Kia ora e te whanau,
Once again, Eisteddfod week and St Peter’s College feast day is upon us, and it is fantastic to see the students involved take on the challenge of entering events that may take them outside of their comfort zones. It is also amazing to see the more established talent from students in our school who are really able to showcase their gifts. A huge amount of organisation goes into this event, from the lighting and sound to the crowd control and timetabling. We are so lucky to have such generous support from within our community in attending to many of these areas, as well as those people who come in and judge each section. My sincere thanks also goes out to the many school staff that spend a lot of hours outside their teaching load to ensure this event is successful and supportive of all students, especially Mrs Laura Thomas our new Eisteddfod coordinator, who has worked tirelessly. And last but not least without our Year 13’s taking a lead role across the many duties required, including delivering morning teas to the judges, keeping guard on doorways and cheering on our younger students, the Eisteddfod would not be as special as it is.
It is also the time of Matariki in New Zealand, and it is great to see many of our junior classes embracing this celebration in their learning programmes. Staff have also gotten involved with a special professional development session being run for us last week by our Kaiawhina, Whaea Vanessa. The pre-dawn rise of Matariki, also known as the Seven Sisters or Pleiades, traditionally signals the Māori New Year under the Maramataka, or lunar calendar. In general, the celebration of Matariki starts when the first new moon can be seen following the rise of Matariki. Traditionally Matariki was both a time to commemorate those who had passed on and to celebrate a time of plenty when stores were abundant from horticulture, hunting and fishing. I am sure we all look forward to this being recognised as a public holiday next year!
Lowness of winter sun,
thin-ness of shadows,
paleness of winter sky,
now praise the Lord.
Bareness of cherry tree,
seed-seeking silvereye,
spent husks of harakeke
now praise the Lord.
Now in the dropping,
now in the deepening,
now in the loosening,
God’s name be sung.
Now in the leaving,
now in the losing,
now in the ending,
God be our home.
Whirring of tui-wings
chirping of sparrows,
wheeling of seagulls’ flight
now praise the Lord.
Squelching of muddy grass,
yielding of sodden moss,
puddles and dripping blades,
now praise the Lord.
Now in the star-rise,
now in the Little Eyes,
now in the dawn-watch
God’s name be known.
Now in the story-ing,
now in the sky-gazing,
now in the waiata
God’s love be sung.
Coldness of shadow,
lateness of light
swiftness of sunset,
now praise the Lord.
Fierceness of frosty night
hardness of icy earth,
wildness of southerly,
now praise the Lord.
Now in the grounding,
now in the falling,
now in the dying,
God’s Name be known.
In the remembering,
in the relinquishing,
in the returning,
God be our home.
Adrienne Thompson
Tara Quinney
Principal
