Term 1 Week 6 Newsletter #2

Term 1 Week 6                           13 March 2025                                        Newsletter #2  

Principal’s Message

Special Catholic Character

Values Awards

Arahi – Leadership

Rosalinda Emelio – for showing great leadership in Road Patrol and treating everyone with respect.

Anthony Helu – for being a great leader by supporting younger students in sports. 

Loti Mamatuki – for showing aroha to others by offering help and leading with kindness.

Kalan Farrell and Daniel Waru – for demonstrating exceptional leadership and making a positive impact on our school. 

John-Mefi Sau-Mclaren and Naomi Logan -for taking on the challenge of AV with no training or notice but with a smile and a great attitude 

Mika Ramoni – for showing initiative and leadership by offering to help a teacher in his own time after school. Jonathan Eyton – for showing great leadership and Aroha by helping his peers during learning time

Alexander Esquivel – for being a great leader during class time and always happy to help out others with their learning. 

Aroha – Love

Denrei Espiritu & Daniel Lauron – for showing love, kindness and care for a new student at our school. 

St Patrick’s Pukekohe Food Bank

St Patrick’s Pukekohe has a food bank which they use to support members of our community who need it. Throughout the coming term each class will have the opportunity to join with our Parish and attend Mass on a Friday morning. We ask that if you and your whanau are able to, to please bring in a non perishable food item to help support this wonderful cause. 

St Joseph’s Day Mass 

We are celebrating our school’s patron saint by celebrating Mass with our Parish community. Mass will be at 9am on Wednesday 19th March. All are welcome to join and celebrate with us.

 Ash Wednesday

Last week we began our Lenten Season on Ash Wednesday with a beautiful liturgy led by Arahi Year 4. Ash Wednesday begins the 40 days of Lent, a time when we remember that Jesus spent 40 days in the desert fasting and resisting temptation. We may not always be able to resist temptation as Jesus did, but Lent provides an opportunity to reflect, pray and repent for our sins. It’s a time for spiritual fasting so that we can cleanse our souls and renew our faith as we prepare for the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday. 

South Auckland Catholic Schools Kāhui Ako Student Leadership Day

Last week, Friday 7 March, Mrs Burns and 16 of our school leaders travelled to De La Salle College to join our other Catholic Schools for a day of leadership development and mentoring. This annual event is an opportunity for our new leaders to learn that leadership is not just about being ‘bossy, smart or confident’ it in fact means helping others with kindness, leading by example, and serving the school community with care, just as Jesus taught us. Our students had an opportunity to participate in a mihi whakatau, work with students from other schools and form new friendships. The highlight of the day was being led by the Year 12 and 13 De La Salle prefects. They were an excellent example of leadership. 

Caritas Mufti Day 

On Tuesday 25th March we will be having a mufti day to help raise funds for Caritas. Caritas staff and volunteers will use funds raised to provide emergency relief in emergencies and conflict as well as develop skills and training that lifts families out of poverty. 

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 or the eTAP app       

School Board

SCHOOL POLICIES

A link to our school policies can be found on our school website or through www.schooldocs.co.nz

1. Go to www.schooldocs.co.nz/
2. Click Search for your school
3. Start typing the school’s name (St Joseph’s School Pukekohe) and then select it from the dropdown list.
4. Enter the community username: stjosephspukekohe and password: mission.

SchoolDocs Term 1 Policy Review: 

In Term 1, the Board, staff and community are asked to review the following policies: Health, Safety, and Welfare Policy, Safety Management System, Risk Management, Worker Engagement, Participation, and Representation, Recording and Reporting Accidents, Injuries, and Illness, and Healthcare. This Review closes on 11 April 2025.

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

At St Joseph’s, we know that regular school attendance is essential for every child’s learning and success. This year, as part of our annual plan, we are placing a strong emphasis on attendance, aligning with the government’s priority to ensure students are at school and engaged in learning. Our goal is for 80% of our students to attend school at least 90% of the time. Research shows that children who attend school consistently make better progress academically and socially. Every day counts—missing just one day a fortnight can add up to a month of lost learning each year. We encourage whānau to prioritise attendance, ensuring that children develop strong routines, build friendships, and make the most of their learning opportunities. Let’s work together to give our tamariki the best possible start to their education!

School Notices / Upcoming Events

Term 1 School Attendance Dues are now due for payment!

Dues should be paid into our ASB account: 12-3023-0338374-01 ref: student’s name

These can also be paid at the school office by eftpos or cash.

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.

2025 Parent/Child/Teacher Goal-Setting Conferences

Your child’s Interim reports will be going home Friday 4 April, with your child. We always ensure that every parent is met to discuss this interim report and to set goals for the remainder of the year, so please mark down the following dates for the goal-setting interview. Tuesday 8th April or Wednesday 9th April. 

We have scheduled our interview evenings for Tuesday 8th April from 2:00 – 7:30 pm and Wednesday 9th April from 3:00 -6:00 pm. On Tuesday 8th April, the school will remain open until 2:45 pm, however, you may pick up your child early at 1:45 pm. This will allow teachers time to prepare for their interviews. 

If you are unable to collect your child early, they will be supervised in the hall until normal pick-up time of 2:45 pm. The bus will continue to run at the regular time. A note will be coming home next week to inform us if your child will be picked up at 1:45 pm or will stay until 2:45 pm. 

Bookings will open next week using the @parent app (eTAP app). Please make sure that you have access to the app. If you need support please come into the school office. We can also book you in manually if needed. 

EASTER RAFFLE

Needed: parents able to put classroom readers away on a Thursday or Friday morning – Please contact the office if you are able to help.

School Start Time

Students are expected to be at school by 8:30 am. Teachers are not in class until 8:15 am.  

Any children who come to school earlier than 8:15 are not supervised. 

Parents, you need to ensure your child is at school by 8:30 every day. Thank you.

Second-Hand Uniform Shop

The second-hand uniform shop is now open on Tuesdays and Thursdays 2:30-3:00 pm.

We will be putting out winter uniform items next week, week 7.

Please be mindful that the secondhand shop is for families who are struggling to buy new uniforms. The items are donated and we charge a small amount that goes back to the students through the PTA.  We are not a retail store, we do not have all items, we only have what is donated. If you require items we do not have, you will need to buy them new from The Uniform Shoppe on Glasgow Road, Pukekohe.

St Ignatius of Loyola College Dedication Mass

On Monday, 24 February, Mrs. Hall, Mrs. Burns, Miss Massey, and our school leaders had the privilege of attending the St Ignatius’ Dedication Mass. It was a wonderful opportunity to strengthen the special bond between our school and the college. Our school leaders represented St Joe’s, their whānau, and themselves with great pride and maturity—we couldn’t be prouder of them! It was also a joy to see several of our former students stepping into leadership roles at St Ignatius, a true testament to the way we nurture future leaders here at St Joe’s.

Former students named as school leaders:

FABER/MARIAN HOUSE

Douglas Lemanu-Easthope, Ben Hunter, Rupert Archer, Deanna Fermin

ACUTIS/MAGDALENE HOUSE

Annabelle Shields, Lauren Hartland, Arjun Bal

XAVIER/BARBIER HOUSE

Kaiara Roberts, Elijah Koaneti, Simon Vicente

ROMERO/AUBERT HOUSE

Logan Stallworthy, Lauren Murillo

Celebrations 

Aroha

Over the last two weeks Aroha LW/CA and Aroha JK/AC have been enjoying our swimming lessons. We have seen our students gain more water confidence and improve in their swimming skills, as well as reminders of where to swim when they go to the beach and what to do if they get stuck in a rip and/or get into trouble in the water.

Ako

Te Rōpū Ako’s Visit to Māngere Mountain

Te Rōpū Ako had a great time exploring Māngere Mountain and learning about its rich history. Our visit began with a walk to the summit, where we learned about rua kūmara (storage pits for sweet potatoes) and how Māori once lived and farmed in the area.

We also had the opportunity to get creative by sculpting stingrays out of clay and took part in planting harakeke (flax) seeds. These hands-on activities helped us connect with how people lived on the mountain in the past.

It was a valuable learning experience, and we appreciate everyone who helped make this trip possible.

Arahi 

This term, our students have actively participated in liturgies during assemblies, showcasing beautiful readings, plays, and singing. Yesterday, Year 5 led the “Pilgrims of Hope” liturgy, making it an especially meaningful occasion. The theme for Jubilee 2025, “Pilgrims of Hope,” is a powerful reminder to foster a greater sense of global sisterhood and brotherhood, solidarity with the poor, and caring for the environment. This leads nicely into Lent, which is a time for us to grow closer to God by praying, giving, and showing kindness.We are incredibly proud of our students for bringing this message to life with such reverence and enthusiasm.

Community Notices

KIDS CHOIR

Kids Choir practices this term will be on Fridays after school at the church, it started on Friday 14th February. Students will be supervised in the parish hall until practice begins at 3:20pm, finishing at 4pm or shortly before. Next practice is on Friday 21st March. Email guia.viviana@gmail.com to sign-up.