Dear Whanau and Parents

It was pleasing to hear from the Prime Minister on Monday that we were to move into Alert Level 3 for two weeks. This is certainly the direction we want to be heading as it means we are addressing this Covid Delta outbreak.

The time frame means that we will hopefully be moving into Alert Level 2 during the break. Therefore returning to school on Monday 18 October in Alert Level 2 for Term 4. Should this be the case you will receive an email prior to the start of school with the reviewed Alert Level 2 procedures that will be in place when the students return.

Over the coming week, the teachers will be carrying out the planning for Term 4. Plans will reflect the possibility of being in Alert Level 1 and/or Alert level 2. We are looking forward to a term when the children spend it with their home groups and friends.

The Principal’s Message will cover the following topics:

• Mercy Week
• Catholic Schools Day
• Support
• Learning From Home Site (MOE)
• Parent Cyber Security (MOE)
• Safe Viewing for Children (MOE)
• Term 4 Dates
• Parish News

Ka manaakitia e te Atua

Alister Bridgman
Tumuaki

For the final week of Term 3 each year we celebrate Mercy Week.

The first Catholic school in Takapuna was opened in 1849 on our current site and was called St Mary’s School. The school was for children from the orphanage, children from settler families and children from the nearby Maori village. This school closed in the 1860s, and the building was used as a seminary.

In 1894 the school buildings and boys’ orphanage were handed over to the Sisters of Mercy and they opened ‘St Joseph’s Industrial School for Boys’. Over the years, new classrooms were built. From 1930, local boys and girls who did not live at the orphanage were also able to attend St Joseph’s School. Today we continue educating children from all over the North Shore here at St Joseph’s Catholc School Takapuna, in accordance with the values of our founding Order, The Sisters of Mercy.

Mercy Day is the 24 September. This is the opening day of the “First House of Mercy” in Dublin Ireland in 1827. Catherine McAuley founded the Sisters of Mercy in Dublin, Ireland in 1831. From these small beginnings sisters and their companions in mission now work in more than 40 countries worldwide.

What Mercy Day Means to Me (click here)

Each year we have a school liturgy/mass which is part of a school programme in which the students learn about Catherine McAuley and the Sisters of Mercy, including the Mercy Symbols.

On Wednesday 29 September we are celebrating NZ Catholic Schools Day. Schools outside of Auckland will be joining together to celebrate this special day in the NZ Catholic Schools 2021 calendar. While we are not able to be at school for this day we can still celebrate it in our homes through prayer and reflection on why we send our children to a Catholic School. Below are links that have been used throughout the country for this special day of celebration.

NZ Catholic Bishops Council Catholic Schools Day 2021 Letter

What do You Love About Being in a Catholic School

History of Catholic Schools in Aotearoa

St Vincent de Paul (SVDP)
SVDP has a food bank available for families in need to access – Phone: 02108867844

While we are in Alert Levels 4 & 3 we are not able to donate food to SVDP however we can donate money for this organisation to purchase food.
St Vincent de Paul Bank Account for donations: 12-3008-0043519-00

Attendance Dues – Financial Assistance
Financial assistance is available to assist families who may need financial support with the payment of Attendance Dues for preference students attending Catholic schools in the Auckland Diocese, both primary and secondary.

Attendance Dues support will also be available to parents and caregivers of non-preference students who have been affected by the August 2021 Covid-19 lockdown.

Families facing financial difficulties are welcome to contact the school principal.

The application form for the Attendance Dues Financial Assistance Scheme is available through the link below. Please complete the application, then print and sign the form. Please return to principal@sj.school.nz

Click here to download the ACFL Attendance Dues Financial Assistance Scheme Application Form

In addition to our school Team Google Sites you may like to look at the Ministry of Educations Learning From Home Site. The aim of this website is to support parents, whānau, early learning services and schools so that children and young people can continue learning at home. It is worth checking out if your children are looking for additional activities to do in their day.

For personal devices, we suggest using Network 4 Learning’s simple but effective content filtering service Switch on Safety for students learning from home.

We encourage all parents/whānau to take advantage of this free service. It’s a universally available support for learner devices once they are off the school site and not protected by your internet filtering service.

It’s important to note however that content filters are not a complete protection from online harm and should be used in conjunction with other cyber security precautions (for example, anti-virus software) and appropriate supervision.

More time at home can see young people watching more TV, and potentially watching outside their normal viewing hours – which can increase the risk they will encounter unsuitable viewing. Tools are available to help parents protect students from TV content that may harm them.

A practical guide to the latest tools (including parental locks, classifications, advisories, warnings and timebands) plus an informative video from Jordan ‘How to DAD’ Watson is available at safeviewing.co.nz.These tools are overseen by the Broadcasting Standards Authority, which provides further useful information here.

• Day One School Opens – Monday 18 October
• Labour Day School Closed – Monday 25 October
• Last Day 1pm Finish – Thursday 16 December

Auckland Catholic Diocese