NEWSLETTER
Term 2 Week 1
CATHOLIC CHARACTER NEWS
Welcome
We welcomed all our students back on Monday. It was wonderful to see them all again and hear their stories of their break.
At the prayer assembly we welcomed Mrs O’Sullivan who is teaching in HG3. HG3 and staff farewelled Mrs McDougall in the final week of last term. She has moved back to Australia to care for her mother.
At next week’s assembly we will be welcoming the students who began their education at St Joseph’s on Monday.
Holy Week Liturgy
What an absolutely stunning Holy Week Liturgy we had in the final week of last term. The students presented a very powerful Easter Story. All those who were involved in the dramatisation of the story conveyed the message of Easter, which is central to our faith. All students sang beautifully, supported by many of their whanau witnessing this special liturgy. Thank you to all the family members who were able to attend. Thank you to all the staff and students involved in preparing such a beautiful liturgy.
ANZAC DAY – By Daniel C
On 25th April hundreds of people attended the ANZAC Day service in Takapuna to remember past and current servicemen and women.
St Joseph’s students marched in a parade from Sanders Avenue to The Strand, and then listened to readings, speeches and hymns. Thank you to Mrs Bon and Mr Bridgman for giving up their time and walking alongside the students.
At school the Year 5 and 6 students are doing follow up work on the ANZACS. We are learning about the conditions that they fought under and what they did for us. Thanks to them, we are lucky to have a great country, living in peace and happiness.
We are writing letters where we imagine ourselves to be in the trenches in Gallipoli and then the family will write a letter back. It makes us think about how they felt, and what they went through and what they must have missed.
We will remember them. Lest we forget
Co-operation – Pahekoheko
Each term we have a context for students and teachers to plan their learning and teaching within. This follows on from last terms theme, ‘New Beginnings. Co-operation is one of the four values that we as a school community hold dear: Care Co-operation, Courtesy and Courage.
St Joseph the Worker
Each Catholic School enjoys celebrating its namesakes feast day. For our school we celebrate St Joseph the Worker’s feast day. This was on Monday 1 May. Due to it being on the first day of this term, we have had our feast day Mass, today. It was followed by student leaders, leading activities, that the student could choose to participate in. A wonderful day for all.
Mrs Bon
Please keep Mrs Bon in your prayers as she recovers from a shoulder operation which she had yesterday. We look forward to her return at the end of this month.
Conferencing and Reporting
Next week I will be sending out a letter to families that shares with you the 2017 conferencing and reporting process. This began with the ‘Sharing the Learning’ sessions at the end of last term. We are keen to support your child in sharing their achievement and progress, so if at any stage you wish to discuss how they are going with their teacher, please don’t hesitate to make an appointment with their teacher.
Footsteps
This week the students have had their first of ten sessions of footsteps. This is where students learn a dance routine with a professional dancer. We look forward to seeing the final performance.
GENERAL NEWS
Communication Survey #2
Thank you to the that have responded to my 2nd communication survey. If you haven’t had the opportunity to do so please could you share your thoughts by going to the link below and completing this second communication survey. Thank you
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/73YKXS5
Drop Off / Pick Up
Thank you for your patience with the current situation. Please keep an eye out for the School Links messages regarding the Watercare developments, and their impact on arrival and departures from our school grounds. This is a very fluid situation. We notify you as soon as we receive information from Watercare. We are also reviewing daily how we can assist in ensuring a safe arrival and departure to and from school. Thank you for your feedback and support.
Firewood
The school is offering the logs and timber rings from the trees felled on the lower field. This is green wood that will take 2-3 years to dry out before it is safe to burn.
The charge will be $50 for a small trailer load and $100 for a large trailer load. Payment the day of collection.
If you are interested, please contact the school office and provide your details. We will contact you and let you know which Saturday you can collect your wood. We are keen to have the wood all collected before the field becomes too wet to drive on.
God bless
Alister Bridgman
Principal