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The 2020 PBL Exhibition The Exhibition of the learning undertaken by our year 8 – 10 students this year was certainly worth celebrating! Congratulations to all of our young people for what they have done this year in their self-directed learning – you have all been great examples of learner agency at St Peter’s. PBL Awards list by category Compassion Sophie Aynsley for working with young children who face barriers to their reading because of dyslexia. Quinn Young & Koen Thomas for projects which have always been about helping others, being selfless with your time and supporting each other throughout. You should be very proud of your impact on Orientation Day on Wednesday. Charlotte Anderson, Lauren Stevenson and Shiya Roger for working to help young people at Starship Hospital. Rachael Miller and Jenna Ward for working with members of our community to help fill a need for warm, quality clothing for new babies. Community Blake Dassen and Murphy Davis for organising and motivating yourselves and each other and working diligently each week to help a community group who impact so many others. We know RDA have really appreciated your efforts. Georgie Crowley and Bonnie Miller for seeking to improve awareness of cultural diversity and prevent casual racism and microaggressions. Gunha Park for seeking to develop a sense of welcome and belonging to St Peter’s College. Mikee Omega and Shalvi Permal for their introduction of an annual SPC cultural day and making us all aware of the diversity of cultures we have at St Peter’s College. Georgia Cockburn and Makayla Taylor for identifying a relevant issue for our Year 7 students addressing this. You will have affected many of our future students and made their transition to Year 7 easier. Commitment Marielle Penus and Shanae Allen for commitment to intellectual rigour and sticking to their project despite philosophical differences. Chloe Taylor for never giving up and consistent focus. Luke Fowler for consistent application of feedback. Liana Abuel, Cassie Juanitas and Georjah Pulley for self-management and commitment to completing the project to the highest standard. Communication Molly Cook and Grace Milliken for your ability to communicate with adults in a professional setting and constantly adapting to the setting and purpose. Mya Tutty and Emma Shanks for significant improvement in electronic and verbal communication. Robert Ege and Phoenix Marshall for sharing a range of news and events in the St Peter’s College community. James Mackereth for communicating with his audience in a flexible, innovative way. Resilience Lauryn Pinckney for consistently overcoming a range of difficulties at every stage of her project. Critical Thinking Maddie Cockburn and Bree Dinan for working with members of the community to develop a plan for a business which would fill a need in the community. Problem Solving Mikayla McRae and Layla Connorton for perseverance and problem-solving skills around publishing a book. Creativity Ava Wiegersma Talia Moody and Gemma McAtamney Anna Aynsley and Shelby Phillipson Dada Chantaraviroj and Bronte Mackereth Luca Metzler Enhancing Human Dignity Isabella Gordon-Glassford and Rebecca McBeath for improving accessibility in the community by learning and teaching NZSL. Common good Campbell Butler, Jacob Hayward-Waddell and George Hedley for recycling materials and encouraging healthy eating. Molly Haisman and Lucy Morrison for identifying a serious and relevant issue and working to educate our community. Your impact could be as real as saving a life! Anouk Collins and Hannah McKee for your many projects which have been totally selfless. You worked diligently on your projects to genuinely help others in our community. Stewardship and sustainability Anneshka Sneddon, Ryan Fitchett and Depp Chantaraviroj for performing important rubbish audits. Taine Donnelly and Luke Shallard for developing a solar heater. Alexine Rivas, Batt Otharvorn and Ethan Friend for seeking ways to educate people about pesticide use. Jude Ballantyne and Kynan Marsh for scientific research and the development of an innovative way to recycle plastic. Leadership Ben de Jong for leading his peers and younger students in a sporting discipline. Design thinking James Balacuit and Dan Nelson for creating resources for younger learners in our community. Aidan Sheddan for designing alternative humane devices for Police use. Design thinking and Perseverance Daniel Kovarski and Lachlan Dixon for persevering with an animation project designed to benefit the Gore district . Service to School Ben Fitchett for restoring the Southland topographical map in the school office. Self-Awareness and Development Awarded to Anneshka Sneddon for acting on her learning from last year to work collaboratively this year. Overall best example of the PBL process and purpose – Grace Milliken and Molly Cook. You have identified an issue and researched this to back up your thoughts. You have conducted your own research into designs and layouts. You independently communicated with the relevant professionals and initiated a meeting to discuss possible changes. You have thoroughly documented your research, your findings, your reflections and planning throughout. You will most likely have an impact and see your change in action in our school next year. Well done!
The Rock Magazine
If you haven’t ordered our end of year magazine ‘The Rock’, please contact the school office to order this now. Career Pathways Department
With summer coming and the chance to earn money over the extended break, students are encouraged to head to the Career Pathways Facebook page: www.facebook.com/StPetersCollegeCareerPathways/ On here we post full time jobs, summer jobs and apprenticeships. This week we have had enquiries from employers regarding · Trainee fabricators leading to apprenticeships · Summer Crutching jobs · Mataura Valley Milk positions leading to apprenticeships Now is also a good time to check out MoneyHub. They have a great guide for summer jobs for tertiary bound students and you can find it here: https://www.moneyhub.co.nz/student-jobs.html Borland Camp - 10-13th November On the 10th of November, the three year 10 classes of 2020 travelled to Borland Lodge to experience new learning opportunities outside of the classroom and can I say it was AWESOME. This camp went for four days and three nights and everyday we had to push and challenge ourselves, work together and overcome our fears. Here we got to embrace our surroundings of nature and wildlife, making us think about how lucky we were to be in such a beautiful country. Every activity we did, from caving and bush bashing to clay bird shooting and archery, was action packed and extremely fun. This camp taught and helped us develop many skills that we are sure to use in the future. I personally really enjoyed the overnight tramp to Green Lake. We were very lucky to have such incredible weather making the tramp more enjoyable. Our camp was such an amazing experience and we would like to give a massive thank you to Mr Kotkamp for organising and putting a lot of effort into this trip and to all the parents and teacher helpers. Also, a big thanks to Mrs. Popplewell for the incredible meals. Without everyone this enjoyable experience wouldn’t have gone ahead, and I am sure that all the Year 10 students will have great memories of the Borland Lodge camp. Fraser Wilson, 10SS
PBL Exhibition 2020 – Thursday 26th November 5.30pm – 7.30pm
Originally scheduled for July this year, we are finally able to hold our PBL Exhibition for 2020. Like so many other things – the Ball, Bishop’s Shield, and the Quad Tournament - the second iteration of Project Based Learning experienced significant disruption with the advent of the Covid 19 pandemic. This coming Thursday our students will showcase their learning from the year at the Exhibition in our School Hall, between 5.30pm and 7.30pm. While many students may have finished items on display and others not, they will all be able to show and explain their learning journey this year. What a range of learning there has been! One group has learned and then taught basic New Zealand Sign Language, one of our official languages, while another has developed resources and strategies to help students with dyslexia improve their reading abilities. Projects such as these as well as several involving sports have seen St Peter’s students collaborating with staff and students from local primary schools such as St Mary’s, Gore Main and East Gore. One group has been focused at West Gore school working with staff and students in the area of Play Based Learning. For some, the focus has been at St Peter’s. One group has prepared and presented a business plan to the Board of Trustees for the installation of solar panels to alleviate our reliance on coal, while another has been conducting rubbish audits to help the school consider the impact of rubbish generated on the environment. There are many more projects, each demonstrating an aspect of Catholic Social Teaching such as Common Good, Respect for Human Dignity, Stewardship and Participation. Our young people have learned and shared much and demonstrated Compassion, Community and Commitment as they have developed projects that seek to feed the hungry, clothe those in need, welcome the stranger and remove barriers for those who face difficulties because of disabilities, illness, poverty and homelessness. Several projects celebrate the diversity of our student population and the population of Gore through food, language and culture. Do you know what a racist microaggression is? You can learn more about this on Thursday night. Science, Engineering and Technology feature strongly too, with research projects into the best way to recycle plastic and fabric, prove the effects of pesticides used on plants, the construction of a solar heater, the development of animation skills and the building of a range of children’s toys. You are very welcome to come and find out more about these projects and so many more next Thursday. At 6.45pm the Awards Ceremony will be held during which we will acknowledge a range of skills and values demonstrated by the students. At this time we will also announce the winners of this year’s St Peter’s College Wearable Arts Competition which we were unable to hold during the normal time of the Eisteddfod – another Covid casualty! The final award of the night will be the project that you will be able to vote for to receive the People’s Choice Award. So, after a terribly disrupted year, we are almost there and we look forward to seeing you all at this celebration of our young people’s learning!! Bridget Ryan DP Teaching and Learning Uniform Shop
Due to low stock numbers, we are unable to provide uniform items for the rest of 2020 unless absolutely urgent. The uniform shop will still be open on a Wednesday from 12-1.30pm for urgent items and to order for 2021. Year 12 Retreat 2020
On the 5th of November the Year 12 students ventured to the Church of the Blessed Sacrament, for our Year 12 retreat. We attended a morning mass with Father Damian, and then found out what was in store for the rest of the day. We then were split into groups of four and had to help someone or a local organisation in our community for service leadership. This saw people clean the church, clean windows at the Hospice shop or visit kindergartens or pick up rubbish for the Gore District Council. After three hours of helping our community we gathered back at the Church and reflected on the good things we had done. This brought our year group closer and showed us that as next years leaders we must work together and lend a hand to people who generally wouldn’t ask. I would like to thank Mr Terry, Mr Jack and Mrs Quinney for organising a great day for all of us Year 12 students. Lucy Wilson, Year 12 The Years 13 and 7 Peer Support Day at Dolamore Park
The Years 13 and 7 peer support day was full of lots of different, unique, and fun activities that all of the Year 7’s will never forget. One of the activities was based on army training and we went in the bush, ran and played “Simon Says” in the creek. Before we did the running, we had to put stripes of mud on our face like how hunters put green face paint on before they hunt. We ran about a quarter of the way through the bush and then sprinted back to the park to then go into the creek. In another activity we put on blindfolds and walked through the creek to go and feel different items. The items were porridge, mossy grass and a yabby with water and stones. While getting there we had to walk through the creek, duck under branches and climb slopes. During the Scavenger Hunt we were trying to find clues and were lead on a giant goose chase all around Dolamore Park. The Year 13’s split us up into boys vs girls to have dance off. We spent about half an hour practicing for the big show, to everyone's surprise the boys in 7JB won. One of our favourite activities was the giant water slide. We enjoyed the fast pace and the way we could all go down together. We ended the day with a Tug of War. All the different classes were fighting over possession of the rope and 7KP came out the victors. The last pull was against the Year 13’s vs the Year 7’s and surprisingly the juniors won. It may have been because of the numbers, but a win is a win. We would like to thank the Year 13’s for pulling off this special day with just two days of preparation. It was truly awesome. We wish them well in their future and their future careers. Andrei Morus and Coen Breen, Year 7  Rotary Young Achievers
We are very proud of Emma McGregor, Ashton Hansen and Penny Nicholson who received the Rotary Young Achiever Award this year. Emma McGregor Emma McGregor is a talented student who displays a high degree of determination to achieve her goals and embraces all our college has to offer. Emma is focused on her studies and in 2019 received first class placings in Foods and Textiles Technology, Maori, Science, Social Studies and Art. She received a Diligence Award for her outstanding efforts and gained the honour of being named the Top Scholar for Year Seven. Culturally, Emma competes with enthusiasm in our Annual Eisteddfod competition. This year was no exception. She gained first place in Prepared Speech, Impromptu Speech, Scripture and Poetry and second place in Duet Singing. Not surprisingly, she became the Junior Eisteddfod Champion for 2020. In her spare time, Emma learns guitar and piano and is awaiting the results for her Level Four Contemporary Dance exam. She gained honours in her speech exam and won best overall Bass Guitar player for Gore Out of School Music. She certainly makes the most of any opportunities presented to her and last year was a thespian in the St Peter’s College school production of High School Musical. What we most value in Emma is the way she gives back to the community. She has raised considerable amounts of money for the 40 Hour Famine for World Vision in recent years, is heavily involved in her local church youth group, sponsors a child from Kenya and this year volunteered for Farmy Army to help clear fences after the floods. This is quite a list for someone so young. Emma also gives back to our school community and for the past two years was nominated by her peers to represent their year group on the School Council. Recently, St Peter’s College held a Cultural Day where students gained valuable insight into different cultures. Emma took up the challenge of learning a Bollywood dance to Hindi music almost overnight. It is this type of commitment and commitment to our community that Emma epitomises in her daily school life here at St Peter’s College. Emma is a very committed and outstanding young lady living out the school values here at St Peter’s College. We are delighted to recognise Emma as a Rotary Young Achiever for 2020. Ashton Hansen Ashton is a young man with considerable sporting ability. Natural talent combined with fierce determination has seen Ashton rise to the top. Squash is perhaps the sporting code where Ashton has excelled the most. In both 2019 and 2020, Ashton was selected in the New Zealand Junior Development Squad. He was placed fourth at the National Under 13 Age Group Championships, was the Southland Under 13 Champion and the Runner-Up at the South Island Championships. This year he wanted to do one better. In 2020 he was the South Island Under 13 Champion, Runner-Up at the North Island Championships and was selected in the New Zealand Trans-Tasman Team to play against Australia. He enjoys challenging himself by playing against older players and was placed seventh at the Under 15 Age Group Championships. Known for his fast bowling and hard hitting, Ashton also turns his hand to Cricket. In 2019 he was a member of the Southland Country Year 7 and 8 Cricket Team and is waiting for the team to be finalised this year. In 2019 he was named the Year 7 and 8 Cricketer of the Year at St Peter’s College. Cross Country is yet another code where Ashton competes with success. In 2019 he was the Eastern Southland Cross Country Champion but due to Covid he was unable to compete to retain his title this year. Athletics and Football have also been part of his repertoire with first and second placings at Eastern Athletics in Shotput, 800m and Discus and he was presented with the Golden Boot Award for Junior Wanderers this year with a creditable 17 goals. Commitment is one of our school values at St Peter’s College and Ashton truly lives this to the fullest. He works hard in the classroom, not surprisingly gaining a first class placing in Health and Physical Education in 2019. He is a member of the St Peter’s College SMAC Maths team. Community is another one of our values at St Peter’s and Ashton has exemplified this by clearing sandbags, helping out on local farms clearing fences after the floods, coaching younger squash players and umpiring at local tournaments. Ashton is an outstanding Young Achiever, and we are delighted to recognise him as a Rotary Young Achiever for St Peter’s College. Penny Nicholson Penny is an outgoing and enthusiastic student who uses her many talents across a number of areas. She is a cheerful and upbeat young lady and her zest for life is infectious. In her spare time, Penny can be found down at the local Citizens Tennis Club. She is an accomplished tennis player and has received a number of accolades in this sporting code. She was a member of the Southland Tennis Team in 2019 and 2020, won the Southland Primary Schools’ Tennis Tournament, qualifying for the South Island Tournament, and is a member of the Southern Team (Timaru South) which played at the Nationals in Christchurch. This year, Penny gained the prestigious Southland Eye Excellence Award for being the most consistent junior player in Southland. An excerpt from her award is worth sharing. “Penny shows great perseverance and her attitude on court is extremely fair and she remains calm under all match circumstances. She is a fabulous role model with quiet determination and respect for those around her.” Penny likes to keep active and plays a range of sports. Last year she was a member of the Eastern Collier Trophy Hockey Team and represented our province in Touch Rugby. She also plays Netball for St Peter’s College and last year was named the Most Valuable Player for the team. She even competes in triathlons and adventure races in her spare time and with this diversity it comes as no surprise that Penny gained first in Physical Education at last year’s prizegiving. Culturally, Penny fully immerses herself in all there is on offer. She was a nerd in the St Peter’s College production of High School Musical. She learns hip hop dance and this year came fourth at the Hip Hop Unite regionals. Penny is happy to give back to the community. She coaches tennis after school where the younger children are fortunate to benefit from her skill and experience and has been helping out with the ‘I love tennis’ promotion. She fundraises money to buy presents for ‘Happy to Help’ and visits West Gore to help with crafts as part of her Project Based Learning at St Peter’s College. Penny is an outstanding young lady living out our school values of commitment, community and compassion in her daily school life. We are delighted to recognise Penny as a Rotary Young Achiever for St Peter’s College. |
