Principal's Message
Kia Ora Koutou
We have just got back to school and it has been full on. The winter terms are busy and so this week has provided great preparation for what lies ahead. It will be about pacing ourselves and asking for help when we need it. It will also be about noticing each other and being prepared to be there.
Kanohi ki te kanohi/ Face to Face
Now I know my children are in their thirties. I also know that as parents we untie apron strings and release our children to the wilds and excitements of life- but when my daughter moved back to Wellington and my son to Melbourne, both this April, well ‘being strong’ required some heavy emotional lifting by me. But the words of my son (over Messenger) made me both grateful and then acutely aware of technology. He said, “I’m sad about leaving …but thank goodness we can still communicate online together”. We still write messages but we also make a point of speaking with cameras on and having actual dialogue.
As a family it has been a cautionary note to avoid too many keyboard conversations. Face to face conversations have decreased because of email, Whatsapp, Snapchat, Facetime and the like so in fear of that, it has become important to maintain the human connection by actually being in the presence, albeit sometimes digitally, with those people who matter.
Bodily cues and gestures get lost in keyboard and digital connections. Seeing the eyes of the person, seeing the postures, and hearing the intonations of the person are so important to assisting a fruitful dialogue don’t you think?
Something we need to be mindful of as educators, is encouraging our students to meet with us in person. The reliance on email is of course a necessary convenience but also an amazing way to have a difficult conversation without necessarily having it. Education in this space is vital- there are good ways and wrong ways to write a message or an email, which a kanohi ki te kanohi or face to face conversation can resolve in moments.
I grabbed this from the net “Ultimately the sound, touch, smell, and observation of bodily cues we experience when having a face-to-face conversation cannot be fully replaced by our technological devices. Communicating and connecting with others through face-to-face discussion is valuable because it is not something that can be edited, paused, or replayed”.
So next time you are deciding at the supermarket between human checkout or self-machine checkout, or whether to get up from your desk and walk to another office to talk to a colleague – rather than sending them an email – it might be worth following this advice and engaging with the human rather than the screen.”
So much is different…
We were chatting the other day about what we would have known at this stage of our education when we were at school, versus what students now know- mindful of course that it is all relative to where we are, or were, in life. I hasten to write that some change has been sensible for basic safety reasons.
We used to know all the oceans, continents, capitals of countries and where a country was on the globe. Fair enough that the countries have changed because of political change – but is that not curious?
I was newly married when it was made compulsory to have seat belts in the front of your car; no such luxury when we were children. Road speed limits were lower but I recall certain days when the need to visit Disneyland was unnecessary as a simple drive from home to town was a slide across the back seat or the front bench seat of the car – far better than any roller coaster. Today ‘making it click’ is automatic and only the foolish, impaired, or intrepid would not don a seatbelt. I recall parents sitting with babies in their laps in moving cars- would never happen now. So, some change has been sensible and safe.
Back in the day it was commonplace to be left to our own devices, and we did not have computer devices to be left with. Rather we made our own fun and the day was ours from the minute we got up on the weekend until it got dark and we needed feeding. Enjoyment was a flight of imagination and not heavily in need of structured activities.
Something I can say we endeavour to do with pretty good success at St Matthew’s, and was commonplace when I was young, is being encouraged to ‘play’ and be outside. Yes, we fell out of trees and we got into scrapes- but we valued nature and all that our own creativity could produce.
We took care of our things and patched clothes or darned socks. We used nail polish when our tights laddered. Do we not have the time to sew anymore? Is the quality of what we are wearing less robust? Or are we less likely to value the things we have?
I am thinking to a certain extent my parents did a better job of preparing us as kids for the real world; just my opinion, of course, and it is difficult to back up this up with facts. I can tell you my parents did not spend huge amounts of time attempting to shield us from the natural consequences of the things we did. They certainly did not expect us to be the best at everything- humility never hurt anybody.
Someone wrote this better than I could word it so here it is “When we shield our children from consequences, jump to their rescue, and micromanage them, we rob them of the chance to build self-confidence of solving a problem on their own. We become a crutch for our kids.”
I am very confident that as a parent if I had e-mailed my daughter’s university lecturer because she failed her exam that the response would have been something along the lines- ‘she should have studied then’…or even more likely ‘no response’ because she would have needed to put her big girls pants on and dealt with it.
Winter sports…
That season is upon us and our participation rates are higher than usual. Enjoy the spectacle that is college sport. I close by thanking those amongst you who have put your hand up to support the varying codes in some capacity.
Have a safe weekend.
Ngā Mihi
Kiri
Boarding Note
The Sunday before the first day of any term is an important night in boarding as all full and part time boarders return. The reason for getting everyone back into boarding on the Sunday is so we can welcome everyone back, get rooms set up, and share a meal together before discussing any changes or initiatives for the new term.
Term 2 sees the introduction of Boarding Clubs (to be renamed) where all boarders from Year 7-13 choose to belong to one of the following groups- Well-being, Sports, Social, Environmental, Creative, Cultural, or Service/ Community. Each club has been allocated one week during the term to plan an event or series of activities for boarders.
After dinner on Sunday, boarders chose the club they wanted to join and then went off to various locations to brainstorm. Many thanks to those students who stepped up and helped to lead the discussions for their club. Your efforts were very much appreciated.
Please remember that all Part Time Boarders need to have confirmed their nights in boarding by Week 2 at the latest. Thank you.
Jo
Uniform Shop notice
New uniform available at the Uniform Shop -
- Netball dress $74.00
- Hockey Top & Skort $131.00
- Football Top & Shorts $109.00
- Winter sports socks $24.00
- Kathmandu Thermal $66.00
- Equestrian top $85.00
- Swimming Togs $45.00 (girls’ $38.00)
- Opaques $12.00
- Cotton Tights $22.00
- Black ankle socks for summer, 3pr pack $16.00
- Beret $30.00
SECOND HAND UNIFORM available as usual
All items purchased in the Uniform Shop will need to be paid for by EFTPOS or Credit Card (2% surcharge for paywave or credit card). Uniform disbursements and Internet Banking will cease as of 7th May. Cash will no longer be accepted.
Shop hours during term time: Tuesdays & Thursdays 3pm-4pm. There will be an extra opening on Monday 6th May after school. Please email Juliet with any enquiries: smcsuniforms@trinityschools.nz
Catering survey
The current catering contract for Trinity Schools finishes at the end of 2024. As part of the procurement process for the new catering contract which will start in 2025, we are seeking feedback about catering.
An email will be sent to parents, students and staff in the next week or so, with a link to the survey. We would appreciate you taking the time to complete a short survey to provide feedback.
Sports Sheet
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
- Tuesday 7th May - Open Afternoon 2pm - 5pm
- Thursday 16th May - Year 9 Social
- Friday 17th May - Pink Shirt Non-Uniform Day
- Friday 24th May - SMCS Relay for Life
- Saturday 1st June - Exeat
- Sunday 2nd June - Exeat
- Monday 3rd June - Kings Birthday stat
- Tuesday 4th June - Teacher Only Day
- Sunday 9th June - Sheppard House Chapel
- Friday 28th June - Matariki stat
- Saturday 29th June - Exeat
- Sunday 30th June - Exeat
- Sunday 25th August - Cooper House Chapel
- Sunday 3rd November - Batten House Chapel
- Saturday 7th December - Prizegiving
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
Community News and Events
Friends of Rathkeale –Senior College Parents Social Evening on Friday 10 May 6pm-8pm
The Friends of Rathkeale College warmly invite all parents and caregivers of Year 12 and 13 students to join us for drinks and refreshments at Rathkeale College on Friday 10 May from 6pm 8pm. Come along and catch up with other Senior College parents and listen to our guest speaker, career coach Tracey Beard www.careermatters.co.nz. Tracey will be working with the Senior College students during the day so this is a wonderful opportunity for you to hear how you can engage with your son or daughter about their future career choices.
Please register your attendance using the link below by 10am Wednesday 8 May for catering purposes (and include the first and last names of everyone you are registering in the booking details). We look forward to seeing you there!
https://www.trybooking.com/nz/SCG