Immerse & Inspire Breakout Days

This week, we start our Immerse & Inspire Breakout Days. Our Year 10 boys will spend three days working with the Ministry of Awesome on the LAB 5 Sustainable Entrepreneurship project, and join Rev. Cameron Pickering and Director of Character & Leadership Matt Cortesi on a visit to places of worship of various religions around Christchurch. This will include a component on character. Finally, they will work with Bicultural Co-ordinator Keri Campbell and Dr Mike Field on Taha Māori.

It is an opportunity for the boys to fully engage with the Christ’s College Diploma outside the classroom and the academic setting. The boys will work on five of the six fronds of the Diploma –Taha Māori, Discovery and Challenge, Global Citizenship, Character and Leadership and Sustainable Future.

Skiing for boarders – Term 3

Following discussions with the Friends of Boarding committee, we propose to send a staff member with boarders on the Mount Hutt ski bus that leaves from – and returns to – outside Canterbury Museum. It would cost $60 return, plus skiing costs. The staff member would travel with the boys who wished to ski and be a point of contact on the mountain throughout the day. The trip to Mount Hutt would operate on Sundays.

St Margaret’s College dinner exchanges return

Years 9–10 boys met their peers at St Margaret’s College over the past week. Our Year 9 boys headed to St Margaret’s College for dinner in the school Dining Hall while the Year 10 girls were hosted by our boys. While there was a little awkwardness and trepidation, they were soon chatting and getting to know each other, which was great to see.

Cooking with College

A new Year 13 event, ‘Cooking with College’, is coming up. The Year 13 St Margaret’s College boarders have invited our Year 13s to take part in a cooking competition. Housemaster Kevin Harris is quietly confident that the Year 13 Richards House boys will take it out.

Our Boarding Committee, led by Head of Boarding Jack Smith, is planning an event for Years 11–12 students. We are also talking to Rangi Ruru Girls’ School to organise some events.

Boarding Activity Programme

Last weekend, the boys spent Sunday morning at Arcadia. Here are some photos so that you can share in the fun.

What's for dinner?

View the Dining Hall menu produced by the talented team at Spotless.

Taken as read – better learning by the book

Reading – one of the most important things any student can do to help their overall learning and a current focus on many fronts at College.

As mentioned in the last Curriculum update, we are working on a new Prep Policy and reading is a core component of our recommended activities. As we discourage homework for homework’s sake, it does not mean we are discouraging any ‘work’. Especially for our juniors, the best use of evening time is often to read.

As stated by the National Library: “Reading for pleasure is associated with numerous benefits – from improvements in reading achievement and comprehension, writing, vocabulary, and general knowledge to improved empathy, understanding of self and others, and wellbeing.”

Whether it be a novel, a magazine, a biography, or even a graphic novel, any reading will have benefits for our boys. For those boys who have challenges with reading because of learning differences, audio books are a valuable option. For the best benefits, students should read the text while listening to the audio.

House Reading Competition

It has been delightful to see how the boys have shown their interest in reading during the House Reading Competition run through the library. This competition runs throughout Terms 2 and 3, so there is plenty of time for boys to get reading if they have not been so far. Holiday reading counts, too, so the upcoming break is a great opportunity to enjoy a variety of books.

Our new librarian, Emma Stilwell, has also been speaking with our boarding team on developing their House libraries, as well as canvassing Year 9 boys on potential reading circle books.

For our dayboys, they can always drop in to the library during their breaks or visit the Schoolbox page for links to e-books and audio books. We urge more boys to turn over a new leaf and open more books.

Our growing bicultural awareness

Tihei winiwini, tihei wanawana, tihei mauri ora!
Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa

From the start of the year, it has been evident that College is ready and willing to continue to build on – and grow – the cultural awareness and responsiveness of the students, staff and the wider community. I have been greatly supported by those who have paved the way for kaupapa Māori at College. Whaea Tihi Puanaki and Matua Te Huaki Puanaki have provided a wonderful environment for the students. They bring a wealth of knowledge and tautoko (support) for not only myself and the students, but the College community as a whole.

Matua Te Huaki has done a fantastic job of building the students' performance skills in kapa haka and teaching basic tikanga around movements, song and, most recently, mau rakau. We are fortunate to have his expertise. It was wonderful to showcase this at our first kapa haka parakuihi (breakfast) for parents. The boys were excited to present their first live performance and what better audience than their own whānau. This has given the boys a wonderful platform to build on for their upcoming performance at the House Music Festival.

I have also been lucky to work with a great bunch of young men, led by Charlie Eglinton, and supported by our Bicultural Kōmiti, which has been newly named by staff and students (Te Rōpū Tikanga Rua). This group meets fortnightly to discuss upcoming events and ways to support and create awareness and excitement for kaupapa Māori within the kura. The staff have also been involved in learning basic Te Reo me ōna tikanga in smaller workshops, with a plan to provide further learning opportunities for the whole group in upcoming terms.

Matariki

We look forward to celebrating Matariki (Ngā mata o te ariki Tāwhirimātea) and the significance of this day for Māori. It will be the first time that we have a national holiday dedicated to the beginning of the Māori new year, which is based on the lunar calendar.

This day celebrates the cluster of stars known as Pleiades. Matariki being the mother and her children who hold dominion over particular areas of our environment: Waiti (fresh water), Waitā (salt water), Waipunarangi (rain), Ururangi (wind), Tipuānuku (food grown in Papatūānuku), Tipuārangi (birdlife), Pohutukawa (connection to the deceased), and Hiwa-i-terangi (dreams and aspirations for the future).

This time is also about connecting with whānau and spending time together enjoying each other's company and appreciating and acknowledging our environment.

Strategies for handling stress

Recently, in MANifesto classes, Years 12–13 students have spoken about increased hours working on internal assessments while keeping on top of class work, alongside balancing sports practices, choir performances, rock band concerts and production rehearsals.

Managing workload and deadlines can be challenging, especially when many of our students lead such busy lives. Elevated levels of stress can become problematic.

Stress is a normal human reaction. It is our body’s natural reaction to a threat or excess demand. Our bodies are designed to experience certain levels of stress and know instinctively how to react. When we experience changes or challenges, our body produces physical and mental responses. These stress responses help us adjust to new situations. Some stress can be good, keeping us alert, motivated and ready to act.

However, when we are under too much stress, and for sustained periods, stress can have a negative impact on our health and wellbeing. Learning how to manage stress during these times is imperative to maintaining balance in our lives.

Strategies for dealing with stress can include:

• Taking a break by going for a walk or getting outside
• Practising breathing techniques, such as box breathing, deep breathing, focused breathing, as well as body scans
• Having a nap to regenerate
• Talking to someone – a parent, sibling, friend or teacher – about how you are feeling
• Unplugging from everything – work and devices
• Finding time for exercise and getting sufficient sleep
• Providing your body and brain with food and not avoiding meals; drinking water
• Writing an action plan in terms of dates for assessments and allocated time for study
• Positive affirmations or writing about one thing you are grateful for each day
• Finding moments of joy.

If your son is experiencing heightened levels of stress, talk to him about what is going on in his world and share some of the strategies mentioned above. Housemasters, mentors and your son’s teachers are also great sources of support, as well as our Centre for Wellbeing.

Watch out for gastro-type illness

There are more cases of gastro-type illnesses in some Canterbury schools at present. The best way to prevent an outbreak is through good hand hygiene, so a gentle reminder to your son will be very helpful. We will be reinforcing this message at school, too. Should your son have a gastro illness, please keep him at home for 48 hours from his last symptoms and notify the College absence line or complete the absence notification form on the Parent Portal.

Shortest day – longest night

Tēnā koutou katoa,
Peace to you all in the name of God.

Today, 21 June marks the winter solstice in Aotearoa New Zealand. The sunlight hours are expected to be five hours and four minutes fewer than the 22 December summer solstice. Our attention is drawn to such realities to a greater degree this year when we celebrate Matariki with a public holiday for the first time.

Elsewhere in this issue, you can read about the significance to Māori and Pasifika of this phase of moon and stars. Suffice to say, for long enough we have shackled up to northern hemisphere traditions, which have seen not a few of us wonder why snow, hot roast dinners, and mulled wine make their way into our summer holidays.

Northern or southern hemisphere, for tens of thousands of years, people have paused to remember ancestors, plan the planting of food, and give thanks for the lengthening of days and the return of the sun, about the time of the shortest day. Matariki – and its place in the growing awareness of our context – is a positive development. Gathering people together over the coming weekend – for, yes, a hot dinner and celebration of abundance – seems to me a very fine idea.

It was not for nothing the church settled on the date for the celebration of the Nativity of Christ to coincide with a northern hemisphere winter solstice. For Christians, the birth of the infant Saviour goes to the very heart of thanksgiving and remembering. It is unlikely that in the interests of common worship we would change the date of our Christmas down under to reflect the realities of the situation with regard to the axis of the Earth. However, I, for one, welcome the opportunity to pause, give thanks and remember good gifts, ancestors, and our generous God at this time of year – happily enough in a winter scarf as I will in shorts around the barbecue come December.

Yours in Christ,
Rev. Cameron Pickering

CHRIST'S COLLEGE & CCOBA EVENTS

SAVE THE DATE

Upcoming careers dates

Christ's College CareerWise – new format

The Christ’s College careers website, CareerWise, is a rich source of information about all things related to careers. Check out the new site and sign up for weekly alerts by subscribing. From the home page, click on posts to see recent updates. For those who have signed up to College CareerWise, I will create a newsletter from published posts.

Career Convos – Architecture

Thursday 23 June, 8.30am, Jacobs House Leadership Lounge

Old Boy Ben Russell will talk to Years 12–13 boys interested in studying architecture. He will outline his pathway into architecture, the different places to study and show the boys some of his work. There has been much interest in this Career Convos session.

CVs and cover letters

Some boys want help with CVs. In the Year 10 Immerse & Inspire Programme, the boys prepared a simple CV using the MyMahi programme. Christ’s College has put together information on preparing to enter the workforce, which includes templates.

Student jobs

MoneyHub has updated its student jobs directory. With more than 50 well-known employers listed and links to student job application details, getting a part-time job is a lot easier with this guide.

School subject selection – Term 3

When it comes to subject selection for next year, it is good to look ahead at the best subjects for Years 12–13 and university courses. Check out the following links:

University of Canterbury – Best prep

Lincoln University – Best prep

University of Otago - Best prep

University of Victoria of Wellington – Best prep

University of Auckland – Best prep

Massey University – Best prep

University of Waikato – Best prep

Thinking about University?

A guide for students, parents and whanau, Thinking about University? provides information on university entry, application, study, accommodation and scholarships, along with university life, choice and support.

University scholarships for Year 13 students

Boys can start researching the different scholarships available. Most scholarship applications close about 1 September. MoneyHub, a consumer finance website, has published an extensive guide to university scholarships.

Interior photographs

So often we see the changing face of Christ’s College from the outside. The Quad predominates, with the occasional view from Upper. However, what about the interiors of buildings that have been demolished or reconfigured, or present buildings where their role has changed?

The Chapel, about 1907. It was not just the choir who sat facing each other, but the whole school. The forms in the front of the seats were for those in Form 3 (Year 9).
Lusk Album, Christ’s College Archives CCPAL1/19/2

Big School in the 1860s. The whole school was taught in this one room.
Merton Album, Christ’s College Archives CCPAL51/6/1

The Gymnasium, about 1909. Boys were expected to be proficient in a range of apparatus. This included parallel bars, vault, horizontal bar, Indian clubs, rings, and also boxing.
Christ’s College Archives CCPAL25/11/1

The Laboratory, about 1924. From the Christ’s College Prospectus,
Christ’s College Archives CCPAL16/11

The Hare Memorial Library in the Hare Memorial Building, about 1915.
Head Album, Christ’s College Archives CCPAL38/12

The Dining Hall, about 1920. Prior to the 2010–2011 earthquakes, the tables were arranged like this. However, the earthquakes caused the floor to bow and so the tables had to be turned around so that they would not wobble.
Robinson Album, Christ’s College Archives CCPAL 50/16/2

School House Dormitory, about 1916.
Christ’s College Archives CCPAL28/17/1

The Bursar’s Office, about 1920. The College Offices were in the building adjacent to the Synod Hall. These buildings were demolished to make way for the building of the Dining Hall that was completed in 1925.
Christ’s College Archives CCPAL16/4