Term 1 Week 6 Newsletter #2

To Love/AROHA	To Learn/ĀKO	To Lead/ĀRAHI

St Joseph’s Catholic School

“Excellent Education befitting our Catholic Character”

94 Seddon St Pukekohe 2120

Term 1 Week 6 7 March 2024 Newsletter #2

Principal’s Message

Tena Koutou Katoa Talofa Lava Kamusta Malo e lelei Mauri Malo ni Faka talofa atu Namaste Greetings to all

Welcome to our Week 6 Newsletter.

We are halfway through our first term already. The last few weeks have been busy, as usual, and we have settled into our new spaces and school year. On the Friday of Week 3, we had a special School Dedication Mass where our new Year 6 students were allocated their leadership and service roles. We are so thankful our DRS, Mrs Gallagher, plans these school masses so carefully for us. Our Year 6 students are having their retreat this Friday, based in our parish church. I hope they all value this special experience in their faith journey.

We were delighted with the turnout for our Meet the Teacher/Whanau Picnic. It was a relaxed evening beginning with open classrooms so that parents could see where their children are based each day, followed by field games, food and fellowship. Thank you to those of you who attended and to those of you who put their names forward to help in some way in our school. It is through your involvement we can provide such wonderful learning opportunities for your children.

Our students enjoyed their House Colour Mufti Day whereby wearing their colours they were able to bond in their House in preparation for the year ahead. Chants were written and group photos were taken for this year’s magazine. Our first inter-house competition this year will be our St Joseph’s Day Tabloid sports. You will hear more about them soon.

It has been disappointing that our swimming pool has been out of action this term. We have been waiting for a product used to seal the pool to become available. It was due to arrive in NZ last week so fingers crossed. We were able to send a group of our swimmers to the inter school competition and they represented us very well with some now going onto the next level.

You will read that we have a vacancy within our school board for an elected member. After several years, Mr Mike Noble has stood down as his youngest child has left our school. I want to acknowledge Mike for the advice and many voluntary hours he has given the school; particularly around property and maintenance. I am pleased he is only a phone call away as he has been so helpful. I also want to thank Mr Allan Murillo, a proprietor’s representative on our Board, for his valuable contribution. Allan is also on the Parish Council and so was able to represent us there. The proprietor’s rep is selected to represent the Bishop. A new staff representative is also being elected so there will be a few new faces on the Board for the rest of this term.

Yesterday afternoon, along with the other two Catholic feeder schools, our staff were invited to a tour of the new St Ignatius College. The facilities are beautiful and it was lovely to see where our ex-pupils are getting to experience the next part of their educational journey.

Best wishes for the coming weeks.

Nga manaakitanga i nga wa katoa.

Special Catholic Character

Values Awards

Keith WIlliam: ARAHI – For his service as AV operator for St. Pat’s Kids Choir this term.

Tilly Wilson: AROHA – For showing solidarity this Lent, walking alongside those suffering poverty and injustice.

Nathan Taylor: AROHA – For showing God’s grace by being kind to a teacher and offering to help her in his own time.

Edward Wynne: ARAHI – For showing leadership by running a student-led workshop on TinkerCAD 3D Design.

Zach Afoa & Timote Lolesio: ARAHI – For their service in staying behind at the Church after the Dedication Mass, so that we could leave the Church as we found it.

Destine Arthur & Jaden Sylverio: AROHA – for translating and comforting a hurt classmate.

Billie Stewart: AROHA – for showing inclusion during our class sports time.

Weekly Lenten Goals

It has been wonderful to see our tamariki show love in action through their weekly Lenten goals, which are suggested through our Caritas Lent lessons in RE this term. Week 1 was a time for Preparation. For this we set goals such as praying in the mornings, praying before meals, donating to the Caritas Koha Box and preparing meals for our Whanau. In Week 2 our goals were around gratitude and random acts of kindness.

And would you believe, this week for the JUSTICE theme of Week 3 of Lent, Tilly Wilson (Year 6) built and slept overnight in a temporary shelter! This was to walk alongside those who suffer from poverty and injustice. What a wonderful act of solidarity! We are proud to see our tamariki really living Catholic Social Justice principles.

St. Pat’s Kids Choir 2024

Kids Choir practices are on Wednesdays at 3pm – 3:30pm at the church. New members are welcome.

We will be singing on Sunday 17 March at 10am Mass.

Any whanau who would like to help with admin, AV or music accompaniment, please come along or email maireadg@stjosephs.co.nz

Key Dates

Term 1 Key Dates

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

School Board

A vacancy has opened for one parent representative to join the St Joseph’s School Board.

This position will be filled by running a bi-election.

As parents and immediate caregivers, you are entitled to have a say on who represents you on our school board. Information will be emailed to you this week which allows you to have your say.

The information will include the key dates for the election, how to nominate a person, a nomination form,and the criteria of who is not eligible to stand for the school board.

Nominations will open on Friday 8th March and close at noon on Thursday 28th March.

Additional nomination forms will also be available at the school office.

We look forward to welcoming our new board member to our team next term.

SchoolDocs: Policies and Procedures

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

In Term 1 we are reviewing topics in the Governance and Management, Parents and Whānau, and Documentation and Self-Review Policy sections. Not all policies are reviewed by parents. This term parents are invited to comment on the following topics: Parent Involvement, Communicating with Parents, Community Conduct Expectations, and Reporting to Parents on Student Progress and Achievement.

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 next School Board Meeting on 20th March.

Our next Board meeting is on Wednesday 20 March.

If you would like to contact the Board directly at any time, please do so through our email address schoolboard@stjosephs.co.nz

School Notices / Upcoming Events

Parent Communication

This year we are moving to the eTAP parent app as our primary communication point. This will enable you to report absences directly through the app, keep track of your child’s attendance rates, receive newsletters, access your school financial account, view their learning through the classroom blog and much more. If you have any questions or do not receive the email please contact the school office or talk to one of the teachers.

Please note the Skool Loop app will be discontinued from the 30th March.

Friends of St Joseph’s School/PTA

New Year New Us 🎉

With the school changing this year we decided to have a change as well. We are launching our new parent community called Friends of St Joseph’s Pukekohe. The aim is to complete similar events and achievements as past PTA but take off the traditional pressure of being on the PTA. Please come along on the 21st March at 7 pm in the staffroom to hear about our goals going forward and how you can get involved and support our school in this new generation of learning and growing.

Term 1 Attendance Dues

We have emailed you invoices for your child’s compulsory Attendance Dues for the whole year.

Thanks to our families who have already paid for Term 1 or have set up regular payments.

Term One Attendance Dues are payable now.

You may pay the account in full or at the beginning of each term, or by regular automatic payments into our account: ASB 12-3023-0338374-01 ref: student’s name

We would like all 2024 Attendance Dues to be paid in full before 30 November.

The Catholic Character Contribution is a voluntary contribution forwarded to the Catholic Education Services Board.

The St Joseph’s Development Trust Contribution is a voluntary contribution which the Trust is extremely grateful to receive. This is used in our school for improvements to our site and facilities

Both of these voluntary contributions are tax deductible.

Second Hand Uniforms

The second-hand uniform shop is open on Mondays and Thursdays 2.30 – 3:00 pm.

Term 2&3 WINTER UNIFORMS

As our school has changed to Year 0-6, there is a change in the girls winter uniform.

Our Year 0-3 students will continue to wear the school tunic (with a bib) and The Year 4-6 students may wear a skirt. Year 4 students may continue to wear a tunic this winter.

2024 Road Patrol Parent Helpers

We are looking for parents to help on Morning Road Patrol for 2024.

You will need to supervise our trained Year 6’s from 8.15am till 8.45am.

If you can help in some capacity please email Kelly McArthur on kellym@stjosephs.co.nz

2024 St Joseph’s Day Tabloid Sports Parent Helpers needed

Our annual St Joseph’s Day Tabloid Sports is happening on Tuesday 19 March. This is a fabulous event where all students from all levels of the school get to participate in fun tabloid activities such as gumboot throw, kick the goal, cargo crawl, and sack race (just to name a few). Houses compete against other houses to gain house points. These are collated and the winning house is the winner of our Tabloid Sports Trophy which is announced at Prizegiving at the end of the year. We are in need of parents to assist us on this day. Parents will be required to take the scores for the group as they move around the course. Scorers will move with the group. If you can help during the event please email Lesley Wallace at lesleyw@stjosephs.co.nz. Tabloids Sports is held from 12:30 pm to the end of the day. You would be required to be at school by 12:10 pm to be given instructions.

2024 Road Safety

Please encourage and support your children to use our two crossings on Seddon and Dublin St. It is very dangerous to cross right opposite both our small gates. Please be good role models to our tamariki and use the crossings during school drop off and pick up.

Celebrations

2024 School Leaders

We wish to congratulate our 2024 School Leaders and to all the students who received school service badges.

School Captains – Aria Bal and Fatai Helu

School Service Leaders: Librarian – Lyndsay Cargil, Office – Shircel Nunez, Staffroom – Eli Leaupepetele, Kia Kaha – Izrael Sau-McLaren, AV Monitors – Grayson Middleton & Keith William, Flag Monitor – Flora Sili, Sports Leader – Renzo Johnston, Road Patrol – Veronika Tewete & Ezra Jijo

Aroha

In Week 4 and 5, Aroha enjoyed our Life Education lessons with Harold the Giraffe. We learnt about how to keep our bodies healthy and happy. This involved healthy habits and understanding our feelings. We learnt about BLOW: B for breathe and be brave; L for let it out and talk to someone, O for onwards and upwards (pick yourself up after we let our feelings out); W for work together with someone to solve the problem.

Ako

Last week we enjoyed our Life Education Lessons with Harold the Giraffe. Ako students have learnt about solving problems, being resilient when we are faced with challenges and how to build positive relationships with others.

Two weeks ago Ako presented an assembly about the Charism of the school. We remembered those who have come before us and paved the way for us. We are thankful for those who had a vision and created our school.

Arahi

Wow what generous, kind and giving students and families we have here at St Joseph’s School. Ki Raro Arahi and Aroha attended Friday Mass. Father Robert was very pleased to see all of our grocery donations. Thank you everyone, all of your donations go to a very worthy cause.

Arahi’s Years 5 & 6 were on yesterday’s assembly with an amazing liturgy about Lent. Then the whole school wished Mrs Saia, who plays a big role in our school, but especially in Arahi ki Raro a Happy Birthday!

Sport! Sport! Sport!

St Joseph’s School Sports Monitors have been amazing with providing students with sports equipment at break times. Students have been enjoying playing Chess, Cricket on the field, Volleyball on the court and of course soccer on the field. We are very grateful to have all of this great equipment for everyone to enjoy.

Community Notices

St Joseph’s Primary Netball Club

The netball season is fast approaching for our Year 5 & 6 girls. We are after a handful of players who would like to play and join our teams. No previous experience necessary. Please email sjpnetball@gmail.com for more information. Year 3 & 4 girls will play in term 4 – more information will come out closer to the time.

Music Lessons

St Mary’s College

A friendly reminder that enrolments close on Friday 15 March. Please visit www.stmaryak.school.nz for enrolment information and online application form.

Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Enrolments Officer: enrolments@stmaryak.school.nz