So we are back ...over 90% attendance ..and allowing for the usual absentees of life, -back to full steam.
Congratulations to Parents who have made the leap of trust in ensuring that your son attends every day at the right time and with the right attitude of mind.
Our teachers have been impressed with the boys’ attitude on return to normal learning!
I spoke to the staff recently about keeping expectations alive in their classes and with students
Expectations alive despite the weather, despite the fear and complacency, despite...everything!
It is the purpose of a school to lift expectations of its students in classroom academic work, in behaviour, in music standards, in their personal hygiene, in sporting commitment, in parents actively supporting their son’s school etc..
It is the purpose of any school to lift expectations all round.
To clarify some expectations of the men at St Pauls College:
1. ALL boys should leave the college with UE ..and of course level 1, 2 and 3
2. ALL boys in year 7 and year 8 to play a musical instrument.
3. ALL boys years 7-13 to do 20 hours service - per year- for someone else.
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"It is the purpose of a school to lift expectations of its students."
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4. ALL boys to play a sport for their school
5. ALL boys expected at school every day, on time with correct gear
6. ALL parents to support their son’s school financially. If there is an issue with payment then a request to be made to meet with myself as Headmaster.
There are many other expectations we have as a College.
“The reach (of education) should exceed the grasp“
(the immediate moment)
Looking forward to next week.
In His Peace
K.F.FOUHY
HEADMASTER
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UPCOMING SCHEDULE
| Monday 25th – Friday 29th May |
Samoan Language Week |
| Monday 1st June |
Queens’ Birthday (Public holiday - No school) |
| Monday 6th - Friday 17th July |
Term break |
| Monday 20th July |
First Day of Term 3 (All students expected back) |
| Friday 14th August |
Champagnat Day |
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FAREWELL AND THANKS TO
MR GERAINT TAGALOA
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St Paul's College has proved a successful training ground for our former Head of Science, Mr Geraint Tagaloa, who has accepted a promotion to become Assistant Principal at One Tree Hill College.
We farewelled Mr Tagaloa last Friday 15th of May, who was in his 11th year at St Paul's.
Thank you Mr Tagaloa for your excellent contribution to our school and best of luck in your new role.
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Above: Mr Geraint Tagaloa, at his farewell from St Paul's.
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Mr Peter Garrick, who is a very experienced Physics and Chemistry teacher, will be assisting St Paul's Science department by teaching seniors until the end of 2020. Mr Garrick is already familiar to many of our students from tutoring science at our school.
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Above: Experienced Physics and Chemistry teacher, Mr Peter Garrick, who'll be assisting seniors till the end of the year.
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St Paul's students farewelled remote learning to return to school after lockdown at 8.30am on Monday 18th of May.
Schooling here under Level 2 of Covid-19 is going well, aided by regular hand sanitising. A raft of other health habits among boys, including no spitting, no chewing gum and no using communal water fountains, are being enforced in order to ensure
St Paul's is a safe and healthy bubble. We are not currently running whole school assemblies but instead are addressing students in somewhat smaller groups.
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Above: Headmaster Mr Fouhy addressing seniors in the new auditorium atop
the Marcellin Champagnat Building on their first day back at St Paul's after lockdown.
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SOCIAL DISTANCING IN ACTION
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While the classrooms we use to teach large junior English classes are fine in normal circumstances we wanted a more spacious option to maintain distancing during Level 2.
English/Media teacher Ms Amy Stevens is currently teaching her junior English classes in our library which is a big learning space being double-classroom-size with additional break-out rooms.
Other St Paul's students are still able to access the resources of our library at lunchtimes and before school.
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Above: Yr 10 English students studying speech writing utilising the extra spaciousness of the Library.
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A group of St Paul's students worked together to create a video thanking their teachers for all the extra effort they put into teaching during throughout the Covid-19 lockdown. You can view this video here .
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Designing and making virtual reality headsets was a project already underway for Year 7 students in Technology class when lockdown began.
HOD Technology Mr Arunesh Kumar says the fact the project specified using recycled materials worked well when students had to proceed with in at home. Students had to design and make the headsets, which they were able to slide their phones into to experience YouTube's Virtual Reality setting.
Mr Kumar was impressed by the work of students such as Yr 7's Peter Creevey.
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Above: Yr 7 Peter Creevey with the functioning virtual reality headset he designed, constructing it during lockdown.
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Year 10 Technology students have been designing and building board games, with that brief slightly expanded to include other playable games which involve scoring because of the constraints of working from home during lockdown.
Yr 10 Titus Toomata designed and built a boxing game use materials such as cardboard, bottle tops, barbeque skewers and paper. In his game both the boxers' bodies and arms are moveable driven by iceblock stick controls.
Good work Titus.
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Above: Yr 10 Titus Toomata with his boxing game, constructed from recycled materials during lockdown.
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Above: Our committed seniors after their first pre-season fitness session this week.
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We are eagerly anticipating the May 25th Government announcement and hope it provides regional sports organisations (ARU, ARL, ABA) with the clarity required to confirm season start dates. At present we are limited in what we can do with external coaching staff, contact training and pre-season planning. I know how enthusiastic Reuben, Jeremiah, Angelo, Vaka and the other year 13s are in regards to pulling the St Paul's jersey on for one last season.
This week, the seniors have been put through their paces at fitness sessions after school. These training sessions were without equipment or contact, just a field, a whistle and a stopwatch.
Winter sport season 2020 has thrown us some challenges, and disappointment with NZRL cancelling the National secondary schools tournament for the second year running. However, I've been impressed with the optimism, mental toughness and positive attitude displayed by our year 13's.
New goals were set, new challenges to aim at and plenty to work towards for our Year 13 sportsmen.
I'm anticipating a memorable year from this particular playing group. I can sense something special, watch this space.
Mr Dave McDermott.
Director of Sport
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"As the family goes, so goes the nation
and so goes the whole world in which we live."
-Pope St. John Paul II
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