It has been a busy week for all girls. The year 10 have been at Tautuku camp in the Catlins and we look forward to hearing their stories. Year 7 – 9 have been challenging themselves and solving problems throughout the week. There have been some very innovative ideas being developed. Year 11 – 13 are busy with study and examinations.
Key Dates for Term 4
Monday 14th October – 5th December 2019
Sunday 24 November – Carol Service – Chapel, 5 pm – Families welcome
Wednesday 4 December – Leavers Dinner – Museum
Thursday 5 December – Prize Giving – Dunedin Town Hall (please note change of venue) students to be seated at 4.45pm for 5pm start.
Canteen
The last day the canteen will be operating for the year will be Friday 22nd November.
Hot Lunches will be available for Year 9 & 10 boarders on Wednesday 15th November and Wednesday 20th November.
Activities
Accept the Challenge This week saw the years 7-9 embark on Challenge week. They were, in groups, tasked with solving a real-world problem. The challenges were:
How can we make our school a place where every single student feels included every single day? How can we inspire our community to get up and get moving? How can we inspire our community to make healthy food a bigger part of our daily diet? How can we get rid of rubbish to make our community shine? How can we give young people a voice on issues that affect them? How can we make social media a force for good not evil?
Not only had they as a team, to come up with a solution, but they had to test it out with market research that they constructed, reflect on their process, think about their point of difference and then present it to a judge, using criteria that they co-constructed, and proved that it was viable, sustainable and solved the challenge.
The idea was to get the students to be innovative in their problem solving, test their ideas and refine them in order to make the solution better and work in a team of diverse individuals – all skills that are transferable into the world of work.
The grand final was held period 5 Friday and ended a challenging week for the years 7-9.
Final results will be announced next week.
Internet
As you may be aware we have experienced some issues with our wifi connection at school.
We have been one of a number of schools in NZ affected by a global upgrade which destabilised our wifi system.
This has had an impact on some NZQA examinations and our girls ability to access the internet at Tolcarne and we are following NZQA guidelines and protocols around unexpected incidents to work through the process with students who have been affected.
We appreciate the distress this may have caused some students and we have senior engineers from our support company Cyclone Computers working on the problem. We will update you with progress.
Many thanks for your patience as we work through this issue.
Achievements
Cricket
An article on our 1st XI Cricket Team in the College Sport Media (CSM) can be read here.
Ice Hockey
Breane has been selected for the NZ Woman’s Ice Hockey Team, who will travel to compete at the Worlds in Mexico City on 22 January 2020. Congratulations Breane!
Tolcarne News
On Thursday night, Tolcarne welcomed our 2020 Year 9 cohort to a sleepover. Though nervous at first, after playing some games and learning names the chatter never ended!
The sleepover is always a great way for the new students to get to know each other, as well as Tolcarne’s staff and routines. Our current Year 9’s where incredibly excited to get to know them, and did a fantastic job at being inclusive and friendly!
St Hilda’s 125th Anniversary Celebrations
It’s 17 months away but we are already looking forward to the 125th Anniversary celebrations in March 2021. Accommodation in Dunedin can be tricky at the best of times, and our 125th is being held over Otago Anniversary weekend, so please make sure you get in early if you’re planning to attend from out of town.
Tickets are available now for the 125th – Full Registration covers all the events, or you can pick and choose which ones you wish to attend (Cocktail Party, Gala Lunch, ‘125 Years of Inspiring St Hilda’s Women’ and the Chapel Service), plus there will be tours, decade group photos, performances and exhibitions all weekend. Please spread the word!
This is a fundraising initiative that current families, Old Girls and past families can support – purchase a Blue Ribbon plaque with your/your daughter’s name on it, to be displayed permanently in the foyer of the new Arts Building.
Please contact the Director of Development at aburke@shcs.school.nz to reserve your Blue Ribbon today.
Our school is feeling a little empty now the seniors have started their examination leave. We wish them all the best and look forward to seeing them all again at prize giving.
The Year 10 have also had a busy week with their end of year examinations and the Rich task they have been involved in the last three days. I am sure they are all now looking forward to Year 10 camp next week.
Next week Year 7 – 9 will be involved in a problem solving programme where they will work in groups to develop an idea that they think could solve a particular problem they have been given.
Key Dates for Term 4
Monday 14th October – 5th December 2019
Monday 11-15 November – Year 10 Camp
Sunday 24 November – Carol Service – Chapel, 5 pm – Families welcome
Wednesday 4 December – Leavers Dinner – Museum
Thursday 5 December – Prize Giving – Dunedin Town Hall (please note change of venue) students to be seated at 4.45pm for 5pm start.
Canteen
The last day the canteen will be operating for the year will be Friday 22nd November.
Hot Lunches will be available for Year 9 & 10 boarders on Wednesday 15th November and Wednesday 20th November.
Chapel Matters
This year the 40 Hour Famine Leaders were awarded the inaugural World Vision Auahatanga Most Creative Fundraising Award “for thinking outside the box to rewrite the rules.”
World Vision said that the awardees showed “a spirit of creativity and courage.” This is a great honour for these girls and I commend them for their efforts!
Guidance
With the approach of the holidays and hopefully some beautiful summer weather to lure us all outside, the experts from ‘Hey Sigmund’ challenge us all to go screen free for a week. Click here for their advice about what this can do for family life.
Sports Council
A sincere thank you to all members of our community who expressed their interest in being parent representatives on the St Hilda’s Sports Council. The calibre of the interested parties was very high and we greatly appreciate the willingness of our parents to volunteer their time and expertise to the development of sport at St Hilda’s.
We are pleased to welcome Mrs Clare Challis, Mrs Kate Cotter and Mr Craig Paterson as the incoming parent representatives, to join Mr Roger Southby as the community members on the Council. Craig, Kate, and Clare have extensive experience across a wide range of sports in coaching, administration and governance, and we look forward to their input to the sporting life of the school.
Activities
A keen and eager group of Year 7-10 St Hilda’s music students went to King’s and Queen’s High Schools to be part of the Itinerant Music Workshop Day for 2019. The day allowed students to gain experience of playing in a concert band or a string ensemble setting where they could develop their musical skills and play as a team in their instrument sections.
Everyone had a great day rehearsing in their groups and took on the challenge of learning new music with fantastic results. It was really pleasing to see our students take up the opportunity to participate in the Itinerant Workshop Day.
Achievements
NZ Short Course Swimming Championships
Congratulations to Nicole Heaton, Meg McLaughlan, and Jessica Scott for qualifying for the NZ Short Course Swimming Championships which were held in Auckland in October.
Nicole placed 6th in the 50 Back and 8th in the 100 and 200 Back in her age group. Jessica placed 1st in the 100 Butterfly and 100 IM, and 2nd in the 50 and 200 Butterfly in her age group.
Netball
Congratulations to Amelia Scully on being selected for the preseason Beko Netball training squad.
North Zone Athletics
Congratulations to the following girls –
Charlotte Cardno who placed 1st in under 12 long jump Mya Haigh placed 1st in the over 13 shotput Charlie Byers placed 2nd in the Year 7 & 8 800m and 4th in the 100m sprint Charlie Byers, Katie Moore, Phoebe Jaquiery, Cassie Horo came 2nd in the 13 over relay.
All have qualified for Otago Champs
Tolcarne News
Flexi Prep has been underway at Tolcarne for the last 3 Thursdays. The girls have been making Christmas tree decorations, gingerbread cookies, beeswax hand cream and lipgloss, decorating coat hangers and learning how to do portrait drawings. What fun!
Our Year 9’s are off to an overnight camp in Waihola this weekend – let’s hope the weather holds out for the paintball and frisbee golf!
St Hilda’s Chronicle Orders
Orders for the St Hilda’s Chronicle are being taken now!
This year’s school magazine contains over 160 pages of photos and
memories from 2019. The cost is $40.
The Chronicle will be ready for your daughter to collect at the conclusion of
Prize Giving on Wednesday, 5 December. Alternatively, copies can be
collected from the school office or posted home.
Could you please complete the online form below or pick up an order form
from the school office to order your daughter(s) copy of the Chronicle. Multiple
copies may be ordered. The Chronicle will be charged to the school account.
Please note, there will be no door sales of the magazine on Prize Giving
night. We are now only printing the number of magazines that are pre-
ordered.
Drop off times for this weekend are; Saturday 9-11am @ Heriot House, Heriot Row (behind the school)
Reminder –
St Hilda’s 125th Anniversary Celebrations
It’s 17 months away but we are already looking forward to the 125th Anniversary celebrations in March 2021. Accommodation in Dunedin can be tricky at the best of times, and our 125th is being held over Otago Anniversary weekend, so please make sure you get in early if you’re planning to attend from out of town.
Tickets are available now for the 125th – Full Registration covers all the events, or you can pick and choose which ones you wish to attend (Cocktail Party, Gala Lunch, ‘125 Years of Inspiring St Hilda’s Women’ and the Chapel Service), plus there will be tours, decade group photos, performances and exhibitions all weekend. Please spread the word!
This is a fundraising initiative that current families, Old Girls and past families can support – purchase a Blue Ribbon plaque with your/your daughter’s name on it, to be displayed permanently in the foyer of the new Arts Building.
Please contact the Director of Development at aburke@shcs.school.nz to reserve your Blue Ribbon today.
It has been a busy week for the senior students as they prepare for their NCEA examinations and get everything prepared to start their study leave next Tuesday.
Staffing
We warmly welcome our new Librarian Caroline Bouffard and look forward to having Cassandra Pickering on board as our new Photography Teacher beginning in Term 1, 2020
Key Dates for Term 4
Monday 14th October – 5th December 2019
Tuesday 5 November – Last day for Seniors (Years 11-13)
Monday 11-15 November – Year 10 Camp
Sunday 24 November – Carol Service – Chapel, 5 pm – Families welcome
Wednesday 4 December – Leavers Dinner – Museum
Thursday 5 December – Prize Giving – Dunedin Town Hall (please note change of venue) students to be seated at 4.45pm for 5pm start.
Activities
The senior Art student folios have been on display this week in our new Arts Building.
The variety of subject matter and originality of the work is outstanding. Well done girls with help from Mrs Cox and Mr Sutherland.
Achievements
Kendall Brook is the recipient of The Prime Minister’s Vocational Excellence Award. This is a new award that recognise the achievements of students excelling in vocational education.
Aerobics
Trinity Maydon and Isabella Tierney have both been selected to compete in the Australian FISAF super series aerobics competition in May 2020
Football
Emma Andrew and Hannah Langsbury have been selected for the Southern United National Age Group U14 team. Grace Cotter and Amelia Newlands have been selected for the Southern United National Age group U16 team
Nations Mounted Games Congratulations to Riley Macdonald who has just competed for the NZ Silver team at the recent Nations Mounted Games Competition. After a few days of amazing riding, NZ Silver were just pipped on the final day of competition by NZ Black, to finish second, followed by the Australian, American and South African teams.
Pasifika Awards
Congratulations to Eva Meeuws. She was St Hilda’s nominee to receive the Pacific Island Community Scholarship and Secondary School Recognition Award 2019 which celebrates and rewards Pasifika success in academics and leadership. Eva will be embarking on a Bachelor of Design in Communications at Otago Polytechnic in 2020.
Rugby
Sarah Langsbury has been selected for the U17 Girls South Island Maori Rugby Team.
Tahi Rua Toru Tech
Senior Secondary and Junior Secondary Regional Champions.
Congratulations to the girls who have won an all expenses paid trip to Wellington for the finals on 5th December.
Eliabel Eliabel Legrand, Evie Rose Grace, Hanna McCoubrey
Rylee May, Gabi Horo, Tessa Sinteur
Tolcarne News
“How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” – A.A.Milne
Last night we had our farewell Christmas Dinner for the Year 13 boarding students. It was a fun night filled with yummy food, singing and laughter. We wish them all the best for their future endeavours!
We also had our final Tribe Dinner on Tuesday night. Highgate has finally had their chance to shine by narrowly beating Baxter for the Tribe Champion! The Tribe points stand thus:
Highgate: 878
Baxter: 871
Grendon: 788
Falkland: 735
Tilly Time (Happy Friday everyone!)
St Hilda’s Chronicle Orders
Orders for the St Hilda’s Chronicle are being taken now!
This year’s school magazine contains over 160 pages of photos and
memories from 2019. The cost is $40.
The Chronicle will be ready for your daughter to collect at the conclusion of
Prize Giving on Wednesday, 5 December. Alternatively, copies can be
collected from the school office or posted home.
Could you please complete the online form below or pick up an order form
from the school office to order your daughter(s) copy of the Chronicle. Multiple
copies may be ordered. The Chronicle will be charged to the school account.
Please note, there will be no door sales of the magazine on Prize Giving
night. We are now only printing the number of magazines that are pre-
ordered.
Drop off times for this weekend are; Saturday 9-11am @ Heriot House, Heriot Row (behind the school)
Reminder –
St Hilda’s 125th Anniversary Celebrations
It’s 17 months away but we are already looking forward to the 125th Anniversary celebrations in March 2021. Accommodation in Dunedin can be tricky at the best of times, and our 125th is being held over Otago Anniversary weekend, so please make sure you get in early if you’re planning to attend from out of town.
Tickets are available now for the 125th – Full Registration covers all the events, or you can pick and choose which ones you wish to attend (Cocktail Party, Gala Lunch, ‘125 Years of Inspiring St Hilda’s Women’ and the Chapel Service), plus there will be tours, decade group photos, performances and exhibitions all weekend. Please spread the word!
This is a fundraising initiative that current families, Old Girls and past families can support – purchase a Blue Ribbon plaque with your/your daughter’s name on it, to be displayed permanently in the foyer of the new Arts Building.
Please contact the Director of Development at aburke@shcs.school.nz to reserve your Blue Ribbon today.
Thank you to those students and families who supported St Hilda’s Day. This is a very important event in our school calendar that goes to the heart of our special character, and to share and participate in the cathedral service as a community , to ‘explore faith’ is one of the aspects of this school that sets us apart.
I am always so proud of the girls as they wear their uniform with pride, contribute with respect and maturity, and are such a credit to the school. Thank you too, to those families who took the time to tangibly show their support for, and commitment to, our school community. We are grateful to be able to share such special events with you.
This term moves quickly as the seniors set their sights on external examinations, and special events such as our last chapel service, Christmas dinner at the hostel, Christmas Carol service, service day and the camps dominate the programme. It is a wonderful time of the year, as we all see the fruits of our labour come to a tangible outcome, and we can reflect on work completed, and the pride we take in those achievements. There is much to enjoy and challenge us in the coming weeks.
Jackie Barron
Principal
Key Dates for Term 4
Monday 14th October – 5th December 2019
Monday 28 October – Labour Day – School and Hostel closed
Tuesday 5 November – Last day for Seniors (Years 11-13))
Monday 11-15 November – Year 10 Camp
Sunday 24 November – Carol Service – Chapel, 5 pm – Families welcome
Wednesday 4 December – Leavers Dinner – Museum
Thursday 5 December – Prize Giving – Dunedin Town Hall (please note change of venue) students to be seated at 4.45pm for 5pm start.
Junior Academic Programme
The Junior Academic Programme for 2020 has been released online. Links to view this are on both the Parent Portal and the Student Homepage. This site provides an overview of the subjects studied from Year 7 through to Year 10.
Reminder – The two option choices for Year 10 in 2020 are now due for current Year 9 students. Parents of students who are yet to enter their daughter’s choices are encouraged to complete this process over the weekend. Your daughter’s choices can be entered through the link in the online Junior Academic Programme or the Kamar Parents Portal
Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Appeal – Two Options! NZ and Overseas
Imagine never getting any Christmas presents … We can give children in the South Pacific a lovely surprise this Christmas by filling shoeboxes with gifts! If you have done this before you know how much fun it is to shop for a child and to fill the box with gifts! If any students would like to get a box, or find out more information, then please see Dr Townsley – I have about 30 boxes you can use (or you can use any old actual shoe box – just wrap it in Xmas paper!) There is a list of the kinds of things that are good to put in the box (such as school supplies, cuddly toys, clothes, hair brushes or hair ties etc.), and also things NOT to put in (because of customs or cultural issues ie. no lollies or food, toy guns or playing cards, or religious material). They need to be filled and returned to school by today. Please let me know if you have missed the deadline but do have a box.
We can also give shoebox gifts to children in Aotearoa NZ at low decile schools, through Women’s Refuge and other community organisations. See this link for more information:
The Year 7 girls are thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to try playing the trumpet with Mr Clayman, one of our itinerant music teachers.
House Kapa Haka Competition
Well done to all four houses for their polished performances on Wednesday of Tutira mai nga iwi. It was a great new initiative which we look forward to continuing in future years. It was a very close competition with Wellington being judged the top house.
Achievements
Congratulations to Holly Bissett, Meg Rogers, Tessa Sinteur and Chai Yoo who have been accepted to the Prestigious Junior Academy of the New York Academy of Sciences.
The Junior Academy is an elite group of problem solvers made up of talented students, STEM experts, and companies around the world dedicated to designing innovative solutions to global challenges.
Each students ages 13–18 are invited to join The Junior Academy. Successful applicants gain lifelong access to exclusive educational opportunities and a remarkable global STEM network through Launchpad, a virtual collaboration platform.
Our students will tackle the Intelligent Homes and Health Challenge, where students will design innovative ways to transform home life and healthcare and the Space Challenge, where students will explore space colonization. Students complete a virtual four-week boot camp to prepare themselves to work on these projects and gain access to learning resources that develop relevant skills in research methods, design thinking, and data analysis.
Students then communicate on discussions boards to form teams with other participants. They identify students who are interested in the same challenge project and have similar ideas on how to combat it. With the help of their mentor, they will design a solution to the challenge they chose to complete.
Challenges commenced on October 17 and final solutions will be due December 16, 2019.
All Junior Academy participants will be invited to attend the Global STEM Alliance Summit in New York City in the summer of 2020. Winning teams will receive a travel scholarship to attend. The three-day Summit includes a variety of New York City cultural experiences, as well as opportunities to build crucial connections with STEM mentors and professionals.
Blues
Congratulations to all recipients of Blue Awards for 2019. It was lovely to celebrate the range of achievements at the evening last Friday.
Nicole Horrell Last term, Nicole Horrell (along with Sam Leaper from JMC) were national finalists in the Play it Strange – Who Loves Who competition. The mastered songs have been released on an online album that can be listened to by clicking on the following link.
Nicole and Sam’s cover song is Track 17 – Tally Ho.
Nicole and Samuel Leaper also got into the Pitch Perfect Final in Dunedin at the Meridian Mall and the final took place on the 18th of October.
On the same night, Nicole entered the New Zats Contemporary Vocal Competition and got second place with the prize of $300.
You have been busy Nicole, congratulations.
Ella Morshuis
Ella had a fabulous weekend in Canterbury last weekend at the South Island 3 Day Event Championship. Blaze and she Won the FEI 2* Championship, The National Junior Rider 3 Day Championship and Best Presented.
Ella and her family are now very excited to be heading to the North Island where she will compete in Rotorua in the FEI 2* class and the National Junior Rider 1 Day Championship class in November and at The Puhiuni 3 Day International Championship, in the International FEI 2* class in December.
Good luck from all of us at St Hilda’s Ella.
Touch
Congratulations to the following girls who have been selected for Touch teams
Annie Timu : Otago Open Mixed, Otago Under 18 Girls Brooke McAlwee : Otago Open Women, Otago Under 18 Girls (also South Island Women – Te Wai Pounamu) Amelia Scully: Otago Open Women Savannah Cleland : Otago Under 18 Girls Danielle Ferguson : Otago Under 18 Girls
Sarah Langsbury : Otago Under 18 Girls Ruby Williams : Otago Under 18 Girls Ally Ward : Otago Under 16 Girls Demi McAlwee : Otago Under 16 Girls Jaymee Meffan : Otago Under 16 Girls Gemma Rowcroft : Otago Under 16 Girls Sophia Tutty : Otago Under 16 Girls Grace Keno : Otago Under 16 Girls Luana Ashton : Otago Under 16 Girls Eilish Cassidy : Otago Under 16 Mixed Libby Challis : Otago Under 14 Girls Holly Rowcroft : Otago Under 14 Girls
Tolcarne News
The sun came out on Saturday for our stay-in weekend and final Tribe games. Students and staff had a great time playing volleyball, flip cup naughts and crosses, and an egg throwing competition. Highgate took out the competition with 100 points, Grendon and Falkland got 75 and Baxter only got 10. The points are tight and it will come down to the next week of values points.
Coming up
Good luck to the Year 7&8 Water polo team who are playing in a tournament this weekend at Moana Pool.
We are having the Z Club movie night next week on Thursday the 31st of October in the new Arts building. We will be watching Love, Simon
Tickets will be $10, please order a ticket on the form which was emailed to the girls or get your ticket on the night. Payment to be made on the night.
All proceeds go to the Women’s Refuge and tickets include snacks and a drink during the movie. Feel free to bring friends and family along!!
St Hilda’s Collegiate School Fair
Saturday 7th of March 2020
Please start collecting and putting aside items for our school fair.
We need books, toys, games, white elephant goods, designer and used clothing.
In term 4 look out for information regarding our drop off dates and times.
This is a fundraising initiative that current families, Old Girls and past families can support – purchase a Blue Ribbon plaque with your/your daughter’s name on it, to be displayed permanently in the foyer of the new Arts Building.
Please contact the Director of Development at aburke@shcs.school.nz to reserve your Blue Ribbon today.
A very warm welcome back to Term 4. This is a term where there are a lot of functions where we come together to reflect on the year, and have the opportunity to celebrate together. One of our first opportunities is our Blues Evening tonight where we acknowledge achievement in Sports, Arts, Service and Academic fields.
St Hilda’s Day – Sunday 20 October, 10:00 am
It is an important time for our School Community and part of our school year. It is expected that all students will attend the Service on this morning and we count it as an official school half day. Girls are to assemble at the rear of the Cathedral by 9:30am for roll call. Parents, grandparents and families are also very welcome as we celebrate this significant day in the school’s history.
Any absences for St Hilda’s Day must be emailed to Judy Maw, with a reason, care of admin@shcs.school.nz.
Key Dates for Term 4
Monday 14th October – 5th December 2019
Friday 18 October – Blues Evening – Chapel, 7 pm – By Invitation.
Sunday 20 October – St Hilda’s Cathedral Service – St Paul’s Cathedral, 10 am (students 9:30am)
All students to attend and families most welcome.
Monday 28 October – Labour Day – School and Hostel closed
Tuesday 5 November – Last day for Seniors (Years 11-13))
Monday 11-15 November – Year 10 Camp
Sunday 24 November – Carol Service – Chapel, 5 pm – Families welcome
Wednesday 4 December – Leavers Dinner – Museum
Thursday 5 December – Prize Giving – Dunedin Town Hall (please note change of venue) students to be seated at 4.45pm for 5pm start.
Parent Seminar
We would like to thank all parents who attended our Parent Seminars “Signs your teen is not okay and what to do about it”. We really appreciate your support and feedback.
Junior Academic Programme
The Junior Academic Programme for 2020 has been released online. Links to view this are on both the Parent Portal and the Student Homepage. This site provides an overview of the subjects studied from Year 7 through to Year 10.
Reminder – The two option choices for Year 10 in 2020 are now due for current Year 9 students. Parents of students who are yet to enter their daughter’s choices are encouraged to complete this process over the weekend. Your daughter’s choices can be entered through the link in the online Junior Academic Programme or the Kamar Parents Portal
Climate change is a hot topic in the media in recent times and our own students report feeling anxious about the future of our planet. Click here for advice from Hey Sigmund about how to talk to children and teens About Eco-Anxiety.
Chapel Matters
Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Appeal – Two Options! NZ and Overseas
Imagine never getting any Christmas presents … We can give children in the South Pacific a lovely surprise this Christmas by filling shoeboxes with gifts! If you have done this before you know how much fun it is to shop for a child and to fill the box with gifts! If any students would like to get a box, or find out more information, then please see Dr Townsley – I have about 30 boxes you can use (or you can use any old actual shoe box – just wrap it in Xmas paper!) There is a list of the kinds of things that are good to put in the box (such as school supplies, cuddly toys, clothes, hair brushes or hair ties etc.), and also things NOT to put in (because of customs or cultural issues ie. no lollies or food, toy guns or playing cards, or religious material). They need to be filled and returned to school by the end of Week 2 this term (October 25th). See this link for more information:
We can also give shoebox gifts to children in Aotearoa NZ at low decile schools, through Women’s Refuge and other community organisations. See this link for more information:
St Hilda’s were mentioned in the Spring issue of the Anglican Family Care Newsletter for our fundraising so to allow AFC to purchase a new Reborn Baby Doll.
On Thursday of the school holidays, the 1st XI cricket team visited the privately owned cricket ground in rural North Canterbury called The Willows. In the 25 year history of the facility, we were the first-ever woman’s cricket team to play there. Special thanks to Hamish Loe for enabling this to happen. In a re-run of last years New Zealand Secondary Schoolgirls final, we played Christchurch Girls High School in a 40 over match. Batting first, Christchurch made it to 81 runs in the 37th over. Impressive bowling by Emma Black, Molly Loe and Eden Carson made life hard for the batswomen. Megan Meltzer with 4 wickets for a miserly 3 runs wrapped up the tail. In reply, our team scored the 82 runs for victory in 17 overs for the loss of 3 wickets thus securing a 7 wicket win. Olivia Gain was named Player of the match. In attendance were Sir Richard Hadlee, Amy Satthertwaite and Lea Tahuhu, all of whom assisted with the presentations. A sizeable crowd built up during the day and they enjoyed the quality of cricket in idyllic conditions. Special thanks to Adam and Jodie Gain for assistance with the team. Woman’s cricket was the definite winner on the day.
It was lovely that some Canterbury Old Girls held a reunion at the garden of the hostess, Mrs Winsome Dormer (nee Edgar) a former old girl and the ladies enjoyed catching up with the team at the end of the game.
Activities
Late last term we had a visit from St Rita’s College from Brisbane. Both the choir and orchestra from St Rita’s performed, along with our own Sings Hilda. Our year seven to ten students enjoyed being the audience for these performances. As well as the lovely hospitality of St Hilda’s, the Queensland visitors also got to enjoy the novelty of snow falling in Dunedin on the day of the visit!
Outdoor Ed – Surfing
10S doing their Earthquake Drill
9 H rockets being launched yesterday in science. Kara-Mai Herbst, and the rest of her group and co-creators are Ella Jarvie, Andie McGrouther and Hannah Lithgow.
This week the year 12 and 13 student have exhibited their work at the Otago Polytechnic.
Exhibiting their work to the wider community has been a valuable experience that showcases the skills they have developed throughout the year.
The year 13 exhibition gained excellent feedback from lecturers and students, I am very proud to have been a part of this high caliber showcase.
Pictured below are the year 13 student exhibits.
Sarah PaskBriar GroundsLucy GirvanAna RathboneKate JohnstonLily MoleAbbie LaughtonAmelia Andrews
Achievements
2019 Year 10 Speech competition Mr Gavin Angus and Mrs Helen Almey had the unenviable task of selecting the three best speeches from a confident, articulate, passionate and entertaining group of nine speeches. Topics ranged from child labour to the problems with being the oldest sibling, why cats and better than fish to being a white Maori, from ageism to white privilege. All the speeches were so well researched and the nine young women stood in front of their peers and delivered confidently and passionately about their topic. No mean feat. At times, the audience was silent, shocked and engaged, other times, they laughed and empathised. But a winner had to be chosen.
First, was Summer Cooper with her challenge on body shaming and to love ourselves Second was a compelling speech on abortion focusing on the current laws in Alabama from Anna Miller. Third was a huge crowd favourite, Lily Knox with her fast-paced, visually and vocally entertaining take on ‘cringe culture’.
Thank you to all the participants, to Mr Angus for co-judging and Mr Ross for organising the competition. Helen Almey HOD English
Tolcarne News
Welcome back to Term 4!! Everyone has jumped right back into the swing of things with our Head Boarders and Boarding Leaders offering advice and answering questions from the Year 11’s and 12’s who are interested in applying. A reminder that expressions of interest for Head Boarder closes on Wednesday 23rd.
We had our final Night Prayers on Wednesday with Dr Townsley. We would like to thank her for taking the time to come up to Tolcarne 3-4 times a term to offer these Night Prayers, which are always a good time for students to slow down, reflect and be grateful for all they have. Thank you, Dr Townsley!
On Thursday night, some of our Year 12 and 13 students were privileged to have a workshop with Soph Borland, who is a mindset coach from Dunedin. Soph helped the girls to discover any subconscious, negative patterns that keep them from their own personal development, and what thoughts and stories we tell ourselves that keep us ‘stuck’. She took them on a journey of self-discovery as they thought about why these patterns kept appearing and how they could reframe them in order to move past them. The students got so much out of the workshop and were left with new life skills and a renewed sense of self-reflection.
Coming up
Good luck to the following girlswho will be competing in the Rowing Indoor Champs this Sunday 20th October.
Sophie Smith
Millie Davenport
Elsie Burnside
Christy Foster
Lucy Wright
Kate Beaton
Jessie Davidson
Lucy Taylor
Peta Ericsson
On Tuesday 12th November Otago Polytech are hosting 3 fabulous guest speakers to discuss high-performance sport and how they built towards their World Cups.
They will have Noeline Taurua from Netball, Tony Brown from Japan Rugby and Leonard King – BasketBall World Cup.
Thank you to The Southern Trust for their contribution towards travel and accommodation costs, to Fresh Choice Roslyn for their support to keep the girls fueled, and to Dunedin Netball and the wider netball community for their support and best wishes. We really appreciate it.
Kirstin Scully
Co-coach St Hilda’s Senior A netball team.
Durban Girls’ College Exchange
In 2017 we started our exchange programme with Durban Girls’ College in South Africa. We are now beginning the process for 2020.
This exchange is open to girls who will be in Year 11 in 2020 (presently in Year 10)
The exchange student(s) from Durban will come to St Hilda’s for 6 weeks in March /April 2020. She will be in Year 11 and she will be timetabled into our school programme in the same way the Perth Exchange student is. The St Hilda’s student(s) would travel in exchange for 6 weeks in July/August to Durban Girls’ College. Further information and application forms for this exchange are available here.
Applications close 25 October 2019.
The following link will give you more information on Durban Girls’ College:
This is a fundraising initiative that current families, Old Girls and past families can support – purchase a Blue Ribbon plaque with your/your daughter’s name on it, to be displayed permanently in the foyer of the new Arts Building.
Please contact the Director of Development at aburke@shcs.school.nz to reserve your Blue Ribbon today.
It has been a busy and challenging term, and I hope that all our girls and families have the opportunity to spend time with loved ones, enjoy the world around them, get out in the fresh air and take the time to be grateful for life’s blessings.
Thanks to those of you who were able to join us for the opening of the Arts building. It was a very exciting and special occasion in the life of the school.
Jackie Barron
If you are withdrawing your daughter from St Hilda’s we ask that this is put in writing before Monday 14 October. As is stipulated in the enrolment contract, one term’s written notice is required. In default of that notice, one term’s Attendance Dues plus GST, shall be paid in lieu of notice upon the date that such fees would normally fall due, and in default of payment, interest shall run from that date until payment at the rate specified on the fees tax invoice/statement. In addition, any costs involved in collection should recovery action be taken, shall be payable.
Please email principal@shcs.school.nz before Monday 14 October if your daughter is not intending to return to St Hilda’s in 2020.
Key Dates for Term 4
Monday 14th October – 5th December 2019
Friday 18 October – Blues Evening – Chapel, 7 pm – By Invitiation
Sunday 20 October – St Hilda’s Cathedral Service – St Paul’s Cathedral, 10 am – All students to attend and families most welcome.
Monday 28 October – Labour Day – School and Hostel closed
Tuesday 5 November – Last day for Seniors (Years 11-13))
Monday 11-15 November – Year 10 Camp
Sunday 24 November – Carol Service – Chapel, 5 pm – Families welcome
Wednesday 4 December – Leavers Dinner – Museum
Thursday 5 December – Prize Giving – Dunedin Town Hall (please note change of venue) students to be seated at 4.45pm for 5pm start.
Parent Seminar
Signs your teen is not okay and what to do about it
We would like to invite all parents to join us for the upcoming Parent Seminar “Signs your teen is not okay and what to do about it”. We will presenting at the following times and venues:
Sunday 13 October
3:00pm
St Hilda’s Chapel
Monday 14 October
7:00pm
Croydon Lodge, Gore
Tuesday 15 October
7:00pm
The Gate, Cromwell
Wednesday 16 October
6:30pm
The Ranfurly Golf Club, Ranfurly
We encourage you to join us for this presentation. Please feel free to bring family and friends.
St Hilda’s Day – Sunday 20 October, 10:00 am
It is an important time for our School Community and part of our school year. It is expected that all students will attend the Service on this morning. Any absences for St Hilda’s Day must be emailed to Judy Maw, with a reason, care of admin@shcs.school.nz.
St Hilda’s Sports Council
We are seeking parent volunteers who have an interest in encouraging participation in, and enjoyment of, sport at all levels in line with current thinking from Sport New Zealand, to join us on the St Hilda’s Sports Council. Members of the council need to foster lifelong appreciation of sport and physical activity, and be advocates for female advancement in sport. Ideally members of the council will be well connected within the wider sporting community.
The role of the Sports Council
The Sports Council acts as an advisory to the Sports Department in developing strategies which align with the Board of Trustees whole school strategies, and supports positive physical activity and sports opportunities within the school. They aim to build and foster community links and to assist with communication between parents, students, staff and the wider community.
The Sports Council meets once a term. Attendance at these meetings could be via a digital platform if needed.
If you are interested in being considered the Sports Council please complete the expression of interest form which will be emailed to all parents at the beginning of next week and return it to Jenny McArthur in the school office by 3 pm on Friday 18 October.
Junior Academic Programme
The Junior Academic Programme for 2020 has been released online. Links to view this are on both the Parent Portal and the Student Homepage. This site provides an overview of the subjects studied from Year 7 through to Year 10.
Reminder – The two option choices for Year 10 in 2020 are now due for current Year 9 students. Parents of students who are yet to enter their daughter’s choices are encouraged to complete this process over the weekend. Your daughter’s choices can be entered through the link in the online Junior Academic Programme or the Kamar Parents Portal
In 2017 we started our exchange programme with Durban Girls’ College in South Africa. We are now beginning the process for 2020.
This exchange is open to girls who will be in Year 11 in 2020 (presently in Year 10)
The exchange student(s) from Durban will come to St Hilda’s for 6 weeks in March /April 2020. She will be in Year 11 and she will be timetabled into our school programme in the same way the Perth Exchange student is. The St Hilda’s student(s) would travel in exchange for 6 weeks in July/August to Durban Girls’ College. Further information and application forms for this exchange are available here.
Applications close 25 October 2019.
The following link will give you more information on Durban Girls’ College:
Return of all 2018 Sporting and Prize Giving Cups and Trophies
Thank you to those who have returned their cup/trophy. There are still a number to be returned in preparation for the 2019 Awards and Prize Giving evenings.
We ask that these are returned before the end of the first week of Term 4.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this. These may be left at the school’s main reception area.
St Hilda’s Collegiate School Fair
Saturday 7th of March 2020
Over the school holidays, you may like to start collecting and putting aside items for our school fair.
We need books, toys, games, white elephant goods, designer and used clothing.
In term 4 look out for information regarding our drop off dates and times.
This is a fundraising initiative that current families, Old Girls and past families can support – purchase a Blue Ribbon plaque with your/your daughter’s name on it, to be displayed permanently in the foyer of the new Arts Building.
Please contact the Director of Development at aburke@shcs.school.nz to reserve your Blue Ribbon today.
Tolcarne News
On Sunday the girls enjoyed the sunshine and went to Victory beach. It was quite the journey, it took 45 minutes to get out there and then a 20 minute walk to get to the beach. The girls played cricket, volleyball and made a mermaid sculptor.
The boarding leaders enjoyed a treat on Tuesday night, heading down to Joe’s Garage for a dessert with Robyn and Ange. This was a small token of our appreciation for all of the hard work that our boarding leaders do around the hostel; building relationships with the juniors and helping the house managers with key tasks, especially at meals and bedtimes.
On Wednesday night we enjoyed another one of our ‘full house’ vegetarian meals for the term – black bean enchilada’s. This was well received by the students – thank you Ross.
Achievements
Congratulations to Georgia Chamber who competed in the NZ Junior Free ride tour coming 1st equal in the U14 girls section.
Her results were as Follows
Stop 1: The Remarkables: 4th
Stop 2: Mount Olympus: 1st
Stop 3: Turoa: 2nd
Overall 1st = in U14 girls
Cross Country results
Short Course (Y9-13)
1st
Lulu Grimmond
2nd
Libby Challis
3rd
Christy Foster
Year 7 / 8
1st
Charlie Byers
12:13:00
2nd
Katie Moore
12:34:00
3rd
Cassie Horo
12:54:00
Year 9
1st
Zara Geddes
20:10:00
2nd
Anna Caswell
20:47:00
3rd
Billie Crowe
21:47:00
Year 10
1st
Bronte Crowe
22:26:00
2nd
Olivia Hall
23:29:00
3rd
Lucy Anderson
24:52:00
Year 11
1st
Megan Foster
20:07:50
2nd
Anabel Bilkey
22:13:28
3rd
Brooke Mcalwee
22:16:13
Year 12
1st
Penny Keeling
25:14:00
2nd
Anna Clarke
25:27:32
3rd
Sarah Langsbury
25:37:00
Year 13
1st
Megan Meltzer
25:00:00
2nd =
Sophie Dempster
25:50:00
2nd =
Maxie Dippie
25:50:00
3rd
Millie Scully
Many of our SHCS girls received awards for their representative netball at the Dunedin Netball Centre annual prizegiving.
Our Junior 9A team received the Best Secondary Junior team Ella Southby – Best Team Contribution for U14A Meg Pope – Best Team Contribution for U14B Grace Southby -MVP U15A Gemma Rowcroft – Best Team Contribution U15A Jaymee Meffan – BTC – U15B Annie Timu – MVP U17A Molly Marsh – MVP 17B Abbey Cochrane – MVP 19B Ella Southby was also awarded The Wilma Hendry trophy for best Junior Umpire.
SBS Bank Otago Sparks Head Coach Nathan King has named a talented squad including Molly Loe, Emma Black, Eden Carson and Olivia Gain to prepare for what promises to be an exciting 2019/20 women’s domestic cricket season.
The season begins for the Sparks with two 50 over games against Central Districts on the 15/16th of November.
Has your child had their dental check-up this year? Treatment is free up until your child’s 18thbirthday.
From year 9 they will need to be seen by a dentist or dental therapist.
Call your local dentist to book an appointment.
A list of the dental providers that offer the FREE dental treatment can be found athttps://bit.ly/2mx4YJo
It has been another busy week with benchmark exams continuing. No doubt, the girls are all ready for the holiday break.
We are looking forward to the official opening of our new arts building next week. We hope you have received your email invitation to the opening which is taking place at 2.00 pm on 27th September and we thank those of you who have already RSVP’d.
If you have not yet RSVP’d but would like to join us, we would be grateful if you could RSVP to principal@shcs.school.nz by Monday 23rd September.
We have a number of girls away in Queenstown this weekend taking part in the 2019 NZCAF National Schools Aerobics & Hip Hop Championships. We wish them the best of luck.
A Blue at St Hilda’s Collegiate School is awarded in recognition of students who have shown excellence and/or outstanding achievement in the cultural, sporting, academic or service arena’s at St Hilda’s Collegiate School.
The Blues evening will be held on Friday 18 October 2019. Awards presentation commences at 7:00pm.
Thank you to those who have applied. Successful applicants will receive notification at the end of September.
Junior Academic Programme
The Junior Academic Programme for 2020 has been released online. Links to view this are on both the Parent Portal and the Student Homepage. This site provides an overview of the subjects studied from Year 7 through to Year 10.
Reminder – The two option choices for Year 10 in 2020 are now due for current Year 9 students. Parents of students who are yet to enter their daughter’s choices are encouraged to complete this process over the weekend. Your daughter’s choices can be entered through the link in the online Junior Academic Programme or the Kamar Parents Portal
Junior Learning Conversations will be held in Week 10. We are aware that it is not always possible for parents to attend these due to travelling distance and the timing of Learning Conversations so we are investigating the possible use of technology to assist with this.
Learning Conversations for Year 9 and 10 will take place on Tuesday 24 September from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm and Thursday 26 September from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm. Booking details have been emailed out
Learning Conversations for Year 7 and 8 will take place on Wednesday 25 September. Mrs Carla Joint (dean of Year 7 and 8) has provided detail around the format of these.
Durban Girls’ College Exchange
In 2017 we started our exchange programme with Durban Girls’ College in South Africa. We are now beginning the process for 2020.
This exchange is open to girls who will be in Year 11 in 2020 (presently in Year 10)
The exchange student(s) from Durban will come to St Hilda’s for 6 weeks in March /April 2020. She will be in Year 11 and she will be timetabled into our school programme in the same way the Perth Exchange student is. The St Hilda’s student(s) would travel in exchange for 6 weeks in July/August to Durban Girls’ College. Further information and application forms for this exchange are available here.
Applications close 25 October 2019.
The following link will give you more information on Durban Girls’ College:
Return of all 2018 Sporting and Prize Giving Cups and Trophies
In preparation for the 2019 Awards and Prize Giving evenings, we urgently require the return of all cups and trophies presented in 2018 before the end of Term 3.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this. These may be left at the school’s main reception area.
Chapel Matters
September marks the 150th anniversary of the Anglican Church in Dunedin. Last weekend there was a celebration service at the Cathedral where everyone was encouraged to dress up in historical clothes, so Lily Chamberlain (one of my sacristans) and I went along in old St Hilda’s school uniforms which was lots of fun! Lily was involved in distributing communion and was also invited to cut the sesquicentennial cake!
The St Hilda’s choir sang with the Cathedral choir during the service and also performed the anthem, “neither the Moon by Night,” by Thomas La Voy.
Two members of the choir were also involved in the releasing of doves on the front steps of the Cathedral. You can see a photo of this on the front page of the ODT for Monday September 16th.
Having the girls around the hostel during the day for benchmark exams study is a nice way to spend time with the seniors and encourage them to self manage their study schedules. Our hostel routines returned to normal on Thursday.
Most of our year 10’s and a few year 9’s enjoyed a social at Otago Boys hostel on Tuesday night, the theme was neon and the entry was $5 which was a fundraiser for mental health awareness.
We held night prayers on Wednesday night and most of our girls have managed to attend 3-night prayers, which is our minimum for the year. It is always a chance to reflect on the special character of St Hilda’s with Dr Townsley facilitating the session.
Activities this week
Year 12 Digital Technologies Trip The Year 12 Digital Technologies class visited Soul Machines™ in Auckland this week to learn more about Artificial Intelligence, which is the computer science topic for their external examination. “Soul Machines™ is a deep science and technology company fusing AI, computational brain models and experiential learning to usher in a new era of Human Experience across all digital platforms and interfaces”. (https://www.soulmachines.com/about/)
The students learned about vast possibilities and social impacts of AI, as well as having presentations from the various teams working on the development of their “digital humans”. It was fascinating both to see the advances in AI technology and also the variety of knowledge and skillsets that go into developing such a complex outcome.
They also were able to see the range of exciting possibilities that exist in the future workplace. Thank you to Professor Alistair Knott for organising the day, it was very inspirational and we all came away with new knowledge about our technological future.
Achievements
MANA POUNAMU YOUNG ACHIEVERS’ AWARDS 2019 He tāoka, he koha, he kura pounamu
Background The Mana Pounamu Young Achievers’ Awards was brought about through the vision of the late Tāua, Alva Kapa, a local Kāi Tahu educator. It was named as such because it was first held in the Year of Mana Pounamu (2001) and is a Kāi Tahu initiative supported by Kā Papatipu Rūnaka ki Arai-Te-Uru.
The awards ceremony is an opportunity to celebrate the achievement of rakatahi Māori in secondary schools across Otago.
St Hilda’s is pleased to announce the recipients of this award are Summer Cooper and Sarah Langsbury.
These are the citations from the school:- Summer is an outstanding young woman. She has a strong sense of self and is very keen to continue her journey of discovering who she is; exploring her whakapapa, and her place in the world.
Throughout her time at St Hilda’s, Summer has devoted a lot of her time to school teams and the school community. Since she joined St Hilda’s, she has been on the Chapel Committee demonstrating her leadership in the special character of the school. She has enjoyed her sports, being part of many teams such as football and futsal.
Summer is a member of the school’s Kapa Haka group, Ngā Manu o Hira Tapu and is a founding member of the combined group, He Iti he Pounamu. She is now taking on leadership roles in these.
Alongside these achievements, she has a successful academic record in all her subjects.
It is her commitment to her Local Church, Dunedin City Baptist that is impressive. She commits a lot of her own time to serving others in the church and the community. She leads worship sessions with young people and serves as a greeter at the start of services. Alongside this, she also raises money for charitable enterprises involving the enrichments of other’s lives. Summer has enormous aroha for others.
As a young Maori, Summer is a role model for community, cultural, academic and service endeavours. We are very proud to have her as a St Hilda’s student.
Summer Cooper
Sarah is a determined and focused young woman. She blends a strong sense of self with a competitive spirit into being the best she possibly can be.
Athletics is a demanding discipline. Throughout her time at St Hilda’s, Sarah has pushed herself to gain better times and acquire more skills. This has culminated in her competing in the 100m hurdles against competitors years older than herself at the 2019 Pan Pacific Competition. Not only is this a truly impressive achievement for a 16-year-old, but takes personal resolve and resilience and a maturity beyond her years This is the start of Sarah entering into international competition and furthering her desire to represent New Zealand at the highest level.
Coupled with this competitiveness is a strong sense of self. Sarah is proudly Ngā Tahu/Kāi Tahu. Throughout her time at St Hilda’s she has been a proud Maori advocate. She has always been a member of St. Hilda’s Kapa Haka, Ngā Manu o Hira Tapu. She takes a leading role as Kaea in many performances. She is also a founding member of the newly established joint Kapa Haka group, He Iti He Pounamu. She is a proud and eloquent performer.
Sarah combines all of these with an excellent academic record. In 2018, she received an Academic Blues for Attaining NCEA Level 1 with Excellence and is likely to attain similar success at Level 2.
Sarah epitomises all the values we hold dear a St Hilda’s – Ka Taea e au, Tū motuake, Toa takitini and Ara whakapono. She is a resolute young woman and we are proud to have her as a St Hilda’s student.
Sarah Langsbury
Secondary School Pacific Island Students – Recognition Awards 2019 St Hilda’s is proud to announce that Eva Meeuws is our 2019 recipient of this award.
Eva is our Maori and Pasifika prefect. She recently organised our Te wiki o te reo Māori. She has been a long term member of our Kapa Hake group Ngā manu o Hira Tapu and of Sings Hilda. She is an outstanding athlete, excelling in many fields both in school and at a regional level. Academically, she has attained both Level 1 and 2 endorsed with Merit.
She is an excellent role model and a worthy recipient of this award.
Eva Meeuws
Play it Strange Who Loves Who Competition
Year 13 St Hilda’s Music student Nicole Horrell alongside Samuel Leaper from John McGlashan have made the national top 20 in the Play it Strange Who Loves Who Competition with their interpretation of an iconic Dunedin song, The Clean’s ‘Tally Ho’. The Who Loves Who Competition is a chance for year 9 to 13 students to celebrate New Zealand music by recording their own unique and evocative interpretation of a New Zealand song.
All finalists get their tracks mastered by Chris Chetland at Kog Studio, which will be released on a Who Loves Who Competition album later in the year. Congratulations to both Nicole and Samuel for this great achievement.
Analee Toro was at a collegiate shoot on Sunday (15 Sep 2019) at the Waimate-Oamaru Clay Target Club. She shot brilliantly and won the girls High Gun trophy, which means she scored the highest, combined score for the three DTL (Down The Line) events (Single Rise, Points Score and Single Barrel). Well done Analee!
Year 7 student Lucy Burke came third in the Town Belt Kaitiaki Photography competition (age 9-13 years category) prizegiving held at Otago Museum yesterday. Well done Lucy!
NZ Secondary School Swimming Champs
Congratulations to Natalie Hutchens, Andie McGrouther, Meg McLaughlan and Molly Whittaker who qualified for and competed in the NZSS Swimming Champs last week. With over 780 swimmers, competition was stiff and the girls all achieved some great results and some pbs.
Special mention goes to the following girls who achieved top 10 placings:
Andie: 9th in 50m Breaststroke & 100m Breaststroke
Meg: 4th in 200m Breaststroke and 10th in 100m Breaststroke
Natalie: 4th in 50m Free, 5th in 100m Free (missing a Bronze by 3/10 of a second), 8th in 100m Back, 9th in 50m Fly, 9th in 200m Back.
Our senior benchmark examinations have begun and will continue into next week. It is a great opportunity for the girls to test their understanding and show the learning they have been doing this year.
Arts Building Opening
We hope you have received your email invitation to the opening of our new Arts building at 2.00pm on 27th September and we thank those of you who have already RSVP’d.
We would be grateful if you could RSVP to principal@shcs.school.nz by Monday 23rd September.
St Hilda’s Blues
A Blue at St Hilda’s Collegiate School is awarded in recognition of students who have shown excellence and/or outstanding achievement in the cultural, sporting, academic or service arena’s at St Hilda’s Collegiate School.
The Blues evening will be held on Friday 18 October 2019. Awards presentation commences at 7:00pm.
Thank you to those who have applied. Successful applicants will receive notification at the end of September.
Junior Academic Programme
The Junior Academic Programme for 2020 has been released online. Links to view this are on both the Parent Portal and the Student Homepage. This site provides an overview of the subjects studied from Year 7 through to Year 10. At Year 10, students undertake two optional subjects of their choice alongside their compulsory subjects.
We have adjusted the reporting timeline to accommodate the changes made to the junior reports at the end of Term 2. Year 7 – 10 students will receive an interim report in Week 8 and this will be followed by Junior Learning Conversations which will be held in Week 10. We are aware that it is not always possible for parents to attend these due to travelling distance and the timing of Learning Conversations so we are investigating the possible use of technology to assist with this.
Learning Conversations for Year 9 and 10 will take place on Tuesday 24 September from 6:00pm – 9:00pm and Thursday 26 September from 6:00pm – 9:00pm. Booking details will be sent out next Tuesday by email.
Learning Conversations for Year 7 and 8 will take place on Wednesday 25 September. Mrs Carla Joint (dean of Year 7 and 8) will provide details around these next week.
Durban Girls’ College Exchange
In 2017 we started our exchange programme with Durban Girls’ College in South Africa. We are now beginning the process for the 2020.
This exchange is open to girls who will be in Year 11 in 2020 (presently in Year 10)
The exchange student(s) from Durban will come to St Hilda’s for 6 weeks in March /April 2020. She will be in Year 11 and she will be timetabled into our school programme in the same way the Perth Exchange student is. The St Hilda’s student(s) would travel in exchange for 6 weeks in July/August to Durban Girls’ College. Further information and application forms for this exchange will be available early next week.
The following link will give you more information on Durban Girls’ College:
Return of all 2018 Sporting and Prize Giving Cups and Trophies
In preparation for the 2019 Awards and Prize Giving evenings, we urgently require the return of all cups and trophies presented in 2018 before the end of Term 3.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this. These may be left at the school’s main reception area.
Measles update from Public Health
Frequently asked questions for parents and schools
Do I need to be worried about catching measles?
Measles is highly contagious and easily spread.
Most people in the community are protected from measles because they are fully vaccinated or have already had measles.
What does fully vaccinated mean?
Fully vaccinated means having had the right number of vaccines for your age. For anyone 15 months – 4 years old, this means one MMR vaccine. For anyone older than 4 years old this means two MMR vaccines.
Why isn’t everyone fully vaccinated?
Some people in the community can’t be vaccinated because of allergy or immune conditions. Medical treatments such as chemotherapy can alter someone’s immunity and make them vulnerable to getting measles even if they are fully vaccinated. Babies younger than 1 year old are too young.
Another group of people born between 1970 and 1990 might not realise they are not fully vaccinated. They might have only received one measles vaccine (such as MMR) as a child or might not have access to their immunisation records.
Others choose not to vaccinate.
What if I don’t know my immunisation history?
If you are unsure of your vaccination status you should consider yourself unvaccinated. You should talk to your GP about getting your shots, there is no harm in having extra MMRs.
What should I do if I (or my child) have had contact with a measles case?
If you are fully vaccinated then you are protected and can’t pass measles on to others.
What does isolation involve?
Measles has a long incubation period. If you have been exposed to measles or are showing symptoms and you are not vaccinated, you need to be isolated for 14 days. That means you need to stay home and avoid being in any public places.
Should I vaccinate my child early?
The MMR vaccination schedule for children outside of Auckland is unchanged. Children who have had the right number of vaccines for their age are considered to be fully vaccinated:
Were the current measles cases already vaccinated?
All current Queenstown measles cases (15) are either unvaccinated or uncertain of their vaccination status. Some of those cases are not able to be vaccinated due to allergy or health conditions.
When is someone with measles contagious?
A person with measles is infectious from 5 days before and until 5 days after the rash appears (about 10 days in total). During this time the infected person needs to stay away from other people; children need to be kept home from school and adults from work, do not invite other children or visitors to your house.
I’m pregnant or have a weak immune system – am I at risk?
Pregnant women who haven’t been vaccinated, and anyone with a weakened immune system, are at greater risk of measles complications. They or their caregiver should ask their doctor or lead maternity carer for advice.
What do I if I think I might have measles?
If you suspect you have measles, phone your GP or Healthline free on 0800 611 116 for advice. Because measles is so infectious (easily passed on to other people), ring first rather than just turning up at your doctor’s clinic.
Where can I find the best advice about measles vaccination?
The Immunisation Advisory Centre’s latest advice on MMR vaccination during the 2019 measles outbreak:
Girlguiding UK’s Girls’ Attitudes Survey 2019 has highlighted the issue of exam stress in girls. Please read the attached article to explore their findings further.
Kia Ora! We are just coming to the end of te wiki o te reo Maori – Maori language week. While the Seniors have been doing exams, the juniors had a chapel on this topic. Mr Ellwood took us through te karakia o te Atua – the Lord’s Prayer – and taught us about the meaning of some of the key words. We then practised saying the prayer together. The theme for this week is “kia kaha te reo Maori” which means “strengthen” Maori Language, or “Let’s make the Maori Language strong.” One of my goals with regard to strengthening my use of te reo Maori is to learn this karakia off-by-heart since it is often said in Anglican church services or at special events. You might also like to strengthen your use of te reo Maori by having a look at the prayer, perhaps for the first time, or refreshing your understanding of the key words, or by practising saying it aloud, or by learning it off-by-heart too! Here is a useful website for doing that: Lord’s Prayer in Te Reo
Tolcarne News
Last Friday, Josie and Nicki took the junior girls to the Dunedin ice stadium for Friday Disco Night. Under colourful lights and popular music, the girls slipped into the new ice skates and stepped out onto the ice. Not a common activity in New Zealand, many found it a challenge to navigate the ice. We had some sore ankles, feet and a few topples to wet the knees and backsides, but all in all, the activity was a fun Friday night out!
On Monday night our Tribes played to ‘ice breaker games’ – pass the orange under the chin and blow the pingpong ball down the table with disposable straws. Lots of laughter and double chins as the orange was passed down the line and the pingpong ball was blown off the tables. Falkland won to orange passing competition and Highgate won the ping pong travel game and Falkland came in again wining the pingpong round robin game.
This week the juniors have been starting dinner with grace in Te Reo as part of Maori Language week. Our senior girls have begun studying and are sitting their benchmark exams, this continues over the weekend and early into next week.
Health Consultation 2019
Thank you to those who completed the 2019 health consultation survey, we greatly appreciate your feedback.
All parents and caregivers are now invited to attend an open discussion on the evening of Monday 16th September, 6.30 pm – 7.30pm where we will have the opportunity to further discuss the makeup of our health programme.
If you would like to attend, please RSVP to admin@shcs.school.nz by Wednesday 11 September.
Hannah Coutts
Teacher of Physical Education and Health
Activities this week
Well done to Ngā Manu ō Hira Tapu who performed at Polyfest on Wednesday night.
Royal New zealand Ballet Workshop
Chloe, the educator from the Royal NZ Ballet take a few Dance workshops on Monday. Years 7-11 took a workshop on Monday lunchtime & Years 12-13 were tutored within their P4 class.
The Contemporary dance they learnt was based on Women’s Suffrage.
15 students were then treated to the actual RNZB performance on Wednesday night – “Bold Moves” where definitive dances from three different decades were shown.
Physical Education Class – Gymnastics
The Year 7 Science class has recently been studying ROCKS; their formation and composition among other things, so we were delighted that Liana Sui-Wood’s grandfather allowed Liana to bring some of his precious collection into class. These made for fascinating observations and we even looked at the amazing crystal compositions under the microscope. Thanks so much Ted for your kindness and I sense we have some budding young geologists emerging from this group if Bella and Alex’s enthusiasm is anything to go by.
Year 10 students participating in the Get to Go Challenge
Achievements
Our hockey girls had a great week in Timaru competing in the Audrey Timlin Tournament. They played so well as a team resulting in them being 3rd overall at tournament.
We were unlucky to not make the final after losing to Craighead in the semi’s by one goal but the girls showed thier sportsmanship and determination beating James Hargest to be 3rd overall
Rugby – our year 9 and 10’s competed in the Highlanders Region Tournament on Friday in Mosgiel, In real wintery conditions. Playing four games and winning them all to make the semi finals where they bet Otago Girls’ high School 30 – 5 to then play Central Otago in the final.
In the final the girls played so well in the muddy wet conditions with some fantastic tries winning this 17 – 0
Hockey 1st XI
Careers
Transition Expo Day Event – Discover opportunities for life after school. Click here for further details.
Transition Expo Evening Forum – Click here for further details
Parents and senior students over 16 years of age.
The PFA has been given an opportunity to fundraise at this year’s Fleetwood Mac concert on September 21 at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
This involves working in one of the hospitality areas for approximately 8 hours and attending a 90min induction meeting in the week prior to the concert,
The PFA raises funds for the school community for the benefit of all students.
It’s actually a lot of fun and if you are interested in receiving more information please contact Ali Copeman on pfa@shcs.school.nz
Winter tournament week has been busy for a number of our sporting codes and we have had some great performances. The latest results we have can be found under Achievements.
Benchmark Examinations begin next week – 12th September – 18th 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 provide an indicator of your daughter’s progress. They may also have to be used to gain information for derived grades should your daughter not be able to sit an examination(s) in November. For this reason, they will be held under NZQA conditions. Further details about these have been emailed home.
Return of all 2018 Sporting and Prize Giving Cups and Trophies
In preparation for the 2019 Awards and Prize Giving evenings, we urgently require the return of all cups and trophies presented in 2018 before the end of Term 3.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this. These may be left at the school’s main reception area.
Arts Building Opening
We hope you have received your email invitation to the opening of our new Arts building at 2.00pm on 27th September and we thank those of you who have already RSVP’d.
We would be grateful if you could RSVP to principal@shcs.school.nz by Monday 23rd September.
St Hilda’s Blues
A Blue at St Hilda’s Collegiate School is awarded in recognition of students who have shown excellence and/or outstanding achievement in the cultural, sporting, academic or service arena’s at St Hilda’s Collegiate School.
The Blues evening will be held on Friday 18 October 2019. Awards presentation commences at 7:00pm.
The application forms for students to apply for Cultural, Service, Academic and Sport Blues are now available. Forms can be accessed via the student homepage: Blues Application Forms or via the Parent Portal : Blues Application Forms and Criteria. Applications must be made by the student using their St Hilda’s email.
Applications close at 5.00pm on Friday 13 September. Some dance genres have competitions and examinations later so we ask that students put in an initial application before the deadline, noting that results are pending. The site will reopen on 20 September until 23 September for updates to these applications.
Successful applicants will receive notification at the end of September.
Junior Academic Programme
The Junior Academic Programme for 2020 has been released online this week. Links to view this are on both the Parent Portal and the Student Homepage. This site provides an overview of the subjects studied from Year 7 through to Year 10. At Year 10, students undertake two optional subjects of their choice alongside their compulsory subjects.
St Hilda’s has been advised that since22nd August, five people have been confirmed with measles in the Southern region and the disease is now likely to be spreading in the wider community.
The number of cases may seem relatively small in comparison with the population, but one person with measles can infect many others.
PHS advises that immunisation is the best protection against measles.
Immunisation is safe, effective and free.
Measles is serious and highly infectious viral disease that causes fever, cough, sore red eyes and a rash. It can make people very sick. People with measles can be infectious even before they start feeling unwell. While almost all people will make a complete recovery, it can lead to hospitalisation and in rare cases, death.
Parents/guardians need to find out whether their children are protected against measles.
Regarding your child’s immunisation status:
If your child has not received their measles immunisation (MMR vaccine) as per the Immunisation Schedule (1st MMR at 15 months and 2nd MMR at four years), call your GP as soon as possible. Arrange a time to immunise your child as it is never too late.
Infants and children who are not travelling to Auckland or overseas to a country with a measles outbreak are recommended to get their MMR vaccinations as per the Immunisation Schedule at 15 months and 4 years.
Infants aged 6 to 11 months who are travelling to Auckland or overseas to a country with a measles outbreak, can have their first MMR vaccination (MMR0) after consulting with their GP, however they will still need to have the MMR vaccinations at 15 months and four years as per the Immunisation Schedule.
Infants aged 12 to 14 months who are travelling to Auckland or overseas to a country with a measles outbreak, should receive all four 15 month vaccinations (MMR, varicella, Hib and PCV10) at least two weeks before travelling to allow immunity against measles to develop.
If your child has received only one measles immunisation (i.e. one MMR vaccination), call your GP as soon as possible to see if you need to arrange a time to immunise your child with their second MMR. Two measles immunisations provide better protection than one.
If your child has received two measles immunisations, or they have definitely had doctor-diagnosed measles infection in the past, they are considered protected. Over 99% of people who are fully immunised are protected from measles.
If you are not sure of your child’s immunisation records, look in your child’s plunket book or check with your GP.
If your child is not immune or you choose not to immunise your child, they arenot protectedfrommeasles. If they come into contact with someone with measles, they will likely have to be excluded from school or ECEC for up to 14 days.
Signs of measles
It usually takes 10 to 14 days for someone who has caught measles to start showing symptoms.
If your child develops a high fever, runny nose, cough, sore red eyes, or a rash see a doctor (call ahead to alert your doctor about the possibility of measles before visiting and take this letter along).
If your child has a weakened immune system (e.g. if they have an inherited immune problem or are receiving chemotherapy for cancer), please contact your doctor to discuss further.
If this occurs: Call your GP or Healthline (0800 611 116) as soon as possible for advice. Your GP will advise the safest time for your child to return to school. If your GP suspects measles, they will arrange for testing and Public Health South will be in contact to offer support and any follow up regarding contact tracing.
What are the symptoms? The signs of measles are a cough, high fever, runny nose and sore red eyes. A few days later, a rash begins on the head and spreads across the body.
How do I know if I’m immune to measles? To know that you are 99% immune to measles one or more of the following should apply to you:
You have had two measles vaccines (MMR). You need to check your vaccination records in your Well Child (Plunket book) or your family doctor may have records. Please show your principal your vaccination record.
OR you have been diagnosed with measles in the past, or have a blood test proving measles immunity
OR you were born before 1969 as you are likely to have had measles as a child.
You are almost certainly protected from measles if one of the above applies and will not need to be isolated if you come into contact with someone with measles.
I’ve only had one MMR – do I have to get another vaccination? To ensure you are 99% protected against measles, it is important to have a second MMR as this vaccine also protects against mumps and rubella. Whilst one MMR does offer 95% of people immunity, it still provides gaps in our community coverage against measles, which puts vulnerable people like new born babies and people with compromised immune systems (e.g. having cancer treatment) at high risk.
Why do I (or my child) have to stay at home in isolation? If you are developing measles, staying home stops it spreading to others and making them unwell.
What does isolation mean? It means staying home away from others. Do not go to work, school, group or social activities, sports, or public places like movie theatres, shopping malls, supermarkets and other food markets. Do not use public transport or visit friends or family. Avoid being in the same room as people who are not immune to measles.
What if I or my child feel worse or have symptoms, and need to go to a doctor again? If you need to see a doctor, phone the medical centre or after-hours clinic before going there and tell them you (or your child) may have measles. When you arrive, you must be isolated and not sit in the waiting room.
My child hasn’t been in the same classroom as a measles case. Are they still at risk? If your child has been in the same class, room or space as the person with measles while they were infectious, then your child will have been exposed. If your child is not in the same class, even though they may have been in the same classroom afterwards or in the same hall or playground, the risk is much lower. The school is not asking you to keep your child at home, but do watch for symptoms, particularly if they are not vaccinated. We also ask you to check that they are vaccinated.
I don’t have any proof that I have been vaccinated– what do I do? If you have been exposed to measles but are younger than 50 years, and if your doctor cannot confirm you have been vaccinated or had measles, you will need to stay home for the isolation period. Please get vaccinated when you are out of isolation.
If my child has been exposed to measles, do I have to tell others? You do not need to tell anyone else that your child may be developing measles and is in isolation, unless your child is confirmed as having the virus. Only then will you need to inform the school, and then any family and social contacts.
I’m pregnant or have a weak immune system – am I at risk? Pregnant women who haven’t been vaccinated, and anyone with a weakened immune system, are at greater risk of measles complications. They or their caregiver should ask their doctor or lead maternity carer for advice.
Chapel Matters
We were set a challenge last term by Anglican Family Care to raise funds to purchase a Reborn Baby Doll for their Play Therapy Service – in the end, we raised $550.00! They are very grateful for the support of everyone at St Hilda’s for making this dream come true! Kirsten and others from AFC brought the doll into chapel recently and we were able to hold it and see first-hand just how “real” it actually is! AFC have also invited us to name the Reborn Doll to formalise our gift and students have already suggested a lot of names! It will be interesting to see what one is chosen!
This is what AFC say about play therapy and the need for this doll:
“Play Therapy is a therapeutic approach where the child, through the therapeutic relationship and within the context of play can safely begin to explore complex issues within their lives, such as trauma, grief, separation and emotional regulation. Anglican Family Care have been offering this service for over four years and over this time Play Therapist Kirsten, has been carefully collecting pre-loved toys and props, many have been donated and some purchased from second-hand shops. There was one key resource missing from the playroom a Reborn Baby Doll. As opposed to an ordinary doll, a Reborn Doll has characteristics that resemble a real baby, they’re weighted like a baby and assist both the child and adult to work through any attachment, relationship and trauma.”
Donna and Kirsten from AFC, Dr Townsley then: Kristin Schipper, Amelia Newlands, Lucia Grimmond, Anika Smith, Rosie Dykes, Amelia Leaper, Bridget Malcolm, Lucie Holtz
Recently we were asked the question about where to find good quality information to begin the discussion between you as parents and your daughters about pornography.
The Light Project is an excellent New Zealand website which tackles this issue. In the words of the Light Project experts, “The last 5 years has seen the growth of a whole new porn landscape for young people. New in terms of how much porn is out there, how easy it is to access, how frequently young people watch it and the type of porn that has become ‘normal’. Porn has now become a primary sex educator for young people, influencing youth sexual culture in new and unprecedented ways – however, many whānau, teachers and health professionals working with youth don’t feel equipped to respond. So, we decided to connect with our communities and start the porn conversation here in New Zealand. We’re still researching and learning, so this website is a work-in-progress – but we thought it was time to start talking.” Click here to explore the Light Project resources.
Updated Reporting Timeline
We have adjusted the reporting timeline to accommodate the changes made to the junior reports at the end of Term 2. Year 7 – 10 students will receive an interim report in Week 8 and this will be followed by Junior Learning Conversations which will be held in Week 10. We are aware that it is not always possible for parents to attend these due to travelling distance and the timing of Learning Conversations so we are investigating the possible use of technology to assist with this.
Assessment Guidelines
With a number of classes completing assignments students sometimes find it hard to know the guidelines for the authenticity of their work and I thought it would be good to share with parents the general rules around plagiarism that we follow.
Plagiarism is the act of representing the work — words, thoughts, ideas, research, art — of other people as your own. ANY time you incorporate information into your project, assessment or research report that is NOT your own idea, thoughts, or research, you need to indicate, with in-text citations and a formal bibliography, where you found that information.
There are only a few instances in which you probably do not need to cite your sources. You do not need to cite your sources if you are writing your own words, ideas, or original research. You also do not need to cite information that is considered common knowledge, such as:
· facts that are found in many sources (example: Marie Antoinette was guillotined in 1793.) · things that are easily observed (example: Many people talk on cell phones while driving.) · common sayings (example: Every man has his price.)
If you ever have ANY questions, be on the safe side and ask your teacher.
Health Consultation 2019
Thank you to those who completed the 2019 health consultation survey, we greatly appreciate your feedback.
All parents and caregivers are now invited to attend an open discussion on the evening of Monday 16th September, 6.30 pm – 7.30pm where we will have the opportunity to further discuss the makeup of our health programme.
If you would like to attend, please RSVP to admin@shcs.school.nz by Wednesday 11 September.
Hannah Coutts
Teacher of Physical Education and Health
Activities this week
Planting for the future
Our Enviro group took the opportunity to contribute to the future of both the school and environment by planting around the new Performing and Visual Arts building today. Phase Two of planting will follow in the near future as we prepare for the opening of our new facilities later this term.
Achievements
Otago Daily Times Class Act
Tamara Mason and Olivia Hall are our Class Act recipients for 2019. On Thursday 5th September the recipients, parents and school principals attended the ceremony where the Prime Minister presented the awards
Tournament of Minds Last Saturday the St Hilda’s Tournament of Minds team competed against a number of Dunedin and Christchurch teams in the Tournament of Minds competition. St Hilda’s competed strongly and came away with a win in the secondary section.
The team of 7 was made up of Ameliè Warlow, Sophia Le, Eliabel Legrand, Imogen Irvine, Anna Fulton, Charlotte Cardno and Holly Hessen.
The team had to compete in two sections. The first section was the Long Term Challenge and the second section was the Spontaneous Challenge. The Long Term Challenge is where the team has six weeks to solve an open-ended and demanding challenge. They have to be creative and take risks and experiment with different ideas and solutions. They also have to demonstrate strong teamwork skills to work together to solve the Challenge. This solution is then performed on competition day.
The team has to also compete a Spontaneous Challenge. This involves being given a situation and having six minutes to work together to come up with creative responses. The judges look for how well the teamwork together as a team, the thinking skills and processes used, and the creativity of ideas.
For the Long Term Challenge, the team had to rewrite the Wizard of Oz as if it was set in the South Island. They had to consider things such as where the Yellow Brick Road would start and end and who their characters would be. They had to choose hurdles for their characters and how they would overcome them. They also had to choose an overarching concept such as resilience and determination. As well as writing their own script the team had to include at least two creative backdrops showing the story, design and make detailed costumes and props and compose at least two original songs that were relevant to the story.
A massive undertaking and a well-deserved result for this team of students.
Winners for the Arts division of T.O.M 2019 – From the back left, Amélie Warlow (Y9), Imogen Irvine (Y9), Charlotte Cardno (Y7) Sophia Le (Y9), Eliabel Legrand (Y9), Anna Fulton (Y8) & Holly Hesson (Y8)
Winter Tournament
Our rugby girls had three wins today. Great attitude by the girls in cold and wet conditions
Our Senior A netball team played Christchurch Girls in the final. A close game that saw Chch take the win 29-27! A fantastic result for the girls and will now head back to Nelson in a month for Nationals
Our Hockey girls are playing today for 3rd place.
Rugby
The following girls have been named in the Otago U18 Rugby team, Ella Fry, Georgie Jessop, Anna Harcus, Grace Beattie, Libby Drummond, Danielle Ferguson, Zoe Whyte.
Mia Urquhart has also been named in the South Island Maori U17 team.
Analee Toro has had more great results placing 3rd Points Score at Wanaka Gun Club Collegiate Shoot and 1st Single Rise at Alexandra Clay Target Club Collegiate Shoot.
Congratulations Analee.
Tolcarne News
The hostel students and staff have enjoyed a long weekend at home thanks to the teacher only day on Monday. These mid term breaks are a time for everyone to catch up on sleep, enjoy some slow time and re-energise for the remainder of Term 3 which is always busy, especially for our seniors who embark on Benchmark exams next week.
We have had a quieter week in the hostel this week with many girls away at tournament week and it is pleasing to see how well they are going.
This week our second round of Flexi Prep begins on Thursday night with the girls learning new skills – cooking, hat knitting, bees wax wrap making, Digi Imovie, Acroyoga and music jamming.
CAREERS
Transition Expo Day Event – Discover opportunities for life after school. Click here for further details.
Transition Expo Evening Forum – Click here for further details
Parents and senior students over 16 years of age.
The PFA has been given an opportunity to fundraise at this year’s Fleetwood Mac concert on September 21 at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
This involves working in one of the hospitality areas for approximately 8 hours and attending a 90min induction meeting in the week prior to the concert,
The PFA raises funds for the school community for the benefit of all students.
It’s actually a lot of fun and if you are interested in receiving more information please contact Ali Copeman on pfa@shcs.school.nz
What a night! Huge thanks to all who came and supported this event. The Chapel was transformed and 170 guests enjoyed a lovely evening.
There are a lot of people to thank with an event of this nature – thank you to our Premier Sponsors, Fresh Choice Roslyn, for providing the beverages for this event – your generosity means that we raise more funds for St Hilda’s, which is a great result for our school. A big thank-you to Old Girls Lara Liew, our inspiring and entertaining guest speaker, and Sophie Morris, our top-class performer, for travelling to be part of this night – great to have you both back at St Hilda’s for this event celebrating the arts.
A huge thanks to Ali Copeman and the PFA for their assistance with running the show (they never stopped all night), and to ‘young’ Old Girls Paris Sinclair, Anna Dixon and Katie Jones for all their help (washing all the dishes, cutlery and glasses for 170 guests in one tiny canteen sink is no mean feat)!
Our fabulous auctioneers, Noel Jenkins and Mark Miller, from Edinburgh Realty, deserve a huge thank-you for running the art auction so smoothly – with 24 artworks up for auction this was no easy task, but we sold almost all of the works which is a fantastic result. Thanks to Michelle Chalklin-Sinclair from The Artist’s Room and Richelle Byers from Gallery De Novo for assisting with the artists and displays, and James Sutherland, our HOD Art, for hanging the works so beautifully.
To our sponsors: Mitchell Daysh, Gallaway Cook Allan, Race Douglas Burke, Mosgiel New World, Marsh’s Honey, Dwelling Architectural Design, Otago Painting Solutions, Nanking Palace Restaurant, Mercy Healthcare and Anderson Lloyd – we thank you for your generosity and support.
Thanks to all of our silent auction donors too – your wonderful prizes were hotly contested!
Overall we have raised approximately $34,000 from this event – a great result.
Amanda Burke
St Hilda’s Careers Evening
It was fantastic to see so many attend the careers’ evening. The guest speaker – Annabel Blaikie – gave us an interesting overview of what employers are looking for. The panels gave a range of perspectives and insights into the different vocational areas. Many thanks to the panelists for generously giving of their time and sharing their career journeys.
Reminder – injury or illness
Just a reminder to parents to please inform the school if injury or illness prevents your daughter from taking part in her timetabled classes. We expect that any removal from class or class activities will pre-empt the removal of the student from co-curricular activities for the same reasons. It is frustrating when students prioritise co-curricular activities and commitments ahead of their academic programme and class expectations, thus signalling, possibly unintentionally, that their classwork is not of the same value. Staff put a lot of time and effort into preparing work and class programmes and have the right to expect the same commitment from their students.
Thank you for your support of your daughter’s learning.
Return of all 2018 Sporting and Prize Giving Cups and Trophies
In preparation for the 2019 Awards and Prize Giving evenings, we urgently require the return of all cups and trophies presented in 2018 before the end of Term 3.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this. These may be left at the school’s main reception area.
Year 11 – 13 Subject Selection
A reminder that subject choices for 2020 are due by 2 September 2019.
Please find below links to resources you and your daughter may find helpful in the decision making process.
St Hilda’s Collegiate 2020 Senior Academic Programme (also linked at the bottom of the student homepage)
Career Central (also linked at the bottom of the student homepage)
Good luck to our winter sports teams who are competing in finals this weekend and to our Rugby team who are facing Christchurch Girls’ High School for a chance to advance to the National top four schools’ competition.
Blazers
We are modifying the material of our blazers from the current fabric which is 90% wool 10% nylon, to a more robust, harder wearing mix of 55% wool and 45% polyester. We have taken this opportunity to also update the styling of the blazer.
We recognise that there will need to be a transition period while we phase the current blazers out and the new blazers in. If your daughter has one of our current blazers she will be able to continue wearing it until she either finishes St Hilda’s or needs it replaced due to growth or wear and tear.
H and J Smith will be supplying our new blazers and these will be in store early January 2020 ready for the new school year.
Staff Only Day – reminder
You should have received an email reminding you of our Teacher only day this Monday 2nd September. As a staff, we have been looking at how we plan our programmes to best meet the needs of all students. Departments will be focussing on specific strategies for this on Monday 2nd September.
Arts Building Opening
We hope you have received your email invitation to the opening of our new Arts building at 2.00pm on 27th September and we thank those of you who have already RSVP’d.
We would be grateful if you could RSVP to principal@shcs.school.nz by Monday 23rd September.
St Hilda’s Blues
A Blue at St Hilda’s Collegiate School is awarded in recognition of students who have shown excellence and/or outstanding achievement in the cultural, sporting, academic or service arena’s at St Hilda’s Collegiate School.
The Blues evening will be held on Friday 18 October 2019. Awards presentation commences at 7:00pm.
The application forms for students to apply for Cultural, Service, Academic and Sport Blues are now available. Forms can be accessed via the student homepage: Blues Application Forms or via the Parent Portal : Blues Application Forms and Criteria. Applications must be made by the student using their St Hilda’s email.
Applications close at 5.00pm on Friday 13 September. Some dance genres have competitions and examinations later so we ask that students put in an initial application before the deadline, noting that results are pending. The site will reopen on 20 September until 23 September for updates to these applications.
Successful applicants will receive notification at the end of September.
Junior Academic Programme
The Junior Academic Programme for 2020 has been released online this week. Links to view this are on both the Parent Portal and the Student Homepage. This site provides an overview of the subjects studied from Year 7 through to Year 10. At Year 10, students undertake two optional subjects of their choice alongside their compulsory subjects.
The lead up to examinations can see an increase in stress and anxiety for senior students. Click here for some practical ways in which parents can help their teenagers study for exams.
Updated Reporting Timeline
We have adjusted the reporting timeline to accommodate the changes made to the junior reports at the end of Term 2. Year 7 – 10 students will receive an interim report in Week 8 and this will be followed by Junior Learning Conversations which will be held in Week 10. We are aware that it is not always possible for parents to attend these due to travelling distance and the timing of Learning Conversations so we are investigating the possible use of technology to assist with this.
Benchmark Examinations
Benchmark Examinations will be held in Week 8 / 9 – 12th September – 18th September. These will be held under NZQA conditions. Further details about these have been emailed home.
Assessment Guidelines
With a number of classes completing assignments students sometimes find it hard to know the guidelines for the authenticity of their work and I thought it would be good to share with parents the general rules around plagiarism that we follow.
Plagiarism is the act of representing the work — words, thoughts, ideas, research, art — of other people as your own. ANY time you incorporate information into your project, assessment or research report that is NOT your own idea, thoughts, or research, you need to indicate, with in-text citations and a formal bibliography, where you found that information.
There are only a few instances in which you probably do not need to cite your sources. You do not need to cite your sources if you are writing your own words, ideas, or original research. You also do not need to cite information that is considered common knowledge, such as:
· facts that are found in many sources (example: Marie Antoinette was guillotined in 1793.) · things that are easily observed (example: Many people talk on cell phones while driving.) · common sayings (example: Every man has his price.)
If you ever have ANY questions, be on the safe side and ask your teacher.
Activities this week –
Last Wednesday afternoon, Sings Hilda invited choirs attending the Big Sing Finale to an afternoon tea and concert held here at St Hilda’s Chapel. Euphony from Kristin School, and Saints Alive from St Cuthbert’s College gave performances of some of their repertoire alongside a performance from Sings Hilda.
All choirs joined together for a massed item, a choral arrangement of Ka Waiata ki a Maria.
This was a wonderful chance to meet and mingle with other choirs and to support each other’s performances. Best of luck to Euphony and Saints Alive for the Big Sing Finale performances.
Achievements
Celebrate Design Awards
On Friday the 23rd of August the Otago Polytechnic Celebrate Design Awards were held.
St Hilda’s had 7 entries entered in the Textiles section.
Summer Phillips had a successful evening gaining Highly Commended Award.
Bandquest
Last Friday St Hilda’s was represented by 2 bands at the Bandquest competition held at the Taieri College Performing Arts Centre. The Bandquest competition provides a platform for Year 7 and 8 students to perform music in a supportive and encouraging competition format.
We had 11 students enter across Year 7 and 8 in 2 bands called Blue Flame and Sparrows. Blue Flame consists of Chelsea Sinclair (voice), Tia Mawhinney (voice), Sofia Johnston (guitar), Lashaan Ashton (keyboard), Chloe Woodhouse (bass), and Ella Hucklebridge (drums). They performed “Jolene” by Dolly Parton, and “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart” by Miley Cyrus.
Sparrows consists of Emily Wright (voice), Amelia Leaper (voice), Kyla Ashton (guitar), Katie Moore (keyboard), and Izzy Taylor (drums). They performed “Without You” by Marcus & Martinus, and “It’s Time” by Imagine Dragons.
Sparrows
Blue Flame
Congratulations to Sofia Johnston who won the “Killer Guitarist” award for displaying the best guitar skills amongst all 15 bands.
Both bands performed at a high level and have been going from strength to strength in their confidence on stage. They should be very proud of themselves and it is clear, that these students have a lot of potential for the coming years.
Cross Country
This afternoon, Katie Moore (Year 8) represented St Hilda’s at the Otago Primary Schools’ Cross Country Championships, held on the Kaikorai Valley College sports grounds. Katie was very pleased with her 2.4km run, in a strong field of athletes.
Dunedin Performing Arts and Competitions Society/Newszats Aparima Solo Singing Awards
Congratulations to Sarah Lee who got a 2nd in the Dunedin Performing Arts and Competitions Society instrumental competition last weekend.
Sarah also got 3rd place in the Newzats Aparima solo singing award held by The Otago branch of NEWZATS(NZ Association of Teachers of Singing).
Here’s the newspaper about the singing competition:
It was Sarah’s first-time to enter these two competitions, and she was really surprised and satisfied with what she achieved.
GrowingNZ Technology Innovation Challenge This week, twelve Year 10 students were part of the ‘The GrowingNZ Technology Innovation Challenge’. The aim of this challenge is to promote cross-curricular, project-based learning and help students to see potential career opportunities within the primary industries sector.
The students were challenged to apply their science, technology, and business knowledge along with teamwork and problem-solving skills to develop a prototype solution to a real-world problem being faced by industries across New Zealand. The students were mentored on the day by industry experts representing GrowingNZ, DairyNZ, Beef + Lamb NZ, NZ Wool and Young Enterprise.
St Hilda’s students were rewarded for their teamwork and the creative concepts developed as part of the challenge, with the following students winning awards:
Best Teamwork: Anna Hutchens, Molly Whitaker, Cassandra Martin, Courtney Lloyd Best Concept: Kate McEwan, Lily Knox, Hannah Hardiman, Ella Hodgson
Stars on Stage The Regent Theatre was buzzing with youthful energy on Monday night as St Hilda’s Year 7 and 8 students took to the stage for Stars on Stage.
The Year 10 Performing Arts class auditioned, choreographed, scripted and produced an item called ‘Steal the show’ which revealed how cheating is not the way to win. Watching from the audience, Year 10 students were so proud of how their younger peers danced brilliantly and told the story with flair.
Year 7 and 8 students would like to say a big ‘thank you’ to the Year 10 Performing Arts students for enabling them to have such a great experience stage being a star!
Hip Hop
Line Dancers
Drama Group
Ballet/Contemporary
Upcoming Events
Tournament of Minds Best of luck to our students who are competing in the Tournament of Minds in Christchurch this weekend. Tournament of Minds is a problem-solving programme for teams of students from both primary and secondary years. Tournament’s aim is to enhance the potential of our youth by developing diverse skills, enterprise, time management, and the discipline to work collaboratively within a challenging and competitive environment.
Winter Tournament Good luck to all our students who are competing in the 2019 Winter Tournament this weekend and next week. You can follow our teams by clicking here.
Tolcarne News
The Tolcarne Social was a very successful night. Both the girls and the boys thoroughly enjoyed having a dance on a Thursday night. The theme was Old School and everyone looked the part!
On Sunday 25th August a group of Year 10 girls came out on the harbour with Port to Port Cruise and Wildlife Tours. It was a beautiful morning out on the harbour with the sun shining and the harbour calm. We saw a seal lazing in the sun and a few different birds, it was a nice relaxing morning.
CAREERS
Transition Expo Day Event – Discover opportunities for life after school. Click here for further details.
Transition Expo Evening Forum – Click here for further details
Parents and senior students over 16 years of age.
The PFA has been given an opportunity to fundraise at this year’s Fleetwood Mac concert on September 21 at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
This involves working in one of the hospitality areas for approximately 8 hours and attending a 90min induction meeting in the week prior to the concert,
The PFA raises funds for the school community for the benefit of all students.
It’s actually a lot of fun and if you are interested in receiving more information please contact Ali Copeman on pfa@shcs.school.nz
Reminder –
Eliabel Eliabel Legrand, Evie Rose Grace, Hanna McCoubrey
Donna and Kirsten from AFC, Dr Townsley then: Kristin Schipper, Amelia Newlands, Lucia Grimmond, Anika Smith, Rosie Dykes, Amelia Leaper, Bridget Malcolm, Lucie Holtz
Blue Flame
