Principal's Message

Many tears have been shed as we farewell and celebrate our year 13 graduands. They have been a wonderful team of students who have fully lived our core values. Our Senior Prizegiving last night, and our Leavers’ Mass this morning, were different to other years, due to Covid Level 2 restrictions. Our online streaming appears to have gone well and the benefit in being able to welcome relations and whānau from around the world through this new delivery model, cannot be underestimated.

I wish to thank all the year 12 students who offered to serve the school in a head student role for 2022. It is a particularly gruelling process that we have in place to ensure that, within a large year level, we have the best knowledge of each student to make the best decision for student leadership in the coming year. I have made a change to the head student group from 2022. I have appointed two Special Character prefects to join the head students. This will create a Student Leadership Team of six who will ensure that our Catholic Character and the Gospel values of our college are visible and led from within the student body. Congratulations to our Student Leadership Team – Manaia Barns, Mariya Jose, Alex Bello, Sarah Al-Balushi, Pippa Sherriff and Maliza Alahakoon. We look forward to the influence you will have on our college culture and action.

The year 7- 10 students continue to have another four weeks at school, but there are plenty of exciting happenings to keep them moving forward through to the end of the year. Year 8 and Year 10 camps are organised, junior exams are underway next week, the annual year 9&10 summer sports tournament is on again, and an array of new learning and project opportunities are on offer for our year 7-9 Te Tīmatanga groups, among other things. At the same time 2022 planning is well underway and staff will be using various meeting sessions to review and refine programming for next year.

The Food Banks around Dunedin are struggling to fulfil the current need in our local community. I do hope that the mufti day tomorrow will provide a selfless service to those who need it most at present. And of course, it is an opportunity to live the values of respect, justice and service.

It has not been an easy road for our senior students who have had two years of disrupted learning due to lockdowns, so let us continue to keep them in our prayers, as they prepare for external examinations.

Ngā mihi nui