Tolcarne Boarding Residence
This term has flown by, with the year nine girls having slotted in so well! It seems like a very long time ago when they were arriving and moving in for the first time. Now they have completed their first term at Tolcarne, with plenty of new friends and memories already created. From the Waitangi Day boarding games to hosting a pool party, completing internals and juggling sporting commitments, it’s fair to say the girls have been busy!
This term we have seen a lot of new initiatives around the hostel. One of these being the Tribe Cards system. These cards are colour coded to match the Tribes, with six spaces to gain signatures for demonstrating behaviour that reflects our values. These 4 values include; Respect, Integrity, Empathy and Belonging. Each card is worth 5 points in total and girls can have as many as needed! Once completed, the cards are put into a glass jar and at the end of each month a draw will be taken with prizes awarded!
The kitchen team have also been busy making new meals and have even introduced our Poke Bowl station. In the mornings the girls can choose from a variety of salad, meat or vegetarian options to create their ideal Poke Bowl! Along with these, there is also the added option of hot breakfasts and the smoothie station.
This term the year 12 girls were lucky enough to have Sarah Menlove speak to them about body acceptance and food freedom. She is a former triathlete now working as a Holistic Health and Body Image Coach, focusing on leaving behind the cycle of dieting and body shame. There were lots of take home messages from this session, with some key points the girls acknowledged being;
“You don’t need permission to express yourself and listen to your body”
“Be respectful of your body and what you put into it”
“Appreciate yourself in your own skin”
The junior girls have been busy with their exciting weekend activities! They have been on walks around the Dunedin coastline, playing games of laser tag, on a paint-balling trip to Waihola and even had surfing lessons at the beach. This has been a great opportunity for everyone to experience more of what Dunedin has to offer!
From all of us here at Tolcarne, we hope you have a safe and well-deserved break with your families. Rest and recharge your batteries, see you all in term two.