Acting Principal's Message
It was our pleasure to welcome Emma Wright last night to share with us her words of wisdom and advice about how to re-frame our conversations and our perceptions of appearance in order to raise the confidence our children have about themselves and their body image. I am sure that all of you who were able to listen have been able to pick out some actions to put into place straight way.
As ever it has been a busy week for the staff and students. The year 11 Agriculture and Science students experienced an overnight trip to Pukaha where they took guided walks during both day and night time to gain an understanding of the importance of native ecosystems. Year 7/8 visited the Rita Angus exhibition at Aratoi and took part in an art workshop and the 1st XI cricket team had a successful day over in Whanganui winning both their games.
We have asked the girls to bring only clear plastic drink bottles into school and we thank you for your support in this. I thought I would share with you some of our responses to issues raised by the students.
Whilst we do not expect students to be three hours early (!) we do expect that they are on time. This includes on time for lessons, for whanau time, for meetings, assemblies, chapel services and school singing. I thank you for helping us to help your daughters to be punctual.
I hope you all have a lovely weekend.
Mrs Sandie Sherwen
Around School
Boarding Note
Many thanks to our boarding staff for organising our Year 11 and 12 pizza night. The purpose of the evening was to bring the Year 11 boarders over to Hampton so they can become more familiar with their new boarding home for 2024 and to learn about the rules and routines of Hampton. It was great to see girls chatting away, and simply enjoying each other’s company… along with the pizzas!
If you have been in Masterton recently you would have noticed the food bank collection signs all over town. Next Wednesday is the Wairarapa Food Bank appeal and we are encouraging all boarders to bring one pantry/ household item into boarding to contribute to our community collection. I am sure when the collectors go past our gates on Wednesday night, they will be pleasantly surprised to see a donation from St Matts boarding. Thank you.
A few reminders -
- Year 11-13 boarders have been asked to complete and return their study leave form indicating when boarders will be in boarding. Remember the boarding houses are open now until Saturday 2nd December and transport will be provided to those boarders needing to get to and from NCEA exams at Senior College.
- Our annual Boarders Christmas Dinner is on Thursday 30th December, and we would like all boarders to attend.
- Next week our Christmas Door competition begins. Please remember to return to boarding with your Christmas decorations!
Jo
Moana
Pukaha Overnight Trip
The Science 102 and yr 11 Ag Hort classes over night trip out to the new Education centre at Pukaha on Tuesday was a great success. Night walks, feeding eels, bird counts and weaving were just a few of the activities the girls were involved in. The knowledgeable staff were fabulous in keeping the group engaged and answering tricky questions. The Kaka feeding with the birds flying around us was a great way to end the trip, and a brilliant send off. A big thank you to the Pukaha staff and to the teachers and adults that accompanied the group.
First XI Cricket
On Wednesday the 1st Xl Cricket team played the second round of the Wairarapa/Manawatu/Taranaki Interschool Cricket Competition. The team faced Sacred Heart Girls College in the morning with St Matthew’s making 89 for 1 off 15 overs (as the game was shortened due to weather). Sacred Heart chased but fell short with 46 for 6 off 15 overs. In the afternoon the team faced New Plymouth Girls High School. St Matthew’s batted first making 162 for 3 off 20 overs. New Plymouth pushed hard for runs in the second innings but fell short making 123 for 3 off 20 overs.
These were two great wins for the 1st Xl girls in testing conditions. Stand out performances at bat were Emma McLeod making 82 off 55 balls and Vanessa Taylor 69 off 59 balls.
The team will face Wairarapa College 1st Xl next week as the final game in the competition. We wish the team all the best as they look continue their winning way.
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.
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
- 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