Kia ora koutou katoa
In a flash the term comes to an end. I would like to commend our students for the way they have managed a gamut of hurdles this term, from stress and anxiety to illnesses and absences, and a significant work and assessment load. We are so proud of you all. I would also like to acknowledge our fantastic staff: we finished the week with no one away, no one sick (tired yes!) and here in person for our students. I wish you all a safe, relaxing, and well-deserved holiday!
Our senior students had a fantastic time on Saturday night at the annual school ball. Mrs Smith and her team did a superb job of bringing the theme of a Winter Wonderland to life. It is such a lovely thing to see our students suited and booted and dressed to the nines and having such a great time. It still surprises me that ‘Cotton Eye Joe’ brings everyone to the dance floor! Thank you to everyone who attended for making this a great night, you looked superb and the way you all composed yourselves was outstanding. Photos from the night are available through Stuart Nimmo in town.
On Wednesday, we hosted both the Science Fair and our Open Evening. We had many people coming to check us out, and it is humbling to hear people speaking so highly of John Paul II High School, and to have interest from families who aren’t part of our traditional feeder schools. Enrolments are now open for preference and non-preference places for 2023. https://www.johnpaul.ac.nz/enrolment/. The Science Fair was also a roaring success, and we thank Lisa Steenhauer and our fantastic science teachers for leading this event. The entries were fascinating and there was a lot to be learned!
Sport at JPII is well and truly underway, with football and netball tournaments being played away. On Monday, a group of keen footballers headed to Karamea to play in the West Coast Secondary Schools Tournament. They faced formidable opponents, perhaps the inclement weather the most significant opposition, and placed a respectable 5th. Outstanding players were Finn McClunie, Terence Guilder, Nio Verhoven, Jude Paneda, and Brian Collins. So pretty much the whole team played superbly, and especially given they’d had no training! This weekend our Junior SISS netballers head to Christchurch to play in the South Island Secondary School’s tournament. This is the biggest junior tournament in the South Island’s calendar. Our team will play three full games of netball at a high level per day. We wish them safe travels, good luck, and every success. A special mention to our awesome Sports Coordinator, Jasmine Dodemaide (and PE teacher extraordinaire) for her leadership and organization of these events. Sport is such an important part of school for so many young people, and we are lucky to have Jasmine with us bringing her enthusiasm and skill to these teams.
We wish all of you a happy and relaxing break. We will see you back on Monday 25 July to start term 3.
Ngā mihi nui
Renée Hutchinson
Principal