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St Hilda’s COLLEGIATE SCHOOL
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
Ephesians 4:2-3
Dear Parents, Caregivers and Friends of St Hilda’s,
2018 has been a year when we have continued to perform at the highest levels across a wide range of arenas and activities. So much that we achieve here happens as a result of engaged girls, who are assisted and encouraged by committed staff and supportive parents. It is a community effort and one we all take pride in. There have been so many highlights, and we have acknowledged a sample here below:
Associate Minister of Education, Tracey Martin, referenced the outstanding work of our Year 11 Digital NCEA class at a Parliamentary Function for young people and Isabella Aldrich was awarded 1st place for her creative writing submission. This was a very proud moment for us all, as the Minister acknowledged the excellent research that the girls had completed around NCEA and wellbeing, and it was a credit to their team work as a class and the assistance of teacher Mrs Julie McMahon.
In other activities, Team Oompa Loompa placed 2nd at Robocup Nationals. Sophie Armstrong and Megan Foster had work published in the annual ReDraft Competition which publishes the best young New Zealanders’ writing and Catherine Davidson was also highly commended. Catherine Davidson also came first in the young adult section of the Dunedin Pride Poetry Competition.
Lily Chamberlain won a place in the EDICM/Future Schools Speech Contest which saw her being awarded an all expenses paid trip to Japan, which Lily is currently enjoying.
Issie Robertson and Olivia O’Neil both received an ODT Class Act Award presented to them by the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern.
Newsletter No. 4 5 December 2018 In This Issue
Page PagePrincipal’s Message 1 - 3 2018 Prize Giving 3 - 7 Special Character 8 Term 4 News 8 - 10 Sports Reports 10 - 12 Staff 12 - 14 Board of Trustees 14 Community 14 - 15End of Term 4 Activities 15 - 19 Sports Round Up 19 - 20 2019 Term Dates 20
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In cultural highlights,
Bring It On was a fabulous success as a school production. A large number of girls were involved in a range of roles, it was a vibrant and energetic show
Sings Hilda performed as part of the Royal Dunedin Male Choir’s 2018 Winter Concert and were selected for the Secondary School’s Big Sing Finale in Wellington where they were awarded a Bronze award.
At the Big Sing Regional Competition, Junior Choir, Nga Korimako, took out the Peoples’ Choice Award with Rubber Duckie and Sings Hilda won the Classical Composition section.
St Hilda’s music students took part in the 49th annual Otago Secondary Schools’ Music Festival with much success.
The inaugural Artist in Residence, Shayne Carter, worked alongside our students and created the song “Waiting Game”, a beautiful piece which was performed in front of the school at Prize Giving.
Ten St Hilda’s Visual Arts students exhibited works in the ‘Celebrate Art ’exhibition, Otago Secondary School Students awards 2018, and Kaylee Dickison received a Certificate of Excellence and Victoria Tong was awarded the Premier Award Scholarship at the Otago Secondary School Art Awards Exhibition.
Olivia Buchanan-Letts competed at the 2018 NZ Highland Dancing U16 National Competition
At the Hokonui Fashion Awards, Lucy Girvan was Highly Commended in her section and Amelia Philips placed second in her section.
In sporting highlights:
St Hilda’s 1st XI Cricket team won the New Zealand Secondary School Girls Championship for 2018, having been 2nd placed in 2017.
Year 8A Netball team won the Year 7/8 Netball Otago Championships and came second in the Otago/Southland Intermediate Netball Championships.
The 9A Netball team won the Roncalli Junior Netball Tournament and the 10As were runners up. The 10As made the Gilbert Premier 1 Grade Final.
The Year 7/8 Cross Country Team placed 3rd overall at the Ariki Cup
The 1st XV Rugby Team who took out the Otago Secondary School Girls’ 1st XV title in a thrilling final against Otago Girls’ High School.
The Senior A Basketball team won the Otago Secondary School Girls Senior A Grade Final for the 5th year in a row.
The St Hilda’s Tennis Team were runners-up at the Otago Qualifying Tennis Tournament
In the Otago Secondary School Triathlon Championships - Cecilia Crooks placed first in the Senior Girls section and then went on to win the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Triathlon title.
The Under 15 Octuple rowing crew won a bronze medal in their event at Maadi Cup.
Olivia O’Neill was selected for the New Zealand Open Women’s Touch Blacks team, as well as the NZ U19 basketball team. Once again, we had many students selected for NZ age group teams, provincial teams and Dunedin representative teams, reflecting the strength and breath of the sporting talent within the school.
The Senior A netball team had a great result at the NZSS championships, finishing 8th.
St Hilda’s Hockey teams won all three divisions in the Otago Hockey Secondary School Girls Competition on the same night – which was very exciting and quite exhausting by the end of the evening.
St Hilda’s Athletics girls competed at the New Zealand Secondary School Athletics Championships. Sarah Langsbury gained a gold in the Junior 80m Hurdles, silver in the 300m hurdles and also placed 5th in the Long Jump; Georgie Jessop placed 6th in the Javelin and The Senior Road Race team (consisting of Annabel Bilkey, Megan Foster, Georgia Mitchell and Cecilia Crooks) finished 5th in the Senior Race.
St Hilda’s won six national titles at the NZCAF National Schools Aerobics Championship and won the aggregate for the third year in a row, as well as finishing runner-up in the NZCAF National Schools Hip-Hop Championship. This group of girls continue to shine and exhibit all the hallmarks of excellence.
2019 will see the Visual Arts building completed. The building is coming along quickly and with the changes to the grounds nearly complete, next year will see an exciting new era for our campus. We are looking forward to sharing the facilities with our wider community.
I would like to acknowledge Gaye Cowie and Lauren Semple as Board Chairs who have led the school through a time of significant change. Their vision, steadfast commitment to progress and ability to harness the combined talents of their respective boards have ensured a positive and dynamic culture, where there are always advancements and developments that support our students learning. I thank all our board members for their continued dedication to St Hilda’s Collegiate.
Thanks to my senior leadership team of Geraldine Corkery, Judy Maw, Helen Almey (in Term 4) and Shannon Prentice for their work and continued support through the year. This team of women have led many initiatives this year that have enriched the culture of the school, and given our students some wonderful learning opportunities, and I am very grateful to have had their assistance and energy to call on.
Ange Rathbone as Director of Boarding and the Tolcarne staff remain key members of the St Hilda’s community. They continue to lead the way with their dedicated, purposeful and cohesive programmes that wrap around our girls, ensuring a safe, nurturing and encouraging environment that assists them to grow and develop into wonderful young women, ready for the next stage of their learning.
This year we farewelled staff who are all also heading onto the next stages in their learning journeys. Ms Allott is moving to the West Coast with her partner to challenge herself in a new environment. Mrs Scott is moving from Science
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teaching and then Science technician, into retirement. Mrs Laverty is looking to invest her time and energy into her young family, and Mr Grant is taking a step into the unknown, but is backing himself, his skills and his abilities. Their considerable contributions to the school community are profiled later in the newsletter.
Thank you to all of you, for another memorable year in the life of this very special school. We have had our dark moments, faced challenges together, known the connections and love that you need in tough times, and still been able to celebrate our considerable successes. Such is the strength of character in this community.
I wish you all a happy, restful and fun Christmas break; may the sun shine at your place.
“We will be more successful in all our endeavours if we can let go of the habit of running all the time, and take little pauses to relax and re-centre ourselves. And we’ll also have a lot more joy in living”
Thich Nhat Hanh
Mrs Jackie BarronPrincipal
2018 Prize GivinGPlease note: The Otago Daily Times does not publish the
Year 7 and 8 Awards
Kapa Haka Group performing at Prize Giving
Year 7 Certificates for General Excellence with Diligence and Merit with DiligenceTarryn CrootPhoebe JaquierySasha LambKatherine MooreMaia Palmer
Year 7 Certificates for DiligenceSamara CollinsAnna FultonHolly HessonCassie HoroMila PollynKate Taylor
Year 8 Certificates for General Excellence with DiligenceEliabel LegrandeDemi McAlweeRosa Smith
Year 8 Certificates for Merit with Diligence and DiligenceElsie BurnsideEvie GraceHannah McCoubreyAbbie McDonaldLaura RingElla Southby
Year 9 Certificates for General Excellence and General Excellence with DiligenceBreane ByckOlivia HallHannah HardimanLily KnoxEmma de LangeKate McEwan
Year 9 Certificates for Merit and Merit with DiligenceMia Des ForgesElla HodgsonAnna HutchensCourtney LloydAnika Texley
Year 9 Certificates for DiligenceConnie BeningtonBella GilmourBridget GuilfordErin HancockGeorgina LawsonLily McLaughlanLaura MilneJenna PrendergastHazel StevensonMolly Whittaker
Year 10 Certificates for General Excellence and General Excellence with DiligenceShyamalima DasLauren HengRylee MayMeg RogersTessa SinteurChai Yun Yoo
Year 10 Certificates for Merit and Merit with DiligenceGeorgia CopemanMaia LambRosalie LeaperAnna StewartAnalee Toro
Year 10 Certificates for DiligenceGrace CotterAlika CrootMegan FosterLatasha HastieFarrin QuinKristin WillisSophie Wispinski
Year 11 Certificates for General Excellence and General Excellence with DiligenceHolly BissettEmma ChristieAmelia HallGinny Smith
Year 11 Certificates for Merit and Merit with DiligenceBella BakerCharlotte CouttsElla DixonEmma EdwardsAnna EngelbrechtLily HornalBranwen JonesIsobel KeillerNatalya Skelton
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Year 11 Certificates for DiligenceMadeline BilkeyGrace BrenssellHarriet CottleOlivia HazlettLibby HoldridgeRuby KinneyYage LiMolly MarshSummer PhillipsEmma Wilson
Year 12 Certificates for General Excellence and General Excellence with DiligenceEmma BurnsideEmily HardimanTamara Mason
Year 12 Certificates for Merit and Merit with DiligenceMeg AndersonElla CogganLucy CotterKaitlin McIntyreCharlotte O’BrienStephanie Post
Year 12 Certificates for Diligence Phoebe AburnIsabella AldrichAlisha BrookRachel CaderasBriar GroundsNicole HeatonMegan MeltzerKasnara Soonthornsaratul
Year 13 Certificates for General Excellence with DiligenceSophie ArmstrongCatherine DavidsonJillian HengIsabelle RobertsonSophie Turner
Year 13 Certificates for Merit with DiligenceZara Anthony-WhighamMadison ByersKiriana HunterAria Steele-MacIntoshVictoria Tong
FIRST IN SUBJECT PRIZES AND SPECIAL AWARDS
The Holmes’ Family Prize - Peoples’ Choice Award for the Passion Project - Individual Lily Knox
The Holmes’ Family Prize - Peoples’ Choice Award for the Passion Project - Group In The Bathroom
The Melissa Bell Award for Highest Achievement in the Junior School Rosa Smith
The Melissa Bell Award for Highest Achievement in the Middle School Meg Rogers
YEAR 11 FIRST IN SUBJECT AND SPECIAL AWARDS
Design and Visual CommunicationEmma Edwards
Digital Technology, History, Science and Spanish Holly Bissett
EconomicsEmma Christie
English and Physical Education Amelia Hall
Food and Nutrition Anna Clarke
French and Mathematics Bella Baker
GeographyMadeline Bilkey
Music Yage Li
Numeracy and Textiles Summer Phillips
Visual Art Polly McEwan
The Enid Freeman Cup for All Round Achievement in Year 11 Sarah Langsbury
The St Hilda’s Collegiate Old Girls’ Association Prize for Highest Achievement in Year 11 Holly Bissett
YEAR 12 FIRST IN SUBJECT AND SPECIAL AWARDS
Accounting Ella Fry
Biology, The Hanff Cup for Chemistry, Economics and Pure Mathematics Emma Burnside
Design and Visual Communication Briar Grounds
English and The Susan Main Memorial Cup for Geography Emily Hardiman
Financial Mathematics Madeline Dippie
Food and Nutrition Genevieve Young
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History and Physics Tamara Mason
Mathematics Lucy Cotter
Media Studies Grace Shaw
Music and Performing Arts - Dance Temple Flaws
Outdoor Education Stephanie Post
Performing Arts - Drama Nicole Horrell
The Fletch Prize for Physical Education Olivia Hall
Spanish Anna Young
Textiles Ana Rathbone
The Hunia Dean Memorial Prize for First in Visual Art - Painting Isobel Keiller
Visual Art - Photography Sophie Conner
The Devon Anderson Memorial Prize for Visual Art in Year 12 Sophie Conner
The Zonta Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Emma Burnside
The Tiffany Cone Cup for All Round Achievement in Year 12 Stephanie Post
The L.M. Gillies Memorial Award for Highest Achievement in Year 12 Tamara Mason
YEAR 13 FIRST IN SUBJECT AWARDS
The Amanda McKeown Memorial Award for Art History Susannah Olssen
Biology, The Parents and Friends Association Prize for Statistics and Modelling and The Paterson Family Award for Physics Jillian Heng
The Gootjes Award for Chemistry and Calculus Isabelle Robertson
The Fisken Prize for Economics Tamara Mason
The Miss Muriel May Prize for English andThe McElroy Prize for Geography Catherine Davidson
Financial Mathematics and Performing Arts - DramaZara Anthony-Whigham
The Kate Hogg Memorial Prize for French Helen Knott
The Mrs M.J. Mayhew Prize for History Kate Higham
The Janece Wilson (nee Kitchen) Prize for Media Studies Sophie Armstrong
Music Samantha Herbert
Performing Arts - Dance Isabel Woodhouse
The Cameron Prize for Physical Education Olivia O’Neil
Spanish Jessica Powell
Textiles Aria Steele-MacIntosh
The Connie Gillies (nee Walker) Cup for Visual Art - Painting Victoria Tong
The Felicity Wren Memorial Cup for Visual Art - Photography Kiriana Hunter
SPECIAL PRIZES AND HONOURS AWARDS
The Clem Rondel Award for Effort in Social Sciences Catherine Davidson
The Christine Gold Award for Excellence in Investigating Biology Laura Ring
The Barbara Dineen Award for Oral French Helen Knott
The Bishop Penny Jamieson Scholarship for the Study of Theology and/or Religious Studies Kaylee Dickison
The Bunton Cup for Service to Music and The Hobson Cup for Fine Arts Victoria Tong
The Macassey Cup for Public Speaking and The Smith Gordon Award for Outstanding Service to Tolcarne by a Senior Student Lily Chamberlain
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The Imlach Family Prize for Contribution to Tolcarneby a Junior Student Libby Drummond
International Student LeaderXin Yue Yu
The Kim Morice Award for Senior Debating and The Hodge Award for Student Representative on theBoard of Trustees Isabelle Robertson
The Sonya Morice Award for Junior Debating Lily Knox
The Rebecca White Award for Excellence in andContribution to Performing Arts Lillian Gibbs
The Roslyn Physiotherapy Health Sciences Award andThe MacDonald Cup for Library Service and the Science Shield Jillian Heng
The Rae-Ann Sinclair Cup for Chairperson of the School Council and The Walker Sisters’ Cup for Individual Performance in Dance Zara Anthony-Whigham
The Langsbury Cup for Contribution to Te Ao Maori Hannah Alcock
Editor of the School Magazine - a joint award in 2018Catherine Davidson and Victoria Tong
The Sisters’ Geraldine and Etheleen Award for Special Character in the Junior School Meg Rogers
The Sisters’ Geraldine and Etheleen Award for Special Character in the Senior School Brianna Thomson
The Christine Leighton Award for Endeavour in theJunior School Megan Foster
The Christine Leighton Award for Endeavour in theSenior School Aria Steele-McIntosh
The 2013 Leavers’ Award for Spirit, Initiative and Leadership Stacey Sanders
The Shirley Henderson Cup for Assistance with Sports Administration Isabel Woodhouse
The Sports Committee Trophy for Best All Round SportsTeam of the Year Secondary Senior Aerobics Team - Zara Anthony-Whigham and Isabel Woodhouse
The Pinckney-MacFarlane Cup for Assistance with Coaching Sophie Armstrong
The Jan Edgar Cup for Excellence in a Single Sport Cecilia Crooks
The R.T. Wood Challenge Cup for Best All Round Senior Sportswoman Olivia O’Neill
The Fogarty Cup for Best All Round Junior SportswomanBrooke McAlwee
The Mumford Cup for Inter-House CompetitionHavelock
PREFECT AWARDS
The Kathleen Daisy Baylis (nee Aston) Award for Academic Prefect Isabelle Robertson
The Elaine Hesse-Greif Awards for Liaison Prefects Melissa Gray - Community and Hannah Hedges - Wellbeing
The Elaine Hesse-Greif Awards for Arts Prefects Lillian Gibbs and Lydia Holmes
The Sarah Bryant Award for Maori and Pasifika Prefect Hannah Alcock
The Sir Roy Stevenson Memorial Awards for Sacristans Mi Lan Jeon and Jessica Powell
The Betty Barling Memorial Awards for Sports Prefects Taylor Duffy and Olivia O’Neill
The Mary Botting Memorial Awards for Head Boarders Arabella Chapman-Cohen and Hannah McStay
The Mary Botting Memorial Award for Deputy Head Girl Sophie Armstrong
The Mary Botting Memorial Award for Head Girl Helen Knott
TOP HONOURS AWARDS
The Eugenie Avent-Hunter Memorial Award for All Round Service Zara Anthony-Whigham
The St Hilda’s Collegiate Cup for All Round Achievement Isabelle Robertson
The Sophie Elliott Memorial Award for Proxime Accessit – a joint award in 2018Sophie Armstrong and Isabelle Robertson
Dux Jillian Heng
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2018 DuxJillian Heng with Mrs Barron
Isabelle Robertson and Sophie Armstrong The Sophie Elliott Memorial Award for Proxime Accessit
(a joint award in 2018)
Isabelle Robertson with Mrs BarronThe St Hilda’s Collegiate Cup for All Round Achievement
Zara Anthony-Whigham The Eugenie Avent-Hunter Memorial Award for
All Round Service
Isobel Keiller The Hunia Dean Memorial Prize for
First in Visual Art - Painting
Sings Hilda performing “Waiting Game”
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SPecial character
Chaplain’s Chat
One of the things I love about Christmas is the singing of Christmas carols and songs. While Christmas songs tend to be about traditions like Santa or mistletoe – or about giving someone your heart and them giving it away the very next day – Christmas carols have more of a connection with the story of Jesus’ birth. We can learn a lot about the true message of Christmas by looking closely at the story as told in these carols. I’ve just chosen three carols to look at, but they all have something powerful to say if we listen carefully.
The hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” is all about the angst of the Jewish people waiting for a Saviour.
Junior Choir singing at Carol Service
The Hebrew Scriptures have many prophesies about God coming in person to save the people, and the Hebrew word “Emmanuel” means “God with us.” Christians believe that Jesus was God, who came to be with us, not as some kind of military superhero who would save the people through power and might but as a vulnerable baby who would grow up to become a carpenter who would teach about love and justice, and who would die because the religious and political powers didn’t like this kind of “God with us.”
Inspired by a visit to the town of Bethlehem in the 1800s, Phillips Brooks composed the carol, “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” This small village was not thought of very highly when Jesus lived and this carol reminds us that God often chooses the most unlikely people and places to be the ones who will become great; those that the world despises or views as unimportant, are usually the ones that are most dear to the heart of God.
Adolphe Adam is credited for writing the carol “O Holy Night” back in 1847. One night and one birth, changed the course of humanity forever. The dictionary defines “holy” as exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness.
Jesus is perfect and good and all about bringing people into the right relationships with each other and with God. And so, as the carol says, we might fall on our knees when we remember this Christmas the grace, and love, and truth, and freedom, and joy that Jesus brings to this world.
So, as the carols compete with the other songs played through the sound systems while you are shopping for presents, or as you go to a midnight carol service and light a candle, see if you can pick up what the “good news of great joy for all the people” might be that each carol is telling. There might be a gift in there that you need this Christmas.
Decorating our school Christmas tree during the Carol Service
Dr Gillian TownsleyChaplain
term 4 newS
International Department
Term 4 goes all too fast and, before we know it, it is time to say goodbye to some of our International Students as they embark on the next stage of their adventure, but we have managed to squeeze a few things in before that happens.
A number of our students do not do NCEA exams and so they get to do various educational and extra curricular activities during examination leave.
Art in the International Department
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Community service at Kaikorai Primary School
Ice Skating
The junior girls wrote a play and performed it to a small audience for their ESOL assessment and impressed us all.
And now to our farewells ...
To Mao Koike who returned to Edogawa High School in Japan to continue her studies.
From left to right:
Ryoka Noguchi who returns to Kun-ei High School in Japan to continue her studies.
Sofia Becker who goes on to continue her education in another New Zealand school.
Sinry Yu who is going on to university in either Otago or Auckland.
Cloria Zhang who is also going on to university in either Otago or Auckland.
Erika Yonezawa who returns to Kun-ei High School in Japan to continue her studies.
Hanano Nishi who also returns to Kun-ei High School in Japan to continue her studies.
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We had a lovely evening where all the international students celebrated with the girls who were leaving and their homestays.
We also farewell Janine Soonthornsaratul who is going on to Durham University in the UK.
We wish you the very best of luck in your future studies and hope that you come back and visit us one day.
To those girls returning next year, we wish you safe travels home, a wonderful time with your families and we look forward to welcoming you back in the new year.
And to the homestay families that have supported our girls by opening their homes, their hearts and their families to our girls, we are grateful.
Happy holidays to you all and I look forward to another exciting year in the International Department in 2019.
Ms Sharon BeaumontInternational Director
SPort rePortS
2018 has been another great year for St Hilda’s Sport. The high standard the girls continue to achieve and perform at on the sports field is truly exceptional and something every girl should be extremely proud of. Some highlights from the year are…
- The 1st XI Cricket team being placed 2nd in the NZCT final at the end of last year.
- The Senior A Netball team being placed 5th at the South Island Secondary Schools’ Tournament, and then coming 8th at the National Secondary Schools’ Tournament.
- A number of girls gaining medals at South Island and New Zealand swimming meets.
- The U15 Octuple winning a bronze in their A Final at Maadi.
- The Senior A Touch Team coming 2nd in their South Island Secondary Schools’ Tournament.
- St Hilda’s winning the NZCAF Schools’ Challenge Shield, for the school with most placings 1st, 2nd and 3rd at the Aerobics Nationals.
- St Hilda’s Equestrian team being placed 1st overall at the Otago Southland Secondary Schools’ Team Event.
- Incredibly, having seven girls selected in New Zealand representative teams for their chosen sport or being placed in the top three at National events.
The sports year, however, is far from over, with St Hilda’s teams who travelled to various parts of the country in December to compete at the NZSS Athletics Championships, the NZSS Touch Championships and the NZSS NZCT Cricket Nationals. Their reports follow on pages 19 and 20 of this newsletter.
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We would like to take the opportunity to thank all coaches, managers, teachers in-charge, parents and support people who have been an integral part of the success of St Hilda’s sports teams during 2018. Without your assistance the girls would not have achieved as highly as they have.
Mr Callum WardellHead of Sport
RowingSt Hilda’s Rowing has been very active over the off-season. Seven girls (Emily Hurdle, Emma Burnside, Ella Fry, Alannah Hamilton, Sophie Sinclair, Millie Davenport and Tamara Mason) were selected for the Otago Winter Development Squad and trained with selected Otago coaches for three months to hold fitness for the coming season. Tamara Mason was also selected to represent Otago Rowing, coxing the Men’s Open and Women’s Open 8+ in the Mainland Interprovincial regatta, coming 1st and 3rd respectively.
St Hilda’s training began early September. With six new novice rowers, the squad is back up and enthusiastically training most mornings, getting ready for the season to begin in December. Currently, the squad has attended small regattas in Dunedin and Waihola, including the indoor erg champs. The first large regatta is the Otago Championships in Twizel in early December. Over the summer the girls will continue to train and race in Twizel and prepare for the Maadi Cup in March 2019.
Tamara MasonRowing Liaison
AthleticsThe athletics season is upon us again, starting with the Intermediate North Zone Athletics Championships. St Hilda’s was well represented with 11 eager girls competing, with many achieving outstanding results and qualifying for Otago’s. Ella Southby and Charlie Byers were placed 1st equal in High Jump, Cassie Horo 3rd in Long Jump, Mya Haigh 3rd in Shot Put and Ella Rose Crooks 3rd in High Jump, in their respective age categories.
Dunedin hosted the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Athletics and Road Race Championships last weekend. This is a large event with well over 1,300 athletes coming from across New Zealand and the Pacific to compete. Competition was at the highest level and provided a great opportunity for athletes to test their abilities against the very best. St Hilda’s had five girls participating, Cecilia Cooks in the 1500m and the 4000m Road Race; Sarah Langsbury in the Long Jump, 80m Hurdles and 300m Hurdles; Georgia Mitchell, Megan Foster and Annabel Bilkey all in the 4000m Road Race.
Sarah LangsburyAthletics Liaison
FutsalIn Terms 3 and 4, St Hilda’s had a total of ten teams from Years 7 to 13 registered in various competitions. This is the largest number of teams involved that we have ever had, which is testament to the sports’ accessibility and ever-growing popularity. In the Senior Competition, the Senior A team won four of their six games and took out third place in Division 1. As always, they faced some fierce competition from Queen’s High School and, to their credit, fought valiantly in the games against them. The teams in the Junior and Intermediate Competitions have their finals yet to play.
The Junior Red and White teams are playing off for first and second in their divisions, and we wish them the best of luck.
All teams have demonstrated great teamwork and enthusiasm, and it has been great to see all the girls having fun and enjoying themselves.
Mrs Lindsay McLanachanFutsal Coach
TennisDue to the weather tennis has been a bit hit and miss this term. We have 38 girls competing in the weekly Secondary Schools’ Competition, with a mixture of premier, competitive, and social players. Everyone has made huge improvements and enjoyed the season. We also have six Year 7 and 8s competing in the Intermediate Schools’ Competition and it has been great to see their development. Charlie Byers and Mya Haigh competed at the Otago Intermediate and Primary Championships with both girls making the final and Mya coming out as the eventual winner after 10 tie break points.
Kiriana HunterTennis Liaison
TouchThe second half of the year is a build up to the Nationals in December for the Senior A Touch Team, but Term 4 has proved a difficult time as the weather has not given much time for preparation. That said, we are excited about the event and hope to be part of another strong southern showing.
Hanlin Johnstone continues as coach this year and Jess Faulks is coming to the Nationals as she starts moving into a co-coaching role.
We have strong numbers playing Touch through all age levels this year. Wendy McAlwee is coaching two teams in the Year 7 and 8 Competition and we have the experience of Grant Milne working with our Junior A and B teams at Years 9 and 10. Added to this we continue to have social teams who are simply keen for a good run around.
From our teams we have 15 Otago Representatives.
We are excited to say we have our second Women’s New Zealand Representative. This year Olivia O’Neill was selected for the National Women’s Team while still in Year 13, and played in a tournament earlier in the year in Australia.
Thanks to all those who have helped us out this year.
Olivia GeorgeTouch Liaison
Water PoloSt Hilda’s has had three strong teams in the Secondary Schools’ Competition. The Junior team has played well and has developed as a unit. The Senior A Team had a good term playing against other top Dunedin teams in the Secondary Schools’ Competition where they finished 3rd after a tight final game, winning 9 - 8 against Queen’s High School. We have had a Year 7 and 8 team playing in the Intermediate Competition coached by Old Girl, Paris Sinclair. The team has over 14 players who are learning and developing their skills with each game, which bodes well for the future of Water Polo at St Hilda’s.
Lucy CotterWater Polo Liaison
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Cricket
St Hilda’s has had a very successful cricket season, with many girls participating in the weekly Secondary Schools’ Competition. We had one Year 9 team and one Year 10 team compete in this competition along with two Year 7 and 8 teams competing in their respective competitions. Everyone has improved massively over the season and enjoyed being part of the team environment. We also have the 1st XI heading to Nationals at Lincoln and Christchurch in early December where they are going to be competing against the five best secondary school teams in the country.
We have also had students selected for representative teams: Olivia Gain, Megan Meltzer, Jordan Meltzer, Emma Black, Eden Carson and Molly Loe have been selected for the Otago U18 team which will compete for the first time against the other major association teams during a week-long tournament in January. Emma Black, Eden Carson, Olivia Gain, Molly Loe and Megan Meltzer have all been selected for the Otago U21 Team which travels to Auckland for a week-long tournament just prior to Christmas.
Emma Black, Olivia Gain and Megan Meltzer were selected in the Sparks squad this year and Emma Black, Eden Carson and Olivia Gain have played in the first Sparks 50 over round this year against Wellington.
A highlight that summarises the strength of St Hilda’s cricket in recent years was the inclusion of eight past and present St Hilda’s cricketers in the Otago Sparks Team that played the Wellington Blaze at the Basin Reserve recently. Congratulations to Polly Inglis (Captain), Caitlin Blakely, Bella James, Georgia Heffernan, Kate Heffernan, Emma Black, Eden Carson and Olivia Gain on this achievement.
All in all, cricket is in very good shape at St Hilda’s and it’s a special thanks to Will Deerness, Adam Gain, Dave Patchett and Neil Rosenberg, whose time and expertise have ensured this is the case.
Olivia Gain Neil Rosenberg 1st XI Captain 1st XI Coach
Tolcarne Report
In Term 4, we farewelled our Year 13 students at our Christmas Dinner. Everybody looked gorgeous as we celebrated the Year 13s personal growth and achievements. A BIG thank you to our Head Boarders, Hannah McStay and Bella Chapman-Cohen, for running and helping organise the evening, as well as organising many other activities throughout the year. You have both done a great job! We wish our Year 13 students all the best as they embark on their many chosen endeavours.
The Tribe Competition came to an end after our last day of Tribe games. After playing dodgeball, giant pong and an eating challenge, Grendon took out the competition by over 200 points. Well done to the girls who gained the most value points for their house as well.
We have been very impressed with the senior students this Term, as their study habits were exemplary. Their dedication to their studies will serve them well and we wish all of them good luck for their examination results.
With the seniors leaving after their examinations, we had the chance to have some extra fun with the Year 9s and 10s. They spent the last two weeks making Christmas tree ornaments and Christmas cards, creating gingerbread houses, doing a photography scavenger hunt, surfing, a beach day, and a dance party! What fun we had!!
We wish all our Tolcarne families a safe, happy and very Merry Christmas!
Ange Rathbone and the Tolcarne Team
Staff
Michael Grant with Sings Hilda
Michael Grant joined the staff in 2005 and quickly became involved in a wide range of activities related to the musical life of the school. When we look back at the extent of this involvement we realise just how much he has contributed not only to enhancing the musical reputation of the school, but also giving opportunites for hundreds of students to be involved in all forms of music making.
Perhaps his most notable achievement has been in the field of choral singing where he has shown himself to be an outstanding teacher and conductor of various vocal groups. In his first year at the school he entered the Madrigal Choir in the Big Sing Competition, and two years later formed a second choir, an auditioned choir called “Sings Hilda”, which soon became recognised as an outstanding vocal group, and in its first appearance at the regional Big Sing competition was awarded “The Most Promising Choir” cup. This promise was soon to come to fruition, for in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2018, Sings Hilda was selected, or invited, to compete in the national finals of the Big Sing Competition - an outstanding record. The early morning rehearsals certainly paid off!
Michael’s choirs have played a very important role in chapel services, especially the Eucharist services, Founders’ Day Services, St Hilda’s Days and as a guest choir at a Royal Male Choir concert. Much of the music for these sevices has either been arranged by Michael or actually composed by him, especially for the occasion, and his arrangement of Tim Finn’s “I See Red” won best performance of a NZ Composition in the 2012 Regional Big Sing Competition.
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But his contribution goes far beyond his choirs. He has spent hours rehearsing with and conducting the school orchestra at various events, as well as training students for the various Chamber Music Competitions, NCEA performances etc. With his encouragement and guidance, several of his students have also been successful in the Rockquest competition and national song writing competitions such as “Play it Strange”.
For many students, Michael will be remembered most for his outstanding work as Musical Director for a series of very successful major productions. The list is most impressive: “Wizard of Oz” (2006), “Seussical” (2008), “Into the Woods” (2010), “Bugsy Malone” (2012), “Thoroughly Modern Millie” (2014, which he also directed), “Suspect”, (2016) and “Bring It On” (2018). These productions gave large numbers of students the opportunity to perform musically on stage and in the orchestra, and the way in which Michael handled this large number of students, with very varied musical abilities, is a tribute to his ability as a teacher as well as his patience. Not only did he work on musicals at St Hilda’s but was also involved as musical director for joint productions with John McGlashan College such as “Grease” and “Godspell”.
Michael’s contribution to the musical life of St Hilda’s has been massive, and we will all miss his dedication and passion for all forms of music as well as his aim to get as many students as possible into “making music”. This was even extended to the staff with the formation of a staff choir recently!
We wish you well in your future musical ventures and thank you for all you have done to make all our lives sonically more pleasant.
Mr John HuggettArt Department
Helen Scott At the end of this year we farewell Mrs Helen Scott. Helen started teaching Chemistry and Science at St Hilda’s during the second half of 2012. Helen retired from teaching at the end of 2013, but was very keen to fill a new vacancy as Science Technician. In this role, Helen had a vast range of responsibilities, which included organising materials for use in Science classes (often at short notice), accompanying classes on field trips, organising equipment for field trips and cleaning up afterwards, ordering materials and equipment for the Science Department (anything from A to Z), auditing safety equipment, keeping precise records of chemicals including quantities, classifications, safe storage and other health and safety requirements. In addition to her Science Technician role, Helen also worked as the school’s Kamar technician for student reports and testimonials.
Helen quickly upskilled and methodically learnt the intricacies of creating, manipulating and formatting digital report layouts and scripting, managing regular changes in subject markbooks, timetables and group databases for reporting purposes. Helen has been highly professional and dedicated in the way she fulfilled all her responsibilities. She has an eye for detail, is a careful and accurate record keeper with great computer skills, and is an excellent communicator and listener. It has been an absolute pleasure working with Helen and we have learned much from her. Helen will now start a much-earned retirement. She goes with our very best wishes. Helen will be dearly missed by all of us. Mr John Janssen Mrs Carla Joint Head of Science Kamar Administrator
Ruth Allott
St Hilda’s is sadly farewelling Ruth Allott. She has been on leave this year and spent the northern summer raft guiding with her partner in Norway.
Arriving at St Hilda’s in 2014 to teach Spanish, she built up the subject with commitment and organisation. Ruth had a real enthusiasm for her subject and a strongly held belief that communication was more important than being perfect, and with this in mind her students felt comfortable to take risks with their Spanish and were prepared to give it a go. Ruth has travelled a considerable amount in Spanish speaking countries, so her interest was more than academic. She was instrumental in setting up our first exchange with a school in Chile.
As a work-mate, Ruth was known for her direct and open manner and for her sense of humour. She is just as at home in the outdoors as in the classroom, and her spare time was usually filled with mountain biking, hiking and other similar pursuits.
Ruth and her partner, Nathan, are working to build up their rafting company based out of Reefton on the West Coast.
While we will miss Ruth, who was a valued and positive member of our staff, we wish her well as she moves on to new challenges.
Mrs Nicki HoltzActing HOD Languages
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Claire Laverty
Claire Laverty is finishing up with us this year. She took leave for the year to be at home with her second daughter and has decided to stay at home with her family.
Claire contributed a considerable amount in the time she was with us. Her background in writing both text books and assessments was a great addition to our department.
Claire was a very efficient worker and could develop materials with astounding speed. She was a passionate teacher of Mathematics who was always well-prepared and thoughtful. Her leadership, particularly in Statistics, was greatly appreciated and significant in terms of getting our senior Statistics course up to a high standard.
Claire was not just a teacher of course. A memory I value was when Claire led a chapel and explained that when she was singing it was her way of showing joy. Claire would sing a wide range of tunes, from Maths songs to pop to hymns. The corridors around the Mathematics classrooms have lost a bit of colour as a result of her departure.
That said, we are happy Claire is able to take this time with her family.
Music and Mathematics will always be there.
Thank you, Claire.
Mr John BradfieldHOD Mathematics
Board of truSteeS
Board of Trustees Report
The last term of the year always seems to go by in a flash and this term has been no exception. The Board has been particularly busy and productive with a strategic planning meeting and a full day of Board training, combined with our normal meetings. The Board is also involved in a number of end of year activities including Prize Giving and our Leavers’ Service.
Our strategic planning session was an excellent opportunity to get together with the Senior Leadership Team to reflect on where we are now and where we want to be. Reaffirming the importance of the skills and attributes of the St Hilda’s graduate, we gave consideration to the areas we need to focus on to ensure that every student reaches her potential and leaves St Hilda’s well equipped to take her place in the world.
Alongside the NCEA qualification, we want to ensure that our girls are confident in their unique skills and abilities (Be You), resourceful and resilient (Can Do), collaborative and innovative (Better Together), and compassionate and curious (Exploring Faith). As a staff and a Board it is our collective aim to ensure we provide the very best environment to develop and foster these characteristics.
Board members also joined with the Board of Proprietors to attend a training day. This was an excellent opportunity for the Boards to get to know each other better while also engaging in some professional development. A session on restorative practice started with the facilitator asking us to group together depending on our respective birth order within our families. It was interesting to see how quickly the eldest, middle and youngest “children” bonded, with the familiar refrains of the “eldest have to train the parents” and the “middle is always forgotten” and the “baby is spoiled”. The point was certainly reinforced that we all come to any situation as a collection of our past experiences! We were also privileged to have the services of Paul Ferris, former Principal of Kavanagh College and now Chair of the Association of Proprietors of State Integrated Schools, who gave us an excellent address and insight into the challenges facing our integrated schools. We left with plenty to think about.
We also heard from Alan West during the month. Alan was the recipient of the Staff Scholarship and updated us on what he learned during his sabbatical in the United States. His findings on the benefits of less structured Physical Education were fascinating. As he explained, many of our children are increasingly specialised in their sports from an early age with overuse injuries and other consequences. This provides a challenge and opportunity for our Physical Education programme to offer balance and an opportunity to return to more creative, curious and playful movement. We can expect much innovation in this area given Alan’s passion and commitment. Our last Board meeting for the year was held on 13 December.
Members of the school community are always very welcome to attend Board meetings and/or to contact Board members regarding the work of the Board.
Ms Lauren SempleChair, Board of Trustees
community
Parents and Friends Association
As the year draws to a close the PFA can look back on 2018 with immense pride. We surpassed our own expectations of fundraising for the fair and the raffle. It is with pleasure that we now donate $70,000 to the Board of Trustees to assist with fitting out the new Arts Building. The whole school community was instrumental in making the Fair and Raffle such successes and I thank you all for being part of our achievement.
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The year has seen a few changes within the PFA. At the AGM, I was re-elected to the President’s role, Sarah Vink was elected as my new Vice President, and Leanne Wright was re-elected Treasurer.
Jo Galer and Linda Buxton both resigned from the committee this year and I thank them for all the work and support they have given the committee over the last few years. Lisa Mason, our hard working Secretary, stepped down from the role this year. Lisa did a sterling job over a number of years. Her departure from the secretary role leaves us with a large gap which we are looking to fill. Lisa will remain on the committee for 2019. The PFA is not overly hands-on or very time-consuming, so if you think you’d like to become involved and step into the role of Secretary, please contact the school office (03 477 0989 or via email at [email protected]). New members are always welcome to the PFA and I do encourage parents and caregivers to become involved, either as part of the formal committee or to join as a friend and to be called on as and when required.
Next year will see changes to our school-wide fundraising and the PFA looks forward to continuing to support the staff and students in our capacity, whilst working alongside Amanda Burke, the new Director of Development.
Finally, on behalf of the PFA, I would like to wish you all a very safe and happy Christmas.
Ali CopemanPFA President
Old Girls’ Association
We have been excited by the progress made in connecting with our Old Girls’ network this year, and look forward to more events and initiatives next year. Please visit our website, www.sthildasoldgirls.nz, to see what some of our alumni have been up to since they left St Hilda’s - we are adding to this all the time. It is always interesting to see the many and varied careers and achievements of our Old Girls.
Jackie and I attended the Auckland Branch of the Old Girls’ Association’s Annual Christmas party on November 16, hosted by Old Girl, Sarah Cole. It was wonderful to connect with so many Old Girls of several vintages, and great to see how strong this network is in Auckland. The Auckland Branch President, Mary Fitzgerald, has begun work on a directory to enable young Old Girls to find a mentor to give support as they begin their careers. We are so lucky to have so many Old Girls willing to give their time to this project and we look forward to telling you more about it soon. There is also an inaugural Young Old Girls event being held on November 28th in Auckland - we hope to begin this initiative in Dunedin and other centres next year.
The Old Girls will host an evening event in Wanaka on March 7th at Edgewater - please get in touch if you’d like to attend. If you are not on our database, please email me at [email protected] to sign up. We also have events planned for 2019 in Dunedin in May, Christchurch in June, Wellington in September, and Auckland in November.
Looking ahead, the 125th Celebrations will be held over Otago Anniversary Weekend in March 2021. We are thrilled to announce that we have secured a grower, Matthews Nurseries, to produce a St Hilda’s Rose for this special occasion, which will be available to purchase at the 125th and directly from the grower for those who can’t make it. More details to come!
Wishing you all a wonderful festive season and relaxing summer break,
Amanda BurkeOld Girls’ Association President
end of term 4 activitieS
BEAMS Auckland Trip 22-23 November 2018
Last week a small group of Year 10s travelled to Auckland for two days. First stop, the University Hall, one of the many student accommodation halls in Auckland. The hall is located near the centre of Auckland which was great for going out to see landmarks, buying food and exploring the city. At the hall, each student had their own room with views of the city. The games room was a hit. Students played pool and football, and it was all just a lift ride away. There was a lounge area on each floor and there were lots of great options for breakfast and dinner. They all had lots of fun and had the chance to mingle with other schools from around New Zealand. It was a great snapshot of what living as a student in Auckland would be like.
Once settled in the hall, they all headed out for lunch and to visit the War Memorial Museum. Here they had free time to explore the various exhibitions, including the Maori Land Wars and the Suffragette Movement. While at the Auckland Domain, the Winter Gardens was a great attraction as it houses unique plants from all around the world. Students were fizzing to see more of Auckland, so after dinner the Sky Tower was next. On the way, a red-carpet event was stumbled upon and it was here that the ladies were able to get a selfie with Jono and Ben. That was hard to top, but the skyline views of Auckland came pretty close. The city was vibrant and alive even as the sun was going down. Being able to explore the city throughout the day helped build students’ navigation skills and get a feel for what it would be like to live in a much larger city, not to mention, the chance to meet a celebrity every now and then.
On Friday, the University took centre stage as students packed up and headed down the road to the BEAMS programme. BEAMS is a programme run by the University of Auckland for Maori and Pasifika Year 10 students. As part of the programme there were five different topics to explore: Business, Engineering, Architecture, Medicine, and Science. This allowed students to get an idea of what they might want to do in the future and see the options and support on offer. Not only did the University of Auckland open up many pathways, but also gave students an amazing opportunity to explore the different subject areas. Here’s a quick snapshot of the five sessions from the day through the students’ eyes:
“As we walked in to the business session, the ambassadors were so welcoming. I did not know what business involved, so it was good to finally find out.
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We played a fun quiz where we learnt about what business was all about and what we might need to get there. It helped that we won prizes along the way.
Everyone enjoyed themselves and although business sounded boring it was made fun and the time flew.”
“The engineering workshop gave us a quick taster of what studying engineering at the University of Auckland would be like. They told us that taking Science and Mathematics would give good background information, if we wanted to get into engineering as a career. There was a brief activity that involved making a freestanding tower out of spaghetti, tape, string and a marshmallow. We had to see how high we could get the marshmallow with just the other objects to help. This activity was most challenging and many new records were set.
In the architecture workshop we experienced a new insight into what architecture is. We learnt that the traditional view on an architect is not necessarily true, as the majority of an architecture degree can be done on computers so you don’t need to be an amazing drawer. Here we competed to build the strongest structure out of just paper and tape. We tested our structures by piling on reams of A4 paper. The record for the day was 37 reams of paper! This activity and workshop was a lot of fun and interactive. It has definitely given me a wider sense of what goes into becoming an architect.”
“In the medicine workshop, we learnt about the human body and how reflexes work. We split up into groups to rotate around four different stations. First, we had to put Emma, a plastic model with many of the key body parts, back together. The fastest group to put her back together won a prize. We then moved on to name different bones on a skeleton. At the third station, we got to learn about the heart and hear our own heart beat with a stethoscope. Lastly, we learnt about different reflexes and how they work. We were able to use a reflex hammer to try on each to see how our reflexes work. I really enjoyed the medicine workshop because everyone learnt something new about the human body. After experiencing this workshop, I will definitely consider some type of career in medicine.”
“At the science workshop, we played games on the computers which helped to teach us about coding, which was really fun. We learnt how different types of technology can have an impact on the different parts of our lives and just how important scientific progress has been and will be for our future.”
The trip was a great success. The girls were taken out of their comfort zone and thrived. They were fantastic role models for the school and made Geraldine Corkery and Karla Dunn’s job a breeze.
2018 BEAMS Students
Marae Visit
Year 9 spent two days at the Otakou Marae on the Otago Peninsula. Despite some less than ideal weather conditions, the girls had a great time.
We were welcomed to the Marae by Hoani Langsbury, Hannah Langsbury and Summer Cooper with a Mihi Whakatau. This is a more of a re-welcome for people who are already known to the marae, which in our case is thanks to the special relationship St Hilda’s has with the Otakou Marae and the Langsbury family.
Performing a waiata in support of Hoani Langsbury were Hannah and Summer whose singing can be described as nothing less than breathtaking. In response, Ms Turner spoke on behalf of the St Hilda’s girls and staff and we were led in our waiata by Stella Rathbone.
Tessa Putt, Mandy Lo, Madi Baker, Madison Kaan, Poppy Johnston, Molly-Jo McKay and Laura Milne at the Marae
After sharing morning tea it was a day filled with; PE activities with Mrs Coutts, Mrs Bradfield and Mr Rosenberg; learning about the history of the Otakou Marae and Otakou area with Hoani; flax weaving with Ms Muller; writing and performing our mihi with Ms Turner and Mrs Holtz; and learning a new waiata with Hannah and Summer. Sadly due to the weather, it was decided that the penguin visit after dinner be cancelled. Instead, we had a Maori quiz which was won by the teachers until it was discovered that they had had too many team members and so were disqualified. The victory instead belonged to Olivia Hall, Anna Hutchens and Laura Milne. Before bed, Mrs Garthwaite led the girls in some mindful art.
Day two began with better weather which allowed us to head along the beach to the park where Mr West led the girls in some Maori PE games while two groups of ten girls, along with Ms Bartley and Mrs Bromley, had the opportunity to help out with tagging little blue penguin chicks. Once again the rain set in, so it was back to the Marae where we began our tidy up before lunch, then a final clean up, some prizes and a farewell ceremony.
Mia Jordan (sitting) and Amelia Johnston (standing) tagging little blue penguin chicks
The staff were impressed with how well the girls interacted together and their willingness to help out. Special mention should be made of Hannah Langsbury and Rubie Cummings who took charge of the dishes without being asked.
The Year 9s and the staff would like to thank Tolcarne for the food they supplied; Mrs Prentice, Mrs Garthwaite and Ms Turner for their patience at bedtime; the Otakou Marae for the great experience and opportunity to learn more about our area and Maori culture; Hoani Langsbury for the time and knowledge he shared with us and
Sarah Langsbury who stayed overnight with us. We look forward to doing it all again next year.
Mrs Holtz and Ms TurnerMarae Visit Coordinators
Service Afternoon
Town Belt clean up
At this time of the year, thoughts turn to presents and holidays. And sometimes it is important to remember that it is the giving that is valued, much more than the receiving. So on November 23rd, for an afternoon, the Years 7 to 10 students gave back to Dunedin, and at the end of the afternoon had made lives brighter, happier, and had organised resources so volunteers could continue to support those in need.
The girls went out, in groups, on many adventures and challenges around Dunedin. One group went to Sport Otago and helped organise their gear shed. Another went to the Cancer Society where they tidied up the garden and did a stocktake of the Relay for Life gear. They enjoyed having the girls and said that the girls ‘really got stuck in and it was such a surprise how much they achieved.’ The Town Belt near St Hilda’s also is now more appealing. Six bags of rubbish were collected and sorted into waste and recyclable items. And a small group were given the challenge of designing an orienteering course for four year olds. The Otago Hospice now has clean vans and cars in which to transport their patients and The Leslie Groves Hospital delighted in having Nga Korimako, our Junior Choir, and Sings Hilda members entertain them with songs and cake.
All of you will have seen the astonishing vista of white crosses in Queen’s Gardens as we commemorate and remember 100 years since World War One began and those who gave their lives. There were over 4000 white crosses commemorating the fallen of Dunedin. On Service Day, 40 of our students were privileged to remove the crosses and alphabetise them in preparation for families to collect that memory of a fallen loved one.
Although we gave back to community groups, we also gave back to St Hilda’s. With the Arts Building coming on apace, students and teachers embarked on sorting out the existing Art Rooms and the Drama space in Whitby Hall in preparation for the move. The Food Technology room not only had a massive clean down, but a reorganisation too. Tolcarne as well benefited from a group of Year 10 girls who sorted, lifted and cleaned.
It’s not glamorous, sometimes, giving back, but it is worthwhile. All the groups were so appreciative of the girls’ work and advice. Age Concern members now are much more technologically savvy thanks to a small group visiting them on the Friday afternoon, so much so that they would like us to investigate the possibility of it becoming a regular event.
So a fantastic day for so many people, girls and community groups. And so many more who will benefit from our small afternoon of service. We are better together.
Mrs Helen Almey Service Day Co-Ordinator
Year 8 Exchange Woodford House and St Hilda’s Collegiate
Tessa Bennett and Jzirah Ridley from Woodford House
On the 18th November, Imogen Irvine and Stella Bowles flew to the Hawkes Bay to exchange places with Tessa Bennett and Jzirah Ridley, from Woodford House, for seven days.
They attended Year 8 classes and school activities as they would if they were students at Woodford, and Tessa and Jzirah did the same at St Hilda’s.
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Imogen and Stella’s highlights from their trip are being able to experience boarding and being part of House drama performing a parody of a famous Disney movie.
Stella Bowles and Imogen Irvine
While they were at Woodford, Imogen and Stella stayed the first four nights in the boarding house, which was a great experience as we do not have boarding in Year 7 and 8 at St Hilda’s, and then the next three nights they stayed with a Woodford host family. Tessa and Jzirah, a full boarder and a flexiboarder, were hosted by Emily Dean and Imogen Hornal’s families in Dunedin during their exchange.
Overall this exchange was an amazing learning experience and we greatly encourage girls who have the opportunity next year to apply.
Imogen Irvine and Stella Bowles Year 8
Rail Trail
On Sunday 2nd of December the Year 11 Physical Education class set off for a three day adventure on the rail trail. Our Sunday began at our first destination of New World in Mosgiel where we purchased our own food in groups. We then drove to Clyde where we set off on a 37km journey to Omakau. It was a stunning day and it tested all of our limits. When we arrived in Omakau it was time to set up our tents for the first night’s stay. The next morning we set off to Ranfurly with a journey of 55km. This was another hot day which meant we all had to lather up with sunblock. After arriving in Ranfurly we went for a swim in the local pool and then got fish and chips for dinner. On the last day we set off from Ranfurly to Middlemarch with a remaining 60km. The weather wasn’t on our side for this last day as it was pouring down with rain. This meant we had to zip up our jackets and fight against the mud. We arrived at lunchtime in Middlemarch where the weather had cleared up and we were able to eat our lunch before going on the bus home. Altogether the trip was challenging and enjoyable and we were all able to push each other and spend time together before the holiday break.
We’d like to say a big thank you to Greg Brenssell, Mrs McLanachan, Mr West and Mrs Coutts for coming along on the trip with us, leading the way and encouraging us through every challenge.
Bella Devereux and Charlotte Coutts Year 11
Year 10 Film Festival
Once again, the Year 10 Film Festival was one of the highlights of Term 4. Twelve brave teams took up the challenge to make movie history by producing five-minute films in three days. To make things a bit more interesting, each film had to include five assigned elements: a genre, a technical element (slow motion), a narrative element (flashback), a character (Prudence Plum, obsessed with hair) and a prop (red shoes). And so the teams went off to plot their stories, scout locations, gather their costumes, practice their lines, boil their blood (fake, of course) and then shoot and edit their films. The Festival culminated in a screening on Tuesday afternoon for the entire junior school. The films were of outstanding quality this year, showcasing an amazing range of skills, which made it very difficult for the judges to pick the winners. Congratulations to the following teams and people for taking out the top awards:
Best Overall Production – Crime Through TimeHighly Commended – Jealous Much?Highly Commended – Red-HandedPeople’s Choice – Jealous Much?Best Actor – Megan FosterBest Poster – SwapsiesSpirit of the Festival Award – Crime Through Time
Ms Sandra MullerFilm Festival Coordinator
The Passion Project Week
Annika Marriner with her Up-Cycle Passion Project
We all have a passion, something we love to do that fulfils us, energises us, inspires us, challenges us. And, if we are lucky, that passion is transferred to our working life or inspires us to be who we want to be. They define us to a large extent.
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Sophie Broadley with her Jewellery Passion Project
But how do we find our passion?
Over the week of 12-16 November, we challenged the Year 7, 8 and 9 students to think about something that had piqued their interest, but had not pursued or explored in any great depth.
We wanted them to explore something passionately because it interested them. To get them thinking, we invited guests to talk to the students about their passion and how it had affected them. They heard from a young Taekwondo black belt, whose journey in the sport has increased her self confidence and resilience as well as proving to herself that she was able to take on any challenge. It had also taken her abroad to Korea and test the limits of what she could do. Dr Townsley’s passion about Wonder Woman was incredible. We learnt about her as an icon, an inspiration in the world of comics and setting new boundaries for female superheroes while honouring a classical past. She also had some cool fan stuff, including a comic that was worth hundreds of dollars!!! And Tash Columbus, who through her journey in various worlds of work, found her passion was to inspire and work with people to be who they wanted to be, first as a personal trainer and now the owner of #teamtash gym for women. They also heard the story of a teenager who loved to sing and that passion had turned into an international career.
Through the inquiry process, they devised a rich question that led them into researching their passion. It was this journey of inquiry and exploration that was the most important aspect, not the outcome necessarily. The range was diverse, ranging from first time trying to sew a skirt, to recipe creators, to exploring the eye, how to take great photos, wildfire prevention, scrunchies for the hair, edible bathroom products, lino printing, screen printing. The list went on. It was an impressive plethora of topics.
The passion they put into their inquiry was reflected in the quality of the thinking shown in their displays as on the Friday we had an exhibition, with many parents attending. It was inspiring to talk to the students about their outcomes and their excitement as to what possibilities their inquiry might have in their future. The entrepreneurial aspect came out in many, as well as their creative or problem solving aspect, or just a fascination with their chosen topic.
We are all unique, and the week celebrated their uniqueness and their unique passions. And the outcomes of it could be far reaching. It may be that they can take these into their future - next year, a Young Enterprise Scheme; five years, as a startup business; ten years, as a national or global business. Who knows? But in that Passion Project Week, we aimed to ignite a spark of passion that we hope may grow into a lifelong love.
Mrs Helen AlmeyPassion Project Co-ordinator
SPortS round uP
NZSS Athletics Championships
Sarah Langsbury 80m Hurdles Heat and Podium 80m NZSSAA Nationals
Congratulations to Sarah Langsbury who competed at the NZSS Athletics Championships last weekend in Dunedin and gained Gold in the Junior 80m Hurdles, Silver in the Junior 300m Hurdles and 5th in the Junior Long Jump.
New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Cricket Nationals
The 1st XI Cricket Team has just returned from a very successful New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Final where they took out the title, repeating their effort of 2016. The tournament was held in Christchurch and at New Zealand Cricket HQ at Lincoln and the team played six T20 matches in three days - an onerous task.
On Day One the team beat Tawa College in a closely fought match with White Fern, Amelia Kerr, in great form for Tawa. St Hilda’s kept its composure and when Amelia was finally dismissed from a lovely running catch from Taylor Duffy off the bowling of Olivia Hall we won by five heart stopping runs!
With Tawa after the game
In the afternoon, we played Tauranga Girls’ College and won by a more comfortable 51 runs. Our bowling and fielding were superb and Emma Black, Molly Loe, Eden Carson and rising star, Chloe Deerness, each captured two wickets as we dismissed Tauranga Girls’ College for 36 runs.
Day Two was much hotter and we played Wairarapa College in the morning and beat them by 10 wickets. After outstanding bowling by Molly Loe with 4 for 5 and Olivia Hall and Chloe Deerness both securing 2 wickets each, it was a relatively comfortable run chase for openers Olivia Gain and Megan Meltzer to see the team home in the 7th over.
The day was heating up and the 30 degree afternoon took its toll on the team as we fielded first against last year’s winners, Epsom Girls’ Grammar School. Epsom Girls’ Grammar School compiled a respectable total and Emma Black’s 3 for 15 was a grand effort in the heat. Our run chase fell 24 runs short and Epsom Girls’ Grammar School again proved to be our nemesis, having been the only team to beat us in 2017 in Palmerston North.
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Day Three was at Lincoln and on the magnificent cricket grounds at the home of New Zealand Cricket. We played Christchurch Girls’ High School in the last round of pool play on beautiful Lincoln Green in the morning. The girls were in great form and despite losing the toss, restricted previously unbeaten Christchurch Girls’ High School to 91. Anna Duncan’s two wickets were excellent and the other bowlers shared the spoils. Our run chase was anchored by Olivia Gain whose 49 was a masterpiece of batsmanship. Ably supported by Eden Carson (31) St Hilda’s was able to prevail by six wickets.
On the Green
And so for the first time in a good number of years, there was a GRAND final and as top qualifier, we walked over to the Bert Sutcliffe Oval to play Christchurch Girls’ High School again. The ground is superb and with a vocal crowd it was game on. We won the toss and opted to bat first. Olivia and Eden batted beautifully and Olivia with 38 and Eden with 55 not out gave us a respectable total to defend.
The bowling and fielding effort by St Hilda’s in Christchurch’s run chase was magnificent. Molly Loe bravely soldiered on with a thigh strain, Anna Duncan and Chloe Deerness both contributed with efforts far in excess of our expectations, and despite an excellent 56 run partnership for the 5th wicket, the run chase was mostly in St Hilda’s favour. Two run outs and a superb stumping by Olivia really kept the pressure on the Christchurch batters. So needing 13 off the last over bowled by Molly, excellent bowling together with superb field settings and commitment saw us prevail by 9 runs.
PHEW!! The pressure was enormous and after gracious interaction with Christchurch Girls’ High School, the celebration began!
This was an epic tournament to win. With seniors leading the way and a superb team spirit which involved amazing integration of young and somewhat inexperienced players into the team, we drove away from Lincoln with a gold medal around our necks and the Gillette Venus Cup safely in the van.
Special thanks to Dave Patchett for his scoring and assistance, Adam Gain for his expert coaching and Jodie Gain for her lovely managerial presence. Thanks also to the numerous parents who also travelled to Christchchurch and Lincoln to support us. It felt great to be able to celebrate the success with you all.
Many of the girls still have a lot of cricket to come.Olivia, Eden and Emma have Otago Sparks’ games; these three, plus Megan Meltzer and Molly Loe, will be in Auckland with the Otago U21 team before Christmas at a week-long National Tournament.
Megan, Molly and Jordan Meltzer represent Otago at the inaugural National U18 Tournament in Wellington in early January and, finally, Anna Duncan and Chloe Deerness will be in Wanganui with the U15 Otago Team also in January.
Thanks everyone for an amazing finale to a most successful season.
Mr Neil RosenbergCricket Coach
New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Touch Nationals
The St Hilda’s Senior A Touch team competed at the New Zealand Secondary School Touch Nationals from the 7th - 9th of December. A tough pool greeted the girls on day 1 with two losses and a win. The girls then had a very dominating final two days of tournament going unbeaten and finishing with a thrilling final game against Rangi Ruru which they eventually won in overtime to place 9th. A fantastic effort by all involved, congratulations to all girls, coaches and management.
Mr Callum WardellHead of Sport
January 2019 dateS
23 Senior Deans’ Interviews23 & 24 Prefects’ Training25 Staff Only Day26 Year 13 Boarders arrive at the Hostel
27 Year 9 Boarders arrive at the Hostel PFA BBQ for new Year 9 Families (at school) Year 11 - 13 Peer Mentors Boarders arrive at the Hostel
28 Year 7 to 9 start at 1:30 pm. Meet in the Chapel Year 11 - 13 Peer Mentoring Training Year 10 - 12 Boarders arrive at the Hostel
29 Year 7, 8 & 9 Orientation and Itinerant Music Concert Year 10, 11 & 12 in school from 8:40 am Year 13 Religious Education Retreat (Overnight) - Depart school 9:00 am
30 Year 13 Religious Education Retreat - Return to school 5:00 pm
31 Opening Service and Prefects’ Commissioning School ID Photos Tolcarne Leaders Dinner
2019 Term 1 Monday 28 January - Friday 12 April Term 2 Monday 29 April - Friday 5 July Term 3 Monday 22 July - Friday 27 September Term 4 Monday 14 October - Finish date to be confirmed
