year 9 powhiri opening mass marist 200 pilgrimage · year 9 powhiri. opening mass marist 200...

OPENING MASSYEAR 9 POWHIRI MARIST 200 PILGRIMAGE

Pg. 4Pg. 13

HEAD STUDENTS AND LEADERS FOR 2017

SJC ROWING - MAADI CUP 2017

THE EAGLETERM 1 2017 | ISSUE NO. 9

PREPARING YOUNG MEN FOR LIFE

www.stjohns-hamilton.school.nzwww.facebook.com/StJohnsCollegeHamilton

THE EAGLE | TERM 1 2017 | ISSUE NO. 92 www.facebook.com/StJohnsCollegeHamilton

DEAR PARENTS AND COMMUNITY OF SAINT JOHN'S COLLEGE

"While sometimes we have to overcome barriers

as we journey with our young men, we work

together for the benefit of the boys. "

MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

I write this from Pangaru (up towards Kaitaia) as one of the members of the Marist 200 pilgrimage. We are paying respects at the resting place of Bishop Pompallier, who was the Marist priest who brought Catholicism to our shores and enabled the Marist Brothers to begin their work here in New Zealand.

As a Marist school we owe a debt to the Marist order who were formed by Marcellin Champagnat 200 years ago in France. Today there are 3500 Brothers throughout the world and while Marist brothers have not taught at Saint John's for some thirty years we still embrace the charism of Marcellin, Our five pillars are not just part of our culture but are the foundation on which we are built.

The pillars make our Marist Catholic ethos accessible to our young men, they give us a way of expressing what otherwise might be difficult to grasp. It is easy to dismiss or forget our roots as ancient history, but our Marist Catholic beliefs are what set us apart from other schools and we enjoy a special place that cannot be replicated in a State School, I know this because I have tried.

The year has started very well with families continuing to show their support for what we do by entrusting us with their sons. We do not enrol boys in Saint John's, we enrol families and like any family, once you are part of us you have a place for life.

We are proud of our academic results, which as you will see in this publication, are the best for four years running. Indeed it is becoming difficult to keep topping this as we are now in the high 90's! This is a reflection of who we are, by looking after not only the capable, but all of our young men. We continue to build on our success and raise the bar with our expectations and our boys respond. Over my career, the young men of Saint John's are the most well-mannered, warm and caring students I have ever worked with. We all know that young men respond to strong leadership and direction, they want to do well but need structure and high expectations and to be given challenges to strive for. They need to know that they matter and have a place and a future in this world. Saint John's College offers this and more.

The feedback I get from you, our community, is that you enjoy the frequent and open communication from Saint John's and in turn I thank you for your interest and feedback. While sometimes we have to overcome barriers as we journey with our young men, we work together for the benefit of the boys. It is a simple formula, we both want the same thing for them.

As a community we are excited by not only where we are positioned as a College but for the future possibilities that lie ahead. We look forward with faith and hope.

God Bless.

- Shane Tong, Principal

THE EAGLE | TERM 1 2017 | ISSUE NO. 9 3www.facebook.com/StJohnsCollegeHamiltonwww.facebook.com/StJohnsCollegeHamilton

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that

whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the

world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

– John:3 16-17

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES

In the Way of Mary is our Marist pillar focus for this year. We are called to respond to God’s

call by saying ‘yes’, just as Mary did when confronted with the news that she had been

chosen to give birth to our Messiah, Jesus Christ. Acting humbly, living justly, showing

tolerance and acceptance are but a few virtues required of us as a Marist community.

In Jesus’ time, some Jewish leaders belittled women. Speaking with them was deemed a

waste of time and a diversion from the study of the Torah. Speaking with women in public

could lead to gossip and criticism, hence it was avoided. Yet, Jesus ignored these traditions

by affirming and elevating women, both during his ministry and by the fact that they were

the first witnesses of his resurrection. Women, including his Mother Mary, accompanied

Him on his way to Calvary and stood at the foot of the cross, as he declared, “it is finished.”

During this Easter season, the centurion’s conviction, “Surely he was the Son of God”

reminds us of the mighty God whom we serve. Our focus turns to Good Friday; a day of

immense suffering, yet those six hours of Jesus’ torture equate to deliverance, forgiveness

and purpose for humanity. His own disciple betrayed him, his friends abandoned him and

his fellow citizens clamoured for his death. Each time we sin, we betray him, scourge him

and pound a nail into his hands. Yet, when we think of the crucified Christ, our faith helps

us to see beyond the cross to His resurrection. Jesus offers hope to those who fear death,

as He offers us the promise of eternal life.

May the victory and Spirit of Christ fill our hearts and home during this Easter season.

- Mrs Sonja Maree, Director of Religious Studies

VOLUNTEER OR DONATE TODAY!

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Vinnies kids shop in Frankton are in need of more volunteers for their op shop, it is a good way to help out the wider community and also gain yourself some experience to

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Enquire today and do a good deed.

Society of St Vincent de Paul222-224 Commerce Street

Hamilton 3204

Contact:Shop: 07 847 4044


MARIST 200 PILGRIMAGEAcross a four day period, 17 students ranging from Year 11 to 13 were led up north

accompanied by Mr Sparrow, Mr Tong, Mrs Maree, Mr Paul Honiss and Brother Doug. The

pilgrimage was one the events planned to aknowlegdeg 200 years of Marist education. The

group were exposed to the extensive impact that Bishop Pompallier had upon his arrival

and residency in New Zealand during a pilgrimage to the Hokianga region.

The pilgrimage took the group to LaValla, Tuakau, where several Marist brothers lived;

Panguru to Ngatimanawa Marae, St Mary’s Church at Motuti which is the resting place of

the remains of Bishop Pompallier; Kaikohe to visit Marist Brothers living and working within

the community and finally Paihia, Russell and Waitangi.

This pilgrimage has shown the immense devotion and love that Bishop Pompallier and the

Marist brothers had and still have towards the Catholic faith, and how they made it their

mission to better the world around them. Pompallier’s impact has left a permanent mark

in the history of New Zealand, and I know that I speak for everybody that was part of the

pilgrimage group, when I say that this journey was truly humbling and an experience none

of us will forget.

James Ranapiri

Special Character Leader

NZ MASTERSSporting success is not just restricted to our young men. We would like to congratulate one of our teachers; Mrs Samantha Fairweather on her selection for the NZ World Masters Track Cycling Team. This is the first time that New Zealand will host the World Masters Games and cycling will take place at the Avantidrome 26-28 April.

PHYSIOTHERAPY SERVICESPhysio is on site Monday 11.00am - 1.00pm and Thursday 11.00am - 1.00pm each week, please book your appointments with Mrs Petrin in Student Services

BRAIN BEE TEAMSeveral Year 11 students, in their own time, are participating in the 2017 Neuroscience Competition. This is run by the University of Auckland. The first round was held during Term 1 and the students did well to complete it in the time given.

Dominic BeatonHarry JonesSacha ChoytooaAnthony PereraSeshan WeeraratneSebastian ManningMarcus RidgwayLucien de GrootNathan PookKeenan SandersLuca MecchiaConnor FlemingSebastian TuisamoaDwayne CarvalhoAlvin RajanTobias Mills-van ReeCallum AdamsMaverick BaldagoJoshua Frires-Carroll


STUDENT LEADERS 2017

We congratulate the following young men on their appointment to school leadership roles.

HEAD BOY Sam Pou

DEPUTY HEAD BOYS

Travis Glassie Jakob O’Flaherty

SPECIALCHARACTER

LEADERS

Raea Bainbridge James Ranapiri

SPECIAL CHARACTER

TEAM

Thomas St Pierre Matthew WheatleyHymiejohn MaggofCoran PlayleMark Paca Damon LovellJacob Flanagan

ACADEMIC LEADERS

Timothy Manning Aidan Rowlingson

SPORTSLEADERS

Nicholas Farrell Benjamin Burgess

CULTURAL LEADERS

Christian Tong Tyrell Tamaki

INTERNATIONAL LEADER

Jiahao Hu

MĀORI LEADER Tuari Peita

PASIFIKA LEADERS

Ilaiakimi Finau Joseph Tauheluhelu

BOT REP Dylan Ryan

LEARNING SUPPORT

LEADERMatthew Donderwinkel

HOUSE LEADERS:

CHANELMitchell Whelan Hayden Mulgrew

MARCELLINDrew Ngapo Zane Sheeran

POMPALLIERJoshua Stevens Nicholas Fitzgerald

RONCALLIJoseph Downey Jordan Cooper

PREFECTS

Joshua Muller Brendan SandersTe Manaaki Paki-NepiaNathan CarrascoNick van Baar

L-R: Travis Glassie (Deputy Head Boy); Mr Shane Tong (Principal); Jakob O’Flaherty (Deputy Head Boy); Sam Pou (Head Boy)

Head Students and Leaders 2017

YEAR 8 INFORMATION EVENINGOur Year 8 Information Evening for families wanting to enrol their son in Year 9 from 2018, will be held Tuesday 16th May starting at 6.30pm in the school gymnasium. Enrolment packs will be available from contributing Catholic schools from this date or alternatively, packs can be collected from the school office. Enrolments need to be completed and returned to the school office no later than the last day of term 2.


BOARD OF TRUSTEES CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGEThe start of the year has again seen its fair share of highlights for our College. Our new

students appear to have settled in well and I have personally received great feedback from

parents, particularly of year 9 boys. With this in mind I would like to take this opportunity to

welcome all new families to our community, I encourage all of you to get involved as much

as you can in school life. We greatly value the support we get from our greater community

and in fact it is this involvement that makes Saint John’s College the special place it is.

You may well have seen recent publicity regarding our outstanding NCEA results, these

pass rates have increased year on year for the past five years to the point where they far

exceed the national average for not only schools within our decile rating, but schools in

general. I would like to congratulate Mr Tong and his leadership team for their continued

focus in this area but in particular to the dedicated teachers and support staff that put the

vision of the Board and Senior Management into practice. We are truly blessed with a team

of educators who have shown time and time again their passion for seeing improvement

in our lads. This has been recognised in these outstanding results and our community is

extremely grateful.

We have also seen recent social media activity in relation to a letter written to the school

regarding the exemplary behaviour shown by a group of Saint John’s students on one of

our public bus services. We would like to think that this sort of behaviour is endemic in our

students but the truth is it takes effort from not only the standards set within the College

but also the role models these lads have at home. Sadly courtesy and manners appear to

be less evident in our young people today so it is heartening that these characters are still

alive and well at Saint John’s.

Of course great academic results and fine young men don’t come easy and it takes a

planned and dedicated approach from all involved to ensure the vision of Marcellin

Champagnat is brought to life. This vision also comes at some expense that sadly the

budgets allowed to schools in New Zealand does not always cover. The generosity of our

community in paying their school donations is what allows us to provide high standards

of teaching, low clas sizes and resources for those who need it. All this puts a strain on

the Boards finances and we are reliant on this generosity to continue to deliver the high

standards set.

We are about to embark on a major redevelopment of the schools facilities thanks to the

support of the Diocese. I hope to bring you more details and some preliminary concept

plans in the next edition of the Eagle. Again, this project would not be possible without

the generosity of our community in particular the payment of our Building Donation. Sadly

the level at which the School and Building Donations have been paid has been in decline

in recent years. If we are to maintain the current level of educational support with facilities

to match, we are reliant on these donations to be paid. I encourage you all to do what you

can to help us ensure our high standards continue. Our young men deserve it.

God Bless,

Brendan Lally

Chairman, St John’s College Board of Trustees

2017 TERM TWO – KEY DATES

Monday 1 May Teachers Only Day – No Students

Tuesday 2 May Term 2 Starts

Tuesday 16 May Year 8 Information Evening

Monday 5 June Queen's Birthday – No School

Tuesday 6 June MC Day

Friday 16 June Fieldays Friday

Friday 7 July End of Term 2

Monday 24 July Teachers Only Day – No Students

Tuesday 25 July Term Three Starts

LITURGY MUSICThe Liturgy Music group has started with

gusto for 2017. With the Opening Mass

being early in week 3 there was little time

to prepare. The group rehearsed hard over

several lunchtimes to be ready and played

very well in the mass.

This year the group has welcomed the

addition of two Year 9 guitarists – Daniel

Nobilo and Maxwell Hayes. Felix Minhinnick

(Yr 12) has taken over on the drums and Mrs

Donna McHugh is playing the flute. This

brings the total group to Piano, Flute, 6

Guitars, Bass, and 8 Singers.

As well as playing at the weekly Wednesday

mass at school and the full school masses,

the group will be playing once every month

at a Sunday mass at the Cathedral. The

mass time will vary (and include the Saturday

vigil). It is exciting for the group to have the

opportunity to play in the Cathedral Parish

and shows the steps the group has taken in

the last 12 months.


ST JOHN’S COLLEGE MĀORI GRADUATE PROFILE

HATO HOANI HAKAThis year we have a new school haka that is being introduced to the boys. This haka was

composed by Matua Dwayne, our Teacher in Charge of Te Reo Māori in consultation with

kaumātua. We now have a haka that is specific to who we are and that acknowledges our

special character. The boys in the Whānau class have been going into form classes each

week to teach the new haka to the whole school in preparation for the inter-house haka

competition. If you are keen to learn it yourself or learn more about it’s meaning, then go

to our school website and you will find the words and video along with the meaning.

E-SPORTS COMES TO ST JOHNS

The High School League (HSL) is a free national eSports competition for New Zealand

High Schools. The 2017 High School League will see 50 High School teams competing

from Auckland, Waikato/ Bay of Plenty, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. The first

HSL competition convenes over 12 weeks from March 6th to the Grand Final on June 9th.

The team are looking forward to the challenge and have been discussing tactics and

gameplay, ready for the first game on the 6th March against Rotorua Boys. Some of the

games will be recorded for post game viewing and others will be streamed live. We will

post information and results on the school's Facebook.

If you are interested in finding out more, visit the Letsplay.live website. Here you will find

out about the philosophy of the competition and the rules.

Te Āhua o te Ākonga i Puta i Hato H

oani

HOLISTIC VALUESNgā Ritenga

APPRECIATION OF WAIKATO /

TAINUI KAUPAPAHinana Ki Uta, Hinana Ki Tai

SELF IDENTITYTuakiri Whaiaro

WHĀNAU

FOLLOW MARAE TIKANGA

Whai Tikanga Marae

CONTRIBUTES TO SOCIETY

Whakamahiri Hapori

ACHIEVES AS MĀORI

Kia Angitu Hei Māori

CONFIDENT MĀORI MARIST

MANTāne Marihi Maia

SYMBOLISES HAUORA

He Tohu Hauora

LEADERManukura

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

Kairangi Mātauranga

This year our school has unveiled a

new initiative which helps support

the holistic achievement of our

Māori students. From the time a

Māori student walks in our doors he

will have this ideal, of what we as a

whānau believe would benefit him,

until he leaves the same door at the

end of Year 13. These posters are

on display in every learning space

throughout the school for students

and teachers to use as a tool of

inspiration.


2017 ATHLETICS SPORTS DAY The St John’s College Athletics Sports Day is the first House event of the year. Even though

attendance numbers appeared to be down on previous years, the level of participation was

outstanding. There were record numbers of students in the 100m and the Javelin. In fact,

participation rates were so high some popular events such as the steeplechase and House

relays had to be bumped from the program. House leaders did a great job of generating

house spirit by creating banners and decorating their House areas. There was a colourful

array of participants, a casual observer may even have mistaken the day for Sacred Heart's

Athletic Sports Day given the number of tutu’s and bikinis worn. The Finau and Sinclair

families impressed throughout the day and left an indelible reminder of their efforts on our

record books. An amazing six records were broken on the day. Thanks to all those who

participated, officiated and helped run and organize another memorable event.

Records broken:

• Jonte Rikiriki broke the junior Long Jump record with a distance of 5.62m. The

previous record was 5.54m and set back in 1970 by M. Clarkin.

• The 300m for junior boys was actually broken twice, first by James Findlay and then

again in the very next heat by Amilame Finau in a time of 42.41

• The 400m intermediate record was also broken. P. Dalboth held the previous record,

which was set in 1971 and beaten by Joseph Sinclair in a new time of 53.56.

• Hayden Mulgrew surpassed the old school senior 400m record as well which was set

by M. Finn in 1978 with a time of 52.31.

• William Sinclair (who also holds the intermediate boys 800m and junior boys

steeplechase records) took nearly ten seconds off the senior boys 1500m record with

a time of 4.13.78. J. Roberts set the previous record in 1973. The most exciting race

of the day was the 800m. Hayden Mulgrew and William Sinclair battled it out all the

way along the final straight for the closest of finishes. Both boys broke the school

record but it was William Sinclair who crossed the line first in a time of 2.00.87

SWIMMING SPORTS

Swimming sports were held on 8 March, with some promising young men swimming in the competitive events. We have gained some great new junior swimmers in the school. Boston Haddon Yr 9 student swam exceptionally well, as did Nye Linton and Matt Foster in the Intermediate age group, and William Sinclair and Thomas Coombes in the senior age group.

Twenty boys qualified to represent St John’s in the Waikato Secondary Schools event; this is the biggest team that we have ever sent through. We would also like to congratulate Nye Linton and Thomas Coombes on their recent medals at the NZ Div 2 Competition.

NEW ZEALAND TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETIC CHAMPIONSHIPS

Congratulations to William Sinclair, Joseph

Sinclair and Tevita Finau who made St

John’s College and the wider Waikato

Bay of Plenty community proud at this

years Jennian Homes New Zealand Track

and Field Championships. William Sinclair

gracefully pacing himself in the U18 Mens

steeplechase in second place, charged down

his opponent with 50m to go and secured

the gold medal with a time of 6:10.05. Tevita

Finau defied gravity with his 1.86m high

jump which earned him the silver medal in

the Mens U20 competition. Blood lactate

didn’t stop the Sinclair boys who were both

in the Waikato Bay of Plenty 4 x 400m relay

teams that took home medals. William

Sinclair with the bronze medal in the U20

Mens squad and Joseph Sinclair with the

gold medal in the U18 Mens squad. Well

done men!

SOFTBALLOur young men played exceptionally

well in the finals of the Open College

Boys Competition taking home the 2nd

Place Trophy in the Open College Boys'

Competition. Five of the boys in our softball

team are year 9's and the majority have

never played softball before. The opposition

had a number of boys who play in the Men’s

League on weekends so a huge feat for our

boys to give them a run for their money!


SJC ROWINGSt John’s Rowers have gone from strength to strength over the last 6 months. The team

have been hugely competitive and have shown stamina, dedication and commitment to

place well over a number of regattas held throughout the summer.

One of the early highlights for the team was placing in the top 8 of the North Island

Secondary Schools Championships over 8 different races and in the top 16 over 5 different

races. Where other secondary schools have previously dominated, St John’s is now up

there.

Maadi cup, the colloquial name for the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships

was held at Karapiro this year. Our young men made the most of the home advantage,

with Benjamin Burgess and Dylan McLeod winning gold in the Boy’s U18 Lightweight 2x;

and Finn Hamill and Mitchell Evans earning a silver in the Boy’s U18 Novice 2x. In total,

17 crews were entered with crews qualifying for 5 A Finals, 7 B Finals, 1 C Final and 1 D

Final. Overall, St John’s placed 18th of 95 schools for overall points. These results are

unprecedented for our young men and have shown others that St John’s Rowing is a

competitive and well-tuned team.

Rowing is a huge commitment, not just for the rowers but for the parents/caregivers and

coaches too. A big thank you must go out to our parent committee who have helped with

the background logistics. Mr Drew Tierney is the driving force behind St John’s College

Rowing and the strength of the team is a reflection of his dedication and commitment.

Mr Tierney is supported by the coaching team consisting of Sean McVerry (Director of

Rowing), Jarrod Fleming and Kieren McGirr. The coaching team brought a different focus

to the team this year and instilled a passion and commitment in our young men that will

last beyond their school days.

With the season coming to a close at the end of Maadi, the rowing team now focus on

keeping fit over the winter months. During terms 2 and 3 there will be opportunities for

students who might be keen to row, to join a no obligation learn to row programme. This

generally runs once a week. Information about learn to row will come out during term 2.

TUTOR AVAILABLE FOR NCEA LEVELS 1-3 ENGLISHIf you feel that your son would benefit from individual tutoring for NCEA Levels 1-3 English; please contact:

Dennis Hetet (former Head of English Department at St John’s College)

I have experience with both external and internal Achievement Standards, at all three levels. The payment charge per hour, will be fair and not excessive.

It must be stressed that the tutoring will be in line with your son’s teacher’s methods and purposes, and therefore will not be contradictory and confusing for your son. The purpose of tutoring is to assist and supplement on a one to one basis.

Ph: 027 280 8967Email: [email protected]

Greetings, Due to medical circumstances, I am unable to drive which means for the next little while I am having to rely on public transport. One of the most frustrating things I have ever had to do is catch a bus just after school has finished. Today I walked to the bus stop and patiently waited for the bus. At about 3.20pm, I see a large group of St. Johns students come around the corner and head to the bus stop. I think to myself, bugger there goes a quiet bus ride and a seat for myself. Having caught the bus as a school boy I understand that there is nothing to complain about. These odd 40 or so students need to get home and this is there most reliable mode of transport. As the bus arrives at the stop, they all excitedly move to be the first of their mates to get on and get themselves a seat. I'm thinking to myself that me and the ten or so public members waiting at the stop are probably going to have to wait for another bus as the one that just arrived looked as though it was going to be full. As the door to the bus opened, the St. Johns students all began to stand to the side, creating two walls of students and a wide gap leading to the door of the bus. A few of them began to point to the public members and politely urged them to hop on first. Strange I thought to myself, having been a young man their age once I knew how hard it can be to exhibit patience. Yet without a single word between any of them, or any of them having to be told by their friends, they all stood there chatting excitedly and smiling as the public took the first seats. It was hard for me to believe, you'd never expect a group of thirty young men to show such self-control, let alone away from the presence of a teacher. Yet they all did this without even seeming to acknowledge the deed they were doing. As if to them it

was hardly an effort, or as though it was as natural as slipping on jandals as you leave the house. Something you don't even consciously realize that you are doing. One student who approached me, made eye contact, grinned and politely asked if he could have the seat next to me, knowing full well that if he wanted he could sit there without even asking, as many people who catch the bus do. The courtesy was fully appreciated and It was comforting knowing the person I had to share my seat with was decent, well-spoken and polite. As the bus moved further along the route, a tired looking mother and her small child hoped on the bus. She looked miserable. I could sympathize with her knowing like me she had lacked the foresight to choose to catch a bus outside of school times. She paid her fare like everyone else and began to squeeze past a group of other high school students, who stood blocking the front of the bus. I felt a bit of frustration as she tried to move past them. Not one of them acknowledged her and tried to make room for her to move further down the bus. Then she approached the first seat which was occupied by two St. Johns students. Amazingly, the two boys immediately stood up and offered to her their seat, which with a big smile of relief on her face, she took, looking like she was amazed to have come across such decency. Again, it didn't seem like a chore or a task to these boys. In fact, it seemed like they were actively searching for an opportunity to demonstrate their politeness. Both beamed and grinned as she commented on how kind it was for them to have given up their seats. I saw that these two had learnt how rewarding it can be to help other people in need. Something I know some people will go a life time without learning. There was a very glum looking old lady near the front of the bus. She looked a bit sad and lonely. One of your students sat next to her. He smiled confidently and asked her how her day was going. I watched her perk

up a little, seemingly happy to have found an ear that wanted to listen. I looked back over five minutes later, to see four more of your students with their eyes locked on her. You would have thought she was telling them where there was a hidden stash of money by how interested they all looked. They smiled and grinned with her as she chatted on about whatever it is old ladies like to talk about. How sweet I thought it was that she found an audience in such a place you would not expect. She smiled all the way home. I hate catching the bus, truly it is not a very enjoyable experience. Today I hopped off however feeling much more uplifted and happy than when I had hopped on. It is not often good deeds are acknowledged. But when I got home I thought it would be a shame not to pass on to you what I had witnessed. I had always thought such things these students showed were not taught in school, that they were taught at home by your family. It was obvious to me though that from their school these students had learned these courtesy’s. Again I would like to admit to my amazement at the behaviour of your students. It’s strange, of all the people I meet on the bus and have met in my life so far, there are not an awful lot who take pleasure in helping people and being kind. People who show decency to others they meet, and who enjoy the company of strangers and sharing a laugh and a smile with them. Why is it that today I witnessed so many all at once? I am left feeling very hopeful, that in a few years they will join with the rest of society and carry on doing what they do. For that I am thankful for what your school will be gifting to the rest of society. something that many take for granted. I think it would be nice to have these students know that their thoughtfulness is appreciated, though they may not hear it often. Kind regards, Anonymous member of the public.

PUBLIC FEEDBACKRecently a member of the public took time to write to us to commend our boy’s on the use of public buses. While it’s not unusual to receive

positive feedback about our boy’s this letter was published on our facebook page and you could say it was well received reaching over 135,000

people, 729 shares, 3.2k likes and 366 comments. In case you missed it, the letter received follows:



TUAKANA, 2017Fifty-one Year 12 students volunteered and were selected as Tuakana at the end of last year. These

boys must be responsible, friendly, and be able to demonstrate both initiative and leadership to fulfil

this role well. Their main role is to assist with the two-day Year 9 Induction at the start of the school

year. This event largely depends upon the charisma and personality of the “older brothers.” Their

job is to greet the new boys, and to encourage them to start talking and making new friends with

each other. They need to keep track of all the boys in their group, and look after them as they move

from one activity to another. It’s great to see the relationships which are built over these first couple

of days. By Day 2, many of the Tuakana were playing rugby with the younger boys in the university

pool and having a great time of it! This older/younger brother relationship often continues as at least

one Tuakana from each Induction group is in Form Class with several of the Year 9 boys. Tuakana are

encouraged to keep an eye on their teina/younger brothers throughout the year with conversations,

advice, help with homework, and generally just “being present” for the boys as they make that all-

important transition into life at St. John’s.

Our 2017 Tuakana Leaders are:

Luke Barnes

Jordan Bath

Samuel Beadle

Daniel Boyd

Troy Brown

Cameron Burgess

William Burton

Reece Cateley

Jacob Cox

Caton Dooner

Benjamin Drube

Jordan Edwards

Christian Fabe

Mason Gallien

Joseph Gida

Ryan Griffiths

Corban Hall

Lars Hansen

Jacob Hastings

Joel Jaques

Shaun Johnsen

Terosita Kabwea

Matthew Kato

Caleb Laurent

Jack Levet

RIan Little

Jonathon Mahutonga

Elan McInerney

Hamish McWilliam

Lachie McWilliam

Richard Millar

Felix Minhinnick

Haydon Naish

Scott Peden

Blair Petrin

Alexander Piek

Brodie Ryan

Caleb Salisbury

Thomas Simmonds

Hayden Smedts

Leom Smith

Timothy Staincliffe

Griffin Taylor

Ciaran Thomson

Esira Tulagi

Tommy van den Bemd

Andrew Walker

Thomas Watene

Brandyn Were

Niklas Wessling

Ben Wilson

DEBATING

On Saturday the 11th of March SJC sent two

teams to the New Zealand Secondary Schools

regional debating championship for 2017.

The teams were made up of Anthony Perera,

Sacha Choytooa, and Sebastian Manning

who were in our development team and

Tim Manning, Jacob Flanagan and Dominic

Beaton who were in our Senior Team.

The competition consisted of a prepared

motion round, then two rounds of impromptu

motions, then semi-finals and finals. The

prepared motion was “That this house would

tax Property Investors”. Both teams won the

first round. The second round impromptu

motion was “That this house would legalise

Euthanasia” Our Senior team opposed this

motion and won. The development team lost

in this round.

The third Motion was “That this house

believes that only Middle Eastern countries

should be used to fight ISIS. The seniors

won this round making them undefeated

and ranked second after three rounds.

Unfortunately the development team lost, but

they did well throughout the day, especially

given they were year 11’s debating against

mostly year 13’s

In the semi-final, the senior team won against

Sacred Heart and then faced HBHS in the final

where the motion was about consumerism.

Unfortunately, we lost that debate so came

2nd overall out of 24 teams from across the

Bay of plenty and the Waikato region.

Jacob Flanagan was given a highly

commended for his efforts throughout the

day. Dominic Beaton who is in year 11 was

selected to compete in The New Zealand

National championships for the Waikato

team. This is the first time that Saint John’s

has had a student on this team, so he has

done fantastically well.

2017 INTER-HOUSE COMPETITIONIn 2017 the Inter-House competition continued to grow. So far this term, alongside the

Year 9 Haka competition and year 13 Leadership competition days were the big sports

events, Athletic sports and Swimming Sports. Athletic sports once again saw awesome

participation and Chanel won both the track and field events amassing a total raw score

of 1091. The other three houses had only 23 points separating them with Pompallier on

933 Marcellin on 930 and Roncalli on 910. The Swimming sports followed the successful

format from last year with a non-competitive section running alongside the competitive

section. Again this saw the whole school involved and was an outstanding success. Roncalli

blew everyone away with very strong competitive swimmers. Chanels effort in the non-

competitive section was enough to secure a second placing. At this point Chanel have

taken the lead with 190 competition points. Pompellier is second on 153, Roncalli third on

149 and Marcellin fourth on 114.

House points are kept up to date on the School website.

http://www.stjohns-hamilton.school.nz/Community/test

OLD BOYS’ AND FRIENDS OF ST JOHN’S COLLEGE GOLF TOURNAMENT

The annual Old Boys’ and Friends of St John’s

College Golf Tournament hosted by the Old

Boys’ Foundation, was held on Sunday 26th

March at the Ngaruawahia Golf Club.

A great day was had by all with a mixture

of old boys’, staff, current parents and

supporters of St John’s College participating.

The winners on the day were the Arborline

team consisting of Julian Jaques, John

Sklenars, Richard Coombes and Ted Bain.

JUNIOR GAME FISHING SUCCESS

Congratulations to Dylan White who recently

won the Caribbean Zane Grey International

Game Fishing Tournament held in the Bay of

Islands. Dylan is the only junior to have ever

entered this tournament and is the youngest

to win. His catch of the day was a 203.7kg

blue marlin pulled in in 3.5m swells, he caught

the winning fish with a 37kg rod and reel.


YEAR 9 INDUCTION

January 31, 2017: for 172 Year 9 boys, this was their first day of high school at St. John’s College.

Eager faces, nervous laughter, reunions with mates from primary school, anxiousness, sweaty palms,

questions such as "Where do I go?" and "Who will I eat lunch with?"—this is the scene on Day 1.

Year 9 students met with their Tuakana in groups of about 12 after the powhiri, where they were

welcomed into the St. John’s family. They began their journey as they walked through the Hato

Hoani (St. John’s) waharoa. Their first day the new boys learned the school song and our brand-new

school haka. They met their form teacher for the very first time and got a personalised tour of the

school grounds.

On their second day, they met the PE staff, and got into some serious House competition with a

variety of games. One of the highlights for many boys was the swim in the university pool. They

showed off their bombing skills in the dive pool and cooled off in the big pool. The day finished

with a drama presentation by four staff dressed as Marcellin, Roncalli, Chanel and Pompallier, and an

introduction to our Marist pillars.

The goal of the Induction programme is to introduce the boys to the culture of St. John’s College:

we sing, we challenge with the haka; we play sport energetically, and have fun doing it. Family Spirit

and our spiritual foundations are core to what the college is about. By the time the Year 9 boys

were welcomed to the school by the older students to a thunderous haka in the gym, the ties of

brotherhood had begun.


NCEA 2016We are delighted to announce that once again the 2016 NCEA results

represent the best results in the history of the college, continuing the trend

that we have seen for the past four consecutive years. 100% of our students

passing Level 1, 98% passing Level 2 and 91.3% passing Level 3. Pass rates for

our Māori and Pasifika students are also well above national results:

Māori: Level 1 - 97.1%, Level 2 - 100%, Level 3 - 89.5%, UE - 57.9%

Pasifika:Level 1 - 100%, Level 2 - 100%, Level 3 - 93.3%, UE - 33.3%

Our pass rates are significantly higher than both national and decile 7 boys’

schools results. They are indicative of not only the hard work put in by the

students but also by our staff who work hard to design and deliver effective

curriculum programmes to meet the needs of our learners.

Proportions of students gaining Merit endorsements have increased

significantly at Level 1 and 2 and for the first time we have seen over 50% of

Level 1 students gain an endorsement. There has been no significant change

in endorsement rates at Level 3. Performance was once again strong with

internal assessments but we need to guide our young men more closely to

see greater success in the external exams at the end of the year.

We are very proud of what our students achieved in 2016, but we aim to make

2017 even better! Our fine young men need to understand the importance

of ensuring that every standard worked towards is their best effort, getting

things right first time and not being reliant on re-submissions to improve

their grades. It is not just the NCEA pass that is important, but the quality

of the pass. 50% of students nationally gain either a Merit or Excellence

endorsement. The reality for many students aspiring to go to university is that

they need to secure endorsements at both Level 2 and Level 3 to gain a place.

University course places are limited, as are places at other tertiary

institutions with admissions officers taking only the best applicants.

Universities use the combination of endorsements at NCEA Level 2 & 3 to

decide the value of undergraduate entrance scholarships that may be on

offer. No endorsement at Level 2 and Level 3 = no money. Even some courses

at Wintec require you to have UE (University Entrance), so it is important that

students undertake research around possible future courses so that they are

well informed about entry requirements.

All senior students have had NCEA target grades set for the year, parents

can view these by logging onto the web portal(KAMAR) and clicking on the

current year results, selecting the year level. Thank you to all those students

and parents who took the opportunity of working with us to set these targets.

It is important that students not only know their target but track their own

performance against it during the year. The key to success is hard work, effort,

perseverance and consistency.

The following Year 13 students from 2016 are to be congratulated, they strived

for Excellence during their time at the college and gained an Excellence

endorsement at NCEA Level 1, 2 and 3:

Carlos Bergonia, Alex Clare, Mathew Davy (also gained Scholarship

Accounting, Biology and Outstanding in Economics), Callum Fraser, Liam

Gilheany-Black, Troy Gouk-Macdonald ( also gained Scholarship Biology) and

Luke Mansell.

The final mention goes to Braden Kay who was successful in gaining a Physics

scholarship - the first Physics Scholarship to be achieved by a student at the

college.

Dominic Tester

Deputy Principal

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 UE

SJC 100% 98.0% 91.3% 54.3%

Decile 7 Boys' Schools 85.2% 90.4% 72.5% 52.4%

National 74.7% 78.9% 65.1% 48.7%

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 UE

2013 85.40% 87.40% 87.40% 55.90%

2014 93.20% 90.80% 72.20% 54.80%

2015 96.20% 93.50% 71.60% 46.80%

2016 100% 98.0% 91.3% 54.3%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Level1 Level2 Level3 UE

StJohn'sCollegeNCEAResults2016

SJC Decile7Boys'Schools NaAonal

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Level1 Level2 Level3 UE

StJohn'sCollegeNCEAResults2013-2016

2013 2014 2015 2016

INTRODUCING SJC’S NEWEST STAFF

At the beginning of the year we welcomed Ms Renee Hutchinson, Head of Department Languages;

Mrs Donna McHugh Teacher in Charge of Music and Mrs Petrina Curran Food Technology. We are

privileged to have these three talented ladies join our teaching staff.

Ms Renee Hutchinson – Head of Department Languages

Ms Hutchinson says that she ‘is delighted to join the staff at St John’s College in the role of Head

of Languages Faculty’. Ms Hutchinson is a local who is a graduate of Sacred Heart Girls' College,

Hamilton, and the University of Waikato. After being away from Hamilton for nearly 20 years,

studying, traveling and teaching abroad, and working at Aquinas College in Tauranga, she says

that ‘it is wonderful to be back.’ Ms Hutchinson has extensive teaching experience in the Catholic

secondary school system and internationally. Her passion for the subject of English, particularly

literature of the New World and film, will see the English Department augment its already excellent

programme. Since being at St John’s, Ms Hutchinson has found the culture and atmosphere unlike

any other school she has been in. ‘Every day I am more and more impressed by the caliber of our

students and staff. This is an outstanding school, and it is a privilege to work here!'

Mrs Donna McHugh – Teacher in Charge of Music

Mrs McHugh is also an old girl of Sacred Heart Girl’s College and during her time there she was a

member of the St John’s Irish Ceilidh group which is still going strong today. Mrs McHugh studied

Music and History at Victoria University, Wellington and completed a BA in History and Masters in

Music in Ethnomusicology. After five years living and travelling abroad, Mrs McHugh decided it was

time to move back home and upon doing so, completed her Graduate Teaching Diploma and has

been teaching ever since.

Mrs McHugh says that she is ‘enjoying the wonderful atmosphere at St John’s College from both

the students and staff, the boys have so much musical talent and there is a well-established extra-

curricular music program offering a variety of performance opportunities for our students’. The music

department will continue to grow from strength to strength and are looking forward to and preparing

for an exciting and busy 2017.

Mrs Petrina Curran – Food Technology

Mrs Curran is passionate about food and teaching and has taught Food Technology for about 10

years in both Hamilton and Auckland. She joins us as a part time teacher in our Food Technology

area. She is a graduate of Waikato University and Hamilton Teacher’s College where she trained to

teach History and English.

Mrs Curran is no stranger to St John’s College as for the last 18 months we have had the privilege of

having her as a regular reliever. When not at school, Mrs Curran keeps busy with five fantastic kids

and a great husband. She enjoys hiking, reading and traveling.

L-R: Ms Renee Hutchinson, Mrs Donna McHugh, Mrs Petrina Curran



PREPARING YOUNG MEN FOR LIFE

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