1st XV Rugby Trip to Australia

On July 1^st the Verdon College 1^st XV set off on their 2009 Australian tour. Following stop overs in Christchurch and Wellington the team arrived to a warm Brisbane evening. After getting settled, the team ventured into Surfers Paradise for tea and a tentative look at the local wares. Practice took precedence on day two followed by the first shopping expedition to Australia’s largest mall, Pacific Fair, where the boys assisted the Australian economy out of recession.

A trip to Harbour Town and further retail therapy was in order and then on to Brisbane to watch the Warriors play the Broncos at Suncorp stadium, where 32,000 people turned out to watch a club game of league. Many of the boys would like to return and see further games here. Following an intense practice on Saturday morning the boys relaxed by attending surf school in the afternoon. Many were first time surfers left with the skills to stand up and hang ten.

Corrumbin was the venue for the Tens Tournament. We entered two teams. The B team struggled having only two backs and therefore had a very make-shift back line. The 4^th game of the day resulted in their only win of the tournament. The A team had a very easy tournament, winning all their games by 40+ points and winning their division.

Movie World was the scheduled attraction for the next day. The boys went nuts on the rides trying to scare each other. All enjoyed the day and were reluctant to leave.

Dream World was the highlight for many. The rides proving to be a real challenge for some who returned looking very white and quiet.

The first day of the fifteens was played at The Southport School (TSS). We played Northside Christian School, winning both of these games comfortably.

Day two of the fifteens: We enjoyed further success with two wins. Flu was starting to hit a number of the boys and this was now proving to an issue. Finding enough healthy bodies was a challenge.

Friday was the last opportunity for any further retail therapy and exchanges. The boys were given the opportunity to rest and they did this with zest; some not surfacing till lunch time. The Carnival Dinner was held at Movie World. 1,200 people sitting in the main street and being served under the sun shades. It was a cold evening but the boys took the chance to mix and mingle with the other rugby players and girls from the various netball teams attending their local tournament.

Finals day was ironic. The team had travelled to Australia to play Central Southland College whom we drew with 6 all. Verdon went through to the final due to superior pool position. The final was with Roncalli who gave us a lesson in rugby. The boys should be pleased with their second placing at this tournament.

It was now time to consider heading for home. Thanks go to our Coach, Manager and Staff for a great trip.

Year 10A Netball Success

On Sunday the 5th of July, the Year 10A Netball Team traveled to Christchurch to compete in the South Island Secondary Schools Netball Tournament. The best Year 9 and 10 teams gathered at Hagley Park to compete in this annual event. After an initial rocky start, Verdon moulded as a team and won four consecutive games. This meant that they progressed into the semifinals and came 1st in the 4th division, beating St Andrews College in the final. The team wish to thank their coach Tereza Ropata, manager Mary Corbin, supporters and sponsors.

Music Festival

Marian House has scooped the awards in the house choir section of the annual music festival.

1979 1st XV Rugby Reunion

On Saturday 20th June, Verdon College played host to the 1979 Marist College 1st XV Rugby Team as they gathered for their reunion. They supported our 1st XV as they played Gore High School in the Highlander's competition.

Holiday Travel Plans

With term holidays approaching and a number of families planning to travel, both overseas and around NZ, the College is aware of the threat posed by the swine flu epidemic, particularly the risk posed by travellers returning as potential carriers.

At this stage, the Ministry of Health’s advice is that if staff and students are well and symptom free after returning from an affected area overseas they can return to school and do not need to remain at home for any period after arriving back in the country, or back to the home city. However, this may change in the coming weeks and families need to plan for this possibility.

The risk is that if an infected student returns to school and is in contact with other students and staff for even a day, the whole College could be asked to close for a week.

The College asks you to carefully monitor your family’s health closely as you return from overseas, or your trip within New Zealand, and if there are even the slightest flu symptoms, do not send your son or daughter back to school until you have first telephoned to check with your doctor, or alternatively check through the MOH Healthline 0800 611 116.

Pandemic Planning

Verdon College is taking pandemic planning seriously but hopefully it will not come to this! A new set of web pages have been added, under the links section, to make available more information to the Verdon community.

The College will be following the recommendations of the local Medical Officer of Health when any decisions are being made about student attendance. We will try to make sure that disruptions to student learning are kept to a minimum.

Please make sure that family contact information is current. The office need at least two people who could be contacted in the event of sickness or school closure.

The Verdon Online service, using Google Apps, will be available to students and staff who are not sick and would like to work from home in the event of a school closure. Students will need to make sure they have a current password well in advance of such an event.

Road Works Complete

It is a pleasure to report that roadworks blocking the College entrance for most of term one have been completed. The result is a freshly sealed street frontage. One of the benefits of the work is the addition of a second cycle lane which will increase the level of safety for those who bike to school.