Kua hua te marama
Something has completed a full cycle.
Kia ora a te whānau ō te Kareti o Hāta Kataraina,
Here is the last newsletter of the year. Please see below my text I shared at Prizegiving.
When I reflect on the year and my connection with St Catherine’s College, the first word that comes to my mind is JOY.
Joy to be here, at school: Looking at our ākonga arriving at kura, they all have smiles on their faces. While some play in the quad, others share a laugh in the studio or the library. There is a peaceful and joyful atmosphere when I walk through the corridors.
In the staffroom in the morning, teachers are ready to tackle the day, and there is always good spirit among the staff as they look forward to teaching our rangatahi. I would like to thank all of them for making me feel so welcome and for supporting me as I discover this wonderful community. I would also like to thank them for their patience when my enthusiasm becomes extravagant. A particular thank you to Jenny, Halina, and Mandy. These three wahine are like the Three Musketeers: they hold the fort and know every single layer of the school. Thank you also to Chris Perry, who has trained six principals and never loses her patience. Her knowledge is humongous.
On a sad note, the person who always brings joy through poems or jokes, Mr. Oliver, will be leaving us. We thank you for your year with us and wish you all the best at Sacred Heart College in Lower Hutt. We would also like to acknowledge Katy Hodgson for her service this year.
JOY!
Hāta Kataraina celebrated many successes this year; to name a few:
The senior volleyball team came out on top of their section in Division 3.
St Catherine’s won the Bishop Philip Viard Memorial Trophy for runner-up at O’Shea Shield, as well as the Mercy Cup for Religious Questions, and was recognised as the Best Negative Team.
Tifaolemoana Vaeau won a scholarship to attend the Innovative Young Minds programme, focusing on inspiring a new generation of female innovators and industry leaders in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, maths, and high-tech manufacturing), while Michaela Borja attended a hands-on workshop in Otago.
The Barbershop chorus and quartet qualified for nationals. The Young Singers in Harmony placed third in the regional competition, and the Voices of Aroha, featuring Michaela and Angeli, received the prize for outstanding performance.
Yizney Morales became a member of the New Zealand Refugee Youth Council.
Ashika Chander was nominated as a recipient of the Wild at Heart Wellington Airport Award for her commitment to her community and her involvement in the Wellington Youth Council.
The multicultural group, composed of 60 students, performed on stage at Tu Tagata, the largest group we’ve had so far.
In public speaking, Lylaina Young Yen participated in the Stockley Cup, and Avalani Wright presented the Dunsheath Plate. Both placed second in their competitions. The St Catherine’s College team that attended the World Scholar’s Day was invited to nationals.
The Netball Senior A team had a challenging week in Napier but won the hearts of players and referees with their positive attitude, resilience, and hard work. They finished third in their division.
Nina Atkinson Milin won Highly Commended in the Junior Creativity section of the Hettanz Fashion Awards.
Our year 13 leavers collectively earned over 360,000 dollars in scholarships. Huge thank you to Kathy Ryan for her knowledge and her ongoing support for all the applications she has made for our wahine.
As I said, these successes are just a few for our kura. How could you not experience JOY?
Next year, to support our ākonga in consolidating their joyful experiences, our vision will focus on three words: Akoranga, Whakapono, Aroha.
Akoranga:
Ako means to learn—it is the reciprocal relationship between two or more people discovering something new. While one may know more than the other, by receiving mātauranga (knowledge), a new relationship and understanding are created.
Ranga means to weave: weaving new knowledge with the old, weaving people together.
Akoranga is learning.
St Catherine’s academic results are truly satisfying—if I were in politics, I’d say they are above the national average! But honestly, St Catherine’s is incomparable because it is so special. What matters most is that our data shows our students are experiencing success and achieving their own pathways and choices.
We have an incredible team of teachers, teacher aides, and support staff who guide, encourage, and celebrate all our ākonga.
With the overwhelming flow of information from social media and advertising, staff have decided to focus on enabling our wahine to develop their critical thinking. To do this, we will celebrate reading in all subjects and activities, in and out of school. We aim to build a community of readers.
Whānau, be ready for multiple book swaps at our kura!
Whakapono:
Whaka = to believe; pono = trust.
Our Catholic special character is at the center of everything we do. As we take pride in our faith, we want to continue celebrating it and ensuring
it remains at the forefront of our decision-making. We aim to enable our girls to pray anytime, give them leadership opportunities in liturgies, and organise exciting retreats. We also plan to develop the sacramental programme and make use of our recently renovated sacred space.
Being a teenager can be challenging. Enhancing our relationship with Jesus and strengthening our trust helps to guide us through each day.
Aroha:
God is love, and so is our community. When I interviewed students and teachers at the start of my principalship, they all said, “St Catherine's College is unique because we all care for each other; we are all sisters.”
Through aroha, we are building a strong pastoral system to support your tamahine.
Through aroha, we are organising events for the sisterhood to shine. Through aroha, we ensure every student is present in class and attends all lessons on time.
Through aroha, we establish tuakana-teina (older sister-younger sister) relationships to assist with homework and academic or extracurricular challenges.
I am deeply grateful to our staff for working together toward these shared goals. I hope whānau will follow and tautoko our lead.
Kua hua te marama—something has completed a full cycle.
As the year ends, I wish you all a wonderful family time. May your Christmas be full of joy and happiness. I pray for all those we have lost this year, for the struggles you may have faced, and for you to find joy.
God bless you all.
Meri Kirihimete ki a koutou!
Ngā mihi ki a koutou katoa.