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Come along to the Car Boot Sale held on Sunday, 4 November 2018, 11 am to 2 pm St Peter’s College,Robertson and Kakapo Street, Gore. Get rid of your Pre-loved items at our Spring Fling Car Boot and Bake sale! Entry $10 per car. Book your space before Friday, 2 November 2018, by phone or text to Lisa 027 414 3328 with your name and car registration number. 
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Kia ora koutou katoa It is hard to believe the speed at which this year has gone! Senior students finish school next week in preparation for their NCEA exams that begin on November 7th. As is the tradition, we will farewell our leavers at Mass next Thursday morning. I use the word ‘tradition’, however we would not think to do this farewell in any other way. One of the reasons that, as parents, you chose our school for your child was the Catholic special character that we hold dear and which is the foundation of all that we do. Therefore, celebrating Mass with these young people before they leave us for the next stage of their lives is a very fitting reminder of what we are about and a poignant reflection of the welcoming Mass that these young people experienced when they began their journey with us. Leaving Dates for Seniors Year 13 – After the Year 13 lunch on Thursday, 1st November Year 12 – 3.15pm Thursday, 1st November after the Leadership Speeches Year 11 – finish at 3.15pm Friday, 2nd November During the week of the 5th – 9th November, we will be running tutorials. A tutorial timetable will be sent home for those students who would like extra tuition prior to external exams. Blues Assembly It was lovely to welcome back Lucia Vincent, Head Girl in 2000, to our Sports and Cultural Blues Ceremony on Tuesday. Lucia was very involved in the Arts when at school and now competes in triathlons around the world. Lucia is a Partner in the Webb Farry Litigation team, Dunedin, where she specialises in employment law. Congratulations to all our Blues recipients. It is wonderful to be able to publicly acknowledge so many years of commitment, resilience and skills development along with a growth mindset where to fail is to learn. Thank you for being such good role models in our school community. PTFA Fundraiser Next Sunday, 4th November Please remember the requests for baking and raffles for the house competition on Sunday, 4th November. You should all have received information home through email or conversations with your children about this. With two houses tied for first place currently, the success of these house stalls may make the difference for the House Cup! Please support the PTFA and the House Leaders in their fundraising venture for 2018. Warm regards, Kate Nicholson Principal Pictured from the left: Joseva Talemaicakaudrove, Sarah Mitchell, Katie Reed, Tom McKenzie, Guest Speaker: Lucia Vincent, Maggie Nicholson, Dakoda Conroy, Kate Thomas, Ryan Horrell, Charlotte Cuttance, Lucy Swain, Mya Robinson, Maygen Ditchfield, Grace Turipa and Fraser Ditchfield. Absent from photo Liam Davis, Freya Bools and Georgia Holland.  St Peter’s College debated against Fiordland College in Round 2 of the Interschool Debating Competition this week. The moot was ‘Plastic - It’s the last straw’. As adjudicator, Janelle King (HOD of English at Gore High School) commented it was a difficult moot, not only to interpret but to research. The team consisting of (Year 8’s) Rachael Miller, Louisa Kotkamp and Bonnie Miller won the close battle and will now go onto the next round against Blue Mountain College. Well done to Rachael Miller who was awarded Best Speaker.  Term Three was a busy term for students and staff in this department. MathsWeek, held during Week Four, generated some amazing models, created by the students in Years 7 – 10. Guest judge, Justine McRae, awarded points based on mathematical description, construction & completed look and creativity & originality. From baking to matchstick models, to string designs and chocolate creations, there was an incredible array of models. Prizes and certificates were presented to the following students: Year 7: Harry Shaw, Ethan Hickey – joint winners with Lilly Marsh and Brooke McMillan Year 8: Ben King, Howell Orolaza and Jacob Walker Year 9: Nicola Mitchell, Coffee Wongsuwan Year 10: Hannah O’Connor, Katie Kelly and Hannah Crowley In the last week of Term Three, students and staff travelled to Invercargill for the Annual SMAC Maths Competition. Two teams of four students were entered in each year level from Year 7 to Year 10. While no teams were placed in the top three in a year level, the St Peter’s Year 10 team (Ted Nelson, Saskia Smith, Jaydyn Keating and Nicola Bartels) were placed 4th and the St Peter’s Year 7 team (Luca Metzler, Ethan Hickey, Harry Shaw and Daniel Kovarski) gained 7th= . All the students who participated enjoyed the experience and thanks to staff and parents who went and supported these students. Carolyn Hunter, HELA Mathematics & Statistics    Welcome back to Term Four and, dare I say, the lead up to Christmas and the holiday season.
After a week of practice exams, our Year 11 – 13 students are ready to tidy up any gaps in knowledge and understanding and prepare themselves for the external NCEA exams that begin on November 7th. Our Year 10 students have been at the ‘Real Game’ this week, preparing for the financial realities of careers and life after school. Thank you to the staff who organised these three days. Meanwhile, a group of staff worked alongside an IT ‘trainer’ to put together a collaborative, integrated programme for the Year 10’s which will be delivered at the end of the term. There is never a dull moment! There are two important events coming up that I would like to tell you about. Firstly, the PTFA have been planning their major fundraiser for the year – a Car Boot and Bake Sale on Sunday, 4th November. This will include House stalls in the Hall and House points will be up for grabs. Please check your emails and talk to your child about what they have been requested to contribute. Every House is asking for baking to sell on the day, along with contributions towards raffle prizes. Please keep a watchful eye on the school app and emails sent home so you will know how to support your child’s House in this fundraiser competition. Secondly, please consider coming along to the Board of Trustees’ Consultation Evening on Wednesday, 7th November. It is time to look hard at our strategic direction. The educational landscape is changing, as is the world of work, and we are conscious that a traditional curriculum and structure may need some change. We would love to hear your thoughts and input as we aim to look forward to the next ten years at St Peter’s College. You will find more information about this session in the newsletter. This week we welcomed Mr Cameron Winsloe who has joined our staff for the next twelve months, while he takes on the PE role left vacant by Mrs Janelle Conlan, who is on parental leave. We congratulate Janelle and Carl on the birth of their wee boy, Ethan, during the holidays. During Janelle’s leave, Mr Ronny Kotkamp will be the Acting HELA PE and Health. Another new member in the PE office is Mr Daniel Wards, who is the new Sports’ Coordinator. Daniel has recently been working in a similar role elsewhere, and brings with him skills in personal training, physical education and coaching. Congratulations to our Year 8 Debating Team who won their debate against Fiordland College this week. Congratulations Rachael Miller, who was awarded Best Speaker. We look forward to watching their progress as they continue to the next stage of this competition. Read more about the team’s win further in this newsletter. We are lucky to have a supportive PTFA that funds the cost of our ‘speaker breakfasts’. In the next couple of weeks all boys, along with fathers and grandfathers, are invited to share breakfast together in the Rosmini House Dining Room and hear Jason McKenzie (recently appointed to accompany the Youth Olympics Team to Buenos Aires) share his wisdom with our boys. We are also fortunate to have international lawyer, Dr Lynne McKenzie, join our girls for breakfast. Mums and grandmothers are most welcome to join us to hear about Lynne’s work around the world. This Sunday is World Mission Day. Pope Francis’ message for this day is “Together with young people, let us bring the Gospel to all”. Pope Francis goes on to say that, “The Church, by proclaiming what she freely received (cf. Mt 10:8; Acts 3:6), can share with young people the way and truth which give meaning to our life on this earth. Jesus Christ, who died and rose for us, appeals to our freedom and challenges us to seek, discover and proclaim this message of truth and fulfilment.” This Sunday is an opportune time to consider what our real mission is in life and how we are bringing our children closer to the presence of God. Have a lovely long weekend, and make sure you put some of the above dates on your calendars! I look forward to seeing you soon. Kate Nicholson |
