Principals Comments 21.10.22

Kia ora e te whanau

Term 4 has started off with a bang with our annual Eisteddfod competition. Three days of showcasing the amazing cultural talent St Peter’s College students have to offer. Just like Athletics day, it is an opportunity for students to compete, do their best, try new things and support others. If drama, singing, dancing, speech making, scripture reading, and other performances are not your forte it is still a fantastic opportunity to encourage and support your peers or go out of your comfort zone and give something new a go. Our mission is to lay the foundation for educating the whole person in creating lives that have meaning and develop creative lifelong learners who are challenged to reach their personal and academic potential in a supportive and warm environment in accordance with the values of Jesus Christ and Catholic tradition. If you let your children choose to stay home this week without a medical reason then we failed in our mission this week and you failed in your commitment to it when you enrolled your child at St Peter’s College.

We do hope that as a community we can come together to support the amazing students who have been chosen to perform at the Eisteddfod concert at the St James Theatre on Tuesday the 25th of October at 7pm. Tickets are on sale until 12pm on Tuesday through iTicket and the link is in this newsletter below.

Another exciting event we have coming up is the PTFA fundraiser, the Hole in Won helicopter golf ball drop coming up on Friday the 4th of November starting at 6pm out on the school field. We will have some food stalls and entertainment along with the big golf ball drop. We hope you have been able to sell as many tickets as possible and that you will also come along! Proceeds from this fundraiser are going toward the refurbishment of the Susan Horrell Memorial tennis courts. Susan was a student here and the daughter of Claire and Bill Horrell who were a foundation family. Susan was tragically killed in 1975 in a motor accident. The Horrell family were a very sporty family and involved in many areas of school life and all of their children were Southland Doubles champions in Tennis. Claire was also a longstanding member of the St Peter’s College PTFA. We would now like to bring these courts back up to 21st century standard so they are fit for purpose for our students today and for the whole community to share.

Sadly, we recognise and keep in our prayers a past pupil, Tristan McQueen who tragically died in a motor accident recently. Tristan attended St Peter’s College in his Intermediate years and then went on to finish his schooling at Gore High School. Private McQueen joined the army and had a young family when he passed. We pray for the entire McQueen and Wilson families and the army community as they celebrate his life today at the Gore RSA.

Term 4 is going to continue to be super busy as we try to cram many activities and events in, alongside the senior NZQA examinations, in 8 weeks! We constantly encourage our students to be engaged and involved in the many opportunities available at the College. However, it is also important that we support our young people in finding a balance between their academic, co-curricular, family, community and social commitments. One way we can support our young people is by encouraging them to reflect on what has worked well so far this year and what hasn’t, and look at reasons why. By reflecting and discussing the highs and lows over the last year, there are opportunities to learn and develop strategies, which, can then be put into practice as our students prepare for Term 4.

​I challenge our students over the next eight weeks to find a balance between rest and recuperation, and preparation and self-improvement. Yes, our students need to have a break, but they also need to ensure that each day they are doing at least 30 minutes of physical activity, at least 30 minutes of reading, and unplugging from devices at least 30 minutes before bed to ensure they come to school each day reinvigorated, refreshed and ready to make the most of the continuing opportunities the College has to offer.


Charity Fulfils the Law


Tara Quinney,
Principal