Term 3 Week 3                            12 August 2022                                       Newsletter# 14

Principal’s Message

Tena Koutou Katoa    Talofa Lava    Kamusta    Malo el lelei    Mauri    Hello Everyone

As we end our third week back at school, I can’t believe we are here already. It only seems yesterday the school term began.

It was great to see the children enjoying our school cross-country day particularly as it was sunny; a welcome change. We have also had rugby and netball competitions in the last two weeks. I want to thank you parents who help make these events happen by being available to coach, transport, and supervise these events.  Our Ako 2  teachers had a successful camp pre-visit on Monday and are excited about next term’s Year 5 & 6 camp. Tomorrow, Ako 2 also had their trip to the Botanical Gardens. These fun days are the ones children remember most fondly.

This term we have noted an increase in students being late to school. All children should be at school at 8:30 am and in their rooms ready to start at 8:45 am. In our Catholic school, class prayer at the beginning of the day is an important part of our school life; a time to settle in and be calm and focus on children’s intentions for the day. Not only does arriving late disturb that special prayer time, but it also doesn’t help your child transition into the school day ahead. If you find you are always arriving 10 minutes late, please try to organise an extra 10 minutes earlier in the morning at home. Please make a special effort to get your children to school on time this coming Monday as we will be going to 9:00 am Mass for the Assumption.

Due to Covid isolating at home, winter illnesses or just being cautious, our absences continue to be high and we are yet to have 90% of our children attending on one day this year. That means we are having at least 30 absences every day. Each day that a child is away from school can impact their learning progress. Unfortunately, due to the restrictions, we have faced over the past two and a half years, learning has been very disrupted. We strongly encourage you to ensure that your child is at school every day, if they are well and if your child is unwell or isolating, that you are in regular contact with their teacher. If a child misses five school days each term, they will miss the equivalent of almost half a term’s learning. Student attendance, along with effective teaching, has the greatest influence on student engagement and achievement. All children must be present at school so they can participate and engage in learning in order to make progress. 

For Health & Safety reasons parents are not to drive into the school driveway/car park – it is not a drop-off zone. We are very aware that Seddon Street is very busy so you might consider using our Dublin Street entrance when bringing your children to school. Our front entrance is being redeveloped over the summer holidays to be more open but unfortunately, we can’t do much about the parking or traffic. The pedestrian crossing will also be raised to promote slower driving past the school. I encourage you to set a good example for your children by using it. I apologise for these reminders. I wish I didn’t need to say anything.

Nominations for the School Board are due on 19th August. I encourage you to get involved and consider putting yourself forward as a Board member.

Stay well and God bless.

Ngā mihi nui

KEY DATES

   TERM 3 KEY DATES

Please note these dates are subject to change For further dates see calendars on the Skool Loop app or at: www.stjosephs.co.nz

Special Catholic Character

Feast of the Assumption, Monday 15 August

On Monday we will celebrate Mass at the Church at 9 am for the Feast of the Assumption of Mary. Whanau are most welcome to attend. If possible please donate a grocery item (tinned or packet food) for our parish food bank, which will be offered at this Mass. These can be sent this week or before school Monday morning with children to the school office.

As Fathers Robert and Tom are now isolating, this may now be a liturgy.

Values Awards from Assembly Week 2

Marcuz Eugenio – Arahi: For your service in doing AV for St. Pat’s Kids Choir.

Jhennie Atillo – Arahi: For being such a dedicated road patroller. Every time that I fill in for road patrol, you are diligently completing the responsibility. You are showing great leadership to your classmates and helping to keep our school community safe.

Frian Pena – Aroha: For showing Aroha and Manaakitanga to younger students in the playground. Ka Rawe!

DRS Visits to Learning Spaces

Last week I had the pleasure of visiting teams across the school to observe their prayer time and RE lessons. This was indeed a privilege, seeing the energy of the Holy Spirit at work among our tamariki and kaiako. I was humbled by the reverence of many of the children during prayer time as they offered their intentions to God. Learning spaces reflected our school’s special character, with engaging RE and prayer displays. Teachers are focusing on the RE Church strand at the moment, which across curriculum levels covers everything from the Early Church in Antioch to the Pope, Bishops, and priests today, our sense of belonging to the Church, the mission of the Church, and various ministries. It was very encouraging to see adaptive teaching happening i.e. high-quality learning programmes where a range of activities are on offer to cater to different learning styles and assessment of the children’s knowledge and understanding directs where to next. Feedback is being provided to students about their work as well. We can certainly stand by our motto: 

“Excellent education befitting our Catholic character”.  I have attached some photos below.

Mairead Gallagher-Pile

Director of Religious Studies

St Patrick’s Kids Choir

Practice is today at the Church and will be each Thursday 3:00-3:40. All children aged 5-13 are welcome. Email annalynvicente32@gmail.com or just come along.

St Patrick’s Kids Choir
Practice starts today at the Church and will be each Thursday 3:00-3:40. All children aged
5-13 are welcome. Email annalynvicente32@gmail.com or just come along.

School Board News

School Board Elections 2022

This year our triennial School Board Elections will be held on the 23rd of September.

School board members play an important role in shaping the education experience and achievements of students. NZSTA hosts a series Kōrari workshops throughout New Zealand to help people understand the role of school board members and inspire them to get involved – either by standing for election or voting. Find out more about Kōrari. https://www.schoolboardelections.org.nz/becoming-a-board-member/korari/ 

Please ensure the school has your current email address (and phone number) in order for you receive communications about nominations and voting procedures. Thank you.

https://www.schoolboardelections.org.nz/becoming-a-board-member/ 

Time to nominate – Due Noon 19th August

How to nominate:

1. You will have received a nomination form via email or collect one from the school office.

2. As you fill out the nomination form, think about good reasons why you or the person you’re nominating should be on your school board.
   Note: If you’re nominating someone, make sure you and the person you’re nominating sign the form.
   If you’re nominating yourself, make sure you sign both sections (candidate and nominee).

   3. Once complete, send it back to your returning officer by the time/date above via the email you received or by delivering it to the school office by 12:00 pm.

   If you don’t have children at the school and still wish to step forward for the school, you’ll need someone on the parent electoral roll to nominate you.
   If you would like to contact the Board directly at any time, please do so through bot@stjosephs.co.nz

School Notices

NEW ENROLMENTS 2023

If your child, or someone you know, is turning 5 years old next year, 

we need them to enrol at St Joseph’s School now!
Knowing how many children are coming helps us to plan ahead for our staffing.
Other enrolments are welcome at any time.

Please contact the office stjoesoffice@stjosephs.co.nz

Attendance Dues: Term 1 and 2 Attendance Dues should now be paid. Attendance Dues are compulsory.  If any family is experiencing difficulty with paying their term/annual Attendance Dues due to financial hardship, please make an appointment with Mrs Hall to discuss the options available, or contact the Revenue Manager at the Catholic Diocese of Auckland on 09 360-3069.  Financial assistance is not available for non-preference students.

2022 School Magazine Orders: Purchasing our annual school magazine is a lovely record of your child’s year at school. The cost of $25 has been added to your school account however the purchase is optional. If you do want to buy this year’s magazine, payment will need to be made by November 24th. The magazine is printed in December and distributed at the end of the school year.

Totara Springs Parent Information Evening: We are hosting a Parent Information Evening for our Year 5 & 6 Camp to Totara Springs on Wednesday 17th June at 5:30pm. A zoom link will be sent out via all our communication platforms on Wednesday morning.  

Term 3 Review SchoolDocs: Policies and Procedures: 

https://stjosephspukekohe.schooldocs.co.nz/1893.htm

In Term Three we are reviewing the Student Wellbeing and Safety and Staff Wellbeing and Safety sections. Not all policies are reviewed by parents. This term parents are invited to comment on the following topics: Abuse Recognition and Reporting. Care and Management of Students, Supporting Student Wellbeing, Food and Nutrition, and Staff Wellbeing.

Search for the policy (under the school emblem), click on the topic name link, read through the policy then click the red UNDER REVIEW flag (top right-hand corner of the page) and submit your feedback. We consider all feedback given.

This term’s policies will be approved at our School Board Meeting on 21st September.

Road Patrol: HELP NEEDED! 

At times we are short parent helpers for morning Road Patrol. If you have a morning where you can help out from 8.15-8.45 am could you please contact Kelly McArthur at kellym@stjosephs.co.nz with the days that you could help. Even if you could do every 2nd week that would be great or be a reserve!

Scholastic Book Club: Brochures went home, yesterday, Thursday. Any orders are due back to school this Monday 15 August. 

St Joseph’s School Pukekohe – 100 Years 2023!:  We welcome you to join us at our next Centennial meeting on Wednesday the 29th of August at 7pm in the school staffroom. We would love to have representation from our foundation families. Alternatively, if you want to offer your support in any way we would like to hear from you. Spread the news and get involved. It is going to be fun. Please send us an email to 100years@stjosephs.co.nz

School Events 

SCHOOL PHOTOS NEXT WEEK!  

St Joseph’s School’s photo day is scheduled for Tuesday 16th August.

We have chosen to go online again this year, there will be no envelopes sent home.      

ORDERS OPEN Friday 8th July.   

ORDERS CLOSE Monday 15th August.

You cannot order after MIDDAY on Monday 15th August, NO EXCEPTIONS 

If you would like to order a class photo or pre-order a portrait of your child/ren, please click on the following link: https://masterpiece.queensberryworkspace.com/sjcs22

If you have any queries on how to use the website, please contact Masterpiece Photography directly on 823 4306 or masterpiecephotos@gmail.com Do not contact the school.

Remember to get your order in before Monday 15th August, or there will be no portrait/s of your child/ren taken!

Kind regards

The Team at Masterpiece Photography

AKO 2  MITRE 10 MEGA SAUSAGE SIZZLE THIS SUNDAY!

Come on down to Mitre 10 Mega this Sunday       
from 9 am – 3 pm and get a delicious sausage,
chocolate and/or drink. Proceeds go to Ako 2’s
Camp in November.

 There will also be a raffle on sale for $2!
1st Prize – Yeti Tundra 35L Chilly Bin worth $450!
2nd Prize – $100 Mitre 10 Mega Voucher! 

Year 5 & 6 Tackle Rugby 

Our year 5 & 6 Boys played at the Patumahoe Domain last Friday and had a great tournament placing 3rd. They showed great courage and determination and represented our school in the best way! We are super proud of you boys!

Tuakana/Teina – This term we continue to focus on strengthening positive relationships across our school through our Tuakana/Teina sessions. It has been heartwarming to see the whanaungatanga being built across the school to improve hauora and well-being.

Franklin Netball Tournaments.

Wow, what a wonderful week of sport we have had! Our akonga have been training every morning tea and lunchtime for the past two weeks with Mrs Hartland and our Year 8 leaders, in preparation for the Franklin Netball Tournaments. We had a total of 13 teams entered; 5 teams in Years 3 & 4, 3 teams for Years 5 & 6 and 5 for Years 7 & 8. The training clearly paid off as we had some outstanding displays of skill, teamwork and results!  Our 3 & 4s were very successful with every team placing! All three girls teams came 2nd in their grade and our two boys teams came 1st and 3rd. Our Years 5 & 6s were equally outstanding with our two top teams placing in the top three. Our Year 7 & 8 teams rounded off the week with our A Girls narrowly placing 4th and our A Boys winning the whole competition undefeated. Congratulations to all of our players and thank you to the parents who gave up their time to come along and support our students. Bring on 2023!

Cross Country 

On Thursday 4th August the Years 3 – 8 participated in the annual Cross Country event at the A & P Showgrounds. It was a stunningly beautiful winter’s day and despite being a difficult run for many students, there was nothing but smiles and a huge sense of accomplishment. Cross Country running is one of those events that really builds resilience and perseverance in children. The other most wonderful part of the day was hearing the children on the sideline cheering for one another as they crossed the finish-line. 

Arahi Update

As week three comes to an end, we reflect on some awesome learning and achievements that have happened so far. This term the students are learning that passion is a powerful force in accomplishing anything you set your mind to. In the past two weeks, the students have had opportunities to develop their musical, sporting, scientific, mathematical, literary, artistic and problem solving skills. Mrs Gallagher-Pile has been teaching all of the children to play the ukulele and record, Mr Muller has been teaching the children how to be scientists, even making sweet and sour sherbert and racing balloon cars and when not coaching netball, Mrs Hartland has been teaching the children how to analyse the literary elements of a film and are in the early stages of planning their own mini-movie. We are looking forward to showcasing these to you at the end of the term. 

Ako 2 News – Botanical Gardens

We have had a wonderful day at the Botanical Gardens today, the weather really showed up and impressed us. We went on a self-guided tour where we saw some amazing plant/wildlife. Nature truly is beautiful. We also had Caroline and Richard from Auckland Botanical Gardens educate us on how important plants are and how much of it is in the food we eat. We planted our own seed in soil and then put a bean plant into a garden. Overall we have definitely learnt that to live a sustainable life, a great start is to start an edible garden, it’s the gift that keeps on giving…except if you’re a carrot. 

Community Notices

THANK YOU!

Thank you from the St Ignatius of Loyola Catholic College Establishment Board for all those who attended the planting day, it was a special event that had a fantastic turnout with wonderful weather! We appreciate your support and look forward to connecting with you in our South Auckland Catholic Community in the near future.

Principals: Peta Lindstrom – Holy Trinity, Audrey Kippen – St Mary’s Papakura, Ursula Hall – St Joseph’s Pukekohe, and Dean Wearmouth – St Ignatius of Loyola College Drury.

St Joseph’s Primary Netball Club Year 3 & 4 “Future Ferns” season starts in September.  No previous netball experience is required! $120 for the season (runs on Friday nights at Pukekohe Netball Centre from mid-Sept to late Nov). For more information or to register please email sjpnetball@gmail.com or call Melanie Kayes on 0274509409. The St Joseph’s Netball Club has teams from years 3 – 8.

ALONE AGAIN? Widowed, Separated or Divorced? 

The Beginning Experience is a non-profit organization with the motto of “A Weekend Away for a Lifetime of Change” for adults. The retreat will help you work through your painful loss. 
The participants find new hope, increased emotional health, and renewed energy. 
Date: Friday evening to Sunday afternoon 23-25 September. 
Cost: $350 or an early bird price of $325 if paid by 18 August. 
Includes accommodation, meals, and materials. 
Contact Lynda 027 4898003 and (09)478-9742 or Kelly evenings 027 6864416 www.beginningexperience.org.nz

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