Star Board Term One Week Six

Principal's Message

Kia Ora Koutou

I think I may be borderline telepathic because I can sense that you are wondering “from where does Kiri gets her inspiration for her Newsletter messages?” So let me remove the mystery, and tell you how that happens.

My messages can come from singular moments of ‘Oh My!’- we need to be reminded of how things should roll. It can also be a combination of ‘I need to let the community know about this because it is important’, or there is an event ahead, or it is a ‘you know what I want you to know this because this matters’.

Tell

Today my inspiration is about the ‘stuff that matters’. Our current focus mark of mission is TELL. From the Anglican Church this means we are on a mission to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom. Now if you are channelling Bart Simpson, you might utter, “say whaaat?”.

So my breakdown of this, is that God has entrusted to us to carry on the work of Jesus. In the descriptor it is ‘to proclaim the Good News’. What that looks like in our day to day is to be reminded of those things with which the disciples were charged- like healing.

Now I do not have the capacity to heal illness or injury, but taking this mission into our context, what I and we can be a part of is a journey that enables who we are to ‘heal’ some ills and wrongs by giving of ourselves in order to help others unable to help themselves.

Healing and helping and what that tells

Today Our Head of Technology and Fashion Mrs Bucknell, spoke to the Junior school congregation of the yearly task undertaken by St Matthew’s students to be a part of the DAGATW project.

DAGATW stands for ‘Dress A Girl Around The World’. This organisation has a simple mission to make little sundresses to provide a healing tonic of providing dignity and joy to girls in parts of our world where the dresses are needed. It is also Telling the recipients that someone in this world loves and cares for them.

The dresses arrive with underwear in the pockets and when possible, reusable sanitary pads. Shorts are sent for boys.

When the dresses arrive the little girl is photographed in the dress which has the DAGATW label. This project provides a level of help to ensure this young person is safe from being trafficked.

Human trafficking of youngsters in deprived regions is made easier for the perpetrators because there are often no records of birth, or photos of these children to enable authorities to find them once taken. The DAGATW label on their dresses is an immediate signal that this girl is loved and known and is therefore safe.

What Mrs Bucknell and our girls, your daughters, are doing - is making a difference. They leave this class exercise with a skill to use for their individual benefit, but they have also learned the greater lesson of that they can through their actions bring hope and safety to another individual on earth. So at St Matthew’s doing God’s work is possible.

Friends Kitchen Tour

This event is minutes away and what we raise will serve to get us closer to owning a Grand piano.

We are still looking for helpers so if you can heal this need for us please contact Andrew Lincoln or Trish Thomson at friends@stmatts.school.nz.

Ngā Mihi

Kiri

Boarding Note

We have had a fabulous week in boarding with the “Boarders Big Splash” providing great entertainment for all on Tuesday night. Well done to all who participated, dressed up and really supported this event. A huge incentive to get involved was the fact you were winning a prize for you and your entire dorm.