Tēnā koutou katoua ngā whānau,
Learners and Staff are reflecting on our prayer theme this month, “Blessed Mary – Our Mother”.
Mary showed great courage when she received the news from the Angel Gabriel. Her trust had to be completely in the fact that God chose her to be the Mother of Jesus. Mary’s story is one of trust in God, even in the midst of overwhelming circumstances.
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her. (Luke 1:38). On Mother’s Day last Sunday we celebrated the gift that our mothers are in our lives. May we pray for and take inspiration from Mary and all women who boldly lead the transformation of unjust global structures and promote the full human dignity of all women everywhere.
My thanks to our Sport Coordinator Martine McCabe, Office Administrator Allison Milligan and Relief Teacher Stephen Kneof, for travelling and providing the support that enabled 49 of our Garin learners to compete in the Queen Charlotte College Sports Exchange in Picton this week. Also a big thank you to Queen Charlotte College for their hosting of the exchange this year, the hospitality and sporting competition in all events was outstanding. While wins and losses are a natural part of all sports exchanges, student participation and their shared experience underpin the growth of relationship, team spirit and pride in our College. I congratulate our students on their success in competition and the manner in which they participated and enjoyed themselves on the sports field.
I congratulate our English Teacher Mrs Anna Lau on achieving her Postgraduate Certificate in Education last month. This is a wonderful and significant achievement for Anna as she has committed herself to her studies at the University of Canterbury while balancing her teaching load and busy family life. We wish Anna every success in continuing her journey in education, Anna’s passion for learning and leading learning is outstanding and a brilliant example to us all. Well done Anna.
Next Friday 20 May is our NCEA Accord Teacher Only Day – on this day the college will be closed to learners and our teachers will be gathering to deepen their understanding and develop learning programmes to align with the new revised NCEA assessment standards to be implemented in 2023 and beyond. Learners are encouraged to take time on Friday to continue learning online via their Google Classroom or spend the day reading and building their page count for house points in our Reading Challenge.
Our Senior learners have been fully engaged in learning and assessment. I commend them on their planning, preparation and commitment to giving their best throughout the term. We look forward to welcoming parents and whānau to the Year 11 – 13 Parent Teacher conferences next week, 18 – 19 May, as we continue to support them on their learning journey.
We have recently engaged in reviewing the on-site provision and sale of the College Uniform from our on-site uniform shop. To better understand your needs when shopping for your child’s school uniform, I invite you to provide feedback via this survey – it is very short; we’d appreciate you completing it by Tuesday next week (17 May).
Mā te Atua koe e tiaki – May God be with you
Ngā manaakitanga,
John Maguire
Take a moment
“Let us run to Mary, and, as her little children, cast ourselves into her arms with a perfect confidence.”
– Saint Francis de Sales