Last week four students attended the Southland Youth Futures programme “From the Cow to the World”.  Students visited a dairy farm and then moved on to the Edendale Dairy factory where they went on site and looked at the manufacturing process.  The day was designed to showcase various career opportunities within the dairy sector.
 
On Friday, Mrs Perniskie travelled with nine Year 12 and Year 13 students to the Southern Institute of Technology Invercargill Campus Open Day.  This was a great chance for pupils to explore programmes they are interested in studying next year.  They were able to chat to tutors and sit in on lectures.
 
The Red Shirts programme started last week and we have two students on the programme, learning about customer service, stocktaking and presentation of goods while earning valuable Level 2 credits.
 
This week was the final Health Hub visit for the Year 13’s.  On this visit they spoke with Daniel, a Mental Health Clinician, talking careers in Mental Health. Then they went to the Assessment Treatment and Rehabilitation Unit and spoke with Hannah (a Stroke Nurse), sampled some thickened fluids and used a hoist to mobilise each other. After lunch Nav and Jeremy, 4th year Medical students participated in an instrument sort and identification of pressure injuries.  This is a worthwhile programme and helps students explore their career pathway within the health profession.
 
One of our ex pupils Sam Watkins was part of a team that won the University of Canterbury Engineering programme bridge building competition.  The competition involves students in their 2nd year of Engineering building a bridge and is a prestigious competition amongst the Engineering students.  It’s always great to see our ex pupils doing well!

Joy Delahunt

Nominations for the 2019 Gore District Community Awards are NOW OPEN and for the first time can be completed ONLINE
Nominations close 5.00pm  Friday, 20 September.
  The awards categories are:

• MATAURA LICENSING TRUST JUNIOR SPORTSPERSON 
• ANDERSON LLOYD CONTRIBUTION TO ARTS AND CULTURE 
• MAINLAND MINERALS ENVIRONMENT AWARD 
• SPORT SOUTHLAND COMMUNITY COACH
• JD SOUNESS YOUNG ACHIEVER 
• OTAGO DAILY TIMES / THE ENSIGN SERVICES TO SPORT 
• SOROPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL OF GORE WOMAN OF THE YEAR 
• GORE MUSICAL THEATRE EMERGING PERFORMING ARTIST 

 More information about the awards and criteria can be found at goredc.govt.nz
 
 
 

​The Year 10 students have been measured for a new blazer and have an order form to take home and get parents to sign.  Please sign it either way, whether you wish to order one or not.  The order forms are due back Monday, September 2.  If your child is in another Year level and you would like to order a blazer please see Mrs Eagan ASAP.  We only order once a year so it is important you do it at this time.
 

REPORT FROM PTFA ON ART EXPO & AUCTION FUNDRAISER
Thank you to all the families, teachers and extended school community members who came along to our Art Expo and Auction at the Gore T&C on 29 June 2019.  

We would especially like to thank the following people for their help in various ways, including collecting artworks and display panels from around Southland, general grunt work, the setting up and display of artwork, creating the grazing table, and cleaning up the following day:
Louwenda Robinson      Simon Callahan
Joanne Borgman           Joanne Lawton
Simone Bowden             David Rance, Gore T&C
Fiona Nicholson             Jude Taylor
Eugene O’Neill and the rugby boys

The small but enthusiastic crowd contributed to a successful fundraiser, resulting in 25% of the artwork being sold. 
Thanks must also go to all who provided artwork for exhibition, sale or auction.
A profit of $4,000 has kicked off our long-term goal of refurbishing the Susan Horrell Tennis Courts at the school. 
If you are keen to get on board with this goal or join the PTFA, please come along to the next PTFA meeting which will be on Tuesday, 3 September 2019 at 7pm in the School Staffroom. 

On behalf of the PTFA Committee Lisa Bolt
 
 

​Today is a hugely significant day in the life of St Peter's College, with our Principal Kate Nicholson moving on to her next adventure as Principal at Kavanagh College. She leaves a huge hole in our community and has been instrumental in the development of so many of the highly successful initiatives here at St Peter's over the years. Within the community and the wider Kahui Ako, Kate, at all times demonstrated a high degree of professionalism, integrity and compassion. Her dedication, and unconditional positive regard of our staff and students has been and will always be a measure of Kate as a person. We thank her for the many hours of tireless work she has given to the school and we wish her and her family all the very best in their new endeavours in Dunedin. God bless.
Darren Jack
Deputy Principal
 

Thank you, St Peter’s College!!  As this is my final newsletter, I wish to thank all of those who have supported, encouraged and allowed me to learn and grow in my Principal role. 26 years living in Eastern Southland and teaching in three of its schools during that time, has been a significant part of my life and I am very grateful to the community in which we have raised our own family.
 
St Peter’s is a wonderful school. Sometimes, in smaller rural communities, families think that the ‘grass is greener’ elsewhere, or that boarding schools in a bigger centre must be a better option, or that our children may not get the same advantages and opportunities as other schools and towns. Having been in education for a while now, I can assure you this is absolutely not the case. St Peter’s and the Eastern Southland area provide our young people with every opportunity to play a wide range of sports at the highest level, access cultural opportunities and learning, perform on stage in large shows that they may not otherwise even get an audition for in larger centres, and gain an excellent education, with the number of students at St Peter’s gaining qualifications at a higher level than most schools in the country.  The one thing that stands out to me though, is that our young people leave Gore believing that they can make a difference in the world. They don’t expect anyone to hold them back and they continue to set goals and achieve them. So many of us know ex-St Peter’s College ‘high-fliers’ in New Zealand and throughout the world and I am sure this has been the case for them – the glass ceiling doesn’t exist in our community and they continue to believe this wherever they go.
 
Continue to believe in St Peter’s as the best place to bring up and educate our young people - but remember to contribute and play your part in making it so. One person at the top does not make a school community; it is always a team effort and that team is strong right now. I have no doubt that with everyone continuing to pull together it will remain the same. Kia Kaha St Peter’s and farewell.


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Project Based Learning (PBL) – Has it only been four weeks?
Walking around classrooms yesterday, I was filled with a real sense of excitement.  Driven by their passion for particular issues and communities in need, students were actively researching and planning for their projects and some had even begun the practical aspects of creating an outcome. 
I met two year 8 students who had just finished a conference call with a mental health agency, a year 10 who was on his way to a dance studio where he was going to meet with some expert advisers and a group of year 9s building websites and apps.  Other students were still weighing up the pros and cons of possible solutions to issues people in our community face. 
I was struck by the high levels of student engagement and fascinated by the authentic learning that was happening across a range of ages, interests developing skill sets.  It’s only been four weeks, and there are many challenges to come I’m sure, but
 
CONGRATULATIONS to all the students and staff involved in this exciting innovative teaching and learning.
Bridget Ryan
Deputy Principal
 

Last week finished with an interesting talk from Heidi Gillingham from AJ Hackett Bungy. It was a very informative presentation which was well received by the students. 
Read below for Griffin’s report on the presentation.
‘I really enjoyed Heidi's presentation from AJ Hackett. I learnt a lot about what they offer for holiday programmes and I like how they offer discounts and freebies for their staff! Since tourism is New Zealand's biggest income industry, I feel like the younger ones could use the enlightenment. I know a lot of Year 12's are interested in tourism so I’d definitely get Heidi back next year! ‘
Griffin Franks - Year 13
On Thursday night Gore High School hosted the annual Combined Careers Evening.  This evening was a great success with over 41 providers showing students what was available once they had left school.
Joy Delahunt
Gateway Co-Ordinator/Careers Administration
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The annual focus on Mathematics occurred this week at St Peter’s College. There will be more in next week’s newsletter about the exciting happenings on C floor during this week.
Our Year 9 & 10 students competed in the SMAC-Maths style quiz on Thursday morning. Congratulations to Sarah Griffith-Smith, Abby Gutschlag, Connor Watkins and Seba Metzler who were the champion Year 10 team. After a nail-biting tie-breaker, the Year 9 section was won by Dixie-Leigh Burr, Lauryn Pinckney, Flynn McHaffie and Callum Findlay.
Our Year 7 & 8 students competed in their Quiz this morning.
Congratulations to Jack Abernethy, Adam Kelly, Cruze Smith and Jordan King who were the winning Year 8 team and Jack Bensemann, Ashton Hansen, Annie Moody and Layla Connortan who were in the winning Year 7 team.
From these competitions, students are being invited to attend some practice session at lunchtimes, with staff, in preparation for the SMAC Competition in Invercargill, at the end of the term.
Carolyn Hunter – HELA Mathematics
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