Comments from the Principal

Kia ora tatou

Thank You
A few things have happened lately in curricular and extra-curricular events where the generosity of our parent and wider community has been very evident. Community and commitment are two of our core gospel values at St Peter’s and, time and time again, these values are lived on a daily basis by our parent community and we are very fortunate to be the recipients.  From PTFA involvement to netball and rugby coaching to driving vans for sports events to following through worthwhile fundraising options, we are incredibly grateful to our parent community and whanau who are generous with time, energy and resources to continue to support our wonderful college.  This is not new of course, with parents and parishioners raising the money to build St Peter’s College in the 1960’s. There were certainly no government funding mechanisms in those days and the enormity of seeing that project through to fruition is still hard to imagine. Thank you to everyone who contributes to our successes – your generosity is truly appreciated.

Teacher Only Day
Next Friday, June 1, is a Teacher Only Day. I hope that, as families, you might have the opportunity for a mid-winter break and make the most of a four-day weekend with your children. At school on Friday, our staff have a training day with a provider who is coming to train us in a new appraisal system. We are also looking forward to having a change of pace that day.
Of course, Friday is the beginning of NZ Gold Guitars competition. As always, we have a number of students involved in this competition. There are many, great skills learned through the performing arts, and we wish you all the best for your performances next weekend.

ATLs and Year 7 & 8 Conferencing
Please remember to check your child’s ATL grades and comments every fortnight on the parent portal. It is easy to get there through the Parent Dashboard ‘button’ on the website now, or use the portal button on the school app. If you have any concerns or questions about the reports that you receive, please contact your child’s teacher. We want you to use the home-school partnership to the fullest because it will benefit your child’s learning. We look forward to seeing our year 7 & 8 students and their parents in school next week for their homeroom conferencing sessions.

Looking for another Ray
Our property manager, Ray Shanks, is away overseas during Term Three. Before we advertise further afield, I know there may be someone in our wider school community who may be interested in a few weeks work at this time of the year. Hours and duties are negotiable. Please let us know if you or someone you know might be interested in this opportunity.
Thanks to everyone who came along last Friday night to the Rugby Quiz. It was a great way to end the week and there was a significant amount of money made to support rugby in the school. A big thank you to the parents, students and staff who worked on the night to make it a successful evening.

Staff Changes
We will be sad to say goodbye to Talia Andrews, our Executive Officer, at the end of next week. Talia has been with us since 2011 and we have truly enjoyed her immaculate and thorough systems and processes along with her wonderful sense of fun. Talia has accepted a new position at Women’s Refuge and will be training in Social Work, and we wish her all the very best for this new and very important direction.
Kate Pavitt begins maternity leave on Friday too. Kate and her partner Simon McGowan, are expecting their first child and we wish them many blessings at this exciting and very special time of their lives. As a result of Kate’s leave, there will be some staffing changes for Kate’s English classes. Parents of these students will be emailed next week with details of any change affecting them.
Finally, we also farewell Boarding Manager, Tim Chatfield, who has been in this role since 2015. We thank Tim for all his work at Rosmini House and wish him well in his new job working for the New Zealand arm of the Camp America programme. 

As the days get shorter and the weather colder, let us reflect on the unique experiences that winter can bring – inside family time, winter sports, meals with family and friends, and of course the upcoming ski season! We are fortunate to live in a climate where the seasons give us opportunities to fully experience life.
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God of creation, thank you for the beauty of winter - for snow, icy window panes, evergreen trees, warm coats, skiing and sledding, and hot food and drink. Let us enjoy Your creation in all its glory, this winter and always.  Amen

Warm regards,

Kate Nicholson - Principal
 
(Please note - there won’t be a newsletter next week due to teacher only day)