Principals Comments 4.11.22

Kia ora e te whanau

So now we move into that time of the school year where our farewells begin. Farewells are an important ritual of any community and yesterday we began with our Year 13 leavers Mass. A lovely celebration led by Fr Aidan Cunningham at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament. Our Year 13 families have invested seven years of loyalty, commitment and dedication to their child’s education here at St Peter’s College and we thank you for sharing in this educational journey with us. We hope you can join us for the year 13 leavers dinner later in the year on Friday the 2nd of December.

The school year however is far from over and we have senior examinations, junior classes, camps, tramps, athletics, tournaments and orientation days for new students coming up. Plenty of activities and learning opportunities to focus on and keep busy with. It can be a time where young people begin to feel tired and restless when more than ever they need courage and resilience.

• As a school, we aim to provide routines that are stable, which enables students to handle whatever is in front of them.

• As a school, we provide expectations of appropriate behaviour to achieve academically.

• As a school, we provide encouragement to all students to keep going despite all the pressures of modern life.

Today is Gumboot Friday where we raise awareness for the mental health of young people and all donated money goes towards free counselling for them. A wonderful initiative to support when statistics show us that 1 in 5 teenagers is struggling with their mental health.

Tonight at 6pm we have the PTFA Hole in One Helicopter drop on the school field. Thank you for supporting this event by either selling - or buying some tickets. All proceeds are going towards the refurbishment of the Susan Horrell Memorial courts. Without our Parents, Teachers and Friends Association this event would not be possible and I would like to recognise our amazing volunteers: Mrs Justine Abernethy, Mrs Lisa Boult-O’Neill, Mrs Kate Bratschi, Mrs Dione Grant, Mrs Sharon Miller, Mrs Julie Chisholm and our forever energetic staff representative, Mrs Liza Wilson. We would love to have more members so if you are interested in joining please let me know.

Lastly, I am delighted to announce that Mrs Julie Watkins will be Acting Deputy Principal of pastoral care for 2023. Mr Darren Jack has been awarded a study leave grant for next year, so we congratulate them both on these new pathways in their careers. Mrs Julie Watkins has been a long serving member of our staff as Year 7 Dean, and we look forward to working with her on our senior leadership team. Her pastoral experience and top-notch organisational skills will be excellent for St Peter’s College.

Charity Fulfils the Law


Tara Quinney,
Principal