Principal's Comment

Dear Parents and Friends of St Kevin's College,

Welcome back to the SKC Blog for second term. With ANZAC Day falling outside the holidays this year, the week was spit neatly in half. Despite the holiday, students and staff have been fully engaged in the many activities that characterise Term Two. Our ANZAC ceremony, winter sports practices, Stage Challenge practices, cross country and field trips receive a mention later in the blog and demonstrate the tremendous commitment of both staff and students to co-curricular involvement. I also would like to formally welcome Mr Ryan back to the College for the new term.

As we begin the new academic term, I would encourage parents and students to explore the following NCEA link: NCEA Update. The link provided here will help parents and caregivers to understand how NCEA works for the student, both at school and after they have left. There is a small video and a number of informative links on this site. Please don't hesitate to contact the College if you have any questions about NCEA and how it works.

Over the holidays parents and caregivers will have received Interim Reports, a Fridge Calendar for the term and  Redcastle Reminders. Unfortunately one of the key bits of information - the log in for parents teacher interviews - was missing. My apologies for any inconvenience. The details appear later in the blog. Please contact the office if you need assistance. 

May God bless you all

Paul Olsen, Principal

ANZAC Liturgy

On Tuesday the College gathered in the Chapel to commemorate ANZAC Day and remember the sacrifice made by our past pupils at a special liturgy.  The College pipers and drummer led students and staff to the Grotto where a wreath was laid and then on to the Magee Lawn where students each left a poppy and the Combined School Firing Party fired a salute to the fallen.

Girl's Rugby ANZAC Test

The Girl's Rugby team played their first match for the season on ANZAC day. A good crowd watched as the sun left the field in the match against Waitaki Girls' High School. The St Kevin's team had a resounding win which bodes well for the season ahead.  

ASB Stage Challenge 2012

A creative group of students have been busy rehearsing for the upcoming ASB Stage Challenge which will be held on Monday 7th May at the Edgar Centre in Dunedin.  Stage Challenge is a high energy dance, drama and music extravaganza aimed at motivating and inspiring students, encouraging them to be the driving force behind each of the performances.  St Kevin's College has a full range of students involved from Yr9 through to Yr13, both on and off stage and we wish them well in the lead up to their Regional Performance.

Tickets are available through Ticket Direct - click here to follow the link.

Cross Country Grit

Thursday's weather was perfect for distance running during the Cross Country and it was great to see all of our students participating in the event.  Congratulations to all of our champions and place getters.

Under 14 Girls:       
1. Francziska Yanzick
2. Sinnead Flannery
3. Brittany Tiffen

Under 15 Girls:
1. Sydney Telfer
2. Georgia Haggerty
3. Georgia Malcolm

Under 16 Girls:
1. Micayla Brensell
2. Katherine Hope
3. Tarentaise McLeod

Senior Girls:
1. Eilee Robinson
2. Johanna Kearney
3. Anna Edzes

Under 14 Boys:
1. Rajinald Singh
2. Charles Wallis
3. Thomas Pickles

Under 15 Boys:
1. Connor Ryan
2. Sam Evans
3. Josh Macaulay

Under 16 Boys:
1. Kieran Ryan
2. Jacob Coughlan
3. Christopher Kearney

Senior Boys:
1. Benedict Yanzick
2. Albert Hailes
3. Rodney Bungard

House Points:
1. Magee 194
2. Clancy 164
3. Treacy 157
4. Whyte 143

Parent Teacher Interviews

Thursday May 3rd 6 - 8p.m, Friday 4th May 3 - 5 p.m.

The following is the link for online booking:

http://www.schoolinterviews.co.nz/

the event code is J4MZ2

Power Supply Re-Routed

During the holidays, the 11,000 volt power supply to the College was re-routed  due to erosion of a bank close to a critical pole. Our thanks go to the staff of Network Waitaki for the smooth and professional way there outage was handled.

End of Term Farewell

The young men of the College bid farewell to Miss Gudsell with a rousing Haka.

On the last day of term, the College said farewell to Miss Bridget Gudsell who has taught in the English Faculty for the last two years. She was part of the team who established the on-line AsTTLe testing system and is an inspirational young teacher with a bright future.  We wish Miss Gudsell bon voyage as she embarks on her OE.

Sporting Draws

RUGBY - SATURDAY 28 APRIL

Highlanders 1st XV Competition

St Kevin's v South Otago - played in Oamaru

U18

St Kevin's v Waimate - played in Waimate

U16

St Kevin's v TBHS Blue - played in Oamaru

U14

St Kevin's v Waimate - played in Waimate

National Rowing Representation

Photo courtesy of the Oamaru Mail

Congratulations to Deputy Head Girl Johannah Kearney, who secured a place in the National Junior Rowing Team after a week of trialing during the holidays.  As part of the Women's Coxless Four Johannah will travel to the Junior World Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria in August.  We look forward to following her rowing career on the international stage.  

Cycling Wins

College student Holly Edmondston (Yr11) spent a very busy holidays at a variety of cycling events with success the reward for her efforts!  During the Tour of Te Awamutu over the Easter Weekend Holly took the U17 Girls title by an impressive 19 seconds, while at the Canterbury Road Cycling Championships she comfortably won the 15km Time Trial and 35km Scratch Race.  Well done!

Art Auction Update!

With some wonderful pieces of work already coming in, Anne Marie Forgie is on the hunt for large pieces of bubble wrap for these art treasures. If you have any laying about that you don't know what to do with, bring it to the school office and donate it to the Home & School Art Auction!

South Island Athletic Championships

A team of 12 athletes traveled to Nelson last weekend to compete in the South Island Athletic Championships, with several top 10 finishes to show for their efforts. Thank you to Mr Nyika for helping the students with their training and traveling with them to all of the regional competitions.

Congratulations to the following students:

U14 Girls:

Franceiska Yanzick - 10th 1500m / 10th 800m

U15 Girls:

Merekite Wahitapu - 6th Long Jump

Senior Girls:

Salena Xie - 10th Shot Put

U15 Boys:

Cole Ryan - 6th 800m

U16 Boys:

Isak Gunnarsson - 8th 100m / 8th 200m

James Armstrong - 6th Javelin

Senior Boys:

Michael Hannigan - 9th High Jump

Rodney Bungard - 4th 100m

4 x 100m Relay Team - 4th

Otago Swimming Champs Results

Congratulations to the St Kevin's Swimming Team who competed at the Otago Secondary Schools Championships last weekend. Results are:

Girls 15yr and over:

50m Fly - Isobel Ryan 1st

50m Backstroke - Isobel Ryan 1st

50m Freestyle - Isobel Ryan 1st

50m Breaststroke - Libby McGee 5th / Isobel Ryan 8th

Girls 200m Freestyle Relay - SKC 2nd

Girls 200m Medley Relay - SKC 2nd

(Relay Team ... Olivia Brien, Olivia Macaulay, Libby McGee, Isobel Ryan)

Bishop's Shield At SKC

Congratulations to our Bishop's Shield Team following the their win over stiff competition during the weekend! It was the icing on the cake to a fantastic few days. Our thanks to Mrs Austin and her large team who coached and prepared students for competition and a round of applause for Mrs Linda McClelland and the Home & School who catered the weekend. The College is also grateful to all the families who hosted billets.

Results are:

Junior Drama - 3rd

Senior Drama - 1st

Junior Scripture - 2nd

Senior Scripture - 1st Sight Reading, 3rd Questions

Impromptu Speech - 1st

Prepared Speech - 2nd

Junior Debating - 2nd

Senior Debating - 1st

Congratulations also to Jibi Kunnethedam who won the Hibernian Cup for Best Speaker in Senior Debate.