Tēnā Koutou Kātoa!

As Term 3 draws to a close, students and teachers are all looking ready for the holiday break. Seniors are finishing their Internals, only to have their practice Externals and then the real ones to look forward to. The younger students, while not facing quite the same pressures, are also looking tired. Dr Macleod’s address during our recent College Sunday Service focused on the pressures we all feel at this time of the year and on the importance of finding a balance between finishing what has to be done and taking time to connect with people and the world around us.

The term has provided many opportunities for students at all levels to showcase excellence in their various endeavours, many of which are reported in this newsletter. The polished performances we enjoyed of “The Fiddler on the Roof”, the stunning sportsmanship of our Quad Teams and those who represented the College in Tournament Week, bringing back bronze medals in Hockey and silver in Football, our Tournament of Minds Teams, who competed in Christchurch, the Year 9 and International students, who supported each other at Coronet Peak during their Ski Camps, the Junior School Book Week with David Elliott, followed by Spirit Week and then Library Week for the whole school, are just a few of the many highlights. 

A personal highlight for me was the opportunity to attend the ODT Class Act presentations to Lydia Joseph and Kate Truman and to hear the inspiring address given by Jacinda Ardern, followed closely by the pleasure of showing prospective families around the school and witnessing the engaging welcome they receive from teachers and students. 

Our grounds are particularly stunning at the moment with the cherry trees in blossom and providing a lovely canopy for students to lunch and chat under. Our Caretakers, Nick Wooliscroft and John van Turnhout have worked hard to maintain the beautiful environment on both sides of the campus, and we wish Mr van Turnhout all the best for his move to Nelson.

I wish you all a relaxing holiday break as we come into warmer weather and hope that our senior students in particular can take heed of Ms Lindsay’s and Dr Macleod’s reminders to take breaks from the stresses of exam preparation and enjoy the simple pleasures of life.

Jenness Riethmaier,

Acting Principal