action and larger than life characters.

Dates: Thursday 24 August 2023 & Friday 25 August 2023

Sporting Events

Monday 28th August - Saturday 2nd September - Tournament Week
Tuesday 5th September - St Thomas Exchange

Cultural Events

Thursday 24th - Friday 25th August - School Show
Friday 4th August - Sunday 6th August - Bishops Shield
Thursday 7th September - Choral festival

School TV

Understanding Adolescence

Adolescence is the transitional stage of development that is usually associated with the teenage years. During this time, they experience rapid physical, cognitive and psychosocial growth which affects how teenagers feel, think, make decisions and interact with the world around them.

During adolescence, a young person's brain can be considered as being “under construction”. The rate at which this progresses will vary depending on the individual and also their gender. As a result, some parents may view adolescence as stressful or difficult. However, it does not need to be. Setting boundaries, implementing consistent monitoring and maintaining a strong and loving connection will help families adjust during this time.

It is also an important time to keep the communication lines open through clear and age-appropriate conversations. Speak openly about changes that they are experiencing and be conscious of their mental health as many of the conditions people confront in adulthood can begin to manifest in adolescence.

In this edition of SchoolTV, families and whānau can learn how to guide and best support their young person as they transition through adolescence.

If you have any concerns about your child, please contact our Pastoral Care Team for further information. 

Here is the link to the Understanding Adolescence edition of SchoolTV

Community Events

Rec Centre - 10-week circuit challenge!

Mon / Wed / Fri 9-10am
Creche is available!
Suitable for all levels!
Starts Monday 17 July 2023
Waitaki Community Recreation Centre
Register Now! You can join at any time.

Members $125
Non-members $225

Ph 4346932 / 021 08150688

Lions Clubs Speech Contest

The Lions Clubs of Waitaki will hold the annual speech contest for pupils in years 9 & 10 and 11 & 12. The contest will be held on Sunday 30 July 2023 at the Fenwick School Hall, Hull St, Oamaru, starting at 12.45 pm.

Certificates will be presented to all contestants with special recognition for the top three in each of the school years. 

It should be a prepared speech of 3 to 5 minutes. There is no fee for entry

For further details – contact the following:-

Klaus.steiner@xtra.co.nz or 0210492128  or  judy_malcolm@hotmail.com

SKC to FIFA Woman's World Cup, Dunedin

In conjunction with the Girls' Football team, a bus will be running to see a match in Dunedin at what will be the sporting spectacle of the year down under - FIFA Woman's World Cup.

Sunday 30 July (7 pm kick-off)

New Zealand v Switzerland

Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin

We invite interest to join us on the bus by emailing ralph.headfirst@gmail.com. Details are to be confirmed but expect final pricing to be $50 - $70 (child U17) / $70 - $90 (adult), bus and match ticket. Limited seats are available.

Request to hold a Fundraising Event

If you wish to hold a fundraising event for school sports or recreational activities please follow the appropriate channels by filling out this form. 

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

Got any News to Share?

We love celebrating our students' success. Photos are always a bonus! 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