St Kevin's College News and Reminders Term 3 Week 9

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

Just one week left of Term 3 for 2024. This week we had the Writing, Reading, and Numeracy CAA and our school production of That's Life! Please also remember that next week is Course Counselling for Year 11's, so if you haven't yet booked, please follow the link below to schedule a time with your young person and teachers, as these close this Sunday, 22nd September.

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.
  
  
• All students in Years 9-12 are not permitted to leave the school grounds during intervals and lunch breaks.
  
  

• All Year 9-11 students must get caregiver consent to sign out during school hours. Caregivers can email or call the office to provide consent and reason for the absence. Students cannot sign out until the caregiver is reached.

Attendance Matters

As we venture into Term 4, it is an excellent time to check in on your school attendance. 

Every day matters! 

2024 School Magazine

Kia ora whānau and students,

All students have been invoiced for this year's school magazine/yearbook.

These need to be paid before 30 November 2024. We are only printing enough for those who have paid by this date.

If you do not require the magazine, please contact the school office to have the charge removed from your account. We will advise when these are ready to be collected.

Ngā mihi

Course Counselling for Year 11's bookings close Sunday

Course Counselling bookings are open for Year 11's going into Year 12 for 2025.

It's vital for parents and caregivers to attend these events.

Bookings close this Sunday, 22nd September.

Subject selection for Year 12 and 13 students in 2025 will open in Term 3, Week 10, and close in Term 4, Week 1.

Please follow the link for booking times: https://www.schoolinterviews.co.nz/code/75w48 

Please note that Year 10 Course Counselling will be available in Term 4, Week 4. 

Is your child keen to go to uni?

Here's the rundown on how University Entrance (UE) works from NZQA

WHAT IS IT?

University Entrance is the minimum requirement to go from school to a New Zealand university. Being awarded UE also opens doors to tertiary study in other countries.

Once you have met the requirements for University Entrance, it will appear on your Record of Achievement.

TO BE AWARDED UE, YOU NEED:

 NCEA Level 3

 14 credits at Level 3 in each of three approved subjects

 10 Literacy credits at Level 2 or above, made up of:

 5 credits in reading

 5 credits in writing

 10 Numeracy credits at Level 1 or above, made up of:

 co-requisite Level 1 Numeracy unit standard 32406 or Te Pāngarau unit standard 32412, or

 certain achievement standards.

MORE INFO

To find out more about UE and NCEA itself, head to the NZQA website: https://bit.ly/46SUh6a

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.

SKC Moke Jackets 

The uniform shop is now selling wind and semi-waterproof SKC Moké student jackets.

These lightweight jackets have 90% Duck down lining, so you know they'll be toasty warm.

Available now from the uniform shop for $90.

Comes with its own bag and packs down for minimal space.

NCEA study tips from students

Here are some handy NCEA study tips from students for students; please share them with your student/s to help them prepare. 

Meet students, hear their study advice and learn about the tools they use for success in NCEA exams.

Ngā mihi

This week at SKC

🔬 Year 12 Biology Class 🔬

This week the Year 12 Biologists have been preparing for the final internal assessment of the year, which will require them to demonstrate that they can carry out a practical investigation into an aspect of Biology.

This year the focus is on enzyme activity, and the students have been learning how to correctly use the equipment to gather meaningful data, which they will then process into a scientific report.

As you can see from the photos, they are well on the way to achieving their goal.

Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori 2024 - Māori Language Week 2024

Ko tēnei te Wiki o Te Reo Māori. Ko “Ake, ake, ake” te kaupapa i tēnei tau.
Kei te mārama tātou tēnei kaupapa i Hāto Kewene, ko ēnei ngā kupu i te whakamutuka o kā inoi, kā karakia rānei. “Ake, ake, ake, āmine”. Forever and ever, amen.

The theme for Te Wiki 2024 is 'Ake ake ake – A Forever Language'. It represents the resilience, adaptability and endurance of our language. It also reflects New Zealanders' commitment to embracing and learning te reo Māori long into the future. (reomaori.co.nz).

At St Kevin's College this year, we have started a permanent Kapa Haka Group. The aims of this rōpū are to increase our students' exposure to Te Reo Māori through waiata and haka.

"We are proud to represent our culture and St Kevin's College. The waiata and haka that we perform are about bringing people together, speaking Te Reo Māori, celebrating Matariki and representing our takiwā, Waitaki." Te Kapa Haka o Hato Kewene students.

The Kapa Haka group has a class every Friday with their kaiako, Beck Ryan and TIC Sara Plunkett.
This year, we have had a core group of 11 students who have learnt a range of waiata and haka, made their performance kākahu out of harakeke, performed at our SKC Matariki Liturgy, Hui Ako in Ōamaru and at Polyfest in Ōtepoti. In term four, we have two events coming up. We will visit Weston School for a waiata and haka wānaka and perform for some international visitors to Ōamaru in November. We are always on the lookout for students to join the group. Any student at SKC who has a love for Te Reo Māori and Kapa Haka can join the group at any time. Just come and see Mrs Plunkett.
Ake, ake, ake, Kia Kaha Te Reo Māori.

What you can do to celebrate Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori:

Check out the Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori links at reomaori.co.nz for some awesome resources.
Kōrero Māori when you can - even a few words will help to normalise Te Reo Māori in our community.
Recite Te Karakia o te Atua - The Lord's Prayer in Te Reo. This is a great way to practise your pronunciation. https://www.maorilanguage.net/waiata/te-karakia-o-te-atua-the-lords-prayer-in-maori/
Waiata mai, sing along with SKC Kapa Haka and all the other awesome kapa haka groups as you watch the videos below.

Polyfest 2024 Session 7 (SKC starts at 23 mins): 
https://livestream.com/accounts/15197514/otagopolyfest24/videos/250888027?t=1726544534

Full Hui Ako live stream: https://www.youtube.com/live/wQxeVn3a9f4

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We also celebrated Te Reo Māori Language Week 2024 by asking our students to translate our FIRE values into Te Reo Māori.

School Events

Coming up this term 

Tuesday 24th September - Mural project trip
Thursday 26th September - Year 11  Retreat
Friday 27th September - School Cross Country Period 1 and 2

Sports

Coming up this term

Saturday 28th - 30th September - South Island & NZ Trapshooting

SKC Rugby Prizegiving 2024 Season

Last Friday we wrapped up the season with a prizegiving to acknowledge players from all teams. The season had many team and individual highlights, and it was fantastic to celebrate our success together. 

We would like to acknowledge the Year 13 students who are moving on from the college. Thank you for your contribution over the years. Many of you have played for several seasons and have been heavily involved in several teams, not only as players but also as role models in your senior years. We look forward to seeing you continue with your rugby journey.

A massive thank you to the coaches and managers who have put their hand up to help out this year. Although challenging at times, it is a rewarding experience, and not only does the school and rugby club appreciate you giving up your time, but the students and parents do as well.

Finally, thank you to our sponsors, Brosnan Refrigeration Ltd, Scott Simpson Contracting Ltd, Oamaru Veterinary Centre, RK Signs, LJ Hooker, Winmill Family and Freeman Roofing.

Winners

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Smallbore 2024 round up

Smallbore has finished for the year. The Pukeuri Smallbore Club prizegiving and end of season wind up was last Saturday, 14th September. 

All SKC students were invited as they are affiliated with Pukeuri and shoot there every Monday under the watchful eye of Karl Valpy and Stephen Strachan. 

We had some excellent results.

Firstly, last Wednesday, there was an Otago secondary school postal shoot, and SKC won it. The team beat WGHS by 2 points and WBHS by 9. It was a very close competition.
Overall scores were:
St Kevin's 560
WGHS 558
WBHS 551
OBHS 541
Kaikorai College 541
Kings HS 537

Congratulations to Oscar Collins, Aria Whiteman, Charlotte Elliott and Harriet Carter Trotman.

Trophies

Harriet Carter Trotman  won the Ladies' championship of North Otago.
Charlotte Elliott won runner up Ladies Championship of North Otago.

Harriet Carter Trotman won the Ladies Championship of the Pukeuri Smallbore Club, and Charlotte Elliott came runner up. 

Harriet Carter Trotman also won the Knock Out Cup for North Otago. 

Ribbons: Charlotte and Harriet gained their North Otago ribbon and 2024 bar for representing North Otago at shooting competitions. Charlotte gained her Otago ribbon and 2024 bar for representing Otago at shooting competitions. 

All the students have improved very much this season. Their behaviour has been exemplary, and their concentration when down on the floor shooting has been excellent. Concentration and breathing techniques are essential when shooting.  

A massive thank you to Karl Valpy for overseeing the students, getting them organised, and coaching and running the SKC team. A massive thank you also to Stephen Strachan for all his help with coaching and for doing all the paperwork behind the scenes.

Lastly, thank you to the Pukeuri Smallbore Club for hosting us; it is very much appreciated. 

We look forward to 2025

That's Life!

Wednesday evening was our last dress rehearsal for our school production - That's Life!

Thanks to Mrs Buckham for the photos!

Art and Cultural Events/Dates

Coming up this term

Saturday 21st September - SKC Community Mass
Friday 27th September - Caritas Talent Show Period 4
Saturday 28th - 29th September - Edmund Rice Conference

New Zealand Model Parliament

Head Girl Bridie McGeown recently participated in the New Zealand Model Parliament from September 6th to 8th. This event, organised by UN Youth New Zealand, seeks to simulate the operations of the Parliament of New Zealand.

Each person is assigned a party, an electorate, and a committee in which they debate specific aspects of a mock bill, and there are representatives from different media outlets. For this event, I was the Labour candidate for Ohariu, debating in the Education and Workforce sector. 

Over the course of three days, we met in our committees to debate aspects of the Bill that we wanted to change against other parties until, eventually, we deemed it acceptable. 

Some things moved to the Committee of the Whole House, where all members, regardless of what committee they were assigned, were able to vote on amendments. We also did something called a Crisis Workshop in which we were divided within our Party into groups in order to address a crisis facing the country, this one being a Geomagnetic storm that set Canterbury on fire and cut power to Southland. From there, the situation continually escalated, and we had to devise ways to prioritise and address issues as they came up, which was my favourite part of the entire event. 

Overall, it was a great experience, and would highly recommend that anyone interested in politics take part in one!

Fantastic job, Bridie!

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’.

Community Events/Notices

Schools Alpine Competition Trans-Tasman Schools Winter Festival 2024 - 23rd to 27th September

The Schools Alpine Competition aims to provide young ski and snowboard enthusiasts with a platform to showcase their skills, foster sportsmanship and promote the sport of skiing and snowboarding.

This event serves as a gathering of talented skiers and snowboarders aged from 8 to 13 years of age and provides an exhilarating, supportive atmosphere while at the same time fostering healthy competition.

More details in the PDF attached below

5-Day Teen Sailing Adventure! 30th September - 4th October

Embark on an Epic 5-Day Teen Sailing Adventure! 

Calling all teens aged 14-18! 

Get ready to embark on an unforgettable journey that blends adventure, skill-building, and lasting friendships.

An Evening with Chelsea Winter - 17th October

Don't miss an exclusive evening with the celebrated cookbook author Chelsea Winter. 

Hosted by Paper Plus Oamaru in conjunction with the Oamaru Lions Club for one night only.

All proceeds to Oamaru St John Ambulance

When: Thursday 17 October 2024
7:00 pm (doors open 6:30 pm)
Where: Loan & Merc, 14 Harbour Street, Oamaru.

Grab your tickets for just $20 at Paper Plus Oamaru, or email oamaru@paperplus.co.nz

Complimentary drink and nibbles on arrival.

Raffle on the night - bring some loose change.

Books are available to purchase on the night and have been signed by Chelsea! 
Eftpos available

Understanding Your Brain – Building Resilience & Maximising Learning with Nathan Wallis - 17th October

Join Nathan Wallis - Host of the documentary "All in the Mind," host of the TV series "Kids Don't Come With a Manual," and co-host of the TV series "The Secret Life of Girls," Nathan Wallis, Aotearoa's renowned neuroscience educator, has been captivating audiences over 250 times per year to sell out events in New Zealand, Australia, and Internationally.

Understanding Your Brain – Building Resilience & Maximising Learning:

The concept of building resilience in our children is more and more at the forefront of parents' minds. Academic success is, in fact, a result of resilience and can mean very little without it. In this summary of the evidence and research around what resilience looks like, how it's fostered and which environments do it the best, Nathan will break down for parents (in his usual' straight from the hip' humourous style) exactly what we can do to facilitate our children developing resilience, increase their academic ability and enjoy an overall better quality of life. We will look at how our brains work as a basis for understanding how to achieve this. Relevant to parents/carers for all age groups – from newborns to teens!

Thursday 17th October 2024 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm

The event is now live on Eventfinda; here is the link:

https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/.../nathan-wallis.../oamaru

Timaru Ten Run Event - 26th October

Save the date, 26th October!

Timaru Ten Run Event

Levels Raceway, Timaru

There's something for the whole family! We're very excited to have expanded our event to 5 km and walks this year.

For the 5km and kids' races, we will give spot prizes to the best-dressed, so get that tutu or Spider-Man suit out if you want!

Events will be spread out over the morning. The 10km is split into two groups to avoid congestion, as it's the Levels Raceway Track.

Register now https://timaruten.nz/#events

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