Monday 17 February

8.50 am – School Prayers

Tuesday 18 February

11.05 am – Schoolwide Meditation

Wednesday 19 February

Waterwise – Home Group 4

6.30pm – Sacramental Programme

Thursday 20 February

8.15 am – School Choir

Lunch Clubs – Cultural Group

Friday 21 February

9.15 am – Opening School Mass

5.30 pm – School Picnic 

• FOOD OPTIONS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE, OR PACK A PICNIC TO BRING WITH YOU
• THE WATERSLIDE WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE THIS YEAR DUE TO THE CURRENT WATER SHORTAGE, BUT THERE WILL BE PLENTY OF GAMES AND OUR NEW PLAYGROUND AVAILABLE TO KEEP EVERYONE ENTERTAINED!

We are looking forward to seeing everyone at the school’s annual family picnic this Friday (21^st February) from 5.30 to 7.30pm.  The picnic is a great chance to get to know your child’s teacher(s) and other members of our St. Joseph’s school community.  

Please feel free to bring along your own picnic, or we have also arranged to have Mr. Whippy and Well Hung on-site for those who would like to purchase food on the night (EFTPOS available). 

Well Hung will be offering:

• Gourmet (gluten-free) sausages ($5)
• A choice of rotisserie pork or lamb with salad ($12 – a large dinner sized portion to satisfy a hearty appetite, or should feed two children)
• Steak, cooked to order, with salad ($12)

Due to the current water shortage that is affecting large parts of greater Auckland and the country, the water slide will not be running this year. We understand this is disappointing, but it is the right decision for us to have made given the current water shortage. A range of games and our fantastic new playground will be available to keep everyone entertained!

Looking forward to seeing as many of our families at possible at the event.

The St. Joseph’s Teachers & PTFA

These are relevant excerpts from the latest information sent to all schools from the Ministry of Education and from their website

Current Status

There are no confirmed cases of Novel coronavirus COVID-19 in New Zealand to date. The Ministry of Health is closely monitoring the situation and following guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO).

The likelihood of an imported case in New Zealand is high, however the likelihood of a widespread outbreak remains low. Keep updated on the status of Novel coronavirus on the Ministry of Health website:

Novel coronavirus information – Ministry of Health 

Announcement from the Minister of Health regarding travel restrictions

15 February 2020

You will have seen the announcement today from the Minister of Health extending the temporary travel restrictions on people travelling from, or transiting through, mainland China for a further 8 day period.

Keep updated on the status of Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on the Ministry of Health website:

Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) information – Ministry of Health

All children and students

We know that a lot is being done across early learning, schools, kura and tertiary to support students affected by the disruptions.  Thank you to everyone who is doing a great job and making students feel part of our education communities. It’s disappointing to hear of some instances of unwelcoming behaviour.  All children and students need to be respected and treated fairly. 

Please contact the Human Rights Commission should you need further support. Contact detials are below. 

Note: The announcement today by the Minister of Health has been made based on the latest scientific and medical advice provided by relevant experts.  They have advised that the risk to public health in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands warrants an extension of the current border measures. 

Health officials review border measures against broader public health criteria every 48 hours. Health officials will provide immediate advice should any information emerge that has a substantial impact on the border measures.  

The Ministry of Health has reiterated that these travel restrictions only apply to people travelling through mainland China in the last 14 days. There is no requirement for people travelling to New Zealand from places outside mainland China to have a ‘stay away’ period.

This extends the period for travel restrictions only. It does not impact on the 14 day stay away period for those who have recently arrived in New Zealand from China, or having transited through China. Those that are required to stay away only need to do so for 14 days following their departure from China, and no longer.

New Zealand Human Rights Commission

If you know someone who has experienced racial discrimination related to coronavirus, the Human Rights Commission offers a free and confidential enquires and complaints service which you can use:

• New Zealand Human Rights Commission Website
• 0800 496877 (if calling from NZ)
• 0064 93090874 (if calling from overseas)
• Email infoline@hrc.co.nz 

On Wednesday, February 12th, 2020, it was the Year 6 Retreat Day. This was a special day for the year 6 students to discuss their leadership roles and reflect on the school’s Catholic values. All the students got together for prayers with Miss Woodhead to prepare for their retreat. After several minutes the students were divided into groups depending on their choice of activities. The options were tinfoil sculpting, origami cross, prayer stone painting and prayerful colouring.

The tinfoil sculpting activity aimed to create a meaningful shape or object using tinfoil scraps. When the student finished theirs they gave it to someone they considered a special person to them, whether at home or in school.

Another choice was the origami cross. In this activity, you had to make a cross out of the newspaper by folding it and then cutting it.

A lot of the Year 6 students chose prayerful colouring. This is an activity where we’re given a colouring page with a heart design  on it. Students coloured it using light colours of their preference.

The final choice was the prayer stone painting. The students picked a stone or rock that suits them best and they decorated it with various paint colours, holy symbols, and even Bible verses. The children then got to choose whether to keep the stone or donate it to the class for future use. This way, the prayer stone could be used for prayers at home or in school.

After morning tea, the students got together for rotation. There were 3 rotations. They were: proclaiming the word, the freeze-frame play and crest making, and the scavenger hunt. 

The proclaiming the word was an opportunity to learn how to read at a lectionary. The students had to get together in teams of two. They practised reading to each other . They then went to the church and read at the lectionary.

In freeze-frame and crest making students had to create a freeze-frame play using a scenario they had been given by the teacher. The play had to be about the scenario and how to solve it. Then students had to make a crest that showed the Mercy Values and Key Competencies that we used in our play.

The final rotation was the scavenger hunt. We were divided into groups of four to go on a special scavenger hunt around our school. It often involved history and clues found on signs, pictures, dates, etc.

At the end of the day, the Year 6 students gathered in one place for the end of the day prayers where they had to reflect on their day and what they learned to on how improve themselves and become “ The best person they can be.”

By: Julia and Justin – Reporters

Waterwise was a blast! On Tuesday the Year 5 students went to the Millennium Pools to train for waterwise. 

The Year 5’s hopped onto the bus and we all felt so nervous about going to waterwise practice for our first time. When we got off the bus we went straight into Millennium Pools, got changed, and then got in the water.

We did 5 activities to build up our confidence.

1. We capsized out of the kayaks
2. We did swimming strokes up and down the pool
3. We had to stand up and lean back in a sailboat until it capsized
4. We had to jump off the dive board and swim together in lines to build our confidence in the water
5. Last but not least, we sat on the edge of a small boat and had to dive backwards into the pool.

After doing the five activities we all started feeling confident for the next stage of waterwise at Lake Pupuke. Sadly it was time to leave. It was so fun and we all can’t wait for our class turn at Lake Pupuke to really learn how to sail Opti’s and kayaks.

By Violet and Ella (HG4)

Art Leaders

Meera, Amber, Chantelle, Ethan M, Gianna, Bene, Penny C, Blake, Scarlett S, Sofia, Luka, Emmy

Eco

Nic, Ethan J, Maru, Zane, Evie, Scarlett S, Matthew

Events

Cain, Jaden

House Captains

Alphonsus – Charlotte, Penny M, Ava S

McAuley – Rowena, Danielle

Patuone – Jono, Keira

Pompallier – Milla, Libby

IT

Jared, Felicity, Diego, Charlie, Kavin, Ethan M, Aaron

Librarians

Niva, Isabella, Mariel, David, Shiny, Audrey, Natalie H, Angelene, Josh F, Nigel, Tourenz

Peer Mediators

Amelia, Ava H, Ashley, Jordin, Maru, Danielle, Sarah 

Rainy Day

Jacob, Danny

Receptionists

Amelie, Amelia, Ava H, Amber, Sofia, Natalie H, Ana, Keira, Penny M, Ava S

Reporters

Julia B, Justin, Josh H, Pio, Reagan, Jiho

Special Character

Julia S, Justin , Charisce, Caleb, Natalie T, Angela, Diya, Julie B , Keshia

Sports Captains

Alphonsus – Ben, Emma

McAuley – Ana D, Austin

Patuone – Liam, Scarlett L

Pompallier – Eliza, Oskar

Reserve: Cain, Jaden

Bold – Team Leader