Kia ora Whanau,

We have had a busy week with the junior classes’ swimming lessons, cross country events, Market Day prep and the final push for our Christmas Can appeal!

During prayers this morning, we spent time reflecting on Queen Elizabeth II’s life of service to the countries in the Commonwealth. Her Majesty the Queen lived a life we can all aspire to… our service to others and a commitment to her calling until the very end of her life. May she rest in peace.

On Monday 26 September, NZ will be  celebrating Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Day with a one-off public holiday to honor the world’s longest-reigning monarch. There will be no school on this day. 

1 John 5:13-14

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

The following topics will be covered in this weeks Principal’s message:

• Cans for Christmas appeal
• Sacramental Programme
• Kiwi & Kea Swimming Lessons
• Kakariki Market Day 
• St Joseph’s Choir
• Mercy Day Liturgy
• Read-a-thon
• Cross Country Events
• Pupuke Waterwise Instructor Course
• Term 4 Sports Registrations 
• North Shore Primary Schools Swimming Event
• PTFA: Second Hand Uniforms
• Situations Vacant
• Community Notices

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at principal@sj.school.nz

Have a great weekend.

Ka manaakitia e te Atua – God bless you all

Laura Bateman & Natasha Luxford

Co-Acting Principals (Term 3)

Thank you to all the students and families who have donated cans for our Cans for Christmas drive. As a school we have collected over 1,000 cans for St Vincent De Paul which is an incredible effort! We are one of many Catholic Schools in Auckland collecting for this great cause.

The Sacramental Programme has continued with our students preparing for Confirmation over the last three weeks. We will recommence on the 26th October preparing for First Holy Communion. Please keep these students and their families in your prayers.

Over the last two weeks Kiwi and Kea Teams have been attending swimming lessons at Hilton Brown Albany. It has been really encouraging to see the progress that these students have made in such a short period of time. The children have really looked forward to swimming each time. Thank you to all the parents who have come along to the pool to assist the classroom teachers.

Here are a few stories from Kea Team about their swimming experience:

When we were going to Hilton Brown’s swimming we had to change first. Then we had to wait for a second. Now we can go into the pool with our group and work on our swimming skills. We do cool things. After we got out, I got so cold that I had to change quickly. – Pio

Yay! In  the pool I was doing dolphin dives and then I was doing freestyle. At the end the teachers splashed water on our heads.  It was funny getting head splashed.  – Capri

Splish splash. Yesterday we all went on a bus to Hilton Brown Swimming. I was really good at kicking in the water really fast. I have learned how to hold my breath and put my face into the water. I also know how to kick with my eyes in the water. I need a little bit of practice so I don’t lift my head from the water. – Evania

The Kakariki students are very excited to bring Market Day back to St Joseph’s for 2022! This will be held on Friday 30th September (the last day of Term 3) from 10:30am – 12:30pm. 

We welcome our school community to come and check out the stalls and help us to raise money for our chosen charities.

Market Day

By: Aurora HG4

On the 30th of September, it is MARKET DAY!  This is when the year 5’s and 6’s make stalls selling something they have made or organising a game for the younger kids to play. All of the money that the kids raise goes equally to three charities. This year we are donating to SPCA, Starship Hospital and Orange Sky. It will be in the hall, outside and in our Kakariki space upstairs.

You might think that it’s just to make the stuff or cook it and sell it. But actually, it’s far more work than that! We have a business plan! Firstly, you need to think of a catchy name like “Dunk the Donut” or “Marble Mania.” Next you need to plan how much money you can spend on prizes and how much money you’re going to earn. Let’s say you spend $50 on lollies, you put them into bags and you sell it for $2 a bag. You then have to think about how much net profit you could make. You also need to subtract the cost of buying the lollies. 

You also need to make it more attractive to buy. In mathematics we learnt how to make nets for shapes in geometry. We will make paper bags using that knowledge. We chose paper because plastic is banned – we care for Planet Earth! 

We had to make LOGOS for our business groups and add them to the paper bags to look professional. You can add a game like “Spin the Wheel” to win a prize, rather than just sell lollies. Other children might do the same. So you would then need to be creative to find the point of difference that will attract children to your stall. 

You can also do some market research to see how much money they would be prepared to pay for a bag of lollies. You could do this as a survey on a computer or just by asking people around you, “how much would you pay for a bag of lollies?”

Another thing that we do is ADVERTISE it… this is where we put up posters around the school telling about a stall idea! You could create it either on a computer or on paper. Some people put funny little comments on the poster to encourage children to come to their stalls, plus a fun background!

I hope this gives you some ideas about what we will be doing on market day and we hope to see you there! Bring your bag of $2 coins and you could have a lot of fun!

Our St Joseph’s School Choir will be up and running again in Term 4. Please see the information below about a ‘sign up session’ that is taking place next Wednesday 28 September. 

We look forward to seeing you then!

Next Friday 30 September, we will be holding a whole school liturgy in the hall at 8:50am. We are looking forward to being able to come together as a whole school again. The focus for this liturgy will be around learning about the Sisters of Mercy who founded our school and the values they passed down to us.

Get ready for a PAWSome Fundraising Read-A-Thon!

In the run up to a PAWs themed Book Week in Term 4, the PTFA is organising a PAWSome Read-A-Thon to help fundraise for the new junior playground that will be needed, as our current one reaches the end of its lifespan.

From October 3rd – 28th, we’re asking students to keep track of how many pages they can read – or
have read to them – as we get ready for our PAWs themed school Book Week!

A special ‘Read-A-Thon’ diary will be coming home before the holidays to help each child keep track of their progress.

The diary will also include a form for the children to collect sponsors.

More information will be included in your child’s “Read-A-Thon” diary, but it is as simple as:

1: Get reading! Students are encouraged to read (or be read to) as many pages as they can (outside of school hours) between October 3rd to October 28th and to record their efforts in their book diary.

2: Collect sponsors! Sponsors can chose to sponsor an amount for every page read or pledge a set donation.

3: Return sponsorship money! Once the Read-A-Thon finishes on October 28th, all forms and funds
should be returned by Friday 4th November.

The PTFA are providing some PAWSome prizes for the most pages read and most funds collected in each year group and very much appreciates everyone’s support of this initiative!

Well done to all of the children that represented our school at the Catholic Schools Cross Country Event at Monte Cecilia Park on Tuesday. Also kapai to all of the children that represented St Joseph’s School at the Pupuke Cluster Cross Country at Killarney Park on Thursday.

Thank you to all of the parents/caregivers that came along to support our tamariki and cheer them on.

The Kakariki Team are fortunate to be able to participate in the Waterwise Programme, run at the clubhouse by Lake Pupuke. This is a fantastic opportunity for our children to learn water safety & confidence, kayaking and sailing skills. We have some amazing parent volunteers that help out at these sessions and we are required to have a minimum number of trained Waterwise Instructors for these sessions to go ahead.

If this is something that you are interested in, we now have the October/November dates for the Waterwise Instructors Course.

Please see the information below:

Monday 17 October: 7pm- 8.30pm – Introductions, Theory session – Course Aims and Objectives – Discussion of Manual – (will be distributed before course starts)

Wednesday 19 October: 4pm- 8pm – Rigging Optimist, How to sail, Capsize drill, Safety craft set up and use. Theory session.

Tuesday 25 October: 4pm – 8pm – Sailing and safety craft use. Theory session.

Sunday 30 October: 8.30am – Noon – Sailing and safety craft practice session.

Tuesday 1 November: 4- 8pm – Sailing and safety craft use. Theory session.

*Plus a date to be advised 4 – 8pm (hopefully the next week) – Sailing and use of Safety Craft assessment session.

There is no cost for the training sessions.

If you are keen to get involved, please email laurab@sj.school.nz with your name and contact phone number to get registered.

Please check out the following link for our Term 4 sports registrations.

NOTE: Flippa ball registrations close Thursday, September 29 and more players are needed.

St. Joseph’s has been invited to compete at the annual North Shore Primary schools swimming event which is on Tuesday 1 November 2022 at the National Aquatic Centre in Mairangi Bay (the new pool beside AUT Millennium). The event will run from 9.30am until 2.30pm.

This event is for Years 4-6 only and will be held in a pool that is 2m deep and 25m in length, therefore to enter your children you must confirm they are able to competently swim 25m without needing to touch the bottom of the pool.

The event is optional and is $10 per child. If your child is attending, the parent(s) of each swimmer will need to take them to and from the pool as well as supervise them on that day (some will need to help out at the event as well). There will be no one from the school attending as this is an individual event.

In previous years we usually only offered this event to those who represented the school at Cluster swimming, however due to Covid restrictions and maintenance on the Takapuna Primary pool, we were unable to hold our school swimming sports in Term 1.

The final day for registration is Thursday 29 September or when the maximum number of swimmers per school has been reached.

Each swimmer can select up to 3 events from the list below, only experienced swimmers should enter the 100 Free

– 25m Free
– 25m Back
– 25m Breast
– 25m Fly
– 50m Free
– 50m Back
– 50m Breast
– 100m Free – 9 years + and for very confident swimmers only

If your child would like to enter please click here and complete the registration on Enrolmy, you will need to add the following information when prompted
– Name
– Date of birth
– Events they want to swim (3 maximum)
– An approximate time for each event e.g. 25 Free – 20 secs, 25 Back – 25 secs, 25 Breast – 30 secs (if you do not have any times I can add an average one for their age group)

Any questions please email sports@sj.school.nz

If you’re having a clear out post winter and have any school uniform items that no longer fit, Mrs Kelly would welcome any good quality donations for the 2nd hand uniform shop at school.

We’re currently running pretty low across all items so please consider passing on anything that you may longer need.

A clear plastic bin has been placed just outside the office for any donations you are able to drop off.

If you are in need of any items, please get in touch with Mrs Kelly at office@sj.school.nz with your child’s name, HG and the items you are looking for.

Many thanks!

We’ve been asked to advise the community of the two situations vacant below:

SKIDS After School Care

Position Available for Term 4

SKIDS St Josephs Takapuna is seeking a permanent staff member for our growing AfterSchool Care Programme.

The hours of work will be in the morning from 7 to 8:30 am and in the afternoon from 2:30 to 6pm. Holiday Programme work possible.

The ideal candidate should have:

– experience with primary school children

– is energetic, motivated and vigilant with plenty of enthusiasm

– have a cheerful and friendly disposition

– is confident in leading and instructing children and other staff members in a calm and friendly manner

– team player

You will go through mandatory training and a Police Check before starting.

Applicants for this position must have NZ residency or a valid NZ work permit.

Please send CV to Elena Watson @ stjosephstakapuna@skids.co.nz or call: 022-067-4840 to make an appointment.

Situations Vacant:

Archivist/Archives Manager/Privacy Officer – Pompallier Diocesan Centre

We are seeking to recruit a proactive and committed Archivist/Archives Manager/Privacy Officer.

This role is full time and provides an exciting opportunity to manage and utilise our Archive Collection by providing appraisal, recording and direct safekeeping of permanent records and historically valuable Church documents and Museum Artifacts. The role also has co-responsibility as Privacy Officer for ensuring the Diocese complies with the Privacy Act 2020.

We’re looking for a people person with demonstrated experience and knowledge of established practice in Archives (appraisal, cataloguing, accession, standards of care and storage of art and artifacts). Knowledge of operation of museums, libraries, heritage management and information/records management. Sound understanding of digitisation systems and awareness of relevant IT development. Excellent research capabilities and with relevant degree with a tertiary postgraduate qualification in Archives, Records, or Information Management.

Please visit the Diocesan website www.aucklandcatholic.org.nz Diocesan Services, Staff Vacancies to view the full advert and position description.

Please check out the community notices that have been posted on our school website.

Here’s the latest notice below:

The women’s Rugby World Cup is kicking off on October 8!

Playing in Auckland and Whangarei, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the very best female rugby players in the world, right here in Aotearoa.

Tickets start at just $5* for children and $10* for adults.

Get your tickets before 30 September 2022 and you’ll be in to win $2000 worth of sports gear for your school plus a signed jersey from the New Zealand team! Just use the code SCHOOL to go in the draw.

For all enquiries or to make a group booking, please contact us on rwcgroupbookings@nzrugby.co.nz.

See you at Rugby World Cup 2021 for unforgettable memories, world-class rugby, all-day entertainment and more!

*Prices applicable to cash purchases made through Ticketek agents/outlets. Online purchases may attract additional payment processing and delivery fees.