NOVEMBER 2017 NOVEMBER OwAN EYE ON THE ST PETER’S COMMUNITYl Ellesse Andrews WORLD CHAMPION CYCLIST Years 7–13 l Co-educational l Day & Boarding Proud to be supporting St Peter’s, Cambridge For all your real estate needs. I value your support, and will offer a $250 cash payment to the St Peter’s Parents’ Association for every sale that has ties to parents or associates of the school. Now is the time to call me for a professional discussion on your next real estate move. M 027 839 3233 | [email protected] | www.waynepamment.co.nz 2013-2017 Monarch Real Estate LTD Wayne Pamment - Harcourts PROUD TO BE A GOLD SPONSOR OF ST PETER’S, CAMBRIDGE Contents Owl The next big thing? The story of a world champion 26 10 The Lion King Jr enchants 20 The best Matrixx school New ideas a success project ever for Zuru story 13 22 30 2 Principal’s note 3 Our journey to a world-class school 4 Staff welcomes 6 Head students 8 Leadership at St Peter’s 14 What is Media studies? 15 NCEA - IB, what’s the difference? 18 10 reasons to celebrate 24 Lessons on the NZX National 25 Agribusiness tournament 28 The farm classroom highlights 29 New species? 32 31 What we learned on exchange 33 Enjoying success together 34 The rugby pathway 35 AIMS Games Celebrating 36 Staff farewells 30 years of girls 41 The road to realising a dream 42 Give everything a ‘crack’ 4029 43 2016/2017 Graduands Call us: +64 7 827 9899 Experience St Peter’s Subscribe to our weekly newsletter InTouch: FOR YOURSELF [email protected] Visit our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/STPETERSschNZ Come to Open Days Visit our website: www.stpeters.school.nz Friday, 16 March 2018, Full School Advertise in the Owl: [email protected] Owl Editor: Mary Fleming, Volom Friday, 22 June 2018, Years 7 and 8 Owl Graphic Designer: Kath Carmody Cover photo: Emma James Years 7–13 l Co-educational l Day & Boarding PRINCIPAL’S NOTE Focused on Well-being Well-being, or wellness, refers we couldn’t deliver some of the instead of having to do it in their to diverse and interconnected outcomes of our pastoral review. own time. dimensions of physical, mental, and social well-being that extend FROM 2018, ST PETER’S WILL HAVE THE OUTCOME OF OUR EXTENSIVE beyond the traditional definition A 7-DAY, 6-PERIOD TIMETABLE. PASTORAL CARE REVIEW IS A NEW of health. It includes choices The start and end times of each day CARE FRAMEWORK. and activities aimed at achieving stay the same, except for a later The key finding of our pastoral care physical vitality, mental alacrity, start (9.10am) on Fridays, to allow review was that at the heart of our social satisfaction, a sense of staff time for professional learning system were adults that genuinely accomplishment, and personal similar to this year. cared about our students. However, fulfilment. the framework and system were The timetable is flexible to provide hard to navigate, systems were not Student well-being underlies much more options for students; 99% will embedded or did not exist. And, of our six key goals for 2017 at St be able to have their first choice of as the Education Review Office Peter’s (outlined in the June edition course and avoid clashes. pointed out, it was not cohesive. of Owl Magazine). I’m pleased to We also have the flexibility to say we are making good progress. Using the four competitive houses timetable and teach our new well- Two of our most significant as the vehicle for pastoral care, I being curriculum, and improve tutor achievements are the establishment believe, will be very successful. group (now called learning group) of a new timetable and a new time. • Firstly, students already belong to framework of pastoral care. a competitive house and identify International Baccalaureate Both changes are student- with it. students will have CAS (Creativity, centred improvements that work • Within each house, a lead dean Action and Service) timetabled, together; without a new timetable, and two assistant deans will be responsible for the students 2 (Years 9-13) in their house. schools. Programmes that provide OUR JOURNEY TO Students in Year 7 and 8 each required interventions and therapy have a dean responsible for need to be early and effective. their care. This new student World-class management system will mean THE WELL-BEING CURRICULUM CONTINUES better communication and sharing CURRENTLY UNDER DEVELOPMENT AT ST PETER’S of information between staff – The St Peter’s Trust Board aims WILL GO A LONG WAY TO and students will be better cared to deliver a ‘world-class’ holistic PROVIDING OUR STUDENTS for. education for every St Peter’s WITH MORE SKILLS TO MANAGE • Learning (tutor) groups will be THE EMOTIONAL STRESSES OF student. This ongoing journey of single sex in Years 9, 10, and GROWING UP. review and improvement is taking us all around the School. co-ed in Years 11 to 13. This The traditional topics covered will enable age and gender by the health curriculum will be The current focus for Senior appropriate learning outcomes in covered in a much broader well- Leadership is Pastoral Care – a well-being to be delivered. being curriculum: major component of the St Peter’s • Students will have more • well-being will be taught at all experience as the largest co- leadership opportunities in the levels educational boarding school in the house system, and more inter- country. • it will be age and gender specific house events will boost house We’re increasingly aware that spirit. • there will be more focus on resilience building, self- some of the current facilities within PASTORAL CARE AND STUDENT awareness, emotional the school prohibit our ability to WELL-BEING HAS NEVER BEEN intelligence, conflict resolution confidently meet modern day MORE IMPORTANT. skills, social media and device requirements for student well- being. Accordingly, improvements Those at the forefront of teenage use, relationships, leadership, to boarding facilities have been mental health will tell you that, mindfulness, relaxation and accelerated. At the same time, more and more, their clinics are meditation, and much more parents will see increased staffing filled with anxious teenagers. • all will be delivered through a within some of the houses and an positive psychology education Anxiety is a survival mechanism that increase in health and well-being lens. is switched on when dealing with services on site. threats. Twenty-first Century schools The most exciting initiative to 1 must be nimble, adaptable and Psychologist Gwendoline Smith come from the Pastoral Care prepared to work with parents to believes that many teens are review is plans for a new Wellness support young people in this rapidly anxious in non-life-threatening Centre, a facility we hope to begin changing world. Pretending issues situations, such as not making construction of in 2018. In part, this do not exist, or that it is not the A teams, not wearing the “right” new facility will replace the existing role of schools to help is clearly clothing labels, and don’t know day houses. It will also enable not an option. After all, if a student how to solve basic problems for day and boarding students to mix is not happy, has no resilience or themselves. more. And it will house key health is addicted to their screen, then and well-being services. We look She claims anxiety is on the rise, they are unlikely to do their best at forward to telling you more in the because too many young people school. are not resilient. Too many do not next edition of Owl Magazine. Arthur Broadhurst, our founder, know how to adapt. If you have A hugely positive sign that our had it completely right with never had to solve a problem, how journey to ‘world-class’ is working the philosophy of ‘Body, Mind will you learn to do so? is evidenced by unprecedented and Spirit’. He probably did not demand for places at St Peter’s. According to Sir Peter Gluckman, imagine a well-being educational This, combined with continued we need to promote resilience by programme as part of being well- growth in the Waikato region are exposing children to emotional rounded, but I believe it is now an both very positive signs for the stresses. We need to build self- essential ingredient of a rounded future of our School. control skills at an early stage of education. education by ensuring that there Mr David Heald are competent and adequate Chairman, support systems in secondary Mr Dale Burden St Peter’s, Cambridge Principal Trust Board 1. “Knowing”, by Gwendoline Smith (Sarah Harris, NZ Herald) www.stpeters.school.nz 3 WELCOME TODD BARKER STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING COACH Passionate about helping our youth to learn and grow their capabilities, as well as an all-round sportsman, Todd Barker is a welcome addition to Sport at St Peter’s in the role of Strength and Conditioning Coach. Todd brings with him a wealth of experience, having worked as Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Waikato Rugby Union for the past 10 years. He has also worked extensively with secondary students, boys and girls, at school and regional level. AMY FEATONBY HEAD OF FACULTY (HOF) ENGLISH We welcome Amy Featonby as our “My teaching style encourages literature, using new HOF English. autonomous learners who can be texts as a way to proud of their achievements.” evaluate and question With a proven track record of society and the world. outstanding leadership, also She encourages students to marking and working for NZQA, her challenge themselves with new experience and passion for teaching make Amy well-suited to heading up English at St Peter’s.