From the principal Kite ingoa o te Atua, o te Tamaiti, o te Wairua Tapu. Amene.

In the way of Mary At the college we have a beautiful staff custom where we start the day with a reflection on a matter that is of interest to most of us. This reflection is presented by different staff members and it is usually related to our Special Character, a personal event or a matter of general interest.

A reflection is not a challenge, but the putting in front of other people an idea, a fact, an event, a personal experience so that people focus quietly on what is being said or presented through images and then run with the theme.

I would like to share with you my recent reflection where I focused on the 2013 school theme of “In the Way of Mary.”

Firstly and foremost, we are a Special Character school – fact! This means that we principally exist because we are openly and outwardly Catholic in the education we provide at St Bernard’s College. Our right to exist as a school comes purely and singularly from our total commitment to the Special Character. There would be ample space in our neighbouring schools to accommodate the 610 boys that attend here if we were not so committed. Our Special Character is what makes St Bernard’s College, our community, our students, our staff who we are.

Secondly, we are a special character school of the Champagnat charism – that is we are a Marist Brothers school that base our mission and values on the Marist Pillars of Presence, Simplicity, Family Spirit, Love of Work and In the Way of Mary. While the pillars on which the whole community rests are distinct, they are not singularly separate. They are holistically integrated. That is we “do” the pillars together – we are present and accessible to each other, providing help and support wherever it is needed; we try to be as simple, humble and straight forward as possible in the classroom and relationships with people we work and come into contact with. We go beyond ‘brotherhood’ and support each other, belonging to the Bernard’s family not only when we are in need of help, but also in the good times. We have a dedication to work and passionate in whatever we do – not workaholics but a family that has a life-work balance. And finally we all do this in a compassionate, forgiving, considerate motherly way, the way Mary, Jesus’s mother would have done.

We can witness the values that come out of these pillars in whatever we do, whatever we say at school, at home and anywhere for that matter. We are up to it and that is what makes us different and special.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you amongst women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners

now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Peter Fava

Achieve @ St Bernard’s

May 2013

“Battalion is an enchanting and emotional experience. It is a play that

implores us to acknowledge the past…” NZ International Arts Festival, Lumiere

Reader Review.

St Bernard’s College and Sacred Heart College are proud to present Helen Pearse-Otene’s play, The Battalion from 28 July to 3 August 2013. The play is directed by and starring NZ actor, Jim Moriarty who is an icon of New Zealand television and theatre. We have also had the privilege of having the playwright Helen Pearse-Otene co-directing this production. Students have been working long hours in rehearsals in term one, learning their lines, dances, songs and military drills for this multi-disciplinary show. The intense rehearsals continue throughout this term for the show’s opening in the first week of term three. Students are getting a taste of the real theatre world, juggling rehearsals with their studies and other commitments. It’s hard work, but our boys have taken up the challenge with grit and determination. Jim sets a tough pace to get the best out of the students. His aim is to have nothing less than a professional quality show. The Battalion will be the inaugural show at Sacred Heart College’s beautiful new Performing Arts Centre. It is a great experience for both schools to be working together again after a long time! We look forward to seeing you at the show!

PJaeger, Drama

Open Day

Saturday 25 May 2013 10.00am until 2.00pm

2014 Enrolment Packs will be available

Enrolment close date : Preference students 5 July 2013 Non Preference 9 August 2013

We are a Special Character school – fact!

The Battalion The Battalion The Battalion is marching is marching is marching to Lower Hutt!to Lower Hutt!to Lower Hutt!

TICKETS ON SALE SOON!

We had the Inaugural Faith and Chips session on 12 April which involved about 40 senior students (Year 12 and Year 13) from SPC Stream, St Mary’s, St Catherine’s, Sacred Heart and host college, St Bernard’s College. We celebrated mass together with Father John Greally and then the students gathered together to meet each other and discuss what happened in their various schools with the school social justice programmes while sharing hot chips. It ran from 4 – 6.30pm and was a successful start to the Faith and Chips series! We will be aiming to do another session next term and look forward to having our students together to celebrate our common faith and discussing ways we can impact our world as young Gospel people!

Project K

Science

Thank you to all the parents who have allowed their son to participate in this year’s ICAS (International Competition for Assessment in Schools). This will give your son an internationally recognised qualification. The test will be sat on 5 June. Past exam papers are available. These will give you an idea of the types of questions that are set. Science fair: All Y7/8/9 students will be producing a science fair exhibit. The Y10 classes that must produce an exhibit are10HO,MO and FO. Your son’s science teacher will have possible investigations than can be done if required. They are to be finished by the start of the last week of Term 2. We are also selling the display boards for $8. In shops they are selling for around $14. Workbooks: There are many Y12/13 students who have not purchased their workbooks. These workbooks are extremely valuable when it comes to studying and revising for the external examinations. Study Guides: We have purchased a number of Y11 study guides that cover the NCEA external standards. For $20 you will get a set of past examination papers plus a set of fold out notes. We are selling these for $20 (while stocks last). The cost in the shops is $34. We strongly recommend them. They can be resold next year. Cosmodome: This will be visiting us in late May and all Y7/8 students will be attending. The cost of this is covered from your college fees. If these have not been paid then your son will be asked to pay $7. 9EP will also be attending and they will need to pay $7 each. Recycling visit: In Term 3 all Year 8 will be taken on a field trip around 4 different sites involving recycling. There will be a small cost involved in this.

by Kamaia Renata

Twelve Y10 students from St Bernard’s were selected to participate in Project K for the duration of the 14 month programme. The first stage was an amazing 18-day outdoor experience based at Wairarapa Outdoor Pursuits base camp, Arorangi, just outside of Masterton. This stage was designed to take the students outside of their comfort zone and provide challenges to increase confidence and self-efficacy. The students completed activities that included mountain biking, abseiling, white-water rafting and a 5-day expedition across the Tararua Mountain Range.

Before school started this year the students took part the second stage, the Community Challenge. This was based at the Secret Level Youth Centre in Lower Hutt for two weeks. This assisted the boys to adapt the lessons learnt during the Wilderness Adventure to their own urban environment. The students planned an Urban Journey to investigate career and study options for when they finish school and competed in teams to complete a Community Adventure (Amazing Race) to identify and collectively access local facilities. They spent 10 days exploring the resources in our community including sport and recreation, health and social support.

The group also planned and executed a Community Project to ‘give back’ to the community. They liaised with local retailers for a street clean up on High Street. The Community Project was a huge success with feedback from the retailers, Hutt City Council and an article in the Hutt News about the project’s positive impact on the relationship between retailers and local youth.

The final stage of the programme is the mentoring phase. As part of the Community Project the students and their potential mentors met again with the intention of getting to know each other better. At the end of two weeks the students were matched with the trained, volunteer adult who they will work with for the next 12 months. The mentoring partnerships will be a powerful source of support for the students and give them an adult to work with to achieve their goals. Just one month into the mentoring, mentors and students report a positive start to the relationships. Good luck and all the best for the remaining months!

Fish & Chips

Careers upcoming events

Otago Law Career Function—13 June 1—3pm, Small Lecture Theatre, Wellington School of Medicine. Year 12/13 and parents are also invited to attend.

University of Otago Information Evening Thursday 30 May 7.30pm—9.45pm, Deloitte Gallery, Westpac Stadium

Otago Closing Dates Applying for PE and all Otago Scholarships 15 August

A big thanks to New World Hutt City for underwriting the fundraising programme for

the O’Shea Shield Speech and Drama Competition! Please support our sponsors!

Māori

Sport High Honours Congratulations to Jerome McGuinness, Jack Ross and Mataio Pou who have been selected to trial for the New Zealand Secondary Schools Water Polo Team. This follows excellent performances at the recent North Island Championships and National Championships where St Bernard’s finished 5th and 7th respectively. This is the best result in recent years and our thanks goes to the coaching staff of Craig and Suzanne McGuinness and team manager Karen Saggers. Well done boys!

Philips Cup Golf The Golf team finished the regular weekly competition in 1st place and as a result qualified for the Philips Cup playoff round. The team finished 2nd to Paraparaumu College by just one stableford point. This is a very young team so this result is a great achievement.

North Island Athletics Congratulations to Nathan Dicken who won the Intermediate Triple Jump at the North Island Athletics Championships held recently in Masterton.

Winter Sports Winter sports are now all under way. There are a large number of teams com-peting in Rugby (6), Basketball (7), Football (7), Badminton (6), Hockey and Water Polo(3). A reminder that it is school policy that all boys arrive and leave their sports fixtures in full school uniform. Correct playing uniform, as laid out in the school’s Sports Directory, is also compulsory. It is also important that boys know where and when they are playing and turn up for all practices and games. Recently we have had the situation where boys have not arrived for games leaving their teams short of players. If you have signed up for a sport you must commit for the entire season.

The Y7/8’s day long Ki-O-Rahi tournament was resounding success. The boys ran themselves silly the whole day and laughed and competed themselves to a standstill. After a sedate start to the day, in Miss Uili’s room, learning the whakapapa and rules of the game it was all on. The first two games were lengthened so boys could learn the game while they played. Each of the five Y7/8 classes was divided into two even teams, to make a 10 team round robin tournament. All now look forward to the rematch early in December.

Trip to Kāpiti Island, 19-20 September - most places on the trip have been filled. Three teachers are scheduled to take the trip onto the island as an overnighter with 27 students. A hangi, a major fundraiser for the trip, is timed for 15 June, the Friday of Matariki. Watch this space for more details.

Upcoming dates on St Bernard’s College Māori community calendar Ngā Manu Kōrero Speech Competition – 17 May – Venue: Heretaunga College.

Matariki – 10 June. Two Māori students will be selected by Mr Fava to represent the College at the Matariki commemoration at Government House, hosted by Governor General Lt Gen Rt Hon Sir Jerry Mateparae.

Māori Language Week will be celebrated 1 - 7 July. The theme of the week is “Ngā Ingoa Māori” or “Māori names” The “ingoa” theme asks communities to consider important matters such as correct pronunciation, understanding the meaning of place-names, and using Māori names more often. Let us give it a go.

Kapa haka Regionals: 5 July . Venue: Horticultural Hall in Lower Hutt.

Ki-O-Rahi tournament for Y7/8s: Tentatively booked for either 5 December as part of EOTC programme.

Well Done Jacob! During the last week of the school holidays, Jacob Netzler travelled up to Auckland to compete in the World Taekwondo Federation NZ Open tournament where he won Gold in his division and also officiated at the event. Jacob also competed in the North Island Championships in New Plymouth in March and won gold in both Fighting and Poomsae events.

Football The season has started for all seven teams. Preseason tournament. Our 1st XI and Junior 1 team took part against other top teams from other colleges during the last two days of the holidays. The 1st XI made the final against Wgtn College 1st XI and lost this 3-1 on penalties after the score was 0-0 at full time. Our Junior 1 team was less successful but played 6 very tightly context fixtures. 13th grade team. This team plays in the Hutt Valley competition and at the time of writing has played 3 games and they have had 2 victories. This team is primarily Year 7,8 and 9 students and are quickly developing an attractive brand of attacking football. 1st XI. This team is striving to play in the premier youth grade for the first time and their round one 5-3 victory against Scots College has gone a long way to achieving this aim. Transport We must have parental support in this regard because many of our games will be outside of the Hutt Valley. Students are also not permitted to take other students in their cars, plus the coaches cannot be expected to transport players as well. Tracksuits Students are able to wear these to games when all other players must wear full college uniform. These are available from Mr Higson for $85. This is for the tracksuit and pants. We would like as many players as possible to wear them.

SBC SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS for 2013 are:

Y7 Rory Woollett Y8 Caelum Tainui Junior Michael Schutz-Tala Youth Zach Ahearn Intermediate Mataio Pou Senior Jack Ross

Y7/8 INTERSCHOOL SWIMMING A small swimming team competed in the Year 7/8 Interschool Swimming Championship held at Naenae Pool on 8 April with some excellent results. Rory Woollett - 1st Y7 100m Medley, 100m Freestyle and 50m Butterfly Caelum Tainui - 2nd Y8 100m Freestyle Cameron Tustin – 3rd Y7 50m Breaststroke Y7/8 Relay Team also finished 3rd in the Medley Relay

2013 Term Dates Term 2 6 May to 12 July Term 3 29 July to 27 September Term 4 14 October to 10 December

Important Dates 2013

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

May 24 Work Day 25 Open Day 27 Samoan Language Week 29 CSW Cross Country 30 Choral Workshop, Y7/8 Cosmodome BoT election close June 3 Queens Birthday (holiday) 4 Y7/8 Interschool cross country ICAS Computing 5 ICAS Science 6 Marcellin Feast Day Mass

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 Wednesday 10.30 to11am 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 son has grown out of some uniform items that are in good condition and he no longer requires them as they are too small, 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.

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. If you are facing financial difficulties please see the Principal. Thank you.

7 Y9 Retreat TBC 12 CSW Cross Country Champs 13 Swimming Huia Cup 18 Special Character Review 22 Pacifica Beats 26 Francis Douglas Exchange (home) 27 Acoustic Evening 28 Y10 Retreat 29 Y12 PE Camp

July 1 Maori Language week 4 Contributing School Visits

Please ensure that all traffic rules are adhered to in

and around Anderson Grove and

Waterloo Road (eg no parking on yellow lines, speed

etc)

Notice and reminder to Parents/Caregivers from CSBL regarding: Attendance Dues Attendance Dues are charged by CSBL on behalf of the

Proprietor (owner of the school buildings), Archbishop John Dew; who has a legal responsibility for the insurance and maintenance of the buildings at St Bernard’s College. Attendance Dues paid by you are essential to fund the repayment of loans taken out to finance existing (e.g. new administration Champagnat Suite) and new project work (soon to start on Blocks B & C), and to cover the rising cost of insuring school buildings following the Canterbury Earthquake. Attendance Dues are not only a legal requirement, but a critical part of the preservation of our college. It is also an undertaking taken by you on enrolment that these dues are paid. By now you will have received your May attendance dues invoice. Thank you to those families who have already paid their account. If you have not, please ensure you do so before 31 May, or set up a regular payment through your bank or credit card. Please feel free to contact CSBL on 0800 462 725 to discuss your account, or visit the website www.csbl.co.nz for more information. If you are facing genuine financial hardship,

please contact the Principal for a confidential appointment.