Weekly News Term 4|Week 1

Newsletters

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

A Note from The Principal

It is a very warm welcome back to Term 4, which is one of my favourite times of the year. There are a lot of functions where we come together to reflect on the year, and have the opportunity to celebrate together. St Hilda’s Day is a key event on the calendar this term, we count it as an official school half day, so it is important that all students attend. Parents, grandparents and families are also very welcome as we celebrate this significant day in the school’s history.

I wanted to formally announce that Mrs Nicki Holtz has been appointed to the  HOD Languages position and Mrs Alison Bromley to the  Spanish specialist position. I am delighted that both these staff have committed to permanent positions with us.

I also have great pleasure in announcing that Amanda Burke has been appointed to the position of Director of Development. This is a new position reporting to the Boards which will spearhead our capital development programme to support our buildings plan. Amanda has a long association with St Hilda’s as an old girl, staff member, board member and parent and is passionate about assisting the school to be future focused.

We have also advertised for a HOD Visual and Performing Arts.

Jackie Barron

Key Dates for Term 4 – Monday 15th October – 5th December 2018

Monday 22 October – Labour Day – School and Hostel closed
Friday 26 October – Blues Evening – Chapel, 7 pm
Sunday 28 October – St Hilda’s Cathedral Service – St Paul’s Cathedral, 10 am.

Thursday 1 November – Last day for Seniors
Monday 12-16 November – Year 10 Camp
Sunday 25 November – Carol Service – Chapel, 5 pm

Tuesday 4 December – Leavers Dinner – Museum
Wednesday 5 December – Prize Giving – Edgar Centre, students to be seated at 4.45pm for 5pm start.

RSVP’s

Blues Evening – Friday 26 October, 6.50 pm for 7 pm

Please RSVP to admin@shcs.school.nz

St Hilda’s Day – Sunday 28 October, 10:00 am

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

Guidance

As exams approach it is important for us to consider how we can support students with any exam stress they are feeling. Click here for advice from ReachOut about how you can best assist your daughter during this time.

Passion Project

We are planning a Passion Project week in Week 5 where students will select a topic they are interested in.  They will develop an inquiry question about this topic, research it, and plan a project with a culminating presentation to share with classmates and families.  Students will be assuming adult roles such as author, video game creator, piano teacher, instructional film producer, cupcake bakery entrepreneur, rocket designer, architect, sports trainer, website designer, environmental activist, and historian.  Products could include short instructional videos, websites, public service campaigns, how-to books, fantasy novels, rocket and how-to presentation, models, and online video games or anything else their interest leads them to.
As part of this week, we would love to have times where adults can share some of their interests and passions. This could be to the whole group or to smaller groups in a workshop type arrangement. If you would be interested in being involved OR you know of someone who you think would be good for this, please let me know. It would be fantastic for the girls to see the wide range of interests and projects that we are all still involved in as adults.

Support needed for vulnerable teens fundraiser.

Madeleine Whittaker, a recent old girl of the school, is walking 1400km on the South Island section of the Te Araroa trail (from Bluff to the Marlborough Sounds). She is raising money for the Outward Bound Trust which will be used to give vulnerable teens scholarships to attend a course. She decided to raise money for Outward Bound after attending one of the Mind, Body and Soul courses in January 2018 and finding it hugely beneficial.
If you wish to contribute please click on the following link:  https://obchampion.everydayhero.com/nz/madeleine

Annually a number of St Hilda’s students attend these very worthwhile courses.

In today’s ever-advancing world, we are living at the speed of science. New Zealand students can be at the forefront of this exciting era. Students today will have an average of four careers and 17 different jobs in their lifetime.  It is so important that they learn and master critical transportable skills to successfully navigate the fast-changing workforce shaped by automation, robotics, artificial intelligence and globalisation.

Today, our girls have an opportunity to get ahead, to learn and apply these skills at Space School, an immersive international study program designed to inspire a new generation of STEAM-skilled leaders.

Our school is participating in the 2 week Space School Expedition to NASA in the USA during July 2019 along with other Alliance Schools from Christchurch and Dunedin. We are currently filling the last remaining places in the senior and junior groups by 26th of October 2018.

The program comes highly recommended by both teachers and parents of previous students that have participated in Space School. For those parents that were unable to make the Information Evening recently held and would like further information, you can find video resources of both programs below

Junior Space School

Senior Space School

This is a fantastic opportunity to be immersed in activities and projects not possible in the school environment. For more info: www.actura.co.nz/alliance

Student Achievement

Congratulations to Eliabel Legrand and Evie Rose Grace who have been accepted to the Prestigious Junior Academy of the New York Academy of Sciences.

As members of The Junior Academy, Eliabel and Evie will have the opportunity to collaborate with 2,000 students from 85 countries on virtual challenges sponsored by industry leading companies. These challenges are designed by the Academy’s education experts to help students develop 21st Century skills as they prepare for the jobs of the future.

This year, the GSA received more than 6,500 applications of which 586 students from 57 countries were selected for the programme. To be accepted into the program students must fill out an application, write an essay and have a teacher recommendation.

The annual ReDraft competition publishes the best young New Zealanders’ writing. Sophie Armstrong features in this year’s publication along with Megan Foster. Sophie’s writing is entitled “The Second Time”, a short story of a girl’s heartbreak experiences with a great twist and Megan’s “Our Generation” is a poem that you have to read twice – once from top to bottom and then from bottom to top. Catherine Davidson and Emma De Lange were also highly commended.

Speech Contest ‘ A life less ordinary’

Congratulations Lily Chamberlain who has lived a less than ordinary life. From having an alter ego Professor Lily to her years of babysitting experience with her 3 younger siblings, dealing with being extraordinarily tall, and learning to tough it out and turn the other cheek especially when dealing with cyberbullies thanks to her parent’s Catholic beliefs, Lily shared her less than ordinary life experiences and how they had shaped her in a humorous and engaging speech.

EDICM/Future Schools asked six schools to send a representative to share their life experiences so far and to consider how they had shaped them for their future. In return, two of these participants would be offered the chance to have a 12 day cultural trip to Japan. And at Otago Boys’, on Sept 30th, Lily Chamberlain gained one of those places.

Lily will fly out to Japan and spend time in Tokyo before spending a week in a host family and attend Sundai Kofu High school, Yamanashi Prefecture, Kofu, Shiobe. The previous years’ winners shared their experiences and photos of their time there. They painted a picture of an amazing immersive cultural exchange where they learnt so much about a culture unlike our own and experienced sights, sounds, food, and classrooms so different from our own. For ten days, they lived a life less ordinary and had an experience that was by their accounts inspirational and impactful.  

Lily will fly out on December 7th, to begin her amazing experience to add to her life story.

Lucie Holtz had great success over the holidays at the New Zealand National Figure Skating Championships in Auckland. Congratulations Lucie!
She placed 2nd in the Intermediate Novice grade, has been selected to represent NZ at Australian Nationals in Sydney December, selected for the International B Team, and the NZIFSA Development Squad. She also competed in Juvenile Ice Dance where she and her partner Tim Bradfield from John McGlashan placed second.
                 

 

Congratulations to Ella Morshuis and her horse, World Famous who won their first South Island title over the break,

Ella & World Famous
South Island  FEI 3 Day Event
CNC95  Under 21’s Champions

Congratulations to Olivia Andrew, Izzy Gold, Nicole Heaton and Natalie Hutchens who qualified for the New Zealand Open Short Course Swimming Champs and competed in Auckland 2-6 October. Highlights were:

  • Olivia achieving 11th national ranking in her age group in 50, 100 & 200m backstroke;
  • Izzy achieving 12th in 50m Breaststroke;
  • Nicole achieving 9th in 50m Backstroke;
  • Natalie achieving 6th in 50m Freestyle.
Izzy, Nicole and Natalie also came 8th in the Medley Relay out of the NZ Clubs.
Australian State Short Course Champs
Congratulations to Jessica Scott who was selected as part of the NZ team that competed at the AIS in Canberra 2-6 October. She swam some personal best times, including breaking the Open Otago Short Course 50m Butterfly Record which she already held. A real achievement.

Congratulations to Cecilia Crooks who had a big 2 weeks of Cycling events over the Holidays. Cecilia competed at the New Zealand Secondary School Cycling Championships placing 18th in the Road Race and 4th in the Points race, she then competed in the Junior Tour of Southland and after 6 stages was the eventual Women’s U19 Champion.

Congratulations to the Senior A Netball Team who finished 8th at the New Zealand Secondary School Netball Tournament in Timaru over the holidays. St Hilda’s were the only South Island School to make the top 8

Careers News and Events

 To view visit the Career Events calendar.

A reminder to check the Sports Draws page of the website to keep up to date with match times. The netball draws are posted each week in readiness for the weekend’s matches.

 

 

Weekly News Term 3|Week 10

Newsletters

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

A Note from The Principal

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.

I know next term will be busy too, and there are always so many fun and memorable events in the last term, that it does fly past. Term 4 is about new adventures, passion projects, Yr 10 Camp, farewelling our seniors, external examinations and learning that prepares girls for the next year. The staff enjoy the opportunity to move broadly through the curriculum, and challenge girls to think about their next steps. Please check the key dates below and commit them to your diary so you don’t miss out on any of these special events.

It is also a time when we think about our next steps too, and plan for 2019. A key focus of mine is to ensure that we continue to have quality staff teaching all our classes. Ms Claire Laverty has resigned to spend more time with her young family, and we have advertised a position for a Maths specialist. Ms Allott, after travelling overseas for the year, has indicated that she will not be returning to Dunedin, so we have advertised for an HOD Languages and Spanish specialist. We will also have to advertise for an HOD Visual and Performing Arts and we will begin that process shortly.

Below you will find the link to a presentation made by Tracey Martin the Associate Minister of Education and Minister for Children at the parliamentary function yesterday to honour winners of the national NCEA “Make Your Mark’ competition. In her presentation she refers to the research conducted by our Year 11 Digital technology class, that they submitted. What a moment for the girls!! Not only does it acknowledge the work they have done, but it validates all the work our pastoral team have been undertaking in the community around girls’ anxiety and toxic perfectionism. Wow!! We are very proud and delighted that the girls’ work has been recognized.

Watch the video starting from 26 minutes – 29 minutes!! A wonderful moment.

https://www.facebook.com/EducationGovtNZ/videos/1682875915173515/UzpfSTY2MDUwOTcwMToxMDE1NjI2ODA2NTM0NDcwMg/?notif_id=1538071911240399&notif_t=feedback_reaction_generic

Jackie Barron

If you are withdrawing your daughter from St Hilda’s we ask that this is put in writing before Monday 15 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 15 October if your daughter is not intending to return to St Hilda’s in 2019.

Key Dates for Term 4 – Monday 15th October – 5th December 2018

Monday 22 October – Labour Day – School and Hostel closed
Friday 26 October – Blues Evening – Chapel, 7 pm
Sunday 28 October – St Hilda’s Cathedral Service – St Paul’s Cathedral, 10 am.

Thursday 1 November – Last day for Seniors
Monday 12-16 November – Year 10 Camp
Sunday 25 November – Carol Service – Chapel, 5 pm

Tuesday 4 December – Leavers Dinner – Museum
Wednesday 5 December – Prize Giving – Edgar Centre, students to be seated at 4.45pm for 5pm start.

Learning Conversations – Interview site will open at 5 pm today for Senior Day Girls.

SENIOR DAY GIRLS – Week 1 (Term 4) Tuesday 16th October  6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

The Interview site will close at 5 pm of 15th October

To book go to:  https://www.schoolinterviews.co.nz

Click on “Make a Booking” and enter the following code

dmntb

Student Achievement

More on Make Your Mark

The Year 11 Digital Technologies class, plus Isabella Aldrich in Year 12, travelled to Wellington this week to receive awards at Parliament for their winning entries into the NCEA Make Your Mark Competition.  The girls in Year 11 conducted research into student views on NCEA, analysed the results and presented their findings as a formal NCEA review report.   At the awards ceremony, the girls were specially mentioned by Associate Minister of Education, Hon Tracey Martin, for the work they had done regarding the impact that NCEA has on student well-being.  Isabella Aldrich was awarded a 1st place for her creative writing submission, which was a powerful piece that also focused on the stress caused by on-going assessment in NCEA.  

As well as attending the awards ceremony, the girls also had two industry visits to learn more about career pathways in the digital technologies area.  They were lucky to be hosted by Datacom and Trade Me who each inspired the girls with the range of exciting current and emerging applications of digital technologies.

The girls also were able to do some exploring around Wellington, including a visit to Te Papa.

Overall, the day was filled with interesting and inspiring experiences and the girls represented St Hilda’s proudly and graciously

Aerobics

NZCAF Nationals 2018 – St Hilda’s Placings

Category Student Place
Prechoreographed Intermediate Individual Olivia Ollerenshaw 3rd
Prechoreographed Secondary Team Sarah Langsbury & Summer Philips 1st
Charlotte & Penelope Chapman-Cohen 2nd
Emma Frampton & Rylie Cleaver 3rd
Intermediate Team Lashaan Ashton & Tia Mawhinney 2nd
Secondary Junior Team Maia Lamb & Gabi Horo 1st
Secondary Senior Team Zara Anthony-Whigham & Isabel Woodhouse 1st
Intermediate Individual Sofia Johnston 2nd
Chloe Woodhouse 3rd
Secondary Rookie Individual Stella Rathbone 2nd
Junior Open Individual Bridget Sinclair 1st
Senior Open Novice Individual Bella Devereux 1st
Senior Open Individual Trinity Maydon 2nd
Intermediate Fitness Group Short’n’Sassy 1st
Secondary Fitness Group Gangnam Girls 3rd
NZCAF Secondary Schools Challenge Shield (most 1st, 2nd & 3rd placings) St Hilda’s
Technical Excellence Award Sofia Johnston


Hip Hop – Secondary School Category

Alliance (2nd place in Nationals)

Hannah Alcock
Zara Anthony- Whigham
Sian Hanlin
Helen Knott
Millie Scully
Libby Ward
Grace Stewart

Congratulations to all, what an achievement!

Netball

The team was in great form showing real team work and winning all games during the day. St Hildas placed second overall for year 8, the final playoff against Mt Aspiring was a fast paced game and the team held their own, with only 2 goals difference in the final score.

The year 8 Netball team headed to Gore for the Otago/Southland Intermediate Netball Champs on Sunday the 23rd of September. The team was in great form after winning the Dunedin Netball Year 8 Competition three weeks beforehand and had another fantastic tournament. St Hilda’s ended up placing second overall in the year 8 grade, the final playoff against Mt Aspiring was a fast paced game and the team held their own, with only 2 goals difference in the final score.
Duathlon
St Hilda’s had 4 girls competing at the Otago Duathlon Championships on Sunday 23rd of September. In almost perfect conditions on the Taieri the girls did extremely well with Cecilia Crooks winning the senior girls race, Gemma Rowcroft placing second in the junior girls race and a team of Megan Foster and Grace Cotter placing second in the junior girls teams race.

Curling
This season was super successful for St Hilda’s Curling. We had a large number of girls involved this season and were very fierce competitors, with the novice team Curl Power taking out the novice competition. The other notice and experienced teams both made huge improvements over the season. The girls were enthusiastic and have been a pleasure to play alongside this season. We want to say a special thanks to Mrs Jones who came along every week and supported the teams through this exciting season.

Photo competition

winners were judged in four categories at junior and senior levels. These categories were based on the values of the St Hilda’s graduate. The winners were:

Be You Senior: Olivia Hazlet
Be You Junior: Lucy Woodhouse

Can Do Senior: Olivia Hazlet

Can Do Junior: Breane Byck

Better Together Senior: Sophie Armstrong

Better Together Junior: Ella Hodgson

Explore Faith Senior: Eve Scott

Explore Faith Junior: Ella Hodgson

Students and staff were able to vote blind for their favourite photo and the winner of this People’s Choice vote was Sophie Armstrong with her ‘Better Together’ photo.

Congratulations to all winners and well done to all those who entered.

Return of Cups and Trophies presented in 2017

It is that time of year again where we ask for the return of all cups and trophies presented in 2017. This assists us in the preparation of this year’s awards evening and Prize Giving.

These may be left at the main office. Thank you.

Careers News and Events

 To view visit the Career Events calendar.

A reminder to check the Sports Draws page of the website to keep up to date with match times. The netball draws are posted each week in readiness for the weekend’s matches.

Weekly News Term 3|Week 9

Newsletters

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

A Note from The Principal

The busyness of a school term continues and we know that through all of the work and commitments, activities and responsibilities that we have, the connectedness of our community is very important. We have had the opportunity to celebrate so many recent achievements, at Tournament week, students making national finals in the “Make Your Mark’ NCEA competition, Coding competitions and our Hip hop crews and Aerobic teams who have their nationals this weekend. We are proud of the girls achievements and pleased to be able to support them and cheer them on.

The benchmark exams have been completed and are a great measure for the girls in terms of where they are in their learning and what their next steps need to be. They will have all the information they need to make the most of the coming weeks before External Examinations. Progress reports for senior students will be out shortly, again adding clarity to the key tasks required going forward.

The purpose and focus of the coming weeks is clear, and we look forward to assisting students to achieve their personal goals.

Jackie Barron

Blues Application Process 2018 – Deadline closes at 5pm TODAY

Applications for Cultural, Service and Sports Blues and Awards were announced at our full school assembly 31 August 2018.

These application links are located on the student homepage under the heading “Blues Application” and will now close TODAY at 5:00 pm.  

All successful applicants will be notified of their attendance at the invitation only Blues Awards evening by the end of September.

The Blues Award evening, an invitation only event, will be held on 26 October commencing at 7:00 pm in the School Chapel.

Learning Conversations – Interview site now open for bookings.

We respectfully request Day Girl Learning Conversations are booked on the nights allocated:

ALL DAY GIRLS – Week 10 Tuesday 25th September 6:00 pm-8:00 pm

BOARDERS – Week 10 Friday 28th September  1:00 pm – 3:30 pm – PLEASE NOTE All students will be released early at  11.50 am to allow for these conversations.

SENIOR DAY GIRLS – Week 1 (Term 4) Tuesday 16th October  6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

The Interview site will close on the morning of each Learning Conversation.

To book go to:  https://www.schoolinterviews.co.nz

Click on “Make a Booking” and enter the following code

dmntb

Guidance

“Hello Grief. I see you. I know your name. I am here for you.”

Thich Nhat Hanh

Grief and the subsequent grieving that comes afterwards, is something that most of us fear, for we know the literal pain that grief brings.

But as the quote above says, “I am here for you” and the implicit meanings of “I will look after you and I will attend to you” – that is the message we must take in order to move through the pain of grief.

So much of our culture relies on distraction and avoidance. “Don’t think about” or “do something to keep yourself busy” are phrases we often hear when someone is struggling with big emotions. But by doing that, we are deliberately turning our back on the visitor who has arrived – Grief – and we are denying ourselves the opportunity to hold our grief like a small child who needs nurturing, to see our emotions from the point of view of an observer and to take the steps required to care for our grief and in doing so, find the path to peace.

This last week at school has seen the arrival of grief and the grieving that took place afterwards. The compassion, the care, the connection and the kindness that was shown for each other during this process was tangible.

Grief is an individual experience, but grieving is something we do together. We mourn what we have lost and we celebrate what we had. We feel gratitude for the things we have in our lives, the relationships, the wonder of Spring and the beauty it brings and we are reminded that despite the pain we feel, life continues to flourish and grow.

We need to make time and space for grieving and in the business of life this can be difficult. Exams, work, family life, they all continue, but Grief is a visitor who needs our full attention for the time they visit.

So be kind to yourself and your grief, in doing so it is easier to notice the grief that stands beside others and care for them too.

“I see clearly the object of my grief, I hold space in my heart for it”

Thich Nhat Hanh

 During the upcoming holidays, take time to check in with your daughter about how she’s going. Ask her specifically how she’s managing following the death of Mr Dean and show her you care about her emotions and reactions. The holidays can be hard for people who are grieving, because the routines are gone, the friendships are more removed and there is more time to think and overthink. Allow space in your home for Grief if it has come home for the holidays with your daughter. Be gentle with it and allow it to be the life teacher that it is.

 Marcelle Nader-Turner, Counsellor MNZAC

Good News… TWO MUFTI DAY’S  NEXT WEEK 

Tuesday – Theme: Rainbow

Year 7 & 8: Purple

Year 9: Blue

Year 10: Green
Year 11: Yellow
Year 12: Orange

Year 13: Red

Teacher: Any / All Colours
Gold Coin Donation towards Primary School Stationary, this will be collected by Student Council Tuesday 1st Period.
We will be getting a photo at Morning Tea in the Lower Quad with everyone that has participated.
Thursday – Green/Spring/Floral theme – NO donation needed – it is for the Eucharist Service (the Student Council are making a donation to Anglican Family Care)

Tolcarne News

On Sunday 16th September a group of 11 Year 9 students went for a tour of Larnach Castle for an organised weekend activity. It was a beautiful day for a drive out there and the scenery from the balcony at Larnach Castle was amazing. The girls learnt a lot about the history of the Castle.

Reminder to RSVP for the Space School Opportunity

A fantastic opportunity to learn beyond the classroom in the most inspiring environment.

There is a one-hour information session about this international study programme to be held on Monday 24th September at Otago Girls’ High School hall.

CASE Space School Expedition

CLICK HERE TO RSVP

This is a once in a lifetime experience. We encourage you to attend this evening information session and we look forward to your attendance.

Photography Competition

Return of Cups and Trophies presented in 2017

It is that time of year again where we ask for the return of all cups and trophies presented in 2017. This assists us in the preparation of this year’s awards evening and Prize Giving.

These may be left at the main office. Thank you.

Careers News and Events

 To view visit the Career Events calendar.

A reminder to check the Sports Draws page of the website to keep up to date with match times. The netball draws are posted each week in readiness for the weekend’s matches.

Student Achievement

Sport

Olivia O’Neill has recently been selected into the Junior Tall Ferns basketball team to compete in the FIBA Asia under 18 championships on October 28th in India which is a great achievement.

Jaide Dixon and Danielle Ferguson have recently returned from Australia where they were playing for the New Zealand U16 Touch team, this was a great experience for the girls mixing it up against some of Australia’s best at their State Championships

Robocup Nationals

After success at Robocup Regionals, three St Hilda’s teams competed at Robocup Nationals in Dunedin on 15 September.  All teams were entered in the Senior Theatre Division, which has teams present a 2-minute themed performance using up to four robots.  The teams must choreograph their performance and then build and program the robots to perform the routine.  The students program the robots to use sensors, blue tooth communication and timing to coordinate movement between the various robots.   They must also design their sets and select a soundtrack for the performance.

All the girls performed very well and demonstrated excellent problem-solving, teamwork and perseverance during the lead up to Nationals as well as on the day.

Teams

Pepperoni Girls (Eliabel Legrand, Evie Rose Grace, Hannah McCoubrey, Rosa Smith)
Carnival (Emma Boult, Ella Hodgson, Lucie Holtz)
Oompa Loompa (Victoria Avery, Hannah Lawrence, Olivia Ollerenshaw, Laura Ring)
A special congratulations to team Oompa Loompa for placing 2nd at Nationals!

Weekly News – Term 3|Week 8

Newsletters

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

A Note from The Principal

Thank you to our wonderful community for the love, caring and thoughtfulness you have expressed in so many ways, after our recent loss of Mr Dean. We are so grateful for all your messages, kind gestures and gifts, and we continue to find strength in our connectedness. We are working hard to support our girls and our staff, and step by step feel our way through this difficult landscape. I wanted to share with you Tuesday’s assembly, so you can walk with us.

Today’s assembly is a great opportunity to come together after a really hard time. I want to thank the girls who performed at Mr Deans’ funeral yesterday, you were amazing. You sang and performed beautifully under really difficult circumstances. I know he would have appreciated the number of you who attended.

The next few weeks and months are going to be hard as we get used to a new ‘normal’, and start to move forward. My job is to create a framework where everyone can grieve and move forward at their own pace. We need to be tolerant and patient, caring and understanding, because we will all cope differently.

We have lost a much admired teacher and colleague and out of respect for him, and respect for those left behind, we need to get on with our lives. Some of you will be ready to do that, some of you will not, and that is OK. You will feel fine some days and other days not so good. That is OK too.

As a school when we look forward and plan ahead, it is not because we have forgotten Mr Dean, or don’t care anymore, but because we have to look after all of you , and do what is best for everyone, and as you can imagine  – that is quite tricky when we are all in different places and spaces.

Student achievements/BOT nominees/Speaker

There is no last word today – but maybe I can do it.

Schools are places of living, learning and laughter. Mr Dean invested so much into the school and into all of you, and we want to continue that, and not lose anything, and so that is why we all must get on with our learning, our teaching, our commitments and responsibilities, as best we can. We want to honour all he has created and built up in the Arts, by looking after what is there and continuing his legacy. We want to protect the heart of our school. As I say, we will all do this in our own way, and in our own time, and we will try to give all of you the time you need. I guess that is life. Know too, never doubt, that we are here to help you.

I wanted to end today with this quote.

“I asked for strength – and God gave me difficulties to make me strong. I asked for wisdom – and God gave me problems to learn to solve. I asked for courage – and God gave me dangers to overcome. I asked for love – and God gave me people to help. I asked for favours – and God gave me opportunities. I asked for riches – and God gave me brain and muscle to work. I received nothing I wanted – I received everything I needed. My prayers have been answered.”

Jackie Barron

Guidance

During this challenging time it is important that we are all supporting each other. Please click here for some advice about how you can support your daughter if she is grieving.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT STUDENT SAFETY

There have been several recent reports of children being approached by strangers around our neighbourhood and the wider Dunedin area in the past few days.

Police are treating this as an ongoing investigation and remind both parents and students to be vigilant.

We encourage you to speak with your daughter about safe walking to and from school and what to do if they are approached or feeling unsafe.

Benchmark Examinations have started

Our 2018 Benchmark examinations for Years 11 – 13 will be held in Week 8 and 9 (13th September – 19th September). Your daughter will need to attend examinations at the day and time given on the timetable they have. When she does not have an examination this time is for study, which can be done at home/hostel. The girls are welcome to come into school to study but will need to be aware the normal junior school programme will continue.

Girls are not required to wear uniform during Examination Week.

These examinations will be run under the same conditions as the NZQA external examinations. I have emailed the details of these conditions to the girls and their parents/caregivers.

Blues Application Process 2018 – Deadline Extended

Applications for Cultural, Service and Sports Blues and Awards were announced at our full school assembly 31 August 2018.

These application links are located on the student homepage under the heading “Blues Application” and will now close on 21 September at 5:00 pm.  

All successful applicants will be notified of their attendance at the invitation only Blues Awards evening by the end of September.

The Blues Award evening, an invitation only event, will be held on 26 October commencing at 7:00 pm in the School Chapel.

Learning Conversations – Interview site now open for bookings.

Learning conversations will be held for all girls at the end of the Term 3 and into Term 4 on the following dates:

Junior

Week 9 Thursday 20th September  6:00 pm-8:00 pm (Day Girls)
Week 10 Tuesday 25th September 6:00 pm-8:00 pm (Day Girls)
Week 10 Friday 28th September 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm (Boarders)

Senior

Week 10 Friday 28th September  1:00 pm – 3:30 pm(Boarders)
Week 1 (Term 4) Tuesday 16th October  6:00 pm – 8:00 pm (Day Girls)

We have specified junior, senior, day girl and boarder to maximise the interview time.

The Interview site will be opened for bookings on Thursday 13th September at 9:00 am.

It will close on the morning of each Learning Conversation.

To book go to:  https://www.schoolinterviews.co.nz

Click on “Make a Booking” and enter the following code

dmntb

Space School Opportunity

We are pleased to announce St Hilda’s Collegiate School will be involved in the 2019 CASE (California Association for STEAM Education) Space School International Study Programme. Through our partnerships, students have the unique opportunity to join this once in a lifetime, STEAM-based experience at NASA in the USA.

Recognising the challenges facing young students today, where the change of pace in society over the next 30 years will outpace the change we have experienced in the past five thousand years. 75% of the fastest growing occupations in Australia and New Zealand will require STEAM related skills and an expected 50% of current jobs will disappear.

By empowering students through this unique STEAM programme, they will master the STEAM related skill set to prepare them for their future. Students become more focused, inquisitive to pursue the subject they are interested in through the unique access to NASA facilities, inspiring guest speakers and training programs, while learning a foundation of personal and leadership skills to apply through their school years and beyond.

This programme is designed to develop leaders for the next generation, aims to inspire and ongoing interest in STEAM; empowering and preparing our students for the fastest growing and most sought-after occupations of the 21st century.

A fantastic opportunity to learn beyond the classroom in the most inspiring environment.

There is a one-hour information session about this international study programme to be held on Monday 24th September at Otago Girls’ High School hall.

CASE Space School Expedition

CLICK HERE TO RSVP

This is a once in a lifetime experience. We encourage you to attend this evening information session and we look forward to your attendance.

Return of Cups and Trophies presented in 2017

It is that time of year again where we ask for the return of all cups and trophies presented in 2017. This assists us in the preparation of this year’s awards evening and Prize Giving.

These may be left at the main office. Thank you.

Careers News and Events

 To view visit the Career Events calendar.

A reminder to check the Sports Draws page of the website to keep up to date with match times. The netball draws are posted each week in readiness for the weekend’s matches.

Student Achievement

NOWW Classical Vocal Scholarship
Nicole Horrell along with a number of other students from St Hilda’s competed in the 2018 Junior Vocal Competition held by the Dunedin Performing Arts Competitions Society over the weekend (7th to 9th September).
Her placings were as follows:

  • 2nd in the 20th Century Popular Song section
  • 1st in the Contemporary Pop/Rock section, winner of the Bridget Telfer Contemporary Vocal Award
  • By having the highest mark over four sections Nicole also won the Taieri Musical Prize and the Bridget Telfer Musical Theatre Award

Lillian Gibbs also competed and achieved some outstanding results.

  • Winner of the NOWW Classical Vocal Scholarship (16 under 18 years) most points over 4 songs.
  • Winner of the Dunedin Civic Choir Cup.
  • Winner of the Opera Otago Aria.
  • Winner of the Joy Mary Gibbs Memorial Cup.
  • Winner of National Song gaining the Madelene Barker Cup.
  • Stephen Chambers Award Test Song. Placed 2nd.
  • Vocal Solo placed 3rd.
Bridget Sinclair (Year 9) competed at NZSS National Aerobics Championships in Auckland on 8 September.
Bridget placed 4th overall in the ADP 3 Individual category.
Bridget will compete at Gymnastics New Zealand Aerobics National Championships in Tauranga on 3-6 October.
Sings Hilda gave another amazing performance of Las Amarillas at the 49th Otago Secondary Schools’ Music Festival which took place on Tuesday 11 September at the Dunedin Town Hall.  It is an opportunity for all Otago (and some Southland) schools to have their instrumentalists and choirs join together performing music that is not likely able to be performed in their own schools.

Every year as part of the Otago Secondary Schools’ Music Festival, the organising committee accepts video applications to award a scholarship of $750 to a student studying at a Tertiary Institution. The qualification for entry in the scholarship is that the candidate must be enrolled in a Tertiary Institution at the time of making the application and must previously have participated in an Otago Secondary Schools’ Music Festival.

A requirement of the scholarship is that the recipient must perform at the Otago Secondary Schools’ Music Festival in the year that the scholarship is awarded.

This year, the scholarship was awarded to one of our Old Girls’, Maddie Guthrie, who gave a spectacular performance of Un moto di gioia.

Health and Safety Reminder

Please do not encourage your daughter to walk along the school side of Royal Terrace where the building is progressing. She could be endangered with heavy equipment and truck movements.

 

Weekly News Term 3|Week 7

Newsletters

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

A Note from The Principal

We appreciate that this has been a difficult time for many students, parents and staff as we mourn the loss of a loved and highly respected teacher, and colleague.
We have been overwhelmed by the support and compassion shown from our community, other schools and educational colleagues.
Hunia Dean’s funeral is at 10.00am on Monday 10th September, and because of the number of staff attending the funeral, we will be unable to run our timetabled classes for the day. 
We will have a staff member in the library to supervise any girls who wish to come into school, and we understand completely that many families will wish to make their own arrangements. Please ring the school office, if your daughter intends to come into school on Monday.
We understand that many of the girls will be attending the funeral, and if your daughter does intend to be there we suggest, that where possible, she has the support of a parent or adult.
Hunia’s family have requested that girls attend in their St Hilda’s uniform, if possible.
Thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate uncharted territory.  We have taken advice from the Ministry of Education around how to best care for, and support, our girls and staff and we are endeavouring to do that to the best of our ability.  I am very grateful to Marcelle Nader-Turner and Mrs Prentice for the way they have delivered the self care workshops to our girls this afternoon. They have led this school initiative in a sensitive, pragmatic and caring way, which has allowed us all to talk openly about our concerns and our grief. We are fortunate to have such expertise in the school.
This is a complex and difficult time for everyone and thoughts are with Hunia’s family and especially Kezia and Olive.

 

Jackie Barron

Guidance

During this challenging time it is important that we are all supporting each other. Please click here for some advice about how you can support your daughter if she is grieving.

Chapel Matters

At times of loss we can find strength and comfort in poetry, prayer, scripture, and music, and in sharing these with each other. Here are one of each of my favourites; the link is to a song that was shared with me, and which we listened to in our special chapel on Wednesday.

Farewell

Farewell to Thee! But not farewell
To all my fondest thoughts of Thee;
Within my heart they still shall dwell
And they shall cheer and comfort me.


Life seems more sweet that Thou didst live
And men more true Thou wert one;
Nothing is lost that Thou didst give,
Nothing destroyed that Thou hast done.

Anne Bronte
1820-1849

Ma te Atua koe e manaaki,

e tiaki i nga wa katoa

e noho i roto i te aroha o te Atua,

ko te aroha hoki te mea nui.

Amine.

“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? God, who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, graciously give us all things? Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died – more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? … I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8.31-39)

This song is “Come to Jesus” by Chris Rice.

Student Achievement

St Hilda’s started a Code Club this year, as a new initiative supported by Issie Roberston (Academic Prefect) and Mrs McMahon (HOD Technology).  The girls have learned about the process of app development and programming during the weekly sessions.  As part of the Code Club, students have had the opportunity to enter two different competitions and the girls have had some excellent results for their efforts.

One competition entered was “Search for the Next Tech Girl Superhero”. Girls between the ages of 7-17 in Australia and New Zealand form a team and are then matched with a female tech mentor who meets weekly with the girls for 12 weeks. Teams identify a problem in their local community to solve, then research and document a solution in a business plan, build a working app prototype and pitch it in a public video.

The results of this competition were just released, and Team Sussdaynable which consists of Issie Roberston, Kiriana Hunter and Stephanie Post were named New Zealand Secondary School Finalists.  Eliabel Legrand, Evie Rose Grace and Rosa Smith better known as Team Roelvie, earned the UN Award for Education.

For further information about the business plans you can go to:

http://searchforthenexttechgirlsuperhero.org/2018-nz-finalists-and-un-award-winners/

Another competition entered by the girls was the National Computer Science Challenge.  There were approximately 19,000 students in the competition from across Australia and New Zealand.  The students learn how to program in either Python or Blockly and solve weekly challenge problems each week, for 5 weeks.

Congratulations to the following students for their performance in the NCSS Challenge:

 Perfect Score

Holly Bissett               Python

Meg Rogers                Python and Blockly

Tessa Sinteur              Python and Blockly

 High Distinction

Anna Hutchens           Blockly

Laura Milne                 Blockly

Kate McEwan              Blockly and Python

Victoria Avery             Blockly

 Distinction

Rosa Smith                  Python

 Merit

Eliabel Legrand           Blockly

Ginny Smith                Python

Benchmark Examinations begin next week

Our 2018 Benchmark examinations for Years 11 – 13 will be held in Week 8 and 9 (13th September – 19th September). Your daughter will need to attend examinations at the day and time given on the timetable they have. When she does not have an examination this time is for study, which can be done at home/hostel. The girls are welcome to come into school to study but will need to be aware the normal junior school programme will continue.

Girls are not required to wear uniform during Examination Week.

These examinations will be run under the same conditions as the NZQA external examinations. I have emailed the details of these conditions to the girls and their parents/caregivers.

Blues Application Process 2018

Applications for Cultural, Service and Sports Blues and Awards were announced at our full school assembly 31 August 2018.

These application links are located on the student homepage under the heading “Blues Application” and close on 14 September at 5:00 pm.  

All successful applicants will be notified of their attendance at the invitation only Blues Awards evening by the end of September.

The Blues Award evening, an invitation only event, will be held on 26 October commencing at 7:00 pm in the School Chapel.

Don’t forget to have your say – NCEA Review process

Please RSVP the school office by Monday 10th September if you plan to attend.

The Ministry of Education is presently looking at ways to strengthen NCEA and is exploring a variety of ways to gain feedback from different stakeholders. They want to hear from parents and students and ask you to join in the conversation to submit your ideas, experiences and suggestions for change:  conversation.education.govt.nz/NCEA

We urge you to visit this site to see the ways in which you can give your views.As a school, we will be talking with students and plan to run a Parent Seminar on 12th September as part of the consultation process. This will be held in the school library beginning at 6:30 pm.

Lilliput Libraries

The lilliput libraries have been a great success since their introduction at the beginning of this term. Currently,  however, our stock of books is running low. More books are being borrowed that are being returned! Just a reminder that if you take a book, could you please return it or replace it with another.

Also, if you have books at home that you no longer want that you wish to donate, please drop them in the collection box in the student office or pop them directly into one of the liliput libraries around the school.

Reminder about Learning Conversations

Learning conversations will be held for all girls at the end of the term three and into term four on the following dates:

Junior

Wk 9 Thursday 20th September  6:00 pm-8:00 pm (Day Girls)
Wk 10 Tuesday 25th September 6:00 pm-8:00 pm (Day Girls)
Wk 10 Friday 28th September 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm (Boarders)

Senior

Wk 10 Friday 28th September  1:00 pm – 3:30 pm(Boarders)
Wk 1 (Term 4) Tuesday 16th October  6:00 pm – 8:00 pm (Day Girls)

We have specified junior, senior, day girl and boarder to maximise the interview time.

We will have details on how to book the learning conversations next week.

Return of 2017 Cups and Trophies

It is that time of year again where we ask for the return of all cups and trophies presented in 2017. This assists us in the preparation of this year’s awards evening and Prize Giving.

These may be left at the main office. Thank you.

Careers News and Events

 To view visit the Career Events calendar.

A reminder to check the Sports Draws page of the website to keep up to date with match times. The netball draws are posted each week in readiness for the weekend’s matches.

Student Achievement and coming up…

Don’t forget to go along and support Helen Knott who is part of the last AMPED Music Project gig this coming Saturday at 50 Gorillas. Helen will be performing from 1 pm -1.15 pm.

Helen after her LIVE performance on Radio One earlier this week.

 

Weekly News Term 3|Week 6

Newsletters

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

A Note from The Principal

Reminder – School is closed on Monday 3rd September for a Teacher Only Day.

The swimming sports were a great event, with the house colours prominent and competition to the fore. The noise and enthusiasm of the girls was outstanding and there was a lovely community vibe and feel to the afternoon

I head off to Wellington this evening to support Sings Hilda in the Big Sing Finale. It is an outstanding achievement to be in the top 25 choirs in NZ and a real privilege, for me, to watch them perform. I know they will be wonderful advocates for music and our school.

I also want to wish all the teams competing in Tournament Week all the best. Invercargill, Dunedin, Gore and Taupo are the venues for our teams this year, and I am sure they will enjoy coming up against the best in the South Island, and in football’s case, NZ.

Thank you to all those parents who supported our recent Parent Seminars. We were delighted with the attendance last night with over 180 parents and friends of the school. We are very fortunate to have dedicated, passionate and expert staff such as Marcelle Nader-Turner, Shannon Prentice and Ange Rathbone, to present research, facts and strategies that support us all as parents and educators. The ensuing discussions and reflections on how best to assist our girls, are critical to their future growth and development. Please find below two video clips from the presentation, that you might find interesting. We have also videoed the presentation and will have that available on our website shortly.

Nail in the Head

Rachel Simmons

Please have a scroll down this newsletter for further information on upcoming events, but also for the acknowledgement of some outstanding student achievements in technology, arts, literature and leadership. Such a diverse range of talents amongst the girls highlighted, each following their own path, enjoying the individual challenges and making the most of their unique talents. A wonderful testimony to the collective strengths and colour of our community

Jackie Barron

Student Achievement

Congratulations to Meg Rogers who won a 3rd Prize in The Harvey Norman Coding Challenge which is a joint initiative with Code Avengers.  This challenge promotes coding skills that students have learned through Code Avengers’ online programming courses.   There were over 1800 students who participated in this competition.  Meg learned Python programming through the Code Avengers on-line learning site and independently completed the challenge while she was in Perth on her exchange.

Congratulations to Catherine Davidson who was a finalist in the 2018 National Poetry Awards with her amazing poem below. Part of her runner up prize is a masterclass at the International Institute of Modern Letters’

Mother and Child

The coastal landscape can be harsh,
strong winds lash the forest.
Yet the karaka tree
with a polished marble trunk,
grows strong.
Its foliage is dense,
sheltering new life.
Glossy green fruit follows
fuelled with the tree’s energy.

Time passes.
The fruit ripen to deep orange
connected to the branch by a stem,
which weakens as the fruit tissue swells.

One day
the final thread snaps.
The fruit plummets.
For the first time it is alone,
free-falling to an uncertain future.
The tree cannot dictate the fate of its fruit.

It can only watch.

Catherine Davidson
Year 13
St Hilda’s Collegiate

Further details at http://www.schoolspoetryaward.co.nz/

 

Otago Secondary School Art Awards Exhibition – Dunedin School of Art

Celebrate Art Awards 2018 – Congratulations to Kaylee and Victoria.

Certificate of Excellence – St Hilda’s Collegiate School – Kaylee Dickison

Premier Award Scholarship – St Hilda’s Collegiate – Victoria Tong

Victoria receives a School of Art Scholarship for one semester.

 

Congratulations to Issie Robertson and Olvia O’Neil who were presented with Otago Daily Times Class Act 2018 awards at the Otago Museum ceremony yesterday by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. This award celebrates the excellence of young people in our province.

Issie Issie Robertson and Olivia O’Neil with Prime Minister Jacinda Adhern

Benchmark Examinations

Our 2018 Benchmark examinations for Years 11 – 13 will be held in Week 8 and 9 (13th September – 19th September). Your daughter will need to attend examinations at the day and time given on the timetable they have. When she does not have an examination this time is for study, which can be done at home/hostel. The girls are welcome to come into school to study but will need to be aware the normal junior school programme will continue.  Girls are not required to wear uniform during Examination Week.

These examinations will be run under the same conditions as the NZQA external examinations. I have emailed the details of these conditions to the girls and their parents/caregivers.

Reminder about Learning Conversations

Learning conversations will be held for all girls at the end of the term three and into term four on the following dates:

Junior

Wk 9 Thursday 20th September  6:00 pm-8:00 pm (Day Girls)
Wk 10 Tuesday 25th September 6:00 pm-8:00 pm (Day Girls)
Wk 10 Friday 28th September 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm (Boarders)

Senior

Wk 10 Friday 28th September  1:00 pm – 3:30 pm(Boarders)
Wk 1 (Term 4) Tuesday 16th October  6:00 pm – 8:00 pm (Day Girls)

We have specified junior, senior, day girl and boarder to maximise the interview time.

Blues Application Process 2018

Applications for Cultural, Service and Sports Blues and Awards were announced at our full school assembly 31 August 2018.

These application links are located on the student homepage under the heading “Blues Application” and close on 14 September at 5:00 pm.  

All successful applicants will be notified of their attendance at the invitation only Blues Awards evening by the end of September.

The Blues Award evening, an invitation only event, will be held on 26 October commencing at 7:00 pm in the School Chapel.

Junior Dances

The junior dances that had to be postponed will be held in the first week of Term Four. The Year 7&8 dance will be on Wednesday 17th October from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm and the Year 9&10 dance will be on Thursday 18th October from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

Guidance

During our recent parent seminars Marcelle Nader-Turner has been talking about the importance of self compassion. Click here to see what the recent research from Girls Leadership says about how learning self compassion can change your daughter’s life for the better.

Tolcarne News

Tolcarne is closed from 5:00 pm Friday 31st August and reopens 3:00 pm Monday 3rd September.

Don’t forget to have your say – NCEA Review process

The Ministry of Education is presently looking at ways to strengthen NCEA and is exploring a variety of ways to gain feedback from different stakeholders. They want to hear from parents and students and ask you to join in the conversation to submit your ideas, experiences and suggestions for change:  conversation.education.govt.nz/NCEA

We urge you to visit this site to see the ways in which you can give your views.

As a school, we will be talking with students and plan to run a Parent Seminar on 12th September as part of the consultation process.

Please RSVP the school office by Monday 10th September if you plan to attend.

Return of 2017 Cups and Trophies

It is that time of year again where we ask for the return of all cups and trophies presented in 2017. This assists us in the preparation of this year’s awards evening and Prize Giving.

These may be left at the main office. Thank you.

Careers News and Events

 To view visit the Career Events calendar.

A reminder to check the Sports Draws page of the website to keep up to date with match times. The netball draws are posted each week in readiness for the weekend’s matches.

Student Achievement and coming up…

Good luck to the following teams who are away competing at winter sports tournament week next week. All teams have had very good seasons so far so we looking forward to seeing how they go at their respective tournaments:

Football 1st XI – NZSS Premier Football Tournament in Taupo

Basketball Senior A – SISS Basketball Tournament in Invercargill

Hockey 1st XI – Audrey Timlin Tournament in Invercargill

Rugby U15 Ten’s – Highlanders Region Ten’s Tournament in Gore

Netball Senior A and B – SISS Netball Tournament in Dunedin

Congratulations to the following girls who have been selected into Otago Women’s U21 Cricket Team for the 2018/2019 season:

Eden Carson

Emma Black

Olivia Gain

Megan Meltzer

Molly Loe

Well done to our Senior A Basketball team last Friday evening winning the Otago Secondary School Girls Senior A Grade Final 52 – 49 v Kavanagh College, this is the 5th year in a row St Hilda’s have won this competition

The Yr 7A and Yr 8A’s had a great day of Netball yesterday at the Otago Yr7/8 Netball Tournament. A massive congratulations to the Year 8A team for winning the Tournament.

The Yr 7A’s also placed a very impressive 6th place.

Millenium Teens Documentary

Last September, Greenstone TV  filmed with former St Hilda’s student Paris Sinclair for Millennium Teens documentary.

This documentary will be screening on Tuesday 4 September at 8.45pm on TVNZ 1.

There is also an Instagram account m_teensnz that has clips and photos of the Teens involved. There is also a photo of Paris in the latest NZ Listener.

Weekly News Term 3|Week 5

Newsletters

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

A Note from The Principal

Reminder – School is closed on Monday 3rd September for a Teacher Only Day.

This is an important opportunity for staff to undertake professional learning and development on our special character and building positive learning relationships.

I was so proud this week to stand on the sidelines at the Hockey and Rugby finals. Not only did St Hilda’s make a clean sweep of the hockey finals, winning all four games, but I also watched our teams triumph in two rugby matches as well. Tight, pressured games, close scores, penalty shoot outs, last minute tries – the week of sporting drama had it all! I was really impressed with the calm, but determined, resilient attitudes of our athletes, and also delighted to see so many loud, passionate, and truly enthusiastic supporters on the sidelines as well. There really was a wonderful feeling of community and ‘Better Together’, and I am grateful for the assistance of parents who also helped everyone to be able to attend. Good luck to the other sporting codes, who still have finals ahead of them.

A special thanks too, to all the parents who have attended the Parent Seminars on Wellbeing. I am very grateful to have such high quality staff, who are prepared to be away from school and their families, to support our community and help us all develop strategies to assist our girls. Shannon Prentice, Marcelle Nader-Turner and Ange Rathbone, are a formidable, and passionate team, and we have had great feedback on the quality of their presentation, and the value of the knowledge they share. The last seminar is here in the school Chapel at 7.00pm on Thursday 30th August – and we look forward to seeing you there.

There is a lot happening at school at the moment, so please take the time to read all the parts of this newsletter –

Jackie Barron

Year 11-13 Subject Selection – Portal reminder

The portal to enter your daughters 2019 Year 11-13 subject selection is now open and will close again on Monday 27 August. The portal can be accessed via the Parent Portal and the link in the online Academic Programme. Please get in touch with the school office in the first instance if you have forgotten your login details.

Seminar Reminder: Please RSVP to the School Office 

Anxiety, depression and unrelenting standards of perfection. How to Parent for Wellbeing

New Zealand is leading the world in appalling youth mental health statistics.

Come and hear what your daughters have told us about their own feelings and experiences and explore research based strategies on how to support our young women by parenting for Wellbeing.

This seminar will be really useful for all parents. You are welcome to bring friends, family and colleagues.

We all need to be involved in the increasingly important discussions around youth and wellbeing.

Dunedin – 7 pm Thursday 30 August – St Hilda’s Collegiate School

Please RSVP to the School Office

Reports and Learning Conversations

Today you will receive your daughter’s Interim Report. This report is focussed on her learning behaviours and attitude. These areas are crucial for developing flexible, resilient learners. Senior students will receive an NCEA progress report following benchmark examinations which will start on Thursday 13th September. This will be emailed out in Wk 10. Learning conversations will be held for all girls at the end of the term three and into term four on the following dates:

Junior

Wk 9 Thursday 20th September  6:00 pm-8:00 pm (Day Girls)
Wk 10 Tuesday 25th September 6:00 pm-8:00 pm (Day Girls)
Wk 10 Friday 28th September 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm (Boarders)

Senior

Wk 10 Friday 28th September  1:00 pm – 3:30 pm(Boarders)
Wk 1 (Term 4) Tuesday 16th October  6:00 pm – 8:00 pm (Day Girls)

We have specified junior, senior, day girl and boarder to maximise the interview time.

Blues Application Process 2018

Applications for Cultural, Service and Sports Blues and Awards were announced at our full school assembly 31 August 2018.

These application links are located on the student homepage under the heading “Blues Application” and close on 14 September at 5:00 pm.  

All successful applicants will be notified of their attendance at the invitation only Blues Awards evening by the end of September.

The Blues Award evening, an invitation only event, will be held on 26 October commencing at 7:00 pm in the School Chapel.

Junior Dances

The junior dances that had to be postponed will be held in the first week of Term Four. The Year 7&8 dance will be on Wednesday 17th October from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm and the Year 9&10 dance will be on Thursday 18th October from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

Chapel Matters

Sooner or later in life, we need to accept two truths that both the Bible and the theory of
evolution teach us: firstly, that life isn’t supposed to be easy, and secondly, that struggle can lead to growth. And in order to expand and evolve into the human beings that God wants us to be, we will inevitably need to reach out for resources that we don’t have yet; we will need to ask for help. Otherwise, if we feel that all our happiness and safety depends on us, we will be increasingly self-focused and anxious, and the story of our life will shrink to “me worrying about me for my sake.” But by practising using the simple prayer, “Help!” our life story can expand to “me trusting God to take care of me so I can focus on caring for others, for God’s sake.”

Anxiety tempts us to see catastrophe all around us, and we shrink into what Phoebe Palmer calls our primitive mind – we sink into reptilian scripts that limit our options to fight, flee or freeze. But by calling on God and others for help, we are able to reframe our anxieties into opportunities for growth. For example, if our reptilian brain tells us we need to fight because we feel threatened by someone, then we can ask for mercy to forgive them or wisdom to know how to work towards reconciliation with them. If our brain screams at us to flee because a situation is stressful, we can request patience to help us endure it or insight into why we are so reactive. If our brain whispers to us to freeze, because someone is mad at us, we can ask for courage to stand tall or humility to accept that we have done something wrong.

Whatever it is we are dealing with, there is an enormous power in simple words. In calling out, we might even discover the Compassionate God who is our gracious friend, and we don’t have to earn anything, deserve anything, or merit anything, to bring our needs to God.

Tolcarne News

Tolcarne is closed from 5:00 pm Friday 31st August and reopens 3:00 pm Monday 3rd September.

Come along to our Spring Clothes Sale Fundraiser and freshen up your wardrobe for spring!
Date: Thursday, 13 September

Time: From 7pm

Location: St John’s Church Hall, 373 Highgate, Dunedin

Doors open at 7pm and you’ll be greeted with a complimentary glass of sparkling wine or juice on arrival and goody bags for the first 50 guests. There will be nibbles, tea and coffee available free of charge, and additional wine available to purchase.

100% of proceeds go to supporting Otago children to have safe, healthy and happy lives.

Tickets are $10. Book online or call 03 477 0801.

Health and Safety

Please do not encourage your daughter to walk along the school side of Royal Terrace where the building is progressing. She could be endangered with heavy equipment and truck movements.

Don’t forget to have your say – NCEA Review process

The Ministry of Education is presently looking at ways to strengthen NCEA and is exploring a variety of ways to gain feedback from different stakeholders. They want to hear from parents and students and ask you to join in the conversation to submit your ideas, experiences and suggestions for change:  conversation.education.govt.nz/NCEA

We urge you to visit this site to see the ways in which you can give your views.

As a school, we will be talking with students and plan to run a parent seminar on 12th September as part of the consultation process.

Return of 2017 Cups and Trophies

It is that time of year again where we ask for the return of all cups and trophies presented in 2017. This assists us in the preparation of this year’s awards evening and Prize Giving.

These may be left at the main office. Thank you.

Careers News and Events

 To view visit the Career Events calendar.

A reminder to check the Sports Draws page of the website to keep up to date with match times. The netball draws are posted each week in readiness for the weekend’s matches.

 Student Achievement

What a night it was for St Hilda’s Hockey on Monday evening taking out all three divisions in the Otago Hockey Secondary School Girls Competition

1st XI defeated Columba 1st XI 2-1 to win the division 1 final

2nd XI defeated Taieri 1st XI 1-0 in an exciting penalty shoot out to win the division 2 final

Junior XI defeated Taieri 2nd XI 1- 0 to win the division 3 final

3rd XI also won their final game of the season 7 – 0

Well done on a fantastic season girls

Congratulations to our 1st XV Rugby Team who also took out the Otago Secondary School Girl’s 1st XV final on Wednesday in a very exciting game 37-31

Coming up –
St Hilda’s Swimming Sports 
Wednesday 29th August 1pm – 3:15pm at Moana Pool

Weekly News Term 3/Week 4

Uncategorised

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

A Note from The Principal

We are really looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the Parent Seminars that we are holding, starting this Sunday. Thank you to those who have already signed up – we are delighted to be sharing important information and ideas with you. Please see details below and RSVP to the School Office if you intend to join us.

The Gala Concert the was a fabulous event last night, and it was great to see so many of you supporting your very talented daughters. It was a wonderful fundraiser for the Hip Hop, and Aerobics groups and Sings Hilda, as they all look to perform at their respective national championships in the near future.

A lot of the winter sports are coming to the business end of the season with semis and finals on the horizon. We wish all our teams the very best for these tight competitions

Back to the Future day is being held today, and it has been fantastic to welcome parents into our classrooms and let them experience what it is like to be a learner at St Hilda’s. Thank you to those parents who took up the opportunity and who have contributed to our classes for the day. What wonderful role models you are for your daughters!! #lifelonglearners

 Jackie Barron

 Seminars Reminder: Please RSVP to the School Office with an indication of which venue you will be attending.

Anxiety, depression and unrelenting standards of perfection. How to Parent for Wellbeing

New Zealand is leading the world in appalling youth mental health statistics.

Come and hear what your daughters have told us about their own feelings and experiences and explore research based strategies on how to support our young women by parenting for Wellbeing.

These workshops will be really useful for all parents. You are welcome to bring friends, family and colleagues to share these interactive workshops.

We all need to be involved in the increasingly important discussions around youth and wellbeing.

See the dates and venues below for our upcoming seminars.

Balclutha – 2 pm Sunday 19 August – Rosebank Lodge, 265 Clyde Street.

Gore – 7 pm Sunday 19 August – Heartland Hotel Croydon, 100 Waimea Street. (PLEASE NOTE ADJUSTED TIME)

Cromwell – 7 pm Monday 20 August – The Gate, 6 Barry Avenue.

Oamaru – 7 pm Wednesday 22 August – Oamaru Opera House, 94 Thames Street.

Dunedin – 7 pm Thursday 30 August – St Hilda’s Collegiate School

Please RSVP to the School Office with and an indication of which venue you will be attending.

Reports and Learning Conversations

Many thanks for your feedback around our reporting practices. We are always trying to make sure we are communicating on your daughter’s learning in the most effective way and your feedback will inform changes we make in future reporting. At the end of next week you will receive your daughter’s Interim Report. This report is focussed on her learning behaviours and attitude. These areas are crucial for developing flexible, resilient learners. Senior students will receive an NCEA progress report following benchmark examinations. This will be emailed out in Wk 10. Learning conversations will be held for all girls at the end of the term three and into term four.

 Enrolment Process

From time to time the Board and staff field questions about the enrolment system and how a student can be assured of (or sometimes precluded from) a place with us.

The simple answer is that there is no way to “game” the system.  As an integrated school, we have specific obligations surrounding our enrolment practices that we must adhere to.

Potential students must meet the special character preference criteria before becoming eligible for entry via the chronological order of application (for yr 7 applications received before the 1st October 2017) route or the ballot. Special character preference eligibility is determined by a sub-committee comprising 2 members of the Board of Proprietors and the Rev Dr Steven Benford, the Anglican Bishop of Dunedin.  Members of the Board of Trustees, our Staff and our Principal have no input into that decision-making process.

Once special character eligibility has been determined, some applicants may gain preferential entry by virtue of having a sister at the school or by being the daughter of a current staff member.

Once those places are filled and assuming there are more potential students than places still available each remaining applicant is assigned a number.  Those numbers are placed in a hat (well an ice-cream container in my experience!) and the numbers are drawn and recorded in sequence.  The “draw” is undertaken by the BOT Chair or another Trustee and the Principal.  Once the numbers are drawn they are matched to applicant names and offers of a place are made according to sequence in which the  numbers were drawn from the ballot.

Year 11-13 Subject Selection – Portal reminder

The portal to enter your daughters 2019 Year 11-13 subject selection is now open and will close again on Monday 27 August. The portal can be accessed via the Parent Portal and the link in the online Academic Programme. Please get in touch with the school office in the first instance if you have forgotten your login details.

Chapel Matters

Over the last year or so, I have done a few chapels on the idea of cultivating a
Naked Spirituality. This is the idea that when we think of who we are as spiritual
beings, there is a real sense in which we have to strip away all our outer layers so
we can be true to who we really are. Spirituality is not about dressing up in our
Sunday best and participating in stuffy, starchy religiosity, but it is about attending
to the well-being of our naked, vulnerable souls.

Previously I have looked at three key words that start us on this path: “Here,”
“Thanks,” and “O!” This week I looked at the word “Sorry.” The ability to examine
ourselves, to admit mistakes, and to process failure, is a huge marker of a healthy
spirituality. Being able to be honest with God and with others about our wrongs,
failures, sins, faults, and other shameful secrets, keeps us humble and reminds us
that we are complex beings who have the capacity to change and become.

If we name our wrong while we breathe out, we can hold the word mercy, or grace, as we inhale. Breathing our regret, breathing in mercy: this is the life-sustaining rhythm of a naked spirituality – stripping away our pretence so we can stand before God as we truly are, with our hands and hearts open, letting go of our wrongs, and ready to receive compassion and grace and forgiveness.

Tolcarne News

Last weekend the Year 9 students enjoyed a fun trip to Leap to give the new Clip ‘n’ Climb facility a go. It was a great challenge, and the girls had a lot of fun. This weekend there are a few students heading to the Orokonui Bird Sanctuary to see the birds and go for a beautiful walk.
Mrs Rathbone had a financial and student loan tutorial with a few Year 13 students on Tuesday. She not only went over the ins and outs of how to apply for a student loan, but also went into detail about the PAYE system and how Kiwisaver works. It was very informative and the girls found it incredibly useful.
Janine Southby has come into Tolcarne a few times this term to talk to our Year 12 Boarding Leaders. Her focus has been on leadership; the different qualities and values of a leader, how leaders can be effective, highlighting all the different types of leaders there are, and how important public speaking. The Boarding Leaders have been given a lot to think about, and have begun to apply Janine’s advice to their roles in the hostel.

Health and Safety

Please do not encourage your daughter to walk along the school side of Royal Terrace where the building is progressing. She could be endangered with heavy equipment and truck movements.

Don’t forget to have your say – NCEA Review process

The Ministry of Education is presently looking at ways to strengthen NCEA and is exploring a variety of ways to gain feedback from different stakeholders. They want to hear from parents and students and ask you to join in the conversation to submit your ideas, experiences and suggestions for change:  conversation.education.govt.nz/NCEA

We urge you to visit this site to see the ways in which you can give your views.

As a school, we will be talking with students and plan to run a parent seminar on 12th September as part of the consultation process.

Return of 2017 Cups and Trophies

It is that time of year again where we ask for the return of all cups and trophies presented in 2017. This assists us in the preparation of this year’s awards evening and Prize Giving.

These may be left at the main office. Thank you.

Careers News and Events

 To view visit the Career Events calendar.

A reminder to check the Sports Draws page of the website to keep up to date with match times. The netball draws are posted each week in readiness for the weekend’s matches.

 Student Achievement

Congratulations to Olivia O’Neill who recently returned from Kuala Lumpar competing for the New Zealand U18 Girls Touch Team in the Youth World Cup. Olivia and her team finished 2nd after an exciting but challenging 4 days of competition in 35 degree heat

A big congratulations to our Year 7 & 8 Netball Team who won the final this week.

Coming up…
A number of sports finals are being played next week, please see below for times and venues. Would be great to see you down there supporting the girls
Hockey Finals – Monday 20 August
St Hilda’s Junior XI v Taieri College XI 5:40pm at McMillan Turf

St Hilda’s 2nd XI v Taieri College 1st XI 6:40pm at McMillan Turf

St Hilda’s 1st XI v Columba College 1st XI 7:40pm at Mcmillan Turf
Rugby Final – Wednesday 22 August
St Hilda’s 1st XV v Otago Girls 1st XV 4:30pm at Logan Park

 

Weekly News – Term 3/Week 3

Newsletters

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

A Note from The Principal

Congratulations to a number of our students who completed projects for the Otago regional Science and Technology Fair. There were some very good results which are in more detail in the achievements section.  The prizegiving is being held on Sunday.

The Year 11 Dance was a wonderful evening enjoyed by all who attended, and we are grateful for the mature, positive and engaging approach the girls took to the event. They really made it a fabulous occasion and thanks go to Mrs McLanachan and Ms Corkery and the Year 11 Dance committee for their organisation and oversight.

Quad was also highly successful, with some great competition, tight games and competitive debates. It was great to be able to host this event and we would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who supported this event and to those families who hosted billets from visiting schools.

 

On Tuesday we held our course design evening. We started the night by looking at the ways the world and education are changing and what a successful graduate will need to flourish beyond school. We will share some resources from the evening on the parent portal for those who were unable to make it.

Coming up…

Good luck to our students in the Hip Hop Regionals that are being held today.

We are having a Gala Concert on Thursday at 6.30 pm, Otago Boys High School ( Advert below). This is a fundraiser for the St Hilda’s groups that are attending upcoming National Competitions in Wellington. Please come along and show your support.

We are really looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the various Parent Seminars that we are holding. Please see details below. Please RSVP to the School Office if you intend to join us.

The Back to the Future day is next Friday. Please RSVP to the school office if you intend to come.

 Jackie Barron

Gala Concert – Thursday 16 August

Seminars Reminder: Please RSVP to the School Office with an indication of which venue you will be attending.

Anxiety, depression and unrelenting standards of perfection. How to Parent for Wellbeing

New Zealand is leading the world in appalling youth mental health statistics.

Come and hear what your daughters have told us about their own feelings and experiences and explore research based strategies on how to support our young women by parenting for Wellbeing.

These workshops will be really useful for all parents. You are welcome to bring friends, family and colleagues to share these interactive workshops.

We all need to be involved in the increasingly important discussions around youth and wellbeing.

See the dates and venues below for our upcoming seminars.

Balclutha – 2 pm Sunday 19 August – Rosebank Lodge, 265 Clyde Street.

Gore – 7 pm Sunday 19 August – Heartland Hotel Croydon, 100 Waimea Street. (PLEASE NOTE ADJUSTED TIME)

Cromwell – 7 pm Monday 20 August – The Gate, 6 Barry Avenue.

Oamaru – 7 pm Wednesday 22 August – Oamaru Opera House, 94 Thames Street.

Dunedin – 7 pm Thursday 30 August – St Hilda’s Collegiate School

Please RSVP to the School Office with and an indication of which venue you will be attending.

Back to the Future

We would like to invite you in to experience what school is like in 2018.

On Friday 17th August we are going to run open classrooms. This will allow you to come and join in the learning. You will have the option of a morning or afternoon and within this time you will get to experience four classes.

The morning session will run from 8:30 am – 10:40 am

The afternoon session will run from 12:50 pm – 3:00 pm

At the completion of the sessions, we will make our way to the chapel for refreshments and an opportunity for questions/discussion.

Our aim is for you to be a part of the class not just an observer. We will send details out around logon information and accessing the school network. You will be an interactive, independent, 21st Century Learner – be prepared to be challenged, curious and have fun.

We look forward to having you join us to gain an insight into how learning takes place at St Hilda’s.

Please RSVP to the school office by Monday 13th August with an indication of which session you would like to attend.

Year 11-13 Subject Selection – Portal reminder

The portal to enter your daughters 2019 Year 11-13 subject selection is now open and will close again on Monday 27 August. The portal can be accessed via the Parent Portal and the link in the online Academic Programme. Please get in touch with the school office in the first instance if you have forgotten your login details.

Tolcarne News

What a busy start to the term our students and staff have had at Tolcarne. With last internals due, pressure from upcoming exams and many many sports practices, games and tournaments, it was a timely reminder for the Seniors when the volunteer team from Life Matters came to talk about keeping ourselves well by using good copying strategies, and what to do when we recognize that others may need help.
This term the Koru program is all about having the courage to step outside our comfort zones, and what that can feel like. Last Wednesday the Year 10’s gave Acro-yoga a really good go. Thank you to Hannah and Anna who came to instruct the class.

  

Health and Safety

Please do not encourage your daughter to walk along the school side of Royal Terrace where the building is progressing. She could be endangered with heavy equipment and truck movements.

Tree Planting Event – Town Belt Kaitiaki

The Town Belt Kaitiaki are a Dunedin wide student-led group chaired by Stephanie Post and they would like to invite you to their ‘Project Gold Tree Planting Event’ taking place on Sunday 12 August from 10 am – 12.30 pm at Woodhaugh Gardens (by the duck pond).

You can help to celebrate the students’ goals and vision to plant 300 trees, enjoy a BBQ and learn about the original Arbor Day and the tree choice for the site.

They ask that you:

  • Wear appropriate shoes and clothes
  • Bring gardening gloves and spade (if you can)
  • Bring food and drink for yourself (the food is a small snack)
  • INVITE OTHER PEOPLE!

For catering purposes, please RSVP to Claudia Babirat at townbelt.edcoordinator@gmail.com

Don’t forget to have your say – NCEA Review process

The Ministry of Education is presently looking at ways to strengthen NCEA and is exploring a variety of ways to gain feedback from different stakeholders. They want to hear from parents and students and ask you to join in the conversation to submit your ideas, experiences and suggestions for change:  conversation.education.govt.nz/NCEA

We urge you to visit this site to see the ways in which you can give your views.

As a school, we will be talking with students and plan to run a parent seminar on 12th September as part of the consultation process.

Return of 2017 Cups and Trophies

It is that time of year again where we ask for the return of all cups and trophies presented in 2017. This assists us in the preparation of this year’s awards evening and Prize Giving.

These may be left at the main office. Thank you.

Careers News and Events

 To view visit the Career Events calendar.

A reminder to check the Sports Draws page of the website to keep up to date with match times. The netball draws are posted each week in readiness for the weekend’s matches.

From the Guidance Network

Sheila Achar Josephs, PhD, psychologist in Princeton, New Jersey, talks about how we can help to address perfectionism tendencies in teens, reducing anxiety and allowing them to live healthier, happier lives. Click here to read her advice.

Student Achievement

2018 Otago regional Science and Technology Fair

A number of students completed projects for the 2018 Otago Science and Technology
fair. This was an opportunity to showcase their scientific thinking and an understanding
of the accepted scientific investigative process, as well as their creative and
communication skills.

The following girls did particularly well, gaining one or more prizes.

Elsie Burnside – Forest and Bird Society Award

Hannah Lawrence – Aurora Award

Eliabel Legrand – Keith Dawber Award for Alternative / Renewable Energy

Demi McAlwee – University of Otago College of Education Technology Award

Laura Ring  – University of Otago Department of Botany Award and New Zealand Society of Soil Science Award

Ella Southby –  Dairy New Zealand Award

Nova Wright  – Aurora Award for Excellence in Energy Research

Congratulations on a great effort.

Congratulations to the following girls who have been selected for the Otago Secondary School Girls Rugby Team – Good luck for the season ahead

Olivia George 
Lily Davies 
Ella Fry 
Amelia Andrews 
Stacey Sanders 
Jaclyn Williams 
Georgie Jessop 

Winter Sports Quad Tournament 
St Hilda’s hosted the annual Winter Sports Quad Tournament at the start of the week with Hockey, Netball, Badminton and Debating teams from St Hilda’s, Columba, Craighead and St Margaret’s giving it their all. After a fantastic two days of action, Columba College ended up being the eventual winners with St Margaret’s in 2nd, St Hilda’s 3rd and Craighead 4th