Kia Ora Whanau,

What a busy week we had last week. It was great to be able to see our students in a variety of EOTC activities. Education Outside the Classroom is another way in which students can learn and challenge themselves.

Last week saw the Year 6 students at Camp Carey from Wednesday through to Friday. They participated in a variety of activities including kayaking, archery, building rafts, waterslides and rock wall climbing.

The Year 5 students went ice skating on Wednesday. They were amazing as they got up on their skates, progressing from nervous beginners to confident skaters in such a short timeframe. 

The following day, a group of parents led them in a variety of activities such as taekwando, baking, learning French, making beeswax wraps, printing with Indian ink, ule lole making and green screening coding.

Meanwhile Team Kakapo headed to the Zoo on Wednesday. They had a great day seeing the various animals and birds in our wonderful Auckland Zoo.

All these activities can only be achieved thanks to the wonderful support of our parent community. Thank you all for your amazing support of our students and staff.

The Principal’s Message will cover the following topics:

• Message from Monsignor David Tonks
• Board of Trustees – Whanau Breakfast/Feedback Boards
• Queen’s Birthday
• School Mass

Ka manaakitia e te Atua

Alister Bridgman

Principal

Dear Parishioners of St Joseph’s,

Thanks so much for the love and prayers you have been sending in my direction. Apart from my right hand, the wounds of my fall have almost completely healed. I looked like a mummy for the first week in hospital. Now I look almost normal! I have been told that surgery at Auckland Hospital to replace the aorta valve in my heart will probably happen this coming week – so keep up the prayers!

I assure you all, of my prayers and love; and look forward to being back in your midst with renewed energy in God’s good time.

David Tonks

Whanau Breakfast – Friday June 4th, 7:30-8:30am

The St. Joseph’s School Board invites you to join the school on the morning of Friday June 4, for breakfast and to share your ideas and vision for our school. Your feedback will help us as we develop the School’s Charter and Strategic Plan for the next 3-5 years. Several large boards will be available for you to write your feedback on, and we also invite you to chat with members of our board and senior leadership team about your ideas. 

 The details:

• What: Breakfast and ideas sharing opportunity
• When: Friday 4, June from 7.30-8.30am 
• Where: A free breakfast and hot drink options will be served either on the Mary Thomas Learning Centre or in the hall (depending on the weather). A coffee cart will also be on-site with drinks available for purchase. Classrooms will also be open so that our students can show you some of the Maths they have been learning about this term. 

Breakfast will be followed by school prayers in the hall after the bell. 

We hope you can join us. 

The St. Joseph’s School Board of Trustees

Update on Feedback Boards

This week, we’d love you to leave your feedback on the brightly coloured boards at school around our: PROGRAMME OF LEARNING

What are the things you’d like the school to:

1. Start
2. Continue
3. Stop

Share your thoughts on the boards or if an idea you support is already listed, give it a tick!

On the other side of the boards, you can also share your feedback on the type of skills, attitudes, and capabilities you’d like St. Joseph’s to help nurture in our students.

So you can also start thinking about the other topics we’ll be inviting feedback on this Friday at the Whanau breakfast (and over the coming weeks on the board), they are:

• Our Learning Environment
• Culture & Diversity
• Building a Sense of Community
• Our Special Character

Your feedback will help the board as it prepares our new school Charter and Strategic Plan.

If you can’t make it into school, don’t worry. We will be providing other ways for you to provide feedback as we move through this process.

Thank you!

The St. Joseph’s School Board

The school will be CLOSED Monday, June 7th for the Queen’s Birthday Holiday.

(Skids is also closed)

Our thanks to Father Nathaniel for celebrating our School Mass on Friday, May 21st. It was wonderful to see whanau and Parishioners joining the children in this celebration which is central to our school and Faith.

Our next school Mass is Sunday, June 20th, 10:30am, St Joseph’s Church Takapuna. We look forward to seeing all of our families at this Mass.