‘Mā whero, mā pango, ka oti ai te mahi’ - Many hands make light work, an apt summary of the term to date.

A good example of this is our Rowing Community who have been in Twizel this last week for the Maadi Cup. I am pleased that I could join them today and would like to give special mention to the Under 17 8+ who won gold. The boys and their families are all in good spirits and we look forward to more Finals racing tomorrow. For more details, please see the rowing article in this newsletter.

It has been heartening to see our students, staff and wider community come together to support each other during challenging times.  

It is great to see many of our boys returning to school from isolation. In line with the greater Canterbury region we continue to see significant numbers of students and their whānau being impacted by Covid-19, but we are hopeful as the graphs may indicate that we are past our peak. Thank you for your support with the adjustments to the school day as part of our wider response to Covid-19.  

On Monday we will have a Teacher Only Day to enable staff to continue their work in relation to the redesign of the Junior Curriculum. Initial feedback from students, staff and whānau indicates that the changes we have made are having the desired effect on learning and engagement. 

Starting on 28 March, consultation around an amended enrolment scheme will begin for our school

This is due to recently redrawn parish boundaries. The College is also likely to continue to experience a situation where there is more demand for enrolments than there are places available within our maximum roll.  

This amendment identifies areas of reasonable convenience for St Bede's College in the form of Qualifying Parishes. Applicants to St Bede's College who reside in a Qualifying Parish will be prioritised above applicants who do not.

You can read about this proposal at https://consultation.education.govt.nz/education/st-bedes-college-enrolment-scheme-amendment and complete the survey to place your feedback. 

All students who are currently enrolled before the amended enrolment scheme commences are entitled to remain enrolled.

Please read all the information on the above website before placing your feedback prior to the end of the consultation process on 29 April 2022. 

We acknowledge that we are drawing to the end of the fourth week of Lent in the following prayer –

Loving Father,

We are filled with joy as we move toward Easter. Teach us to follow the example of your Son, to be worthy of being called one of his people. Help us to live each day as he did turning hatred to love and conflict to peace. We await the new life with eagerness, faith and a deep gratitude.

May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life.

Amen. 

Until next week, Noho ora mai,