Kōrero

Welcome back to Term Two. I hope all our families managed to spend some quality time together over the holidays.

This week in Chapel, Rev Steph’s message was about making sure that we are true to ourselves and live by our values. Over the next few weeks she is going to be talking to us about some well known, and possibly not so well known, ‘difficult’ women. ‘Difficult’ women can be defined as those who challenged social and political mores of the times, were possibly outspoken, or involved in causes deemed unsuitable for women of that era; I’m pretty sure that Craighead has produced many women that might fall into these categories! But, all of these women were significant as they espoused values such as integrity and service. This week we were introduced to Nurse Sibylla Maude, the woman who pioneered home healthcare for the poor and elderly throughout Canterbury. Appointed matron to the Christchurch hospital in 1892 and age 30, Nurse Maude attempted to implement changes in a fairly rigid healthcare system. These included seeking improvements in the conditions for nurses, their training and public education as to the value that nursing had in providing critical healthcare. In 1896 she resigned from this post and with the support of Lady Heaton Rhodes initially, and later the parishes of St Michaels and Sydenham, she began district nursing serving her community through caring for those most at need. This combined with her efforts to help those afflicted with tuberculosis and later influenza during the 1918 Influenza Epidemic saw her awarded with an OBE in 1934. Significantly the legacy of Sibylla Maude lives on today in Canterbury in the Nurse Maude Foundation.

Service was also highlighted this week with our ANZAC Day commemoration that was held on Wednesday Assembly time and run by Year 8. Last term our Year 8 classes were involved in completing a study on ANZAC Day in Social Studies which also included some family history. We heard on Wednesday about a number of family members of our students who had served in wars, notably World War I and World War II. Interestingly our families were involved in a number of theatres of war in a variety of roles and it was fascinating to hear about their service. We also learnt, from Emily who was entrusted with her Great Grandfathers medals, that she could wear them but only on the right hand side of the blazer; the serviceman or woman wears them on the left hand side. Thank you all those who participated in this Assembly, the atmosphere reflected the solemnity of the occasion and we were very proud of the dignity with which you all held yourselves. Thank you also to the parents who joined us, and to Mrs Ford and Ms Johnston for organising this.

Congratulations to Ella Metcalf, Sienna Spackman and Neve Gaffaney who have qualified for the second round of the Junior Maths competition this year. They finished in the top 15% of their year group which is a great effort – well done girls!

We also wish to congratulate Charlotte McArthur who is heading to Canada on July 2 to take part in the New Zealand National Youth Pipeband Band Trip to Canada. During her time in Canada she will attend the world’s largest pipeband summer school where she will compete within the band and also as a soloist. She will also have the opportunity to meet and be mentored by the world’s top competitive bands allowing her to bring back knowledge to share with drumming learners here in South Canterbury and around New Zealand. We look forward to hearing about your experience Charlotte when you return in Term Three

Over the next two terms you can expect your daughter to be completing homework and study on a regular basis. We do expect that students will complete any work not finished in class at home and if they are given additional work to complete that this is also done before the next lesson. Homework is given by teachers to consolidate the learning undertaken in class that day. It is designed to build on concepts and skills covered and which need to be known in some depth to progress to the next level. Please encourage your daughter to complete her homework in the evening. If you are unsure about if she is receiving homework, then please contact us at school.

Our Open Day is on Sunday May 19 and runs between 2 – 4pm this year. We have made some changes this year to how this will run, so please be aware of the following:

• Year 7 – 10 students are not required to attend school on the Sunday afternoon of Open Day.
• Year 11 – 13 students are expected to be here to act as guides for our visitors. If your daughter is unable to be here for Open Day then please contact me as soon as possible.

There is no Chapel on the Sunday, and the Open Day concludes at 4.30pm after afternoon tea in the Dining Room.

Finally, today Ms Hull and I were delighted to be asked to judge the annual cupcake competition held by Year 8. This is the culmination of their geometry unit where students need to construct a ‘box’ be it a cube, cuboid, circle or other shape (such as a heart) to house their cupcake in. We saw some fabulous examples of both the boxes and the cupcakes – which looked delicious! The winners this year were Asher Barker and Chloe Attridge for Best Box Design, Tilly Forsythe and Maddie Johnston for Best Cupcake and Indi McKenzie and Alex Guinan for Best Theme. Thank you girls for a lovely way to end the week, and thank you to Mrs Ottley and Mrs Tregenza for all the work that went into this.

With the duck shooting season beginning tomorrow we know that Winter is nearly upon us, and I urge you all to get your Winter uniforms ready for the changeover at King’s Birthday weekend. Please ensure that your daughter’s kilt is drycleaned and at the appropriate length, that her blazer fits her (please check the length of sleeves) and that she has the correct winter shirts and socks.

We wish you all a happy and safe weekend

Ngā Manaakitanga

Mrs Lara Hearn-Rollo

Principal