2008 Representative Netball

Congratulations to the following students on their selection for Invercargill representative teams:
under 21 - Kendall McMinn and Whitney Areaiiti
under 17A - Gemma Roberts
under 17B - Rosie Brown
under 16 - Katie Telfer; Jo Telfer (NTR)
Southland Team which competed in inaugural Lois Muir Challenge - Kendall McMinn; Whitney Areaiiti (reserve) - Under 15 and Intermediate level teams are yet to be named.

Rockquest Winners

Home grown band “Room to Move” played at assembly this week showcasing the depth of musical talent being nurtured in the College. Following their Rockquest win, they will prepare a 15 minute DVD from which the national finalist will be selected later this term.
Room to Move band members from left Olivia Canny (vocals), Ryan Dyer (lead guitar), Connor Singh (drums), and Sam Heathcote (bass guitar) celebrating their win at the Rockquest Southland regional finals last Friday.

Tae Kwon Do Winners

Congratulations to Kayne Duggan and Lexi Monaghan-Neutze who gained gold medals at the Tae Kwon Do National Tournament held in Christchurch last weekend. Kayne who holds a blue belt competed in the 150-160cm group for juniors and Lexi who holds a Red Belt with Black Tips competed in the junior female under 50 kilo section.

Indoor Rock Climbing

Five Verdon students competed in the Southland Secondary Schools Rock Climbing Competition on Saturday 24th May. The teams event was lead by a strong and determined group of year 12 boys, Matthew Debono, Matthew Crooks and Ethan Duggan. They climbed for over 2 hours in the teams event and attempted the individuals competition in the afternoon before their arms and hands proved completely exhausted.
Brodie Vermeulen competed in the boys individual climbing where he came second. It was a fun and successful day all round with plenty of great spot prizes taken home, kindly donated by Adventure Southland. Well done all who attended, thanks to Paul Olsen for his coaching and guidance.



It is intended that the climbing group will continue and new students are encourage and very welcome to join in.

Cross Country Results

Year 7/8
Boys Jayden Crooks
Girls Angela Buckingham
Year 9/10
Boys Kris Leatherby
Girls Katie Telfer
Year 11-13
Girls Courtney Jones
Boys Chas Monaghan & ZacVermeulen

Winning House Marcellin
2nd Dominic
3rd Catherine

Fr Martin's Welcome

Fr Martin Flannery was formally welcomed to the College at the week 3 assembly. Fr Martin was supported at the welcome whakatau by Mr Tait. After the kapahaka group performed their welcome, greetings were exchanged. Fr Martin introduced himself to students, sharing his life journey and call to the Ministry. Mrs Miles’ year 12 class, who were in charge of the assembly liturgy, presented images of the school year set to music. The V8 values were incorporated to give Fr Martin a feel for the special character of the Verdon family.

The Wizard of Oz

Congratulations everyone involved with The Wizard of Oz, this year's highly successful musical. Director, Mrs Jan Brown and Musical Director Mr Alan Menzies can be justifiably proud of this quality production. The efforts of our talented leads, a dedicated chorus and superb technical support and costuming have made this a show to remember. The Wizard of Oz has been received with acclaim from audiences over the five performance season at the Centre Stage Theatre.

Tramping in the Longwoods

An enthusiastic group of trampers enjoyed a day in the hills exploring the old water race and gold mining battery in the Longwoods on Sunday. Thank you to Mr Shepherd and parent, Mr Sillars who helped us on our trip. We look forward to further trips.

Musician captivated the College

Wednesday’s assembly guest was musician Mr Paul Ubana Jones. Paul studied guitar and chello at the London School of Music before launching an international career with his distinctive Jazz – Blues style. Thank you to Mr Alan Dyer, a College parent, who organised for Paul to play to the school and then hold workshops for interested musicians.

Ruru Satellite Proposal Endorsed

The Board of Trustees meeting on Wednesday evening gave the go ahead for the Ruru Satellite Class proposal to move to the next step. Trustees have undertaken extensive community consultation with feedback being formally presented to Wednesday’s meeting. The decision allows the Catholic Education Office and Ministry of Education to work together with Ruru School to bring the proposal to fruition. A memorandum of understanding will ensure that the development is of benefit to students of both schools.

JRock “footing it” with the best

Congratulations to the JRock team on their wonderful performance last Friday night at the Civic Theatre. The imaginative theme was “feet”. With almost a quarter of our year 7 & 8 involved it is a major undertaking coordinated by Mrs Mason. Colour, innovation and enthusiasm were all recognised by the judges. They received five awards of excellence for performance skill, stage use, choreography, costuming character and the Gemma Dale award which is given to the school which best displays the qualities of teamwork, encouragement and commitment. Thank you to everyone who helped out and encouraged and supported them along the way.

Coach of the Year

Congratulations to Robyn Broughton on being awarded Coach of the Year award at the Southland Sports Awards together with her induction into the University of Otago Physical Education Faculty’s Hall of Fame. Robyn’s award recognises her commitment and hard work with the Sting and Verdon A Netball Team.

School Production 2008

It's that time of year again! Verdon College's production of The Wizard of Oz will be held at Centrestage Theatre in Don St, Invercargill, on the following days:

• Wed 21 May, 7:30pm
• Thu 22 May, 7:30pm
• Fri 23 May, 5:00pm
• Sat 24 May, 4:00pm
• Sun 25 May, 2:00pm

Tickets are available from the ICC Booking Office in Esk St -- $15 for adults, $8.50 for children.

Please note that the times given in the 8 May Newsletter are incorrect.

New Sports Fit Co-ordinator Appointed

Welcome to Peta McMillan who is the College’s newly appointed sports fit coordinator. Peta is a past student. She has just completed a sports and recreation degree, is interested in a wide range of sports and is developing her coaching skills. We are currently looking for a number of basketball coaches for College teams. If you are interested in taking one of these teams, please contact Peta at the College.