Wow the end of Term 2 marks the mid way point for 2021. The Year 9 girls are half way through their first year, while the Year 13's are going into the final half of their last year at St Hilda's. Sitting here and writing this article makes you realise how much gets packed into 10 weeks. This term has been extremely busy and the girls have done a great job of juggling school work, extra curricular commitments and social activities.

Winter sports have started up, with various late night hockey games, Wednesday rugby matches, basketball to finish the week and many more. Everyone has been involved with different sporting codes and activities, keeping very busy! We are looking forward to winter tournaments in Term 3, before the summer sports start up again.

Term 2 is formal season... And wow is this an intense time for the girls!! Hours are spent picking out their dresses, finding shoes to match and of course figuring out where to get their makeup and tans done! This is always a highlight in the senior calendar and we love seeing the girls dressed up for their special night. Heading into Term 3, we are looking forward to the junior social events starting. The famous Tolcarne social is going to be held in Week 4, with a theme of 'come as your future job'. We can't wait to decorate the dining room and see all of the costumes everyone comes up with!

We had our annual Open Day this term, with door decorating happening the night before. The year groups put in so much effort to transform their corridors, with all types of designs. We had 'out of space', Disney and even Hawaiian themes throughout. The hostel was decorated top to bottom in colour, with wee messages for potential students and plenty of lollies! 

The Open Day itself was extremely busy, we opened our doors to around 200 people! Our Year 13 students took tours and the kitchen team prepared delicious treats for all to enjoy. We loved seeing lots of new smiling faces, who all appreciated the tremendous decorating effort! We are excited to welcome 33 new Year 9 students in 2022 💕

The weekend activities with Bex have been a hit for the girls. There is always something to get excited about, whether that be a trip to Leap, the games night with John McGlashan, ice skating, The Escape Room and many more. She has plenty of new activities for Term 3, including an 80s aerobics class, rock climbing and even a magic night!

This year we started after school activities on a Tuesday for the Year 9s. This has been a great opportunity for the girls to be involved in a range of outings and has created something else to look forward to during the week. They have enabled the girls to mix with others in their year group, through different challenges and interactive activities.

We aim to have an outing every 3 weeks, visiting Timezone and the bowling alley this term. When onsite we have baked, made clay jewellery, had a rainy movie afternoon, held a MasterChef mystery box challenge and even tested recipes to make for a 'hot lunch' the following day. We are looking forward to more fun next term, kicking off Week 1 with a trip to the Tūhura Science Centre/Tūhura Tropical Forest at the Otago Museum 🤩

Koru and Korero have continued to develop throughout Term 2. Various topics have been the focus point for junior Koru, with the girls engaging and finding the courage to be brave and lean into different conversations we have. Robyn and I love seeing the skits groups come up with and value the time and energy put in by the girls. Ziggy and Ross are enjoying spending two sessions a term with the Year 11 cohort for Korero. This has been an extension on junior Koru, focussing on different age relevant topics. The students are valuing that they are able to share ideas and opinions in a safe space, whilst challenging one another in a supportive way. 

Ziggy has been busy organising Tribe Dinners and competitions this term. We have had our annual line dancing and 'mystery bag' dress up challenges. The Tribes came together for both of these events, with the competition at an all time high! For line dancing, the Tribe leaders planned and taught routines, before the whole group had to perform. Well done Baxter for taking out the win! For the dress up challenge, each Tribe received a bag full of mystery pieces that they transformed into 'catwalk' items. The clothing was modeled down our very own runway, with the models showing such sass and attitude 😉 We love the level of enthusiasm the girls bring to Tribe Competitions and look forward to our annual Tribe day next term. 

The Year 9 group have been busy preparing for the 'Buddy Farewell' supper, which was held on Wednesday evening. Each student created a card and made cupcakes to thank their Year 13 buddy for helping them settle in at Tolcarne. This was a lovely way to celebrate the support and positivity the Year 13 cohort brought to being 'buddies' this year. A massive thank you to the kitchen team for helping cater the event and to Robyn for making the night a success ❤ See below for more photos from the evening and of the juniors during their preparations!

Life Matters, (a nonprofit organisation who help and educate around suicide prevention) came and presented to our seniors last week. The focus of the presentation was about how to care for yourself and friends, if you are feeling low and possibly thinking about suicide. The students left feeling more confident around how to talk about the topic, what signs to look for and where to find help. It was an empowering presentation and we’d like to thank Corinda and Claudia from Life Matters. It was lovely to have a few of our seniors volunteer to help at their fundraising day at the end of July. 

Looking forward to Term 3 we have lots to get excited about... Tournament Week, socials, the St Hilda's Production, weekend activities and our annual Ski Trip - wahoo! Along with exciting social events, there are also the bench mark examinations. We encourage you to have a look at the Private Tutors list if you are needing some more one on one support leading up to exams, or to contact Isla - if you'd like to be part of the in house tutorials. 

Have a restful break and recharge those batteries for another busy term at Tolcarne! We can't wait to hear about everything you get up to over the two weeks. Love the Tolcarne team 💕💕