On course to choose the best options

When we’ve only just started Term 3 it is hard to imagine, but it is time to start thinking about courses for next year. We have two important evenings coming up for parents and students. These are designed to help with the options selection process.

Course Selection Education Evening for Years 9–10 students and parents – register here

On Monday 8 August, we have the Course Selection Education Evening, designed for current Years 9–10 students and their parents. This focuses on explaining the course selection process for the Christ’s College Diploma. A key underpinning of the Diploma is giving boys agency through choice – but this means there is a lot to choose from. The evening will introduce and explain the choices, including the requirements for those entering the second year of the Diploma. Staff from every department will be present to give you the opportunity to ask questions about the different courses or pathways.

Course Selection Education Evening for Years 11–12 students and parents – register here

The following week is dedicated to NCEA. On Monday 15 August, we will review NCEA requirements again for Years 11–12 students – along with parents – followed by the opportunity to speak with staff from each department. We will also have representatives from the three local tertiary institutions available to answer questions. This is a great opportunity to touch base with the tertiary providers about what NCEA courses boys may need while students and parents are also able to speak to the teachers of those courses.

We look forward to seeing parents and students at both evenings in the Assembly Hall, and remind everyone that mask-wearing is mandatory.

Teacher-only Day

A Canterbury-wide, Teacher-only Day will be held on Monday 22 August. While College Boarding will remain open, boys can apply for the longer weekend and arrive back in their Houses by 8pm on Monday.

Staff changes

We have had several staff changes as a result of promotion and residential tutors heading overseas. Zac Knight has taken on the role of Deputy Boarding Housemaster in Richards, moving from his position as residential tutor in Flower’s House. Zac’s calm demeanour, along with his quick wit, will be enjoyed by the Richards boys.

My thanks to Scott Franklin, who leaves Boarding after eight years in Richards House, including the past five years as the Deputy Boarding Housemaster. We appreciate his contribution to Richards and the wider Boarding experience.

Welcome to Kirsty Black, who begins in the new role of Overnight Nurse. Her arrival completes the change in the Matron model introduced in Richards this year. Kirsty, a registered nurse, will respond to any ailments throughout the night. Her kind and caring disposition will be a great addition to our community, and she will live in one of the College residences. Kirsty already has plenty of experience of Boarding, having lived on-site previously with her husband, Toby. He was a residential tutor in Jacobs and then Flower’s House.

Welcome also to Benn McBrearty as a residential tutor in Flower’s House. Benn has been working at Christ’s College as a relief teacher, and helps out with the Rugby programme. Meanwhile, Nick Karton moves from a non-residential tutor role in Richards House to a residential tutor in School House. And welcome back to Nick Sutcliffe, who returns to a residential Boarding role in Flower’s House, replacing Kale Thatcher.

House Plays – Boarding

Please note Thursday 18 August in your calendars for an evening of House Plays. We will meet for drinks and nibbles at 5.30pm in the Dining Hall. It is a wonderful chance to catch up with the wider Boarding community. To join us in the Dining Hall prior to the plays, please register here for the Combined Boarding Houses Parents' Function.

Fun times

Our boys have enjoyed a day out at MoveX – an indoor trampoline arena. Check out the photos.

What's for dinner?

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

Sextortion – staying safe online

You may not be familiar with the term, but ‘sextortion' is a form of blackmail where someone threatens to share intimate images of you unless you give in to their demands.

It has been an issue for more than a decade, with many adults falling victim to this type of online crime. More recently, it has been reported that there has been a higher rate of adolescent males falling victim to this type of crime.

Since early 2022, in Australia alone, there has been a 400% increase in sextortion being reported to police and these figures are being replicated in most Western countries. Having an understanding of how your son can fall victim to such an offender may help to protect him from engaging, or conceding to their demands. It is vitally important for parents and whānau to be aware of this issue and to start having an age-appropriate conversation as early as possible.

This special report from School TV explains how young people can fall victim to such a crime and what action to take to support them. Take a moment to reflect on the information, and talk with your son about the importance of keeping himself safe online. The information presented in this School TV report is intended to raise awareness and not alarm parents and whānau of this potential issue. If you have any questions, please contact our Centre for Wellbeing.

Further information and resources can be accessed via the following websites:

• Netsafe
• Department of Internal Affairs

Steps to limit spread of illness

Welcome back to Term 3. Thank you all for your continued support of our mask-wearing requirements. Masks remain one of the most important tools to prevent the transmission of air-borne illnesses.

Please continue to report any Covid-19 cases on both the tracer app and through the College Absence Notification Form.

We ask that you keep your son at home if he is unwell or showing symptoms of any illness.

Much in common at Chapel

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

After the concessions of Terms 1–2, and indeed much of 2021, it will be a gift to be back in Chapel as a whole College community on a more regular basis this term. A reflection I have heard more than once from our students and staff is that Chapel at College is one of the things we do together.

In this way, a return to regular full school chapels echoes a long-held Anglican outlook that when we pray, sing, worship, listen, and question, we do so in COMMON. We need not expect the experience of every individual to be identical. What matters is that we experience what we do side by side. To this end, the invitation remains open to any members of our wider College community, parents and caregivers, Old Boys, and friends of College to join us in our common worship as shown in the College Calendar.

Chapel Notices

From this week until the end of the academic year, we will collect tinned, non-perishable food at the Chapel for donation to the Anglican City Mission for Christmas (only 145 days away). Students, staff, and friends can bring their donations to the Chapel at any time of the school day, or on Sundays, and we will build our Christmas tree of cans in the sanctuary.

On Thursday 4 August, the Centre for Ethics & Spirituality will host its first lecture and Q&A of the year on The Climate Emergency. Please register here to join us.

The Farewell Service of Thanksgiving for Rev Bosco Peters – the College Chaplain for 23 years – will be held in the College Chapel on Sunday 18 September. Invited guests will receive their invitations shortly.

Yours in Christ,
Rev. Cameron Pickering

CHRIST'S COLLEGE & CCOBA EVENTS

SAVE THE DATE

Upcoming careers dates

Christ's College CareerWise – new format

All Years 12–13 boys should subscribe to the College CareerWise site. Regular posts are put up for News and Events. Click here to subscribe. Hopefully, parents are subscribing to this as well.

Finding purpose – advice for today’s school leavers

Generation Z (born between 1995–2009) will live longer than previous generations, so ensuring that these young people find meaning and purpose in their roles is integral to future-proofing careers and work life.

Discovering your career passion is a worthy endeavour. While not every job is going to fill us with excitement every day, people need to be clear on the impact of their work on what matters in life. If all you do is find a job that has security and pays well, or lines up with what the careers advisor suggests, it is unlikely you will stick with it.

However, if your work passion complements a career you can be well-trained in and paid for, then you have lined up three vital things. Passion, contribution, motivation, and where you want to make a difference are key aspects of the equation.

Getting started and finding momentum is also important. Think about what you are passionate about and keep edging towards that aim. You can then start to carve out a career that enables you to contribute for a long period. That consistent service and contribution in one direction are what build a lifetime of change and impact.

School subject selection – Term 3

Boys choosing their 2023 subjects this term can check out these best preparation links to aid their decisions regarding university and polytechnic study. Recently, Ara has been added to the list.

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
Ara – Best prep

CCRF – Term 3

The New Zealand Common Confidential Reference Form (CCRF) is an online university accommodation reference form. Students need to fill in the form at the same time as they apply to the halls of residence for their chosen university (or universities). They can register for accommodation at several universities on the one form. Applications for halls of residence open on 1 August and close on 15 September. Go to the student registration for the CCRF.

Exam preparation

Check out the NCEA resources to help attain the best grades and prepare for upcoming internals and externals – resources for NCEA.

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.

University of Auckland – Engineering Information Evenings

For those unable to join the recent Engineering Information Evenings online, they have been recorded.

Fast-track offers

The University of Auckland now makes fast-track offers to students. To assist you, check out the frequently asked questions at AskAuckland.

University of Auckland Open Day – buses

On Saturday 27 August, buses will be running in Auckland – from surrounding regions and for those travelling from the airport – for students travelling to Mānawa Mai | Open Day. Students can register for Mānawa Mai | Information Evening and Open Day. Details will be sent to you regarding registering for airport, regional, or Auckland buses.

The street frontage

At different times during College’s history, the view from the street has varied.

If you were wandering along the thoroughfare between the post and rail fence – known at that time as Antigua Street – this is what you would have seen in 1869.

By 1877, the Chaplain’s house had joined the Synod Hall and Library (1873) and the enclosure of the Quad had begun.

Further towards Armagh Street, another building arrived in 1882. This was for the Principal of the Upper Department. There are no early photographs in the College collection of this building. This photograph was taken well into the next century, after Antigua Street had become Rolleston Avenue on 11 January 1904.

The next view from the street involved a traction engine and demolition.

First, the Chaplain’s house was rolled to a position just inside the gates.

This left the street frontage open again.

This was followed by the demolition of the Synod Hall and library, except for the front door. It has become the lych gate to the Botanic Gardens.

The Dining Hall rose in the space.

Ultimately, the recycled Chaplain’s house also disappeared, to be replaced by the Assembly Hall.

The Principal’s house was replaced by a building initially known as the Administration Block, but it, too, was recycled into the Music School.

Finally, the Administration Block was added to the end of the Dining Hall.