Kōrero

This week the newsletter comes from Twizel, where our rowing squad is competing at the Maadi Cup Rowing Regatta, and where I have had the pleasure of watching our students working their way into ten A and two C finals, it’s also been lovely to catch up with former Principal, Lindy Graham! Alongside our rowers we’ve had students in Christchurch for Touch Rugby, and Volleyball, Ashburton for 3x3 Basketball and Palmerston North also for Volleyball. We’ll have a full round up of Summer Tourney Results next week but in the meantime thank you to Mr Jones, Mr Townshend, Mrs Tregenza and Mr Mulholland for your support and work with our students at these Tournament fixtures. I’d also like to thank all the parents who have been there to care for and support our students, their daughters, in their endeavours, thank you all so much for what you do.

In Chapel this week Rev Steph spoke to us about kindness, about perspective and about perception. During this Chapel service, Rev Steph showed an historic image of the construction of our Chapel, that everyone would have perceived differently, and we all did this because of our understanding of the context, our age and our experience. As I said to the girls on Wednesday in Assembly, what I always look at in photos is the background and in this photo one thing I noticed was the girls lined up in their uniform. This got me thinking about how much things have changed over the years with regards to uniform, and while there have been many changes to our uniform, it struck me that perceptions about those that wear our uniform and about Craighead students have not changed. I have been impressed to see just how much pride our students have in their uniform, be it day, sports or PE uniform this term, and while at Quad and Summer Tournament. I encourage our students to ensure that they continue to uphold the mana of our uniform, and ultimately the school, by wearing this appropriately and ensuring that those long held perceptions of Craighead remain intact.

I would like to acknowledge the achievements of Charlotte McArthur, Year 13, who recently competed with the South Canterbury Highland Pipe Band at the National Pipe Band Championships in Auckland. Charlotte not only received the most improved drummer award for her band but after an extended audition process was selected for the National Youth Pipe Band as a tenor drummer. This is a very select group of people chosen from all around New Zealand. Charlotte was also presented with a silver medal that is given to each playing member of the winning band in each grade, the Wilson Family Cup for Best Midsection G4B and the George Hill Memorial Cup for most improved drummer within the band; congratulations Charlotte on an outstanding achievement.

At the end of 2023 Sophie Kane and Olive Roxburgh headed off to Germany on an exchange. They spent six weeks learning about German culture, going to school and experiencing a true Northern Hemisphere Christmas. Both girls spoke to our Assembly on Wednesday about their experiences in the two different cities they were based in and it was wonderful to hear about what they got out of their time in Germany. What struck me was the different Christmas traditions that they got to experience from stunning Christmas markets to Nikolaustag, where St Nikolaus (not to be confused with Santa Claus) leaves treats in shoes placed outside the front door on December 5. The other common theme was snow, which diverted their flight into Munich due to the heaviest snow storm since 2006. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us and thank you to Frau Pierce for supporting Olive and Sophie.

In last week's newsletter we featured Olivia Greenaway-Ewing who had a stunning comeback at the Cycling Track Nationals in Cambridge, after a shocking crash, to take a silver medal. This week we have been advised that Olivia has been selected by Cycling NZ to represent New Zealand at the UCI Asian Track series in Malaysia in early May, which is a superb achievement for a young rider. Congratulations Olivia, we will be watching your progress at this meet and wish you all the very best!

On Wednesday our International students attended the Mayoral Welcome at Caroline Bay Hall. This was a lovely way for them to start the year here in Timaru, with the Mayor, Nigel Bowen, welcoming them. This reception gave them time to meet other International students at the schools in the region and to enjoy a morning tea together. We were delighted to also have our Choir asked to lead the gathering in the national anthem and to have them sing He Hōnore. Thank you to Mrs Kerri Doy and Ms Katie McKenzie for their work in ensuring our students had a pleasant morning out and Ms Emma Hall for her work with the choir and Mr Martin Kane for accompanying them.

This term has been very busy for students and parents alike with the many opportunities available to the girls. Due to this, I would like to draw parents and caregivers attention to the Attendance regulations put in place by the Ministry of Education, as we work with you to ensure that our Attendance data is accurate. Our Attendance Officer must classify absences according to specific criteria which you can find at this link. If your daughter is representing the school for either sport or cultural events then we are able to classify this as a justified absence. If she is competing in sport or cultural event where she is not representing the school, away for a concert or away for an in-term holiday we must report this as an Explained absence. The Ministry then records this as an Unjustified absence, which shows as such on your daughter’s report. While I am happy to grant leave for most activities when parents apply for them, it is important to note that when a student’s attendance falls below 85% for any reason, achievement starts to suffer due to lack of continuity and consistency of learning. If you are unsure about what this might mean, please contact either your daughter’s Dean or Ms Sonya Hull (DP Curriculum and Assessment) so we can talk this through with you.

There is quite a bit of illness, including Covid, around at the moment and we do ask that if your daughter is sick, or has cold symptoms, that she stay at home. If your daughter has a headache, sort throat, runny nose or feels nauseous please follow public health guidelines and have her test for Covid. If that test is positive, we would appreciate it if she remains at home for the recommended time. Like all sectors of the community, we have members of our immediate school community who are immune compromised and for whom Covid does pose a serious risk to their long term health and well being. We thank you for your consideration of these people.

Next week is a short week with school closing on Thursday afternoon for the Easter break. We will hold an Easter Assembly on Thursday afternoon as we prepare to celebrate Easter and the resurrection of Christ. On Easter Monday, we will be at the Mackenzie A & P Show, so if you are heading up to Fairlie for the Show please pop in and see us, we really enjoy seeing our families and Old Girls at this Show. School is closed for Easter Tuesday, but the Boarding House will be open in the afternoon for the boarders to start coming back in for school on Wednesday.

Have a fabulous and safe weekend

Ngā Manaakitanga

Ms Lara Hearn-Rollo