Tēnā koutou whanau

This week we celebrated our foundation Order, the Sisters of Mercy Nga Whaea Atawhai o Aotearoa. Today we had our Mercy Day Mass with the parish and whanau. It was a lovely Mass at which we acknowledged Catherine McAuley and her Sisters of Mercy. We were delighted that six Sisters from the Ponsonby Community joined us today. We acknowledged their support of our school community over many years.

It was also a lovely opportunity to acknowledge Mrs Ingrid Young. Mrs Young is celebrating her 25th year as a teacher at St Joseph’s. She has taught and cared for students of all year levels over the years she has been with us. We are very grateful that Mrs Young has shared with the children, staff and parents, her time, treasures and talents. One of her treasured gifts to us all is her faith. Mrs Young has a wonderful faith which inspires many. We are very grateful to Mrs Young for all you have given to our community.

Earlier in the week the staff had the opportunity to acknowledge Mrs Erika Bon’s 35th anniversary of teaching at St Joseph’s and 50th anniversary of her teaching career. There are a number of parents who have been taught by Mrs Bon. She has been a wonderful teacher, Associate Principal, and now relieving teacher for St Joseph’s. She has a lovely education philosophy which grows the children at an early age to be independent and take responsibility for their actions and their learning. The children, staff and parents have been very blessed to have Mrs Bon as a member of our school community.

Today the children celebrated Mercy Day with both the school Mass and the school Talent Quest. It was lovely to see all the amazing talent of our children. Congratulations to all the children who performed for the school. They are not only very talented, but also brave getting up on the stage to perform in front of such a large appreciative audience. Congratulations.

Thank you to all the parents who have supported the children and staff over this term in many different ways. Your support is greatly appreciated. We wish you a wonderful break with your children, and look forward to their return on Monday 14 October.

Ka manaakitia e te Atua

Alister Bridgman
Tumuaki

The Principal’s Message will cover the following topics:

• Celebrating Mrs Young’s 25th Anniversary
• Term 4 Dates 
• Kiwi Team Swimming Term 3
• Splash Polo
• Parish Update
• Market Day 2024
• Market Day Charities
• Final Call for Yummy Sticker Sheets
• Community Notices

Mrs Young was joined by the Sisters of Mercy at Mass this morning as we commemorated Mercy Day and Mrs Young’s 25 years at St Joseph’s School.

Term 4 Begins Monday, 14th October at 8:50 am

Labour Day – Monday, October 28th

Teacher Only Day – Friday, November 15th

Term 4 Ends Wednesday, 18th December at 1:00 pm

Kiwi Team have completed 9 swimming lessons over weeks 7-9 at Hilton Brown Swimming School in Albany.  A big thank you from Kiwi Team to all the parents who helped the children at the pool.  It is not possible without your help.

The excitement was high and the progress was clearly visible. The children had a lot of fun while learning valuable and lifesaving skills.

We invite your teams to register to play Splash Polo for St Joseph’s Primary School in Term 4.
Reminder – Registrations close at 9 am on Friday 4 October 2024.

– Splash Polo Newbies– Years 2-3
Location: Sir Owen Glenn National Aquatic Centre, Mairangi Bay
Day: Sunday
Game Times: varies with games starting 12pm onwards

Season Dates: 3 November to 8 December
Game Duration: two 8 min halves

FEES: $60 per player 

 Splash Polo – Years 4-6
Location: AUT Millennium Pool, Mairangi Bay
Day: Sunday
Game Times: varies with games starting 12pm onwards

Season Dates: 3 November to 8 December
Game Duration: two 8 min halves

FEES: $80 per player (includes 3 training sessions at the pool in Millennium which are booked on Saturday afternoons from 2.30-3.15pm)

Kind regards

St Joseph’s Sport

sports@sj.school.nz

Monsignor David Tonks Pilgrimage

“Our pilgrimage brought us last weekend to Rocamadour, a town built in three levels on a cliff side, where an image of the Black Madonna is venerated. We lit candles in the chapel, praying for those at home. We received a pilgrim’s blessing at the end of a beautiful Sunday Mass. Mary-Anne and I have walked over 400km, and were joined by our other companion, Fr Marcel Smits, on Wednesday. I pray for you daily.” David

Fundraising for Renovations to St Joseph’s Church
Planning is well underway for an upgrade to St Joseph’s Church, which will provide lift access, an improved hospitality area, and a safe gathering space in front of the church. Msgr David hopes his pilgrimage can be a fundraiser for the Church upgrade.

Are you able to sponsor him on his 1600km pilgrimage?

• 10 cents per kilometre means donating around $160 to the Church upgrade
• 20 cents per kilometre is $360.
• $5 per kilometre means a donation of $8000.

It depends, of course, on how many kilometres he walks! Or you may prefer to donate a lump sum. Donations are tax deductible. Clipboards at Church doors to make a donation pledge. Thank you.

Prayers in Te Reo
Last week was Te Wiki o te reo Māori. Manuel Beazley Vicar for Māori produced a set of videos praying in Te Reo. These are available https://www.aucklandcatholic.org.nz/maori-vicariate/prayer-te-reo/

St Francis of Assisi Mass
We will celebrate St Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals, at our 10.30am Mass on Sunday 6 Oct. with a blessing for our pets. So bring your pet along and the blessing will take place after 10.30am Mass in the Church Hall, or outside, depending on the weather. Don’t forget to have your car window down if you have your pet in the car whilst at Mass. Should be fun!!

Click here for the latest St Joseph’s Takapuna News.

This was the day we had all been working for. We would finally show the school what Kakariki can do. It was Market Day! On the 20th of September, Market Day 2024 would be open for business.

First we had to make a business plan. This included a material list, costs , financial plan and goals. Every week we would talk to the teachers about teamwork. We had to decide what our product would be. Azariah, Indi and I decided we would do Tie Dye Socks and lollie bags.

After all the planning was finished, we started on our posters. As our stall was called “Colour.Co”, we wanted everything bright and colourful. We had to make one online document poster and one hand-drawn larger poster. Our poster outcome was amazing and we loved the look of them.

As part of a team, we had four members. Mrs Linehan was our Business Mentor – aka Guidance. Indi was the Team Spirit and brought co-operation to the table. Azariah was the Event Organizer and made sure everything was finished. I was more of a Leader, I made sure everyone was contributing. I have to admit I was bossy!!

Our parents organised a workshop day. We went to Indi’s house and tie dyed all the socks. We made some of the lollie bags at school. We brought all of our products into school and set up. We handed the receipts to the teacher and finished the remaining things to do.

The next day we came to school and sat at our stalls, waiting. In the meantime I got into my outfit. Then it began. We saw all the kids pouring in. In the first 10 minutes, we sold six pairs of socks. In the end we sold all of our products . I think all the work was worth it in the end!

By: Izzy, HG3

This term, Kakariki have been following in the footsteps of the Mercy Sisters by using our God-given talents to serve others; and by helping those people in need in our community. We chose three charities to raise money for. Representatives from the charities came to visit us at our Market Day and we were so happy to welcome them back to visit us this week, so we could learn more about their charities and to present our donation cheques to them.

We are happy to announce that this year we raised a grand total of $3,817,60 to donate equally to these charities:

Te Waipuna Puawai Mercy Oasis
We welcomed Bill Takerei back to St Joseph’s. We learned that they do programmes that teach others, aligning with the Sisters of Mercy. When they set up their programmes, they look closely at the areas in the community who need some help. The Sisters of Mercy and Te Waipuna Puawai value meeting unmet needs of the community through information. Their saying is: “Working together to strengthen women, strengthen families, and strengthen community”.

Te Waipuna translates to ‘ the mercy oasis ‘ and that vision is an important part of what they do, while centered on our deep connection to Papatuanuku, the land.

Their house in Waddell is a place for community gatherings, educational programmes, and where people are always welcomed. Nestled in beautiful wetlands, their Ellersie house was created as a safe space for women and children who have suffered hardships. Built on land chosen by the community , they’ve created a beautiful, nurturing environment where people can learn, reflect and heal.

Monte Cecilia Housing Trust

On Thursday of Week 10, Esther Huthchings and Martin Moore came to our school to teach the Kakariki team about where some of our money is going from Market Day; and how it will help people who are less fortunate than us.

Monte Cecilia helps people by giving them a home to stay in until they can afford a longer-lasting place to live. Monte Cecilia was established in 1982 by the St Vincent de Paul Society, the Liston Foundation, the Sisters of Mercy and the Marist Brothers. The Monte Cecilia House Trust is a registered charity, which is part of the Auckland Diocese.

We learnt that Monte Cecilia does not only provide housing; it also provides cooking classes, sewing classes and financial literacy. Last year, they also added a playground for young children to play on. We also learnt that our money will go to the children living there to get them Christmas gifts. We all felt really happy because it’s not fair for a child not to get a Christmas present!

All of the Kakariki team had a really fun time doing Market Day and now we know now that all of our hard work has paid off. It means so much to know that with our help, every child will get a Christmas present.

Society of St Vincent de Paul

The third charity we are raising money for is Saint Vincent de Paul… ‘Vinnies’. A charity we know about from our ‘Cans for Christmas’ campaign.

The main focus of their work is ensuring that the social, economic and political pressures placed on those disadvantaged in our community are reduced. Hundreds of homes are visited each year and assisted with furniture and food parcels. Volunteers run a range of projects and services, for people in need.
We look forward to welcoming Robb Donze, a representative from the charity, at the beginning of Term 4 so we can present our cheque and learn more about how our donation will help people in our community.

By: Erin and Georgia (HG6)

Please check out the latest community notices  which you can find on our school website.