As we approach the end of week 5, with seniors reaching the midpoint of their external NCEA examinations, there is plenty happening at school including a focus on learning and teaching in the junior school, but with exciting activities and events coming up.
This week we celebrated our Year 7&8 Sports Awards, and it was truly inspiring to see the wide range of sports our students are involved in, both for the college and with external clubs. From rugby and netball to swimming, tennis and more, the talent and commitment shown by our junior athletes is outstanding.
While many students were acknowledged and recognised, all students who have participated and contributed in all of the many extracurricular sports activities, should feel very proud. When participating in sports there are so many opportunities for our young women to grow and develop as individuals. The skills gained are wide and varied, and include being able to make a commitment, developing positive communication skills, being able to work in a team and make new connections and friendships, learning how to balance their time between school work, training, household chores, rest and recreation and, importantly, development of their ability to be resilient.
Carrying on with sport, next week marks the Junior Summer Tournament Week, where we have teams competing in volleyball, basketball and waterpolo. For many of our young women these tournaments can be a highlight of the school year. Whilst we look forward to seeing the results from the week, it is also important that when our young women are out on the sports fields and courts that they not only enjoy themselves, but that they also represent our college with pride in that they compete fiercely, but fairly, with courage and determination to succeed, yet with compassion and integrity.
In just over a week we also have a key PTFA event taking place – the PTFA Christmas Market on Saturday 23 November. This will be the third Christmas market and it promises to be a wonderful event for the whole community. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has contributed by donating goods to help make this market a success and we look forward to homebaking arriving next Friday or on Saturday morning. A huge thank you to the PTFA volunteers who have been working behind the scenes and who have a busy week ahead in the lead up to the market. We hope to see many of you at the market which provides an opportunity to come together to celebrate the festive season, support local vendors and enjoy the holiday spirit.
