in the French colony. Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu ¯ also accorded us the privilege of viewing its collection of Charles Meryon’s etchings. To be able to engage with our community’s resources in this manner informs learning beyond measure. Senior Japanese students also enjoyed their immersion day at the University of Canterbury. Here they had the opportunity to interact with fellow language students and their respective teachers. All spoke positively of this experience. I would like to thank my team in the Modern Languages department who work with passion and commitment to bring the best learning opportunities they can to the boys – and to congratulate our language students on the linguistic progress they have made in 2019.
normal. The boys got into a range of activities and were challenged to create their own games, experience different games from other countries, and manage in-class competitions. Through it all, the key focal points of building a good skill base, applying good techniques and gaining a better understanding of tactics, became the common themes. The boys also continued their good work in Health lessons, with the focus on exploring a range of issues and using the information to make good choices related to their own wellbeing. In Year 11, the annual Stroke and Stride event returned, with the boys performing to a very high standard. This year, swimming and running were also linked to the strength and conditioning aspects of the course, utilising the services of Strength & Conditioning Coach Kris Miller. The introduction of Health standards has prompted the boys to think more closely about how to manage their wellbeing, as well as inspiring discussion around decision-making in relationships. In the Year 11 option class, the boys continued to perform well, with some of them producing outstanding work. The introduction of a new standard – the Great Outdoors – which focuses on safe behaviours in the outdoors, saw the boys surfing at Sumner and orienteering at Halswell Quarry. There was also the opportunity for the boys to work with girls from Rangi Ruru Girls’ School as part of the Sport in Society assessments. In Year 12, the ever-popular classic of canoe polo got the boys busy, and they ran very successful activities for Year 8 students as part of their coaching experience. In Year 13, the boys went on an inaugural field trip to Craigieburn Valley Ski Area as part of a module on safety management in the outdoors. There was the opportunity to look at all aspects of mountain safety, with avalanche strategies being a key focus as well as practical performance on the ski field. The biomechanical analysis of a golf swing was also a fun topic, highlighting just how complicated a golf swing can be. A lot of golf
balls disappeared into some unusual places around Upper. The Scholarship programme continued with gusto, with students working towards submission of a critical analysis of a Physical Education & Health issue. There was tremendous dedication from the boys attending tutorials in the evenings, and hopefully good news will come when results are released in February 2020, following College’s first ever Physical Education & Health Scholarship from Rhys Thatcher last year. It is appropriate to applaud the following students for their commitment to the programme throughout the year: Ollie Brakenridge, Finn Brokenshire, Gus Coates, Thomas Graham, Louis Gunn, Kynan Salt, Tommy Whitaker.
2019 Prize Winners Year 9 – Lewis Whiteside Year 10 – Flynn Topham Year 11 – Thomas Clarke Year 12 – Kynan Salt Year 13 – Thomas Graham
Susan Harding HoD Modern Languages
PHYSICAL EDUCATION & HEALTH 2019 has undoubtedly been a hectic year within the Physical Education & Health Department, a result of the multiple areas of responsibility of department members and the continuation of positive education being driven by the department as part of a whole school approach to wellbeing. Achievement Overall, the boys are still achieving at a very good level compared to similar schools. There is a steady level of achievement with a high percentage of overall grades being at Merit and Excellence. Compared to the national average, we are achieving well and have made gains in standards where we have previously not performed as well. The number of students achieving University Entrance in this subject area has increased. The boys continue to work hard and do their best to deal with the demands of a fully internally assessed subject.
Thank you to all the staff and students who have contributed to another good year in the Physical Education & Health Department. Chris Needle HoD Physical Education & Health
SCIENCE Biology
It has been another exciting year in Biology, which started with the pleasure of welcoming our new technician Sally Kersey to the department. Sally has already made a big impact with her creativity and efficiency, and we are very excited to have her experience and ideas moving forward. This was particularly evident in the way she planned and coordinated a new forensics activity for the Intermediate Science Competition in Term 4. The year also started with the exciting news of our 2018 Scholarships results. Once again, we achieved some of the best results in the country – gaining six Scholarships from a cohort of 41 boys. Quite amazing really. This
Around the classrooms The junior programme for Year 9 and 10 students continued as
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Christ’s College Canterbury
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