Kia ora koutou katoa

We had a fantastic evening at the College last week to celebrate Matariki. It was awesome to see so many students, parents, members of the community and staff come together. I want to give a special thank you to Rebecca Straker-Cunningham for getting this event off the ground, and a huge thank you to all of the teachers, staff and parents who took the time to contribute - whether that was organising an activity, participating in an activity or simply enjoying the great food and vibes. I'm really looking forward to making the event even better in 2023.

One of the important aspects of Matariki is taking time to reflect. I encouraged the students to use Matariki as an opportunity to think about what they have done in the previous year. To think about the awesome things that they have been involved with, the fantastic experience they've had and of course to reflect on the challenges that they've faced and hopefully overcome. I genuinely believe that reflecting on your experiences is one of the most important parts of growing and learning. Our experiences (good ones and bad ones) help us plan for the future. Taking time to reflect on what we’ve done is something that we often overlook, particularly in a world where things are all about the here and now, particularly when it seems that everything is available to us on demand. As the term comes to an end, I would encourage you to speak with your child about the learning they've been involved with and what they'd like to achieve in the year to come.

Below is a short highlights video of the Matariki evening.

Finally, just a quick note to encourage you to support your child by ensuring that they have all the necessary equipment to be successful at school each day. This includes bringing their chromebook / device (and a charger) to school each day. We are increasingly finding that students are choosing not to bring their device and instead are using our school chromebooks. The challenge with this is that these chromebooks are supposed to be there just in case, but instead have become relied upon.

Ngā mihi nui

Steven Mustor

On Tuesday 21st June, Year 8 students spent the day at Arrowtown seeking to understand the history of the area, in particular the lives of the early Chinese settlers. Hosted by the Arrowtown Museum’s Education Officer, Amanda, students participated in a tour of the old Chinese Village, gold panning in the Arrow River, and workshops in the museum itself.

Despite very cold temperatures, students had an engaging and enjoyable experience. That about a dozen students found flecks of gold when panning was a bonus. Alas, gold nuggets were not extracted… hopefully next year!

S Peoples

HOD Social Sciences

On Wednesday 22 June Meridian Energy invited all Year 10 girls to join them for an open day at the Manapouri Power Station, to consider a trade or technical career in infrastructure. Their objective was to raise awareness and increase the number of girls working in trade roles.

The students gained first-hand experience about what a career in infrastructure offers, experienced what jobs look like, completed fun hands-on activities, and listened to inspirational stories about what it is like to be involved in the industry.

The girls had an awesome day.

Back Row: Amber Mirfin, Olivia O'Neill, Beth McBride, Brooklyn Day, Hannah Norris, Georgia Watson, Talia Brown, Natalie Spence, Gabrielle Soper

Front Row: Sophie Wright, Ms Alice Sutherland (Teacher), Erin Murdoch, Holly Kempthorne, Isabella Speight.

Don't forget this year’s Ball extravaganza is being held on the last day of Term 2.

Fiordland College Ball - Friday 08 July 2022

7.00pm - Formal Dances at the Events Centre

8.00pm - Dinner at Te Anau Club

Due to restrictions at the Te Anau Club it WILL NOT be possible for families and friends to view events there.

Leaving times for students on the day of the Ball:

• Year 11 - 1.30pm lunch time
• Year 12 - 11.00am interval
• Year 13 - out all day

Congratulations to Hannah Norris and Brooke Scott who have been playing rugby with the Central Southland U16 Girls' Rugby team this season. They won the final recently at Oreti Park beating Verdon/Aurora 58-17. We are very fortunate that other Southland schools allow our students play for them. Thanks CSC

An early start on Monday 20 June got us to the New Zealand Marine Studies Centre (NZMSC) in Portobello, Dunedin at 10:30 in the morning. We immediately began our small animal study looking at crustacean morphology and behaviour. This was followed by crab identification and a study of the foreshore in the harbour. The afternoon consisted of a session on planning and implementing a study of live animals which involved ethics and safe handling of marine organisms.

Unfortunately our time in Dunedin was cut short, but we used our new knowledge to plan and undertake a different investigation when we returned to the College. Thanks to all the amazing staff at the NZMSC, Quarantine Island and the students who were all supportive and understanding. We will be back!

The Southland Primary Cross Country Championships were held at the Waimumu course last week. Our top performers (running for the Northern Southland Team) were:

• Jemima Hoskin - 3rd Place 12 Year Old Girls
• Ianthe McMillan-Armstrong - 5th Place 12 Year Old Girls
• Libby Fox - 4th Place 13 Year Old Girls
• Jazz Braaksma - 7th Place 13 Year Old Girls

Here is a lovely article on one of our ex students, Thomas Lundman.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/dairy/128778644/from-the-cave-to-the-paddock

Also, another former student, Rosie Robinson, has just returned from being one of the coaches of the NZ Athletics Team at the Oceania Champs in Australia. Rosie started her athletics career at Fiordland College and became an outstanding race walker - competing many times for NZ across about 15 years. She has now moved into coaching.

Free flu jabs for tamariki aged 3 to 12

Children aged 3 to 12 years old can get a free flu vaccination from their GP, healthcare provider or at most pharmacies from this Friday 1 July.

Free flu jabs for tamariki – Ministry of Health

Most tamariki aged 9 years and over need one vaccination each year to get good protection against flu.

If you have a child under 9 years old, talk to your healthcare provider as they may need one or two vaccinations depending on whether they’ve had a flu vaccine before.

If tamariki have recently had COVID-19 they can have a flu jab as soon as they’ve recovered.

For a lot of our senior students they will be heading to some form of tertiary study next year. Below is a link to a document that parents and students could find very helpful with student loans and student allowances.

Some of the areas covered in the article are:

• First year fees-free
• Study jargon - EFTS
• Student Loan
• Student Allowance
• When to apply
• How to apply
• Extra payments

Here are the Community Events happening over the coming week: