Newsletter Weeks 9 & 10

This Term’s

Living and Learning Focus has been

CELEBRATE WHAKAHARI

Let us celebrate life!

Our School Values

Tina Justice, Pono Truth, Aroha Compassion, Manaakitanga Hospitality and Tapu Respect for the Environment

lived out in our Motto

Courtesy Care Co-operation Courage

Learning to Learn at St Joseph’s #L2L

St Joseph’s Catholic School Takapuna Learning Model

TO KNOW What Do I Know? What Do I Need to Know?

TO DO What Do I Need To Do? How Do I Do This?

TO USE How will I Use What I Am Learning?

What Other Ways Can I Use It?

ADVENT

Come Lord Jesus! Please come quickly. We are getting ready now. Everyone is waiting. Everyone is happy. Every little thing we do is for You!

Our students, teachers and parents have a great sense of justice, of the need to be thankful for what we have and to be generous towards others less fortunate. The spirit of the Mercy Sisters is well and truly alive in St Joseph’s. Read below what one of our students chose as a Home Learning Challenges. This is one example of many actions taken by our senior students throughout this year.

(See PDF version of the newsletter sent out on School Links for the photos and illustrations)

As part of a homework challenge I thought it would be a good idea to raise money for a charity that helps women and children. SHINE (www.2shine.org.nz) is a Community Group that helps keep children safe.

Instead of the 40hr Famine, I felt it would be a different kind of challenge to be device-free – this led to the creation of the DEVICE FAMINE.

The challenge was to be device-free from Monday 12am to Friday 11:59pm. That meant no TV, no tablets, no laptops, no mobile phones and so forth, for that whole time. The only exception was if it was school-work related.

We would ask our family and friends to sponsor us on a day-by-day basis.

My classmates were asked if they wanted to join in. Tia LAKHANEY, Sophie DRURY, Janice SUTJIADI and Alexandra WILLIAMS took up the challenge with me.

THE CHALLENGE: This was sooooooooooooo hard! However, it could totally be done. I just needed to figure out other things to keep me busy or interested.

I want to thank Tia, Sophie, Janice and Alexandra and their families and friends who supported us and sponsored us. Every one of us ‘felt’ this, but in the end it was worth the small sacrifice to help those children who may not be having a Happy and Peaceful Christmas.

Moira MACDONALD JJ

2015

The end of the 2015 school year seems have arrived very quickly! Weeks so full of learning, sports, performing and fun, mean there is no danger of anyone suffering from boredom!

Last Monday night we celebrated the Graduation of our 55 Year 6 students. Their teachers, parents and I are very proud of what they have achieved, how they have grown in confidence, worked hard in their learning and the way they have developed their leadership skills.

Alexandra Williams and Cole Johns very ably represented the Year 6’s when they spoke about their St Joseph’s experiences to their parents and teachers. Celia Yang and Tharushi Wijesinha, both ex-pupils of St Joseph’s and head girls of Carmel College 2016, were the guest speakers. Each student received a graduation certificate and a 2015 St Joseph’s School medal. The evening ended with the Year 6 video version of “Whip Nae nae”

We wish all our Year 6 students all the very best for the future and say thank you and farewell to many families, whose last child finishes this year. Some of you have had many years associated with our school but you are all, whether with short or long association, very much part of what makes our school what it is today.

On Friday morning, our end of year Mass was celebrated by Fathers Phil and Sherwin and the whole school community, joined by Margaret Fitzpatrick, from the Catholic Schools Office. The children sang their hearts out and the Mass was a joyful and special celebration of thanksgiving. Mr Shane Coleman, our BOT Chair spoke, thanking all involved with the school, celebrating our successes and highlights and outlining happenings and events for 2016. The Edmonds Cup was presented by Maxine Viado, last year’s winner, to Maya Paiva-Toledo and Cole Johns.

Later that morning the Awards Assembly was held in the school hall.

At our Awards assembly we recognise some of the important achievements by students in our school. There were awards in each class for Significant Improvement, Academic Achievement and School Spirit. We also presented Certificates of Excellence to some Year 6 students who have stood out in particular aspects of their learning, attitude or involvement.

Every year we give four supreme awards to students from Year 6 to recognise outstanding effort and achievement in Sports, the Arts, Academic and School Spirit. This year an Award for Can Do Attitude was added.

Congratulations to the following:

Sports Cup: Charlie Dalton, Darcy Spark and Cole Johns

Arts Cup: Yeshle Kim

Academic Cup: Tashya Wijesinha, Mikal Maiquez and Celia Griffa

Ca Do Attitude: Sionann Murphy

School Spirit – Edmonds Cup: Cole Johns and Maya Paiva Toledo

Last Thursday night our BOT met for the last time this year. At this meeting, decisions were made regarding the central play area and also fencing and court marking for the hall carpark area; the achievement results for all children in Reading, Mathematics and Writing and outcome of school targets were shared. You will be delighted to know that overall our students, your children, are achieving well and those who still have challenges in their learning are fully supported so that they make as much progress as possible.

2015 National Standards Reporting Reading All Students
	Well Below		Below		At		Above		Total
Year	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
2013	4	1.2%	15	4.6%	211	64.1%	99	30.1%	329
2014	3	0.9%	32	9.1%	209	59.4%	108	30.7%	352
2015	6	1.6%	44	12.1%	196	53.8%	118	32.4%	364

2015 National Standards Reporting Writing All Students
	Well Below		Below		At		Above		Total
Year	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
2013	5	1.5%	57	17.3%	219	66.6%	48	14.6%	329
2014	6	1.7%	61	17.3%	225	63.9%	60	17.0%	352
2015	6	1.6%	69	19.0%	233	64.0%	56	15.4%	364

2015 National Standards Reporting Mathematics All Students
	Well Below		Below		At		Above		Total
Year	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
2013	3	0.9%	33	10.0%	223	67.8%	70	21.3%	329
2014	5	1.4%	34	9.7%	228	64.8%	85	24.1%	352
2015	4	1.1%	39	10.7%	221	60.7%	100	27.5%	364

2016

Our concept for learning for Term One is Care. Our school concept of CARE – will connect especially with Pope Francis’ teachings in Laudato Si and based on the ideas expressed in the following YouTube Clips:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOgF2Kgel6k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3Lz7dmn1eM

It is the Year of Mercy next year so this concept will fit well with that!

Let each Team fly with how the concept will be interpreted and developed and how they can incorporate some form of action (s) as a product of the learning.

Our focus will continue to be on Learning to Learn #L2L – developing the skills and dispositions of a successful learner at St Joseph’s Catholic School Takapuna!

Today (Tuesday 15^th), children will have been allocated their teams for 2016. Each team has 3 home groups; each child will be attached to a particular home group and teacher, with all home groups and their teachers learning collaboratively. You will be advised of your child’s home group by the end of January at the latest.

Teachers and Teacher Aides have been allocated to their Teams for 2016 and are as follows:

· Kiwi Team Lower Ground Floor Year 1 and Year 0 (plus Rooms 15 & 16 later in the year) Debbie Pratt Natasha Luxford Annette Woodhead (Reading Recovery) Carol Braithwaite (plus 2 more teachers later in the year)

· Kea Team Ground Floor Year 2 and Year 1 Cate Dunne, Kathryn France, Riok Kang, Hayley Mahuru

· Kakapo Team Ground Floor Year 3 and Year 2 Gabrielle Bateman, Breanna Viskovich, Joanna Nelson, Michele Jenny, Wilma Hilhorst

· Kereru Team Upper Floor Year 5** and Year 4 Meidy Lambert, Alice Simmers, Kim Wannenburg, Christine Thomson,* Christianne Checksfield

· Kakariki Team Upper Floor Year 6 and Year 5** Erika Bon, Robyn McDougall, Ingrid Young, Francesca Knottenbelt, Leslie Wright,* Sioux Manning*

**Year 5’s from both teams will go to Camp together with Year 6. As the year gets under way, they will also be involved in other combined activities so they retain the experience of belonging to their Year 5 cohort, as well as to their Team.

*will belong to a team but will work across more than one team e.g. learning support, extension and teacher release

Where possible, teachers will continue with at least half of their current Home Group, ensuring continuity. Teams will work out their Home Groups. Notification of this to parents will be by the end of January at the latest. All children will meet together with their 2016 Team and Teachers In their Team Learning Area before the end of term.

Things Coming Up:

School Office opens Monday 25 January 2016

School starts 8.50 a.m. Tuesday 2 February 2016