St Hilda’s COLLEGIATE SCHOOL

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

“ Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”

Maya Angelou

Dear Parents, Caregivers, and Friends of St Hilda’s,

How do we define success? As Albert Schweitzer stated, “Success is not the key to happiness, happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” With that thought in mind, I can only state that in a myriad of ways - for a range of girls – this term has been a success. The past weeks have been characterised by our community sharing their individual experiences and talents and giving girls the room to be themselves. Our motto this term has been, “Be You”, and we work hard to model that for our students. The first term includes many special events including Prefects’ Commissioning, Athletics’ Sports, Academic Blues, Quad Competition, Arts’ Assembly and Eucharist service. Each of these events bring together groups, and individuals, with their own unique talents. ‘Success’ looks different at each of these activities, and unique for each of the participants, and I think that is when you truly understand what diversity looks likes. One of the ways we have tried to encourage girls to be themselves and follow their own paths is through our Academic Blues’ Ceremony. Our girls have achieved excellent results in NCEA and also in other academic endeavours. It has been wonderful to be able to acknowledge that success has many faces, and we should respect and celebrate the diversity of the many talents we have within our school. 96% of students achieved Level 1 NCEA99% of students achieved Level 2 NCEA94% of students achieved Level 3 NCEA84% of students achieved University EntranceFive students achieved Scholarship in Art, Photography, and Biology.

Newsletter 1 - 12 April 2019 In This Issue

Page PagePrincipal’s Message 1 - 2 Special Character 3 Departments and Tolcarne News 3 - 7 Arts Corner 7 - 8 Sports 8 - 13 Staff 13 - 14Prefects 15 - 17 Board of Trustees 17 Community 17 - 19 Term 1 Activities 19 Love the Listening 20 2019 Term 2 Calendar and Term Dates 20

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For the first time we have broadened the criteria for an Academic Blue, to go past the NCEA results and acknowledge that there are other forums and areas of endeavour where our students have performed to a very high standard. Academic BlueHolly Bissett - Selected for the Australian National Computer Science School

Lily Chamberlain - Winner of the EDICM Speech Competition

Megan Foster - Writing published in “Re-Draft” and second in the NZATE writing competition

St Hilda’s Collegiate School AwardLily Knox – Writing selected for national publication – Toitoi

Double Blue AwardTamara Mason – Young Enterprise Scheme National Team, representing NZ in Brazil

When 165 of our students marched in the Strike4Climate march, they exhibited a different kind of commitment with a different definition of success. For the leaders there was pride in galvanising and leading their peers, having their voices heard and grabbing the attention of the adults in their lives. I was so proud of our girls, their positive commitment to change, and the energy and maturity they showed in their communications. Our boarders at Tolcarne hosted the incredibly affirming and exciting initiative of “Harry’s Hoot”, and success was defined as 400 teenagers who were well-behaved, engaged, and involved in raising money for someone less fortunate than themselves. It was a wonderfully successful night, where achievement was measured by money raised, fun had, community built and assistance given. The tragedy in Christchurch has given us all reason to pause, think, reflect on life’s blessings and give thanks for all we have. Again our girls showed maturity, compassion and tolerance in the way they supported each other and community members from different walks of life and cultural backgrounds. The Sticks ‘n Stones group holding a mufti day to celebrate our differences and raise money for the Muslim community in Christchurch was successful as the whole school contributed because working together to help others is just what we do. What a wonderful measure of success when we can acknowledge, respect and celebrate our differences. “Find out who you are and be that person. That’s what your soul was put on this Earth to be. Find that truth, live that truth and everything

else will come.”

Ellen Degeneres

Mrs Jackie BarronPrincipal

2018 NCEA Level 1 Recipients with Associate Professor Alistair Knott and Mrs Jackie Barron

2018 NCEA Level 2 Recipients with Associate Professor Alistair Knott and Mrs Jackie Barron

2018 Academic Blue Recipients (L-R) Lily Chamberlain, Holly Bissett and Megan Foster with

Associate Professor Alistair Knott and Mrs Jackie Barron

Lily Knox Tamara Mason St Hilda’s Collegiate Double Blue Award School Award

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Special character

Chaplain’s Chat

In the weeks since the tragic killings at the Christchurch mosques, many of us have been struggling to believe that something like this could happen here in Aotearoa New Zealand. We will have all experienced a variety of emotions, from shock, disbelief, outrage, grief, and compassion. As we begin to recalibrate the view we have of “our home,” it is appropriate that we are also celebrating Easter, a time when out of the darkness and brutality of crucifixion came the love and forgiveness of resurrection. One of the survivors of the attacks, Farid Ahmed, spoke at the National Remembrance Service, and said that he had forgiven the shooter who had killed his wife. He said, “I don’t want to have a heart that is boiling like a volcano … I want a heart that will be full of love and care and mercy and will forgive lavishly … I have chosen love and I have forgiven.” Mr Ahmed also added that, “If our heart is full of love, then peace will start from here.” Whether you are Muslim or Christian, these words remind us that there is tremendous power in having hearts that can “forgive lavishly.” Even while he was being crucified, Jesus was able to call on God to forgive those who were torturing him. I am sure that such responses in the face of terrible injustice can only come from a lifetime of cultivating a “heart full of love” – I don’t think it comes naturally! Daily attendance to the well-being of our souls, through practices such as prayer and service to others, will gradually shape our hearts to be like that of God/Allah. In the Bible we read these words: “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God … No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us” (1 John 4). This Easter, let us all be prepared to face the darkness of this world on Good Friday, and then draw on the hope that comes from the resurrection on Easter Sunday, in order to be able to have hearts that are “full of love and care and mercy.” Then we can look forward to having homes, our country, and a world characterised by peace and forgiveness.

Dr Gillian TownsleyChaplain

DepartmentS anD tolcarne newS

The Arts Department

St Hilda’s continues to be a vibrant and diverse artistic community with students fully engaged in Choir, Hip Hop, Theatresports and Shakespeare to name but a few. It has been a very busy term with trips to the Dunedin Fringe Festival, our new Artist in Residence, and three new staff members welcomed to the school.

Most recently, a number of students were fortunate to see “Le Sujet Parle” by Emily Duncan, “Still Life with Chickens” by D.F Mamea (winner of best theatre Fringe Festival 2019), and “Fission” - a physical theatre collaboration by Afterburner at Allan Hall (Otago University) as part of the senior Drama/Dance syllabus with Mrs McMillan. Highlights of the performances included the relevant content about prolific photo-taking in Emily’s play and the delightful, life sized chicken puppet making the audience laugh and cry in the Auckland Theatre Company’s “Still Life With Chickens”. Having the opportunity to see interesting works on our doorstep is a real bonus.

Jerry Howlett, Artist in Residence, with Year 10 Students

Local artist Jerry Howlett has been working on a small-but-perfectly-formed miniature art project with some of our Year 10 students. The girls will construct tiny environments, encased in re-purposed glass containers using model construction techniques. The project, a perfect blend of focus, fun and found objects, is due for completion in Term 2.

Mr James SutherlandHOD Visual and Performing Arts

English Department

Members of the Ugly Shakespeare Company performing The Taming of the Shrew

The English Department started the year with the Ugly Shakespeare Company’s performance of “The Taming of the Shrew.” It was a landmark performance, being performed by an all-female troop - the first in Ugly Shakespeare’s history. It is a controversial play with its none too subtle overtones of violence and humiliation of women. However, in typical style, the Ugly Shakespeare Company faced these head-on, reminding us that although this was the reality ‘then,’ it is still a shameful reality now in New Zealand and we would be foolish to dismiss this as ‘in the past’. This was a powerful piece of storytelling with purpose.

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With the advent of our extended learning sessions, the department has also taken the opportunity to bring in speakers and indulge in some education outside the classroom. Kathryn van Beek came in for the Year 10s and talked to them about crowdfunding her book “Bruce Finds a Home” based on the true story of how she and her husband, Mr Tim Armstrong, found a day old kitten and nursed it back to health. She also gave the students valuable tips on creating characters and challenged them to write a Flash Fiction piece. From her visit, we are hoping the girls will be inspired to write more bravely, but also to enter Flash Fiction competitions.

Mrs Almey’s Year 12 class took the opportunity to visit the fine and unique Olveston House. The purpose was twofold; to allow those who had not been to see an incredible place on their doorstep, but also to provide inspiration for their Level 2 writing portfolio. Back in class, the girls discussed the place, the objects, the family and the possible stories that the walls could have heard and seen. Hopefully, some of the results will be in the end-of-year magazine.

The Department is very keen on the students taking more responsibility for managing their learning. Teachers are experimenting with rubrics so the students can guide themselves through their work with the teacher alongside and learning logs where they can set their own timelines for assignment completion, instead of relying on the teacher to manage them. We are hoping that this will foster more independence and self-reliance, key attributes to lifelong learning.

CorrectionIn the last Newsletter, in the item concerning the ReDraft Writing Competition, the fact that Emma De Lange was also Highly Commended was accidentally omitted. Congratulations Emma.

Mrs Helen AlmeyHOD English

International Department It has a been a busy start to 2019 in the International Department, welcoming 20 international girls to St Hilda’s from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Germany, Japan and Thailand. The girls got into the spirit of things early at our Athletics’ Day. This was a new experience for many, especially the cheerleading.

Athletics Day

We also enjoyed a day out following the Dunedin Arts’ Trail, looking at the University and Botanic Gardens and finished the day with a sausage sizzle at Woodhaugh Gardens which was lots of fun and a great opportunity to bond.

University of Otago visit

Dunedin Arts’ Trail

Imagine how hard it is to make new friends when English is not your first language; how hard it is to approach someone new when you maybe do not have the vocabulary. How nervous you would be in a class of students all chattering away in a language that is not your own. Because of this, many international girls say, when they return home, that they wish they could have made more friends. So, to help overcome these problems, a new initiative was launched this year to help support our students to integrate better into the school and wider community.

One of our school values is “Better Together” and the very first point is “celebrating, developing and accepting diversity.” This is what we should all be striving to achieve, so I asked for volunteers to be International Student Buddies and was overwhelmed by the response.

Local girls are now paired up with International students, friendships are being formed, and support is being given. It is already reaping rewards. I would like to say a huge heart felt thank you to my buddies – you need to know that you are making a difference!!

International Buddies shared lunch

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Another big event in Term 1 is our annual visit from Ichikawa Gakuen High School. A group of 36 students arrived in Dunedin, 20 boys and 16 girls. They enjoyed attending school, having intense English classes, doing tourist activities around our beautiful city and spending time with their host families. I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every family who opened their homes, their hearts and their families by hosting a student. We could not do this with out you.

As I reflect on Term 1, it has been full of student bravery, hard work, and lots of fun as our students embark on their international adventure – all in all, a great start to 2019. Ms Sharon BeaumontDirector of International Students

Request from the International Department

We are looking to recruit new homestay families, so if you think you could support our school community by welcoming either a long term or short term student into your home please contact our homestay coordinator Roberta Lawrence at homestay@shcs.school.nz

Languages Department - Exchanges

Natalie Hutchen’s writes about about her exchange to Strasbourg

I’m Natalie, I’m in Year 12, and over the summer holidays I was fortunate enough to be able to go on a French school exchange to a city in France called Strasbourg for two weeks. Even though I was only there for a very short time and I couldn’t understand most things, I still had the best time and would go back in a heartbeat.

Sadly, the night I arrived in Strasbourg there was a terrorist shooting in the city centre, about 200m away from the school I went to, taking the lives of five people. I was very lucky that my host family was able to collect me from the airport before the police shut the roads. This definitely changed my perspective on shootings around the world and it is not something I hope anyone has to ever experience in their life. I would be lying to you if I said it wasn’t terrifying, but it makes you realise that things like this sadly do happen and when you are in the same city as the incident, and it’s not just another article on the news, it is very different. It was definitely an intimidating experience when you walked into school and there were fully armed policemen standing around in the quad. The whole experience made me really thankful for the relatively safe country that I live in.

Going to school in a different country provided me with some mind-boggling experiences. I went to a very nice school over there, but was really surprised that they didn’t even use computers in any of their classes. Money wasn’t the issue and when my exchange sister, Lucie, asked me why I had my own MacBook, I was very confused. She thought is was so weird that we use computers at school, because they don’t. They have a dedicated subject on learning how to use them and I was quite honestly shocked, as they were only learning how to type, modify searches and copy and paste.

The timetable was a challenge. Being a swimmer, I eat A LOT of food and this didn’t come in handy. The timetable varied from day-to-day, but on Thursday and Friday when school went from 8am-6.30pm I struggled! They ate nothing all morning and even at morning tea, none of them ate! They all ate lunch at 12-1pm and then had class for another 5 hours. Because I didn’t always understand everything, particularly in German class, seeing as I haven’t ever taken a single class of German in my life, I got a bit hungry. Following that, they didn’t eat dinner until 10:00 or even 11:00 pm at night, although the food was AMAZING!

It was quite different because they went to school when it was dark and also came home when it was dark! After school, instead of going home to study or do homework, they went shopping at the Christmas markets and outdoor iceskating in the main square - mind you it was close to Christmas! All of the students stayed out, sometimes till very late, despite having a full day of school the next day! I think it’s pretty safe to say they lead quite different lives to us.

Another notable difference was the relationships between the students and the teachers. It definitely made me thankful for the relationships that we have with teachers here. In France, there is a very formal approach to teaching: for example, I learned the hard way that you have to wait until the teacher sits down at her desk before you do - yeah not embarrassing at all. Here the teachers actually genuinely want us to do well and succeed and are a lot more relatable.

Something I definitely took away from the whole experience was the fact that you have to be open to challenges and putting yourself out there. It would have been very easy to sink into myself and not mix with the people at school, but I had to remind myself on several occasions that I didn’t come all this way to sit here and not interact with people. In fact everyone was welcoming and I met some great people. I had to go out of my comfort zone to get to know people and ultimately I came back with a life experience that I will definitely never forget, so it was worth it!

I know this is probably a very clichéd thing to say, but honestly I had the time of my life and I would 100% encourage everyone to take the opportunity to go on these type of exchanges and just in general to take a language or even two! I took both Spanish and French last year and although it was a bit challenging at times, I got through it and I don’t regret it.

The final thing I want to say is this: It’s not something I am able to accurately describe because it’s only something you really realise when you’re in the situation, but when you walk into a new school in a foreign country, and you can’t speak much of their language and you know absolutely no-one, having even just one person come up to you and speak to you is such a relief. In my case, the students were so lovely and welcoming and went out of their way to make me feel included in everything.

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They even tried out their English on me, which made me wonder how bad my French must sound! I urge you to make a conscious effort to go and talk to international students and make them feel welcome and invite them to sit with you at lunch, because if you were in their situation, you would appreciate someone doing that for you.

I hope this will encourage you to go on an exchange in the future!

Au Revoir!

Natalie HutchensYear 12

Concepcion College, Chiguyante Exchange

(L-R) Natalia Saez, Florencia Salaazar and Helena Zembrano Concepcion College Exchange Students

Our exchange with Concepcion College, Chiguyante is now in its second year, and this year we have been very fortunate to host three young women, Natalia Saez and Helena Zembrano (Y13) and Florencia Salaazar (Y12) for seven weeks. It has been particuarly unique this year as we have been able to provide hostel stays for two of the girls. While we are sad to be farewelling them, we are excited for Alannah Hamilton, Lily Mole and Holly Bissett as they fly to Chile during the Term 1 holidays.

In addition to our St Hilda’s students participating in the exchange, Mrs Alison Bromley has been invited over to visit the school so she can appreciate first hand the opportunities our students have.

Mrs N HoltzHOD Languages

Science Department - Biology

Biology in the Wild

March is always a busy month for the Biology Department as we take advantage of the last of the good weather to investigate some of the amazing animals and ecosystems of the Otago coast.

On March 21 the Year 12 Biology class headed to Blueskin Bay to complete shore transects to count and identify the organisms of the intertidal mudflats.

With fine weather conditions, the students were focused and incredibly enthusiastic about counting the various clams, crabs, worms and shellfish they found in each quadrat. Students now have the task of identifying each species found and researching how they interact to create the distribution patterns observed on the shore. This is always an interesting field trip as students learn the skills used by many ecologists, resource managers and conservationists to assess the health of an ecosystem. Special thanks to Korena Paterson and Nichola Johnston who gave their assistance in the field.

Enthusiastic Biologists try to identify the animals in their quadrat

Ms Derrith BartleyBiology Teacher

Technology Department

NZ Bebras Challenge

Along with 2739 students from across the country, St Hilda’s students in Years 7-9 recently participated in the NZ Bebras Challenge as part of their Digital Technologies programme of learning in Computational Thinking. Digital Technologies was introduced as a compulsory technological area of the New Zealand Curriculum in 2018, and Computational Thinking is a key component of the curriculum area. Bebras is an international initiative aiming to promote Informatics (Computer Science, or Computing) and computational thinking among school students at all ages. Computational thinking involves using a set of problem-solving skills and techniques that software engineers use to write programs and apps. The Bebras Challenge is made up of a set of short problems, called Bebras tasks, which are delivered online. The tasks are fun, engaging and based on problems that computer scientists often meet and enjoy solving. The tasks can be solved without prior knowledge and instead require logical thinking. The aim is to solve as many as you can in the allotted time. Several of our students were recognised for their performance in the challenge, earning Distinction (top 10%) and Merit (top 20%) certificates.

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Distinction Certificates:Zara Geddes Year 9Amelie Warlow Year 9Phoebe Jaquiery Year 8Chloe Woodhouse Year 8Maia Palmer Year 8Imogen Hornal Year 8Tia Mawhinney Year 8Tarryn Croot Year 8Ruby Goodchild Year 7 Merit Certificates:Kate Beaton Year 9Evie Rose Grace Year 9Rosa Smith Year 9Sophia Le Year 9Eliabel Legrand Year 9Amelia Leaper Year 8Sophie Lloyd Year 7Olivia Simmons Year 7

Mrs Julie McMahonHOD Technology

Tolcarne Boarding Residence

Year 9 and Year 13 Boarders

The arrival of the new Year 9 students reminds us that moving away from home and starting a new school is big stuff! It isn’t easy adjusting to Tolcarne life and while it is exciting, new and provides instant friends, it can also be tiring, different and challenging. It is important that we always notice and validate the girls’ feelings when they tell us they are finding it tough.

The girls have been loving the variety of activities that Bex Finch organizes for them in the weekends. We have had many students sign up for these activities, in particular the surfing and paddle boarding.

Janine Southby has facilitated the first of three leadership workshops with our Year 12 Boarding Leaders. The girls listen intently to Janine and enjoy it when Janine shares her own leadership stories, as they begin to take a closer look at their own leadership style.

Harry’s Hoot

Harry’s Hoot has been the highlight for Term 1 at Tolcarne.

I was super proud of the staff and how everyone fully participated in the organisation of this event which was led by Teresa Lamont, an extraordinaire event planner! I was also super proud of our students, in fact all of the students - they were amazing and respected the event and the Tolcarne facilities.

Looking ahead: In the past two years we have gone on a Tolcarne Ski trip. We have decided to mix this up a little and offer an alternate Tolcarne trip every second year. This year we will be offering an overnight ‘outdoors activity challenge’ at Waihola Camp. This will be the last Saturday night of Term 2, Saturnday June 29th. We will depart after sport on Saturday and return to the hostel by Sunday 5:00 pm. We will offer the weekend ski trip again in 2020 over the last weekend of Term 3 at the Southland Hut on Coronet Peak.

New catering initiative: Tolcarne Family DinnersAt the beginning of each term we will be inviting a year group and their parents to dine with us at 5:15pm. This is a great way for the Year Level parents to mingle and get to know each other and enjoy a Tolcarne dinner with their daughter. All other students that arrive back to Tolcarne and want a meal will be provided with an alternate Sunday night dinner, such as soup and rolls. We look forward to our first Family Dinner with the Year 12 and 13 students on Sunday April 28th at 5:15 pm.

It has been an 11 week term and everyone deserves a restful holiday. Enjoy being together, be kind to one another, catch up on sleep and eat well.

Mrs Ange RathboneDirector of Boarding

artS corner

Arts Coordinator’s Report

It has been a pleasure to start the year with our new Arts Prefects, Kate and Tamara, as well as working alongside new and existing colleagues in the Arts. We are well into the swing of ShowQuest rehearsals and look forward to an exciting Term 2.

This term the Year 7 and 8 students had the opportunity to attend a community art event called ‘Wisdom and Compassion in Colour’ at the Dunedin Public Library in association with the local Buddhist Centre. The girls were able to observe two Tibetan monks creating a “vivid and colourful Manjushri Sand Mandala”.

Year 8 - Mandala Art Experience

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Ella Hucklebridge Year 8 - Mandala Art Experience

As well as being a beautiful geometric artwork, to Tibetans the Mandala promotes wisdom and represents a world in perfect harmony. It is made from crushed marble sand, dyed brilliant colours and takes three weeks to complete.

As well as tying in to their current Social Studies unit on ‘Festivals and Traditions’, this visit connects well to the Religious Education curriculum later this year where students learn about ‘What children believe around the world’.

Mrs Katie MangaiArts Coordinator

Arts Prefects’ Report from Kate and Tamara

So far this year, we have enjoyed working with various members of the St Hilda’s community to increase involvement in the arts. We are also looking forward to the possibility of introducing new arts’ initiatives and continuing with previous activities which have shown success in student involvement.

One activity this year was card making during ‘Love Week’ (the week of Valentine’s Day). This was very successful and we saw all the resources used up by the end of lunch time. The girls involved were very excited to have an opportunity to be creative in their lunch times.

We have also been organising an art item for the beginning of each assembly. We have had a good range of acts so far this year with singing, dancing, and drama performances. We also had a very successful Arts’ Assembly at the end of term with four items and an interview with our new Artist in Residence, Jerry Howlett.

Arts Liaisons have also been announced for 2019 and we both look forward to working closely with them to increase involvement in the arts during the year.

Other things we are excited about are ShowQuest, in which we are both involved, and running the Photography and Chalk Competitions over the next two terms.

Kate Johnston and Tamara MasonArts Prefects

SportS2019 got off to an extremely busy and exciting start with two major school sporting events in the first few weeks. The Athletics Day was held in Week 2 of the term, followed by Summer Quad a couple of weeks later, along with all the summer sports getting underway in the first two weeks of the term.

After a few threatening rain clouds early in the morning, the annual St Hilda’s Athletics Day managed to time the weather just right. Following a great tradition, the day got off to an enthusiastic and loud start with the cheerleading competition.

There were some fantastic results throughout the day with championship winning-performances from Charlie Byers winning the overall Year 7 and 8 Championship, Billie Crowe taking out the Junior Championship, Annabelle McKnight the Intermediate Championship, and Sarah Langsbury the Senior Championship. A number of records were also broken throughout the day

Athletics Day

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Summer QuadSt Hilda’s hosted the annual Summer Sports’ Quad Tournament at the start of Week 3 with Volleyball, Touch, Tennis, Swimming, and Debating teams from St Hilda’s, Rangi Ruru, Craighead and St Margaret’s giving it their all. After two days of action in some fantastic Dunedin weather, St Hilda’s ended up coming 1st equal with St Margaret’s. Rangi Ruru came in 3rd and Craighead 4th.

A massive thank you to everyone who supported this event and to those families who hosted billets from visiting schools. It could not have happened without your support of this long-standing event.

Mr Callum WardellHead of Sport

Sports Liaisons’ Reports Athletics - Sarah LangsburyThe athletics season began this year with our school Athletics Day which saw all students dressing up in their House colours, competing for House points, and enthusiastically cheering each other on. It was a great start for Havelock, winning the cheerleading, which was followed by many more individual outstanding results throughout the day. Stand out performances were Charlie Byers who took out five events in the Year 7 and 8 category and set a new St Hilda’s record in the high jump, Billie Crowe taking out the four running events in the Intermediate Category and Sarah Langsbury taking out five events in the Senior Category.

We also had a great turn out to the Otago Championships here in Dunedin with 26 athletes competing in a wide range of disciplines, with 18 athletes being placed in the top three of their respective events. Some notable performances were from Zara Geddes who was placed 1st in the 1500m with a new Otago Championship Under 14 record of 5.12.64, and 2nd in the 800m, Billie Crowe who was 1st in the 400m and 800m, Renee Willis who was placed 1st in Shot Put, Annabelle McKnight 1st in the 80m hurdles, and Kristin Willis 1st in the discus.

Two Year 9 athletes represented St Hilda’s at the South Island Secondary Schools’ Championships, held in Nelson on March 30 - 31. The girls gained excellent results in their track events during the weekend. Middle distance runner, Billie Crowe, was placed 2nd in the Under 14 Girls 400m and 2nd in the Under 14 Girls 800m, with both times being PBs. Long distance runner, Zara Geddes, was 1st in the Under 14 Girls 3000m and 4th in the Under 14 Girls 1500m, also achieving a PB.

Unfortunately, some of our senior athletes sustained injuries prior to or at the Otago Championships, which meant they also had to withdraw from the South Island Secondary Schools’ event.

The NZ Secondary Schools’ Athletics Championships are being held in early December, in which we hope the St Hilda’s athletes, both senior and junior, will continue their success. Sarah Langsbury and Mrs Carla JointAthletics liaison and TIC Athletics

(L-R) Zara Geddes and Billie Crowe at the South Island Secondary Schools’ Athletics in Nelson

Otago Championships - Junior A Relay Team (L-R) Breane Byck, Sophia Le, Andie McGrouther and Billie Crowe

Otago Championships - Junior B Relay Team(L-R) Meg Pope, Myah King, Erin Willis and Anna Carswell

Otago Championships - Senior Relay Team (L-R) Ana Rathbone, Amelia Andrews, Amelia Scully

and Eva Meeuws

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Breane Byck Under 14 80m hurdles Otago Championships

Zara Geddes 2000m Steeplechase Otago Championships

Cricket

The winning St Hilda’s 1st XI Cricket Team after the medal presentation at the University of Otago Oval

Cricket is in very good heart at St Hilda’s. Following on from the 1st XI winning the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ title in December 2018, the school has had four teams entered in the various competitions in Term 1 of 2019.

The Year 7 and 8 Team played regularly at Tonga Park on Wednesday afternoons under Mr Armstrong’s watchful eye. Skills developed nicely and the team entered the New Zealand Cricket Shield knockout competition in early March where it narrowly lost its qualifying games. Thanks to Molly Gaffaney for her astute captaincy and Mr Armstrong for his coaching of the team.

The Year 9 and 10 Team played in the Wednesday after school competition and performed very well.

These teams continue to be a feeder into the 1st XI and a case in point was Zarah Moana stepping up at short notice to cover for injury for the 1st XI in the New Zealand Cricket Venus Cup regional final at the University Oval. Thanks to Mr Patchett and Mr Rik Wilson for mentoring these teams.

The 1st XI has qualified for its tenth consecutive New Zealand Secondary Schoolgirls’ finals in December with two nine wicket wins against St Kevin’s and Otago Girls’ before the final of the Otago Region at the University of Otago Oval last week against a competitive Columba College Team. The final was the first time ever the prestigious University Oval had been used so there was a bit of extra pressure associated with that.

The Six Year 13 team members:Megan Meltzer, Olivia Gain, Ella Coggan, Olivia Hall,

Emma Black and Eden Carson

St Hilda’s batted first and made 129 in its 20 overs thanks to a couple of middle order partnerships anchored by a lovely 22 not out from Chloe Deerness. Columba were soon under pressure in their reply with Otago Sparks’ bowlers, Emma Black, Molly Loe and Eden Carson really applying the pressure. Eden finished up with the outstanding figures of five wickets for only four runs. Along with Olivia Gain’s astute captaincy, Emma Black’s great wisdom and leadership and a superb diving catch by Molly Loe, Columba were dismissed for 32 runs in the 12th over resulting in a comprehensive victory to St Hilda’s by 97 runs. Special thanks to Adam and Jodie Gain for their coaching and management assistance of this team.

Congratulations to Emma Black, Eden Carson, Olivia Gain and Molly Loe for their participation in the Otago Sparks’ Team over the summer.

As well as the Sparks players, Megan Meltzer, Jordan Meltzer, Chloe Deerness, Anna Duncan and Anna McClean, have all represented their province in Otago Under 21, Under 15 or Secondary School Teams.

I wish all the cricketers a successful winter sports campaign and we all look forward to re-grouping in Term 4 to continue not only our quest to win the Nationals again, but also to gain as much enjoyment as possible from this awesome game.

Neil Rosenberg1st XI Coach and TIC Cricket

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Futsal - Libby HoldridgeSt Hilda’s Futsal has had a very successful term with eight teams competing in the weekly competition held at the Edgar Centre. All teams have been enjoying playing each week and we have had some fantastic results. This term, two teams participated in a Futsal tournament held on the 8th of March. The Senior A Team competed in the Division One 11-13 category, being placed 3rd overall, and the St Hilda’s Red team also competed in the tournament and ended being placed 1st in the Division One 9-10 category. Overall, St Hilda’s Futsal had a great term. A lot of the girls are already looking forward to Term 4 for the start of the next season.

Rowing - Ella Fry The St Hilda’s rowing team has had a very successful season this year with a small but dedicated squad. This season consisted of extra early mornings than previous years with an increase in training. Every athlete has risen to the occasion and shown a high level of commitment throughout the season.

We started the year with South Island Club Championships in which we picked up a bronze in the Women’s Club Single Scull and silvers in both the Women’s Club Double Scull and Women’s Intermediate Double Sculls. Next on the calendar was the New Zealand Rowing Championships where Ella Fry and Sophie Sinclair won gold in the Girls’ Under 19 Double Sculls. This allowed them to have their names added to the North End Rowing Club honours’ board as national title holders.

The hard work didn’t stop there. Next up was the South Island Secondary Schools’ Championships where we gained five B finals and an amazing nine A finals considering the small squad of 14 rowers and two coxswains. We also gained three silver medals: Ella Fry and Sophie Sinclair in the Under 18 Double Sculls, Millie Davenport and Sophie Smith in the Under 16 Double Sculls and Bridget Sinclair and Libby Drummond in the Under 15 Double Sculls, as well as a bronze in the Under 16 Single Scull for Sophie Smith.

St Hilda’s Rowing Squad before the Maadi opening parade

After a very successful South Island Championships everything was looking good for Maadi Cup with only a few more early mornings and fine-tuning left. We were able to take 12 girls to Maadi Cup from all four age groups. At the end of the week, we saw success in making five B finals and three A finals, with every girl making either an A or B final which is a great achievement.

As well as success in making finals, the Under 18 Double of Ella and Sophie picked up a bronze in one of the premier races at the Maadi Cup. The Under 15 Girls’ Double of Bridget and Libby also received a bronze medal after a very close finish which provided a great conclusion to the 2019 Maadi Cup and season for St Hilda’s Rowing. Thank you to the coaches and parents for all their support throughout the season.

Sophie Sinclair and Ella Fry on the podium with coaches after winning Bronze in the Under 18 Double at Maadi

Libby Drummond and Bridget Sinclair after winning Bronze in the Under 15 Double at Maadi

Rowing photos supplied by Sharron Bennett Photography, Dunedin

Tennis - Annabel SullivanWe have had a very busy term of tennis. We have 14 teams and 35 players playing in the Secondary Schools’ Competition. This consists nine competitive teams, four social teams, and one Year 7 and 8 team. In addition many girls have lessons outside of school.

We also had four teams of two compete at the Otago Secondary Schools’ Tennis Tournament. Amelia Newlands and Claudia Christie were runners up in the Cup Competition and Maia Hunter and Brooke Callon came first in the Mini Cup Competition. We also had a team of seven compete in Summer Quad. We came up against tough competition and came 3rd overall, about which we were very happy.

It is good to see such a large number of girls getting out on the court and having a hit and a bit of a laugh. Everybody’s tennis has improved hugely throughout the season. The participation and eagerness of all the competitors has been incredible.

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Touch - Brooke McAlwee

Senior A Touch Team at the South Island Secondary Schools’ Tournament

It has been a busy term for Touch with teams playing in a number of different competitions.

We had two Year 7 and 8 teams playing on Thursdays with coaching from Brooke and Wendy McAlwee.

Our Year 9 and 10 competitive teams have benefited from Grant Milne’s help. The work at both of these levels is key to developing capable players to feed into our Senior A squad and means that all girls are playing a quicker, more positive style of Touch.

Hanlin Johnstone continues to coach the Senior A team. No longer a student, he is juggling the coaching around a full time job, so schoolmate Daniel Gruppelaar is helping out. Old girl, Jess Faulks, has also been involved when available.

The Senior A team travelled to Christchurch late in March for the South Island Secondary Schools’ Touch Tournament. With the management of Kirstin Scully and a positive group of young woman, it is always a pleasure to travel with them. We had a great weekend and ended up second. It was a team hit by injury so we had five Year 9 girls in the squad. It was a great opportunity to build experience in some good close games with many players stepping up. The team is building well with the goal of the Nationals at the end of the year in Rotorua.

We have two recent old girls heading to Kuala Lumpur to play for New Zealand in a World Cup event. Jess Faulks is part of the National Mixed team and Olivia O’Neil is a member of the Women’s side.

Along with Abbey Johnson, this gives us three old girls as New Zealand reps in the last three years. After previous Otago Touch Nationals a number of girls from the Senior A side have been selected for New Zealand campaigns.

The Otago Under 18 team came 2nd with Amelia Scully being selected for NZ Under 20 trial and Jaide Dixon for the NZ Under 18 trial. In the Under 16 grade, Brooke McAlwee, Danielle Ferguson and Gemma Rowcroft have been selected to attend the New Zealand Talent Identification Camp.

Touch continues to be a positive sport in St Hilda’s line up with strong showings from our competitive teams and a good number of girls simply enjoying a good social game.

Thank you to all who help make this happen.

Triathlon - Holly BissettTriathlon at St Hilda’s has had a strong season with many girls having a go and taking part in a couple of different events. The season began with the Secondary Schools’ Wanaka Challenge on February 14th. A team of 19 travelled to this event, with six girls competing in the individual triathlon and four teams. Special mention to the SHCS Junior team, consisting of Billie Crowe and Georgia Chambers, which came first in the Under 14 Girls’ Team event; Zara Geddes, who came second in the Under 14 Girls’ Individual; and Natalie Hutchens who came third in the Under 19 Girls’ Individual.

The following week, Natalie Hutchens, Giana Thomas and Megan Foster competed in the Corporate and Secondary Schools’ Teams Triathlon in Dunedin, coming third in the Secondary Schools’ Girls’ Team category.

We had a group of eight girls travel to Oamaru on the 3rd of March for the South Island Secondary Schools’ Championships, with one triathlon team, five individual triathletes and one individual duathlete - our only duathlon competitor of the season. The highlights of this event were Natalie Hutchens being placed 3rd in the Under 19 Girls’ Individual Triathlon, and Giana Thomas coming 3rd in the Under 19 Girls’ Individual Duathlon.

In the junior school, we had a large group from Year 7 and 8 compete at the Dunedin Primary and Intermediate Triathlon Championships on March 13th. There were five teams and four individuals competing, with Kyla Ashton coming 2nd in the Year 7 Girls’ Individual event.

From this event, Kyla Ashton, Charlie Byers and Katie Moore qualified to compete in the Otago Primary Schools’ Triathlon Championships in Cromwell. Kyla Ashton ended up being placed 6th while Charlie Byers came 6th and Katie Moore 9th.

Volleyball - Anna YoungTerm 1 has been a busy one for all the volleyball girls. There have been many competitive and social teams from Years 9 to 13 playing volleyball on Monday and Friday nights. We have also had a very strong Minivolley team in Year 7 and 8, having heaps of fun and playing well too. The Senior A Team competed in the Otago Secondary Schools’ Volleyball Championships in early March, coming 5th in a tough competition. The highlight of SHCS Volleyball for Term 1 was when the Senior A Team beat Rangi Ruru girls in straight sets during Summer Quad. This was the first time St Hilda’s has beaten them in this competition in six years. This was an exciting achievement which meant the team was placed 2nd in the volleyball part of Quad. Overall, it has been a great season and it has been fantastic to see so many girls participating, learning and having fun playing volleyball.

Water Polo - Lucy CotterSt Hilda’s has had three strong teams in the Secondary Schools’ Competition and one team in the Intermediate Competition. The Year 7 and 8s have been playing close games in the A grade. The Junior B team has had a good term developing their skills and working well as a team.

The Junior A team has also had a successful term and made the top four in the girls’ competition. The Senior A Team has also ended up in the top four of the girls’ competition - it is great having two teams playing so well.

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Senior A Water Polo team at their South Island Tournament

The Senior A team went to Christchurch during Summer Tournament Week and competed in the South Island Secondary Schools’ Water Polo tournament. They spent the week playing some of the best teams in the country and ended up being placed 7th after some tough games against many of the Christchurch schools.

Staff St Hilda’s School community is happy to welcome the following new staff members:

Mr Tim ArmstrongTechnology Department

Mr Tim Armstrong has joined the Technology Department from Kavanagh College where he taught Digital Technology and various other subjects. Before moving to Dunedin, Tim taught Art and Design at St Peter’s College in Auckland. Tim studied Fine Arts at Massey University’s Wellington campus, majoring in sculpture.

Mr Paul Ellwood Mathematics Department

Mr Paul Ellwood has joined the Mathematics Department. Paul is an experienced teacher in many areas and will be working primarily in Mathematics, but also with Te Reo Maori. He comes to us from Kaikorai Valley College where he had been for 18 years.

Earlier in his career he previously taught with both Mrs Barron and Ms Corkery.

His interests include Kapa Haka, guitar and Tai Chi. He has recently welcomed his second grandchild to his Whanau. We look forward to his contribution to our community.

Miss Cadyne Geary Art Department

Miss Cadyne Geary joins us to take on the responsibility of Teacher of Dance. Miss Geary graduated from the University of Otago with a Physical Education degree, with a minor in Dance and trained as a Ballet dancer, moving into Hip Hop, Jazz and Contemporary teaching when she began University. She is an experienced performer, having been part of several productions.

Ms Lee McLean

Librarian

We welcome Ms Lee McLean as the new School Librarian. Lee comes to us having worked in various types of libraries, from NZ’s National Library, to UK merchant bank information centres and academic libraries. She currently also works as a Lending Services (aka circulation) supervisor at Dunedin Public Library. This is Lee’s first school library and her first sole-charge library and she reports she is greatly enjoying the experience.

Mrs Korena Paterson Science Department

Mrs Korena Paterson joined the St Hilda’s Science Department at the start of Term 1, as a Laboratory Technician.

Korena’s background includes a BSc (Hons) in Microbiology from Otago University and ten years as a research associate with AgResearch. Korena joins us after a number of years working as a full- time Mum to her two daughters.

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Mr Daniel Potter Arts Department

Mr Daniel Potter joins us from Taieri College, via study in Australia and the University of Otago. Although he is not one to “blow his own trumpet”, Mr Potter has experience in Brass, Strings and Guitar as well as extensive performance experience in bands and musicals.

Mr James SutherlandArts Department

Mr. James Sutherland joins the school as Head of Visual and Performing Arts. Originally from Edinburgh, Mr Sutherland began his teaching career at The Mary Erskine School for Girls before emigrating to New Zealand to take up a position at Hamilton Boys’ High School.

A passionate advocate for The Arts, Mr Sutherland brings a breadth of experience from his previous roles as Director of Culture and Head of Art where, accompanying wider curricular and co-curricular responsibilities, he was involved in developing and producing Dracula the Musical and Jesus Christ Superstar.

Farewell to Mrs Lana Morrison

Mrs Lana Morrison Sports Coordinator

This term will be Lana Morrison’s last working as a Sports Coordinator here at St Hilda’s.

Lana started out as a volunteer Netball coach 7 years ago and ever since has been a key member of the Sports Department and as most of you will know a driving force behind the Netball here at school. She has been both an outstanding coach and administrator during her time with us. St Hilda’s netball has gone from strength to strength under her guidance and her vision for the future has ensured that the structures are in place for this growth to continue.

Lana has brought positivity and professionalism to her role. Students have been supported to be their best and Lana has been an excellent role model for acceptance, enthusiasm and support of others. Her commitment to St Hilda’s has gone far beyond Netball and Tennis and the contribution Lana has made to school wide sports events, the development of coaches, and the smooth running of sport at St Hilda’s has been immense. We would like to thank Lana for the hard work, dedication and passion she has put in to the job, not just within Netball but within all sport at St Hilda’s. Lana you will be missed and we wish you well on your new role at Netball South and will no doubt see you on the sidelines.

Mr Callum WardellHead of Sport

prefectS

Olivia Hall Head Girl

I started off in the Maniototo where the radio crackles and the wifi doesn’t work. It was where my lunch times were spent pretending to be a duck shooter and my free time was used to throw rocks at my brothers. My life took a massive turn, however, when I came to St Hilda’s - the absence of a dog on my bed and the bush track were shocks to the system. After a good year of homesick tears, I found my feet and started to embrace city life.

The transition into high school was so exciting because of all the people I met and the things I was able to do. Now I’m here loving every bit of it.

I have a love of sports, my main one being hockey, but with the odd bit of cricket, touch and some social ones. I also enjoy coaching some of the wee ones at school and being able to involve myself into something outside of myself is pretty cool.

I also have a strange obsession with helicopters, and by living at the hostel I have been able to watch them fly past all the time. In the holidays I work on a dairy farm and have been doing that for five years now. I’ve learnt a lot and met some really interesting people from all over the world, while working with animals and being outside.

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I think it has helped to shape what kind of person I want to be and has exposed me to different types of leadership that can be implemented in my role at school this year.

The prefect team and I are working on a more inclusive theme throughout the school. We have a slightly different role, compared with previous years, with some more freedom, and we plan to bring the school even closer together. We’re already known as quite a tight-knit school, but we think we can develop this even more. Term 1 has been very exciting already, with a lot happening in all areas. Many valuable lessons have been learnt and next term we will be building on the awesome term we’ve already had.

Looking forward, I am thinking about continuing my studies and maybe joining the Defence Forces to start flying helicopters. Ask me the question again next month and I’ll probably have a different answer!

Olivia Hall Head Girl

Amelia Scully Deputy Head Girl

Before beginning St Hilda’s in Year 7 I attended St Bernadette’s School in South Dunedin. When I arrived at St Hilda’s I knew it was going to be a chance to make many new friends. Within a short time, I met many girls through my involvement with netball, miniball, water polo, touch, aerobics and hip hop, as well as a brief but unsuccessful flirtation with Rosie’s cricket team.

During my time at St Hilda’s I have had some great experiences and have participated in local competitions, inter schools, and have been lucky enough to attend several nationals and meet girls from across a number of year groups. I always found the older girls to be very encouraging and supportive and as a result I have always strived to make the younger girls in my teams feel welcome and part of the team.

I have been fortunate to have wonderful coaches and managers during my time at St Hilda’s. These have been a combination of staff, parents and ex pupils.

What they all have in common is a knowledge and passion for their chosen field and a willingness to give freely of their time in a world where there are growing demands on people’s time.

That is one of the reasons why I am very proud to be a school prefect this year and I am enjoying giving back to the school, which has provided so much for me, whether it is assisting in school assemblies, helping organise school initiatives, or coaching a Year 9 netball team. It is nice to know that I am helping contribute to what makes St Hilda’s such a special place.

At St Hilda’s we are very fortunate and are part of a privileged group of girls. Sometimes we don’t know the challenges and roadblocks that many girls around the world face on a daily basis.

It is our duty to make the most of the supportive, caring and well resourced environment of which we are all a part. Next year I hope to attend Otago University to further my studies. I know that it will be a new challenge and will not be easy, but I am confident that St Hilda’s has taught me how to cope with this new adventure. Here at St Hilda’s we have the opportunity to become well rounded, educated, happy and successful young ladies. I encourage you all to make the most of these opportunities.

Amelia Scully Deputy Head Girl

Emma Burnside Academic Prefect

I came to St Hilda’s in Year 9, an awkwardly tall 13 year old, excited, but also very nervous to start my journey at St Hilda’s. St Hilda’s had always been my dream school. When I was little I would drive past the girls in their blue kilts and blazers and tell Mum about how much I wanted to be like them. Now, as I look back on my five years of schooling, it is obvious to me that being a St Hilda’s girl has offered me a lot more than just a nice uniform.

Over my past five years at St Hilda’s there have been many things that have shaped my journey: netball, debating, Healthy Harbour Watchers, Young Enterprise, the encouraging learning environment and all my amazing friends. These things have all helped me grow into the person I am today and have taught me much about life and myself.

One thing that has greatly influenced my time at St Hilda’s would have to be rowing. From when I started rowing in Year 9, I have done countless 5:00 am wake ups, many trips to Twizel, and two trips to Lake Karapiro in Cambridge. As well as all the hard work and fun that comes with rowing, it has also taught me valuable life skills of perseverance, determination and organisation, which I have been able to apply to other areas of my life including my schooling.

I felt very privileged and excited to be appointed Academic Prefect this year. I have always been very passionate about all things learning, both inside and outside the classroom, so I knew I would be able to get a lot out of, and also give a lot to this role. During Term One, peer tutoring has been my biggest focus. I think it is great how St Hilda’s girls, at all levels, are so willing to help their school peers, whether it’s with NCEA subjects such as Mathematics or Science or more general learning areas such as spelling and grammar, everyone is keen to help out. I am so proud of the cooperative and supportive learning environment we have and I have really enjoyed being able to contribute to this.

My personal passion lies with all things related to Science and Mathematics, and next year I hope to follow this passion on a yet-to-be decided path.

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Whatever that path may be, I know that through all the things I’ve learnt at St Hilda’s, whether it be in the classroom, on the water, or in the hallways, that I’ll have all the skills I need to get me to wherever I want to go.

Emma Burnside Academic Prefect

Te éa Francis Head Boarder

Before starting at St Hilda’s I attended a small country school at Naseby in the Maniototo. There I live on a sheep and beef farm and having so much freedom was what I loved about living at home. I came to Tolcarne as a Year 9 boarder in 2015. The boarding hostel has been the greatest journey over the past four-plus years because of the amazing relationships, learning and growth that have taken place in my second home and these have made me the person I am today.

To keep myself busy over the years and to take my thoughts off the stress of internals and other pressures sport has been there as my rock to fall back on. I have been in many social sports teams and have loved them all, but the main passion that I have indulged myself in more than the rest would be hockey. Playing this since the age of five, I haven’t yet thought about quitting the game and St Hilda’s has offered me all the opportunities possible to keep my passion alive.

As well as sport, a big passion of mine, are the outdoors and being able to push myself. I was lucky enough to get a scholarship offered through school to attend Outward Bound last December. From this experience, I came away with so many new skills that I am able to use in my everyday life and which help me to be a better person in general. The main point that came out of the 21 days away was that there is always more in you. I carry this knowledge into everything that I now do.

As a prefect this year I am Head of the Hostel alongside one of my good friends, Annabelle Sullivan. My main goal for the year would be to make the “sisterhood’ within the year groups and hostel a whole a lot stronger, even though it is already good, and build on this to make it even more like home.

Life after St Hilda’s can be a bit intimidating as many people continuously ask what are your plans for next year. I think I have come to a rough idea of what next year might look like.

This would be not studying here in Otago, as I think I have done my dash in Dunedin even though I will always call it my second home. Other universities around the country interest me a bit more. Studying the human body and sports’ sciences are the areas that I would most enjoy, but I am also considering animal science and breeding. But at the moment and for the rest of the year I am really looking forward to working as a member of a determined and driven prefect team.

Te éa Francis Head Boarder

Annabelle SullivanHead Boarder

I grew up on a farm just outside Gore and attended St Mary’s Primary School. Coming to St Hilda’s was a big deal and a very exciting time for me as I was ready to move on to bigger and better things. My love for boarding, however, wasn’t instant and there were certainly times when I thought to myself, “Man, I wish I was a day girl!” Now I love Tolcarne because of the life-long friends I have made and all the laughs we have had along the way. I wouldn’t trade being a boarder for anything!

Boarding has obviously been a big part of my experience at St Hilda’s. Meeting girls from all around the South Island is a very cool opportunity that not many people get. I have also been able to create good relationships with the staff at Tolcarne. They are very understanding and I have learnt a lot from them over the past four years. Tolcarne has taught me many life-skills such as tolerance and learning not to sweat about the small stuff or the things you can’t control. I have also learnt independence and better time-management skills.

Playing sport at St Hilda’s has given me the opportunity to learn new skills and also the opportunity to build relationships with girls in other year groups. I have made really good friends which has made it so much more fun. I have also been part of some of the cultural activities in the school like Stage Challenge and the school production. These were new experiences for me and very enjoyable.

As Head Boarder, I am continually learning about leadership and what that involves. My communication and organisational skills have been tested, but I love the position and everything that comes with the job, especially the small things we do that make the girls smile and laugh. I have enjoyed the role so far and am looking forward to what the year ahead brings!

Annabelle SullivanHead Boarder

BoarD of truSteeS

The new year has started with a hiss and a roar and by the time you read this the Board will have already completed three meetings. Gathering together for the first time for 2019 on February 14th we took the opportunity to meet informally with the new prefects and staff. This was a good opportunity to get to know new faces outside of the more formal events that occur during the year.

At our March meeting we received a presentation from our International Department highlighting both the opportunities that exist for attracting international students and the challenges of an increasingly complex market.

As our world changes so too do the requirements of our international students with many families now looking for short-term immersion rather than the long-term arrangements we have been used to. This will require some adaptation, but may well open new doors for the school. Certainly, it will likely provide more opportunities for host families and we are encouraging our school community to embrace this role. It is a great way to gain an insight into another culture, foster diversity and acceptance, and develop relationships across the globe – something the world needs more of now than ever.

We also spent some time at our March meeting reviewing and discussing our NCEA results with the Senior Leadership Team. The Board was not only pleased to review the excellent results achieved by our students, but also to participate in a thoughtful discussion that showed how deeply our teaching staff understand our students and their needs. Putting students first is at the heart of our values as a school and it is always encouraging to see practical examples of this. NCEA is a qualification that, by its very structure and nature, allows schools to plan the standards and courses that best suit their educational philosophy and which will best meet students’ long-term learning. However, the media practice of developing arbitrary league tables without reference to these variations does our schools and our students a grave disservice. Looking in-depth at the way individual courses are offered, and the standards taught in each course, together with the academically challenging opportunities offered alongside NCEA, was a very useful exercise for our Board and reminded us all that communicating our philosophy in this space is an important and ongoing task. If you have questions about NCEA, I urge you to avail yourselves of the information available on the website and/or to talk with Year Level Deans and the Senior Leadership; it is well worth understanding.

As the term comes to a close we are turning our minds to Trustee elections. We are sending out information in our regular weekly newsletters and encourage all those who might have an interest in standing to let us know so that we can step you through the process. Ms Lauren SempleBoard of Trustees Chair

community

Parents and Friends Association

Kia ora koutou

The PFA have had a busy and productive start to the year.

As usual the first event of the year was the hosting of the Year 9 boarder parents at a BBQ held in the lower quad. This was our way of warmly welcoming boarder parents and siblings into the school community once they’ve said goodbyes to their daughters at Tolcarne.

Our first meeting of 2019 was held on February 13. Planning for the year was set out and organisation for the “Meet the Dean” event was finalised. We also finalised plans for a new event this year, an opportunity for the PFA to host Year 7 and 8 families at a BYO takeaway night. The transition to SHCS from Year 6 can be overwhelming for both daughters, parents and caregivers, and as your daughters become more independent you no longer get the opportunity to meet other parents for a quick chat in the playground. The PFA wished to create a casual and relaxed atmosphere where parents and siblings could meet other year level families and ask the PFA questions about school life at SHCS. The games purchased by the PFA last year were put to good use and there was also chalk and some sports equipment to use. It was a stunning Dunedin evening and with over 80 attendees. We repeated this evening again two weeks later with the Year 9s, and again it was a lovely evening, but with fewer attendees.

This term we were given an opportunity by Compass Catering to assist at large-scale events being held at Forsyth Barr Stadium. An enthusiastic group of eight worked at the Eagles’ concert. The money raised from this activity goes into the Sports and Cultural fund to support individuals and teams travelling to competitions. Those who worked had a hectic night, but really enjoyed being involved.

Our focus from now will be on organising the Showcase Extravaganza to be held mid-year. More news and detail will be shared in the weekly school newsletter.

Thinking ahead, a small group of members are beginning to work on themes, plans and ideas for the 2020 Fair.

As always, we welcome whanau who would like to become involved in the PFA to join us. Please contact Karen Mowat on admin@shcs.school.nz if you are keen.

Nga mihi

Ali CopemanPFA President

Old Girls’ Association

It was lovely to see a good number of Old Girls at our function in Wanaka on March 7th. Jackie spoke to the group about the upcoming launch of the Building Heart Campaign, which focuses on fundraising for school developments and facilities.

Old Girls, Simone Flight and Tracy Cameron with Ange Rathbone, Director of Boarding

at the Old Girls’ function in Wanaka

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Old Girls’ function in Wanaka

We are working on a number of ways that Old Girls can support this campaign including the Blue Ribbon Installation - more information to come soon! We have Old Girls’ events planned in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland this year - please get in touch if you are interested in attending.

Building Heart Campaign Invitation

All Old Girls and families are invited to the Building Heart Campaign Launch at St Hilda’s on May 14th, 6:00 pm. We are delighted that Old Girl, Carrie Hobson, who is a member of the Otago University Council and a partner at Hobson Leavy, will be our guest speaker at this exciting event.

Please RSVP to oldgirls@shcs.school.nz

The Principal, Board of Proprietors and Board of Trustees of

St Hilda’s Collegiate School invite all Old Girls, current families, past families, former Board members and staff to the Building Heart Fundraising Campaign

Launch.

Please join us in the St Hilda’s Chapel on May 14th, 6:00 pm,

for drinks and nibbles.

Guest Speaker:Carrie Hobson, St Hilda’s Old Girl,

Partner of Hobson Leavy and Councillor of Otago University.

RSVPPlease RSVP by May 7th to aburke@shcs.school.nz

or phone the school office 03 477 0989

Mr Ron Elvidge

Not an Old Girl as such, but Old Boy Ron Elvidge passed away recently. He had held the honour of being the oldest living All Black. Elvidge played for the All Blacks from 1946-1950, captaining the team on their 1949 tour of South Africa and in 1950 against the British and Irish Lions. He went on to have a successful medical career and was 96 when he died. Elvidge attended St Hilda’s as a junior, then went on to John McGlashan College.

Mrs Amanda BurkeOld Girls Association President - Dunedin

Z Club - Pink Breakfast

The Z Club is holding a Pink Ribbon breakfast on Friday 31 May (Term 2 - Week 4) at 7:30 am in the school Chapel.

The tickets can be purchased either online by filling out the form on the St Hilda’s School Facebook page or with cash at the student office in Term 2.

Students $10.00 Adults $20.00

All funds raised will be donated to the Breast Cancer Foundation to help women who are struggling with breast cancer and to help find a cure.

There will be plenty of yummy food and a talk from our guest speaker Heather Cunliffe who is a researcher at the University of Otago.

Come along and support this great cause - it is sure to be plenty of fun!

Meg AndersonPink Breakfast Organising Committee

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i

term 1 activitieS

Shakespeare Festival

Eve Scott’s Shakespeare group

On April 10th two student-directed pieces were in the SGCNZ festival. Sarah Lee won a special award for the realisation (use and delivery) of text in The Winter’s Tale, directed by Eve Scott. MacBeth was directed by Meg Rogers and Lucy Woodhouse and their group bravely performed in our Arts assembly before amusing their audience at the Kings/Queens Performing Arts Centre.

Also this week the Year 8 class joined Emily Duncan to watch our Year 11 Drama class perform the play Emily wrote in 2017 as our inaugural Artist in Residence: In Our Shoes.

Year 11 Drama - in our shoes

Ms Geary has enabled the NCEA Dance classes to enjoy performing dances from a range of styles for their assessments this term.

Year 12 & 13 Dance - Rehearsing for the Musical item “Hamilton”

Year 11 Drama group at the end of their Rock and Roll Dance Item

Stars on Stage Auditions - Year 10 Performing Arts

Mrs Rachel McMillanPerforming Arts

Quad Photos

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the love in liStening

Recently our community saw some significant events. Young people from all over the globe standing up for their futures and using their voices to protect what they love and asking to be heard. Many of our girls took part in the climate march, showing their commitment and care for a future which is currently under a shadow of uncertainty, joining forces with hundreds of thousands of young people all over the world, in an amazing show of connectedness and belonging.

On this very same day, we had an individual full of hate, wreak havoc and destruction on our country and a group of its people, shaking the very foundations of what we know it is to be Kiwis: Safe.

But when we look at the aftermath, we see only kindness, we see togetherness and acceptance and a country full of people who care.

As people we need to connect. It is the very thing that makes us human, our mammalian brains striving for connection, for love and belonging, because without it we cannot function and our mental health suffers severely.

To feel connected, we need to feel like we matter, that our opinions, thoughts and beliefs are important to the rest of the group, that the group sees us and really values who we are. To feel like we belong, we need to feel included, to know that we are an integral part of the group, that while we are all different, we are all important in our unique ways. Belonging helps us feel confident and secure to try new things and be ourselves.

Our school community is a microsystem of a bigger community. It has all the same hierarchies and minorities, groups who are more privileged than others, voices that unite and voices that are unheard. Hate can still wreak havoc, maybe just on the one instead of a whole community, but in a microsystem, the one is still a significant part.

In our school we work on connecting, we work on belonging and we work on acceptance and facing our prejudices. But because we are human we have flaws and this requires us to take the time to reflect on our thoughts and interactions and think about what we say, how we say it and what our words are trying to do.

It’s easier to be kind when everyone else is and it’s easier to have a loud voice when everyone else is too. The real challenge is to do those things solo, to stand up for the minority, whatever or whoever that may be, or have a voice for the issue that requires it, regardless of that voice being the only one.

Our belonging and our sense of connection comes from our ability to allow others to be themselves, to be allowed to be ourselves, to support and be supported, and to listen and be heard.

All any of us need to feel good at the end of the day is to have been noticed, acknowledged and valued. This is not that hard to do, but so magical when it happens.

“Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person, they are almost indistinguishable”

David Augsburger

Ms Marcelle Nader-Turner Guidance Counsellor MNZAC

term 2 calenDarFull calendar of confirmed events may be viewed

on the Parent Portal Site These dates are correct as at the time of publication but may be subject to change.

April28 2020 Vietnam Meeting School Chapel - 4:00 pm

29 Learning Conversations 9:30 am - 4:00 pm 2020 Vietnam Meeting School Chapel - 12 noon

30 Learning Conversations 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

May1 PFA Meeting - TBC Library - 7:00 pm

5 Oamaru Country Visit Weston Hall - 2:00 pm

6 Ranfurly Country Visit Hawkdun Lodge - 10:00 am Wanaka Country Visit St John’s Room - 4:00 pm

7 Year 13 Beach Study Field Trip Arrowtown Country Visit St John’s Church Hall - 1:00 pm

8 Extended Learning Time Waikaka Country Visit Sports Pavilion - 11:00 am

South Otago - Balclutha Cross Recreation Centre - 4:00 pm

10 Extended Learning Time

13 - 16 Year 7 and 8 Camp Camp Columba

14 Show Quest Invercargill

15 - 17 Year 12 Mt Cook Geography Trip

16 Boarding Open Day Beginning at school - 10:00 am

20 Boarding Referee Reports to school by 12 noon

29 Applications close for 2020 Boarding Applications at 12 noon

31 Pink Ribbon Breakfast Chapel - 7:30 am

June3 Queen’s Birthday School closed

13 Dunedin Careers Expo - Year 11 & 12

21 Year 12 & 13 Formal Otago Museum

July4 Founders’ Day Eucharist Service

End of school year details:

December4 Year 13 Leavers’ Service All Saints’ Anglican Church - 6:00 pm Year 13 Leavers’ Dinner Otago Museum - 7:30 pm

5 Last day of school year Prize Giving Edgar Centre - 5:00 pm

2019 term DateS

Term 2 Monday 29 April - Friday 5 July

Term 3 Monday 22 July - Friday 27 September

Term 4 Monday 14 October - 5 December