St Kevin's College News and Reminders Term 3 Week 4
Kia ora whānau and friends of St Kevin's College,
Last weekend we had our students compete in the 79th Bishop's Shield Competition which was held in Gore, results are listed below. What a fantastic weekend! We had our final Peer Support session on Wednesday and ended the week with our Student Led Conferences. During the week the St Taki Under 18 Girls rugby team won a tight semi-final match against Ash/Hutt and the 1st XI Girls Football team had a great semi-final win against Craighead. Well done to both teams. Tonight in Dunedin we have 3 of our Basketball teams competing in the semi-finals. Best of luck to all involved.
This Week at SKC
Final Peer Support shared lunch
It was a busy afternoon on Wednesday at SKC with our final Peer Support shared lunch, a busy Te Reo Māori class, Jarrell practicing his piano skills, and some of our Year 13s practicing their employment interview skills.
School Notices
- Up to date ATLs have been published and are available to view through the Edge app
- 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.
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
Thursday 17th August - Otago and Canterbury Uni Course planning
Friday 18th August - Waitaki Careers Expo
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 11th September - Sports and Cultural photos
Monday 18th September - Friday 22nd September - Assessment Week
Bishop’s Shield 2023
The 79th Bishop's Shield Competition was held in Gore over the weekend.
The Competition involves the four Catholic High Schools in the Otago and Southland Region - St Kevin’s College, St Peter’s College, Trinity College and Verdon College.
All four schools compete in a variety of cultural events, namely Public Speaking, Drama, Scripture Reading and Debating.
The Competition begins with Formal Speeches on Friday night and culminates with Scripture Reading and a shared Mass on Sunday.
St Kevin’s put in a credible performance this year, especially considering that we had a young and reasonably inexperienced team. Our students were immaculately behaved and were excellent ambassadors for our college. Although exhausting (and nerve-racking at times!), both staff and students had a great weekend.
Even though trophies were at stake, the friendships formed within our team and with members of the other schools were far more important. It was wonderful to see the comradery built between all the students over the weekend.
A huge thank you to everyone involved with the organisation of the event and to St Peter’s who hosted us this year.
Some results:
St Kevin’s College placed Second Overall - Marist Centennial Plate.
Drama
Junior Drama - Second Overall. Senior Drama - First Overall - The JB Lynch CFC Cup.
Drewbert Monoy won the Boyce Family Cup for the Most Promising Senior Dramatic Performance
Scripture Study
Sam Plieger - Second Overall.
Debating
Senior Debating - First Overall - The Father Chris Gaffey Cup (this is the 5th year in a row that our Senior Debating Team has taken out the trophy).
We look forward to next years Bishop’s Shield Competition which will be held in Invercargill in 2024.
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
Cultural Events
Thursday 24th - Friday 25th August - School Show
Thursday 7th September - Choral festival
School TV
Neurodiversity
Neurodiversity emphasises the natural variation in how an individual's brain functions and how they perceive and interact with the world, leading to diverse ways of learning and communicating. While most young people are neurotypical, some exhibit variations in brain development, such as ADHD, autism or dyslexia, making them neurodivergent.
Embracing neurodiversity involves accepting, celebrating, and supporting neurodivergent children and adolescents without attempting to change or treat their differences. Using respectful language, challenging unhelpful attitudes, avoiding assumptions, and actively promoting inclusivity can help embrace neurodiversity effectively.
Acknowledging the unique ways neurodiverse young people do things and then adapting tasks and activities to ensure their full participation will encourage them to develop strategies that feel natural to them. It will help improve their mental health, well-being and sense of self. By recognising and nurturing their strengths, families can contribute to building an inclusive and compassionate society where all young people can thrive.
Learning more about neurodiversity equips families with insights into effective communication techniques, educational strategies, and parenting approaches tailored to the specific needs of their neurodivergent young person.
Here is the link to the Neurodiversity edition of SchoolTV
Sporting Events
Monday 28th August - Saturday 2nd September - Tournament Week
Tuesday 5th September - St Thomas Exchange
Community Events
Best Foot Forward - THIS WEEKEND!!!
Walk – Run – Navigate
Like treasure hunting, these social rogaines are fun and suitable for anyone, from families with little kids to expert adventurers.
Great way to exercise the body and the brain.
SUNDAY, 13th AUGUST 2023
2023 Conservation week talk - Tuesday 15th & Thursday 17th August
Multicultural Day - 25 August
Antioch Camp
Antioch empowers taiohi / young people to recognise the incredible person God has created them to be. This weekend camp is a time to explore faith and journey together into prayer and the sacraments. It is also a time to make new friends, play games, listen to inspirational speakers, ask big questions, make music, and much more!
Antioch aims to inspire, encourage, and equip young people to be the church of today and disciples in their communities.
2024 Fully Funded Outward Bound Courses for students with disabilities
Enrolments are now open for the following Outward Bound courses for secondary school students with physical disabilities. These courses run once a year in January and April.
These courses are fully funded. The only cost to students is getting a pre-course medical done by a GP and getting themselves to and from Picton via bus, ferry, personal vehicle or air.
These 6-8 day courses are based in the Marlborough Sounds. Students build confidence, resilience, and make new friends through activities such as sailing, waka ama, ropes course, and camping.
YOUTH HORIZONS 2024
A 6 day course for youth with an intellectual disability (16-21yrs)
Sat 6 – Thu 11 Jan 2024
(Supervision on flights from Auckland and Ferry from Wellington is provided for this course)
LEAPS & BOUNDS ACTIVATE 2024
An 8 day course for physically disabled youth (13 to 16yrs) to attend with a parent or caregiver
Sun 7 - Sun 14 April 2024
YOUTH ACTIVATE 2024
An 8 day course for physically disabled youth aged 16-17 years
Sat 20 - Sat 27 April 2024
To find out more see www.outwardbound.co.nz/adapted or contact us:
Email: adapted@outwardbound.co.nz
Freephone: 0800 688 927
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