From the principal

Kite ingoa o te Matua, o te Tamaiti, o te Wairua Tapu. Amine.

Natural disasters and people

The earthquakes, tsunami and nuclear energy disasters in Christchurch and Japan bring home to us all how vulnerable we are to natural disasters. Whether we have relatives, friends or acquaintances affected directly or not, we are all somehow touched by the devastation and sorrow that engulfs everyone when there is such huge loss of life. However, such events also bring out the best in people through acts of heroism, compassion, charity, hope and resilience which are a witness to our Christian faith.

I am grateful to our school community who has donated money for the victims of the Christchurch earthquake and this money will go to Cathedral College – a school in the Marist tradition. I am also humbled by the generosity of our families who were prepared to offer hospitality for students to attend St Bernard’s, to allow these boys to work through their trauma and give time to parents to sort out their household affairs. We understand the desire for that community to stay together for mutual support. I am pleased to say that the Cathedral College students, parents and staff are overcoming adversity as best they can and they are functioning from St Thomas of Canterbury College, who has put its premises at their disposal – a true act of altruism.

Mundane matters: Teaching our boys to be organised

“Student failure is often not a result of a disabling condition but rather a function of student indifference to school, unwillingness to do the work, or a host of personal problems that interfere with a student’s ability to do what is necessary to be successful in school. If a school were able to identify every student who truly required special education services and did a wonderful job of providing those services, it would continue to face the harsh, cold reality that a number of its students were still not being successful.” Richard DuFour (educator)

Some boys seem fated to always have a schoolbag full of dog-eared scraps of paper,outdated school notices, stale remnants of lunch, dirty PE clothes. It is no coincidence that these same messy students often under-achieve at school and find it almost impossible to complete their work within a give time. They lack organisation skills we all need to get through our busy, complex days. If they do not learn these skills early in life, then the chances are they will fail their exams, miss out on further education and end up in low-paid, low skill jobs.

One of the best things we can do for these boys is give them ways they can organise their paperwork, get started on time on tasks, keep track of books and assignments, concentrate on what needs to be done, plan for deadlines and keep all their school stuff in designated places at home and school. An impossible task some parents and teachers may say! Not with modern technology, colour coded folders, a desk and shelves at home, a weekly plan for what lies ahead and close monitoring on a daily basis, plus a bit of goal setting. This needs a strong partnership between parents and teachers that builds on the student’s willingness to engage. We cannot do it for them, but we can help them do it for themselves!

A flyer is enclosed for parents and students with some ideas how to make a start or add to the range of strategies used at home to help the boys be organised. Best wishes.

Peter Fava

Achieve @ St Bernard’s

March 2011

We would like to introduce our Head Boy for 2011 and his Deputies. These St Bernard’s Men have been chosen based on their ability to lead other students, set a positive example and balance the demands of academic work with their new roles. Students and staff voted to indicate their preferred candidates for head boys and the final decision was made by the principal following formal interviews

Head Boy Terrill Anthony

Deputy Head Boys Kade Tiatia and Harry Slade

Special Character Leader Raymond Horua

Sports Captain Michael Hagarty

Deputy Sports Captain Jordan Heketa

Ignatius House Captains

Ben Anderson, Jordan Clout

Pompallier House Captains Nineb Haddad, Callum Meehan

Marcellin House Captains Tim Graham, Jay Singh

Chanel House Captains Rydell Mita, Bernie Taulealo

Barbershop Chorus St Bernard’s is renowned for its beautiful singers so we are calling all singers to join the Barbershop chorus. At the moment we have ten members but would like to double this. Barbershop is one of the most fun, challenging and rewarding types of acappella music. Come along and give it a go!! The barbershop competitions are getting closer and we need at least 13 members to enter.

When: Monday Lunchtimes Where: Music room

Choir Choir is going strong. Thanks to all the members who are committed and turn up to every practice. This year we have a small choir, working on a specialised sound. It isn’t about numbers, it is about quality. Don’t forget practices:

When: Friday lunchtimes Where: Music room

Smokefree Rockquest Competition Calling all rockstars!!! If you can play an instrument, think about getting yourself into a band. If you need help with this, see Ms Flood. Entries need to be in by 17 May. You can do this by going to www.sfrq.co.nz

Instrument lessons Reminder: You must attend these lessons weekly. If you cannot attend a lesson, make sure you let your teacher know.

If you miss three lessons or more, you will be removed from the programme.

NCEA students if you miss more than three, you will be removed from solo performance, missing out on 6 credits.

Science ���� University scholarship. The science staff very warmly congratulate Daniel Campbell for gaining a scholarship in ‘Science’ in last year’s NCEA examinations. This is fantastic achievement considering Daniel was in Y12 when he gained the scholarship. ���� Astronomy Club. This has now started up and meets on the 2nd Thursday of each month. We are very fortunate to have the services of Mr Anthony Gomez, the president of the Phoenix Astronomical Society which is based in Lower Hutt. Mr Gomez will highlight the main night sky phenomena and on cloudy nights he will have a presentation on some aspect of astronomy. eg space exploration, the nature of stars. A number of students joined the Phoenix club and went to the Carter observatory and enjoyed the talk that was given. Anyone can come along and listen, interact and enjoy the wonders of our universe. � The science department is continuing the practice started last year of having a portfolio of student’s work which will show your son’s progress through the year and over the years. We will have these available at parent interviews so you can see your son’s science work. This will be for the junior classes. � We had seven Y11 students participate in this years “Brain Bee” competition. This is an Australasian competition for year 11 students and stage one is an online test where 30 multi-choice questions are answered on the brain. This was run during “Neurological Awareness week” from 14-18 March. The students will not know their results for a few weeks. Last year Yuxuan Zhou made it through round one and went to the NZ finals at Auckland University. We wish our 7 boys all the very best. � Next term is the eagerly awaited college science fair. All Year7, 8, 9 and two Year 10 classes must produce a science project that will be judged and the winners have the opportunity to represent us at the Wellington regional science fair. The project does not have to be a “fair test” or a consumer test. All students must perform an investigation, so a research topic is not acceptable. It could be on the behaviour of your cat towards other cats, the making of a bio fuel, how do teenagers learn best, demonstration showing liquefaction and so on. See your science teacher for ideas. ���� Field trips. There has been a number of science related trips out of school so far this year. Y13 biology went to Paraparaumu beach to look at the growth of lupin plants, Y13 chemistry went into the Michael Flower centre to listen to a series of speakers introducing the “2011 as the year of chemistry”, Y12 biology went to Battle Hill, Pauatahanui to study the local stream. Y12 science went to Carter Observatory in Kelburn to increase their knowledge on the nature of stars.

� Any boys interested in sailing on the Spirit of Adventure or attending an Outward Bound course come and see Mr Wilson in room T.3. These are phenomenal team building and leadership exercises that train you in resilience and fortitude. Funding and sponsorship for these events can make it very affordable if you are organised.

� Leadership Week sponsored by the Sir Peter Blake Trust is coming up in July and Mr Wilson is interested in talking with a Year 9 or 10 student who is interested in environmental issues and has a proven track record in this area that can be nominated for an award from this Trust. See Mr Wilson. They are also running a National Environment Leadership Forum in Auckland. See Mr Wilson for more details.

� National Young Leaders Day (NYLD) are annual events, now in their 11th year. The days aim to develop student leadership and be both inspirational and practical. Since 2001 over 75,000 students have attended throughout New Zealand. The Objectives of NYLD are: Inspiration, Connection, Student, Empowerment, Promoting Positivity Motivation & Education. NYLD are run by Halogen Foundation, check out www.halogenfoundation.org for information about the other leadership resources that Halogen provide for schools or see Mr Wilson. Monday 4th April 9:30am – 2:30pm St James Theatre, Wellington

MUSIC

Motivation & Education

Students considering study at Victoria University are invited to go to the following page on the website where they will find information to help in decision making. www.victoria.ac.nz/futurestudents

Subscribe to free Career Tips Receive free tips and online resources to help your child, or someone else close to you with their learning and career decisions. Read the latest issue and subscribe for future bi-monthly issues at www.careers.govt.nz/newsletters.html

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EnergySmart will donate $50 to the school for all

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Keep Warm this Winter

An Insulated Home is a Warm and Healthy Home

Careers

Sports News Athletic Sports The wind and rain could not dampen the spirits of our boys as they competed in the annual athletic championships. Competition was fierce but Marcellin came out on top with some fine performances and great participation numbers.

The champions for 2011 are: Year 7 Logan Hoare Year 8 Hamish Tustin Junior Nathan Dicken Youth Tui Oloapu Intermediate Taban Makoii Senior Raymond Lesoa

A team of 50 was selected to compete at the Hutt Valley Colleges Meeting on 8 March where many of our boys performed with excellence. Hutt Valley Champions for 2011 are: Raymond Lesoa, Long Jump and Triple Jump, Michael Hagarty 400m, Lorenzo Pili Shot Put, Taban Makoii 100m, 200m and 1500m Poata-Ezra Tuisamoa 200m, Relay teams Junior and Intermediate

There were also several 2nd and 3rd placings which meant that a team of 18 headed off to the Wellington Regional Champs. Results of this meeting will be in the next newsletter.

The Year 7/8 interschool Athletics is on as this goes to print so we will have some results for you in the next newsletter.

Summer Codes Many of our athletes have or are about to compete in: Triathlon Champs, Senior Touch Tournament, Volleyball Regionals, Bowls Champs and Golf Champs. As you can see our young men are very active and are contributing to the many and varied aspects of life at the College. Water Polo Our Senior Water Polo team are off to the NISS Premier Championships which is a big step up from the Div 2 tournaments of previous years. The team hope to qualify for the NZSS Champs to be held in April. We wish them well.

A huge thank you to Lion Foundation for their funding

Winter Sport By the time you read this we would have had our winter sport sign up day together with rugby weigh-ins. Sports include Football, Rugby, Badminton, Basketball, Water Polo, Hockey and new this year Table Tennis.

As with all sport we need parent help to make it happen. We urgently need coaches, managers and officials in all the codes we offer. Please get in contact with the Sports Office if you can help in any way. ℡℡℡℡ 560-9250 ex 881

All sports fees are now overdue and the Board policy of “No pay No play” applies. If you are having difficulty with the payment of fees you need to contact the office as soon as possible.

Campbell for gaining a scholarship in ‘Science’ in last year’s NCEA

and fortitude. Funding and sponsorship for these events can make it very

Zealand. The Objectives of NYLD are: Inspiration, Connection, Student,

Upcoming Events: 31 March Swimming Sports at Naenae Pool 6-9 April Marist Quadrangular Rugby, Auckland 11 April Y7/8 Interschool swimming 19 May SBC Cross Country Championships

Blue Shorts

Both styles of blue shorts are now in stock. If you are in a sports team eg. Rugby, football, etc you will need to purchase the new shorts. No white shorts will be permit-ted on the rugby or football field this season.

You may have noticed that there are new uniforms being worn by some of our teams. The Volleyball and 1st XV teams are sporting the new Samurai range of uniforms which will gradually be introduced over the next few years. Thanks to Samurai and Champs Sports for their sponsorship.

Rugby

We wish our 1st XV all the best for the upcoming Marist Quadrangular Rugby Tournament to be held at Sacred Heart in Auckland.

Football

Football continues to flourish with us fielding 6 Saturday teams. It would have been along time ago when St Bernard’s fielded this number of teams. The following will be the teams and the coaches. ���� 14th Grade Hutt Valley. Coach is Mr Peter Fava / Mr Higson. We urgently need a parent to look after the team on a Saturday morning. ���� Youth Division 3/4 in the College sport competition. Coached by Mr Peter Gibbons and Mr Higgins. ���� Youth Division Championship / div 1. Coached by Mr Dale Imray ���� 3rd XI Senior. Division 9/10 Mr Herbert Nelson. ���� 2nd XI Senior division 7/8 Mr Paul Dicken. ���� 1st XI Senior division3/4 Mr Wayne Ebert The actual playing divisions are decided upon by College Sport but these were the grades last year so I expect us to be in very similar grades.

Football committee. This is a group of parents and staff who oversee the running of football at St Bernard’s. We need YOU. The more parents we have the better football is organised and the better it is run. Please contact Brenten Higson at the college if you are interested in being involved. ℡ 560-9250 ext 868 Our goal for 2011 is to build on last year’s success where we had two championship winning teams out of the 5 entered. The 2011 season will start late on 2 April for our 14th grade team. For the College sport teams the season starts with grading games at the start of Term 2.

2011 Term Dates Term 1 1 February 15 April Term 2 2 May 15 July Term 3 1 August 7 October Term 4 25 October 7 December

Important Dates

Contact Details

p 04 560 9250 f 04 560 9251 e office@sbc.school.nz w www.sbc.school.nz

Physical/Postal Address 183 Waterloo Road Lower Hutt 5010 New Zealand

March

28 Y11 Retreat 29 Whanau hui—4pm—5pm R45 30 Y11 Retreat 31 SBC Swimming Sports

April 6 Marist Quadrangular (Auckland) 7 Y7/8 Cosmodome visit 11 Y7-10 Badge Ceremony

Sponsors of the St Bernard’s College Newsletter

Free Doctor’s consultation at St Bernard’s College

Plan to be as fit and healthy as you can be!!

Clinic Open Tuesday 8.30—11.30am

Thursday 12—3pm.

Alex Ferrier-Kerr is our school health nurse. Dr Beena Hegde will be in attendance at the

Thursday Clinic

� 570-0883 or 560-9250 (College office)

Free Dental Treatment offered by

Graeme Yee Dental Care, 66 Bloomfield Terrace, Lower Hutt,

� 566-1119.

This free treatment is available to all secondary students until their 18th birthday. All new patients, students and parents are welcome. If you have any questions please feel free to call on the above number.

Uniform Shop Normal Opening Hours Monday 8:15 to 9:00am Thursday 12:30 to 1:30pm

Uniform on AP

Uniform purchases may be charged to your AP with the consent of the college on a case by case basis. Boys need to bring a signed note from parents. Please email accounts@sbc.school.nz or phone the accounts office ext 861

Second Hand Uniform

If your child is not returning to St Bernard’s next year and has a uniform in good condition that they no longer require, please consider donating it to the school or we can sell on your behalf less a commission. All sales from second hand school uniforms go to the library to purchase new books.

If you have items to donate or sell, please leave them at the school office or if you have any queries, please contact Tania on

587-0024.

12 School Photos 15 Last Day of Term 1

May 2 Term 11 commences 8.40am 5 Pompallier Feast Day

PFS News

• MOVIE NIGHT: Tuesday 12 April 8pm at the Lighthouse Theatre in Petone. Get a group together and enjoy a relaxing night out. Nibbles, ticket prizes and a great movie all for $20. Tickets from the office or ℡ Karen 577-1957

• NIGEL KENNEDY HYPNOTIST: Mark your calendar now for this exciting and

hilarious show on Saturday 21 May. Nigel will entertain you with his family friendly show with plenty of audience participation. Get a group of friends together and maybe one of you will be chosen to be part of the hypnotized group. Venue and ticket details will be available early April.

• ENTERTAINMENT BOOKS: Please support the PFS by purchasing your book

through the school. $12 from each sale goes towards our fundraising efforts. If you are holidaying in Australia there are plenty of discount vouchers for hotels and theme parks in the book. Plenty of 2 for 1 offers in the Wellington region. The books will be available from 4 May. Preorder at the school office or ℡ Diane 971-9176

Please support our fundraising efforts as all money helps to provide more educational resources for your son’s education. The PFS are donating money to the renovations for the gym changing rooms and also providing funds to enable 7 more data projectors to be purchased for classroom use.

Preferred method of payment school fees The school prefers all school fees to be paid directly to our bank account. This is a safer means of payment that provides a reliable trail. Our bank account is ASB Queensgate 12-3142-0164653-00. Please include your son’s first name and surname, and your phone number in the reference fields. Receipts are issued for all payments and given to students in class.

At the first Board meeting this year our Board elected a Chair and Deputy Chair. Congratulations to Stephanie Baucke on her re-election as Chair and Br Doug Dawick on his re-election as Deputy Chair of our Board.

The Trustees on our Board are: Parent Representatives: Aneel Anthony, Kevin Brennan, Sandra Niko, Paul Saggers, Mary Margaret Schuck, David White Proprietor’s Representatives: Stephanie Baucke, Br Doug Dawick, Paul Clausen, Veronika Duthie-Jung Staff Representative: Brenten Higson Student Representative Raymond Horua

The Board would also like to congratulate Br Doug Dawick on receiving the Delargey Award from the Catholic Church of Aotearoa New Zealand. This Award acknowledges Br Doug’s tireless time and energy spent on benefiting and empowering our youth.

Patricia Pynenburg, Board Secretary

BOT News

Extreme Holiday programme at Hutt Old

Boys Marist Club & Hutt Central School—for

enquiries ℡ Sue 938-4038. Programmes are

O.S.C.A.R. based and the WINZ subsidy is

available to families who qualify for it.