Our College has a long sporting tradition.  We are committed to offering all our students opportunities to participate in a range of individual and team sports, at both a competitive and non-competitive level.

We have first class facilities for physical education and allied sports with a gymnasium, fitness centre, turfed tennis and netball courts, a squash court and use of Steele Park.

A considerable number of our teaching staff are actively involved in our Sport Programme either as teacher in charge of a specific sport or as coaches and managers of our sports teams.  The level of commitment from staff shows students that the College cares about their involvement in sport and encourages them to get involved.

Coaches and managers of our sports teams are also often parents, senior students or members of our wider community.  We are running several coaching clinics this year - click here to learn more. The College believes it is important to have an appropriate adult involved with each sport team.  We are committed to assisting all coaches and managers and offer coach development training within the College.  We also link with Sport Waikato and various sport associations.
 
All students, parents, coaches and managers are expected to adhere to the College’s Sports Code of Conduct.  We have a number of students who participate in sports that the College is unable to offer, such as diving, martial arts and rodeo.  The College supports these students and offers assistance where we can.  We are developing strong links with clubs outside the College in order to offer our students more varied opportunities in sport.

Sacred Heart is very proud of its record of achievements in sporting competitions.  We encourage our athletes and sport teams to enter regional and national secondary school competitions.  The Secondary School Tournament Week at the end of both the summer and winter seasons is often the competitions our top teams are peaking towards.  Many Sacred Heart Girls’ College students have been selected as Waikato representatives in most sports, and a number have also gone on to win national and international honours.

The College runs a Talent Development Programme that Senior Students can apply to annually for selection.  Junior students are able to get involved in our GATE PE Programme.

Annual College sports days are held for swimming and athletics, and all students are encouraged to participate in these days at an appropriate level. During these days the students also represent their House Team. The competition is both fun as well as serious for those who are intending to represent the College at Waikato and national competitions in these sports.

Sport Exchanges with our fellow Catholic Colleges from around New Zealand are highlights of the sporting calendar. Mission Cup and Te Toa are annual competitions that generations of our Netball and Hockey students have competed at. We are currently intending to extend other such exchanges to include a number of different codes, plus our junior and development teams.

At the end of each year the College hosts a Dinner and Sports Awards Ceremony to celebrate our sporting achievements for that year.  Our Sports Awards Ceremony is a formal occasion and for many of our students and their parents, marks the culmination of all their sporting achievements while at the College.  We currently offer the following sports and activities at the College:

If you require further information about our Sport Programme please contact our Sports Co-Ordinator

CULTURAL PROGRAMMES

Music

Excellent facilities in our music suite provide for individual and group tuition and practice. At present we are offering tuition in piano, violin,viola,cello, double bass, guitar, trumpet, trombone, tenor horn, piccolo, flute, clarinet, bass-clarinet, oboe, saxophone, singing, synthesizer keyboard and drum-kit.

Performance opportunities are offered through:

Drama

Our School Production

If you are wanting to practice for the singing - please feel free to download these versions of I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing.

Group A

Group B

Backing

Both A and B

Drama Within the Curriculum

Drama is offered to each year level at Sacred Heart Girls’ College. It is an optional subject.

Junior Drama

Students who choose to do drama in year nine will take it for a term, exploring performance through process drama and scripted pieces. Year ten students take drama for the entire year. The course introduces students to the language of drama and gives them the opportunity to create and perform theatre, exploring ways to structure good drama and use scripts, as well as introducing the art of masked performance.

Senior Drama

Students who take drama in years eleven to thirteen are assessed using NCEA achievement standards. These courses develop students’ skills of performance and creation of theatre. Students also build skills for the analysis of live performances, written texts, characters and situations. They learn to justify their actions and perform with true meaning.
Students are also able to sit the scholarship exam at the end of year thirteen.

Extra Curricular Opportunities within the Drama Department

At Sacred Heart Girls’ College students have the opportunity to be involved in a number of extra curricular activities.

Junior Shakespeare

Junior Shakespeare is run by senior students who direct the year nines and tens in scenes from a multitude of Shakespeare’s plays. It is an opportunity to have fun with the bard’s work, interpreting it in fun and approachable ways. This activity culminates in a Shakespeare festival hosted by Hillcrest High School.

The Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival

Senior students are invited to audition to be a part of the school’s teacher directed entry into this exciting festival. They are also able to direct their own pieces for the event. Scenes are chosen from Shakespeare’s plays and are interpreted in a variety of ways. Should we be chosen as the region’s representatives then we will travel to perform in Wellington at the national festival on queens birthday weekend. If the school’s entry is not chosen, students are still invited to attend the national festival with a group from school.

Junior and Senior Theatre Sports

Depending on circumstances the seniors may tutor the juniors for this activity with teacher facilitation. Each team is made up of four members. The seniors and one junior team compete in the regional competitions, entertaining audiences from a multitude of schools.

Stage Challenge

Stage Challenge is a well loved tradition at Sacred Heart Girls’ College. The year thirteen students lead a group of up to 100 students each year in creating a dynamic performance for the regional competition held at Founders Theatre. This is a wonderful opportunity for students who love to be on stage, giving them an opportunity to shine in front of a large audience.

School Production

Depending on circumstances the school offers a school production each year. On alternate years performers from Saint Johns Boys’ College are invited to join the girls in a joint production. Generally these productions are musical performances, but sometimes plays such as Shakespeare’s have been used.
At times a junior production is offered later in the year for year nine and ten students.

Performance in School Assemblies and Events

Throughout the year students who show talents in the dramatic arts are invited to perform at special occasions and assemblies.

Debating

Debating teams represent the college at each level from year 10 up, through involvement in inter-college debates, both locally and in the national Jaycee Debating Competition.

Maori Culture Club

Te Kapa Haka O Ngakau Tapu Nau mai, haere mai ki nga tauira katoa e hiahia nei ki ti ako i nga mahi a Rehia. Ko tetehi o a tatou mahi, te powhiri I nga manuwhiri, a te awhina i nga maki katoa o te kura. No reira, kotiro ma, nau mai, haere mai.

Exchange Visits

We have fostered language exchange visits, with students from our sister school Hikarigaoka Girls’ High School, Okazaki, Japan, visiting for Home Stays, and groups of our students visiting there for a three-week stay. Senior students can experience a full year exchange visit to Okazaki.

For senior students, six week exchanges can also be arranged in the Freiburg area of Germany, where students are hosted by German families, with a return visit in July/August, and with French-speaking students from Tahiti. The regular national exchange schemes are also available to all students.