Principal's Message
Kia Ora Koutou Whanau
Term one 2023 and that’s a wrap
Despite a few minor glitches here and there (that’s life right?) it has been a busy but great term. I have absolutely valued the efforts of the students and those who have been your student leaders. I also applaud the mahi of our teaching and support staff- this machine that is St Matthew’s works because of all of us. The parent investment of time and support of this machine is vital and I thank you for both.
So how can we reward you all? We reward you with two weeks away from the plant to refresh, revise, and reinvigorate your souls.
Calendar ahead
Please look to the Calendar items ahead. It is timely to remind you that normal school instruction starts Wednesday 26th April. The 24th is an Accord Day so there is no school. We all know that the Tuesday is ANZAC day and we will celebrate this event as a school on the Wednesday we return.
We ask that all students support this event by purchasing your poppies, which are available at school now. They should be on your blazers on the first day back.
The wisdom of Taylor Swift
Being a teen can be hard but the lessons you learn at this time are invaluable. You will discover a lot about you and a lot about others and as Taylor says some of it you will just need to ‘shake off’. People will make stuff ups at times because :
Because the realities are that the players are going to play, and the haters are going to hate. You my friend have to shake it off. Heart-breakers are going to break, and the fakers are going to fake - but once again my friend you need to shake it off.
Let’s remind ourselves of Taylor’s advice and:
As I write this...
I am with my own whanau as we spend time with Tony Gill. We say farewell to Tony during Easter and we are calling on all the strengths we can muster to make our way through this time.
Thank you to those who have offered kind words and support. I am a strong wahine but following the sage words of my mother, it takes strength to know when you need to acknowledge when you are feeling weak - allow yourself time to cry.
As I say this to you I wish you a safe break and I will see you in your winter uniforms next term
Ngā Mihi
Kiri
Around School
Boarding Note
Last night we gathered for our end of term dinner and presentations. Thank you to all leaders in both Year 13 and Year 11. Your help has been very much appreciated by the boarding staff and although you may not realise it, the interactions you are having with our younger boarders is really making a difference to the culture of boarding at St Matthew’s.
Congratulations to following girls who received a Boarding Values Award for Term 1. Left to right-Maia Svenson Year 11- for her thoughtfulness and overall contribution to boarding; Hope Eales Year 13- for her leadership and contribution to boarding; Vienna Weatherstone Year 7/8- for her inclusiveness and respectful behaviour in boarding; Josephine Presow Year 10- for her positivity and respectful behaviour in boarding; and Sophie Rees Year 9 (Absent) - for her friendliness and inclusiveness in boarding.
Next term the boarding houses open on Anzac Day, Tuesday 25th April at 3pm. All boarders, full and part time, are expected back by 5pm.
Please note that students living in boarding schools and university halls of residence are now eligible for free meningococcal vaccinations. More information will be sent to all boarding families about this early next term.
Lastly, if you and your family would be happy to host one of our international students during part of the school holidays, over exeat weekends or simply for a few hours one weekend, I would really appreciate hearing from you.
Happy Easter to you all.
Jo
Easter Service
Huge congratulations to years 7 - 11 for their contributions to today's Easter Service. Their commitment, integrity and respect were very evident. Also, congratulations to our Special Character Prefects, Arna and Greta, who did an enormous reading very well. Finally, a round of applause for the staff who stepped up and helped throughout the whole process with fabric, costumes, encouragement, and musical performance. What a perfect way for our school to remember the sacrifice made for us all by Jesus. Happy Easter to you all.
Central Districts Cricket Gillette Venus Qualifying …. Winners
St Matthew’s Collegiate 1st Xl Cricket team are off to the Gillette Venus Cup in December this year. The team put out two stellar performances at the Central District Gillette Venus Qualifying tournament in Palmerston North on Wednesday this week. The team will now be competing with 5 others (as the top 6 in the country) for the National title.
First game on Wednesday was up against Woodford House. With batting partnership Emma McLeod and Sally Booth batting the entire innings and making a combined 234 runs…the win was really not in doubt. Emma McLeod made her personal best at bat with 164 runs off 87 balls and Sally Booth 43 off 41 balls. The team followed the outstanding batting performance up with a tidy fielding attack. 4 wickets were taken by both Ava Register and India Bartlett.
The team then went into the final against Palmerston North Girls High. Emma McLeod came out strong once again as opening batter scoring a top score of 64 runs off 47 balls. The team made a combined total of 145 at bat.
A few early wickets in the field gave the team a boost of confidence and secured a great start. Although Palmerston North High batters started to create a strong partnership, the St Matthew’s Collegiate girls took on the challenge and swiftly stepped up with fine bowling and fielding dismissing batters swiftly to ensure the win was certainly in sight. The full 20 overs were played out and St Matthew’s Collegiate won the game by a comfortable 40 runs.
Ava Register took another 3 wickets at bowl and Anita Lyford took a few challenging catches while India Bartlett was bowling.
Overall both wins were great team performances where everyone played their part ….and put all their hard work on show 😊
Congratulations to all the girls and the team management. You have done us proud!
Chapel Teams trip
On Thursday 30th August the Junior and Senior Chapel teams set off on their very first trip together. The Chapel Teams support our Special Character Prefects and anyone in the school can join these teams. Pastor Wendy was keen to have the students in the teams hear from other Anglican Schools about how they did things, especially around Special Character - the Marks of Mission - Tell, Teach, Tend, Treasure, and Transform.
First we visited Hutt International Boys School. We were welcomed by four charming students. We watched videos and met three key members of staff. We also had a lot of fun doing a drama of different parables from the Bible, to discuss the character of God as seen from these stories. We were given a wonderful morning tea and learned all about how HIBS integrate their Special Character into all aspects of school life.
Next we landed at Samuel Marsden Collegiate in Karori, where we received a warm welcome. Together we made flax crosses. We then attended a whole school assembly where the school celebrated Good Friday, followed by a delicious lunch. After lunch we sat in the chapel and the girls had fun comparing experiences of Anglican School life, including uniforms. I think our girls have some ideas around that going forward...
Finally, we made it to our very own Wellington Cathedral. Rev Katie, the Cannon there spent time showing the girls around and relating her experiences of life at the cathedral during the occupation of parliament by protestors contesting the Government's mandating of vaccinations. Her tales were gripping and challenging. The girls followed up with many questions. They then had free time to explore, including climbing the many stairs to the high balcony overlooking the city.
After an afternoon tea stop we slowly made our way home through rush hour traffic. A great day was had by all!
Tennis
It has been a successful season for many of our tennis players. We have had four St Matthews teams playing interclub this term, the first time a team in several years.
Our Junior Championship team finished 3rd overall (Team: Johanna Degroot, Olivia Fenwick, Olivia McCreary & Annabelle Wyeth), and we had 3 teams for the first time in the Regional 2 Womens interclub grade, of which St Matthews Gold finished runner up, playing against the Martinborough ladies in the final. SMS Gold: Johanna Degroot, Olivia Fenwick, Lucy Orsborn (injured reserve).
Our school tennis top 8 team also recently played in Wanganui against Wanganui Collegiate and won 7-1.
Well done to all our tennis players this term.
Intercollegiate Swimming
On Tuesday 4th April the Intercollegiate Swimming Championships were held at Trust House Arena.
We would like to congratulate all our swimmers who competed in this event – you all put in a huge effort and some fantastic results were achieved.
Results from the event are as follow:
North Island Secondary School Athletics
On April 1st and 2nd the North Island Secondary School Athletics were held in Palmerston North.
St Matthew’s Collegiate had a strong team of athletes attend and compete across age groups and events.
Below are results from the event:
Congratulations to all on great results and taking the step up to compete at this level.
Parent/Teacher Interviews Term Two
We have interviews scheduled for Thursday 4 May, and Friday 5 May from 3.30pm-6pm (Week 2). These could be impacted by industrial action by PPTA members.
We are hopeful that negotiations will go well between now and the beginning of next term. If so I will publish details of how to book interviews online with your daughter’s teachers. In the meantime they will be on hold pending an update.
We apologise for any inconvenience this will cause.
School App
If you are new to St Matthew's Collegiate, or have yet to download, please follow the link to install our school app https://schoolappsnz.co.nz/install
For current families, please update your subscription groups by clicking on the cog in the top right hand of the screen. It will take you to the groups for you to change.
Key Dates
- Monday 24th April - Teacher Only day
- Tuesday 25th April - ANZAC day public holiday
- Wednesday 26th April - First day of Term 2 for students
- Thursday 4th May - Parent Teacher interviews
- Friday 5th May - Parent Teacher interviews
- Tuesday 9th May - Open Afternoon
- Saturday 20th May - Exeat
- Sunday 21st May - Exeat
- Saturday 3rd June - Exeat
- Sunday 4th June - Exeat
- Monday 5th June - King's Birthday public holiday
- Sunday 11th June - Sheppard House Chapel
- Saturday 12th August - Exeat
- Sunday 13th August - Exeat
- Sunday 27th August - Cooper House Chapel
- Saturday 2nd September - Exeat
- Sunday 3rd September - Exeat
- Friday 15th September - House Music event
- Saturday 21st October - Exeat
- Sunday 22nd October - Exeat
- Monday 23rd October - Labour Day public holiday
- Sunday 29th October - Wake House Chapel
- Monday 6th November - NZQA Exams begin
- Saturday 2nd December - End of Year Prize Giving