Dear Parents and Caregivers,

A Note from The Principal

The Carol Service was a lovely way to begin the festive season. It brought so many of the St Hilda’s community together and I thank you for braving the Northern Hemisphere winter like weather to join us.

Although the end of year is nigh, all girls remain busy. Years 7-10 spent an afternoon giving back to the local community and school ranging from a Town Belt clean up, singing at Leslie Groves rest home and helping to remove and clean the crosses in Queen’s Gardens.

The annual St Hilda’s Film Festival is also underway and the Years 7-9 will enjoy the Year 10’s collaborations on Tuesday.

It is hard to believe that we are nearing the end of school for 2018. The last day for students is Wednesday 5 December, which is also Prizegiving. Further information regarding Prizegiving is given below.

We say goodbye to the girls who are not returning next year at our Leavers Service and Dinner next Tuesday. This is an exciting time for these girls as they look to their futures. We wish them all the best and look forward to hearing about their next steps.

Some exciting competition ahead for our athletes and teams!

• We wish the Cricket First XI the best of luck as they leave on Monday to compete in the NZSS Cricket Nationals.
• Good luck to our Athletic’s team who are competing at the NZSS Athletics Championships in Dunedin over the weekend.
• Good luck to the Senior A touch team who are off to the NZSS Touch Nationals next Thursday.
• We wish Lucie Holtz (Year 9) all the best as she represents NZ next week at the Australian National Figure Skating Championships

Year 11 PE  students end their year cycling the Rail Trail. We hope the weather is favourable as Mr West, Mrs Coutts and Mrs McLanachan take these girls on this physical adventure.  We wish them well for a safe and enjoyable trip.

Jackie Barron

Remaining Key Dates for Term 4 

Tuesday 4 December – Leavers Dinner – Otago Museum
Wednesday 5 December – Prize Giving – Edgar Centre, students to be seated at 4.45 pm for 5.00 pm start. Please email admin@shcs.school.nz if you are unable to attend

Prizegiving is on Wednesday 5th December at the Edgar Centre.

Junior students will be bussed to the More FM Arena on that morning for a run through of the prize giving service and will be released at approximately 11.30 am.  They have the option to return to school on the bus and then go home from there, or they can leave directly from the More FM Arena.

Prize Giving commences at 5.00 pm and we ask that your daughter is seated in the More FM Arena by 4.45 pm. Please note, that with primary school futsal at the Edgar Centre, parking may be more challenging than in other years.

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.

Chapel Matters

Although we don’t send them as often as we used to, Christmas cards mean a lot to people, especially older folk. Sadly, there are a lot of elderly in New Zealand who will be alone this Christmas for one reason or another, and this is heartbreaking when this season is meant to be one of joy and love.

The organisation “Sending Love” is arranging for Christmas Cards to be delivered to rest homes around New Zealand so that this small festive gesture can let people know that they are remembered.

Consequently, in RE this week, the Year 9s made a range of beautiful cards, filled with meaningful sentiments, and these will be delivered to rest homes in Dunedin! I was really touched by the lovely words that the girls wrote, and by the care and thoughtfulness, they put into this activity. I am sure that these cards will brighten many faces this Christmas!

Sporting Achievement

The end of the year is always busy but very exciting for many of St Hilda’s summer sports teams. We had girls competing in Cricket, Volleyball and Touch during the recent Otago Secondary Schools Junior Tournament week which they thoroughly enjoyed.

On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week the Junior A Volleyball team participated in the South Island Secondary Schools Tournament. Our pool games separated us into Division 2 and 3. We finished 2nd in our pool so played in Division 2. Our final game was a playoff for 5th and 6th against a visiting Australian team. After losing the first set we rallied, stayed positive and managed to win the next two sets and the game.

Thank you from St Hilda’s Sport…
We would like to take the opportunity to thank all coaches, managers, teachers in-charge, parents and support people who have been an integral part of the success of St Hilda’s sports teams during 2018. Without your assistance, the girls would not have achieved as highly as they have and have the opportunities that they have had this year.

Year 9 and 10 French make crêpes

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BCITO – Building and Construction

Year 10 got some hands-on experience when BCITO came into school to introduce apprenticeship opportunities.

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Tolcarne News

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

A Note from The Principal

In this current climate where there is a very real shortage of quality teachers, we are delighted to announce the following appointments:

• Mr James Sutherland has been appointed to the position of HOD Visual and Performing Arts. Mr Sutherland is currently HOD Visual Arts and Director of Culture at Hamilton Boys High School. He previously taught in an all girls’ school in Edinburgh. He is a painting specialist, and also has a strong interest in Music, being in charge of the Orchestra and Jazz band at HBHS, where he has produced the school productions in conjunction with HGHS. We look forward to welcoming Mr Sutherland and his family to Dunedin and St Hilda’s in 2019.
• Mr Paul Elwood has been appointed to the position of Maths teacher. Mr Elwood is currently at Kaikorai Valley College. He is an experienced Maths teacher, and also teaches Te Reo and has strengths in Tikanga Māori and Kapa Haka.

As many of you will be aware Mr Michael Grant has resigned after 15 years at St Hilda’s. We will miss his commitment to music and the arts, especially Sings Hilda, and the productions. His willingness to support a lot of school activities behind the scenes, and spend many weekends and evening hours assisting students and staff with performances has been greatly appreciated. We are currently working through the appointment process for his replacement

Jackie Barron

Remaining Key Dates for Term 4 

Sunday 25 November – Carol Service – Chapel, 5 pm
Tuesday 4 December – Leavers Dinner – Otago Museum
Wednesday 5 December – Prize Giving – Edgar Centre, students to be seated at 4.45pm for 5.00 pm start. Please email admin@shcs.school.nz if you are unable to attend

Out and About

BEAMS – A group of Year 10 students are visiting Auckland University for the annual BEAMS (Business, Engineering, Architecture, Medicine, Science faculty workshops) event. They are enjoying the workshops and even bumped into Jono and Ben!

Marae Visit -Year 9 spent Tuesday and Wednesday out at the Ōtākou Marae on the Otago Peninsula. Despite some less than ideal weather conditions, the girls had a great time.

                    Ali Higham (centre)

Tolcarne News

Guidance

Student Achievement

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

A Note from The Principal

I was fortunate to spend a day at the Tautuku Lodge this week, with the Year 10 cohort on their camp. It is a wonderful facility and our girls are so lucky to be able to enjoy the experience of the Catlins bush, the beach, the mud and the challenges. I remember going on camp there when I was at secondary school – so the Lodge has been part of students’ outdoor education for a very long time! My memories are still vivid – the fun of the mud run, the fear and then the exhilaration of completing the abseil, and the beauty of the beach. None of this has changed. What a wonderfully timeless landscape, that has provided valuable learning opportunities for generations, and it was very special to see the girls having as much fun as I did all those years ago.

We will enjoy having all our juniors back on the campus next week, as we build towards the Christmas Carol Service on Sunday 25th November at 5.00pm. We look forward to having all our students and their families come together for this truly festive celebration.

Jackie Barron

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

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 5.00 pm start. Please email admin@shcs.school.nz if you are unable to attend.

Marae Trip

Next Tuesday and Wednesday the Year 9s will be travelling out to the Ōtākou Marae for an overnight visit.  Parents are reminded that if you haven’t already returned your daughter’s permission slip, please do so by Monday.

This week, Years 7-9  investigated and considered a new passion. The aim was to get them to think and construct a product linked to something new that has piqued their interest, but they’d like to know more or try it out.

Below are just a few examples.

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Tolcarne News

Guidance

NCEA exam session is now upon us and it is important to support your daughter to maintain healthy study and life habits during this time. Click here for ‘Seven steps to stop NCEA study stress’

Chapel Matters

While the seniors are on study leave, and the Year 10 students are at Camp, the rest of the Juniors have been working away on Passion Projects. Rather than simply meaning something we enjoy, the word “passion” comes from the Latin word “passio” which means to suffer, to endure pain, or to submit to pain, and to experience something so deeply you can be emotionally overwhelmed by it.

In the church, the main association with the word “passion” is to do with Jesus.

The intense emotional and physical suffering he went through at Easter is called the Passion of Christ. From his betrayal by a friend Judas, his desperate prayer asking God to prevent what was coming, his arrest and beating by the soldiers, the denial by Peter, another friend, his carrying of the cross through the streets,  and the humiliation and agony of crucifixion, Jesus went through the whole range of emotional and physical suffering.

Our passion projects this week might not have been quite at the level that they involved physical and emotional suffering, but plenty of students were emotionally and physically invested in what they did which was great to see!

Past and Present Student Achievement

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

A Note from The Principal

There are times in an educators life when you see engaging, interactive, collaborative meaningful and relevant learning, all come together and your heart just sings.

While I know this can happen any day, in any classroom, and frequently does, it is not often that it happens across the whole school, all at once, but that is exactly what it has looked like at St Hilda’s for the last three days. We have not had a timetable, we have not had any bells, we have not had any set classes, but we have had our girls all working in different programmes, to their own structures and patterns, and the learning has been incredible.

The Year 7 & 8s have been working on rotations of modular subjects, and many of their parents will have already sampled some of the products of their creativity! The Year 9’s have been engaging with The Travellers Journey – a wellbeing and health programme designed to enhance resilience, empathy and mental wellbeing. The Rich Task for the year 10s has been a cross curricular physiology programme combining Digital Technology, Maths, Science and Physical Education. Watching different groups, interacting with students, chatting to them as they reflect on their learning, you cannot help but be warmed by their sense of excitement, purpose and curiosity as they grappled with problems, issues, and ideas. How lucky are we to have such dedicated and innovative staff who have planned, developed and implemented these very exciting programmes? How lucky are our girls to have these amazing opportunities? It takes a lot of time, thought and planning for flexible learning programmes to be so successful, and the outcomes so positive, and I for one, am so grateful to be part of a community that makes learning like that happen.

Jackie Barron

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

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 5 pm start.

Next week, Years 7-9 will be taking a week to investigate and consider a new passion. The aim is to get them to think and construct a product linked to something new that has piqued their interest, but they’d like to know more or try it out. They need to join the google classroom, Projects of Passion Week; code: 46g0wk8 where there is an inquiry workbook for them to use as a guide and a record of their thinking and learning.

On Monday, they will have the opportunity to find out about some teacher’s passions and experience some new avenues hopefully outside their comfort zones. We hope they will have lots to talk to you about.

Friday will be an Expo of their inquiry outcomes in the Chapel to which you are more than welcome. This will take place from 2.00 pm – 4.30 pm.

For the week, students can wear St Hilda’s school PE gear school PE top, shorts or track pants, warm up top or jacket. NOT MUFTI please. They are at school.

Sustained silent reading.
This is continuing through Passion Project week. Please bring your reading book each day for SSR at the start of period 4.

Reports

This year we have made changes to how we report on your daughter’s learning to ensure that reports are appropriate, useful and timely. We were very aware that the paragraph comment based report was slow to produce, often out of date by the time you received it and did not easily allow for specific next steps. Because of this, comments were often generalised statements, with limited relevance.

The final report for the year will be a record of your daughters learning for the year. This will include a comment from her Whanaungatanga teacher which will give you an overview of her year’s learning.

Throughout the year we have communicated through Learning Conversations which allow a three-way conversation with the teacher, student and parent, Interim Reports which focussed on learning behaviours and Progress Reports which gave specific next steps for your daughters learning.

These reports when combined give an accurate and timely overview of your daughter’s learning dispositions, next steps and progress.

Guidance

NCEA exam session is now upon us and it is important to support your daughter to maintain healthy study and life habits during this time. Click here for ‘Seven steps to stop NCEA study stress’

Chapel Matters

Last week I talked about Halloween (“Hallows Evening”), so this week I thought I would talk about the day which follows: All Saints Day (“All Hallows Day”). I wonder what kind of person you think of when you think of a saint? A saint is a holy (or “hallowed”) person, someone whose whole life is committed to serving God and to serving others. We might think of someone like St Hilda, St Francis, or St Patrick, or Mother Theresa who was recognised as a saint by the Catholic church in 2016. Or perhaps we think of St Mary Mackillop who is the only saint from Australia; the Catholic church hasn’t recognised any saints from NZ – yet!

These saints are pretty special and we can call them saints with a capital “S.” But in reality, we are surrounded by lots of saints – people all around us in our lives who are really kind, who go out of their way to help us, who show by their actions their love for us, their love for others, and their love for God. They might not be saints with a capital “S” but they are definitely saints! Our school is named after a wonderful saint, St Hilda with a capital “S” who lived a long time ago, but our school is full right now with lots of saints, saints with a small “s” for really, we are All Saints!

Student Achievement

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

A Note from The Principal

We farewelled our Year 13 students yesterday, and there is always a sense of nostalgia and loss as these stunning young women race out into the Quad, having been acknowledged by the rest of the school. Where have those years gone? They have been a great year group and their strength has been their differences – a multitude of skills, abilities and talents.

They presented a very funny and clever assembly for us yesterday and shared some delightful videos they had made in Year 7 and Year 9, and it really brought home how much they had grown, and changed, and how special the years are, that they spend with us. I think it struck the girls too that the time when their path is structured, expectations clear, and support evident will now morph into something a little less clear, and even more exciting. They go on to sit their externals, and then we formally farewell them at the Leavers dinner in December, which is always a wonderful event.

I wish our Year 11 and Year 12 students all the best for their external examinations. This is a great opportunity to test themselves, measure where they are at with their learning, and establish the foundation for the following year. We look forward to seeing them again at Prizegiving.

Jackie Barron

Paid Union Meeting – Friday 9 November

School will finish at 11:50 am on Friday 9 November 2018.   Staff who are PPTA and NZEI members will be attending a paid union meeting, an entitlement which is part of their Collective Agreement.

Although school will officially remain open until 3:00 pm that afternoon, there will be no formal classes operating.  However, there will be supervision in the Library for students who need to stay at school until the end of the school day.

Please note:         Confirmation of bus times will come shortly.

Please notify the school office if your daughter will need to remain at school on this afternoon. (Contact Karen Mowat on 477 0989 or email  admin@shcs.school.nz)

The times for the school day will be as follows:

Period 1       8:40   – 9:35 am
Period 2       9:40   – 10:35 am
Break            10:35 – 10:55 am
Period 3      10:55 – 11.50 am

Thank you for your understanding of this disruption to scheduled classes.

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

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 5 pm start.

Reports

This year we have made changes to how we report on your daughter’s learning to ensure that reports are appropriate, useful and timely. We were very aware that the paragraph comment based report was slow to produce, often out of date by the time you received it and did not easily allow for specific next steps. Because of this, comments were often generalised statements, with limited relevance.

The final report for the year will be a record of your daughters learning for the year. This will include a comment from her Whanaungatanga teacher which will give you an overview of her year’s learning.

Throughout the year we have communicated through Learning Conversations which allow a three-way conversation with the teacher, student and parent, Interim Reports which focussed on learning behaviours and Progress Reports which gave specific next steps for your daughters learning.

These reports when combined give an accurate and timely overview of your daughter’s learning dispositions, next steps and progress.

Guidance

Social media is frequently in the news as experts increasingly question the impact it is having on the wellbeing of today’s youth. Click here to read Sherri Gordon’s thought on ‘5 Ways Social Media Affects Teen Mental Health’.

Wellbeing

Download (PDF, 224KB)

Chapel Matters

This week, just after St Hilda’s Day, we have had Halloween on October 31^st followed by All Saints Day on November 1^st. These days are the opposite of each other in many ways – All Hallows Evening, the evening before All Saints Day; the night and the day; the scary things and the saintly things.

Festivals like this which come in pairs remind me that who I am as a person is a complex mix of both of these things. There is St Hilda’s Day (and All Saints Day), for example, with its beautiful choir singing, communion, prayer, tradition and heritage. And there is Halloween, with its crazy costumes, sugary sweets, and antics; its darker mischievousness, its cackling wildness and connection with nature.

These things are ALL a part of who we are, and everything in between as well. Who we are is human, and in the incarnation, God became human, and knows all our joyous days as well as our dark nights of the soul; our kindnesses as well as our mean-spiritednesses; our triumphs and successes, as well as our anguishes and defeats. As human beings, we are complex mixes of these things. And God loves us.

Halloween is a good reminder that the Christian story is not all about Cathedrals and bowing at the right time or holding your hands properly for communion; the Christian story is mostly about God’s love conquering death and darkness, and celebrating that together as loved, forgiven, whole people, be that with our friends and family at St Hilda’s Day in the Cathedral or on the streets in our costumes for Halloween.

Ichikawa visit March 2019 – request for Homestay families

Passion Project

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

A Note from The Principal

It was my pleasure to support Helen Knott and Inez Meuws at the recent Pasifica Awards at the  Otago Polytechnic. Both girls are wonderful ambassadors for the school and their culture. Helen helped us all to learn a Tongan prayer response in chapel on Tuesday and we are fortunate to have our young women so ready to share and celebrate their cultures with us.

Tonight we have the Manu Pounamu Awards where our Maori students are acknowledged for their excellence. This is a very special ceremony and one where the importance of whanau, connectedness and belonging are so evident. I look forward to watching Kiriana Hunter and Sarah Langsbury receive their awards.

We look forward to sharing the celebrations of our Blues evening tonight as well (it is a busy week!!) – and are delighted that Old Girl Sophie Morris has accepted our invitation to be the guest speaker.

St HIlda’s Day will be a welcome chance to come together as a community; reflect, sit, listen and be grateful for the time to worship together. The cathedral always exudes a sense of majesty, calm and safety, a timely reminder of the importance of having all those attributes in our lives. I look forward to seeing you there.

Jackie Barron

Paid Union Meeting – Friday 9 November

School will finish at 11:50 am on Friday 9 November 2018.   Staff who are PPTA and NZEI members will be attending a paid union meeting, an entitlement which is part of their Collective Agreement.

Although school will officially remain open until 3:00 pm that afternoon, there will be no formal classes operating.  However, there will be supervision in the Library for students who need to stay at school until the end of the school day.

Please note:         Confirmation of bus times will come shortly.

Please notify the school office if your daughter will need to remain at school on this afternoon. (Contact Karen Mowat on 477 0989 or email  admin@shcs.school.nz)

The times for the school day will be as follows:

Period 1       8:40   – 9:35 am
Period 2       9:40   – 10:35 am
Break            10:35 – 10:55 am
Period 3      10:55 – 11.50 am

Thank you for your understanding of this disruption to scheduled classes.

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

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 5 pm start.

Reports

This year we have made changes to how we report on your daughter’s learning to ensure that reports are appropriate, useful and timely. We were very aware that the paragraph comment based report was slow to produce, often out of date by the time you received it and did not easily allow for specific next steps. Because of this, comments were often generalised statements, with limited relevance.

The final report for the year will be a record of your daughters learning for the year. This will include a comment from her Whanaungatanga teacher which will give you an overview of her year’s learning.

Throughout the year we have communicated through Learning Conversations which allow a three-way conversation with the teacher, student and parent, Interim Reports which focussed on learning behaviours and Progress Reports which gave specific next steps for your daughters learning.

These reports when combined give an accurate and timely overview of your daughter’s learning dispositions, next steps and progress.

RSVP’s

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.

Chapel Matters

St Hilda lived a long time ago – in the 7th Century – and was in charge of one of the most
important Abbies in England at the time. As the Abbess of Whitby, she had many
responsibilities and this included giving advice to kings and other rulers. We only have one
piece of writing from her, and with St Hilda’s Day at the Cathedral this weekend, I thought you might like to ponder on what she had to say. While the words and phrases can take some effort to read, the advice she gives is still pertinent today.

Trade with the gifts God has given you.

Bend your minds to holy learning, that you may escape the fretting moth of littleness of mind that would wear out your souls.

Brace your wills to action that they may not be the spoils of weak desires.

Train your hearts and lips to song which gives courage to the soul.

Being buffeted by trials, learn to laugh.

Being reproved, give thanks.

Having failed, determine to succeed.

– St Hilda of Whitby, 7th C

Ichikawa visit March 2019 – request for Homestay families

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Passion Project

University Scholarships

 Massey University and Otago Polytech have not yet released their scholarship outcomes . Here is a list of those who have gained an Undergraduate  Scholarship at this stage.

University of Otago Academic Excellence Entrance Scholarship (worth $35,000)

Issie Robertson

Kate Higham

University of Otago Vice Chancellor’s Scholarship (worth $18,000)

Jillian Heng

University of Otago Performance Entrance Scholarship (varying amounts)

Zara Anthony-Whigham (Dance, Musical theatre and Ice Skating) ($16,000)

Cecelia Crooks (Triathlon) ($16,000)

Olivia O’Neill (Basketball and Touch Rugby) ($16,000)

Sophie Armstrong (Netball umpiring) ($18,000)

University of Otago Māori Entrance Scholarship (worth $10,000)

Hannah Alcock

University of Otago Leaders of Tomorrow Entrance Scholarship (varying amounts)

Kiriana Hunter ($8,000)

Helen Knott ($6,000)

University of Otago New Frontiers Excellence Entrance Scholarship (currently worth $2,500 but increases to $5,000 if they get Level 3 with excellence)

Sophie Turner

Taylor Duffy

Hannah Hedges

The University of Waikato Sir Edmund Hillary Scholarship (worth $10,000 for each year of study)

Cecelia Crooks (Triathlon)

Victoria University of Wellington Tangiwai Scholarship (worth $5,000)

Suzie Olssen

Kiriana Hunter

Lincoln University Future Leaders Scholarship (worth $6,000)

Melissa Gray

Lincoln University Netball Scholarship ($6,000)

Megan Borst

Meyer Cruden Engineering LTD, Engineering Tertiary Education Scholarship (worth $3,000)

Alice Murphy

Dunedin School of Art Secondary Schools Overall Award (one semester tuition at the Dunedin School of art valued at $3,362)

Victoria Tong

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

Support needed for vulnerable teens fundraiser.

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

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’

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.

Newsletter – Issue No.3 2018

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

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.

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