I know the past few days have been uncertain and tumultuous and I hope you are all settling into the new rhythm of family life.
While there will definitely be difficult days ahead, we can also be grateful for the time with family, the chance to reflect and rest, and hopefully the enforced opportunity to learn new skills and knowledge and share this historic challenge with those closest to us.
As a staff we will be linking with your daughters on a regular basis after the holidays, to ensure that engaging and relevant learning continues, even though it may look very different. What an opportunity to innovate, create and develop resilience!!
I have contacted all the girls today, wishing them the best for the holiday, and hoping we can all find the positives. The Prefects Sunshine Day planning and activities is a great example of us all helping to sustain and nurture our wonderful school community.
On a practical note I also wanted to inform you of the following:
Please ask your daughter to regularly check her emails, especially as we prepare to go on line on the 15th April. Staff will be using email to set up Google hangouts, and class activities and your daughter will need to be aware of the arrangements.
NZQA are sending out material over the coming weeks, as they explore the options for all schools around internal and external assessments. Please do not worry about NCEA at the moment – NZQA will put in place a fair and equitable system that recognises the difficulties students will have over the next few weeks around their learning. Please reassure your daughter that as a school we will ensure no one is disadvantaged.
I wish you all the best as we move into the unknown. I am sure the strength of communities and the benefits of connecting in new and innovative ways, will sustain us all.
As we begin the preparation for the closure of the school I wanted to update you on our planning so far.
Firstly, I must apologise for giving you the wrong dates for the school holidays. My email to you yesterday went out before I received notification from the Ministry of Education regarding bringing the school holidays forward.
Consequently, we are planning for the following:
Dates
March 23 – 27. Staff will be preparing work for students, which may include some emails this week referring to work on line or current assignments/programmes
March 30 – 14th April : School holidays. There is no expectation on staff or students that school work will be completed during this time.
April 15th onwards – learning will be provided on line utilising Google Classroom and other tools. Staff will be sending out virtual meeting times, links, invites and material etc to students for their learning.
NZQA
We are following NZQA advice regarding NCEA Internal Assessments and units of work. All internals that were to be held in the coming weeks will now be rescheduled or reconsidered. We will continue with our programmes of learning, but the assessments may differ from those indicated at the beginning of the year.
Updates
We will continue to post updates in the St Hilda’s Virtual school and on the parent portal
Collecting Student belongings
A reminder that if your daughter needs to collect materials/items from school can you please email us, admin@shcs.school.nz and we will organise a time for her to come into school. It is important that we continue to manage contact and social distancing and your assistance with this is appreciated. If you are a boarding family collecting material from Tolcarne, please let us know when you email, so we can coordinate your times. No one will be able to be on site after 4.30pm on Wednesday 25th March.
Please look after yourselves and stay connected. We understand the trials ahead, and will do our best to minimise any disruption to your daughters learning.
Tuesday saw the girls enjoying pancakes before Ash Wednesday which marked the start of Lent.
Whanaungatanga groups have been very busy preparing their fair stalls.
Key Dates for 2020 Term 1
Saturday 7th March – School Fair (see below for further information)
Wednesday 11 March – Years 7-13 Goal Setting Conversation with Whanau teachers (2.30-6.30pm)
Friday 13th and Saturday 14th March – Wanaka Show
Friday 20th March – Staff Only Day
Monday 23rd March – Otago Anniversary Day
The Fair is just a week away now and it’s all go! Don’t forget we have the last drop off for books, clothing, white elephant goods on Sunday March 1st, 11am-1pm at Heriot House. We also need more paper/reusable bags, so bring these in with the donations of jams/preserves coming in to school next week. Next Friday (March 6th) we are collecting donations of sweets and baking at the student office. We would appreciate any helpers on Friday afternoon to set up, and also people who can stay at the end of the Fair to give the PFA a hand to clean up.
The PFA would like to thank our stall sponsors and our advertising partners listed below – we really appreciate your assistance as your support means we can raise more funds for the school.
We are still looking for fair sponsorship; a $250 donation allows you to sponsor a stall, donated items such as vouchers, goods, services are needed for our silent auction and monetary donations towards advertising. Please email: schoolfair@shcs.school.nz
SCHOOL FAIR – WEEK 5 – Whanaungatanga Group donations
Photos will be size 6″x 9”, in colour and cost $17 each.
Reporting
Throughout the year we will communicate about your daughter’s learning through Learning Conversations (which allow a three way conversation with the teacher, student and parent), Interim Reports on Learning which focus on learning behaviours and Academic Progress Reports which give specific comments on the progress being made in the curriculum and next steps for your daughters learning. The final report for the year is a summary record of your daughter’s learning for the year. This includes a comment from her Whanaungatanga teacher which gives you an overview of her year’s learning and involvement in school activities.
Our aim, with this combination of reports, is to give an accurate and timely overview of your daughter’s learning dispositions, next steps and progress.
Week 10Years 7-10 Learning Conversations with subject teachers
Years 11-13 NCEA Progress Report
Term 4
Week 9Years 7-13 End of Year Academic Summary Report
Newsletter Change
We are currently updating our website and as part of this we will be making some changes to our newsletter format. Please see below a link we are testing and we intend to have this up and running in the next two weeks.
As your child settles in to the new school year take some time to check in with them about how they are feeling about their social relationships with their peers. Click here to read about why it is so important that your child finds their tribe.
Activities
We wish to thank everyone who came to our event last Saturday at Akarua in Arrowtown – what a lovely evening, it was great to see so many parents, Old Girls and friends attending our fundraiser. We enjoyed the sunshine, food and wine in the garden before listening to Jackie interview Sara Munro, a St Hilda’s Old Girl and director of fashion label Company of Strangers, about her career, her business and the challenges faced by the fashion industry. ICAN models presented the Company of Strangers new season collection while Sara explained each of the garments and the processes that go into making clothing and jewellery in New Zealand. We are very grateful to our sponsors for contributing to our fundraiser: Peter McIntyre and Chris Timms of Craigs Investment Partners, Tracy Cameron of ICAN Models and Talent, and Jaimee Smith of Ukiyo Salon & Co in Wanaka. We also wish to thank those who contributed items for our silent auction. It was a great night and we raised close to $5000 towards the Building Heart Campaign.
29 tired but happy girls are out of the Abel Tasman National Park and on the bus.
Case Space School
Junior Girls
Senior Girls
Tolcarne News
Tolcarne has been a bit quieter this week, with the year 12 and 13 P.E students away on camp in Murchison and Abel Tasman. The juniors went to Waihola at the weekend, where they competed in games of paintball. The rivalry was fierce as the girls raced to capture the rabbit soft toy without being hit! It was a very fun day out and they are looking forward to surfing at St Clair this weekend. Yoga is now a weekly activity held at the hostel, with one of our staff members (Ella) taking the girls for this before bed on a Wednesday. It is the perfect opportunity for the girls to have time for mindfulness and to relax before another busy day at school!
Chapel Matters
On Tuesday this week, the staff and students indulged in yummy pikelets with jam and cream as our way of marking Shrove Tuesday. The students also played silly games with the leftover pikelets at lunchtime.
Traditionally, Shrove Tuesday is the last day to indulge and be silly before the season of Lent which begins with Ash Wednesday.
Lent is the 40-day period of time leading up to Easter, where we remember Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem where he was crucified. Traditionally, Ash Wednesday is therefore a day when we remember that we have all sinned, and that we need the forgiveness and grace that Christ offers. We have all let others down, said hurtful things, broken promises, ignored someone who needed our help, made choices that were not wise, dropped rubbish for others to pick up, and not cared about the environment.
There is a prayer which is part of the Eucharist service part of which says:
We have sinned in what we have thought and said, in the wrong we have done and in the good we have not done. We have sinned in ignorance; We have sinned in weakness: We have sinned through our own deliberate fault.
Afterwards, the minister then proclaims our forgiveness – and reminds us to forgive others and to forgive ourselves. The ashes that we get on the back of our hands (or on the forehead) remind us about these two things:
The ash, which comes from the burnt harakeke crosses we make for Palm Sunday (and our Open Night!), reminds us that we are all fallen, frail, broken, and bruised;
While the olive oil which is mixed with the ash, reminds us that we are forgiven, free, cherished and that there is always hope for healing and renewal.
The ash and the oil go together because that is how life works, that there is a time for everything under the sun. We don’t want to always indulge and be silly, or be hard on ourselves and pessimistic about life. We need to acknowledge that there are times when we have done wrong and have hurt this world or others, but there are also times when we need to accept forgiveness, let things go, to heal and have a fresh start – and allow others to have a fresh start.
Over the time of Lent, may we all accept that we are fallen and frail (like the ash), and know that we can also be renewed and healed (like the oil).
Careers
BLUE RIBBON INSTALLATION
This is a fundraising initiative that current families, Old Girls and past families can support – purchase a Blue Ribbon plaque with your/your daughter’s name on it, to be displayed permanently in the foyer of the new Arts Building.
Please contact the Director of Development at aburke@shcs.school.nz to reserve your Blue Ribbon today.
Information regarding Coronavirus
With recent concerns raised regarding the spread of coronavirus, we wish to inform you that we are following the Ministry of Health Guidelines regarding best practice for public health.
We have taken the necessary precautions to ensure the wellbeing of all our international students, when they arrived at school and at Tolcarne, and as most of them have been in NZ for at least a week prior to the start of school, they are at minimal risk of infection, however we will continue to monitor their health. We have no students from the Wuhan region.
The school and Tolcarne will be vigilant with hygiene instruction as well as providing masks as required, and hand sanitiser. They are all the necessary equipment to isolate infection. Frequent hand washing and practising cough etiquette will be encouraged.
Recognising that coronavirus is now a global issue, if you or your family members have been travelling in Asia or currently infected areas over the holidays, or have been in contact with international visitors, we trust you are monitoring your family’s health and following the Ministry of Health guidelines.
As stated we have in place precautionary measures, and are advised that the risk of infection is still very low. We will continue to monitor the health of any students currently considered to be low risk. The Ministry of Health has advised that there is no specific action to be taken at this time. Should the situation change, we will follow our pandemic plan for managing illness as we do with other infectious diseases such as measles, mumps, and influenza.
For those of you concerned about possible infection, the Ministry of Health has provided practical information on their website which we encourage you to read –
NoNovel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) guidance – Ministry of Health website: included in there is some advice to help reduce the general risk of infection: – avoiding very close contact with people showing symptoms – frequently washing hands – practicing cough etiquette (maintain distance, cover coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues or clothing, and wash hands).
the Ministry of Health will continue to update that content, as further information becomes available
We continue to motor through the term with a myriad of activities and learning opportunities already completed and more still to come.
Our new girls appear to be well settled, finding their way around the campus, connecting and contributing, enjoying the challenges and opportunities inherent to their learning.
As a school we have made a strong start to the year and are excited about coming events. One extraordinary event is our biennial school Fair, which is only 2 weeks away. We are so fortunate to have such an organised, efficient, visionary and passionate group of parents on the PFA who have taken over the management of this event and who have already put in considerable time and effort to ensure the Fair’s success.
The Fair is a major fundraising event for the school, and the contributions from our families – time, donations, assistance, sponsorship, items for auctions, food and prizes all help to ensure a successful day. Thank you to those families who have already made donations and brought in items for sale, and if you haven’t had a chance to contribute yet – you have two more weeks! Other people’s treasures are always welcome! The money raised is important, but the Fair is also as one of the few opportunities we have to come together as a wider community, have some fun, enjoy good food and get the odd bargain. It is a great day for the whole school community and I urge you to ensure you are part of it.
Jackie Barron
Principal
Key Dates for 2020 Term 1
Saturday 7th March – School Fair (see below for further information)
Wednesday 11 March – Years 7-13 Goal Setting Conversation with Whanau teachers (2.30-6.30pm)
Friday 13th and Saturday 14th March – Wanaka Show
Friday 20th March – Staff Only Day
Monday 23rd March – Otago Anniversary Day
We have jars available for people to make jams and/or preserves – please get in touch with us if you are able to help. email:schoolfair@shcs.school.nz
We need more fair helpers; if you are able to help at the school fair on a stall please email: schoolfair@shcs.school.nz
We are still looking for fair sponsorship; a $250 donation allows you to sponsor a stall, donated items such as vouchers, goods, services are needed for our silent auction and monetary donations towards advertising. Please email: schoolfair@shcs.school.nz
SCHOOL FAIR – WEEK 5 – Whanaungatanga Group donations
Photos will be size 6″x 9”, in colour and cost $17 each.
Reporting
Throughout the year we will communicate about your daughter’s learning through Learning Conversations (which allow a three way conversation with the teacher, student and parent), Interim Reports on Learning which focus on learning behaviours and Academic Progress Reports which give specific comments on the progress being made in the curriculum and next steps for your daughters learning. The final report for the year is a summary record of your daughter’s learning for the year. This includes a comment from her Whanaungatanga teacher which gives you an overview of her year’s learning and involvement in school activities.
Our aim, with this combination of reports, is to give an accurate and timely overview of your daughter’s learning dispositions, next steps and progress.
Week 10Years 7-10 Learning Conversations with subject teachers
Years 11-13 NCEA Progress Report
Term 4
Week 9Years 7-13 End of Year Academic Summary Report
Newsletter Change
We are currently updating our website and as part of this we will be making some changes to our newsletter format. A link will still be sent to you and we will also put that link on the current newsletter site until the update is complete so you can access past newsletters. We will use the new format next week.
Activities
Ellen Mamier was chosen by Study Dunedin to produce a video for their website.
Ellen was chosen because she won an Education New Zealand (ENZ) scholarship to come and study in New Zealand. She chose Dunedin and St Hilda’s Collegiate. Even though the scholarship was for one year, Ellen chose to stay on and complete her NCEA Level 3 studies in Dunedin.
As you will see, she loved her time here, made some good friends and even picked up a bit of a kiwi accent! Here is the link to the video, found on the Study Dunedin website.
Year 7 girls – Literacy lesson with Anna Garthwaite
Achievements
Otago and Southland Champs
Congratulation to Gabi Horo who competed in the Pole Vault U18 at the Otago and Southland Champs over the weekend and broke the 15 year record with a jump of 2m 56cm!
NZ Secondary Schools Triathlon
Well done to Sophie Shallard who finished 12th at the NZ Secondary Schools Triathlon and Zara Geddes who finished 20th.
National Touch tournament
Congratulations to our U18 team who won their age group in extra time.
Tolcarne News
On Sunday the juniors went on an outing to Tunnel Beach with Robyn, a first for many! They not only enjoyed the walk, but also a paddle in the ocean and getting to experience another part of the city. Koru this week involved a mindfulness body scan and mindful eating for the year tens, where they were invited to feel the effects of mindfulness and enhance their senses around food. The year nines looked into the Tolcarne values, gaining a greater appreciation for what they mean and how they can use them. This weekend the junior girls are heading to Waihola, where they will have a go at paintball!
A special mention to the new Tolcarne Council representatives for 2020; Year 9 – Lucy Robertson & Ruby Cochrane Year 10 – Emma Collett & Lucy Wright Year 11 – Connie Bennington & Anika Smith Year 12 – Molly Loe & Libby Dummond Year 13 – Meg Huffadine & Sara Harding
Chapel Matters
The Very Reverend Dr Tony Curtis would like to extend an open invitaion to the staff, students and families of the St Hilda’s community. Below is an invitation with further details for all who might be interested.
Careers
SOLD OUT – Our event with Company of Strangers at Akarua this weekend is now sold out! Thank you to all those who have purchased tickets and we look forward to seeing you on Saturday. We would also like to thank our sponsors: Peter McIntyre and Chris Timms from Craigs Investment Partners; Tracy Cameron from ICAN Models + Talent; and Jaimee Smith of Ukiyo Salon & Co, Wanaka. For those who missed out, you can still see the new collection from Company of Strangers online here: https://companyofstrangers.co.nz/collections/company-of-strangers
BLUE RIBBON INSTALLATION
This is a fundraising initiative that current families, Old Girls and past families can support – purchase a Blue Ribbon plaque with your/your daughter’s name on it, to be displayed permanently in the foyer of the new Arts Building.
Please contact the Director of Development at aburke@shcs.school.nz to reserve your Blue Ribbon today.
Information regarding Coronavirus
With recent concerns raised regarding the spread of coronavirus, we wish to inform you that we are following the Ministry of Health Guidelines regarding best practice for public health.
We have taken the necessary precautions to ensure the wellbeing of all our international students, when they arrived at school and at Tolcarne, and as most of them have been in NZ for at least a week prior to the start of school, they are at minimal risk of infection, however we will continue to monitor their health. We have no students from the Wuhan region.
The school and Tolcarne will be vigilant with hygiene instruction as well as providing masks as required, and hand sanitiser. They are all the necessary equipment to isolate infection. Frequent hand washing and practising cough etiquette will be encouraged.
Recognising that coronavirus is now a global issue, if you or your family members have been travelling in Asia or currently infected areas over the holidays, or have been in contact with international visitors, we trust you are monitoring your family’s health and following the Ministry of Health guidelines.
As stated we have in place precautionary measures, and are advised that the risk of infection is still very low. We will continue to monitor the health of any students currently considered to be low risk. The Ministry of Health has advised that there is no specific action to be taken at this time. Should the situation change, we will follow our pandemic plan for managing illness as we do with other infectious diseases such as measles, mumps, and influenza.
For those of you concerned about possible infection, the Ministry of Health has provided practical information on their website which we encourage you to read –
NoNovel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) guidance – Ministry of Health website: included in there is some advice to help reduce the general risk of infection: – avoiding very close contact with people showing symptoms – frequently washing hands – practicing cough etiquette (maintain distance, cover coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues or clothing, and wash hands).
the Ministry of Health will continue to update that content, as further information becomes available
We have been advised that the Executive of the Post Primary Teachers’ Association has directed members covered by the Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement, the Secondary Principals’ Collective Agreement, the Area School Teachers’ Collective Agreement and the Area School Principals’ Collective Agreement to attend a round of branch-based paid union meetings held under the provisions of Section 26 of the Employment Relations Act 2000.
The meeting of PPTA members at our school will be held on 28 FEBRUARY from 1.50 PM TO 3.00 PM at SHCS, and all teachers who are members of the PPTA and are covered by the Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement, the Secondary Principals’ Collective Agreement, the Area School Teachers’ Collective Agreement or the Area School Principals’ have a right to attend.
Consequently, although school will officially remain open until 3:00 pm that afternoon, we will not be able to run timetabled classes for that time. However, there will be supervision in the Library for students who need to stay at school until the end of the school day.
Please notify the school office if your daughter will need to remain at school on this afternoon.
In response to the feedback from the extended learning time we had throughout 2019, we have made changes to how our timetable is structured. The start and end times for the days have not changed but we have made adjustments to where we have our breaks. This will give us the flexibility to meet more diverse learning styles.
The timetable follows a structure of two periods, chapel/assembly/Whanaungatanga followed by interval then two periods followed by lunch and then sustained silent reading followed by one period.
This structure also allows for a second version of the week featuring double periods to allow for extended learning time. This is identified on KAMAR and the calendar as Timetable B.
Key Dates for 2020 Term 1
Saturday 7th March – School Fair (see below for further information)
Wednesday 11 March – Years 7-13 Goal Setting Conversation with Whanau teachers (2.30-6.30pm)
Friday 13th and Saturday 14th March – Wanaka Show
Friday 20th March – Staff Only Day
Monday 23rd March – Otago Anniversary Day
We have jars available for people to make jams and/or preserves – please get in touch with us if you are able to help. email:schoolfair@shcs.school.nz
We need more fair helpers; if you are able to help at the school fair on a stall please email: schoolfair@shcs.school.nz
We are still looking for fair sponsorship; a $250 donation allows you to sponsor a stall, donated items such as vouchers, goods, services are needed for our silent auction and monetary donations towards advertising. Please email: schoolfair@shcs.school.nz
SCHOOL FAIR – WEEK 4 – Whanaungatanga Group donations
We need your help to have a successful fair day.
Reporting
Throughout the year we will communicate about your daughter’s learning through Learning Conversations (which allow a three way conversation with the teacher, student and parent), Interim Reports on Learning which focus on learning behaviours and Academic Progress Reports which give specific comments on the progress being made in the curriculum and next steps for your daughters learning. The final report for the year is a summary record of your daughter’s learning for the year. This includes a comment from her Whanaungatanga teacher which gives you an overview of her year’s learning and involvement in school activities.
Our aim, with this combination of reports, is to give an accurate and timely overview of your daughter’s learning dispositions, next steps and progress.
Week 10Years 7-10 Learning Conversations with subject teachers
Years 11-13 NCEA Progress Report
Term 4
Week 9Years 7-13 End of Year Academic Summary Report
Guidance
TikTok is the social media app of choice for young people at the moment. Click here for advice from Netsafe about how to maximise your child’s safety when using TikTok.
Netsafe’s latest research, Ngā taiohi matihiko o Aotearoa – New Zealand Kids Online, is now available. The report from their Global Kids Online study uncovers important insights about New Zealand’s children’s experiences (aged between nine to 17) of online risks and their perceptions of harm. It provides details about a variety of topics including the online interactions kids are having with people they don’t know and how frequently they are exposed to concerning online material. See the attached document for the full report.
Ichikawa visit March 2020 – request for Homestay families
As you may be aware, each year St Hilda’s in partnership with John McGlashan host students from our sister school, Ichikawa Gakuen High School in Japan, for a short term visit. We are pleased to announce that Ichikawa High School will be visiting us again on Sunday 15 – Friday 27 March 2020.
We are looking for some lovely St Hilda’s families with a spare room to host one of the girls. Our homestay families will be supported, and a homestay meeting will be organised prior to the students’ arrival. Homestay families will be remunerated to cover any costs. Hosting an international student can be an enriching experience for the entire family.
Our intention is to confirm homestay families and match to students by the beginning of February.
Please get in contact as soon as possible if you are in the position of opening your home for one of our Japanese short stay students. Your help would be much appreciated. If you would like to have a further conversation around what is required, please also make contact.
Contact details:
Lisa Parsons – International Student Manager at St Hilda’s Collegiate School
We have an annual exchange programme with St Hilda’s in Perth, Australia. We are now beginning the process for the 2020.
This exchange is open to girls in Year 10.
The exchange student from Perth will come to St Hilda’s in Term 3 of 2020. She will be timetabled into our school programme and weekly board at Tolcarne. The St Hilda’s student will travel in exchange for Term 2 to St Hilda’s Perth. Further information and application forms for this exchange have been shared with the girls as a Google form.
Activities
Year 9 Technology tower building competition.
Year 13 DVC trip to Architecture van Brandenburg
Year 9 – As part of the Greenbelt traverse the girls visited Olveston and took part in some period drama – The Dunedin weather had deteriorated after a warm morning spent walking the greenbelt.
Achievements
Congratulations to Anna Englebrecht who has been invited to take part in the NZQA Top Art Exhibition with her photograph below.
Chosen students are selected to share their work as examples of excellent practice in a field of Visual Arts (photo, paint, print, sculpture, design).
Otago Secondary School Triathlon Results – held in Wanaka
U19 Girls
Sophie Shallard – 1st place
Holly Bizzett – 6th place
Amelia Kirk, Kristin Willis and Tessa McConachie all 8th equal
U16 Girls
Zara Geddes– 2nd place
Emma Andrew – 12th place
A great day and a lot of fun.
Tolcarne News
Week three at Tolcarne has been full of activity, with the juniors trying out Laser Tag and their optional morning fitness starting, organised by the year 12 Boarding Leaders. The Secondary Schools Tennis Tournament was also held, with Hayley King and Ella Perkins winning the B Grade – Congratulations girls!
The new Tribe value cards were introduced, where students receive a card with six spots that can be signed for acknowledgement of the values. Once filling their card, each girl will receive points for their Tribe!
On Wednesday night Sarah Menlove came and talked to Year 12’s about body acceptance and food freedom. Sarah is a former triathlete turned Holistic Health and Body Image Coach, focusing on leaving behind the cycle of dieting and body shame. Some key messages the girls took from the session were;
“You don’t need permission to express yourself and listen to your body”
“Be respectful of your body and what you put into it”
“Appreciate yourself in your own skin”
Chapel Matters
One of the students’ favourite songs in chapel is “This Little Light of Mine.” The idea behind the lyrics is that we all have a spark of divine light inside us that we need to let shine, and that this is something that shouldn’t be hidden from others, which is based on a parable that Jesus told to the crowds (Matthew 5.14-16). Marianne Williamson, a writer and Oprah Winfrey’s spiritual advisor, wrote about this idea that we all have a light to shine and that we shouldn’t hide it (although her quote is often misattributed to Nelson Mandela!).
She says, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
But perhaps our spark is smouldering and hard to ignite and keep going. Or perhaps the light was there and some hard things have happened in life which have put it out, and it is just smouldering and we have almost given up hope that there can be light again. The Bible tells us that God is compassionate and merciful, and will not snuff out a smouldering wick (Isaiah 42.3). God will persevere, and never give up on us. God can relight that wick, and fan the flame back into fullness, so we can shine again.
So let your light shine, don’t hide it under a bushel, and let it bring light and life and hope to others, here at school, in our communities, and in the world just as God’s light has brought life and hope to us all.
The Very Reverend Dr Tony Curtis would like to extend an open invitaion to the staff, students and families of the St Hilda’s community. Below is an invitation with further details for all who might be interested.
BLUE RIBBON INSTALLATION
This is a fundraising initiative that current families, Old Girls and past families can support – purchase a Blue Ribbon plaque with your/your daughter’s name on it, to be displayed permanently in the foyer of the new Arts Building.
Please contact the Director of Development at aburke@shcs.school.nz to reserve your Blue Ribbon today.
Information regarding Coronavirus
With recent concerns raised regarding the spread of coronavirus, we wish to inform you that we are following the Ministry of Health Guidelines regarding best practice for public health.
We have taken the necessary precautions to ensure the wellbeing of all our international students, when they arrived at school and at Tolcarne, and as most of them have been in NZ for at least a week prior to the start of school, they are at minimal risk of infection, however we will continue to monitor their health. We have no students from the Wuhan region.
The school and Tolcarne will be vigilant with hygiene instruction as well as providing masks as required, and hand sanitiser. They are all the necessary equipment to isolate infection. Frequent hand washing and practising cough etiquette will be encouraged.
Recognising that coronavirus is now a global issue, if you or your family members have been travelling in Asia or currently infected areas over the holidays, or have been in contact with international visitors, we trust you are monitoring your family’s health and following the Ministry of Health guidelines.
As stated we have in place precautionary measures, and are advised that the risk of infection is still very low. We will continue to monitor the health of any students currently considered to be low risk. The Ministry of Health has advised that there is no specific action to be taken at this time. Should the situation change, we will follow our pandemic plan for managing illness as we do with other infectious diseases such as measles, mumps, and influenza.
For those of you concerned about possible infection, the Ministry of Health has provided practical information on their website which we encourage you to read –
NoNovel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) guidance – Ministry of Health website: included in there is some advice to help reduce the general risk of infection: – avoiding very close contact with people showing symptoms – frequently washing hands – practicing cough etiquette (maintain distance, cover coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues or clothing, and wash hands).
the Ministry of Health will continue to update that content, as further information becomes available
Athletic sports on Wednesday was a feast of colour and athletic enthusiasm. The sunshine was a real bonus and in traditional form the inter house cheerleading began the day. The routines were very slick and the judges were given a difficult job. The winning cheerleading team was Lawrence. There were some fantastic performances on the track and in the field and added to this was the great level of participation and house spirit.
Well done to the newly elected house captains who did such a good job in the first inter house event.
Our 2020 House Captains are:
Havelock – Amelia Hall and Bee Park
Lawrence – Faith Ainsley and Carolyn Patman
Nelson – Makayla Hawker and Annie Timu
Wellington – Grace Brenssell and Mia Urquhart
Timetable
In response to the feedback from the extended learning time we had throughout 2019, we have made changes to how our timetable is structured. The start and end times for the days have not changed but we have made adjustments to where we have our breaks. This will give us the flexibility to meet more diverse learning styles.
The timetable follows a structure of two periods, chapel/assembly/Whanaungatanga followed by interval then two periods followed by lunch and then sustained silent reading followed by one period.
This structure also allows for a second version of the week featuring double periods to allow for extended learning time. This is identified on KAMAR and the calendar as Timetable B and will be the timetable we are following next week.
Key Dates for 2020 Term 1
Wednesday 12th February – Year group and Whanaungatanga photos (am)
Saturday 7th March – School Fair (see below for further information)
Friday 13th and Saturday 14th March – Wanaka Show
Friday 20th March – Staff Only Day
Monday 23rd March – Otago Anniversary Day
We have jars available for people to make jams and/or preserves – please get in touch with us if you are able to help. email:schoolfair@shcs.school.nz
We need more fair helpers; if you are able to help at the school fair on a stall please email: schoolfair@shcs.school.nz
We are still looking for fair sponsorship; a $250 donation allows you to sponsor a stall, donated items such as vouchers, goods, services are needed for our silent auction and monetary donations towards advertising. Please email: schoolfair@shcs.school.nz
SCHOOL FAIR – WEEK 3 – Whanaungatanga Group donations
Due to Athletics and Waitangi Day, last week was a little mucky for our chocolate wheel collection so please bring this along with your Tombola donations for this week. Also we need:
We need your help to have a successful fair day.
Ichikawa visit March 2020 – request for Homestay families
As you may be aware, each year St Hilda’s in partnership with John McGlashen host students from our sister school, Ichikawa Gakuen High School in Japan, for a short term visit. We are pleased to announce that Ichikawa High School will be visiting us again on Sunday 15 – Friday 27 March 2020.
We are looking for some lovely St Hilda’s families with a spare room to host one of the girls. Our homestay families will be supported, and a homestay meeting will be organised prior to the students’ arrival. Homestay families will be remunerated to cover any costs. Hosting an international student can be an enriching experience for the entire family.
Our intention is to confirm homestay families and match to students by the beginning of February.
Please get in contact as soon as possible if you are in the position of opening your home for one of our Japanese short stay students. Your help would be much appreciated. If you would like to have a further conversation around what is required, please also make contact.
Contact details:
Lisa Parsons – International Student Manager at St Hilda’s Collegiate School
We have an annual exchange programme with St Hilda’s in Perth, Australia. We are now beginning the process for the 2020.
This exchange is open to girls in Year 10.
The exchange student from Perth will come to St Hilda’s in Term 3 of 2020. She will be timetabled into our school programme and weekly board at Tolcarne. The St Hilda’s student will travel in exchange for Term 2 to St Hilda’s Perth. Further information and application forms for this exchange have been shared with the girls as a Google form.
Activities
Athletics Sports – Wednesday 5th February – some great costumes and good competition.
Tolcarne News
Tolcarne has had a very busy week; hosting a pool party, voting for new Tribe Captains and participating in Waitangi Day games with the other boarding schools! Koru has also started this week, with the juniors trying out Laughing Yoga. Tonight the girls are off to Leap and will be heading to the beach on Sunday to go surfing!
We would like to congratulate the following Tribe Leaders on their selection;
Baxter – Penelope Chapman-Cohen and Emma O’Meara
Highgate – Anna Harucs, Sophie Lucas and Tia Dougherty
Falkland – Sam McTavish, Grace Beattie and Meg Huffadine
Grendon – Sara Harding and Anna Clarke
Chapel Matters
One of the things we do in chapel is begin with an opening affirmation in English and in te reo Maori. The reason we do this relates to Waitangi Day. Before the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840, the Anglican church had been settled here in 1814, and there was a strong sense of partnership and learning from each other between the local Maori and the church. But over the following decades, as more and more people from the UK started settling in this land, and Maori sought protection of their sovereignty, a treaty or agreement between the Crown and Maori was eventually proposed. The church was involved in this, in an idealistic way, seeking justice and protection for Maori, and ministers travelled around persuading Maori rangatira to sign the Treaty. But of course, as we know, promises by the British to protect the rights of Maori were broken, and the process of reconciliation and compensation is still ongoing. By the 1970s, the Anglican church recognised that while things had started off well in the early 1800s, they needed to make some changes in the way they did things to truly return to a partnership model. So in 1990, they adopted a three-tikanga model of the church – a recognition of Pakeha, Maori and Pasifika tikanga, or ways of doing things, and ever since then, it has been important to actively live that out. One way we do that here at school is to start with a response in both English and te reo Maori. This term we are learning a new one which goes as follows:
O come, let us sing to the Lord, Tēnā kia waiata tātou ki te Ihowā, Let us rejoice in the rock of our salvation. kia hari tātou ki te toka o tō tātou whakaoranga.
The word whakaoranga means relief, redress, revival, recovery, restoration, rehabilitation, and rescue – words that are very appropriate for Waitangi Day!
In God, our rock, we have a strong foundation, just as our nation has a strong foundation which is the Treaty of Waitangi. And God is the one who can save us, not just as individuals, but as a people, as a country. God can inspire us to redress the wrongs we have done, and seek restoration, and can inspire us to revive those principles of partnership and equality, and to revive language and tikanga.
Tickets are selling fast for our St Hilda’s event with Company of Strangers at Akarua Wines and Artisan Kitchen in Arrowtown on February 22nd.
Tickets cost $99 and include drinks and nibbles, a fashion presentation of the A/W20 collection from Company of Strangers and a conversation with designer Sara Munro.
All proceeds will go towards the Building Heart campaign.
We wish to thank our major sponsors: Peter McIntyre and Chris Timms – Craigs Investment Partners; Jaimee Smith of Ukiyo Salon & Co, Wanaka; and Tracy Cameron of ICAN Models and Talent, Queenstown.
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.
Information regarding Coronavirus
With recent concerns raised regarding the spread of coronavirus, we wish to inform you that we are following the Ministry of Health Guidelines regarding best practice for public health.
We have taken the necessary precautions to ensure the wellbeing of all our international students, when they arrived at school and at Tolcarne, and as most of them have been in NZ for at least a week prior to the start of school, they are at minimal risk of infection, however we will continue to monitor their health. We have no students from the Wuhan region.
The school and Tolcarne will be vigilant with hygiene instruction as well as providing masks as required, and hand sanitiser. They are all the necessary equipment to isolate infection. Frequent hand washing and practising cough etiquette will be encouraged.
Recognising that coronavirus is now a global issue, if you or your family members have been travelling in Asia or currently infected areas over the holidays, or have been in contact with international visitors, we trust you are monitoring your family’s health and following the Ministry of Health guidelines.
As stated we have in place precautionary measures, and are advised that the risk of infection is still very low. We will continue to monitor the health of any students currently considered to be low risk. The Ministry of Health has advised that there is no specific action to be taken at this time. Should the situation change, we will follow our pandemic plan for managing illness as we do with other infectious diseases such as measles, mumps, and influenza.
For those of you concerned about possible infection, the Ministry of Health has provided practical information on their website which we encourage you to read –
NoNovel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) guidance – Ministry of Health website: included in there is some advice to help reduce the general risk of infection: – avoiding very close contact with people showing symptoms – frequently washing hands – practicing cough etiquette (maintain distance, cover coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues or clothing, and wash hands).
the Ministry of Health will continue to update that content, as further information becomes available
