Principal's Message
Kia Ora Koutou
Dates ahead
New Zealand will mark the passing of Queen Elizabeth II with a one-off public holiday on Monday 26 September 2022. This means that all state and state-integrated schools and kura will be closed on this day. Also, just a reminder that we have two more Teacher Only Accord Days ahead. These have been calendered for some time for November 21 and 28.
House Music returns
By the time this arrives in your mailbox the students will be primping and preening for tonight’s House Music. It has been exciting to see the return to this event as we used to know it. The vibe in the school with the togetherness created by House Music is positive, with an appropriate tinge of House competitiveness.
Shoes and Tights
It has been a treat to see the light reflecting off the shoes of our students- that is how clean they are. Taking pride in one’s appearance is never lost on the observer and for us it is an expectation, and that includes the wearing of un-holey tights.
Health and Safety
A decision has been made that from this point forward St Matthew’s requires all hockey players in goal for Penalty corners to wear face masks. We understand that it is currently not a rule but to mitigate risk we see this as a sensible course of action.
Staff
We welcome Mr Manuel Negrete to our Maths Department. Please read his bio later in this newsletter.
We will also soon farewell Mrs Wendy Roesler-Ward from our Learning Support network. She has been offered a stunning Tertiary Education position.
Have a safe weekend
Ngā Mihi
Kiri
Around School
Boarding Note from Jo Booth
This photo was taken during prep in Main House earlier this week. All Year 7-10 boarders do prep in the dining room from 6.30-7.30pm each week night, while Year 11-13 boarders do prep in their bedrooms.
If the girls have finished all their work by 7.15pm, they can spend the last 15 minutes having free time on their device… do the mahi, get the treats!
Enjoy House Music tonight and have a great weekend wherever you may be.
Jo
Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori
This week we celebrated Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori with a special assembly. As well as singing a waiata together, we listened to inspiring speeches by Tiarna-Webb Milner and India Bartlett, that they had previously delivered at at Ngā Manu Kōrero, the Māori speech competition that was held at Rathkeale in June. We then enjoyed a spine-tingling performance by our Kapa Haka group, supported by their dedicated kaiako, Jimbo Ratapu. The group is busy preparing for the Wairarapa Schools Kapa Haka Festival in Week 10.
Senior Skirts & Winter Uniform for 2023
Winter uniform will be ordered on the 20th October this year, a month earlier than in previous years. New Senior Skirts @$164.00 therefore need to be tried on and ordered before then. Please also place orders for any other winter uniform that you might require. Year 12s please order extra white L/S blouses for year 13.
There is no commitment to buy uniform that you have ordered, but it means that the correct sizes will be in stock if you find that there is no good 2nd hand available. Winter uniform should arrive mid-March, payment can be made on collection or beforehand by Internet banking.
Orders for summer uniform close next Tuesday 20th September, but the uniform shop is already quite well stocked with summer uniform, so there is no need for existing students to place an order.
Uniform Shop opening hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays 3pm – 4pm during term time, or at other times by appointment. Please contact Juliet with any enquiries and winter orders: smcsuniforms@trinityschools.nz
Staff Spotlight
We have been extremely lucky to have had Mr Manuel Negrete join us this week as Teacher of Mathematics.
Manuel Negrete - Teacher of Mathematics
I was born and raised in California. I attended UCLA for 5 years while working on my Bachelors in Mathematics and Masters in Education. Immediately after graduation, I began teaching all over California and this will be my 8th year teaching.
I am excited to continue teaching here at St Matts and I hope to inspire students to become critical thinkers and problem solvers. I love the welcome I’ve received from the staff and the students alike, the atmosphere in school is so inviting.
Something no one would really know about me is that I speak Spanish, English and a bit of Japanese because I taught English in Japan for two years.
Intercollegiate Solo Music Competition
On Wednesday night, Rathkeale hosted the annual Intercollegiate Solo Music Competition. There were musicians from schools across the Wairarapa performing in four sections: vocal, amplified, piano, and instrumental. St Matthew's was represented by three of our very talented musicians, Genevieve Nightingale, Lily Thomason, and Chelsea Hawkes. Genevieve successfully took out first place in the Vocal section and Chelsea won the amplified section. Lily Thomason also performed well and was placed third in her section. Tino pai rawa atu to all of our musicians! 🙂
Sports Notice
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
- Thursday 22nd September - Y9 & Y10 Social
- Monday 26th September - Public Holiday (to mark passing of the Queen)
- Wednesday 28th September - WOW preview show
- Friday 30th September - Last day Term 3
- Monday 17th October - First day Term 4
- Monday 17th to Friday 21st October - Derived Grade exams (Y11)
- Tuesday 18th to Wednesday 26th October - Derived Grade exams (Y12&13)
- Friday 21st October - Orientation day 2023 Y7, Y8 and Y9
- Friday 28th October - Y11 orientation at Senior College
- Saturday 29th October - Senior College Dinner Dance
- Monday 31st October - Lion King matinee
- Tuesday 1st November - Lion King 7pm
- Wednesday 2nd November - Lion King 7pm
- Thursday 3rd November - Lion King matinee
- Thursday 3rd November - Senior College prizegiving
- Friday 4th November - Lion King 7pm
- Monday 7th November - NZQA Exams begin
- Monday 21st November - Teacher Only Day
- Tuesday 22nd to Thursday 24th November - Year 9 Camp
- Monday 28th November - Teacher Only Day
- Saturday 3rd December - End of Year Prizegiving/last day
- Monday 5th December - Leavers Ball
Sports Sheet
Community News and Events
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