Principal's Message

Life is busy once again! I reminded students at assembly yesterday to look after themselves over the next couple of months. It will be important that good sleep, devices away at night, good nutrition, physical fitness, and fresh air are part of their daily routines. Many of the postponed events from term two have been put back into the calendar and this is going to make for a big term three. Please keep an eye on our events calendar on the college website so you can see what is coming up during the next few months.

We are very aware that families in Dunedin are needing extra support at present after job losses and changes in financial situations this year. Our Kāhui Ako of the ten Dunedin Catholic schools are combining to have a Mufti Day next week. Our day will be Wednesday, and we are asking all students to bring a grocery item that will be passed on to St Vincent de Paul to be further distributed throughout the Dunedin community. I am grateful to our Year 13 students who are organising this and they will let you know more details tomorrow.

Please remember our Teacher Only Day on Monday. As mentioned before, our staff focus for the day is reviewing our current curriculum delivery and looking towards a new strategic plan for 2021 and beyond.

I would like to congratulate Serenity Hook (Year 10) for her selection in the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Brass Band; and to Ellen Redfearn and Emily Kerr-Bell on their selection into a national Shakespeare development programme during the July holidays. Thank you to the Erica Ward, Georgie Watts and Michael Grant who continue to support our students in the performing arts at Kavanagh College. You can read more about these successes further in the newsletter.

As students get tired, sometimes the small but important things begin to lapse. Language, uniform and jewellery, and respectful tone and attitude, are some of those small but very important issues that can begin to flare up at this time of the term. Please work with us at home to ensure that these things do not begin to slip. Appropriate presentation and a respectful attitude and use of language are certainly attributes that society and future workplaces appreciate – let us continue to support our young people to do the little things well.

Our Open Day is coming up on Sunday, August 2nd. Please encourage any families you know who may be interested in attending Kavanagh, to mark this day on their calendar.

We have loved having some of our students come to staff professional development on a Wednesday morning. This week, some of our Filipino students spoke to us about their lives in the Philippines, taught us some greetings, and compared schooling between the two countries. Our Maori and Samoan students have done similar sessions with our staff. Teaching your own teachers is no easy task and I admire the confidence and skills of these wonderful students – we have learned a lot.

I will close with a prayer that may be valuable as we hear of the racial tension throughout the world.

“Thank you, Jesus, for your church of many colours.

Help us to delight in difference, to listen and learn and blur the boundaries, and work together for You.

Make us a broad church; a broad and generous church; a candle of hope in a divided world.”

Nāku iti noa, nā