Tēnā Koutou Kātoa! We are just at the end of the fourth week of Term Three and I am amazed at how much has happened in that time.

We’ve welcomed Mr Thomson to the Maths Department, Mrs Renner to Languages, Ms Turnbull to the Counselling Service and Ms Entwistle as a Speech and Drama Tutor. 

Our Open Day on Monday 23 July was blessed with sunshine and our student guides, once again, did a wonderful job showing the visitors around. Many commented at the end on how proudly and eloquently they presented their school. I’ve been surprised at the number of prospective students and parents, whom I’ve shown around, who had not realised that we have a co-ed primary school as part of Columba. 

I hope you will have all seen the new boards in front of the Administration Block on Highgate with the photo of students from the Junior, Intermediate and Secondary Schools to showcase our student community. On the other side we have our stunning Senior A Debating Team of Lydia Joseph, Lydia Christensen and Bridget Scott with some of the bling they have won this season. All three of them are having a stellar year, with Lydia Joseph and Bridget Scott helping seal second place for the Otago Southland Team at the National Secondary Schools Debating Tournament and Lydia going on to captain the NZ Team at the World Schools Debating Championships in Croatia, where they were placed fifth overall. Bridget leaves at the end of this week for a Debating Training Camp in Malaysia and Lydia Christensen has just returned from her four-week tour of Germany as a guest of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

Also representing New Zealand overseas at the moment are McKayler Moore and Meg Sycamore, who are playing for the National Women’s Touch Team in Malaysia. Columba is further represented here with our Director of Sport Miss Dayna Turnbull as Captain.

We are grateful to the Parents’ Association for funding the “Empowering the By-stander” programme that was run by Robert Pereira. He worked with students from Years 5 – 10, with staff and then with parents, to analyse the reasons for students bullying others and to encourage the 95% who he claims, do not resort to such behaviour, to act to shut it down.

The Year 11 students had a very enjoyable Formal at Larnach Castle on Saturday 28 July. Unfortunately our French Exchange students had left that afternoon, so just missed out on attending but Théo, the French Assistant, stood in for them all, saying it was the first time in his life that he’d worn a tie! We have also enjoyed the week-long stay by eight students from Hibya High School in Tokyo, accompanied by two of their senior staff members. They stayed with Columba families and also had three nights in the Boarding House.

Mrs Lynda Reid, of Reid Consulting, has been engaged by both Boards to lead the recruitment of a new Principal and has spent one and a half days talking to the Senior Leadership Team. Heads of Department, Year 13 students, as well as members of both Boards, and having a tour of the school. Lynda was the very successful Principal of St Cuthbert’s College for twenty years, and we are confident she will have a good understanding of the qualities needed to lead a Presbyterian school.

Week Three started with the annual Quad Winter Tournament, hosted this year by St Hilda’s. Columba broke a nine year drought by winning the tournament overall, after being placed First in Badminton, Netball and Debating and Second, after St Margaret’s, in Hockey. Even more commendable than these impressive results, was the modelling of fair Play and grace by all our teams.

It was also a very busy week for our Chaplain, Dr Macleod, who helped organise the Conference for School Chaplains and Religious Studies Teachers, followed by the Presbyterian Schools’ Conference. With the theme of “Heart and Soul”, this two-day conference reflected on "our Presbyterian Schools’ passionate commitment to whole-hearted education”. Running alongside this was a separate student gathering, with each of the Presbyterian schools represented by two students from Year 12. Emily Hill and Annia Tomkins both gave very articulate and sensitive presentations to the delegates on the work they had covered on the adverse effects of the growing poverty in New Zealand.

This is just a small snapshot of the many achievements of our students at all levels this term. I have also enjoyed spending time with Year 9 at their Ski Camp at Coronet Peak this week and wish the International Students all the best for their Ski Camp that follows on. 

We have a busy few weeks ahead of us, with the musical production entering its final rehearsals, Winter Tournament week for most codes and the deadline for NCEA internal assessment drawing ever closer. I encourage senior students, in particular, to manage their time carefully and to take advantage of the extra tutorials that teachers are offering. 

Kia Kaha and look after yourselves!

Jenness Riethmaier

Acting Principal