Acting Principal's Message
Over the next few weeks, we are going to be awarding a plethora of certificates, badges, medals and cups in our assemblies and prizegiving.
Which got me thinking about success.
In today’s society, we hear about the successful entrepreneur, the famous actor, sports person, politician, or influencer. We tend to think of success in terms of money, power, fame and social status.
But surely there's got to be more to success than that?
Dictionary definitions talk about achieving a desired result, as meeting a defined range of expectations or goals. If that’s the case, then who sets those goals?
If someone told me that to be successful, I had to be famous or a millionaire then, quite clearly, I have failed miserably.
I think there is a secret to success and it’s that we each create our own definition of success, one that is personal to ourselves.
At assembly this week we presented certificates, badges and trophies to girls who have all been successful in achieving their own goals. Maybe they came first in a race or were selected for a team, perhaps they were awarded most improved player or achieved excellence in NCEA internal assessments. But let’s not forget the girls who may not have been given a tangible reward, those who’s goal was to play a piece of music without making a mistake, or remember all their lines at a Moana rehearsal, or who have successfully supported their friend through a difficult time.
While it’s nice to be rewarded for our successes, sometimes the biggest reward is knowing in ourselves that we have accomplished something that really matters to us.
If you can identify what makes you happy, what you value in life, what satisfies your core needs, what types of accomplishments feel the most worthwhile to you; then you are on the way to success.
If you can then set yourself goals that you want to achieve, plan how to reach them and keep trying till you get there - then you will be successful.
Have a lovely long weekend
Mrs Sandie Sherwen
Around School
Boarding Note
When buzzing around upstairs in Main House, you see rooms that boarders have made a real effort to keep lovely and tidy. This sweet room is in Ruakura, our Year 7&8 dorm, and is one that our young boarders are always excited to get. Thanks Ella for agreeing to show your room in the school newsletter.
The morning break is always a great time to chat and catch up with the girls. This photo was taken during the week and shows a typical morning tea gathering outside Main House at interval. On this particular day, popcorn and pikelets with jam and cream were on the menu.
Enjoy the long weekend and remember both boarding houses reopen Monday at 7pm.
Jo
'Connect-Inspire-Learn' Conference
16 Year 7 & 8 girls went around to Douglas Park School on Thursday to take part in the 'Connect-Inspire-Learn' Conference with 13 other schools from around Masterton. The girls had to lead their own workshops in sport, art, or technology (entirely student led) and take part in other workshops run by students. There were also inspiring guest speakers presenting on the day as well. It was a fantastic day out and the girls had a great time! There was lots of new learning and we're excited to go again next year.
Active Bodies Active Minds
On Monday 24 Year 10 students took part in the Active Bodies Active Minds program offered by Wairarapa Secondary School Sport.
During the day the students covered the following topics through theory and practical sessions:
- Hauora - mindset, motivation and confidence with psychology tools focusing on sleep, relaxtion and technology.
- Nutrition - nourishing your body and soul from the inside out with nutrition advice including preparing a lunch and a healthy balanced morning tea.
The sessions above were taken by Tea Retreats Sarah Donaldson (Psychologist) and Sarah Percy (Dietician).
The students also participated in active sessions whanau focused backyard games and lawn bowls and frisbee golf.
Emma McLeod
Congratulations to Emma McLeod who was awarded with the Female Colt of the Year at the Wairarapa Hockey 2023 Annual Awards.
Alex Anstis
Alex has had another very successful riding event. The NZ u18 team picked up the silver medal. They rode exceptionally well and this is the highest placing that any NZ team has ever had on borrowed ponies.
First XI Cricket
With the introduction of "Kotahitanga" - the first Secondary Girls XI competition among Central Districts district school cricket teams, St Matthew's had two games against Fielding High School and Palmerston North Girls High School, coming away with two wins. This is a great competition to help with our First XI cricket teams build up to the Gillette Venus Secondary Schools tournament later this year.
Friends of St Matthew's
Rathkeale Fete Stall
The Friends of St Matthews will have a stall at the Fete promoting our Kitchens and more Wairarapa Tour that is next March. Very exciting we have a major sponsor lined up already. If you would like to help on the Rathkeale fete stall for an hour please contact Viv on 027 535 8805 so you can be added to the roster.
Tickets for the Kitchen and More Wairarapa Tour will be on sale from the 4th November - so think of that person who is tricky to buy for at xmas - but would love a day out in March – A ticket solves this xmas gift !
We require raffle items to entice and catch the eye of punters at the Rathkeale Xmas Fete. We would be grateful if you could donate one item per family for our basket of goodies raffle. These items can be left at the St Matthew's office from now until Thursday 2nd November.
Stuck for an idea, here’s some ...........
- A non perishable grocery item that you would feel excited to see in a raffle.
- Something that relates to our kitchen / home tour – Briscoes, Bed bath and beyond, Farmers etc all have small nifty Xmas gift ideas.
- Thinking of summer what would be great in a raffle basket for your summer holiday – check out the chemists.
Emma Wright
Have you got your ticket?
Event details:
- Who: Parents, teachers, coaches of 3-17 year-olds
- Where: St Matthew’s Collegiate School Hall
- When: Thursday 26 Oct 7-9 pm
- Price: Free with koha for refreshments
LINK: GET YOUR TICKET HERE
Girls Who Grow
Girls who Grow was born out of a weekend at Lake Hawea Station where we took industry leaders, entrepreneurs and visionaries away to NZ's only Climate Positive Farm to curate a program for our next generation of female leaders, change makers and environmental guardians in agriculture and farming.
Girls who Grow was born out of a weekend at Lake Hawea Station where we took industry leaders, entrepreneurs and visionaries away to NZ's only Climate Positive Farm to curate a program for our next generation of female leaders, change makers and environmental guardians in agriculture and farming.
In September last year, we were grateful for the opportunity to join CreativeHQ's GovTech Accelerator to dig deep into the problem we were working to solve and design a solution to spark the imaginations of young women all over New Zealand by changing the narrative aligned to food and fashion and how they could be part of the solution. We presented Girls who Grow at The Beehive in December and have been activating our pilot program in Otago this year.
The work of Girls who Grow is activated through Imagination Centred Workshops in Colleges across New Zealand, 1 day Imagination Challenges working on real world problems, On farm Lunch and Learn educational experiences bringing the Future Farmers NZ manifesto to life and 3 day immersions to connect young women and their parents to the land to craft out a meaningful and values aligned pathway.
So here is where we need your support
Girls who Grow will be live on One Good Kiwi launching today (Tuesday 1st August) for the entire month giving us the opportunity to secure further funding to be able to continue our work in Otago, Wellington and the Greater Wellington region, Christchurch and Canterbury in 2024.
We are on a mission to engage thousands of young women, activate scholarships to support them on their journey and create meaningful education that aligns to Climate Positive Agriculture and farming in New Zealand.
So we would love your support in 3 steps
- Download One Good Kiwi from the App Store or Google Play
- Give your luscious green coins to Girls who Grow and other projects you connect with on the platform
- Share the experience across your social media, office intranet, friends, family and others in your network that know the importance of nourishing the hearts and minds of our next generation of leaders.
One Good Kiwi are giving everyday kiwi's the chance to give to the things that are important t them with $1.2 million contributed over the next 12 months.
Thanks for your support and we look forward to you being part of our journey
Catherine van der Meulen & Aimee Blake - co-founders of Girls who Grow
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
- Saturday 21st October - Exeat
- Sunday 22nd October - Exeat
- Monday 23rd October - Labour Day public holiday
- Thursday 26th October - Emma Wright Presentation
- Sunday 29th October - Wake House Chapel
- Thursday 2nd November - Last day for Y11-13
- Thursday 2nd November - Senior College Prize Giving
- Monday 6th November - NZQA Exams begin
- Saturday 2nd December - End of Year Prize Giving
2023 Term Dates
- Term Four - Monday 9th October to Saturday 2nd December
2024 Term Dates
- Term One - Monday 29th January to Friday 12 April
- Term Two - Monday 29th April to Friday 5th July
- Term Three - Monday 22nd July to Friday 27th September
- Term Four - Monday 14th October to Saturday 7th December