Academic
The Call of St Paul's
I can regularly be heard referring to the ‘Parable of Talents’ from Mathew's Gospel Chapter 25, and the importance of each and every one of us maximizing our talents and abilities in our lives.
In last year’s Scholarship examinations, St Paul’s saw the positive manner in which many of their senior students were able to gain recognition for their drive and determination in the nations most demanding and challenging academic benchmark examinations. Twelve of our Year 13 students gained a subject scholarship, with Hayden Gutry (four scholarships including one outstanding), John Scott-Jones (three scholarships), and Jennifer Jin (two scholarships including one outstanding), being the best St Paul’s performers. When you consider that each of these students sat a number of three-hour scholarship papers in addition to their five NCEA Level 3 examinations, competing against New Zealand’s brightest and best students, their achievements deserve our praise and respect. Each of the scholarship successes enjoyed by our St Paul’s students wasn’t achieved without considerable sacrifice, hard work, self-discipline and extraordinary high levels of motivation.
Access to a tertiary institution can no longer be regarded as a right, but instead should be viewed as an opportunity, which is possible if you are prepared to work for it. In recent years, Auckland University has restricted entry to its courses, by ranking the students on their “best eighty credits in their NCEA Level 3 certificate”. In 2011, Victoria University will also use these criteria to determine entry and it is highly likely that other universities will soon follow suit. Ham-strung by funding restrictions, universities can no longer accept all of the students who apply who have gained the old ‘tertiary entrance’ requirements (i.e. 42 credits at NCEA Level 3). It is no longer so much the number of credits students receive, but the quality of the grades that is important – the number of Merits and Excellences that they are able to gain for their Achievement Standards.
The same pressure is on Year 12 students. Entry into Halls of Residence is dependent on one’s NCEA Level 2/Cambridge AS results. Many of the Halls are significantly over subscribed, with universities/polytechnics struggling to place all the applicants in accommodation close to their tertiary institution. It is vital that our sixth form students strive for their ‘Personal Best’ in completing their internal and external assessments, if they want the best possible chance of gaining entry into their preferred hostel.
The number one focus of any St Paul’s Collegiate School student is their academic studies. Involvement in co-curricular activities – sport, cultural activities, leadership, Christian Dimension – is a crucial part of St Paul’s aim of developing well-rounded and secondary school grounded graduates. But these co-curricular activities must be balanced by a full commitment to class work, homework, and internal assessment. Time management, prioritising tasks, and personal organisation are crucial life skills that not only determine one’s success at school but also later in life.
G W Lander
Headmaster
Growth through Achievement
St Paul’s strives to prepare each student to take their place confidently and successfully in society with the prospect of a happy and rewarding future. Academic achievement is central to that preparation.
The School provides a teaching and learning environment that encourages students to set and attain goals, and achieve their ‘personal bests’.
Achievement is realised through:
• High academic standards
• A small school where every student is known personally
• Small class sizes
• A carefully structured academic programme
• Highly skilled, engaged and committed teachers
• Individualised academic programmes
• Applied learning options such as Agricultural/Horticultural Science and Construction to suit the needs of all students
• Global best practice in strategies for teaching and learning
• Parental involvement in planning academic options for their teenagers
• Regular homework (prep)
• A specialised Scholarship Programme for senior students
• The choice of alternative qualifications in the senior school
• Preparation for the Scholarship examinations
• Celebration of academic success
• Career profiling and guidance programmes
• Good time management.
St Paul’s students have fine academic records. Year 13 students are consistently successful in gaining entry to university and the School has a proven record of achievement in the national Scholarship examinations. The School believes that the pathway to academic success must begin in Year 9 and carry through until the examinations at the end of Year 13. St Paul’s offers both
NCEA and Cambridge International Examination programmes.
Through the pursuit of academic excellence, St Paul’s helps all students extend their personal academic boundaries and achieve results above and beyond their previous personal bests.
Achieving Personal Bests
St Paul’s prides itself on pursuing excellence. Most classes consist of fewer than 20 students and this allows for better teacher assistance and greater understanding by teachers of the needs of our students. Students learn in an achievement-focused environment where the expectations of academic success are high. Each student is expected to work in a self-motivated, self-disciplined manner and is challenged to strive for their ‘personal bests’. Homework is an integral component of learning.
“We are committed to a culture that encourages and expects each pupil to achieve the very best they can.❞
Achieving Personal Bests
St Paul’s prides itself on pursuing excellence. Most classes consist of fewer than 20 students and this allows for better teacher assistance and greater understanding by teachers of the needs of our students. Students learn in an achievement-focused environment where the expectations of academic success are high. Each student is expected to work in a self-motivated, self-disciplined manner and is challenged to strive for their ‘personal bests’. Homework is an integral component of learning.
“We are committed to a culture that encourages and expects each pupil to achieve the very best they can.❞
St Paul's sets high academic standards for its students and expects them to be met. The School seeks to bridge the traditional values of education with the realities of preparing its students for success in their world of tomorrow. A philosophy of small classes, staff accountability and a clear focus on individual learning underpins all instruction.
Curriculum delivery is geared to suit the needs of the individual as well as the group. The Learning Resources Unit provides individual assistance for those who experience specific learning difficulties and for gifted children.