Our Term’s Living and Learning Focus is
TEAM KOTAHITANGA
Our School Values
Tina Justice, Pono Truth, Aroha Compassion, Manaakitanga Hospitality and Tapu Respect for the Environment
lived out in our Motto
Courtesy Care Co-operation Courage
Learning to Learn at St Joseph’s #L2L
The Learning Model for our school is: “To Know To Do To Use”
Key Competencies
Capabilities for living and lifelong learning
The New Zealand Curriculum identifies five key competencies: • thinking • using language, symbols, and texts • managing self • relating to others • participating and contributing.
Learning Areas
are important for a broad, general education
In English, students study, use, and enjoy language and literature communicated orally, visually, or in writing.
In the arts, students explore, refine, and communicate ideas as they connect thinking, imagination, senses, and feelings to create works and respond to the works of others.
In health and physical education, students learn about their own well-being, and that of others and society, in health-related and movement contexts.
In learning languages, students learn to communicate in an additional language, develop their capacity to learn further languages, and explore different world views in relation to their own.
In mathematics and statistics, students explore relationships in quantities, space, and data and learn to express these relationships in ways that help them to make sense of the world around them.
In science, students explore how both the natural physical world and science itself work so that they can participate as critical, informed, and responsible citizens in a society in which science plays a significant role.
In the social sciences, students explore how societies work and how they themselves can participate and take action as critical, informed, and responsible citizens.
In technology, students learn to be innovative developers of products and systems and discerning consumers who will make a difference in the world.
SHARING THE LEARNING – KAKAPO TEAM
Sharing the Learning – Kakariki Kotahitanga
A bustle of noise could be heard in Kakariki team and doors opened and closed swallowing up parents and children as they came to celebrate their learning last Wednesday.
It was great to show what we had learnt over the term, and for our parents to see the progress we had made. It was exciting to walk around the rooms with us explaining how we had used the Key Competencies, problem solved and understood what our next steps were.
Thank you to all our parents for joining us as celebrate our learning journey.
Kakariki Reporters
Making Peace Poppies
During our Sharing of Term 1 Learning, as the photos show, Years 5 and 6 students and many parents were very involved in making Peace Poppies for the Hurstmere Green display for Anzac Day on April 25th
The children had to learn to sew buttons to felt petals, to create a poppy effect. When we did this we imagined soldiers in the trenches sewing buttons or repairing their uniforms using the same skills.
Some students took extra poppies home to finish and after 4 days we had over 100 poppies as part of this display. We recommend you visit Hurstmere Green to view this amazing display.
Grace Houghton and Maya Paiva-Toldeo for the Year 6 reporters
Making the Easter Candle
When Father asked if we could help design the Easter candle we were excited at being involved in such an important task. Yeshle Kim, Ashling Shand and Grace Houghton were selected as their artistic talents were well known. Painting the delicate letters and numbers required a steady hand and real courage (we didn’t want to spoil the candle!) But the end result made us proud. Thank you to Shona MacDonald for being our guide and mentor.
What a wonderful experience for us.
Kakariki Team reporters
PARISH FOOD BANK- SCHOOL GENEROSITY
Thank you to all who were so generous in donating to the food bank throughout the term and extra especially for this week’s effort. Pictured below is Home Group 13 from Kea Team with their donations.
8 Ways You May Be Raising Your Child to Be a Bully by Ashley Trexler
This comes from Generation Next Newsletter – 31 March 2015
We want our kids to grow up happy and successful, but putting happiness and success before caring is raising a generation of bullies.
Admit it. You’ve watched and wondered: is my kid a bully?
Not all the time. Not most of the time. But some of the time. The rough-handed grab, pushy attitude, resentful looks. Is it a bad day, a phase, or something more? Maybe no one has told you to your face you’re raising a bully, but sometimes you can’t help but wonder if other parents are talking about it behind your back.
Bullying starts and ends with an imbalance of power. Too much or too little, the results are often the same: bullying behaviour is simply a means to gain more power.
So how do you make sure you’re raising a kind child, and not a bully?
You’ve heard all the usual talk about what causes bullying – overly permissive parenting, violent video games, abuse. What might surprise you is how even the best-intentioned parents – parents just like you – are unknowingly sabotaging their efforts to raise kind, caring kids.
Early childhood experiences of relationships and environmental factors are powerful influencers of brain development and determinative of the behaviours that we adopt and the kind of adults we become. Nurturing environments in the home help children become healthy, resilient and caring adults, with positive implications for their cognitive and emotional development.
Read the full article at the Generation Next blog »
“Good character is more to be praised than outstanding talent. Most talents are,
to some extent, a gift.
Good character by contrast, is not given to us. We have to build it, piece by piece- by thought, choice courage and determination.”
H. Jackson Brown
Here is an example of a letter written by Gabriel B from Kakariki Team, Home Group 4, as if he is Mary writing to Jesus.
My letter to Jesus By: Gabriel Home Group 4 in Kakariki Kotahitanga
To my precious loving son
Sadness is rushing through my veins and my heart is crushed and torn into a thousand pieces and every time I think of you my tears falls down like a waterfall. Every bit of my body aches form by torn heart. I should have been a better mother, then you would have not been whipped and humiliated in front of all the people.
Every step I take it feels like I am walking away from you.
Thank you for being my perfect son and thank you for doing all the miracles that you have done for all the people.
Love Mary, your loving mother
HOLY WEEK AND EASTER
We are now in the midst of Holy Week and looking forward to Easter. This is the most important celebration in the Church year.
Ways you might like to help with your child’s faith development:
- Talk about the Holy Week Liturgy at school and ask them to share with the rest of the family
- Attend the various services (see timetable below)
– Holy Thursday Mass – Stations of the Cross (led by the Youth Group)
-Easter Saturday Vigil or – Easter Sunday Mass
- Read and discuss the Easter Stories (use children’s bibles – depending on the age of your children)
- Share family and cultural traditions around Easter (e.g. why do we have Hot Cross Buns? Easter Eggs? Easter Bunny? – Are these connected with the real Easter story and how?)
What’s on at St Joseph’s Church this Easter?
|
Event |
|
Date |
Time |
| Holy Thursday | Mass | April 2nd | 7.30 pm |
| Good Friday |
Stations of Cross for Children (Church Youth)
Passion of Christ
April 3rd
10.00 am
3.00 pmHoly SaturdayEaster Vigil MassApril 4th7.30 pmEaster SundayMassApril 5th7.30 am
10.00 am
Dates to note:
On Friday 24th April, we will have an Anzac Liturgy at 2.00…all welcome. Our children will join in the Takapuna Anzac Ceremony at 9.00 on the 25th. Monday 27th is a public holiday. Thursday 30 April is a consultation evening for our Indian Families.
Ka kite ano! God bless! Happy Easter to everyone! Safe and Happy holidays! See you on Monday 20 April, ready to start a new term of learning!
Phil
