September 2014
Achieve @ St Bernard’s From the Principal
Kite ingoa o te Atua, o te Tamaiti, o te Wairua Tapu. Amen Re-stating the obvious: what makes a school successful?
The Education Review Office regularly publishes reports regarding topical issues concerning the achievement of students. One of these booklets “Towards equitable outcomes in secondary schools: Good practice (May 2014)” looks at the differences between students achieving well and those students that our education system consistently fails. Quoting from the booklet: “the aspects of good practice highlighted in the report are nothing new – effective leadership, strong parent and community engagement, effective use and analysis of data, selfreview and programmes tailored to meet the needs of individual students. What makes the big difference in these schools is their culture of care and well-being. This culture gives their students a sense of belonging, a sense of purpose and the motivation to succeed. It binds the school and the community together and keeps the students engaged.” Those are the benchmarks that St Bernard’s has to measure itself against and last year we came out with flying colours in our ERO review and in the Special Character review. The danger is for one to sit on one’s laurels. Any school that is not making small incremental steps of continual improvement will slide backwards. That school would go into a cruising mode, thinking that every aspect of its organisation, management, teaching, curriculum, pastoral care, home-school partnerships, etc. are all fine and there is no need for scrutiny and change. Change for the sake of change is a waste of time and energy. It would naturally encounter resistance. However, change to improve the educational outcomes for students is a responsibility that we all accept. In some instances change would inevitably mean discomfort and possibly confusion until the new things are embedded. Our vision is plain and simple: “we want to provide an excellent education to those boys whose parents choose to send to our Catholic school.” No compromise, no cutting corners. We need to identify what is worthwhile among the options; what will work; keeping the whole school community cheerfully in step when a new direction is chosen. We can put our heads in the sand; we can hang back and let other schools take the lead in trying out new things. Or we can take a third option – to check what went on before, to listen to people’s views, to work out how things would look like, to plan the changes and then to take a leap of faith! We want our students to say when they come to leave that they were looked after and cared for; they had a range of options; they had plenty of opportunities to succeed academically, vocationally and in sports, with a solid grounding in Gospel values. This is what makes St Bernard’s successful.
Peter Fava
“Lord, grant me the strength to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” St Francis of Assisi
St Bernard’s Day St Bernard’s Day 2014 will stand out as one of the best in the school’s history! The day saw the beginning of many traditions that will hopefully carry on for years to come. The morning began with each house marching as one behind their house banner, chanting until their throats were hoarse. More people came in house colours and costumes than ever before and it was a sight to behold. The whole school then participated in a special liturgy, where the house captains took charge and did a wonderful job representing their house patron. Next came the glitz and glamour of talent quest, a competition for St Bernard’s students to show off their hidden talents. This year was an enormous success, seeing some stellar acts such as: Kapa Haka, Poly group, the cast of ‘The Ragged’, and many individual artists and bands. Congratulations to the winners: songwriters Patrick Shanahan and Connor Bliss (3rd equal), dancer Guru Pande (2nd), and rapper Joe Afoa (1st). In the afternoon the carnival atmosphere continued and we had a whole circus of activities for students to compete in. The sun came out and everyone had a great time, teachers and students alike! The day culminated in an absolutely bone chilling Haka competition. The prize was shared equally between Pompallier and Chanel house. Everyone then took a break to watch the old boys battle it out with our top sports teams, while the house points were tallied up. The inaugural winner of the St Bernard’s Day cup was………………….. Chanel house! They showed up in force, with a united attitude and strong house captains to lead them. Congratulations Chanel house, let’s see if you can hold on to the trophy next year! St Bernard’s Day 2014 was a success because of the combined efforts of dedicated staff and senior students who stepped up and showed amazing leadership and organisational skills. It was a day to be proud of St Bernard’s College.
Special Character Poverty Forum:
On Tuesday the 5th of August some of our year 13 leaders attended the poverty forum that was held at the Anglican Cathedral of St Paul’s and hosted by their Bishop and our Catholic Archbishop John Dew. They were there to learn about the Christian perspective on poverty and listen to ministers of parliament give the viewpoints for their parties. They were then invited to stay with a hundred other young people just about to turn the voting age for discussion and activities related to poverty in our society. It was a wonderful opportunity to be exposed to the key note speakers and to ask them questions.
Sacred Heart Petone Visits: During term three volunteer Yr 12 and Yr 13 students have been visiting the primary students at Sacred Heart Petone every Thursday lunchtime to play games with them and help out in their school garden. The boys give up their lunchtime to spend time with the students and tell them what it is like to go to school at St Bernard’s. Recently two of our year 13 students who are past pupils of Sacred Heart were invited to an assembly for Duffy books. Mark Capinpin and DJ Pereira spoke at the assembly about the importance of reading when you get to high school and what it takes to be a leader. They were then presented with Duffy books of their own to take home.
Young Vinnies Mass:
On Sunday the 17th of August St Bernard’s along with Sacred Heart College hosted the Young Vinnies Mass at St Peters and Pauls Church in Lower Hutt. It was a beautiful day and representatives from all of the Young Vinnies groups in our Catholic colleges in the Wellington region attended with their families. The theme of the Mass was presence in our communities. The St Bernard’s group represented by Ben Duthie-Jung reported on the many activities that have been going on in our school. He made particular mention of the school house can drives, the new Social Justice group that has been working in the year 7 & 8 classes, fundraising for important initiatives like ANZAC poppy day and making connections with other students at the O’Shea Shield.
This photo is of DJ, Mark and Sacred Heart’s head students.
Science Level 1 Science. - Tutorials will be held over the holidays on each Tuesday (September 30th & October 7th)from 9.00am to 11.30am in Mr Higson’s room. Level 3 Biology - Tutorials will be held over the holidays on each Tuesday (September 30th & October 7th) from 11.30am to 2.00am in Mr Higson’s room. Science: Tutorials are held EVERY night after school (3.30pm to 5.00pm) in C6. These will be help right up to the eve of the examination. Everyone is welcome. In term 4 there will be Saturday morning tutorials in C6 from 9.00am to 12noon. Everyone is welcome.
Slum night: The Social Justice group this year has been working on many initiatives to raise awareness of poverty in our society and one of these was the recent slum night. Students gave up their time to participate in many sessions throughout the evening including family budgeting, role play scenarios, looking at the social justice principles, concentrating on the Marist pillar of presence, prayer and reflection, putting together activities to run in year 7 & 8 classes the next day, and an assembly to show the whole school. The Slum consisted also of sleeping outside in cardboard boxes with no technology or food for a whole night on the school grounds. The next day at school students arriving were able to see what the group had been doing and ask them questions.
Astronomy Club SBC Astronomy Club Meeting - The Planets Place: St Bernard’s College (Rm C2, Main block) Date: Thu 2nd Oct 2013 Time: 7:30pm Mercury, Saturn, and Mars will visible in the evening sky. It is a good time to have a last look at Saturn, its rings and moons before it disappears again till next year. If the weather is looking doubtful we will still meet in Rm C2, where there will be a presentation on the planets. There is a total lunar eclipse on the 8th Oct starting around 9pm where the Moon will be completely blood red by 11:30pm. Telescopes will be available to look through by 9pm down at the school. If you want to hear and see more, come along, and bring family and friends.
Yearbook This year every student received a free copy of the 2013 Yearbook thanks to the funding support provided from the Marist Community Development Trust [MCDT]. Other financial priorities mean that the Marist Trust is no longer able to underwrite this cost. From 2015 there will be a charge of $25.00 for each Yearbook. This cost will be included in the Charges Schedule. If you don’t want a copy of the 2014 Yearbook magazine this charge will be credited. If you are interested in advertising in this year’s Yearbook please contact Matt Harrison - mharrison@sbc.school.nz
Sport 2014 Basketball Finals At the end of August finals were held for all Wellington college basketball teams and our junior A and senior B both qualified. The junior A team captained by Noah Lindstrom went into their final in division 2 with an unbeaten record. They faced a revved up Wainuiomata High School team with nothing to lose. A change of venue and nerves put St Bernard’s on the back foot at times and this ended up being their most challenging game of the season. Luckily they pulled through with a 65-53 win with Kitiona Vaofusi top scoring, shooting 33 of the 65 winning points.
great trepidation that they entered into the final at ASB Stadium against Taita again. However with many of their St Bernard’s friends and family making the trip into town and an amped up team they came through with a convincing score of 79-56. It was a fantastic end to great season with many of these boys having played together since year 7 & 8. The last time senior A won in the finals was 2008 when their current coach Miguel was playing. After five years of managing it was wonderful to also have Catherine Brennan go out with a win.
Football. Thank you to all 76 people (parents, players, friends) that attended the football club’s prizegiving last Saturday night. Thank you to all the parents and family members that support and encouraged our 6 teams over the season. Your involvement was greatly appreciated. Congratulations to the 3rd XI that made the final of their division. You played very well. You can be extremely proud of your achievement.
Board of Trustees New Student Trustee The Board of Trustees congratulates and welcomes Connor Bliss as the new Student Trustee.
We hope to continue our success in the years to come by moving up in the divisions and this would not be possible without the coaching, managing and The senior B team captained by Michael parent support that has been kindly Brennan went into their final in division 3 volunteered this year. after a nail biting home game against Taita We hope you will all be back next year. winning 52-42 with Michael Brennan top scoring with 13, Jacob Egan 12 and Mark Capinpin 10. Congratulations to Laau Finau, Mataio Pou The team played best on home turf with who have been selected in the the support of their families and classmates Wellington Samoans U18—Rugby Team cheering along the side-lines so it was with
Quiz Night What a raving success we had on Saturday 6 th September for our annual PFS Quiz Night – over $4000 raised! We sold over 250 tickets and the school was ably represented by the Science Department – thanks Brenton! Thanks to Elizabeth, Diane, Tania, Karen, Jo, Allen, Jun, Fliss for the hard yards getting all our sponsors & prizes along with your amazing work on the night. We had help from so many people that it’s hard to acknowledge everyone – so thanks to all who gave up some time on the night. Wonderful MC & Quizmaster Stephen, Chief Marker Andrea, and Results Manager John who once again gave up their night to support the event. Congrats to the 2 lovely ladies who won our major prizes – a luxury Hamper (won by Lisa Tupuivao) & a Mountain Bike (won by Shondell Paaka) from Cycle Science. This year we introduced the concept of a sponsored table and we sold 5 tables - hands down the best was from Brew’d. We’d love to see more businesses next year – maybe even a prize for the most outstanding table decorations! Great feedback from all and we will do our best not to clash with an All Blacks game in 2015. We couldn’t do it without support from local businesses and our wider community so thank you once again.
Looking forward to seeing you next year!
The Board also thanks the out-going Student Trustee, Daniel Raju, for generously committing his time and energy to his fellow students and the College. We wish Daniel every success for his future. Patricia Pynenburg Board Secretary
ICAS Success Computer Skills ICAS Success for SBC 2014 Earlier this year 36 students from Years 7 to 9 participated in the 2014 Computer Skills ICAS competition. It is pleasing to report that the following students gained a Credit award (roughly placing them in the top 30% of all NZ candidates). Year 7 Credit: Alex Cornille, Tomas Senek, Keanu Templonuevo and Alexander Watsom Year 8 Credit: Henry Bennett, Mackenzie Georgeson, Jacob Sharkey Year 9 Credit: Martin Almendarl, Caleb Carrasco, Gianpaolo Cigaral, Trevix Raquid, Junlin Sun The following students produced an outstanding performance in the examination and gained a Distinction grade. Year 8: Liam Eagle, Nithen Best and William Johnson
PFS News The PFS meet on the first Thursday of each month at 7.30pm in the school staffroom and we would love to have you join us. It is a great way to get to meet other parents and get firsthand knowledge of school happenings. GARAGE SALE: Our annual garage sale is being held on Sat 1 November at the school. The holidays are a great time to sort out any good quality used items that you wish to donate. We will be able to store items at school nearer to the time. Enquiries ph Elizabeth 971 4408 OLIVE OIL & WINE FUNDRAISER: Enclosed with this newsletter are order forms for Village Press Olive Oil & Sileni Estate Wines – two very successful companies from the Hawkes Bay. These make ideal Christmas gifts with delivery mid October. Enquiries ph Tania on 587 0024
Term Dates Diary Notes Term 4 13 October to 5 December
Careers Victoria University Information Evening Evening for prospective students and their parents, aimed to help them get ready for life at Victoria
22nd October 2014 6pm—7:35pm Course Planning - available from 5:30pm
October 13 Term 4 Starts 22 Pasifica Parents Meeting 28 BOT Meeting November 5 Leavers Mass & Dinner Last Day Yr 11—13 6 PFS Meeting 6 - 11 Junior Exams 10 Senior Exams Start 19 Pasifica Parents Meeting 21 Yr 7-9 Orientation Day 25 BOT Meeting
Uniform Shop Normal Opening Hours Monday 8.15 to 9.00am Wednesday 10.30 to11am Thursday 12.30 to 1.30pm
Polyclub The Polyclub. performed 16th September at the Opera House Wellington. Our boys brought the house down from the start to the end…………oh my gosh it was mind-blowing Everything was perfect. Huge thank you to Mrs Nila Uili parents and polyclub boys for their hard work and commitment. Thank you so much for your ongoing support
Contact Details Physical/Postal Address 183 Waterloo Road Lower Hutt 5010 New Zealand
P:04 560 9250 F:04 560 9251 E:office@sbc.school.nz W:www.sbc.school.nz
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Preferred method of payment school fees The school prefers all school fees to be paid directly to our bank account. This is a safer means of payment that provides a reliable trail. Our bank account is ASB Queensgate 12-3142-0164653-00. Please include your son’s first name and surname, and your phone number in the reference fields. Receipts are issued for all payments and given to students in class. If you are facing financial difficulties please contact The Business Manager. Thank you .