Kia ora e te whanau
The final few days of Term 2, like the previous 9½ weeks, have remained extremely busy in and around the College. Whilst this Term has had its many challenges with students being off school site at various times, today our whole school comes together to celebrate The Church Feast of St Peter and St Paul. Today is central to what it means to be part of the St Peter’s College community, and through our motto, ‘Charity Fulfils the Law’, we are encouraged to embody the virtues of Jesus by loving our neighbours just as Jesus loves us. The Mass in the morning will be celebrated by newly ordained Fr Joseph Nguyen which makes this a very special event for us all. For those of you who couldn’t make it today, there will be Mass at 10am on Sunday at the Blessed Sacrament Church also celebrated by Fr Joseph.
Following our Mass today, the school hall will come alive as each House perform the waiata gifted to our Kahui Ako for our region and a chosen song based on a movie. The performances are looking outstanding and it is important to acknowledge the huge amount of time and effort that House leaders and whanau teachers put into preparing for this day, especially trying to coordinate sectional rehearsals which became a necessity due to rostering home. The engagement from all involved, the courage that all found to get up and perform, students and staff alike, is truly phenomenal and highlights the passion and commitment that our young people have to embrace and celebrate what it means to be a part of our St Peter’s College community.
We are thrilled to award Dixie-Leigh Burr and Courtney Scanlan for their outstanding achievement in becoming the Mareikura students of St Peter's College. This is a significant accomplishment and a testament to their dedication, leadership, and commitment to their Māori culture. As Mareikura students, Dixie-Leigh and Courtney will assume important roles in upholding and promoting the values, traditions, and tikanga (customs) of our college. They will be ambassadors of Māori culture and play a crucial part in fostering a sense of whanaungatanga (kinship) among our students, staff, and wider community.
Today we sadly farewell our much-loved office administrator, Mrs Margo Iddenten who leaves us after three and a half years to work at MacDonald Perniskie Chartered Accountants. We also wish Ms Jo Carter all the best as she goes on maternity leave for the remainder of the year. Ms Jacqui Thompson moves into the acting Head of Science role and we welcome Mrs Yogita Kumar to the Science department.
As we head into the Term break, I ask that you continue to support our young people by encouraging them to reflect on what has worked well this Term and what hasn’t, and look at reasons why. By reflecting and discussing the highs and lows of the last 10 weeks, there are opportunities to learn and develop strategies which can then be put into practice as our students prepare for Term 3.
I challenge our students over the next two weeks to find a balance between rest and recuperation, and preparation and self-improvement. Yes, our students need to have a break, but they also need to ensure that each day they are doing at least 30 minutes of physical activity, at least 30 minutes of reading, and unplugging from devices at least 30 minutes before bed to ensure they return to school reinvigorated, refreshed and ready to make the most of the continuing opportunities the college has to offer.
Charity Fulfils the Law
Tara Quinney,
Principal
