Principal's Comment

Dear Kevinians and Supporters

Thank you to those who managed to complete the caregiver's survey sent out earlier this week. The link that was sent out inadvertently required you to log into a Google Account which made the process rather difficult. The "open" survey can be found at www.stkevins.school.nz under Contact Us and Caregiver's Voice. The first 40 responses have been very positive and feedback has been very constructive.

This Thursday we were pleased to be able to host Nola and Patrick Tipa at Staff Professional Development. Nola is the Education programme leader for Ngāi Tahu and is based at our local Moeraki Marae. Staff focused on improved pronunciation of Māori names and gaining an understanding of Teaching as Inquiry.

Also on Thursday, we welcomed Professor Hu and Dr Lam from the University of Canterbury's Confucius Institute. They were visiting in preparation for the arrival of our Mandarin Teacher in Term 3. St Kevin's College joins with Waitaki Boys' High School to offer this language. We are exploring ways to offer basic Mandarin to our more senior students through the development of evening classes. I was honoured to receive a scroll from the University to mark the visit.

Finally, next week we welcome representatives from the Education Review office to the College. This is an opportunity to share with ERO the developments and success we have achieved over the last three year. I am looking forward to the visit as it is a time to compare our self-review process with the results of an external review.

May God bless you all.
Paul Olsen, Principal.

Senior Interhouse Debating

Georgia Malcolm makes her point during today's debate

The Senior Interhouse Debate was won by Whyte House, the team made up of Jibi Kunnethedam, Sydney Telfer and Gray Doppenberg.  Treacy came second with their team of Kaleisha Jones, Taren McLeod and Molly Farrell.  Magee was placed third with Isobel Ryan, Georgia Malcolm and Tiana Mihaere.  Clancy's team of Chris Kearney, Benny Yanzick and Jazz Roundhill gained fourth place.  Magee's third speaker, Kaleisha Jones, was awarded Best Overall Speaker.

The two moots were That Feminism Has Gone Too Far and That Dairying Is Beneficial For NZ.  Thanks to Mrs Jackson for adjudicating, Mrs Austin for chairing the debates and the Cultural Captains for their organisation.

Waitaki Youth Council Initiative

A mid winter view from The Penguin's Nest

The Waitaki Youth Council is successfully run under the umbrella of the Waitaki District Council and this group of aspiring future leaders have organised a youth space at The Penguin's Nest, a local habour side cafe situated beside the Oaamru Rowing Club.  Each Friday evening from 5-7pm the cafe is open as a safe hang out for local teens, with videos, games and activities available.  

Piping Tradition Of Excellence

The College Pipers and Drummers have become a tradition of St Kevin's and past-pupil Nick Parsons is giving our young pipers something to aspire to with his selection to the New Zealand National Youth Pipe Band.  Made up of approx 30 pipers and drummers from around the country, Nick was observed and scrutinised by the selectors over a twelve month period before being awarded his well deserved place.  He is one of only 6 selected from this end of the South Island with the other 3 pipers and 2 drummers based in Dunedin.  All of the members are under 21 years of age and remain with the band, provided they maintain their level of performance.  

Nick has a large repertoire of music to learn ahead of rehearsal/training sessions in September and January.  They are focused on the world championships which will be held in Canada, in July 2014.

Nick graduated from the College last year and is taking this opportunity to focus on his piping before considering study later.  The New Zealand National Youth Pipe Band is fully self funded and a substantial amount of Nick's free time is dedicated to practising.  We wish Nick and his band mates all the very best over the next twelve months!!

Sights Set On Basketball Nationals

Year 12 student Hamish Robertson has his sights firmly set on a national title!  At just 17yrs he has been selected for the Otago U19 Mens team ahead of the national tournament which will be held in Nelson during the upcoming school holidays.    Hamish played for the Otago B team at the recent regional competition and the call up to trial caught him by surprise.  However, he impressed selectors and is now travelling to Dunedin twice a week to train with the team.  Congratulations Hamish and all the best for the tournament!

Lincoln Liaison Visit and Careers Update

CAREERS INFORMATION EVENING - Wednesday 3 July at the Oamaru Opera House.

This information evening is designed for students at all levels of secondary school.  Otago Tertiary providers will be available to answer questions about your child's area of study interest.  Telford will also be representd.

Otago Polytechnic Departments who are presenting during the evening are:
Electrical and Civil Engineering
Culinary Art
Art
Nursing
Design
Cromwell Campus

Brrrrrrrr! Mid Winter Swimmers

Braving the "not so tropical" waters of the Oamaru Harbour were Jessie Conlan, Georgia Matthews, Brittany Weir, Georgia Lightbody, Ella Booth and Indy McKay.  The girls took part in the annual Mid Winter Swim, a fundraiser for the Oamaru Rowing Club which was held over the weekend.

Mercy Cup Details

Good luck to all of the teams heading away tomorrow for the Mercy Cup Tournament, which is being hosted by Roncalli College in Timaru.

The bus will be leaving from the College gym at 7am, returning at approx 4.30pm.  Students are to wear their SKC tracksuits or No 1 uniform.  They are to bring their own lunch, snacks and drink bottle.

School rules of conduct apply at all times during this trip.

Principal's Comment

Dear Kevinians and Supporters

Kia ora from a rather rain soaked and waterlogged St Kevin's community. The challenge this week has been to keep teaching and learning firmly in focus despite the challenging weather.  Flooding earlier in the week disrupted travel with the rural buses not running for two days, followed by snow in the hinterland and a number of tree falls which resulted in a late start today. With the ground so sodden, the high winds have pushed quite mature trees over. The sounds of chainsaws has echoed in the grounds as the team from Whitestone Contracting have felled trees next to our boundary within the Council's plantation. We are grateful for their efforts in such appalling conditions.

It is timely to revisit the lines of communication at times like these. Firstly, as we are a boarding school with over 100 students and a number of staff living on site, we are almost always open for instruction. The only times that the school would close are when there is a major civil defense emergency and we are instructed to do so or a major health and safety issue such as the failure of sewage or heating plants. We try to maintain normal lessons unless our staff are stranded as well. We often arrange for a 10 am start into period 2 so that we can assess any problems in daylight and make arrangements for covering classes. (This week we had a blocked storm water drain and tree fall to deal with before the students arrived.) Student safety is our primary concern.We do not expect students or staff to take risks getting to or from school. If there is an emergency communication it will be on the local radio and the St Kevin's Facebook page. Please use the link from our web page to access the Facebook page as there are a number of unofficial versions on the web.

May God bless you all.
Paul Olsen, Principal.

Storm Damage

We have certainly had our fair share of wild weather in Oamaru and the saturated ground relented late yesterday afternoon when the first of a number of trees on the council property adjoining the College library toppled in the stormy winds.  Areas of the hostel were evacuated overnight as a precautionary measure and the Waitaki District Council have been on site with Mr Olsen and Mr Grant this morning in order to assess the damage and make safe the hillside area.  As well as clearing fallen trees, a number of trees at risk of damage are now tagged for felling.  The large trees lining the College driveway are also being assessed as a precaution.  Our sincere thanks to Council staff for responding so quickly in order to ensure the safety of students and staff and proactively prevent damage to our beautiful College grounds.

Home & School Raffle Ticket Wrap Up

Thanks to everyone that has returned their raffle tickets.

If you haven't already returned them, can you please drop them into the school office next week (sold or unsold), some could be in the bottom of school bags!

Many thanks, have a wonderful weekend and keep warm!

Girls Eye National Basketball Selection

Congratulations to Tiana Mihaere and Helena Graham on their selection to the U17 Canterbury Country Girls Basketball team.  Made up from players in the Canterbury district from outside of Christchurch City the girls have been busy clocking up long miles and hours travelling to training sessions held in Timaru, Ashburton or Kaiapoi each week.  During Queen's Birthday Weekend the team competed at the Junior Invitational Tournament in Christchurch and won against the U17 Christchurch Metro teams. The team head to the national competition in North Harbour in July and are displaying great potential under the coaching of Timaru based Sean Fuller.

The opportunity to be seen playing at nationals will allow Tiana and Helena to put up their best shots in front of the national age group selectors prior to the NZ Koru trials.  Helena made reserve for the New Zealand side last year and her goal is to be selected for a place in the team this year.  The girls are continuing to raise the level of success in girls basketball at the College.

An Important Careers Information

This information evening is recommended to parents and students at all levels of secondary school.

STUDYLINK will also attend to give information about student loans.

On THURSDAY 27 JUNE at 8.30am the LINCOLN UNIVERSITY Liaison Officer will visit St Kevin's College.

The Careers Department has purchased the BREAKOUT DATABASE to enable senior students to access Scholarships to help fund their tertiary studies.  This site is available on the school Intranet: www.fis.org.nz

NCEA And The Whanau Evening Workshop

Tēnā koutou katoa, Bula vinaka, Halo olageta, Fakaalofalahi atu, 

Kia orana, Malo e lelei, Mauri, Taloha ni, Talofa lava & Greetings!

St Kevin's College would like to invite all whānau and pasifika ainga from the Waitaki area 

(St Kevin's College, Waitaki Girls' and Waitaki Boys') to our first ever NCEA and the Whānau evening workshop.

Thursday 4 July, 6-8pm
St Kevin's College

Because we are meeting together as three schools we will need to confirm numbers.  If you would like to attend please RSVP splunkett@stkevins.school.nz 

or call the school office 4371665 before Monday the 1st July.

Nga Mihi 

Sara Plunkett - TIC Māori,

Tina Dooley - TIC Pasifika, 

Janette Potter - TIC NCEA

SKC

Two More At Highlanders Rugby Camp

Congratulations to Siosiua Ngalo (U18) and Jacob Coghlan (U17) who have been selected to attend the Highlanders Rugby Regional Age Group Camp, which will be held in Dunedin next month.  They join Inoke Naufahu from WGHS and a select group of players for this unique training opportunity.  The boys continue a tradition of high performance with two players also attending last year - Ashley Miller and Tim O'Malley, Tim of course going on to play for North Otago in Heartland Rugby Competition.

Principal's Comment

Dear Kevinians and Supporters

Congratulations to Jibi Kunnethedam and Ben Latavao, who have taken the top two spots at the Lions Young Speechmaker Competition last weekend. These young men typify the College's public speaking strength and continue a long tradition of excellence. The ability to stand confidently before an audience is fostered jointly in our classrooms and through our Special Character. Scripture reading, assembly liturgies and involvement in Mass, all built capability and competence. As a College we are enriched in many ways by the Ricean and Dominican charisms and we knowledge the important of carrying on these public speaking traditions.

The annual Southern Catholic School Junior Sports Day was held in Dunedin on Wednesday. Two buses took our students to the event which was very well organised by Kavanagh College. Thank you to the parents and staff who accompanied the students and to Mr Ryburn for the organisation of our end. The Principals have also taken this opportunity to confirm that the Senior event will alternate between St Peter's College in Gore and St Kevin's on alternate years. Both schools have facilities in a compact campus set up. This will allow an institutional memory to build up around the event, making it easier to run efficiently. Kavanagh College will continue to host the Junior event each year.

Also on Wednesday, our guest speaker at Assembly was Helen Mulheron. Helen began with the Indian greeting "Namaste" which is often translated as "May the God in me meet the God in you". This set the tone for an inspiring address in which Helen gave us a glimpse into the missionary work she has undertaken in India at during her six months of travels. Her links with the Edmund Rice Network allowed her to be actively involved with educating the poor on her journey. I would like to thank Helen  for the passion she engendered with her address and wish her every blessing on her work. 

On Thursday, staff professional development focused on the development of the modern style of Individual Education Plans (IEPs) Thank you to Linda Schofield and Tina Dooley for their contribution. 

Lastly I have just finished a site visit with a representative from Chorus, the company deploying the Ultra Fast Broad Band network to Schools. This is an exciting and long awaited development that I hope will be completed later this year.  

May God bless you all.
Paul Olsen, Principal.

Upcoming 1st XV Rugby Clashes

After their fantastic win against King's High School over Queen's Birthday Weekend, the 1st XV are ready to take on  Otago Boys' High School this coming weekend.  Kick off at 1pm at the College!

Also coming up is an exciting clash with John McGlashan on Saturday 22 June which will be played at the Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, 12.30pm kick off.  Make sure you join the SKC supporters to cheer the boys to victory!  For past pupils of the College, Mr Farrell will meet you outside the stadium at high noon to march in together as in days past!  The first 10 who appear in their SKC training jersey will get a free "Hostel Care Package"!
(Please note that at this stage we are unsure of any admission charges to the Forsyth Barr Stadium)

Images From The Junior Sports Tournament This Week

If you have photos to share from other sports at the tournament please feel free to send them in to share.  Email them to ctaylor@stkevins.school.nz

Chacha Puts Her Best Foot Forward

Continuing on from being our Grease "Chacha", Riley Chandler competed in the Southern Dance Competitions at Queen's Birthday Weekend in Invercargill and danced her way to several awards.  She placed 3rd in the 14yr Classical Ballet, Modern Jazz, Demi Character, National Character and Modern Impromptu!  Phew!!  

She also placed 2nd in the Barefoot and Contemporary section but the highlight of her weekend was taking 2nd place in the Intermediate Jazz Championship Class.   

Riley is certainly putting her best foot forward!!  Well done.

Oamaru Rowing Club End Of Season Awards

The Oamaru Rowing Club End of Season Awards for 2013 were held last weekend and once again St Kevin's College students featured during the course of the evening.  Following the international success of Johannah Kearney and that of Julia Fauth at Maadi this year, rowing continues to go from strength to strength at the College and we congratulate the following students on their awards:

de Geest Trophy (Most Promising Coxswain) - Cushla Houlihan, shared with Jacob Sullivan from WBHS

Rusty Robertson Cup (Sculling Points) - Julia Fauth

Jim Kane Cup (Overall Points) - Julia Fauth

Thos Bracken Cup (Most Improved Female) - Tiana Mihaere

Elsie Robertson & Family Cup (Best Crew Performance or Consistent Performance) - Julia Fauth & Tiana Mihaere

Don Murray Trophy (SKC Team Contribution - Male) - Charlie Wallis, leadership

Frances Lemm Trophy (SKC Team Contribution - Female) - Cushla Houlihan

International Flavour

Dinner at the Boys Hostel took on an international flavour last night as our international students lead their peers in the kitchen for an International Dinner held in the Yr 13 dorm.  With a traditional Fijian fish dish, Chinese fried rice and Japanese sushi on the menu it was a taste of home for the boys and a chance to share in the cultural diversity within our College.

Network Waitaki Supporting Cricket At SKC

Mr Seddon receives our grant from Network Waitaki director Mr Tony Wood 
(thanks to Rebecca Ryan from the Oamaru Mail for the photo).

Mr Mike Seddon attended a function at the Homestead yesterday to receive a 2013 Sponsorship Grant from Network Waitaki Ltd.  The grant of $2875 will be used to upgrade the cricket nets on the north side of the College playing fields.  These nets are used not only by students but also members of the wider community and are a great asset to the local area.  Thank you Network Waitaki!

Netball "Tactix" At The Otago Secondary Schools Competition

The College was well represented at the Otago Secondary School Netball Tournament with the Senior A, Intermediate A and Junior A all travelling to compete.  There were some solid performances with all teams finishing in the top 8 for their grade.

A highlight for the girls was attending the Steel v Tactix game and having the opportunity to meet Jane Watson who plays for the Tactix at GK.  Jane is a past pupil of the College and was a member of the Senior A Team from 2004 until 2007.  She spoke to them about making the most of their opportunities and enjoying their netball.  

Top Spots At Lions Young Speechmaker Competition

Head Boy and Deputy Head Boy, Jibi Kunnethedam and Ben Latavao, have taken the top two spots at the Lions Young Speechmaker Competition which was held in Oamaru on Sunday.  Jibi took first place with a speech about teenagers in today's society, while Ben centred his speech on the urgency of poverty.  As well as giving a prepared speech all of the competitors were given one minute before presenting an impromptu speech on "opening the doors to our futures".  

Public speaking is well practiced in all areas of the College and the success of students in this area is always rewarding to see.  The national finals will be held in mid August in Auckland.  

Principal's Comment

Dear Kevinians and Supporters

On the Saturday of the Queen's Birthday long weekend the College welcomed past pupils from the class of 1986. The group of 40 gathered in the Chapel for a liturgy and then enjoyed a tour of the College finishing at Redcastle for afternoon tea.  For many of the past students it was their first opportunity to view the Redcastle and recall the many stories from their generation. I am hopeful that other year groups will use this format to reconnect with the College.

On Thursday, staff professional development focused on school wide career education. The College has been reviewing what is currently being delivered and assessing ourselves against the national benchmarks. Career education is delivered at multiple levels, from integration into lessons through to job shadowing and the careers expo. The links between student engagement and career education were emphasised.

This Friday and Saturday I have been attending the Edmund Rice Commision meeting at St Thomas of Canterbury. This group is an important compass for our special character. This year we have been joined by representatives from Edmund Rice Education Australia and are exploring professional development links with this larger group. This is an exciting opportunity for the College.

May God bless you all.
Paul Olsen, Principal.

Otago Cross Country Star

The boys relax before their event.

Fran in great form

Congratulations to running star Fran Yanzick who has taken second place in the U16 Girls event at the Otago Cross Country Championships held in Mosgiel yesterday.  Top ten finishes were secured by William Sunderland and Benny Yanzick.  Well done!

The team who traveled to the event were Fran Yanzick, Rosie Pope, Georgia Haggerty, Georgia Hansen, Angus Macaulay, Lennox Cant, William Sunderland, Connor Ryan, Matthew Cullimore and Benny Yanzick.

The girls make a powerful start

Queen's Birthday Reunion Visit

Last weekend the College was delighted to host past pupils from 1986-1990 during an afternoon re-visit to the school.  After a special liturgy written for the occasion by Mrs Austin, Mr Olsen gave the group a tour of the College, with some things quite different to they way they were in the 1980's!  After the tour Mr and Mrs Olsen hosted everyone in the Redcastle before they headed away for their evening function.  Thank you to Nic Dorward and her classmates for coming back to see us.

Careers Visits

Term Two has already been very busy in the Careers Department.  In week two several of our Year 13 students visited Otago University and Otago Polytechnic for the Otago Tertiary Open Day, and the following week Year 11 and Year 12 students attended the Timaru Careers Expo.  A group of Year 13 students also went to the Otago University Law presentation.

Liaison visits to the College are an important way of giving information and this year to date we have had visits from Otago Polytechnic, Otago University, Victoria University and Auckland University.  The Lincoln University Liaison Officer will be visiting St Kevin's on Thursday 27 June at 8.30am.  Also, keep the evening of July 3 free for a Careers Tertiary Information Evening to be held at the Oamaru Opera House ... more information about this will be coming up shortly.

Career choices are always very difficult and a useful site for information and subject planning is www.careers.govt.nz and our Careers Advisor Mrs Lynley Manson is always available for a careers consultation; her extension is at the College is 725.

Year Level Speech Winners

Year Level Speech winners Gray and Evie.

Public speaking is an attribute that is well taught at St Kevin's and our Yr12 and Yr11 speech competitions show the continued high level of skill in this area.  Our thanks to the adjudicator for the day Mrs Lorna Elliott who is very experienced in the realm of public speaking. 

Congratulations to the following students:

YEAR 11

1st Evie Sefton 

2nd Georgia-Kate Blair 

3rd Jack Sinclair

YEAR 12

1st Gray Doppenberg 

2nd Isobel Ryan 

3rd= Christopher Kearney & Kaleisha Jones

Otago Swimming Championships - Neptune Carnival

Georgia, Lennox, Isobel and Angus try on gold for size.

Yr 12 student Isobel Ryan along with Lennox Cant, Angus Macaulay and Georgia Dyson, all in their first year at the College, traveled to Dunedin over the Queen's Birthday Weekend to compete in the Otago Championships "Neptune Queen's Birthday Swim Meet".

Already a regular on the swimming roll of honour at the College, Isobel competed in the 15&16 year age group and brought home four gold medals for her efforts in the 50m, 200m and 400m freestyle events and 50m backstroke event.  Angus swam in the 14&15 year age group and secured a bronze in the 200m freestyle as well as posting 4th and 5th placings in the 100m freestyle, 100m individual medly and 100m backstroke.

Lennox and Georgia competed in the 13&14 year age group and their great performances at this level of competition, with several top 10 finishes, saw them swim personal bests and make Division Two times.  As a result of their successful campaigns Isobel and Angus have make National Age Group Swim times.  Congratulations everyone!!

Otago Clippers And The Regional Competition

It was a busy weekend of basketball for Hamish Robertson, Tom Halkett and Kaz Kobayashi as they traveled to Queenstown and the Regional Competition as members of the U19 Otago Clippers Basketball Team. The level of competition was extremely high and whilst it was the other Otago team that took the top spot Hamish was named in the Top 20 players of the tournament.  Congratulations!   

P.S.   A special thanks to Logan Chandler and his dad Chris for all of the fantastic local support!

St Bede's Exchange Scores Rugby Wins

Hot off the heels from a win against Kings High School (24-20) in the weekend Mr Fowler and the St Kevin's College 1st XV were ready to meet our visitors from Christchurch at the sporting exchange with St Bede's College today.  It was the U16's who lead the charge scoring the first rugby points of the day.  Also ready for a tough battle were our Boys 1st XI Hockey and the chilly conditions of the day did little to damped the SKC fighting spirit throughout the afternoon.

While the hockey result didn't go the way of the red and blue, both the 1st XV and U16 Rugby came away triumphant with scores that show the continuing promise of things to come.  U16 took the win 19-15 and the 1st XV had a ten point winning margin of 23-13.

Congratulations to all of the boys who played today - hockey or rugby!