August 2015
Achieve @ St Bernard’s From the principal, ko Peter Fava toku tumuaki. Kite ingoa o te Atua, o te Tamaiti, o te Wairua Tapu. Amene. There are two separate, though possibly intertwined, matters that I wish to address – Māori Language Week and Hope. Maori Language Week has come and gone. We heard about it in the media: some TV networks and radio stations acknowledged it and then once the week was over, te reo was put on the back burner until the following year.
Samoan Speech Competition Regional Competition On the 25th of June four boys ably represented St Bernard’s College at the regional Samoan speech competition held at Akupuhanga Hall, Porirua. The theme for this year’s speech contest was “Tautua nei mo sou lumanai manuia – serve with diligence now for a better tomorrow”. The competition was scheduled from 9am till 3.30pm. The Honourable mayor of Porirua, Nick Leggett officially opened the contest and Samoa’s Commissioner to New Zealand Leasi Papalii Tommy Scanlan addressed the gathering. Students from various secondary schools around the Wellington region were seen nervously mumbling their speeches in an attempt to ensure that speeches were mastered and memorised with ease. At exactly 9am, speeches were underway. At the end, all four of our boys won prizes Bruce Tuuga - 1st year 11 level Reuben Misa - 4th year 11 level Mata Laga - 4th year 12 level Lie Faimalie - 4th year 13 level Congratulations to all the prize winners and our senior students who were there to support our reps. I would also like to acknowledge the assistance rendered by Mr Shaka Sola who offered moral support and advice to our boys as well as being our driver on that day. We hope to have more Samoan students competing in this annual competition in years to come. Remember winning is important but what matters the most is your participation and appreciation of your language Seteuati Nofoaiga National Competition Our huge congratulations to Bruce Tuuga who made the trip to Auckland to represent St Bernard’s in the National Competition held at Malaeola Hall on the 30th of July. He was the first speaker for the Yr 11 students and came away with an impressive 4th place. Well Done Bruce!!
Karanga mai, karanga mai, karanga mai Nau mai, haere mai, mihi mai O te hapu, o te iwi, o te whanau o te kura tuarua o Hato Perenara o te Awakairangi, tena koutou. O te kaiako, o te akonga, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa. The kaupapa for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2015 was ‘Whāngaihia te reo Māori ki ngā mātua.’ We aim to encourage and support the language development of parents who can then whāngai the language to their children. Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (The Māori Language Commission) celebrated 28 years of existence in 2015 and to celebrate this it chose ‘Whāngaihia te reo Māori ki ngā mātua’ as the theme for Māori Language Week 27-31 July, 2015. This theme was chosen to provide the encouragement and support the Māori language for parents who in turn then can encourage and support the language development in their children. At its core ‘whāngaihia’ is about ensuring that the te tangata whenua language of Aotearoa/ New Zealand is passed onto the next generation. Our own college theme for 2015 is “simplicity”. We can recognise simplicity by making a genuine effort to learn and use te reo Māori, starting off with simple words and phrases. After all, te reo Māori is one of the official languages of New Zealand. And this is not only during Māori Language Week, but whenever the opportunity presents itself in our daily lives. This special week provided an opportunity to celebrate and learn te reo Māori, helping to secure its future as a living, dynamic, and rich language. However, much more than a te wiki is needed to safeguard this. The other matter has to do with hope, which is so much part of our Christian living. At a recent conference for NZ Catholic Secondary School principals I picked up this comment made by Vaclav Havel, who was a philosopher, playwright, dissident and statesman. He was the first democratically elected president of Czechoslovakia and then of the Czech republic. The comment is worth digesting as the College soon embarks on a new journey: “Hope is a state of mind, not of the world. Hope in this deep and powerful sense is not that things are going well, or willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously heading for success, but rather an ability to work for something that is good. Hope is definitely not the same as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless how it turns out. E nga mana, e nga reo, e nga iwi. God bless you all. Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.
Marcellin Toilet Upgrade The student toilets in the Marcellin Block have been refurbished. They are the flashest toilets in town! Our thanks goes to The Archdiocese of Wellington for funding the project [Your attendance dues are the main contributor to these types of capital works], Gary Edridge from Re-design Architects, David Monastra the Project Manager and Carrara Holdings for constructing the new facility. We are committed to having quality workmanship throughout the school. Our property goal is to do the best job we can with every task even though our budget is often tight
Special Character
Staff
Yr 9 Retreat The Yr 9 retreat took place this year at Brookfield camp in Wainuiomata and the Holy Spirit was truly present throughout the day. The students engaged in prayer, meditation, social justice, stewardship and cooperative outdoor activities. There were many new teachers involved and they really stepped up and mentored the students through each of the activities. This is the students first year in the senior school, at St. Bernard’s. We start the journey at the base camp, and the Yr 9 students are beginning to plan the climb – the metaphor of climbing a mountain parallels that to becoming a man. It is time to start this journey to emerge at the Summit as the very best version of themselves that God created them to be. The mountain that they need to climb in their secondary education has started; time to get ready to begin the journey to the top.
Farewell to Jannene Tomlinson our Sports Co-ordinator since 2013. We thank Jannene for her work and wish her all the best in her new role at Sacred Heart College. Welcome to Brandon Karawana our new sports Co-ordinator. Brandon has a wealth of sports experience and is renowned in basketball circles. A former player and coach of the Hutt Valley Lakers Basketball Team winning National titles in 1991 and 1993. Brandon has coached many age group representative teams with distinction
Outreach Visits The outreach visits to Sacred Heart Petone Primary School have begun with many Yr 12 students giving up their Thursday lunchtimes to assist with the schools Science club and play with the pupils in the playground. This is an opportunity to connect with one of our contributing primary schools and for some of the boys it is also a chance to see younger relatives. The staff are extremely welcoming and enjoy the interactions with our staff and students.
The Celebration of the Arts is an opportunity for us to celebrate our developing creators and performers, be they actors, artists or musicians. Ensembles of musicians, class groups and artist’s work will be shared with family and friends. You are all welcome to attend. Mark the date in your diary.
Rite of Catholic Initiation of Adults Programme Our Chaplain, Mrs Anna-Marie Dickinson and Sr Ruth Coleman have begun the schools RCIA programme and we have 24 students preparing to receive the three Initiation Sacraments (Baptism, Confirmation and First Eucharist) of the Catholic Church. This programme runs twice a week during lunchtime and it is great to see so many dedicated students participating. These students will receive the Sacraments in a final ceremony during the end of term Mass on Friday the 25th of September and parents, caregivers and supporters are warmly invited to attend.
SBC Pasifika Pasifika Variety Night The Pasifika Community Variety Night, held last Saturday, was enjoyable and a great success with the community coming together and celebrating being Pasifika, showcasing their talents and embracing their cultures. With our school Principal, students, staff and parents participating in different aspects of the event, it really highlights a community spirit and helps promote the school and home partnership programme. Our main goal is to raise participation and achievement in school. Congratulations to all involved in the production, presentation, and performance, in particular our Poly Group and the Tokelau Group.
Arts
Details regarding tickets and the programme of the day will be forthcoming.
Debating The debating season is now over for the year, our highlight being the Senior Certificate team of Jack Marra, Steven Pereira and Conrad Weatherall making it through their competition to the quarter finals. Unfortunately Wellington East proved to be a tough opposition and convinced the adjudicator that NZ should indeed legalise marijuana. My congratulations to all three boys who have worked very hard all season and who have developed into a very effective team. Steven Pereira in particular has improved his skills to such a high level that he has stood in twice for absent members of the Premier B team when they have debated.
Tokelau Group
Congratulations Bruce Tuuga who represented St Bernard’s College and the Wellington Region in the National Samoan Speech competition in Auckland earlier this month and came 4th. Well done! Congratulations Mataio Pou for being selected in the NZ Secondary Schools Waterpolo Team. An awesome achievement! Next Pasifika Meeting: When: Wednesday 19th August 2015 Time: 6pm -7.30pm Where: St Bernard’s College Staffroom Please check your emails for information on tutorials and study help offered at the school.
The SBC Tokelau Cultural Group was privileged to support the Pacific Parents Variety night on Saturday Aug 8th. It was wonderful to have Henio Koloi Perez back from Tokelau to lead the group. There was also a sizeable group of old boys there to drum and sing alongside the boys. Five traditional dances were performed to a very high standard. They are now starting to get bookings for other community events and it is hoped that a combined group with Sacred Heart will be set up in the future for concert purposes. The group is very appreciative of Niko Pelasio and Niko Manuele, who filled in as tutors while Henio was in Tokelau.
Sport Indoor Cricket: At the recent New Zealand National Provincial Junior Indoor Cricket Tournament we had three of our students as representatives for the Wellington 13 and under team. The Wellington team were Grand Final Winners and Caleb Montague was named the Most Valuable Player for the team. As well as Caleb, congratulations must go to Nishan John and Tristan Kulathilake, all three boys were named in the NZ underage team which will compete at the Indoor Cricket Junior World Series in September/October in Brisbane, Australia. Badminton Four students competed at the CSW Open Championships in the last week of term 2. Congratulations to Wei-Ming Lim for making the cup final, unfortunately he lost 2 sets to zero. Thomas Josephson and Lennon Mok were eliminated in the Semi-finals of the Plate competition. Cross Country Yr7/8 Regionals Well done to Cameron Forsyth who represented the Hutt Zone at the Wellington Regional event held at Trentham Memorial Park on Tuesday 30 June. Cameron placed 7th in a field of 70 and the Lower Hutt Year 7 boys team placed 3rd overall. Cameron will now represent Wellington at the Inter Regionals in Blenheim in September.
Waterpolo As usual with water polo we are very busy and so are the boys. Last weekend we had several boys from our senior squad trial for the Wellington Schoolboys team. Congratulations to Mataio Pou, Troy McGuinness and Nathaniel Russell for being selected for this team which will be travelling to Sydney in December. Well done to Liam Win, Sam Taylor, Matthew Quin, Zach Ahern and Jakob McGuinness for making it into the development squad. The Naenae Competition is almost finished but our Junior squad will continue training as they will be heading up to Auckland in November to compete in the North Island Secondary Schools Competition (NISSC). Dates to keep in mind: Friday 8 September: Swimathon for the Junior and Senior Teams travelling to Auckland for NISSC tournaments. Wednesday 21 October: Quiz Night to raise funds for our Junior Squad heading up to Auckland in November 2015. If there is any way you’d like to help support the boys in our fundraising please get in contact with Miss Emma Wallis, St Bernard’s Water polo Convenor, via email. Ewallis@sbc.school.nz it
Judo Congratulations to the following boys who competed at the New Zealand Secondary School Judo Championships during the last school holidays. Daniel Lloyd won a gold medal in the boys U50kg division and Luke Pynenberg won a bronze medal in the +81kg division and a silver medal in the open division. Josho Keiko Gakuen Rugby Exchange SBC 1XV, 2XV, U15, U65 rugby hosted 31 players from Josho Keiko Gakuen High School in Osaka for our annual Rugby Exchange. 2015 saw the U15’s & U65’s join in for the first time and what an amazing experience for these younger players. The boys complained they didn’t get enough game time! The combined squad played the JKG 2nd & 1st XV’s over 4x 20 minute quarters. Not often we get our U65’s on the field at the same time as the 1stXV but the mixed teams worked well with the senior boys stepping up and leading the way. SBC went on to a convincing 57-12 win over the Japanese team. Having beaten the Wellington College 2 nd XV & the Onslow College 1st XV the previous week we knew they were more than capable of giving us a good game. Player of the Day went to Puna Manaia and Laau Finau from Game 1 and Mataio Pou and Viliami Fine from Game 2. Thanks to all the families who stepped up & billeted players – it’s a great opportunity on many levels (thank goodness for translation apps) and the Japanese boys are very gracious. Thanks to everyone who helped out with the aftermatch – a HUGE effort all round & something that went off without a hitch. Also thanks to our Old Boys Association for the trophy which is on the line each time we play this exchange.
Construction The construction of the new classroom block is going well despite the weather. The traditional “Roof Shout” morning tea was held to mark the closing in of the building.
would be greatly appreciated.
Upcoming Events: Rugby- Jonathan Collins Memorial Cup: This year the tournament will be played at St. Brendan’s School , Heretaunga on Thursday 27 August.
Maori Upcoming dates on St Bernard’s College Māori community calendar Term Three Trip to Kāpiti Island for Juniors – Thur 17 and Fri 18 Sep (second to last Thurs/Fri of term) Term Four Ki-O-Rahi tournament for Y7/8s – Mon 3 Dec (last week of term) Trip to Kāpiti Island, 17-18 September, 2015 Three teachers and one parent are scheduled to make the trip to Kāpiti Island with 19 year 9 students that are currently learning te reo Māori. The island is home to a number of native birds, mostly re-introduced. These include tākahe, kōkako, brown teal, stitichbird (hīhī), saddleback (tīeke), tomtit (miromiro), fantail (tīwaiwaka), morepork (rūrū) and North Island robin (toutouwai). The brown kiwi and little spotted kiwi were released on the island between 1890 and 1910, and the island is now the stronghold for the latter species. The trip will involve staying on the island for a night on the second to last Thursday-Friday of this term. The night visit will give students the opportunity to get close to spotted kiwi while they feed.
PFS News
Term Dates Diary Notes
The PFS meet on the first Thursday of each month at 7.30pm in the school staffroom and we would love to Term 3 have you join us. It is a great way to get to meet other 20 July to 25 September parents and get first-hand knowledge of school Term 4 happenings. 12 October to 8 December Quiz night 12th September 2015. We need donations towards raffle prizes. If anyone can contribute items such as chocolates, toiletries, hardware etc that would be great ALL tickets must be booked & paid for by the 11th September. Tickets available from 20th July At the school office. Please contact : Deborah 0272519553 or deborah@nourishe.co.nz Wine & Oil . The PFS is also running a wine and oil fundraiser available from the 1st September 2015 and finishing on the 18th of September 2015. The wine is from Sileni Estates and Redmetal Vineyards, the Oil is from Village Press The wine and oil will be available to be picked up from SBC from 2pm- 3.30pm on Tuesday 20th and Thursday 22nd October. We can send the oil home with the boys but a person over the age of 18 must pick the wine up. If these times are unsuitable please contact Kirsty to arrange a suitable time. Order forms are available in the school office. For more information please contact : Kirsty : 021 029 26686 georgesons@xtra.co.nz
August 15. SBC Ball 17-21 International Language week 19-26 Senior Exams September 3.
PFS Meeting
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Tu Tangata
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Sports & co-curricular Photos
11. St Bernard’s Day 12. PFS Quiz Night The full school calendar is available on the school website www.sbc.school.nz
FREE
Nurse’s consultation at St Bernard’s College See the office for Appointments with our school nurses Alex Ferrier-Kerr Cheri Hoffman FREE appointments with a doctor are no longer available at school but are available at the VIBE Clinic. They can be made through the nurse, Or directly with VIBE Nurse: 570-0883 Vibe:566-0525
SBCOBA St Bernard’s College Old Boys Association. Revamped in 2014 if you know any Old Boys please contact Dominic Outtrim Email: douttrim@sbc.school.nz Phone: 560-9250 ext 855 Mobile 021 876 6669
Uniform Shop Opening Hours Monday 8.15 to 9am Wednesday 10.30 to11am Thursday 12.30 to 1.30pm Be in quick if you want to take advantage of the special Blazer offer - $169.00
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
Contact: Vicki Foss E-mail vfoss@sbc.school.nz Phone: 560-9250 ext 865
Free Dental Treatment offered by Graeme Yee Dental Care, 66 Bloomfield Terrace, Lower Hutt, 566-1119
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.