Star Board Term Three Week Three

Principal's Message

Kia Ora Koutou

There is nothing like a bit of sun to buoy the spirits so it has been invigorating to see everyone floating in the opening hours of this week. The bellows of positivity do not necessarily have to come from positive events. Sometimes an unfortunate event can provide incredible learning which becomes the blueprint for positive change.

It has been interesting and inspiring witnessing success and defeat in the Olympic Games. The heart of an individual and the power of attitude has been on show for me, and everyone else. Every one of those athletes no matter the discipline has stepped out to not only represent their countries, but to represent themselves. Of course, they have gone in to win but what has also been clear from those interviews I have witnessed has been the growth from defeat.

From the perspective of our students, attitude is key. Success and Failure rest on the understanding that Attitude can and does alter one’s altitude. Success is often prefaced by failures , but having a useful dose of positive attitude to improve and to learn can switch failure to success. When I watched our pole vaulters fail on their third attempts, not one of them ‘tossed her pole’ and said ‘stupid pole’ or ‘this is not fair’. Although disappointed their attitude is one of learning from this moment and doing better next time.

This from our Women’s Cycling Pursuit team who went for Gold but got Silver ‘Woolaston said they had a plan, executed it and left everything out on the track but just got beaten by a better team. "I think it's a ride we can be really proud of and knowing that we left everything out there is really reassuring ."The squad was young, ambitious and wanted to build on what they had achieved in the last two days. “The result today is amazing, something we can be really proud of as a young team," Woolaston said. "It makes me hungry for more - winning the silver medal today."

What are the takeaways?

1. You may have been after your ‘golds’ but accept your ‘silvers’ because they are treasurable linings and boosts for wanting more, so ‘be hungry for more’.
2. Try your best and give it 100% effort and ‘leave everything out there’
3. ‘Be really proud’ of your efforts. Do something better than the moment before is worth celebrating.
4. Acknowledge the efforts of others so if you do get ‘beaten by a better team’ you show grace.

We are a school that does for others

One of our Anglican missions is to give service to ‘the least, the last and the lonely’. Borrowing the words of Piers Fuller ‘The Wairarapa Times Age as part of their campaign to shine a light on the homelessness issue, discovered that a really important project needs a bit more funding to get operational.

The Times-Age decided it was a cause they could actively get in behind. Their ‘Give Me Shelter’ campaign has set a target of $50,000 to try to get Kim's Way Night Refuge in Masterton up and running.

They have raised almost $15,000 in the first week and they are trying to keep the momentum going. This facility will give those people in the most vulnerable state somewhere to stay overnight.

They have contacted us to see if we can pitch in to help them get over the finish line. As a school we are tremendously generous to our community and it would be great to see us get onboard with some kind of fundraiser.

I know this is short notice but let’s think about our fundraising bucket. In the meantime here is the Givealittle page so you can take the time to donate. We think this is a great way to raise students' awareness of the plight of those who are struggling the most in our community.

Just as an additional prompt I did some research and found this when trying to find about the unsheltered homeless. The researcher said in December 2016 Patapsco United Methodist Church, a small church in Dundalk, Baltimore County made the news because they were being fined for allowing homeless people to sleep on their grounds at night. When interviewed, the Rev. Katie Grover defended this policy because “by allowing the homeless onto church grounds, she’s merely carrying out her duty to care for the “the last, the least and the lost,” as Jesus commanded.”

“The last, the least, and the lost” is an amalgam of three verses in the book of Matthew in the New Testament of the Bible:

• The Last: “So the last will be first, and the first will be last” Matthew 20:16 NIV
• The Least: “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25:40 NIV
• The Lost: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” Matthew 18:11 NIV

The original research was based on humanitarian solutions to give recommendations for city planners and officials. The researchers quest to help others became an action as the hands and feet of Jesus Christ to help “the last, the least, and the lost.” It seems so obvious in hindsight — Jesus, after all, was homeless during the time of his ministry. “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20 NIV). Rather than spend his time with the wealthy nobility, he spent his time with the “last, least, and lost” of his society, including tax collectors, prostitutes, and the poor. Fortunately, the story of Patapsco United Methodist Church has a happy ending: Baltimore County dropped the 12K fine with the agreement that the church would guide its homeless visitors to programmes that could help them. They are now working closer with Baltimore County to house the unsheltered. They acknowledge that their work is ongoing but encourages visitors to support efforts in their own communities.

You and I may be each be one person, but if I/we can help at least one person, it is all worth it. So help me to help the Times Age to help our Last, Least and Lonely.

Policies under review

The review is open for on Schooldocs for Media, Professional Development, Staff Conduct, and Staff Leave.

Pentangular August 11-12

Formerly Quad, the Pent fixture starts this Sunday. This is great opportunity for some good competition as we make our way to the ends of season for many winter codes and work up towards the Tournament week later in the term.

If you have a moment of two on Sunday , or a spare moment on Monday, pop to school or Clareville to enjoy some sport.

STAND Bully Free programme update

The process after meeting with staff will be streamlined so that our school’s approach to the actions involved in dealing with bullying follow this:

S - Stand up and speak up

assertively that bullying is happening or has occurred.

T- Tell Someone and Take Action

and promptly inform a trusted adult, such as a teacher, parent, trusted adult, or school counsellor, about the bullying incident.

A-Assert & Assist-

and assert boundaries & assist others. Encourage the victim to assert their boundaries with the bully and firmly communicate that the behaviour is unacceptable. Encourage bystanders and witnesses to assist the victim and stand up against the bullying behaviour. This can involve offering support, intervening safely, or reporting the incident.

N - Never Alone

and encourage the victim to seek support from friends, peers, or adults who can help them navigate the situation and provide emotional support.

D – Document & Discipline

and get witnesses to document the incident, including details such as what happened, where and when it occurred, and who was involved. Documentation can be important for reporting and addressing the bullying effectively. It is about consequences and calling the bully out.

I start the education of our students over the next two- three weeks about this process.

Have a safe weekend.

Ngā Mihi

Kiri

Around School

Boarding Note

The Mini Olympics have continued in boarding this week. Many thanks to our lovely tutors, boarding staff and our Boarding Prefect Anneliese McKenzie for organising these events.

In between the sporting events there was time for a quick face mask. Many thanks Mrs Wilkinson for this great picture of some of our Year 7&8 boarders enjoying their facials.

Best wishes to our sports teams competing this weekend. Look forward to seeing you out there doing your thing!

Jo

Year 10 Spanish

The year 10 Spanish class are coming to the end of their unit on La Comida (food). They have learned about eating habits in Spanish-speaking countries around the world and had the opportunity to prepare and taste a variety of dishes: tapas and tortilla de patatas (potato omelette) from Spain, pupusas (cornmeal fritters filled with cheese) from El Salvador, and tacos and guacamole from Mexico, among other things. We learned about how insects are commonly eaten in Central and South America (deep fried ants are eaten in Colombia like popcorn for example) but nobody seemed keen to try those!