Here we are at the end of Term 3! What a bizarre 10 weeks we have had... From life as we knew it, then back into lockdown in a period of hours - it was all go! The girls have done extremely well with their ability to adapt and accept changes that have been made. We are all very grateful for the positivity that has been shown, not only in daily boarding life, but also in supporting one another.

Our annual ski trip went ahead during the last weekend of Term 3. This is always a highlight on the calendar and we were all hyped up, ready to go! Unfortunately the weather was slightly patchy, meaning on Saturday Coronet Peak was closed. But thanks to Robyn and Ange, there were plenty of alternatives planned!

After a late breakfast, we headed into Queenstown for the day. From shopping to Fear Factory, Odyssey maze, the Gondola and jewellery making, we certainly did it all! Robyn even brought along her hot pulled pork to serve for lunch! Although the day looked slightly different to how we had imagined, the girls took it in their stride. Once returning to the Southland Ski Club, the snow began to fall. It was lovely watching it settle around us, with the girls taking a break from study to test out the sleds! There were plenty of laughs, crashes and snow balls thrown, before we were treated to more delicious food from Robyn - entrée, main and dessert!!

We finished our night watching the All Blacks play and with a mystery jelly bean tasting competition. This provided plenty of entertainment, with Hattie the overall winner!

The snow fall on Saturday night meant we woke to a winter wonderland! With pancakes and bacon for brekkie, everyone was very excited to hit the slopes. The weather held out, so the girls made the most of sunshine and fresh powder!! We stayed on the mountain until 3pm, before jumping back on the bus and heading home. It was a massive weekend, with so many laughs and memories made 🏂⛷

Thanks to everyone involved in making the few days a success, especially the girls who made the weekend so memorable! Take a look at the video below to 'relive' the weekend with us. We are already looking forward to the 2022 ski trip, aka our 'Queenstown Experience'!

Looking back through the term, we did squeeze a lot into the time we were at Tolcarne. Our after school activities were all go, with Olympic baking, a trip to the Tūhura Science Centre at the Otago Museum, the St Kilda beach visit and even a movie trip (which we walked out of to discover we were in the Level 4 lockdown!!). I am looking forward to more after school adventures next term 😍

Bex also organised plenty of fun for the girls during the weekends, from Hot Yoga, to lazer tag and even ten pin bowling. She has new activities planned for the summer months... think paddle boarding, surfing and even zorb soccer! 🏄‍♀️

This term we had a big focus on National Boarding Week, wanting to celebrate everyone involved within our boarding community. We held various activities throughout the week, with jewellery making, bed time stories and hot chocolates, a dinner swap with John McGlashan, the St Hilda's staff lunch, our staff baby photo competition and the grandparents high tea! It was a big week 😆

We loved welcoming our Tolcarne grandparents to Tolcarne for the afternoon. Robyn had been busy baking sweet treats for days, pulling together the most amazing afternoon (with the help of our wonderful kitchen and house staff). With over 85 guests, the dining room was full of chatter, smiles and entertaining stories! 

Our Koru and Korero programmes were in full swing for Term 3. The Year 9 group have been looking at fear, finishing the term with their mystery challenges... This was a great chance for the students to put what they were learning about into practice, having to dig deep at times and lean in to the 'fear'! We are looking forward to our Waihola camp next term to finish the Koru unit.

The Year 10 girls have been looking at values and what they may mean for different areas of life. As this term was the last proper unit of Koru, our final session involved how we would use our most meaningful values moving forward at Tolcarne. The key focus areas were friendships and work, looking at what values would be important to use heading into the senior years of school. Robyn and I have loved our Koru sessions with everyone this year and truly appreciate the level of engagement and also the vulnerability to open up in certain conversations 😍   

While in lockdown we found a variety of ways to keep ourselves connected. From cooking and baking challenges, to our 'Formal Friday', the Tasty Twins competition and even our inspiration videos from some famous friends! Throughout the uncertainty of this time, it was great to see everyone engaged and connected in different ways. Well done to all of the students who got involved - we certainly have a few cooks and bakers in the making!

With Term 4 (the best term!!) approaching, here are some exciting events you can look forward to... We have the junior social, Christmas/Year 13 Leavers Dinner, end of term Christmas activities, Year 10 camp, Year 9 Waihola camp and more!! We also can't forget the fact it will be warmer, meaning the pool will be back in action!

Although Term 4 may provide some uncertainty with exams and added pressures, just remember you have been in times of stress before and got through! All of the study and time put in preparing now, will pay off in the end (with the addition of a stress free summer, knowing you gave this final push your all). We are thinking of you as the exam period begins and are always here for a chat or hot chocolate if needed! Remember to break up your study schedule, make it achievable and add in wee incentives to keep you going 👍💕

We thank you for your continued support during the lockdown and Covid level changes. The way our community came together in such unusual circumstances, shows the care and compassion shared. It’s times like these that remind us how lucky we are to be part of such a wonderful and supportive community!

So, happy holidays everyone!! Enjoy a well deserved two week break and we look forward to seeing you back and recharged for the final term of 2021 💝💝 P.S if you did not receive the email copy of our Term 3 'Tolcarne Trumpet' magazine, a PDF version is attached below.

Noho ora mai, the Tolcarne team 💟