Principal's Foreword

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Tēnā koutou,

I hope all our families had a wonderful long weekend. Many of our boarders and day boys participated in the JMC annual hunting competition over the weekend, and as a result, the boarding house freezer is now well-stocked. It’s hard to believe we’re already heading into the final two weeks of Term 1.

Last Friday, our entire teaching staff, along with some parents and Māori students, spent the day at Ōtakou Marae. We began with a pōwhiri, where JMC parents Lisa Te Pana and Dan Houghton led the ceremony as kaikaranga and kaikōrero. Each of the staff members shared their pepeha, and we had the opportunity to learn about the area’s history, as well as ways we can incorporate more te reo and te ao Māori at the College. It was also a meaningful time spent together as a wider whānau.

During this week’s Assembly, we showed a video of Josh Grieve winning his National cycling title in the 3000m Individual Pursuit. We also acknowledged our student coaches, celebrated the winners of the Athletics Day age groups, and raised awareness about upcoming Arts competitions.

Academic excellence is a growing focus, and the boys were introduced to some new initiatives that will be introduced over the next few months. To make things simpler for both boys and parents, we’re extending ‘White Shirt Wednesdays’ into Term 2. This will make it easier for families to remember that it is formal uniform every Wednesday.

This week, many of our boys have been participating in the Summer Sports Tournament Week, and we’ll share full results in next week’s edition of the Pilkington Press.

With the Arts, our Year 11 Drama students attended Wahine Mātātoa last night as part of the Dunedin Arts Festival which began yesterday. We are also in dress rehearsals for the Shakespeare Festival which is just one week away. In music we have set up an exchange with St. Hilda's so our students can attend their orchestra and theirs can attend our jazz band. In visual art, the boys are putting together a photography exhibition to be held in the ELC last week of this term.

Our first set of formal Parent Interviews will be held on the last two days of Term 1. This year, we’re making some changes to the interview process. Day boy parents (Years 7–13) can schedule interviews on Thursday, 10 April, from 1:15pm to 7:00pm. Boarder parents can schedule their interviews on Friday, 11 April, from 1:15pm to 3:30pm. You’ll receive an email this afternoon with instructions on how to book your interviews, so please watch out for that.

Finally, our Ichikawa students from Japan will be leaving us this weekend. They have had a fantastic experience here in Otago, and we hope all of our host families have enjoyed their time with their visitors over the past two weeks.

Kā mihi,

John Veitch

Acting Principal