Kia ora e te whanau
And just like that, our last full week of the 2023 academic year draws to an end. This week has seen the final NCEA examinations take place for our seniors, our Year 13 Leavers dinner was last night, and our junior students have been involved in a range of different activities, including sports and camps. Staff have been busy preparing for 2024 and are already looking forward to the many exciting opportunities that the new year will bring to the students of St Peter’s College. One of our exciting new initiatives is to move to a more streamlined and equitable timetable allowing us to have more consistency and longer periods of learning time with a move to one-hour periods.
Please note the check in whanau times on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday are only 15 minutes long and the Year Levels check in on Fridays is only 15 minutes long, with the main whanau time going to once a week on Wednesdays, for 45 minutes. All senior classes (Years 11-13) will have four periods a week of each subject. All junior classes (Years 7-10) will have three periods a week of each subject. With the change in literacy and numeracy achievement requirements needed to pass NCEA by the end of Year 13 through the Co-requisite nationwide assessment opportunities twice a year under online examination conditions, literacy and numeracy will be integrated across all learning areas. This means every subject area will be incorporating into their teaching and learning plans opportunities to work towards achieving the Co-requisite which will be a major goal for our Year 10 and 11 students especially.
I hope you have all familiarised yourself with our Kamar parent portal this year. This is a one stop shop to access your students ATL comments and grades alongside their attendance and academic results. Teachers have been uploading all end of year assessment "results" and these can be accessed by clicking on the Results tab and choosing “Current year results” or “All results.”
If you have not already accessed the Kamar parent portal this can be done by logging into https://stpetersgore.school.kiwi/ and using the username and password that was emailed out to you earlier this year. If you have forgotten this or never received it please email - office@stpetersgore.school.nz to request this. Students are also able to login using the parent portal or app on their phones.
Next week we will conclude the academic year with the Prizegiving evening at the Town and Country club on Wednesday, 6th December, at 7pm. Although not all students will be recognised at this Prizegiving, each and every student should be very proud of what they have achieved this year. By contributing to our wider community through the completion of service, through participation in sport and cultural events, and by making the most of learning opportunities in class, our students continue to develop the skills and attributes to be empowered through their Mercy and Rosmini education to challenge and shape their future.
The summer break is nearly here and as we head into the festivities of Christmas, not only is this a pivotal time in our Catholic calendar as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, it is also a time for each of us to stop, reflect and evaluate, to learn from our mistakes and celebrate our successes. One way we can support our young people is by encouraging them to reflect on what has worked well this year and what hasn’t and look at reasons why. There are opportunities to learn and strategies to develop which can then be put into practice as our students prepare for 2024 and another stepping stone along their personal journey.
I also challenge our students over the Christmas break to find a balance between rest and recuperation, and preparation and self-improvement. Yes, our children need 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 to enjoy time reconnecting with family and friends.
Loving God, during this holy season of Christmas we ask for your blessing on our all families.
Let Mary’s openness to your wondrous ways be an inspiration to place all trust in you.
Let Joseph’s courage provide hope during times of anxiety and uncertainty.
Let Jesus’ life ignite all families with a spirit of light and love. May the grace that encircled the Holy Family widen to embrace all families. Amen.
Charity Fulfils the Law