Tena koutou katoa

Congratulations to those students in year 7-10 that traveled away to the first annual Catholic schools tournament in Dunedin.  Winning this tournament was a very proud moment for all students involved and an achievement we should be proud of as a community. This inaugural tournament was a fabulous event that has exceeded expectations. I could not have been prouder of the students and the way they represented themselves.  One of the key ideas behind the event has been to foster links between students from the four Catholic schools of the Dunedin Diocese.   It was really pleasing to see our students mixing with students from other schools between games while maintaining their competitive spirit on the field or court.  I was particularly proud of the determination shown by our teams while at the same time demonstrating the best aspects of fair play. 

Our Panache Choir and the Verdon Swingers have been working hard in preparation for upcoming competitions and the cultural exchange with Dunstan High School.  The choir performed at Assembly this week.  Their outstanding performance was extremely motivating and a fine example that we can achieve excellence through hard work and dedication. We wish the Panache Choir and the Verdon Swingers all the best as they prepare for the Big Sing Competition. Thank you to Alan Menzies and Di Lenihan for their continued  hard work and dedication to this group.

Preparation for our College's participation at the Polyfest is underway.  The College is proud to support this event and we are pleased  with the large number of students who have involved themselves in this group.  I am proud that we have many students with a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds involved.  I have also been impressed by the leadership of our senior Pacifica and Maori students that are working with the staff of the College to organise preparations for this event.  Their leadership and hard work is very much appreciated and we look forward to seeing the final performances at this year’s Polyfest.

Our teacher only day, held last Friday, was a very positive day.   It was great to be able to get together as a staff to talk about how we continue to develop what we are doing so that we can deliver the best possible outcomes for students and the families of our community.  We thank the community for your continued support and look forward to sharing our development with parents and students alike.

God Bless

Jarlath Kelly