Fun in the Botanic Gardens by Isla Huffadine

Tolcarne News

Week 9 down and one more week to go! How crazy to think that the holidays are just around the corner 

On Saturday the junior girls headed to Outram to walk the River Track. This was a new place for most of the group, who enjoyed the sunshine and being out in a different environment. It took them an hour, following the river through the trees with various beaches along the way and plenty of wet/muddy parts! A lovely day for the girls to head out and get some fresh air.

Image by: Isla Huffadine

The activities room was in full swing on Sunday, with Ella and Maisie cooking up a feast of mushrooms on toast and Lucy, Eve and Millie learning to make naan bread! The naan bread making was a success, now saving them various trips to the store since they can make their own. It was nice seeing the girls experimenting with new ideas and flavours in the kitchen. 

Eve, Lucy and Millie in the process of rolling the naan bread — Image by: Isla Huffadine
The finished garlic naan creation! — Image by: Isla Huffadine

During Koru this week the Year 9 girls listened to a story about flaws and how we all have them, but equally how we all have a lot we can give and bring others joy from. Everyone was then given a chocolate bar, which they had to give to another girl within the group. Each chocolate was given to someone who we were grateful for, letting them know what we were feeling appreciative of. It was a lovely session, full of reflection that sparked a lot of positivity.

Sophie giving Molly her 'gratitude chocolate' — Image by: Isla Huffadine

On Thursday evening Sergeant John Hedges and Emily Plew came to Tolcarne to facilitate workshops with girls in Year 9-12 (optional for Year 13's). The Juniors discussed social media misuse and how to look after themselves while using these platforms. The seniors learnt more about the Dunedin party scene and how to keep themselves and their friends safe. This was a great opportunity for the girls to hear from members of the community who have significant experience in these areas. All students had the opportunity to anonymously ask questions before the workshops, making what was presented more personalised to each group. A massive thank you to Sergeant John and Emily for coming in and taking the time to talk to our girls!

Next Thursday we are hosting our Year 9 day girls shared breakfast initiative! We would love to invite the Year 9 day girls to come and join us at Tolcarne for a complimentary breakfast and to make a delicious packed lunch on Thursday the 24th of September. 

The girls can be dropped off at Tolcarne (after 7am and before 7.30am) to enjoy a breakfast and make a packed lunch with their boarding friends. The girls will be able to choose from our smoothie and chia seed pudding station, hot breakfast options, cereals and the toast bay for breakfast. To make their packed lunch they will need to bring a lunch box and container to make their own poke bowl, wrap/filled roll, sushi (if we are at Level 1) and take some baking/fruit or a chia seed pudding for their morning tea and lunch. 

After breakfast and lunch making the girls are welcome to hang out at Tolcarne and see what a school morning looks like for the boarders, before heading off down the bush track to school at 8.20am. Please RSVP via the link on KAMAR by Friday the 18th Sept - Thank you and we can't wait to see you all!

The Poke Bowl station you could use to make your packed lunch! — Image by: Isla Huffadine

A big congratulations to our junior netball teams who came 1st (Year 10) and 3rd (Year 9) in their grades during their Dunedin Zone tournament this week. The Year 10 rugby girls also played an amazing game in South Otago, with a lot of mud by the sounds! Anddd woo hoo the rugby girls have done it again, beating Otago Girls to take home the shield! What champions - we are proud of all these sporting achievements 

The Year 13 girls with the Shield! — Image by: Isla Huffadine

Today we are heading to Queenstown for our annual hostel ski trip! Excitement levels are high, with lots of talk around the snow and who will be doing the best tricks. We are all looking forward to a weekend away and can't wait to hit the slopes 

Our seniors are now finished their Benchmark Exams - well done girls! It has been a big couple of weeks for them all, so enjoy a relaxing weekend before our last week back for Term 3!

Image by: Isla Huffadine