Thursday, March 31, 2016

Culinary Delights

This year Food Technology at the College has extended into the area of Hospitality and senior students who have taken this option have the wonderful opportunity for practical classes with Mr Perkins in the College Dining Room Kitchen.


Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Piping His Way To Success

Congratulations to Y10 student Callum Bishop who piped his way to success at the Mackenzie Country Show over Easter Weekend.  He won the C Grade and D Grade Aggregates.  Well done Callum!

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Principal's Comment


Kia ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College

Yesterday afternoon our telephone system was finally restored after 14 days. The disruption to our office and emergency systems seems to hold little sway when dealing with a corporate giant, so we are pleased to eventually have services restored.

The St Kevin's College Confucius Classroom was formally opened this week and it was my pleasure to welcome our distinguished guests for the occasion including; Mayor Gary Kircher, the Education Consul General Mr Yucai Li, from the Chinese Consulate in Christchurch and Professor Hong Hu from the Confucius Institute at the University of Canterbury. The opening marks the culmination of four years of partnership with the Confucius Institute and while the classroom may be here at St Kevin's, it is a sign and symbol of a much wider community endeavour. As such I was delighted to acknowledge the Oamaru Chinese community, our local school principals and their students leaders at the opening and have them join us as guests for the afternoon ceremony.

The evening saw the College host a number of interactive Chinese activities and my thanks to the staff from the Confucius Institute and members of the local Chinese community for their invaluable contribution to the success of the day.

May God bless you this Easter
Paul Olsen, Principal

U16 Rugby Win

Congratulations to the U16 Rugby team who took the win this afternoon over a visiting side from St Edmunds College in Canberra.


Easter Liturgy


Yesterday the Top Six lead the Easter Liturgy in the Chapel, focusing on the Stations of the Cross.  Modern imagery was used to recreate the path of Jesus on the day of his crucifixion.  Father Wayne concluded the liturgy with his words of wisdom reflecting on the Stations in today's world.

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Confucius Classroom Opening


The St Kevin's College Confucius Classroom was formally opened this week during an afternoon ceremony held in the College Auditorium.  We were joined by distinguished guests Mayor Gary Kircher, Professor Hong Hu from the Confucius Institute at the University of Canterbury, the Education Consul Mr Yucai Li from the Chinese Consulate in Christchurch, as well as Principals/staff/students from Waitaki Boys’ High School, Waitaki Girl’s High School, St Jospeh's Primary School and Weston Primary School, and members of the Oamaru Chinese Association and local Chinese community. 

The brass plaque, which will be mounted in the classroom, was revealed during the ceremony by Mayor Kircher, Mr Li, Professor Hu and Mr Olsen.  Diane Vidallon sang a song in Chinese to conclude the ceremony.  Guests were then invited to visit the classroom before joining Mr Olsen at the Redcastle for afternoon tea where a cake made by local woman Joy Wang was cut to mark the occasion.
As part of the celebrations the College held an Confucius Celebrations Evening to host a number of hands on activities for members of the community to try.  With demonstrations on everything from Kung Fu and Tai Chi, to Plate Painting and Chinese Knots there was something for everyone.  The Paper Cutting in the Library was particularly popular, as was Ms Yunbing Chen’s Chinese Tea Ceremony.  However the stars of the evening were the children from Weston school who performed a short concert which included “London Bridge” in Chinese.  The evening concluded with a Chinese Supper which was hosted by the Oamaru Chinese Association.  St Kevin’s College is extremely grateful to both the Confucius Institute and the Oamaru Chinese Association for all of their assistance in organising the evening's activities.  

For lots more great images CLICK HERE



Race Relations Day Celebrations Multicultural Concert

The Race Relations Day Celebrations Multicultural Concert was held at the Oamaru Opera House over the weekend and once again, well done to all those who worked hard to stage the event.  St Kevin's was represented by members of the Kapa Haka and Pasifika groups and they were congratulated on their performance item.  As previously mentioned in the College blog, students from all of the High Schools joined Sela Faletolu in an excerpt from the production Through My Father's Eyes, a powerful piece.



Aoraki Swimming 2016

A team of seven representatives went to the Aoraki Secondary School’s Championships where Penny Keeling took the trophy for best female in the Junior section. This was a great effort from Penny as she took 11 points from a maximum of 12 in her four events. She has two more years in this age group and is already planning for next year. Close behind was the captain for the day, Jaxson MacDonald-Piner, who got two firsts and two seconds.

Tiana Mansfield placed first in 50m Backstroke and managed a second and third also. Mannix Fraser gained a creditable fourth against some strong opposition. Charlie Gilbert placed second and third in two of his events. Amanda Sheehan, and Nina Dickie travelled and accredited themselves very well. Most swimmers produced personal best times in at least one of their events which is the goal of any dedicated athlete. Tiana holds an Aoraki record while Jaxson holds three.

A special mention must go to Jo Gilbert and Cynthia Sheehan who attended and acted as officials for the day.

Monday, March 21, 2016

Ministry of Health: Promoting Healthy Lifestyles




Hot tips for parents

Young people need healthy food for their bodies and brains to work properly.  Get them into healthy habits with these tips.


• Keep a variety of fresh vegetables and fruit on hand for snacks.

• Encourage children to drink water throughout the day. Service it in a jug with ice. You could add slices of orange, strawberry, kiwifruit or lemon.

• Hooked on sweet drinks? Wean your children off gradually by making water the only option at breakfast, then add lunch, then dinner. Soon they’ll be drinking water with meals all the time.

• Eat in season– seasonal vegetables and fruit are the cheapest, freshest and tastiest.

• “What should we eat at our main meal?” Try meat (size of the palm of your hand), add some rice/pasta/potato and plenty of vegetables or salad.

• Eat together as a family as often as possible.

• Avoid using food or drink as a treat or reward – a special activity can be used instead.

• Cook a meal with your children once a week – you’ll be surprised what they can do, and their future flatmates will thank you!

• Help children stay active – it’s a great way to have some fun and spend time together.

• If you have time, eat breakfast with your children – it sets everyone up for the day.

• Avoid calling food ‘good’ or ‘bad’ – instead try ‘everyday’ and ‘sometimes’ food.

• Treat overload. A treat is not a treat if it happens every day! Check how often your children have treat foods. Have ‘everyday’ foods for everyday occasions, like school, and keep treats for special occasions like parties.

• ‘Lighten up’ and use reduced fat versions of mayonnaise, coconut cream, cream cheese, minced beef and milk (for children over two).

• Try foods from a range of different countries and cultures for new flavours, colours, textures and aromas.

• Offer children a variety of healthy foods – different types, colours, textures, flavours, smells and temperatures – so they get all the nutrients they need.

• Introduce wholegrain bread by making it the only option for toast or by making sandwiches with one wholegrain slice and one white.

• Get more vegetables and fruit into their diet – fruit smoothies, carrot sticks before dinner, savoury/fruit muffins, grated vegetables in mince/bolognaise/homemade hamburgers.

• Pack an extra sandwich or piece of fruit for that after school hunger!

• Bananas make a great snack for hungry children. Take fruit to keep them going when collecting your children from their ECE service or school.

• Try swapping:
     chocolate biscuits with plain fruit biscuits
     potato chips with plain popcorn
     fruit juice with a whole piece of fruit
     ice cream with yoghurt
     chocolate bars with dried fruit or nuts

Friday, March 18, 2016

Principal's Comment

Kia ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College

This week we have been without a telephone system as our land line has be down because of a line issue outside the school. My apology to anyone inconvenienced by this very frustrating situation. It is timely to remind everyone that there are contact details and a directory of email addresses available on our website.

Congratulations to the 1st eleven Cricket team who have made it to the finals of the regional competition. This is an outstanding achievement and we wish you every success this weekend.

A big thank you to Sela Faletolu who has been working with our Pasifika students this week. The "Lead your Future" seminar had a powerful and inspiring message. We look forward to seeing the results of the combined schools work at the Race Relations Day Celebrations and Multicultural Concert this coming Saturday.

Thank you to all the staff and helpers who supported our students at the Aoraki Athletics this week. After being rained off the alternative day was glorious and our students performed with distinction.

Next week we have irregular arrangements because of the shortened Anniversary Day and Easter week. Please keep up todate with arrangements by looking at the calendar on our website. If you are needing to be absent on the middle days, email me to formally seek permission. Senior students risk complications with NCEA assessment if they do not have approved leave.

May God bless you this Lenten Season
Paul Olsen, Principal

Aoraki Athletics

SKC Athletes competed at the Aoraki Athletics yesterday with some great results.  Congratulations to all those who represented the College with such pride.  Thanks to Gabrielle Hawkins for sending these shots of the team in action through 





Biology Study

Year 12 and 13 Biology students have been out and about, studying the marine environment.  The Year 12 students spent the day down at Kakanui while the Year 13's headed to the Portobello Marine Laboratory.  





Confucius Classroom Opening

The final touches are being sorted for the opening of our Confucius Classroom next week.  To celebrate the opening with the community an evening of fun activities has been planned for Tuesday, beginning at 6.30pm and finishing with a Chinese Supper hosted by the Oamaru Chinese Association at 8pm.  Make sure you come along and try something new - we have everything from Kung Fu to Calligraphy and Paper Cutting.

Many thanks to Professor Hu and the staff at the Confucius Institute at the University of Canterbury, and Peter Lee, Sandra Tonkin and members of the Oamaru Chinese Association for their assistance with the arrangements.


Scripture Reading Competitions 2016

On St Patrick’s Day Thursday 17th March the annual SKC Catholic Scripture Reading competitions were held in the College Chapel. Once again Dominican Sister Madeleine proved to be a most competent adjudicator who had the unenviable task of determining each year levels winners. The results from the Scripture Reading Competitions for each year level were as follows:

Y9 place getters
1st Bethan Ardouin
2nd Joel Kunnethedam
3rd Maddison Bleach

Y10 place getters
=1st Nicholas Plieger & Jonte Kydd-Law
3rd Rata McMullan

Y11 place getters
1st Alex Gibbons
2nd Madeleine Harrop
3rd Samantha Jorgensen

Y12 place getters
1st Diane Vidallon
2nd Amy Hunter
3rd Ceilidh Brookes

Y13 place getters
1st Riley Chandler
2nd Mark Whittet
3rd Karan Ratgali

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Finals Series

It was a great win over Dunstan for the 1st XI on Wednesday!  It means that they have now qualified to compete in the Otago/Southland 1st XI Schools Finals.  Dunstan were all out for 208, bowling of note was Marc Boardman 4/59 and Karan Ratgali 2/32.  Coming in to bat second St Kevin's scored 214/5 over 34 overs.  Top run scorers were Matt Brien 81no and Sami Havea 41.

The team take on WBHS on Sunday in Oamaru in the first game of the finals series.  All the best for a great result!

Lead Your Future - Sela Faletolu

 At assembly this week we were pleased to welcome Sela Faletolu to the College.  She is in Oamaru with a team from CPIT to speak with students about making proactive choices in their education and career paths, but also to work with pasifika students on a segment from their renowned play Through My Father's Eyes ahead of the Race Relations Day Celebrations Multicultural Concert this coming Saturday.  The concert is being held at the Oamaru Opera House and begins at 7pm.

Friday, March 11, 2016

Principal's Comment

Kia ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College

It’s difficult to believe that we are in week 6 of the term already and that summer is coming to a close, not that we would recognise that after the soaring temperatures of the last few weeks. The heat and winds have combined to dry out our fields and have created rock hard playing surfaces for our students. In response to this we are spending considerable time and money trying to rehydrate the ground with irrigation and appreciate it even more when parents and students refrain from parking on the grass.

We have experienced many recent sporting successes from our cricket players to our swimmers and continue to see sport grow in our school. That does not just happen by accident. Our school is blessed with a number of dedicated staff and parent volunteers who work hard to ensure all of our students are given the best opportunities available. I would like to thank Mrs Kitto and the PE department for their work in facilitating our school Term 1 sports events. These have been a great success and as we drain the pool and bid farewell to summer, we can look forward to more of the same in the winter months. I would also like to thank those parents and caregivers who deliver students to practices, watch games and ensure that students uphold their sporting commitments with integrity. Our extra curricular activities are vital to the growing of good citizens with an idea of fair play and your support is integral to those activities.

May God bless you this Lenten Season
Paul Olsen, Principal

Come Along And Have A Go


Promising Results For SKC Rowing

SKC hit the ground running with some very promising results at the Canterbury Schools Regatta held last weekend at Lake Hood.

Reuben Mihaere & Kalas Taukamo came home in Bronze position of the A Final of the Boys U17 Double and Reuben also took the Bronze position in the A Final of the Boys U 17 Single. Fran Yanzick & Kate Nally produced a solid performance to get 4th in the A Final of the hotly contested Girls U18 Double with Fran also finishing 5th in the Girls U18 Single event. Jack Souness and Jack Andrew blitzed the Boys U15 Double B Final winning by 3 boat lengths. Our U16 Girls Eight came home in 5thplace in the A Final in their event. Full results can be found here on the ROWIT WEBSITE 

Our crews are training hard and focusing on the South Island Secondary Schools Regatta where we hope to cement these performances looking ahead to MAADI Cup 2016.

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Cricketing Challenge

Girls cricket took on the challenge of St Hilda's yesterday in a 20/20 game in Dunedin yesterday.  Whilst the final result did not end in their favour the girls competed with a great display of Kevinian spirit and can be proud in the way they represented the College.  Well done girls!

NZ Junior Swimming Champs

Last month Mannix Fraser and Penny Keeling (both Y9) qualified to represent Swim Otago at the NZ Junior Swimming Champs in Auckland. Competing against nearly 500 of NZ's top 12 and under swimmers from all over the country Mannix swam in the 50, 100 and 200m Backstroke and the 200m Freestyle. He made significant personal best times and finished 8th in 200m Backstroke.

Penny swam in six events winning silver in 400m Individual Medley, bronze in the 400m Freestyle, 5th in the 200m Individual Medley and top 20 places in her other events the 200m Freestyle, 50m and 100m Breaststroke.

Next on the list is to qualify for the Short Course (25m pool) National Champs in Auckland later in the year and both Mannix and Penny are back to training hard to achieve this.

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

A Rose For Mrs Dooley

Hilary Bishop from Zonta paid a visit to Mrs Dooley today with a yellow rose as part of Zonta Rose Day.  Thank you Mrs Dooley for everything you do!  Another equally worthy recipient was Mrs Mandy Farrell who recently stepped aside as President of the Home & School team.  With roses and thanks in mind, and as International's Women's Day, it seems timely to extend a big thank you to all of the ladies in our College Community for the wonderful work that you do!

Friday, March 4, 2016

Principal's Comment


Kia ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College

Excellence has been a common theme this week. We celebrated the sporting achievements of our equestrian riders, swimmers and 1st XI cricketers, Culturally we have enjoyed the performance of guitarist Jonathon Harper and in Social Justice we have supported the victims of the Fijian disaster. More details follow in the blog. Thank you to the staff and parents who have gone the extra mile to enable the students to enjoy success and be called to live our justice mission.

Last week I received the engineer's Earthquake Assessment Report, commissioned by the Proprietor of the College, from Milward Finlay Lobb based in Timaru. I am pleased to report that the majority of buildings in both the College and Hostel meet or exceed the minimum standards for seismic strength.

The engineer has however identified that there are some elements of our buildings that require extra bracing. The Proprietor has been informed of the situation and has confirmed that they are working with engineers to ensure we have top quality buildings that meet the needs of our community.

May God bless you this Lenten Season
Paul Olsen, Principal

Fundraising For Fiji


Students and staff dug deep for Fiji yesterday during a Whanau and House fundraising event in support of the work Caritas is doing on the ground following the devastation left behind after Cyclone Winston last month.  Magee House and M1 took the most contributions but the amazing effort of everyone raised a grand total of $709.00!!

Thank You For Your Support

A big thank you for your co-operation as we have moved onto our new finance system!  Thank you for updating your email addresses (please continue to do this) and for the great positive feedback we have been receiving.  We appreciate your support.

Please remember that you can log onto the Parent/Caregiver Portal at any time to check what is owing on your account, including charges for subject consumables, student sporting commitments etc.  If you are experiencing any problems whatsoever please contact the school office.

Thursday, March 3, 2016

Visiting Guitarist - Jonathon Harper


Students and staff were treated to a free concert in the College Auditorium yesterday afternoon.  World renowned musician Jonathon Harper was in Oamaru travelling as part of his Latin Soul programme, so a big thank you to Mrs Foster for arranging the opportunity to hear him perform.

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Aoraki Swimming Team

It's a solid team of five who will compete at the Aoraki Secondary Schools Swimming Champs which will be held on the 22nd of this month.  Penny Keeling, Tiana Mansfield, Jaxson MacDonald-Piner, Charlie Gilbert and Mannix Fraser will represent the College in the pool and we wish them all the very best!

Netball Meeting

Netball Meeting

There will be a netball meeting in the school staffroom on Monday 14th March to outline the recent changes and new processes to netball at St Kevin's College.  All parents, caregivers, aspiring coaches or anyone who wants to be part of the SKC Netball Family is welcome.

The agenda will include:

  • Introducing the new TIC of netball - Hayley Ambler
  • Explanation of the newly formed sports council
  • Coaching application process
  • Important dates and events
  • Team selection process
  • Registrations

We look forward to seeing you there!