Positive approach to exams

It has been great to have the boys back after the holidays. The seniors have gone straight into the Derived Grade examinations, an important part of their academic year. It is good to hear the positive reports from Housemasters regarding the boys’ approach to their study.

Along with everyone, we are constantly considering the impacts of Covid-19 on us. We have remained in touch with the New Zealand Boarding Schools Association and the Ministry of Education to help us navigate potential challenges.

School Housemaster Henry Smith

Congratulations to Henry Smith on his appointment as School Housemaster. Henry will move into School House over the Christmas break, along with his wife, Kate, and children Ben and Ruby. Many of you will know Henry through his roles as Master-in-Charge of rowing and Head of Department of Physical Education. He has been a Deputy Housemaster for 11 years in Jacobs and School House and knows College boarding inside and out. Over the past six years, Henry has been in School House, making a very positive contribution to our boarding community. I look forward to Henry joining the boarding leadership team as we move into our next phase. We will appoint his replacement in the next few weeks.

Head of Boarding Jack Smith (School House)

Congratulations also to Jack Smith as Head of Boarding for 2022. Jack hails from Hawke’s Bay, joining College from Year 9. He has some great ideas on how he plans to develop boarding from a student perspective among the three Houses. He wants to continue to grow the student voice through the Boarding Council created this year.

What's for dinner?

Click here to view the Dining Hall menu produced by the talented team at Spotless.

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Boys show strength in testing times

As Auckland schools return to on-site learning for their seniors, I cannot help but reflect on how fortunate we have been to have students back for several weeks. The boys have shown great focus as we head into the final stage of the year.

NCEA students have been undertaking practice examinations, with commendable effort. It is a big week, with a fair amount of pressure knowing that they carry the weight of 'unexpected event grades', and they have responded as we would hope.

Similarly, our junior students have conducted themselves on campus in an exemplary fashion during these examinations and I thank them for their thoughtfulness.

Teachers are busy marking these exams, with grades released via Schoolbox as soon as they are available. Please note that the learning feedback may not be attached to these grades but final feedback will be forthcoming before NCEA examinations start.

Among these boys taking exams in the Assembly Hall this past week are our scholarship recipients. As mentioned elsewhere in this In Black & White, our Year 13s have been awarded a record number of tertiary scholarships. This is a testament to the exceptional young men who make up this year group. They are a group of unassuming achievers and this accomplishment is another example of the strength of character, talent, and hard work of these boys. We are beyond proud, and hope that this sense of pride lifts the boys for their final examinations.

On the note of final examinations, I have received a few queries about the adjustments that NZQA has made for our Term 3 lockdown. There are different adjustments based on different areas of the country. The ones that apply to us are simply the application of some learning recognition credits (LRC). Level 1 students are entitled to 8 LRCs, bringing their ‘finish line’ for Level 1 to 72 credits. Levels 2 and 3 are entitled to 6 LRCs, meaning that they need 56 credits to gain their Level 2 and 3 qualifications. There are no adjustments to endorsement or UE requirements for students in our region.

Also, last week’s announcement confirms that the Government intends examinations to proceed at Alert Level 3 where possible. It is important that our boys keep this at the forefront when returning to senior classes on Thursday.

Rangi Selwyn Bus Service

Unfortunately, because of a combination of fewer passengers and increased costs, the bus service has become financially unsustainable. Therefore, the service will cease running on Thursday 2 December.

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Feeling overwhelmed

The world we live in has become a different place, characterised by change, hyper-connection, uncertainty and overwhelm. Consequently, we are forced to manage multiple, competing messages from media platforms that can leave us feeling overwhelmed.

It is therefore important for children and parents to consciously and intentionally learn effective strategies to manage and filter these constant demands. Unfortunately, the rate of technological advancement has occurred faster than we can adapt neurobiologically to the digital landscape, resulting in overwhelm and increased levels of stress and anxiety for children and parents alike.
Although we cannot provide our children with certainty, we can provide them with the skills and strategies to cope on a day-to-day basis – socially, emotionally and academically. School TV provides a useful platform to access parenting advice and support to manage a demanding world.

This link offers a very useful introduction.

An interesting read for the men, fathers and boys among us

With a vision to build virtuous men, this article focusing on changing expectations in our society – as to the nature and role of being a man – is worth sharing. It is a little American perhaps, but there are some wise elements.

Andrew Reiner teaches men’s studies and writing at Towson University in Maryland, where he offers the seminar ‘The Changing Face of Masculinity’. He is the author of Better Boys, Better Men: The New Masculinity That Creates Greater Courage and Emotional Resiliency and has written about healthy masculinity extensively for The New York Times.

Safe on Social

We have found the Safe on Social website very useful, and think you may too. It reminds us to put a healthy boundary in place and keep phones and devices out of bedrooms from an early age. Remember, you need to guide your children on how to be safe, and managing their mental health is a massive part of that guidance. They need a break. They are connected 24/7, and some of those communications can get toxic in group chats. Click here for further information.

Paul Dillon – not in person but educating all the same

In the The Real Deal on Drugs podcast series, Paul Dillon – a regular visitor to our school and renowned drug and alcohol educator – answers the questions he is most regularly asked by students. This content has been developed with young people in mind and aims to provide them with the information they want to know about alcohol and other drugs. Paul was organised to speak with our boys in Years 11–13 over the past two years, and his messages might be just at the right time, given the upcoming end-of-school and Christmas period.

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Time of great change

This, as you know, is my last term as Chaplain at Christ’s College. You will also know that Rev. Cameron Pickering has been announced as the new Chaplain, starting in 2022. Congratulations and best wishes to Rev. Cameron – I know you will make him welcome.

I continue to reflect on the massive shifts I have seen in our world in the 24 years that I have served as Chaplain here.

We carry a powerful computer with us in our pockets all the time – that has changed our understanding of education enormously. We now need skills to help us discriminate about the truthfulness of what is presented online.

The algorithms of the digital world are so constructed that our own biases are reinforced. We see what the apps know that we like to see. Frances Haugen, a Facebook whistle-blower, has highlighted that the siloing of society, the division and polarisation of our world, is not an accidental by-product – it is integral to the success of that social media platform. Studies have also shown that on social media, falsehoods travel six times faster than the truth.

Recently in lessons, we twice found that Google’s top answer was incorrect. In one case, we were looking at God’s Name as announced to Moses at the Burning Bush (where God, in Hebrew at least, essentially is named as the verb, “to be”). At another time, students were looking for important quotes from famous people (the top quote attributed by Google to John the Evangelist was a lovely thought but had nothing to do with him).

We are finding the need for intelligent discernment when we look at discussions about the Covid-19 pandemic and vaccinations. Possibly more than usually, the ethical tools we explore in Religious Education dovetail with Biology classes where students learn about DNA, mRNA, and so on.

Focus in our school classes

In Year 9, we are exploring the early chapters of Genesis – these are some of the most famous poetic stories, foundational to so much literature, culture, of attitudes, and even of laws; and these texts have so often been so badly misunderstood and misapplied. We are bringing so much of what we have learnt this year to these important reflections.

In Year 10, we are learning about Sikhs – how much more our lives are enriched when we can understand Sikhism and acknowledge how much Sikhs bring as members of our Aotearoa New Zealand community. We have been covering the six major world religions – all present in our city.

In Year 11, students have completed their history assignment and are following some of their own interests, for example, in cults (for which we must be ever on guard, and we need to be able to recognise when a group tends towards being or is a cult) or some other religious or ethical interests.

In this strange, stressful, and uncertain time, I am hoping that the way we treat each other continues to reflect the life and teachings of the One after whom this school is named.

Yours in Christ,

Bosco Peters
Chaplain

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Upcoming careers dates

1 October	UC enrolment applications opened
1 October	Lincoln University enrolments opened, LUCAS
1 October	AUT accommodation opened (first-in, first-served)
1 October	University scholarships announced
4 October	Lincoln University, hall offers made (first-in, first-served)
10 December	UC applications to enrol due
10 December	Victoria University applications due

Christ's College CareerWise

The Christ’s College careers website, CareerWise, is a rich source of information about all things related to careers. Check it out and sign up for weekly alerts here.

Jobs of the future

With technology allowing for more jobs to be automated, jobs of the future will be more human-centric – focusing on health and wellbeing and helping people live at their best.

Futurist Morris Miselowski explains: “While there will still be a need for people who can code, these types of skills will be cooling down and making way for those who can integrate tech and humanity. The health and wellbeing sectors will also be growth industries. We are increasingly taking wellbeing into our own hands – including when it comes to caring for our elders, and we are learning to be more discerning in this age of information.”

He predicts that the following careers will feature in the future: health and wellbeing; mental health worker; geriatric care; physician assistants; virtual influence teams; and robotic to human experts. Click here to read more.

University study – having a Plan B

As boys leave College, they are usually confident about their study or career decisions. However, in some cases, they may decide to change direction during – or at the end of – their first year of tertiary study. For example, we recommend that students who enrol in Health Sciences First Year have an alternative plan in place in case they do not get into their preferred degree programme. I have also heard that at a university where about 900 students had enrolled for a Bachelor of Engineering, 200 had moved to a different course within the first two weeks.

There are many options available, leading in varied and interesting directions. Opting to make a change is understandable and acceptable.

StudyLink – student loans and allowances

If boys intend to apply for a student loan or allowance, they need to register and apply online through StudyLink. As this process can take time, it is best to get under way sooner rather than later.

Student Jobs Guide

Many students will be looking for a summer job. MoneyHub has produced a comprehensive Student Jobs Guide, with tips on how to make an application and where to look for student jobs. For more information, go to MoneyHub.

CATE – Careers and Transition Education NZ

CATE is the professional organisation of New Zealand careers advisors. Click the link to access parent resources – or check out the career topics below:

The High 5 Career Development Principles (1).pdf
Gen Z and the World of Work (1).pdf
Parents as a passenger on their teen's career journey (2).pdf

School Leavers' Tool Kit

For information on financial support for tertiary education, moving out of home, taking care of myself and others or getting a job, click here.

University of Otago information

November – Boys need to sit external examinations, regardless of the credits already gained
10 December – Boys need to submit the papers/subjects they are studying in 2022
1 February – A further accommodation payment, $4000–$8000

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The Sac Suit

When you are searching Papers Past for something completely different, useful information always manages to side-track you. This advertisement did exactly that. The Farmers Summer Sale provided information about the cost of a Christ’s College suit, at both sale and pre-sale prices, in 1926 – 53/- and 62/-, respectively, for Size 7.ⁱ

So, the research began with some background about the suit itself. The Sac or Sack Suit first appeared in the 1860s as an alternative to the frock coat, which was nipped in at the waist and had a long skirt which finished just above the knee. The Sac Suit coat was single-breasted and hung from the shoulders, with the hem about hip height. The trousers were looser fitting. The description of the suit in the advertisement above is using the American term for the suit, whereas an English tailor tended to describe it as a ‘lounge suit’. It did not get its name because it hung loose like a sack, but rather from the French 'sacque', a reference to the cutaway shape of the coat.ⁱⁱ

Then I searched for some information about the material advertised – Oamaru worsted. The Oamaru Woollen and Worsted Millsⁱⁱⁱ were in Spey Street, Oamaru and had a long history of producing woollen garments for New Zealand. Worsted fabric is woven from long staple wool and the spinning process enables the fibres to lie flat and end to end. This creates a hard tight yarn that is more durable. Perhaps the only disadvantage is that it can become shiny where there is lots of wear, for example, on the seat of pants.

However, it would have taken a great deal of nerve to wait until February 1926 to purchase at the Farmers prices. The alternatives were the Strange’s prices on 11th January^iv – 55/- for Size 7.

Or Ballantynes on 14th January^v, when Size 7 was 84/-, but did include a waistcoat.

However, the Ballantynes sale in the middle of July would be very useful if a boy had grown in the previous six months, when Size 7 was reduced to 73/6.^vi

When you consider that in 1925–1926, a farmer’s assessable income was £883 per annum^vii – meaning that his average weekly income was just over £13 per week – any saving that could be made would be a distinct relief for any family budget, even with the introduction of the Family Allowances Act.^viii

What did these suits actually look like when they were worn? This photograph of the 1926 School House Rowing Coxed IV provides the answer.

Named in pencil alongside the photograph is the following information: Ferguson, Lascelles, Orbell, Holderness and ?. CCPAL50/24/1 Christ's College Archives.

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ⁱ Press 6 February 1926
ⁱⁱ See Breward, C. 2016 The Suit Form, Function and Fashion. London Reaktion Books
ⁱⁱⁱ https://www.heritage.org.nz/the-list/details/3225
^iv Press 11 February 1926
^v Extract from Ballantynes advertisement Star 14 January 1926
^vi Star 20 July 1926
^vii New Zealand Year Book, 1928
^viii Christ’s College Fees in 1926 were £11 per term for tuition and £25/6/3 boarding fees.

Architectural Drawings of Christ's College

Architectural Drawings of Christ's College by Sir Miles Warren + Alec Bruce (Quentin Wilson Publishing), $45, is now available. Order your copy here.

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CHRIST'S COLLEGE EVENTS

29 October	Boarding Mothers Morning Tea BOOK NOW
29 October	The Pink Lunch Cancelled
1 November	Year 7 Information Evening (Now live streamed) REGISTER HERE
16 – 20 November	Fame Jr BOOK NOW

CCOBA EVENTS

19 NOVEMBER	Christchurch Long Lunch BOOK NOW
25 NOVEMBER	Christchurch YOBs BOOK NOW

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