A Message from our Principal

Kia ora tātou, Greetings to all

Our year 7-10 students are making the most of the variety of activities available to them during the last weeks of the year. The seniors may have finished classes but the year 10s are certainly managing to fill up any empty spaces around the school – it is good to see that somethings never change! This week the junior assessment exams are taking place, and as well as providing some important data for next year’s planning, it also gives these young ones a taste of what is to come in the senior school. Some of our students will have taken the opportunity to be involved in the Otago Secondary Sports Association’s Junior Sports Week happening around Dunedin next week, while our volleyball players head to Christchurch for the South Island Champs for the week. We wish them well as they compete against some of South Island’s best junior volleyball teams in this rapidly growing sport.

We will farewell the Year 8s on Tuesday as they head away to camp at Pukerau. Many year groups will still fondly remember their time at this camp in the past and I know this group will be no different. We wish them safe travels and encourage them to enjoy the friendships and camaraderie they have. Thank you to the staff and parents who give up their time to attend this camp. The following week, our Year 10s attend their camp of choice which has four different and worthwhile camp experiences from Mount Aoraki to Deep Cove.

November 21st is the Feast of the Presentation and is the day to celebrate the Presentation Sisters who came to teach in New Zealand in 1950 from Ireland and a small group arrived in Green Island in 1954. Their Foundress was Nano Nagle and St Peter Chanel School in Green Island was started by the Presentation Sisters. The Nano Nagle Trust supports many families and children throughout New Zealand in Catholic Schools, and we are very fortunate to have their continued support with the financial needs of some in our school community. If you get the chance to support this very worthy Trust, I encourage you to do so. Of course, we also have Nagle as one of our Houses. We aim to take a group of Nagle students to St Peter Chanel School to celebrate with them which I know both groups of young people will enjoy!

Thank you to those of you who have completed our consultation on Sports at Trinity. This survey hit your inbox last Friday and is open until the end of today if you still wish to contribute. So far, when compared with the staff voice which was collected last week, there is significant alignment between the groups in what is valued and what can be improved. I have no doubt that some student focus groups will bring a similar viewpoint. Please remember to come along to hear more about these findings, and our vision and developing goals, on Thursday evening, 28th November.

To our years 11-13 students – keep working hard. The first two weeks of NCEA and Scholarship exams has gone well – just a couple more to go. It has been very pleasing to see a strong turnout of well-prepared seniors arriving for exams. Keep up the perseverance.

Ngā manaakitanga