House functions

Save the dates for the upcoming House functions. All three boarding Houses are planning their dinners and House shoots, as well as their leavers’ functions. We have taken into consideration parental feedback regarding grouping events together.

Flower’s House

• Sunday 10 September – House shoot
• Thursday 30 November – dinner and prize-giving
• Friday 1 December – Year 13 function

Richards House

• Sunday 3 September – House shoot
• Thursday 30 November – dinner and prize-giving
• Friday 1 December – Year 13 function

School House

• Friday 20 October – dinner and prize-giving
• Monday 23 October – House shoot
• Thursday 30 November – Year 13 dinner

Derived Grade exams

Our Year 12 and Year 13 students are focusing on their Derived Grade exams. These exams also help the boys gauge the areas needing further improvement. Our Houses are supervised throughout the day so that the boys have a quiet space to study. Below we share our expectations around study within the boarding environment.

Years 12–13 students are required to:

• Attend breakfast in the Dining Hall
• Attend roll call, where they will be the first to be marked and can leave after their names are recorded
• Study until lunchtime
• Have lunch in the Dining Hall and leave after 1pm
• Have dinner in the Dining Hall
• Attend evening roll call
• Study during prep time.

Fun day of virtual reality games

Check out the photos as our boarders step into the world of virtual reality.

What's for dinner?

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

Navigating exams – supporting senior students

As our Years 12 and 13 students embark on their Derived Grade exams, nurturing their wellbeing is paramount. Balancing study sessions with self-care fosters optimal performance and supports students in terms of their confidence and self-regulation.

Things to consider:

• Adequate sleep, regular exercise, and nutritious meals fuel cognitive prowess.
• Mindfulness techniques like deep breathing and meditation alleviate stress, enhancing focus and retention.
• Embracing a growth mindset cultivates resilience in the face of challenges, promoting confidence and a positive outlook.
• Connecting with peers, seeking support from mentors, and allocating time for the things the students enjoy can foster a well-rounded approach to preparation.

Prioritising wellbeing empowers our students to approach these upcoming exams with a clear mind, bolstered by inner strength and a holistic sense of readiness. It is also great preparation for the end-of-year exams. Developing healthy habits now allows time for students to embed them in their day-to-day lives.

SchoolTV has some great additional resources to guide you as a parent in supporting your Year 12 or Year 13 student.

• Exam study tips and tricks
• Exam stress tips
• Help your child cope with exam stress

Book in to encourage teenage readers

Creating a book-rich environment can make a big difference in a boy’s reading habits. They are more likely to read if they have many engaging, age-appropriate books around us.

Prior to the College library-run House Reading contest this year, the Flower’s House library underwent a refresh thanks to several generous families and the motivated Housemaster and Deputy Housemaster. Seeing the results of Flower’s House in House Reading (2nd place with 96% of the House taking part), we can recognise the impact of that book-rich environment on the boys.

This term, the library plans to expand that environment so that more students can benefit. We are working with Richards House students to better understand their reading interests so that we can tailor the House library to match those needs. The House library needs to reflect the boys’ interests, especially as we know they are big readers.

I am also now available after the library closes on some days to meet parents and students to support those boys who have yet to find joy in reading. I can meet the student and his parents after school to help find ways to encourage and enjoy reading. Teenage boys still need support to read more books. These parent-student library sessions have already helped most participants feel more confident about finding books that spark their interest.

Please email librarian@christscollege.com if you wish to organise a parent-student library session.

On equal terms

Tēnā koutou katoa.

Peace to you all in the name of God.

Last Friday was, for many of us, a more wakeful day than Thursday. The unprecedented success of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the crowds, and television viewership have been great to witness.

Last Friday was also the 131st anniversary of the establishment of the Atalanta Cycling Club in Ōtautahi Christchurch. In 1892, a group of women, including Kate Sheppard, who was to become famous the following year, founded a women’s cycling club to encourage women onto bicycles that they might enjoy the sport, and also increased mobility about the city on what would have been rough tracks and byways.

Sadly, these women were subject to abuse to the point of being pelted with stones by locals displeased with the “unseemly” spectacle of women on bicycles. Not everything, indeed few things (perhaps save the use of The Book of Common Prayer), were better ‘back in the day’. For all the media reports and hype, it is a good time to be alive in 2023.

The Church reflecting, and, it is fair to say, sometimes influencing society has not been swift to move on gender issues. When we return to source, it is frankly and sadly staggering that the Church has been so slow in this regard, given the Christ we encounter in the Gospels. It is not that differences do not exist, male and female as an example, rather that in Christ the playing field is levelled as each and every person is proclaimed to reveal the image and likeness of God, Imago Dei.

During the upcoming school holidays, Aotearoa New Zealand will celebrate 130 years since the Electoral Act of 1893, which enshrined in law the right of women to vote in parliamentary elections. Thanks be to God for those who continue to promote the Imago Dei in all people.

Yours in Christ,
The Rev'd Cameron Pickering

CHRIST'S COLLEGE & CCOBA EVENTS

Upcoming careers dates

School subject selection – Term 3

Boys choosing their subjects this term – for 2024 – can check out these best preparation links to aid their decisions regarding university and polytechnic study

• University of Canterbury – Best Prep
• Lincoln University – Best Prep
• Victoria University – Best Prep
• University of Otago - Best Prep
• Waikato University – Best Prep
• Ara – Best Prep
• University of Auckland – Best Prep
• Massey University – Best Prep
• Tips for choosing NCEA subjects for 2024

Exam preparation

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

Christ's College CareerWise

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

Below are recent postings on the College careers website:

• University of Auckland – update
• TechStep – technology careers
• UC Information Evening – subject sessions
• UC Science Summer Camp
• Toi Whakaari NZ Drama School Open Day
• Your Education – high school exchanges
• Ngarimu Scholarships
• Lincoln University Open Day
• Experience QRC (Queenstown Resort College)
• Ara Scholarships
• Ara Osteopathy Information Evening

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 can take time, it is best to get under way sooner rather than later.

MoneyHub – a guide to apprenticeships

Learn more about apprenticeships. This guide covers everything you need to know – from what an apprenticeship is through to the process of applying and the eligibility requirements.

In Black & White – Careers

I share a range of relevant information with parents and boys via In Black & White. However, I am aware that not all boys read the school newsletter, so I hope parents will use the information provided as a springboard for investigation, discussion, and inspiration to support their sons as they consider their futures. Please contact me with any suggestions regarding careers, or if you require any career-related advice for your son.

Charles Carteret Corfe – the athlete

On 9 February 1867, Charles Carteret Corfe, Jesus College, Cambridge, was 1st in the Cambridge University Athletic Club’s 120 yards Open Handicap on the three-yard mark. His time was 13 seconds and there were 72 entries.ⁱ

At the time of Corfe’s death in 1935, many newspapers paid respect to his athletic abilities.

The Sydney Morning Herald records that this event was not the only one in which Corfe excelled. There were wins in the 100 yards, 400 yards, 120 yards hurdles, shot put, hammer throwing, and long jump. Corfe represented Cambridge in the inter-varsity sports of 1867, 1868, and 1869. He was also stroke in the Jesus College IV and played football for the university. ⁱⁱ

What was Corfe’s background? He was born in 1847, the 4th son of Rev’d Arthur Thomas Corfe, of Guernsey, and was educated at Elizabeth College, Guernsey (1855–1865), where his father was headmaster. After completing his degree in mathematics at Cambridge, he spent a year as a private tutor in Ireland and was then a temporary master at Rossall in Lancashire.

Corfe was selected for Christ’s College by Rev’d Joseph Merriman, of The Surrey County School (later Cranleigh), and Rev’d Thomas Stevens, founder of St Andrew’s College, Bradfield, to succeed Captain Simmons as mathematical master.ⁱⁱⁱ He arrived on 29 January 1871, on board the Rangitoto, from Melbourne, having left England on the Norfolk.^iv When William Chambers Harris returned to England, Corfe acted as headmaster from May 1872, until he was appointed permanently in July 1873.

As well as teaching, Corfe’s sporting skills spread into the wider Canterbury community. He quickly became one of the judges at the Canterbury Cricket and Boating Amateur Athletics Association and, by July, was playing football.^v In 1881, he threw a 16lb (7.25kg) hammer 85 feet 10 inches (26.162m).

Corfe played cricket regularly for Canterbury and, when selections were being made for an interprovincial game against Otago in 1875, The Globe reported:

“Corfe, when in form, is the best and most finished bat in Canterbury, having a strong defence with great hitting powers. As a change bowler is sometimes very effective, having a low delivery, which have a tendency to shoot; at mid-off in the field is quite at home, picking up a ball clean, with a very quick return.”

In this game, he made his best score, 88.^vi

Corfe played for the Canterbury 18 against the All England XI in 1877^vii and was a member of the Canterbury XI that defeated the Australian XI in January 1878^viii. He was again in the Canterbury XI that played an Australian XI in 1881.^ix It is said that the red and black blazer adopted by the United Cricket Club was a compliment to Corfe’s University College – Jesus.^x

Corfe’s marriage was planned around the College and cricket year. On 1 December 1874, he left Lyttelton on the Alhambra for Melbourne. He married Emily Hudson Evison at St Paul’s Church in Melbourne on 17 December. The shipping list for the Otago that left Melbourne on 23 December listed Mr and Mrs Corfe as passengers for Lyttelton.^xi

After Christ’s College, Corfe was headmaster at Toowoomba Grammar School (1890–1900) in Queensland. He later relieved at the Sydney Church of England Grammar School and, during World War I, at both Wanganui Collegiate and Christ’s College. He lived for a time in Sumner but spent his final years in Peterborough, England, with his daughter, and died in 1935.

ⁱ The hallmarks on the cup indicate that it was manufactured by George Richards Elkington of Birmingham in 1866.
ⁱⁱ The Sydney Morning Herald 11 July 1935.
ⁱⁱⁱ William Chambers Harris, Corfe’s predecessor, was educated at Bradfield.
^iv There is a gap between Corfe’s arrival in January 1871 and the record of his appointment in the Board Minutes of May 1871. However, he is listed as a member of staff in the Form List of April 1871.
^v The Press 25 March 1871; Lyttelton Times 20 July 1871.
^vi The Timaru Herald 3 February 1875.
^vii vs All England, stumped for eight in the first innings and bowled for four in the second innings. Lyttelton Times 27 February 1877; The Timaru Herald 1 March 1877.
^viii v Australian XI bowled for three in the first innings and bowled for 15 in the second innings (highest score) Star 24 January 1878.
^ix v Australian XI bowled for nine in the first innings and bowled for four in the second innings. Star 2 February 1881.
^x Star 28 June 1935.
^xi Lyttelton Times 2 December 1874 and 31 December 1874. Six children were born in New Zealand: Anstruthur John Corfe (1245), Arthur Cecil Corfe (1351), Charles Reginald Corfe (1377), Duncan Bertram Corfe, Edgar Mainguy Corfe, and Henrietta Margaret Corfe.