Tena koe

Nga mihi nui kia koutou (Greetings to everyone)

As we bring Te Wiki o te Maori (Maori Language Week) to a close, I reflect upon how far we have come as a school in terms of our knowledge and association with our cultural heritage. This week as I'm out and about around the school, I find senior students teaching juniors a new waiata - without the instruction of staff - because they are excited and passionate about things Maori within the school. Some of these same students also led a 50 strong Kapa Haka group who performed at the Polyfest celebration in Invercargill recently, and in doing so stunned the audience with a Fijian Haka and a Fijian hymn that was later used as a backing track and advertisement for all the schools in Southland who took part. I also had the privilege of sitting in on an excited group of Filipino students who have great plans for the start of 2020 and passing on some of their precious cultural heritage to other students in the school. We are so blessed to have the diverse cultural community we have at St Peter's and I congratulate all of those students and their families who have taken such a large role in promoting this here at school. Kia ora whanau, tino pai.

Other things happening this week have been our annual Year 10 'Real Game' days where students spend time working on their strengths and learning possible future directions after school. Mr Sanson leads this and it is run off site. It sounds like it has been another huge success this year, so well done everyone. 
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Lastly, don't forget to pick up your tickets now for the our very own production 'High School Musical' showing on the last Thursday and Friday of term, at the SBS St James Theatre. Having walked past the many late night rehearsals in the gym this week, I can assure you we are in for a real treat, so don't miss out!
Kia Manaaki atua koutou (may God bless you)
 
 
 
Darren Jack
Acting Principal
 

Next week we host Year 10’s on The Real Game programme at the Croydon Heartland Hotel.  Emails have been sent to parents, and students are aware they must bring a water bottle, lunch on the first day and tidy mufti may be worn.  This is a great programme for preparing the juniors to select study options for next year and they gain great knowledge on careers they are interested in.
Holiday course enrolments for Years 12 and 13 are being taken for the October holidays.  Defensive Driving is a great course and open to those on a learner's license.  Liquor License qualification (LCQ) is a handy certificate to have for those planning on part time work and delivers five Level 4 credits. 
These courses have minimum number requirements, so please get your enrolment in today. 
They can be emailed to gateway@stpetersgore.school.nz.
Joy Delahunt
Gateway Co-Ordinator/Careers Administration
 
 
                                                                                        
 

Deep Cove
Written by Tegan Haywood 8KS
 
On Wednesday, 28th of August, 8KS embarked on the trip of a lifetime into the beautiful Fiordland bush. Once we arrived at Deep Cove we went into the hostel and met Billy the Hostel Manager and had a quick safety briefing. Then the fun began! We left on our first walk to the stunning Helena Falls. We walked through muddy creeks and sludgy grass, but it was worth it for the beautiful waterfall at the end. When we got back to the hostel, we had some down time to play cards and stack cups which got very competitive. Everyone calmed down in time for dinner which was yummy devilled sausages. For dessert we created ‘Regeneration Cakes’ where we were put in a group given a set of instructions a plate of toppings and had to try make the cake look like a regenerated forest. They all looked very good, but my group (Maegan, Dana, Connor, Lily and Mya) won the bag of gummy worms. We went on a night walk where we saw the shiny glow worms (there were tons), it was awesome! When we came back, we had to go to bed. There was thunder and rain all night.
When we woke up we were meant to walk up to Hanging Valley, but it had rained so much instead we watched a documentary about seals. Later that day we were given the opportunity to go to Hanging Valley as the weather cleared up. The group who went to  Hanging Valley went fishing first and Ellie caught a baby shark! The group who didn’t walk to Hanging Valley tried their luck with the confidence course. Hanging Valley was the longest and steepest of all the walks but the view at the top was breathtaking. It was my favourite walk. When we got back, we looked at plankton which Taleigha, the Real Journeys nature guide collected while we were out fishing. She also taught us more about glowworms when we wondered the Brasell Point nature walk.
On the third day we were lucky enough to hop aboard the Fiordland Navigator for a cruise out on the Sound. The view from the boat was phenomenal the sparkling water and the gushing waterfalls were magnificent. We had a lot of fun playing cards and some board games that they had on the boat. When we got off the boat we went for the old doubtful walk and did more fishing. The final night was a night of entertainment. We had a camp concert there were tons of fantastic acts, skits, songs, talent shows and lots more.  It was definitely a laugh!
The next morning, we bid farewell to Deep Cove and all the people there, then we hopped on the bus and went back home!
A huge thank you to ….... all the parent helpers; Jayne, Gavin, Dana, Mike and Shaun, Billy the Hostel Manager, Mr Kotkamp and all the people at Real Journeys who made this trip possible!
 

Article published in the Otago Daily Times

Grace Turipa (DOB: 22.11.2001)
The performing arts have helped Grace Turipa to express herself and her Maori identity.
Her hope for the future is to help other young Maori young people do the same.
The 17-year-old says her passion for the performing arts comes from her family. Through her father, a musician, she was exposed to music from an early age.
She has danced since she was five, and music and dance have led to a deep interest in theatre and other kinds of performing, like public speaking.
``Performing is a kind of therapy for me, it's a way to express myself in a way that just having a conversation couldn't do.
``It helps me make sense of what's going on in my head, and help release those emotions.''
Because her other passion in life is helping others, she has chosen the performing arts as the medium for doing that.
She is involved with Camp Columba, a performing arts holiday programme in Pukerau for primary school-aged children.
Grace says she has yet to decide whether to attend university in Wellington or Dunedin, but wants to do a double degree in psychology and performing arts.
After she graduates, she wants to develop a support programme for Maori youth to help them ``find their identity, and to encourage them and uplift them''.
``I find very often, within my own community and most definitely in others, that Maori youth are often not given much opportunity to prove themselves, or to make the best of their opportunities.
``My goal is to help them do that through performing _ music, dance and drama.''
Achievements: Lead role of Gabriella in school production of High School Musical (2019), lead role of Dragon in Gore Musical Theatre's Shrek Jr (2018); Otago Southland Theatre Awards nominee for performance as Dragon; Gore Musical Theatre's Best of Broadway
cast member (2013) and Peter Pan Jr cast member (2014); winner of  prepared speech section and was second overall in the Manu Korero Maori speech competition, for Southland and Otago, in June; 2018 Junior Outstanding Youth Award at the Gore Youth Awards;
First in Senior Scripture for sight reading and psalm reading for Bishops Shield Competition (2018); leadership role in To Hato Petera Kapa Haka group; Intermediate Eisteddfod School Champion (2015); Senior Eisteddfod School Champion (2017-2018); Grade Seven
Hip-Hop achieved with Honours (2017); Achieved ANZCA Practical Piano examinations Grade Two and Three with Distinction (2017).
Academic _ NCEA Level One and Two with Excellence Endorsed; Level One subject endorsements with Excellence, Religious Education and English; Subject endorsements with merit, Science and History; Level Two subject endorsements with excellence, Religious
Education and Photography; Subject endorsements with merit, Performing Arts and English.
Role models: Her mother.
Hopes for the future: Develop a performing arts-based support programme for Maori youth.

Thomas McKenzie (DOB 7.1.2001)
Thomas McKenzie loves sport for its physicality and the social connections it forges.
``You get to meet new people, and I thrive off the making of a team.''
In his favourite sport of rugby, a typical squad of 23 boys means he gets to make a lot of new friends.
The 18-year-old says sport is big in his family. One of three boys, his older and younger brothers are also keen sportsmen.
``It's always been the norm in my family to be playing rugby or some other sport, so I just went along with that.
``Playing with them is pretty good fun.''
However, as well as the sheer enjoyment, sport has helped him in other parts of his life, helping him develop self-discipline and emotional and mental resilience.
``I really like training and going to the gym. It keeps me level, calms me down and gives me time by myself.
``Sport puts you under pressure for an extended time, so learning to live with that is a big thing for me.''
Whether it is preparing for a big game, or a trialling for a representative team, he has become better at ``keeping my emotions in check''.
``I can apply that to going into an exam _ using the same techniques to keep myself level-headed.''
His main goals for the rest of the year are to make the Southland Under-18 rugby team and complete his NCEA Level 3 qualifications.
Next year, he plans to study for a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Otago.
He then intends to get a teaching degree so he can become a high school teacher.
Achievements: Rugby and rugby league _ 2017 - St Peter's 1st XV, Southland Under-16 rugby team; St Peter's Condors Sevens team member; 2018: St Peter's 1st XV; Southland Rugby Academy member; Highlanders Under-18 reserve team member; St Peter's Condors
Sevens Team; Cowboys rugby league Under-18 team (captain); Southland Under-17 Rams rugby league team (captain); South Island Scorpions Under-17 rugby league team member and Coaches' Player of the Year; 2019: St Peter's 1st XV (captain); Bula Bros Southland
Sevens team member; New Zealand rugby league Under-18 wider squad member; Southland Rams Under-19 rugby league team member.
Athletics _ St Peter's College athletics champion 2013-2019; record holder for Under-15 3000m and 1500m and Under-16 3000m; cross country champion years 7-10.
Academic _ First in Physical Education Years 7-10; First in Religious Education Year 12; First in Commerce Year 11; Academic Blues Award 2018-2019.
Cultural _ 2019: Gore Youth Awards nomination (diversity and inclusion); supporting Fijian international students at St Peter's College; Boys Outreach Programme leader; 2019 Principal's Award for compassion.
Role models: His parents.
Hopes for the future: To become a high school teacher, while seeing how far he can go in rugby.

Tena koutou whanau and a very good afternoon

Well it has been a very busy week for students and staff alike with Tournament week for the seniors students taking place in Dunedin, Cromwell, Nelson, Invercargill and Ashburton.  Some photos have trickled back from staff away but a full round up of results will be in next weeks newsletter. I was very luck to see the girls hockey in action against Buller in Cromwell on Wednesday and was amazed with the skills on display, well done everyone. 

As well as the Sports Tournaments, our Year 8 students have had their Deep Cove camp this past week and it was yet another amazing experience in one of the most beautiful and remote areas of New Zealand. The students gain not only experience of this wonderful setting but also learn how to work with, encourage and support each other. The two camps were again led by our very capable Ronnie Kotkamp, ably supported by fellow teachers Amanda Kotkamp and Kate Sinclair.  A big thank you to all the parents who came along and supported their children and provided yet another amazing opportunity for the students of St Peter’s.

Year 7 and 8 Student Led Conferencing also took place this week and we congratulate the students who take such a leading role in describing their learning to their parents. Thank you also to all the parents/guardians who came in and contributed -  your support  in this has a huge pay off for the learning of your children and as a school we do appreciate having you in the school for these important conversations. 

I had the privileged of attending the Class Act Award ceremony yesterday in Dunedin. Awards were presented by our very own Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and what a huge honor it was to attend with family and  see Grace Turipa and Tom McKenzie walk across the stage and represent St Peter's with such a distinguished group of young people. These Awards are given for students who display excellence in any field, so congratulations to you both.
With so few school days left in the year for the seniors, the next few weeks will go by very quickly. With this in mind and as people come back from tournament and back to normal timetables, I would encourage students to work hard and make the most of the learning time remaining.

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Nga Mihi Nui, God Bless

Darren Jack
Acting Principal
 

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