Weekly News Term 4|Week 7

Weekly News

Dear Parents and Caregivers

It is with a sense of amazement really, that I write the last newsletter for the year.
As always the time has flown and when you think of the academic, cultural, sporting and service opportunities our girls have had throughout the year, I can only marvel at the commitment of our staff, the energy and enthusiasm of the students and the continued assistance of our parents. There is so much going on here that broadens, deepens, and enriches learning, and it is a privilege to be apart of such an inclusive, vibrant, learning community.
Today has been a special day with the Service Day underway and a range of activities, crafts and community service being completed in conjunction with Anglican Family Care. The girls are energised and committed and the programme ensures great variation. A wonderful day of rich experiences. (photographs below)
Next week we enjoy the Film Festival, which is always a highlight for the Year 10’s, and I also want to wish our Athletics, Cricket and Touch teams all the best as they head away to their national tournaments, and in Cricket’s case – defend their national title.
All the best too, to our two Tech teams who attend the 123Tech Nationals in Wellington next week. This is the first time we have had teams qualify, which is very exciting
Of course, we farewelled our 13 intrepid travellers yesterday, who under the care and guidance of Mrs McMahom and Ms Turner, will be in Malaysia and Borneo for the next 3 weeks as part of the World Challenge Programme. I look forward to hearing of their adventures when they return.
To all our families, we hope you enjoy our special events next week; Year 8 Graduation, Year 13 Leavers Service and Dinner and of course Prizegiving. I wish you all a wonderful summer break, that you have the time to enjoy and be grateful for your families, life’s blessings, and some fine weather.
I look forward to welcoming you all back in 2020.
Jackie Barron
Principal

Prize Giving Reminder

On Thursday 5 December we have our Prize Giving at the Town Hall. Prize Giving commences at 5.00 pm and we ask that your daughter is seated in the Town Hall lower level by 4.45 pm. On the morning of Prize Giving the junior students will wear mufti to school for the morning. They will be taken down to the Town Hall at 10:30 am for a run through of the prize giving service and will be released from the Town Hall at approximately 11.30 am.

Please ensure that your daughter(s) uniform is immaculate for the evening. This is her formal uniform and includes wearing a long-sleeved shirt. She may wear white socks rather than tights.

We look forward to seeing you all on the evening of the 5th December to celebrate the end of our academic year.

If your daughter is unable to attend Prize Giving, please email  admin@shcs.school.nz  with a reason.

Key Dates for 2020 Term 1

A more detailed outline of the start up process for 2020 will be emailed out. Here are some key dates:

22 and 23 January – Prefect training and senior Deans available for course advice.

24 January – Staff only day.

27 January – International Orientation Day, Year 7 – 9 begin in the afternoon and Year 13 RE retreat.

28 January – Year 7 – 12 8:40 am start, Year 13 RE Retreat.

 

St Hilda’s 125th Anniversary Celebrations

It’s 17 months away but we are already looking forward to the 125th Anniversary celebrations in March 2021. Accommodation in Dunedin can be tricky at the best of times, and our 125th is being held over Otago Anniversary weekend, so please make sure you get in early if you’re planning to attend from out of town.
Tickets are available now for the 125th – Full Registration covers all the events, or you can pick and choose which ones you wish to attend (Cocktail Party, Gala Lunch, ‘125 Years of Inspiring St Hilda’s Women’ and the Chapel Service), plus there will be tours, decade group photos, performances and exhibitions all weekend. Please spread the word!

 

Timetable

In response to the feedback from the extended learning time we have had throughout the year, we are making changes to how our timetable is structured. The start and end times for the days will not change but we will be making adjustments to where we have our breaks. This will give us the flexibility to meet more diverse learning styles than we are at present.

The timetable will follow a  structure of two periods, chapel/assembly/Whanaungatanga followed by interval then two periods followed by lunch and the sustained silent reading followed by one period. This structure will also allow for a second version of the week featuring double periods which in Term 1 will happen every third week.

Activities

Service Day

Today the girls were involved in a rotation of five activities that support Anglican Family Care

  • AFC Street Appeal
  • Playdough and Rainbow Rice making for the AFC play therapy and social work teams.
  • Christmas Card Making for the “Sending Love” organisation (collected and then delivered to Old Folks Homes etc. around Dunedin)
  • Christmas Wrapping paper  to be used by AFC
  • Lavender Bag making

     

BEAMS Trip
A group of 7 Year 10 students flew to Auckland on Monday to attend the BEAMS programme with Miss Dunn. They spent the Monday afternoon and evening exploring Auckland and then attended BEAMS on Tuesday.  BEAMS is a one-day programme run by the University of Auckland for Māori and Pasifika Year 10 students. The programme is designed to showcase and promote Business, Engineering, Architecture, Medicine and Science as future pathways. These 5 fields are under-represented by Māori and Pasifika peoples. Here’s what the students had to say about the experience.

We left school just after 8 am on Monday and headed for the airport. For most of us, it wasn’t our first time flying but for Iranui it was. Miss Dunn organised with the flight attendants for Iranui to hand out the lollies at the end of the flight, to really cement it as an experience for her. Once we landed we headed to our accommodation, University Hall. This is one of the newer halls of residence. Once we got organised, we headed out for lunch before going to the museum and the winter gardens. We then walked back to the hall to get ready for the evening.

Early Monday evening, we caught a train to Sylvia Park, which was a new experience for most of us. At the mall, we got a bit of time to go shopping and then had burgers for dinner. We trained back to the city and walked to the Sky Tower. The view of Auckland from the 51st floor was amazing. We could see the whole of Auckland’s skyline, including many of the volcanoes and other local landmarks. After watching the sun go down, we got ice cream and walked back to the hostel.

First up on Tuesday morning was Business. This session was held in the enormous Owen G Glenn building, which we were all in awe of. First, we met with a few students studying toward their business degrees. They shared a little bit about what they are studying. Then we played a business-themed game of ‘family feud’. Throughout the game, we expanded our knowledge of business in a fun and hands-on way. We also had the opportunity to win some prizes. It was a great experience exploring the business school, and it helped open our eyes to all the opportunities a business degree could bring us.

Next up was the school of Engineering. One of the professors talked to us and explained what subjects are ideal for engineering and how you need to work hard. After his introduction, some of his students set us a challenge. We had 18 minutes to construct a masterpiece using only spaghetti, tape, string, and a marshmallow to go on the top of the tower. As soon as the timer went off, you had to let go of your tower. Half the towers ended up falling over but a few were able to hold their own weight. The students then measured those still standing to see who had the tallest tower, that team won a prize. Overall, Engineering taught us that if you put your whole heart and energy into what you do, you can do anything.

The Architecture session was heaps of fun. Some of the students spoke to us about their journey toward studying architecture and what it has been like studying at the university. After seeing how we could include our culture in modern designs, we got to design a shop or building. We had complete freedom over our design. Even though some of us were not the best drawers, we still got to create some awesome and unique designs.

For the Medicine session, we got split into four groups and rotated around four different activities. One activity looked at the different parts of the eye and what some of the devices doctors use to see all the parts of it without surgical action. Next, we looked at the reflexes in our lower legs by hitting the tendons on the heel of our foot and just below our knees to see how our reflexes react. For the third activity, we looked at the anatomy of the body and where the organs go in a dummy. Lastly, we looked at all the different things we can observe using a stethoscope, such as listening to our breathing, stomachs, and hearts.

The Science session was based around computer science. During this rotation, we got to play some computer games and had to figure out how to move a digital block using coding. We learnt how to use coding loops to make the code easier. If you got to the highest level you got lollies.

It was a great trip, where everyone took something away from the experience. Some students have had their eyes opened to potential pathways, while others learnt that Auckland is not as daunting as it first seems.

Practice Expedition for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Bronze Award
On Saturday morning, a group of ten Year 10 and Year 11 girls along with Mr St Louis and Mrs McMahon met at the Bullring ready to embark on their Practice Expedition as part of their Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Bronze Award. Unfortunately, the thick fog combined with little wind meant that visibility was poor and not likely to improve. Plan B was put into place; a little more urban than hoped for, but it easily satisfied the requirements of six hours of purposeful activity. A 15 kilometre hike from the Southern Cemetery, to Ross Creek ending in Leith Valley ensued. The most mortifying aspect? crossing Stuart Street and going past Moana Pool fully laden with heavy tramping packs. 

Once arriving at Leith Valley, we said thank you and farewell to Mr St Louis and Mrs Holtz joined the group for overnight camping and Day 2’s activities. After some downtime to recover, the fine dining experience was now to commence – time to break out the Back Country Cuisine and packets of San Remo pasta and sauce. Dessert was a treat of smores, followed by games of Explosive Snap. Once it was dark enough, a brief trek through the bush led us to glow worms, which was a pretty special experience. 

After a good night’s sleep, where fortunately all tents stayed up, it was time to enjoy the various culinary delights we had planned for breakfast. Rain was threatening so down came the tents, just in time for the sun to come out. Next, we set off on a 4 hour walk to Nicholson Falls where we were able to practise a river crossing, and for some who were feeling the heat or particularly hardy, it was time for a shower (fully clothed) under a waterfall.  

Lots of learning occurred, which is what this Practice Expedition is all about. We learnt: having a balanced backpack is important, a kilo of lollies, while it seemed a bargain in the shop, still weighs a kilo; 400g of milk powder makes more milk than anyone will need; it is important to use your guy ropes; you can blow into a self-inflating sleeping mat to make it more comfortable (sadly learnt the next day); if you are going to make pancakes, it’s probably a good idea to bring some oil so they don’t turn into scrambled pancakes; and finally – Cotton is never a good idea. 

This was a fabulous group of girls who had positive attitudes throughout, and they displayed all the qualities of the St Hilda’s graduate that we hope to see.

 

Year 7 had fun this week making Gingerbread People to give to their buddies in Year 8.

Year 8 Landscapes in the style of the artist Don Binney.

Achievements

Congratulations to Ella Morshuis and Blaze (World Famous) who won their second National title this weekend at Riverdale Horse Trials in Rotarua.
Next stop Puhinui International Horse Trials in Auckland 6th 7th 8th Dec

Languages Badges
This is a new initiative in the Languages Department for 2019. Students who wish to take up the challenge of extending their learning in various aspects of French and Spanish language and culture have worked towards completing the tasks of their choice at Bronze, Silver and Gold levels.

The following girls have earned badges this year and were presented with their badges in assembly on Tuesday.
Bronze Award in French
Stella Bowles
Anna Carswell
Billie Crowe
Zara Geddes
Kara-Mai Herbst
Andie McGrouther
Molly Smith
Erin Willis
Nova Wright

Bronze Award in Spanish
Eliabel Legrand

Bronze Awards in both Spanish and French
Kate Beaton
Alyssa May

Silver Award in French
Emma Grindlay

Gold Award in Spanish
Claudia Christie
Evie Rose Grace

Eliabel Legrand, Emma Grindlay and Evie Rose Grace

Water Polo
Last week our Junior A Water Polo team jetted off to Blenheim to compete at the Junior South Island Water Polo Championships.  With amazing weather, a trip to Picton and great pool facilities, the team had a great time away.

During these few days, the Junior girls played exceptionally well, winning their first two games in pool play and playing strong games against teams from other South Island schools. The girls enjoyed their tournament and did very well finishing 5th overall.

Chapel Matters

This week we had a chapel based around the tradition of “Christingle.” This German word means “Christ child” and as a tradition, it started in the 1700s in Germany where children were given a candle in a red ribbon to remind them that Jesus is the light of the world.

These days this tradition is particularly strong in the UK –  over 6000 Christingle services were held during Advent in 2018! A Christingle is usually an orange, wrapped in a red ribbon, decorated with dried fruit and lollies stuck onto four toothpicks which are pushed into the orange, with a candle pushed into the centre of the orange.

The orange represents the world that God loves and into which Jesus came as a baby; the red ribbon represents the crucifixion of Jesus for our salvation and forgiveness; the fruits and lollies represent the generosity of God and all the good things in our lives for which we can be thankful; the four toothpicks represent the four corners of this world – the diversity of places we all come from – and the idea that God is with us wherever we are and whatever space we are in; and the candle reminds us that Jesus is the light of the world, our hope in the darkness, the spark that can ignite us to bring light and hope into every corner of our world.

Amazing God,
You bless us in the good smell of the orange;
You bless us in the good taste of the fruits;
You bless us in the warm light of the candle;
You wrap your arms, like the ribbon, around the world.
Let these Christingles bring your blessing to this world and to us.
And may your light shine in our hearts this Christmas, and forever.
Amen.

Tolcarne News

Thursday night at Tolcarne we had our annual Gingerbread House Making competition. The girls came up with some very creative houses – they get better every year!
Our last week at Tolcarne is always a good time. We have a beach trip out to Brighton on Saturday, and a big photography scavenger hunt on Monday, followed by a pool party.

Sports Uniform Reminder

St Hilda’s new sports uniform is now available at NZ Uniforms on Moray Place. If you need to update or replace items please head there over the holidays. It is compulsory for our students to have the PE top, Shorts, Trackpants, Dri fit and Hoodie. For all students who play in a weekly competition, travel on tournaments or as a PE class, these items are to be worn. No alternatives are allowed. For students with the current style these can still be worn. Over the past few weeks, we have noticed a number of sports teams wearing a variety of shorts and trackpants that are not school regulation. If you are unsure on what these look like, then please head to the website:  http//www.nzuniforms.com

PFA Fundraising at Forsyth Barr Stadium

Call for Parent and senior student (16 years and over) volunteers.

To assist the PFA in fundraising at concerts being held at Forsyth Barr Stadium in February.

Elton John:         Tuesday 4 February times TBC

Queen:                Monday February 10 times TBC

At this stage the PFA are looking for expression of interest please email Ali Copeman pfa@shcs.school.nz once we have a few more details Ali will be in touch to confirm plans. This fundraising goes towards supporting SHCS students in sporting and cultural activities

BLUE RIBBON INSTALLATION

This is a fundraising initiative that current families, Old Girls and past families can support – purchase a Blue Ribbon plaque with your/your daughter’s name on it, to be displayed permanently in the foyer of the new Arts Building.

Please contact the Director of Development at aburke@shcs.school.nz to reserve your Blue Ribbon today.

Weekly News | Term 4 | Week 6

Uncategorised, Weekly News

Dear Parents and Caregivers

As the end of the year draws closer we have some important school events coming up. On Sunday we have our Carol Service which begins at 5:00pm. We look forward to seeing you there as it is always a nice reminder that the Christmas season has begun. The girls have been practising their caroling and are in great voice. We have asked the girls to wear tidy mufti for this event.

Next Friday 29 November will be our junior service day. The girls will be involved in a rotation of five activities that will support Anglican Family Care. For this day the girls should wear their PE uniform.

On Thursday 5 December we have our Prize Giving at the Town Hall. Prize Giving commences at 5.00 pm and we ask that your daughter is seated in the Town Hall lower level by 4.45 pm. On the morning of Prize Giving the junior students will wear mufti to school for the morning. They will be taken down to the Town Hall at 10:30 am fora run through of the prize giving service and will be released from the Town Hall at approximately 11.30 am.

Please ensure that your daughter(s) uniform is immaculate for the evening. This is her formal uniform and includes wearing a long-sleeved shirt. She may wear white socks rather than tights.

We look forward to seeing you all on the evening of the 5th December to celebrate the end of our academic year.

If your daughter is unable to attend Prize Giving, please email  admin@shcs.school.nz  with a reason.

Key Dates for Term 4

Monday 14th October – 5th December 2019

Sunday 24 November – Carol Service – Chapel, 5 pm – Families welcome

Wednesday 4 December – Leavers Dinner – Museum

Thursday 5 December – Prize Giving – Dunedin Town Hall (please note change of venue) students to be seated at 4.45pm for 5pm start.

St Hilda’s 125th Anniversary Celebrations

It’s 17 months away but we are already looking forward to the 125th Anniversary celebrations in March 2021. Accommodation in Dunedin can be tricky at the best of times, and our 125th is being held over Otago Anniversary weekend, so please make sure you get in early if you’re planning to attend from out of town.
Tickets are available now for the 125th – Full Registration covers all the events, or you can pick and choose which ones you wish to attend (Cocktail Party, Gala Lunch, ‘125 Years of Inspiring St Hilda’s Women’ and the Chapel Service), plus there will be tours, decade group photos, performances and exhibitions all weekend. Please spread the word!

PFA Fundraising at Forsyth Barr Stadium

Call for Parent and senior student (16 years and over) volunteers.

To assist the PFA in fundraising at concerts being held at Forsyth Barr Stadium in February.

Elton John:         Tuesday 4 February times TBC

Queen:                Monday February 10 times TBC

At this stage the PFA are looking for expression of interest please email Ali Copeman pfa@shcs.school.nz once we have a few more details Ali will be in touch to confirm plans. This fundraising goes towards supporting SHCS students in sporting and cultural activities

Sports Uniform Reminder

St Hilda’s new sports uniform is now available at NZ Uniforms on Moray Place. If you need to update or replace items please head there over the holidays. It is compulsory for our students to have the PE top, Shorts, Trackpants, Dri fit and Hoodie. For all students who play in a weekly competition, travel on tournaments or as a PE class, these items are to be worn. No alternatives are allowed. For students with the current style these can still be worn. Over the past few weeks, we have noticed a number of sports teams wearing a variety of shorts and trackpants that are not school regulation. If you are unsure on what these look like, then please head to the website:  http//www.nzuniforms.com

Activities

Year 10 Tautuku camp was again a great experience. The year group excelled in the outdoor environment, and it was an added bonus that the weather held throughout the week and we got to enjoy the range of activities such as abseiling, kayaking, bush navigation, tramping, confidence course and of course the iconic Tautuku camp mud run. Thank you to all the students, staff and especially the parents who were so kind to give up their time to support us on this camp.

Junior Sports Week.

This week many of our year 9 &10 students were involved in the OSSSA Junior Sports Week. This was a  great opportunity for our volleyball and touch teams to get out and compete against teams from all over Otago.

Junior Volleyball Team

Our junior Water Polo team are presently competing in Blenheim and we will have results from that tournament next week.

Otago Primary Athletics Day.

On Thursday, some of our Year 7 & 8 students  headed down to the Caledonian for Athletics Day. Having qualified through North Zone Athletics Day, the girls were ready for another big day. Well done to Mya Haigh for throwing over 8m in her shot put and to Charlotte Cardno for jumping 4.46m in Long Jump and making a new record. Cassie Horo made the 100m final and our relay team of Phoebe Jackery, Katie Moore, Charlotte Cardno and Cassie Horo did a great job in their heat. Well done to Chelsea Sinclair for making her age group shot put final.

Achievements

Hannah Langsbury has been selected into the New Zealand U14 Maori Rep Team for Football.

Chapel Matters

This coming Sunday afternoon we have our Christmas Carol Service here at school which is a great way to get into the Christmas spirit. We always end our Carol service with the most published carol in the world; if you go onto You Tube you will find versions of it sung by everybody from Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey to church choirs and even cats! And all of this is true, even though this carol was written exactly 200 years ago, in 1719.

The carol is “Joy to the World” and it the lyrics were written by Isaac Watts. He wrote over 750 hymns for churches – this is quite remarkable when you realise that someone like Justin Bieber has written about 40 songs, Taylor Swift has written about 200, and Bob Dylan has written about 500! Isaac Watts’ family was “non-conformist,” meaning they didn’t belong to the Church of England, and his father was put in prison twice for his views. This also meant that Isaac wasn’t allowed to go to Oxford and Cambridge, because you had to be Anglican to go there. Isaac went to another university, became a tutor, and also wrote hymns. His hymns became popular – and he changed the way people sang in church – even in Anglican churches! Watts didn’t just write hymns though. He had studied philosophy at university, and he wrote a textbook on the topic of “Logic” – this was used by the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge for over 100 years! Interesting for someone who wasn’t even allowed to study there!

The music for “Joy to the World” was written by an American musician, Lowell Mason, who lived in the 1800s. He also grew up in a family that went to a non-conformist church;
this is the Unitarian Universalist church, which is all about intellectual freedom, inclusive love, and spiritual growth, and although many members don’t actually even believe in God, many still attend church, pray and sing hymns. Mason was one of the church-going members, and he wrote the music for many of the hymns that they sang, played the organ and directed the choir. He wrote the music for “Joy to the World,” in 1839, 120 years after Isaac Watts wrote the words, but he also put lots of other lyrics to music, even including simple things like “Mary had a little lamb!” His church was in the South of the United States, in Georgia, and at a time when slavery was still deeply part of life in the South, Mason helped out at a nearby African-American Baptist church and started the first ever Sunday School for black children.

Even though these two men lived in different centuries, and in different countries, they both did things that went against the grain of the societies they lived in, and were non-conformist in their beliefs and faith, choosing to be true to what they believed about God in how they lived their lives. And in the end they both contributed to one of the most well-known and loved carols of all time, which I think is pretty special!

Reminder – School Canteen

The Canteen has closed for the year. Don’t forget a packed lunch.

BLUE RIBBON INSTALLATION

This is a fundraising initiative that current families, Old Girls and past families can support – purchase a Blue Ribbon plaque with your/your daughter’s name on it, to be displayed permanently in the foyer of the new Arts Building.

Please contact the Director of Development at aburke@shcs.school.nz to reserve your Blue Ribbon today.

Weekly News Term 4|Week 5 2019

Weekly News
Dear Parents & Caregivers
It has been a busy week for all girls. The year 10 have been at Tautuku camp in the Catlins and we look forward to hearing their stories. Year 7 – 9 have been challenging themselves and solving problems throughout the week. There have been some very innovative ideas being developed. Year 11 – 13 are busy with study and examinations.

Key Dates for Term 4

Monday 14th October – 5th December 2019

Sunday 24 November – Carol Service – Chapel, 5 pm – Families welcome

Wednesday 4 December – Leavers Dinner – Museum

Thursday 5 December – Prize Giving – Dunedin Town Hall (please note change of venue) students to be seated at 4.45pm for 5pm start.

Canteen

The last day the canteen will be operating for the year will be Friday 22nd November.
Hot Lunches will be available for Year 9 & 10 boarders on Wednesday 15th November and Wednesday 20th November.

Activities

Accept the Challenge
This week saw the years 7-9  embark on Challenge week. They were, in groups, tasked with solving a real-world problem. The challenges were:

How can we make our school a place where every single student feels included every single day?
How can we inspire our community to get up and get moving?
How can we inspire our community to make healthy food a bigger part of our daily diet?
How can we get rid of rubbish to make our community shine?
How can we give young people a voice on issues that affect them?
How can we make social media a force for good not evil?

Not only had they as a team,  to come up with a solution, but they had to test it out with market research that they constructed, reflect on their process, think about their point of difference and then present it to a judge, using criteria that they co-constructed, and proved that it was viable, sustainable and  solved the challenge. 

The idea was to get the students to be innovative in their problem solving, test their ideas and refine them in order to make the solution better and work in a team of diverse individuals – all skills that are transferable into the world of work.

The grand final was held period 5 Friday and ended a challenging week for the years 7-9.

Final results will be announced next week.

Internet

As you may be aware we have experienced some issues with our wifi connection at school.
We have been one of a number of schools in NZ affected by a global upgrade which destabilised our wifi system.
This has had an impact on some NZQA examinations and our girls ability to access the internet at Tolcarne and we are following NZQA guidelines and protocols around unexpected incidents to work through the process with students who have been affected.
We appreciate the distress this may have caused some students and we have senior engineers from our support company Cyclone Computers working on the problem. We will update you with progress.
Many thanks for your patience as we work through this issue.

Achievements

Cricket
An article on our 1st XI Cricket Team in the College Sport Media (CSM) can be read here.

Ice Hockey
Breane has been selected for the NZ Woman’s Ice Hockey Team, who will travel to compete at the Worlds in Mexico City on 22 January 2020. Congratulations Breane!

Tolcarne News

On Thursday night, Tolcarne welcomed our 2020 Year 9 cohort to a sleepover. Though nervous at first, after playing some games and learning names the chatter never ended!
The sleepover is always a great way for the new students to get to know each other, as well as Tolcarne’s staff and routines. Our current Year 9’s where incredibly excited to get to know them, and did a fantastic job at being inclusive and friendly!

St Hilda’s 125th Anniversary Celebrations

It’s 17 months away but we are already looking forward to the 125th Anniversary celebrations in March 2021. Accommodation in Dunedin can be tricky at the best of times, and our 125th is being held over Otago Anniversary weekend, so please make sure you get in early if you’re planning to attend from out of town.
Tickets are available now for the 125th – Full Registration covers all the events, or you can pick and choose which ones you wish to attend (Cocktail Party, Gala Lunch, ‘125 Years of Inspiring St Hilda’s Women’ and the Chapel Service), plus there will be tours, decade group photos, performances and exhibitions all weekend. Please spread the word!

BLUE RIBBON INSTALLATION

This is a fundraising initiative that current families, Old Girls and past families can support – purchase a Blue Ribbon plaque with your/your daughter’s name on it, to be displayed permanently in the foyer of the new Arts Building.

Please contact the Director of Development at aburke@shcs.school.nz to reserve your Blue Ribbon today.

Weekly News Term 4|Week 4

Weekly News
Dear Parents & Caregivers
Our school is feeling a little empty now the seniors have started their examination leave. We wish them all the best and look forward to seeing them all again at prize giving.
The Year 10 have also had a busy week with their end of year examinations and the Rich task they have been involved in the last three days. I am sure they are all now looking forward to Year 10 camp next week.
Next week Year 7 – 9 will be involved in a problem solving programme where they will work in groups to develop an idea that they think could solve a particular problem they have been given.

Key Dates for Term 4

Monday 14th October – 5th December 2019

Monday 11-15 November – Year 10 Camp

Sunday 24 November – Carol Service – Chapel, 5 pm – Families welcome

Wednesday 4 December – Leavers Dinner – Museum

Thursday 5 December – Prize Giving – Dunedin Town Hall (please note change of venue) students to be seated at 4.45pm for 5pm start.

Canteen

The last day the canteen will be operating for the year will be Friday 22nd November.
Hot Lunches will be available for Year 9 & 10 boarders on Wednesday 15th November and Wednesday 20th November.

Chapel Matters

This year the 40 Hour Famine Leaders were awarded the inaugural World Vision Auahatanga Most Creative Fundraising Award “for thinking outside the box to rewrite the rules.”

World Vision said that the awardees showed “a spirit of creativity and courage.” This is a great honour for these girls and I commend them for their efforts!

Guidance

With the approach of the holidays and hopefully some beautiful summer weather to lure us all outside, the experts from ‘Hey Sigmund’ challenge us all to go screen free for a week. Click here for their advice about what this can do for family life.

Sports Council

A sincere thank you to all members of our community who expressed their interest in being parent representatives on the St Hilda’s Sports Council. The calibre of the interested parties was very high and we greatly appreciate the willingness of our parents to volunteer their time and expertise to the development of sport at St Hilda’s.

We are pleased to welcome Mrs Clare Challis, Mrs Kate Cotter and Mr Craig Paterson as the incoming parent representatives, to join Mr Roger Southby as the community members on the Council. Craig, Kate, and Clare have extensive experience across a wide range of sports in coaching, administration and governance, and we look forward to their input to the sporting life of the school.

Activities

A keen and eager group of Year 7-10 St Hilda’s music students went to King’s and Queen’s High Schools to be part of the Itinerant Music Workshop Day for 2019. The day allowed students to gain experience of playing in a concert band or a string ensemble setting where they could develop their musical skills and play as a team in their instrument sections.

Everyone had a great day rehearsing in their groups and took on the challenge of learning new music with fantastic results. It was really pleasing to see our students take up the opportunity to participate in the Itinerant Workshop Day.

Achievements

NZ Short Course Swimming Championships
Congratulations to Nicole Heaton, Meg McLaughlan, and Jessica Scott for qualifying for the NZ Short Course Swimming Championships which were held in Auckland in October.
Nicole placed 6th in the 50 Back and 8th in the 100 and 200 Back in her age group.
Jessica placed 1st in the 100 Butterfly and 100 IM, and 2nd in the 50 and 200 Butterfly in her age group.
Netball
Congratulations to Amelia Scully on being selected for the preseason Beko Netball training squad.
North Zone Athletics
Congratulations to the following girls –
Charlotte Cardno who placed 1st in under 12 long jump
Mya Haigh placed 1st in the over 13 shotput
Charlie Byers  placed 2nd in the Year 7 & 8 800m and 4th in the 100m sprint
Charlie Byers, Katie Moore, Phoebe Jaquiery, Cassie Horo came 2nd in the 13 over relay.
All have qualified for Otago Champs

Tolcarne News

Flexi Prep has been underway at Tolcarne for the last 3 Thursdays. The girls have been making Christmas tree decorations, gingerbread cookies, beeswax hand cream and lipgloss, decorating coat hangers and learning how to do portrait drawings. What fun!
Our Year 9’s are off to an overnight camp in Waihola this weekend – let’s hope the weather holds out for the paintball and frisbee golf!

St Hilda’s Chronicle Orders

Orders for the St Hilda’s Chronicle are being taken now!

This year’s school magazine contains over 160 pages of photos and
memories from 2019. The cost is $40.

The Chronicle will be ready for your daughter to collect at the conclusion of
Prize Giving on Wednesday, 5 December. Alternatively, copies can be
collected from the school office or posted home.

Could you please complete the online form below or pick up an order form
from the school office to order your daughter(s) copy of the Chronicle. Multiple
copies may be ordered. The Chronicle will be charged to the school account.
Please note, there will be no door sales of the magazine on Prize Giving
night. We are now only printing the number of magazines that are pre-
ordered.

Orders can be made until 3pm, Friday 15 November.

Click here to order the 2019 St Hilda’s Chronicle

Kind regards,
The St Hilda’s Chronicle Committee

St Hilda’s Collegiate School Fair 

Drop off times for this weekend are; Saturday 9-11am @ Heriot House, Heriot Row (behind the school)

Reminder –

St Hilda’s 125th Anniversary Celebrations

It’s 17 months away but we are already looking forward to the 125th Anniversary celebrations in March 2021. Accommodation in Dunedin can be tricky at the best of times, and our 125th is being held over Otago Anniversary weekend, so please make sure you get in early if you’re planning to attend from out of town.
Tickets are available now for the 125th – Full Registration covers all the events, or you can pick and choose which ones you wish to attend (Cocktail Party, Gala Lunch, ‘125 Years of Inspiring St Hilda’s Women’ and the Chapel Service), plus there will be tours, decade group photos, performances and exhibitions all weekend. Please spread the word!

BLUE RIBBON INSTALLATION

This is a fundraising initiative that current families, Old Girls and past families can support – purchase a Blue Ribbon plaque with your/your daughter’s name on it, to be displayed permanently in the foyer of the new Arts Building.

Please contact the Director of Development at aburke@shcs.school.nz to reserve your Blue Ribbon today.

Weekly News Term 4|Week 3 2019

Weekly News
Dear Parents & Caregivers
It has been a busy week for the senior students as they prepare for their NCEA examinations and get everything prepared to start their study leave next Tuesday.

Staffing

We warmly welcome our new Librarian Caroline Bouffard and look forward to having Cassandra Pickering on board as our new Photography Teacher beginning in Term 1, 2020

Key Dates for Term 4

Monday 14th October – 5th December 2019

Tuesday 5 November – Last day for Seniors (Years 11-13)

Monday 11-15 November – Year 10 Camp

Sunday 24 November – Carol Service – Chapel, 5 pm – Families welcome

Wednesday 4 December – Leavers Dinner – Museum

Thursday 5 December – Prize Giving – Dunedin Town Hall (please note change of venue) students to be seated at 4.45pm for 5pm start.

Activities

The senior Art student folios have been on display this week in our new Arts Building.
The variety of subject matter and originality of the work is outstanding. Well done girls with help from Mrs Cox and Mr Sutherland.
 

Achievements

Kendall Brook is the recipient of The Prime Minister’s Vocational Excellence Award. This is a new award that recognise the achievements of students excelling in vocational education.

Aerobics
Trinity Maydon and Isabella Tierney have both been selected to compete in the Australian FISAF super series aerobics competition in May 2020

Football
Emma Andrew and Hannah Langsbury have been selected for the Southern United National Age Group U14 team.
Grace Cotter and Amelia Newlands have been selected for the Southern United National Age group U16 team

Nations Mounted Games
Congratulations to Riley Macdonald who has just competed for the NZ Silver team at the recent Nations Mounted Games Competition.  After a few days of amazing riding, NZ Silver were just pipped on the final day of competition by NZ Black, to finish second, followed by the Australian, American and South African teams.

Pasifika Awards
Congratulations to Eva Meeuws. She was St Hilda’s nominee to receive the Pacific Island Community Scholarship and Secondary School Recognition Award 2019 which celebrates and rewards Pasifika success in academics and leadership. Eva will be embarking on a Bachelor of Design in Communications at Otago Polytechnic in 2020.

Rugby
Sarah Langsbury has been selected for the U17 Girls South Island Maori Rugby Team.

Tahi Rua Toru Tech
Senior Secondary and Junior Secondary Regional Champions.
Congratulations to the girls who have won an all expenses paid trip to Wellington for the finals on 5th December.

Eliabel Eliabel Legrand, Evie Rose Grace, Hanna McCoubrey

Rylee May, Gabi Horo, Tessa Sinteur

Tolcarne News

“How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” – A.A.Milne
Last night we had our farewell Christmas Dinner for the Year 13 boarding students. It was a fun night filled with yummy food, singing and laughter. We wish them all the best for their future endeavours!
 
We also had our final Tribe Dinner on Tuesday night. Highgate has finally had their chance to shine by narrowly beating Baxter for the Tribe Champion! The Tribe points stand thus:
Highgate: 878
Baxter: 871
Grendon: 788
Falkland: 735

Tilly Time (Happy Friday everyone!)

St Hilda’s Chronicle Orders

Orders for the St Hilda’s Chronicle are being taken now!

This year’s school magazine contains over 160 pages of photos and
memories from 2019. The cost is $40.

The Chronicle will be ready for your daughter to collect at the conclusion of
Prize Giving on Wednesday, 5 December. Alternatively, copies can be
collected from the school office or posted home.

Could you please complete the online form below or pick up an order form
from the school office to order your daughter(s) copy of the Chronicle. Multiple
copies may be ordered. The Chronicle will be charged to the school account.
Please note, there will be no door sales of the magazine on Prize Giving
night. We are now only printing the number of magazines that are pre-
ordered.

Orders can be made until 3pm, Friday 15 November.

Click here to order the 2019 St Hilda’s Chronicle

Kind regards,
The St Hilda’s Chronicle Committee

St Hilda’s Collegiate School Fair 

Drop off times for this weekend are; Saturday 9-11am @ Heriot House, Heriot Row (behind the school)

Reminder –

St Hilda’s 125th Anniversary Celebrations

It’s 17 months away but we are already looking forward to the 125th Anniversary celebrations in March 2021. Accommodation in Dunedin can be tricky at the best of times, and our 125th is being held over Otago Anniversary weekend, so please make sure you get in early if you’re planning to attend from out of town.
Tickets are available now for the 125th – Full Registration covers all the events, or you can pick and choose which ones you wish to attend (Cocktail Party, Gala Lunch, ‘125 Years of Inspiring St Hilda’s Women’ and the Chapel Service), plus there will be tours, decade group photos, performances and exhibitions all weekend. Please spread the word!

BLUE RIBBON INSTALLATION

This is a fundraising initiative that current families, Old Girls and past families can support – purchase a Blue Ribbon plaque with your/your daughter’s name on it, to be displayed permanently in the foyer of the new Arts Building.

Please contact the Director of Development at aburke@shcs.school.nz to reserve your Blue Ribbon today.

Weekly News Term 4|Week 2

Uncategorised
Dear Parents & Caregivers
Thank you to those students and families who supported St Hilda’s Day. This is a very important event in our school calendar that goes to the heart of our special character, and to share and participate in the cathedral service as a community , to ‘explore faith’ is one of the aspects of this school that sets us apart.
I am always so proud of the girls as they wear their uniform with pride, contribute with respect and maturity, and are such a credit to the school. Thank you too, to those families who took the time to tangibly show their support for, and commitment to, our school community. We are grateful to be able to share such special events with you.
This term moves quickly as the seniors set their sights on external examinations, and special events such as our last chapel service, Christmas dinner at the hostel, Christmas Carol service, service day and the camps dominate the programme. It is a wonderful time of the year, as we all see the fruits of our labour come to a tangible outcome, and we can reflect on work completed, and the pride we take in those achievements. There is much to enjoy and challenge us in the coming weeks.
Jackie Barron
Principal

Key Dates for Term 4

Monday 14th October – 5th December 2019

Monday 28 October – Labour Day – School and Hostel closed

Tuesday 5 November – Last day for Seniors (Years 11-13))

Monday 11-15 November – Year 10 Camp

Sunday 24 November – Carol Service – Chapel, 5 pm – Families welcome

Wednesday 4 December – Leavers Dinner – Museum

Thursday 5 December – Prize Giving – Dunedin Town Hall (please note change of venue) students to be seated at 4.45pm for 5pm start.

Junior Academic Programme

The Junior Academic Programme for 2020 has been released online. Links to view this are on both the Parent Portal and the Student Homepage. This site provides an overview of the subjects studied from Year 7 through to Year 10.

Reminder – The two option choices for Year 10 in 2020 are now due for current Year 9 students. Parents of students who are yet to enter their daughter’s choices are encouraged to complete this process over the weekend. Your daughter’s choices can be entered through the link in the online Junior Academic Programme or the Kamar Parents Portal

The Junior Academic Programme can also be viewed here: https://sites.google.com/shcs.school.nz/2020-junior-academic-programme/home 

Chapel Matters – Reminder

Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Appeal – Two Options! NZ and Overseas
Imagine never getting any Christmas presents … We can give children in the South Pacific a lovely surprise this Christmas by filling shoeboxes with gifts! If you have done this before you know how much fun it is to shop for a child and to fill the box with gifts! If any students would like to get a box, or find out more information, then please see Dr Townsley – I have about 30 boxes you can use (or you can use any old actual shoe box – just wrap it in Xmas paper!) There is a list of the kinds of things that are good to put in the box (such as school supplies, cuddly toys, clothes, hair brushes or hair ties etc.), and also things NOT to put in (because of customs or cultural issues ie. no lollies or food, toy guns or playing cards, or religious material). They need to be filled and returned to school by today. Please let me know if you have missed the deadline but do have a box.
We can also give shoebox gifts to children in Aotearoa NZ at low decile schools, through Women’s Refuge and other community organisations. See this link for more information:

Activities

A great example of ‘Can Do‘
The Year 7 girls are thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to try playing the trumpet with Mr Clayman, one of our itinerant music teachers.

House Kapa Haka Competition

Well done to all four houses for their polished performances on Wednesday of Tutira mai nga iwi. It was a great new initiative which we look forward to continuing in future years. It was a very close competition with Wellington being judged the top house.

Achievements

Congratulations to Holly Bissett, Meg Rogers, Tessa Sinteur and Chai Yoo who have been accepted to the Prestigious Junior Academy of the New York Academy of Sciences.

The Junior Academy is an elite group of problem solvers made up of talented students, STEM experts, and companies around the world dedicated to designing innovative solutions to global challenges.

Each  students ages 13–18 are invited to join The Junior Academy. Successful applicants gain lifelong access to exclusive educational opportunities and a remarkable global STEM network through Launchpad, a virtual collaboration platform.

Our students will tackle the Intelligent Homes and Health Challenge, where students will design innovative ways to transform home life and healthcare and the Space Challenge, where students will explore space colonization. Students complete a virtual four-week boot camp to prepare themselves to work on these projects and gain access to learning resources that develop relevant skills in research methods, design thinking, and data analysis.

Students then communicate on discussions boards to form teams with other participants. They identify students who are interested in the same challenge project and have similar ideas on how to combat it. With the help of their mentor, they will design a solution to the challenge they chose to complete.

Challenges commenced on October 17 and final solutions will be due December 16, 2019.

All Junior Academy participants will be invited to attend the Global STEM Alliance Summit in New York City in the summer of 2020. Winning teams will receive a travel scholarship to attend. The three-day Summit includes a variety of New York City cultural experiences, as well as opportunities to build crucial connections with STEM mentors and professionals.

Blues

Congratulations to all recipients of Blue Awards for 2019. It was lovely to celebrate the range of achievements at the evening last Friday.

Nicole Horrell
Last term, Nicole Horrell (along with Sam Leaper from JMC) were national finalists in the Play it Strange – Who Loves Who competition. The mastered songs have been released on an online album that can be listened to by clicking on the following link.

Nicole and Sam’s cover song is Track 17 – Tally Ho.

Nicole and Samuel Leaper also got into the Pitch Perfect Final in Dunedin at the Meridian Mall and the final took place on the 18th of October.

On the same night, Nicole entered the New Zats Contemporary Vocal Competition and got second place with the prize of $300.

You have been busy Nicole, congratulations.

Ella Morshuis
Ella had a fabulous weekend in Canterbury last weekend at the South Island 3 Day Event Championship. Blaze and she Won the FEI 2* Championship, The National Junior Rider 3 Day Championship and Best Presented.
Ella and her family are now very excited to be heading to the North Island where she will compete in Rotorua in the FEI 2* class and the National Junior Rider 1 Day Championship class in November and at The Puhiuni 3 Day International Championship, in the International FEI 2* class in December.
Good luck from all of us at St Hilda’s Ella.
Touch 
Congratulations to the following girls who have been selected for Touch teams
Annie Timu : Otago Open Mixed, Otago Under 18 Girls
Brooke McAlwee : Otago Open Women, Otago Under 18 Girls (also South Island Women – Te Wai Pounamu)
Amelia Scully: Otago Open Women
Savannah Cleland : Otago Under 18 Girls
Danielle Ferguson : Otago Under 18 Girls
Sarah Langsbury : Otago Under 18 Girls
Ruby Williams : Otago Under 18 Girls
Ally Ward : Otago Under 16 Girls
Demi McAlwee : Otago Under 16 Girls
Jaymee Meffan : Otago Under 16 Girls
Gemma Rowcroft : Otago Under 16 Girls
Sophia Tutty : Otago Under 16 Girls
Grace Keno : Otago Under 16 Girls
Luana Ashton : Otago Under 16 Girls
Eilish Cassidy : Otago Under 16 Mixed
Libby Challis : Otago Under 14 Girls
Holly Rowcroft : Otago Under 14 Girls

Tolcarne News

The sun came out on Saturday for our stay-in weekend and final Tribe games. Students and staff had a great time playing volleyball, flip cup naughts and crosses, and an egg throwing competition. Highgate took out the competition with 100 points, Grendon and Falkland got 75 and Baxter only got 10. The points are tight and it will come down to the next week of values points.

Coming up

  • Good luck to the Year 7&8 Water polo team who are playing in a tournament this weekend at Moana Pool.
  • We are having the Z Club movie night next week on Thursday the 31st of October in the new Arts building. We will be watching Love, Simon
    Tickets will be $10, please order a ticket on the form which was emailed to the girls or get your ticket on the night. Payment to be made on the night.
    All proceeds go to the Women’s Refuge and tickets include snacks and a drink during the movie. Feel free to bring friends and family along!!

St Hilda’s Collegiate School Fair 

Saturday 7th of March 2020 
Please start collecting and putting aside items for our school fair.
We need books, toys, games, white elephant goods, designer and used clothing.
In term 4 look out for information regarding our drop off dates and times.
 
Any questions please email Sarah and Linh
schoolfair@shcs.school.nz

BLUE RIBBON INSTALLATION

This is a fundraising initiative that current families, Old Girls and past families can support – purchase a Blue Ribbon plaque with your/your daughter’s name on it, to be displayed permanently in the foyer of the new Arts Building.

Please contact the Director of Development at aburke@shcs.school.nz to reserve your Blue Ribbon today.

 

Weekly News Term 4|Week 1 2019

Weekly News
Dear Parents & Caregivers

A very warm welcome back to Term 4. This is a term where there are a lot of functions where we come together to reflect on the year, and have the opportunity to celebrate together. One of our first opportunities is our Blues Evening tonight where we acknowledge achievement in Sports, Arts, Service and Academic fields.

St Hilda’s Day – Sunday 20 October, 10:00 am

It is an important time for our School Community and part of our school year. It is expected that all students will attend the Service on this morning and we count it as an official school half day. Girls are to assemble at the rear of the Cathedral by 9:30am for roll call. Parents, grandparents and families are also very welcome as we celebrate this significant day in the school’s history.

Any absences for St Hilda’s Day must be emailed to Judy Maw, with a reason, care of admin@shcs.school.nz.

Key Dates for Term 4

Monday 14th October – 5th December 2019

Friday 18 October – Blues Evening – Chapel, 7 pm – By Invitation.

Sunday 20 October – St Hilda’s Cathedral Service – St Paul’s Cathedral, 10 am (students 9:30am)
All students to attend and families most welcome.

Monday 28 October – Labour Day – School and Hostel closed

Tuesday 5 November – Last day for Seniors (Years 11-13))

Monday 11-15 November – Year 10 Camp

Sunday 24 November – Carol Service – Chapel, 5 pm – Families welcome

Wednesday 4 December – Leavers Dinner – Museum

Thursday 5 December – Prize Giving – Dunedin Town Hall (please note change of venue) students to be seated at 4.45pm for 5pm start.

Parent Seminar

We would like to thank all parents who attended our  Parent Seminars “Signs your teen is not okay and what to do about it”. We really appreciate your support and feedback.

Junior Academic Programme

The Junior Academic Programme for 2020 has been released online. Links to view this are on both the Parent Portal and the Student Homepage. This site provides an overview of the subjects studied from Year 7 through to Year 10.

Reminder – The two option choices for Year 10 in 2020 are now due for current Year 9 students. Parents of students who are yet to enter their daughter’s choices are encouraged to complete this process over the weekend. Your daughter’s choices can be entered through the link in the online Junior Academic Programme or the Kamar Parents Portal

The Junior Academic Programme can also be viewed here: https://sites.google.com/shcs.school.nz/2020-junior-academic-programme/home 

Guidance

Climate change is a hot topic in the media in recent times and our own students report feeling anxious about the future of our planet. Click here for advice from Hey Sigmund about how to talk to children and teens About Eco-Anxiety.

Chapel Matters

Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Appeal – Two Options! NZ and Overseas
Imagine never getting any Christmas presents … We can give children in the South Pacific a lovely surprise this Christmas by filling shoeboxes with gifts! If you have done this before you know how much fun it is to shop for a child and to fill the box with gifts! If any students would like to get a box, or find out more information, then please see Dr Townsley – I have about 30 boxes you can use (or you can use any old actual shoe box – just wrap it in Xmas paper!) There is a list of the kinds of things that are good to put in the box (such as school supplies, cuddly toys, clothes, hair brushes or hair ties etc.), and also things NOT to put in (because of customs or cultural issues ie. no lollies or food, toy guns or playing cards, or religious material). They need to be filled and returned to school by the end of Week 2 this term (October 25th). See this link for more information:
We can also give shoebox gifts to children in Aotearoa NZ at low decile schools, through Women’s Refuge and other community organisations. See this link for more information:

Thank you from Anglican Family Care

St Hilda’s were mentioned in the Spring issue of the Anglican Family Care Newsletter for our fundraising so to allow AFC to purchase a new Reborn Baby Doll.

You can read the article here.

1st XI cricket trip to Willows

On Thursday of the school holidays, the 1st XI cricket team visited the privately owned cricket ground in rural North Canterbury called The Willows. In the 25 year history of the facility, we were the first-ever woman’s cricket team to play there. Special thanks to Hamish Loe for enabling this to happen. In a re-run of last years New Zealand Secondary Schoolgirls final, we played Christchurch Girls High School in a 40 over match. Batting first, Christchurch made it to 81 runs in the 37th over. Impressive bowling by Emma Black, Molly Loe and Eden Carson made life hard for the batswomen. Megan Meltzer with 4 wickets for a miserly 3 runs wrapped up the tail. In reply, our team scored the 82 runs for victory in 17 overs for the loss of 3 wickets thus securing a 7 wicket win. Olivia Gain was named Player of the match. In attendance were Sir Richard Hadlee, Amy Satthertwaite and Lea Tahuhu, all of whom assisted with the presentations. A sizeable crowd built up during the day and they enjoyed the quality of cricket in idyllic conditions. Special thanks to Adam and Jodie Gain for assistance with the team. Woman’s cricket was the definite winner on the day.
It was lovely that some Canterbury Old Girls held a reunion at the garden of the hostess, Mrs Winsome Dormer (nee Edgar) a former old girl and the ladies enjoyed catching up with the team at the end of the game.

 

Activities

Late last term we had a visit from St Rita’s College from Brisbane. Both the choir and orchestra from St Rita’s performed, along with our own Sings Hilda. Our year seven to ten students enjoyed being the audience for these performances.  As well as the lovely hospitality of St Hilda’s, the Queensland visitors also got to enjoy the novelty of snow falling in Dunedin on the day of the visit!

Outdoor Ed – Surfing

10S doing their Earthquake Drill

 9 H rockets being launched yesterday in science. Kara-Mai Herbst, and the rest of her group and co-creators are Ella Jarvie, Andie McGrouther and Hannah Lithgow.

This week the year 12 and 13 student have exhibited their work at the Otago Polytechnic.
Exhibiting their work to the wider community has been a valuable experience that showcases the skills they have developed throughout the year.
The year 13 exhibition gained excellent feedback from lecturers and students, I am very proud to have been a part of this high caliber showcase.
Pictured below are the year 13 student exhibits.
Sarah Pask
Briar Grounds
Lucy Girvan
Ana Rathbone
Kate Johnston
Lily Mole
Abbie Laughton
Amelia Andrews

Achievements

2019 Year  10 Speech competition
Mr Gavin Angus and Mrs Helen Almey had the unenviable task of selecting the three best speeches from a confident, articulate, passionate and entertaining group of nine speeches. Topics ranged from child labour to the problems with being the oldest sibling, why cats and better than fish to being a white Maori, from ageism to white privilege. All the speeches were so well researched and the nine young women stood in front of their peers and delivered confidently and passionately about their topic. No mean feat. At times, the audience was silent, shocked and engaged, other times,  they laughed and empathised.
But a winner had to be chosen.

First, was Summer Cooper with her challenge on body shaming and to love ourselves
Second was a compelling speech on abortion focusing on the current laws in Alabama from Anna Miller.
Third was a huge crowd favourite, Lily Knox with her fast-paced, visually and vocally entertaining take on ‘cringe culture’.

Thank you to all the participants,  to Mr Angus for co-judging and Mr Ross for organising the competition.
Helen Almey HOD English

Tolcarne News

Welcome back to Term 4!! Everyone has jumped right back into the swing of things with our Head Boarders and Boarding Leaders offering advice and answering questions from the Year 11’s and 12’s who are interested in applying. A reminder that expressions of interest for Head Boarder closes on Wednesday 23rd.
We had our final Night Prayers on Wednesday with Dr Townsley. We would like to thank her for taking the time to come up to Tolcarne 3-4 times a term to offer these Night Prayers, which are always a good time for students to slow down, reflect and be grateful for all they have. Thank you, Dr Townsley!
On Thursday night, some of our Year 12 and 13 students were privileged to have a workshop with Soph Borland, who is a mindset coach from Dunedin. Soph helped the girls to discover any subconscious, negative patterns that keep them from their own personal development, and what thoughts and stories we tell ourselves that keep us ‘stuck’. She took them on a journey of self-discovery as they thought about why these patterns kept appearing and how they could reframe them in order to move past them. The students got so much out of the workshop and were left with new life skills and a renewed sense of self-reflection.

Coming up

Good luck to the following girlswho will be competing in the Rowing Indoor Champs this Sunday 20th October.
Sophie Smith
Millie Davenport
Elsie Burnside
Christy Foster
Lucy Wright
Kate Beaton
Jessie Davidson
Lucy Taylor
Peta Ericsson

On Tuesday 12th November Otago Polytech are hosting 3 fabulous guest speakers to discuss high-performance sport and how they built towards their World Cups.

They will have Noeline Taurua from Netball, Tony Brown from Japan Rugby and Leonard King – BasketBall World Cup.
You can find out more information here.

Thank you to The Southern Trust for their contribution towards travel and accommodation costs, to Fresh Choice Roslyn for their support to keep the girls fueled, and to Dunedin Netball and the wider netball community for their support and best wishes. We really appreciate it.

Kirstin Scully
Co-coach St Hilda’s Senior A netball team.

Durban Girls’ College Exchange

In 2017 we started our exchange programme with Durban Girls’ College in South Africa. We are now beginning the process for 2020.

This exchange is open to girls who will be in Year 11 in 2020 (presently in Year 10)

The exchange student(s) from Durban will come to St Hilda’s for 6 weeks in March /April 2020. She will be in Year 11 and she will be timetabled into our school programme in the same way the Perth Exchange student is. The St Hilda’s student(s) would travel in exchange for 6 weeks in July/August  to Durban Girls’ College. Further information and application forms for this exchange are available here.

Applications close 25 October 2019.

The following link will give you more information on Durban Girls’ College:

http://www.dgc.co.za

St Hilda’s Collegiate School Fair 

Saturday 7th of March 2020 
Please start collecting and putting aside items for our school fair.
We need books, toys, games, white elephant goods, designer and used clothing.
In term 4 look out for information regarding our drop off dates and times.
 
Any questions please email Sarah and Linh
schoolfair@shcs.school.nz

BLUE RIBBON INSTALLATION

This is a fundraising initiative that current families, Old Girls and past families can support – purchase a Blue Ribbon plaque with your/your daughter’s name on it, to be displayed permanently in the foyer of the new Arts Building.

Please contact the Director of Development at aburke@shcs.school.nz to reserve your Blue Ribbon today.

 

Weekly News Term 3|Week 10

Weekly News
Dear Parents & Caregivers

It has been a busy and challenging term, and I hope that all our girls and families have the opportunity to spend time with loved ones, enjoy the world around them, get out in the fresh air and take the time to be grateful for life’s blessings.

Thanks to those of you who were able to join us for the opening of the Arts building. It was a very exciting and special occasion in the life of the school.

Jackie Barron

If you are withdrawing your daughter from St Hilda’s we ask that this is put in writing before Monday 14 October.  As is stipulated in the enrolment contract, one term’s written notice is required.  In default of that notice, one term’s Attendance Dues plus GST, shall be paid in lieu of notice upon the date that such fees would normally fall due, and in default of payment, interest shall run from that date until payment at the rate specified on the fees tax invoice/statement.  In addition, any costs involved in collection should recovery action be taken, shall be payable.

Please email principal@shcs.school.nz before Monday 14 October if your daughter is not intending to return to St Hilda’s in 2020.

Key Dates for Term 4

Monday 14th October – 5th December 2019

Friday 18 October – Blues Evening – Chapel, 7 pm – By Invitiation
Sunday 20 October – St Hilda’s Cathedral Service – St Paul’s Cathedral, 10 am –
All students to attend and families most welcome.
Monday 28 October – Labour Day – School and Hostel closed

Tuesday 5 November – Last day for Seniors (Years 11-13))
Monday 11-15 November – Year 10 Camp
Sunday 24 November – Carol Service – Chapel, 5 pm – Families welcome

Wednesday 4 December – Leavers Dinner – Museum
Thursday 5 December – Prize Giving – Dunedin Town Hall (please note change of venue) students to be seated at 4.45pm for 5pm start.

Parent Seminar

Signs your teen is not okay and what to do about it

We would like to invite all parents to join us for the upcoming Parent Seminar “Signs your teen is not okay and what to do about it”. We will presenting at the following times and venues:

Sunday 13 October 3:00pm St Hilda’s Chapel
Monday 14 October 7:00pm Croydon Lodge, Gore
Tuesday 15 October 7:00pm The Gate, Cromwell
Wednesday 16 October 6:30pm The Ranfurly Golf Club, Ranfurly

We encourage you to join us for this presentation. Please feel free to bring family and friends.

St Hilda’s Day – Sunday 20 October, 10:00 am

It is an important time for our School Community and part of our school year. It is expected that all students will attend the Service on this morning. Any absences for St Hilda’s Day must be emailed to Judy Maw, with a reason, care of admin@shcs.school.nz.

St Hilda’s Sports Council

We are seeking parent volunteers who have an interest in encouraging participation in, and enjoyment of, sport at all levels in line with current thinking from Sport New Zealand, to join us on the St Hilda’s Sports Council. Members of the council need to foster lifelong appreciation of sport and physical activity, and be advocates for female advancement in sport. Ideally members of the council will be well connected within the wider sporting community.

The role of the Sports Council
The Sports Council acts as an advisory to the Sports Department in developing strategies which align with the Board of Trustees whole school strategies, and supports positive physical activity and sports opportunities within the school. They aim to build and foster community links and to assist with communication between parents, students, staff and the wider community.

The Sports Council meets once a term. Attendance at these meetings could be via a digital platform if needed.

If you are interested in being considered the Sports Council please complete the expression of interest form which will be emailed to all parents at the beginning of next week and return it to Jenny McArthur in the school office by 3 pm on Friday 18 October.

Junior Academic Programme

The Junior Academic Programme for 2020 has been released online. Links to view this are on both the Parent Portal and the Student Homepage. This site provides an overview of the subjects studied from Year 7 through to Year 10.

Reminder – The two option choices for Year 10 in 2020 are now due for current Year 9 students. Parents of students who are yet to enter their daughter’s choices are encouraged to complete this process over the weekend. Your daughter’s choices can be entered through the link in the online Junior Academic Programme or the Kamar Parents Portal

The Junior Academic Programme can also be viewed here: https://sites.google.com/shcs.school.nz/2020-junior-academic-programme/home 

Durban Girls’ College Exchange

In 2017 we started our exchange programme with Durban Girls’ College in South Africa. We are now beginning the process for 2020.

This exchange is open to girls who will be in Year 11 in 2020 (presently in Year 10)

The exchange student(s) from Durban will come to St Hilda’s for 6 weeks in March /April 2020. She will be in Year 11 and she will be timetabled into our school programme in the same way the Perth Exchange student is. The St Hilda’s student(s) would travel in exchange for 6 weeks in July/August  to Durban Girls’ College. Further information and application forms for this exchange are available here.

Applications close 25 October 2019.

The following link will give you more information on Durban Girls’ College:

http://www.dgc.co.za

Return of all 2018 Sporting and Prize Giving Cups and Trophies 

Thank you to those who have returned their cup/trophy. There are still a number to be returned in preparation for the 2019 Awards and Prize Giving evenings.
We ask that these are returned before the end of the first week of Term 4.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this.  These may be left at the school’s main reception area.

St Hilda’s Collegiate School Fair 

Saturday 7th of March 2020 
Over the school holidays, you may like to start collecting and putting aside items for our school fair.
We need books, toys, games, white elephant goods, designer and used clothing.
In term 4 look out for information regarding our drop off dates and times.
 
Any questions please email Sarah and Linh
schoolfair@shcs.school.nz

BLUE RIBBON INSTALLATION

This is a fundraising initiative that current families, Old Girls and past families can support – purchase a Blue Ribbon plaque with your/your daughter’s name on it, to be displayed permanently in the foyer of the new Arts Building.

Please contact the Director of Development at aburke@shcs.school.nz to reserve your Blue Ribbon today.

 

Tolcarne News

On Sunday the girls enjoyed the sunshine and went to Victory beach. It was quite the journey, it took 45 minutes to get out there and then a 20 minute walk to get to the beach. The girls played cricket, volleyball and made a mermaid sculptor.
The boarding leaders enjoyed a treat on Tuesday night, heading down to Joe’s Garage for a dessert with Robyn and Ange. This was a small token of our appreciation for all of the hard work that our boarding leaders do around the hostel; building relationships with the juniors and helping the house managers with key tasks, especially at meals and bedtimes.
On Wednesday night we enjoyed another one of our ‘full house’ vegetarian meals for the term – black bean enchilada’s.  This was well received by the students – thank you Ross.

 

Achievements

Congratulations to Georgia Chamber who competed in the NZ Junior Free ride tour coming 1st equal in the U14 girls section.
Her results were as Follows
Stop 1:          The Remarkables: 4th
Stop 2:          Mount Olympus: 1st
Stop 3:          Turoa: 2nd
Overall 1st = in U14 girls

Cross Country results

Short Course (Y9-13)
1st Lulu Grimmond
2nd Libby Challis
3rd Christy Foster
Year 7 / 8
1st Charlie Byers 12:13:00
2nd Katie Moore 12:34:00
3rd Cassie Horo 12:54:00
Year 9
1st Zara Geddes 20:10:00
2nd Anna Caswell 20:47:00
3rd Billie Crowe 21:47:00
Year 10
1st Bronte Crowe 22:26:00
2nd Olivia Hall 23:29:00
3rd Lucy Anderson 24:52:00
Year 11
1st Megan Foster 20:07:50
2nd Anabel Bilkey 22:13:28
3rd Brooke Mcalwee 22:16:13
Year 12
1st Penny Keeling 25:14:00
2nd Anna Clarke 25:27:32
3rd Sarah Langsbury 25:37:00
Year 13
1st Megan Meltzer 25:00:00
2nd = Sophie Dempster 25:50:00
2nd = Maxie Dippie 25:50:00
3rd Millie Scully

 

Many of our SHCS girls received awards for their representative netball at the Dunedin Netball Centre annual prizegiving.
Our Junior 9A team received the Best Secondary Junior team
Ella Southby – Best Team Contribution for U14A
Meg Pope – Best Team Contribution for U14B
Grace Southby -MVP U15A
Gemma Rowcroft  – Best Team Contribution U15A
Jaymee Meffan – BTC – U15B
Annie Timu – MVP U17A
Molly Marsh – MVP 17B
Abbey Cochrane  – MVP 19B
Ella Southby was also awarded The Wilma Hendry trophy for best Junior Umpire.

SBS Bank Otago Sparks Head Coach Nathan King has named a talented squad including Molly Loe, Emma Black, Eden Carson and Olivia Gain to prepare for what promises to be an exciting 2019/20 women’s domestic cricket season.
The season begins for the Sparks with two 50 over games against Central Districts on the 15/16th of November.

Careers

MoneyHub, a guide to scholarships
As many of our Year 13 students begin their applications for tertiary study and look for ways to fund their future studies – MoneyHub, a consumer finance website, has published a guide to hundreds of scholarships for any student planning to start university in 2020.

Dental Checkup

Has your child had their dental check-up this year?
Treatment is free up until your child’s 18thbirthday.
From year 9 they will need to be seen by a dentist or dental therapist.
Call your local dentist to book an appointment.

A list of the dental providers that offer the FREE dental treatment can be found at https://bit.ly/2mx4YJo

Weekly News Term 3|Week 9

Weekly News
Dear Parents & Caregivers

It has been another busy week with benchmark exams continuing. No doubt, the girls are all ready for the holiday break.

We are looking forward to the official opening of our new arts building next week. We hope you have received your email invitation to the opening which is taking place at 2.00 pm on 27th September and we thank those of you who have already RSVP’d.

If you have not yet RSVP’d but would like to join us, we would be grateful if you could RSVP to principal@shcs.school.nz by Monday 23rd September.

We have a number of girls away in Queenstown this weekend taking part in the 2019 NZCAF National Schools Aerobics & Hip Hop Championships. We wish them the best of luck.

If you are interested in when these events are on, please click on the link below http://nzcaf.org.nz/events/nationals/event-timetable/

St Hilda’s Blues

A Blue at St Hilda’s Collegiate School is awarded in recognition of students who have shown excellence and/or outstanding achievement in the cultural, sporting, academic or service arena’s at St Hilda’s Collegiate School.

The Blues evening will be held on Friday 18 October 2019. Awards presentation commences at 7:00pm.

Thank you to those who have applied. Successful applicants will receive notification at the end of September.

Junior Academic Programme

The Junior Academic Programme for 2020 has been released online. Links to view this are on both the Parent Portal and the Student Homepage. This site provides an overview of the subjects studied from Year 7 through to Year 10.

Reminder – The two option choices for Year 10 in 2020 are now due for current Year 9 students. Parents of students who are yet to enter their daughter’s choices are encouraged to complete this process over the weekend. Your daughter’s choices can be entered through the link in the online Junior Academic Programme or the Kamar Parents Portal

The Junior Academic Programme can also be viewed here: https://sites.google.com/shcs.school.nz/2020-junior-academic-programme/home 

Junior Learning Conversations

Junior Learning Conversations will be held in Week 10. We are aware that it is not always possible for parents to attend these due to travelling distance and the timing of Learning Conversations so we are investigating the possible use of technology to assist with this.

Learning Conversations for Year 9 and 10 will take place on Tuesday 24 September from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm and Thursday 26 September from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm. Booking details have been emailed out

Learning Conversations for Year 7 and 8 will take place on Wednesday 25 September. Mrs Carla Joint (dean of Year 7 and 8) has provided detail around the format of these.

Durban Girls’ College Exchange

In 2017 we started our exchange programme with Durban Girls’ College in South Africa. We are now beginning the process for 2020.

This exchange is open to girls who will be in Year 11 in 2020 (presently in Year 10)

The exchange student(s) from Durban will come to St Hilda’s for 6 weeks in March /April 2020. She will be in Year 11 and she will be timetabled into our school programme in the same way the Perth Exchange student is. The St Hilda’s student(s) would travel in exchange for 6 weeks in July/August  to Durban Girls’ College. Further information and application forms for this exchange are available here.

Applications close 25 October 2019.

The following link will give you more information on Durban Girls’ College:

http://www.dgc.co.za

Return of all 2018 Sporting and Prize Giving Cups and Trophies 

In preparation for the 2019 Awards and Prize Giving evenings, we urgently require the return of all cups and trophies presented in 2018 before the end of Term 3.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this.  These may be left at the school’s main reception area.

Chapel Matters

September marks the 150th anniversary of the Anglican Church in Dunedin. Last weekend there was a celebration service at the Cathedral where everyone was encouraged to dress up in historical clothes, so Lily Chamberlain (one of my sacristans) and I went along in old St Hilda’s school uniforms which was lots of fun! Lily was involved in distributing communion and was also invited to cut the sesquicentennial cake!


The St Hilda’s choir sang with the Cathedral choir during the service and also performed the anthem, “neither the Moon by Night,” by Thomas La Voy.


Two members of the choir were also involved in the releasing of doves on the front steps of the Cathedral. You can see a photo of this on the front page of the ODT for Monday September 16th.

https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/dioceses-150th-anniversary-marked

Tolcarne News

Having the girls around the hostel during the day for benchmark exams study is a nice way to spend time with the seniors and encourage them to self manage their study schedules. Our hostel routines returned to normal on Thursday.
Most of our year 10’s and a few year 9’s enjoyed a social at Otago Boys hostel on Tuesday night, the theme was neon and the entry was $5 which was a fundraiser for mental health awareness.

We held night prayers on Wednesday night and most of our girls have managed to attend 3-night prayers, which is our minimum for the year. It is always a chance to reflect on the special character of St Hilda’s with Dr Townsley facilitating the session.

Activities this week

Year 12 Digital Technologies Trip
The Year 12 Digital Technologies class visited Soul Machines™ in Auckland this week to learn more about Artificial Intelligence, which is the computer science topic for their external examination. “Soul Machines™ is a deep science and technology company fusing AI, computational brain models and experiential learning to usher in a new era of Human Experience across all digital platforms and interfaces”. (https://www.soulmachines.com/about/)

The students learned about vast possibilities and social impacts of AI, as well as having presentations from the various teams working on the development of their “digital humans”.  It was fascinating both to see the advances in AI technology and also the variety of knowledge and skillsets that go into developing such a complex outcome.

They also were able to see the range of exciting possibilities that exist in the future workplace. Thank you to Professor Alistair Knott for organising the day, it was very inspirational and we all came away with new knowledge about our technological future.

Achievements

MANA POUNAMU YOUNG ACHIEVERS’ AWARDS 2019
He tāoka, he koha, he kura pounamu

Background
The Mana Pounamu Young Achievers’ Awards was brought about through the vision of the late Tāua, Alva Kapa, a local Kāi Tahu educator. It was named as such because it was first held in the Year of Mana Pounamu (2001) and is a Kāi Tahu initiative supported by Kā Papatipu Rūnaka ki Arai-Te-Uru.

The awards ceremony is an opportunity to celebrate the achievement of rakatahi Māori in secondary schools across Otago. 

St Hilda’s is pleased to announce the recipients of this award are Summer Cooper and Sarah Langsbury.

These are the citations from the school:-
Summer is an outstanding young woman.  She has a strong sense of self and is very keen to continue her journey of discovering who she is; exploring her whakapapa, and her place in the world.  

 Throughout her time at St Hilda’s, Summer has devoted a lot of her time to school teams and the school community. Since she joined St Hilda’s, she has been on the Chapel Committee demonstrating her leadership in the special character of the school. She has enjoyed her sports, being part of many teams such as football and futsal.

 Summer is a  member of the school’s Kapa Haka group, Ngā Manu o Hira Tapu and is a founding member of the combined group, He Iti he Pounamu. She is now taking on leadership roles in these.

 Alongside these achievements, she has a successful academic record in all her subjects.

 It is her commitment to her Local Church, Dunedin City Baptist that is impressive. She commits a lot of her own time to serving others in the church and the community. She leads worship sessions with young people and serves as a greeter at the start of services. Alongside this, she also raises money for charitable enterprises involving the enrichments of other’s lives. Summer has enormous aroha for others.

 As a young Maori, Summer is a role model for community, cultural, academic and service endeavours. We are very proud to have her as a St Hilda’s student.

Summer Cooper

Sarah is a determined and focused young woman.  She blends a strong sense of self with a competitive spirit into being the best she possibly can be.

 Athletics is a demanding discipline. Throughout her time at St Hilda’s, Sarah has pushed herself to gain better times and acquire more skills. This has culminated in her competing in the 100m hurdles against competitors years older than herself at the 2019 Pan Pacific Competition. Not only is this a truly impressive achievement for a 16-year-old, but takes personal resolve and resilience and a maturity beyond her years  This is the start of Sarah entering into international competition and furthering her desire to represent New Zealand at the highest level.

 Coupled with this competitiveness is a strong sense of self. Sarah is proudly Ngā Tahu/Kāi Tahu. Throughout her time at St Hilda’s she has been a proud Maori advocate. She has always been a member of  St. Hilda’s Kapa Haka, Ngā Manu o Hira Tapu. She takes a leading role as Kaea in many performances. She is also a founding member of the newly established joint Kapa Haka group, He Iti He Pounamu. She is a proud and eloquent performer.

 Sarah combines all of these with an excellent academic record. In 2018, she received an Academic Blues for Attaining NCEA  Level 1 with Excellence and is likely to attain similar success at Level 2.

Sarah epitomises all the values we hold dear a St Hilda’s – Ka Taea e au, Tū motuake,  Toa takitini and Ara whakapono. She is a resolute young woman and we are proud to have her as a St Hilda’s student.

Sarah Langsbury

Secondary School Pacific Island Students – Recognition Awards 2019
St Hilda’s is proud to announce that Eva Meeuws is our 2019 recipient of this award.

Eva is our Maori and Pasifika prefect. She recently organised our Te wiki o te reo Māori. She has been a long term member of our Kapa Hake group Ngā manu o Hira Tapu and of Sings Hilda. She is an outstanding athlete, excelling in many fields both in school and at a regional level. Academically, she has attained both Level 1 and 2 endorsed with Merit. 

She is an excellent role model and a  worthy recipient of this award.

Eva Meeuws

Play it Strange Who Loves Who Competition
Year 13 St Hilda’s Music student Nicole Horrell alongside Samuel Leaper from John McGlashan have made the national top 20 in the Play it Strange Who Loves Who Competition with their interpretation of an iconic Dunedin song, The Clean’s ‘Tally Ho’. The Who Loves Who Competition is a chance for year 9 to 13 students to celebrate New Zealand music by recording their own unique and evocative interpretation of a New Zealand song.

All finalists get their tracks mastered by Chris Chetland at Kog Studio, which will be released on a Who Loves Who Competition album later in the year. Congratulations to both Nicole and Samuel for this great achievement.

Analee Toro was at a collegiate shoot on Sunday (15 Sep 2019) at the Waimate-Oamaru Clay Target Club. She shot brilliantly and won the girls High Gun trophy, which means she scored the highest, combined score for the three DTL (Down The Line) events (Single Rise, Points Score and Single Barrel). Well done Analee!

Year 7 student Lucy Burke came third in the Town Belt Kaitiaki Photography competition (age 9-13 years category) prizegiving held at Otago Museum yesterday. Well done Lucy!

Image may contain: 1 person, smiling, standing and outdoor

 

NZ Secondary School Swimming Champs

Congratulations to Natalie Hutchens, Andie McGrouther, Meg McLaughlan and Molly Whittaker who qualified for and competed in the NZSS Swimming Champs last week. With over 780 swimmers, competition was stiff and the girls all achieved some great results and some pbs.
Special mention goes to the following girls who achieved top 10 placings:
Andie: 9th in 50m Breaststroke & 100m Breaststroke
Meg: 4th in 200m Breaststroke and 10th in 100m Breaststroke
Natalie:  4th in 50m Free, 5th in 100m Free (missing a Bronze by 3/10 of a second), 8th in 100m Back, 9th in 50m Fly, 9th in 200m Back.

Careers

MoneyHub, a guide to scholarships
As many of our Year 13 students begin their applications for tertiary study and look for ways to fund their future studies – MoneyHub, a consumer finance website, has published a guide to hundreds of scholarships for any student planning to start university in 2020.

Weekly News Term 3|Week 8

Uncategorised
Kia ora koutou
Ngā Manu ō Hira Tapu ready for Polyfest
Our senior benchmark examinations have begun and will continue into next week. It is a great opportunity for the girls to test their understanding and show the learning they have been doing this year.

Arts Building Opening

We hope you have received your email invitation to the opening of our new Arts building at 2.00pm on 27th September and we thank those of you who have already RSVP’d.
We would be grateful if you could RSVP to principal@shcs.school.nz by Monday 23rd September.

St Hilda’s Blues

A Blue at St Hilda’s Collegiate School is awarded in recognition of students who have shown excellence and/or outstanding achievement in the cultural, sporting, academic or service arena’s at St Hilda’s Collegiate School.

The Blues evening will be held on Friday 18 October 2019. Awards presentation commences at 7:00pm.

Thank you to those who have applied. Successful applicants will receive notification at the end of September.

Junior Academic Programme

The Junior Academic Programme for 2020 has been released online. Links to view this are on both the Parent Portal and the Student Homepage. This site provides an overview of the subjects studied from Year 7 through to Year 10. At Year 10, students undertake two optional subjects of their choice alongside their compulsory subjects.

The Junior Academic Programme can also be viewed here: https://sites.google.com/shcs.school.nz/2020-junior-academic-programme/home 

Updated Reporting Timeline

We have adjusted the reporting timeline to accommodate the changes made to the junior reports at the end of Term 2. Year 7 – 10 students will receive an interim report in Week 8 and this will be followed by Junior Learning Conversations which will be held in Week 10. We are aware that it is not always possible for parents to attend these due to travelling distance and the timing of Learning Conversations so we are investigating the possible use of technology to assist with this.

Learning Conversations for Year 9 and 10 will take place on Tuesday 24 September from 6:00pm – 9:00pm and Thursday 26 September from 6:00pm – 9:00pm. Booking details will be sent out next Tuesday by email.

Learning Conversations for Year 7 and 8 will take place on Wednesday 25 September. Mrs Carla Joint (dean of Year 7 and 8) will provide details around these next week.

Durban Girls’ College Exchange

In 2017 we started our exchange programme with Durban Girls’ College in South Africa. We are now beginning the process for the 2020.

This exchange is open to girls who will be in Year 11 in 2020 (presently in Year 10)

The exchange student(s) from Durban will come to St Hilda’s for 6 weeks in March /April 2020. She will be in Year 11 and she will be timetabled into our school programme in the same way the Perth Exchange student is. The St Hilda’s student(s) would travel in exchange for 6 weeks in July/August  to Durban Girls’ College. Further information and application forms for this exchange will be available early next week.

The following link will give you more information on Durban Girls’ College:

http://www.dgc.co.za

Return of all 2018 Sporting and Prize Giving Cups and Trophies 

In preparation for the 2019 Awards and Prize Giving evenings, we urgently require the return of all cups and trophies presented in 2018 before the end of Term 3.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this.  These may be left at the school’s main reception area.

Measles update from Public Health

Frequently asked questions for parents and schools 

Do I need to be worried about catching measles?

Measles is highly contagious and easily spread.

Most people in the community are protected from measles because they are fully vaccinated or have already had measles.

What does fully vaccinated mean?

Fully vaccinated means having had the right number of vaccines for your age. For anyone 15 months – 4 years old, this means one MMR vaccine. For anyone older than 4 years old this means two MMR vaccines.

Why isn’t everyone fully vaccinated?

Some people in the community can’t be vaccinated because of allergy or immune conditions. Medical treatments such as chemotherapy can alter someone’s immunity and make them vulnerable to getting measles even if they are fully vaccinated. Babies younger than 1 year old are too young.

Another group of people born between 1970 and 1990 might not realise they are not fully vaccinated. They might have only received one measles vaccine (such as MMR) as a child or might not have access to their immunisation records.

Others choose not to vaccinate.

What if I don’t know my immunisation history?

If you are unsure of your vaccination status you should consider yourself unvaccinated. You should talk to your GP about getting your shots, there is no harm in having extra MMRs.

What should I do if I (or my child) have had contact with a measles case?

If you are fully vaccinated then you are protected and can’t pass measles on to others.

What does isolation involve?

Measles has a long incubation period. If you have been exposed to measles or are showing symptoms and you are not vaccinated, you need to be isolated for 14 days. That means you need to stay home and avoid being in any public places.

Should I vaccinate my child early?

The MMR vaccination schedule for children outside of Auckland is unchanged. Children who have had the right number of vaccines for their age are considered to be fully vaccinated:

  • One vaccine at 15 months old
  • One vaccine at 4 years old

Advice for those travelling overseas or to Auckland is kept up to date on the Ministry of Health’s website: https://www.health.govt.nz/your-health/conditions-and-treatments/diseases-and-illnesses/measles/2019-measles-outbreak-information

Were the current measles cases already vaccinated?

All current Queenstown measles cases (15) are either unvaccinated or uncertain of their vaccination status. Some of those cases are not able to be vaccinated due to allergy or health conditions.

When is someone with measles contagious?

A person with measles is infectious from 5 days before and until 5 days after the rash appears (about 10 days in total). During this time the infected person needs to stay away from other people; children need to be kept home from school and adults from work, do not invite other children or visitors to your house.

I’m pregnant or have a weak immune system – am I at risk?

Pregnant women who haven’t been vaccinated, and anyone with a weakened immune system, are at greater risk of measles complications. They or their caregiver should ask their doctor or lead maternity carer for advice.

What do I if I think I might have measles?

If you suspect you have measles, phone your GP or Healthline free on 0800 611 116 for advice. Because measles is so infectious (easily passed on to other people), ring first rather than just turning up at your doctor’s clinic.

Where can I find the best advice about measles vaccination?

The Immunisation Advisory Centre’s latest advice on MMR vaccination during the 2019 measles outbreak:

https://www.immune.org.nz/sites/default/files/resources/Written%20Resources/AdministrationMMRQA20190904V01aFinal.pdf

For more information relating to measles, please refer to the Ministry of Health’s website:
https://www.health.govt.nz/your-health/conditions-and-treatments/diseases-and-illnesses/measles

Guidance

Girlguiding UK’s Girls’ Attitudes Survey 2019 has highlighted the issue of exam stress in girls. Please read the attached article to explore their findings further.

Download (PDF, 252KB)

Chapel Matters

Kia Ora! We are just coming to the end of te wiki o te reo Maori – Maori language week. While the Seniors have been doing exams, the juniors had a chapel on this topic. Mr Ellwood took us through te karakia o te Atua – the Lord’s Prayer – and taught us about the meaning of some of the key words. We then practised saying the prayer together. The theme for this week is “kia kaha te reo Maori” which means “strengthen” Maori Language, or “Let’s make the Maori Language strong.” One of my goals with regard to strengthening my use of te reo Maori is to learn this karakia off-by-heart since it is often said in Anglican church services or at special events. You might also like to strengthen your use of te reo Maori by having a look at the prayer, perhaps for the first time, or refreshing your understanding of the key words, or by practising saying it aloud, or by learning it off-by-heart too! Here is a useful website for doing that:  Lord’s Prayer in Te Reo

Tolcarne News

Last Friday, Josie and Nicki took the junior girls to the Dunedin ice stadium for Friday Disco Night.  Under colourful lights and popular music, the girls slipped into the new ice skates and stepped out onto the ice.  Not a common activity in New Zealand, many found it a challenge to navigate the ice.  We had some sore ankles, feet and a few topples to wet the knees and backsides, but all in all, the activity was a fun Friday night out!
On Monday night our Tribes played to ‘ice breaker games’ – pass the orange under the chin and blow the pingpong ball down the table with disposable straws.  Lots of laughter and double chins as the orange was passed down the line and the pingpong ball was blown off the tables. Falkland won to orange passing competition and Highgate won the ping pong travel game and Falkland came in again wining the pingpong round robin game.
This week the juniors have been starting dinner with grace in Te Reo as part of Maori Language week. Our senior girls have begun studying and are sitting their benchmark exams, this continues over the weekend and early into next week.

Health Consultation 2019

Thank you to those who completed the 2019 health consultation survey, we greatly appreciate your feedback.
All parents and caregivers are now invited to attend an open discussion on the evening of Monday 16th September, 6.30 pm – 7.30pm where we will have the opportunity to further discuss the makeup of our health programme.
If you would like to attend, please RSVP to admin@shcs.school.nz by Wednesday 11 September.

Hannah Coutts
Teacher of Physical Education and Health

Activities this week

Well done to Ngā Manu ō Hira Tapu who performed at Polyfest on Wednesday night.

Royal New zealand Ballet Workshop
Chloe, the educator from the Royal NZ Ballet take a few Dance workshops on Monday. Years 7-11 took a workshop on Monday lunchtime & Years 12-13 were tutored within their P4 class.
The Contemporary dance they learnt was based on Women’s Suffrage.
15 students were then treated to the actual RNZB performance on Wednesday night – “Bold Moves” where definitive dances from three different decades were shown.
     
Physical Education Class – Gymnastics
The Year 7 Science class has recently been studying ROCKS; their formation and composition among other things, so we were delighted that Liana Sui-Wood’s grandfather allowed Liana to bring some of his precious collection into class. These made for fascinating observations and we even looked at the amazing crystal compositions under the microscope. Thanks so much Ted for your kindness and I sense we have some budding young geologists emerging from this group if Bella and Alex’s enthusiasm is anything to go by.
Year 10 students participating in the Get to Go Challenge
  

Achievements

Our hockey girls had a great week in Timaru competing in the Audrey Timlin Tournament. They played so well as a team resulting in them being 3rd overall at tournament.
We were unlucky to not make the final after losing to Craighead in the semi’s by one goal but the girls showed thier sportsmanship and determination beating James Hargest to be 3rd overall
Rugby – our year 9 and 10’s competed in the Highlanders Region Tournament on Friday in Mosgiel, In real wintery conditions. Playing four games and winning them all to make the semi finals where they bet Otago Girls’ high School  30 – 5 to then play Central Otago in the final.
In the final the girls played so well in the muddy wet conditions with some fantastic tries winning this 17 – 0
Hockey 1st XI

Careers

Transition Expo Day Event – Discover opportunities for life after school. Click here for further details.

Transition Expo Evening Forum – Click here for further details

MoneyHub, a guide to scholarships
As many of our Year 13 students begin their applications for tertiary study and look for ways to fund their future studies – MoneyHub, a consumer finance website, has published a guide to hundreds of scholarships for any student planning to start university in 2020.

Volunteers Required – PFA

Parents and senior students over 16 years of age.
The PFA has been given an opportunity to fundraise at this year’s Fleetwood Mac concert on September 21 at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
This involves working in one of the hospitality areas for approximately 8 hours and attending a 90min induction meeting in the week prior to the concert,
The PFA raises funds for the school community for the benefit of all students.

It’s actually a lot of fun and if you are interested in receiving more information please contact Ali Copeman on pfa@shcs.school.nz