Dear Parents and families,

As the holidays approach, I would like to think each of you for the support you have given the College over the past term. As you look through this newsletter you will see highlighted some of the significant events of the past month – the Gala, Swimming and Athletics sports. None of these events occur without the support and hard work of dedicated teachers and parents, and my thanks go to all who have helped to make these events the success they were.

Brother Paul Smith and Ms Meredith Campbell were visitors to the College during the week, speaking to all classes about the work of the Lasallian Foundation and how we at the College can make a difference in the lives of children less fortunate than ourselves. As part of our College Outreach to the Lasallian Mission, each vertical form class has undertaken to sponsor a child in India or Sri Lanka. The sponsorship of $300 per year (approximately 6 cents per student per week! ) will make a huge difference to the life of a child living in poverty.

Brother Anthony Cummins has also been a visitor to the College this week, Brother Anthony has spoken to all Year 7 classes about the life of St John Baptist de La Salle and the Brothers and with all Year 9 about our Lasallian House Patrons, St. Benildus, St. La Salle, Blessed Brother Solomon and Our Lady of Loreto.

INTERIM REPORTS & PARENT-TEACHER INTERVIEWS - Interim reports are being posted home this week, and parent-teacher interviews are being held on Wednesday 12 April (3.30p.m. – 8.00 p.m.) and Thursday 13 April (9.00 a.m. – 12noon). Boys will be given appointment slips in the next few days so as to make appointments with teachers.

A PRAYER FOR LENT

God of compassion, Father of all goodness

You formed us from the dust of the earth

And conformed us to Christ by our baptism.

To heal the wounds that our sins and selfishness bring upon us

You bid us turn to prayer, fasting and sharing with the poor.

We acknowledged our sinfulness before You when we signed ourselves

With ashes.

May this journey through the desert of Lent lead us to the font of rebirth.

May our fasting create in us a hunger for justice.

May our alms help us to feed those in need.

May our prayers draw us closer to peace.

We ask this in the name of Our Lord Jesus, our brother,

Who lives with You and the Holy Spirit now and forever.

Amen. (Archdiocese of Detroit Website)

Live Jesus in our hearts, forever.

Brother Peter

Principal

COLLEGE GALA DAY – 25 MARCH 2006

The annual Gala Day was held on Saturday 25 March. Despite the windy weather, a good crowd arrived at the College to participate on the rides, the games, the plants, books and food. College bands kept everyone entertained from the library balcony, and a good time was had by all. Our thanks to the PTA, to the many individuals and organisations who donated time and goods, to all the organisers, the stall holders, and those who came with open wallets to support their college.

(To see more Gala Day photos, click here)

The results of the Gala Day raffles were:

THANKS TO ALL THE SPONSORS WHO CONTRIBUTED TO THE SUCCESS OF THE GALA DAY:

"WHAT BOYS' SCHOOLS DO WELL" - Excerpts from a book by Celia Lashlie

Reflection of Maleness - Boys' schools by their very existence encourage the building of a sense of pride in being male. In a world where there is a great deal of discussion about the absence of positive male role models and where much of the media focus is on the more negative aspects of young men moving towards adulthood, the ability of boys' schools to provide an alternate view cannot be underestimated. For many adolescent boys who choose to attend an all-boys' school, their first school assembly will be the first time they have encountered their own gender in such numbers and in a totally male-focused environment. When talking to Year 9 students in the course of the project, it was possible to discern a real sense of pride in the fact they were now part of something significantly bigger than themselves, something that is by its very nature inherently male.

Entry to a boys' school appears to be very much a case of 'welcome to the world of men'.

Revelling in the Business of Boys - One of the inherent strengths of boys' schools is that they can and do revel in and celebrate the business of boys. The freedom available within boys' schools to focus on and enjoy complete immersion in issues relating to boys without having to devote equivalent energy to issues relating to girls cannot be underestimated.

This is not to say students at single sex boys' schools are being educated in a world that ignores the presence of women. To the contrary, all students spoken to were able to speak with considerable insight (and quite some humour) about the reality of the opposite sex, both girls of their own age and the adult women within their lives. One female teacher in a management position within a school made the comment that she considered women working within boys' schools to be 'a bridge to the world of women'. Female teachers working within boys' schools are in a special position in terms of the value they add in a predominantly male environment.

Boys appeared to hold well-balanced views in terms of their attitude to women.

The inherent value in school being a place where the boys did not have to be concerned about their appearance beyond the basics of wearing the correct clothing, tucking their shirts in and pulling their socks up. Students at all levels talk of the freedom implicit in not having to concern themselves with appearance issues due to the absence of girls and seemed to consider it a major benefit of being at a boys' school.

They paid considerable attention to their appearance when not at school and didn't see themselves as any different in this regard from male friends attending co-ed schools, but the absence of pressure about their appearance at school made life a whole lot simpler and allowed them to stay longer in the moment of being boys.

What boys' schools do well is that they allow boys to be boys, support the reality that is boys, and work with great enthusiasm and energy to make their students' inevitably bumpy transition into adolescence and on towards manhood as smooth and incident-free as possible, something that is by its very nature almost impossible to achieve.

Accommodating the Physicality of Boys - Standing in a school assembly of 1,400 students very quickly grounded me in the reality that is testosterone-driven young men. The noise, the smell, the energy levels and the sheet size of some of the students meant that there was never any doubt but that I was in a totally male environment.

To see the delight on the faces of these students at being who and where they were, to feel their exuberance, not so much about the assembly they were on their way to, but more about life itself and being part of the school was another glimpse of magic.

The physicality of the boys at times overwhelmed me, as I am sure it does their teachers from time to time. The year level it was most evident at was Year 10 and it became a saying of mine when talking to staff in the schools that it seemed the most effective technique for controlling Year 10 boys while trying to get at least a few scraps of information into their heads is to allow them to stand up every 10 minutes and put someone in a headlock before requiring them to sit back down.

It was possible during my discussions with Year 10 students to watch the levels of testosterone build and as it did, to detect just how very hard it was becoming for them to actually sit still. Boys at this level and to a lesser degree in the years either side, also appeared unable to move past a fellow student in the class without hitting him and if hitting him wasn't an option, a carefully crafted insult would do to achieve the same end.

Boys do need to learn to behave less exuberantly, to be able to control themselves in a classroom setting. The all boy environment provides room and the opportunity for boys to get the rough and tumble out of their system rather than simply suppressing it in order to meet the expectations of the adults around them.

Sport - Sport is an integral part of the journey to manhood for the vast majority of boys. It's competitive nature coupled with the sense it can give boys of being a part of something bigger than themselves is what makes it an integral part of that journey. In terms of what boys' school do well, the majority of them provide a very wide range of sporting opportunities for their students and in doing so, allow them to experience success and to develop a sense of pride in themselves, give them a mechanism through which they can continue to build a positive relationship with their body and provide an opportunity to use their high energy levels.

In terms of some of the individual students I met, it seemed as if sport was the thing, often the only thing, that was keeping them at school and providing a sense of structure and balance to their world when nothing much else was making sense.

Boys are a lot less resilient than girls in their negotiation of adolescence and when life hits a difficult moment, (e.g. parental break-up, family death, rejection by a girl), they are significantly less able to cope. If in the midst of the chaos, the student remains part of a sports team and has responsibilities and a goal to reach for as a member of that team, it seems he is able to hold himself steadier than might otherwise be the case. Sport focuses him outwards and gives him the time he so desperately needs to think through the other issues impinging on his life.

In addition to formal sporting opportunities, there is the freedom students at boys' schools appear to have to play. As the bell signifying a break in the teaching regime rang, the students would swarm out onto the school grounds and all manner of games would commence. Some were the more traditional games (soccer, rugby, basketball etc.,) but in addition to these there were numerous games that appeared to be made up on the spot depending on the number of students wanting to play and the space available. The boys seemed able to decide on the rules of a game with little or no overt discussion with each other and once the game was underway, there seemed to be a tacit agreement about where was 'out', what constituted fair play and what did not and how victory was to be determined.

The Provision of Clear Boundaries - Boys' need very clear boundaries. It appears they want and need to know three primary things – who is in charge, what is it you want me to do and what will happen if I don't (do it)? Added to that mix is their need to know that if they don't do what is being asked of them, the penalty they will receive will be exactly the same as that given to their classmate if he too doesn't do it.

They appear to accept the need for rules, insist on them even, at the same time as accepting that it is their job to test whether a rule can be broken.

Boys' schools put a great deal of energy into making the rules non-negotiable and clearly visible while ensuring they are applied consistently. This in turn allows the students to know where the boundaries are and appears to stabilise them to a significant degree as they negotiate the roller coaster that is adolescence.

Illicit Drugs - There are, in my view, three possible contributing factors to the apparent low-level use of drugs among students from boys' schools.

The first is the fact that the majority of boys' schools have a zero tolerance approach to drug use. The second is the role sport plays in the lives of the boys. The links being made each time with sport and the effect drugs have on sporting performance.

The third possible contributing factor is summed up in the words of one school principal, 'they cherish their place in the school and know there are other boys waiting to take it; they know the school has a zero tolerance approach to drugs; they know they will eventually get caught'. Using drugs is not cool and the culture of the school and among the boys constantly reinforces this message.

Rites of Passage - There are numerous ways in which the students' passage through the schools were marked and celebrated. It seemed to me that in fact celebration of excellence was something all the schools had put a considerable amount of time and energy into. The language being used around the boys was positive, they were regularly hearing conversations that affirmed the value of being male and they were able to see evidence of success through effort every day as they moved around the school.

Giving Boys Time - Whatever else boys need in the mix, the essential element is time.

They need time to think, time to process newfound emotions and time to make decisions about their future. And they need time to just be, to swing between adolescence and boyhood, returning several times in the initial flush of adolescence to a state of boyhood where they spend time reflecting on the fact that they are in the process of leaving that boyhood behind.

Relationships with Parents - Students are not educated in isolation. The relationship the school has with the boys' parents plays an important part in determining the level of success the school will have in producing an emotionally confident young man able to take his place in the world.

Conclusion - In concluding the discussion on what boys' schools do well, it seems to me this is the thing they do best; they give boys time, the time they need to come fully into the adolescent experience, all the while putting images in front of them that tell them about the world of men they are making their way towards. It is time boys need and it is time boys' schools give them…time and hope.

Celia Lashlie's book is "He'll be OK – Growing beautiful boys into good men".

CONGRATULATIONS

The following boys have recently attained their NZ Cricket Umpires Association Level 2 umpiring status: Thomas Carley, Jacob Eden, James Fastier, Samuel Fastier, William Johnston, Lachlan McLean, James Lawn, David Sunley and Ben Wilson. Congratulations.

CLASSROOM NEWS

IT'S COOL TO BE KIND – Year 7 Anti-Bullying Presentation - On Tuesday 7 march all Year 7s attended an Anti-Bullying presentation with Tony Collis in the College gym. This was a one-hour show of illusion, ventriloquism and story telling. The presentation was a light hearted one with a heavy message, i.e. It's uncool to be cruel – but cool to be kind. All Year 7s have been charged $3.00 to pay for this through their school accounts.

CAREERS

Victoria University – important dates 2006/07

*These Discretionary Entrance dates are set to encourage early applications to ensure a smooth process. However applications will be accepted up to two weeks before the start of the trimester, providing all supporting documentation is included.

The New Zealand National Committee for United World Colleges (UWC) - is calling for nominations for United World College scholarships for 2006. The scholarships will be awarded to one or more students (depending upon the availability of funds), Each year the NZ Committee of (UWC) awards 1 to 3 fully paid scholarships to NZ secondary students who fulfil their criteria. More information about these scholarships is available on the UWC website at http://www.nz.uwc.org/ .

Taratahi Farm Tasters 2006 - 4-day courses for students aged 16 years or older – the dates are: 18-21 April, 3-6 July, 25-28 September and 11-14 December. The cost is $40.00 which includes course, meals and accommodation. To secure a place, contact Jackie Jamieson at Taratahi Agricultural Centre, Ph (06) 378 2116 extn 705, email shortcourses@taratahi-ag.ac.nz or www.taratahi-ag.ac.nz

Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre - Youth Adventure Challenge – 5-day programme for 14-18 year olds. A fantastic intro to the outdoors with a varied, fun and educational range of daily activities from caving and kayaking to a wilderness overnight experience. The Centre also runs courses in kayaking, rock skills, mountaineering etc. Freephone 0800outthere, email opc@opc.org.nz , website www.opc.org.nz .

NOTICES

Parking at home time - We have had a request from a neighbour of the College to ask parents who pick up their sons after school to please not park across the neighbouring driveways. We realise that there is a lot of congestion and heavy traffic at the gate at the end of a school day, however we would appreciate your courtesy and consideration of the local residents in this regard. Thank you.

Adult volunteers needed - to assist in the intermediate school reading programme. They would be required for 1 hour twice a week, preferably mornings, starting next term. Please ring Christine Alexander on 753 6149.

Turf Hockey - We now have three teams in the Taranaki Secondary Schools B grade competition and we are in need of coaches and managers for these teams. Any offers of help will be appreciated. You could leave a message for me at the school office. Graham Blanks, Hockey Co-ordinator

SPORTS NEWS

COLLEGE SWIMMING CARNIVAL - 24 FEBRUARY 2006

AGE GRADE CHAMPIONS

NEW RECORDS

(For more pictures of the Swimming Carnival, click here)

COLLEGE ATHLETICS CARNIVAL - 10 MARCH 2006

AGE GRADE CHAMPIONS

(For more pictures of the Athletics Carnival click here)

College Calendar

APRIL 2006

MAY 2006