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- Donna McDonald - Principal's Note
- Board Talk - Mike Tohill - Chairperson, Board of Trustees
- Gospel reading for Sunday, 13th December, 2020 - Third Sunday of Advent
- Sparks of God - 4th December, 2020
- Everything you need to know about our End of Year Ceremonies
- Mystery Trip - TOMORROW!
- Stationery for 2021
- THANK YOU!
- Miniball results - Managers'/Coaches' reports
- Early bus on Tuesday, 15th December
- YMCA extended After School Care programme on Tuesday, 15th December for anyone!
- Parents & Friends Group
- 2021 Attendance Dues
- Please give this some thought..............
- Driver's Prayer
- Pool keys for sale!
- 2021 Sacramental Programme
- Christmas Play - Thursday, 24th December at 6p.m.
- YMCA After School Care here at St. T's
- School Calendar
- Community Connections
- Named fence pickets
- Link to download Schoolzine App
Donna McDonald - Principal's Note
Hello, Kia ora, Talofa lava, Hola, Namaste, Mabuhay, Ciao, Kia Orana, Ahalan, Konnichiwa, Ni hao, Selam, Xin chao, Bonjour, Bula, Dzien/Dobry, Shalom, Dia duit, Mauri, Halo, Bom dia, Gidday, Guten Tag, Hej
Mai i te Kopae ki te Urupa, tatou ako tonu ai - From the cradle to the grave, we are forever learning.
Kia ora koutou katoa St Theresa's whanau,
It's hard to believe that this is our final newsletter for the year and although we have all muttered from time to time, "please let this year end", it is still tinged with sadness as we farewell our Year 6 leavers and those families who are moving on.
Please join us tonight as the children tell out the Christmas story in their own creative and unique way. This is also an opportunity for us to acknowledge the year that was, farewell our leavers and to thank you all for supporting us again this year.
Yesterday the children spent some time in their classes for 2021 and it was so heartening to see the joy on display. Whether they were moving into a new room or staying in the same room, they were excited for the prospects ahead. At St. Theresa's we follow sound research which has proven the benefits of staying with the same teacher for 2 years, where possible. Relationships are key to academic progress and social and emotional health and these relationships are developed and built on over the years each child spends with their teacher. As we are a smaller school, our children have many opportunities to work and play with children across the classes in their Pod and this helps them to form relationships and friendships with a wide range of children. Thank you for your ongoing support and encouragement in helping our children to enjoy their time at school.
Please join us on Tuesday if you are avaliable, in the Church ay 11am, for our final Mass of the school year. School closes at 12.30pm and the children will be able to leave after Mass.
Thank you again for the care and support, the messages, food, offers of help and aroha, respect and kindness you have shown to us all throughout this year. I wish you all an uneventful summer break. Enjoy the beauty of New Zealand/Aotearoa if you are travelling and I look forward to seeing you next year for a quiet 2021.
Kia pai tō rā whakatā
Donna
Board Talk - Mike Tohill - Chairperson, Board of Trustees
We had our final Board meeting last Wednesday. It was a busy meeting, as the last meeting of the year always is. We were fortunate enough to have a presentation from Arnie Pham with an overview of our Digital Technology curriculum. It was great to see some examples of what the kids are able to do with this teaching and how it is developing their thinking. Pauline MacLean also contributed and showed us how the Digital Technology curriculum ties in across the curriculum as a whole. It was a really useful session.
We started reviewing our Strategic Plan to review the goals we set for 2020 and to ensure the goals we have for 2021 were fit for purpose. This will be looked at in more detail in our first meeting next year. We also had an initial look at the student achievement data. It is looking really good, which is to be expected. We will take a deeper look at that early next year with a view to ensure we have sufficient funding in areas where more support is needed.
That led us into reviewing the draft budget for next year. A lot of work goes into this from Donna, Gina and also Paul Kerr. We are still waiting on some confirmation of funding from the Ministry of Education to finalise matters but as with previous years, the budget is extremely tight. We rely heavily on the fundraising efforts of the school community, as do most other schools. It takes a whole of school community effort to fundraise. I think the saying ‘Many hands make light work’ really fits here. I would encourage you all to lend a hand, be a part of the Parents & Friends Committee to help with the fundraising efforts. It will mean that nobody is lumbered with a lot of work and together we can all contribute a small amount of our time for the greater good of our School.
Have a restful and happy Christmas. It’s been a hectic and stressful year so I hope you can relax a bit and spend time with those people who are most important to you.
Ngā mihi
Mike Tohill - Chairperson – St Theresa’s School Board of Trustees
Gospel reading for Sunday, 13th December, 2020 - Third Sunday of Advent
Everything you need to know about our End of Year Ceremonies
This info is also available on our website under 'What's on Top/School Notices'.
Unfortunately this trip is not suitable for pre-schoolers.
The 2021 stationery lists are available on our website and will be sent home in hard copy form with your child as well. Stationery can be ordered online through OfficeMax who will courier your parcel to you during the holidays. Our School gets a commission on all sales through this supplier however, stationery can be bought from any store of your choice. 2021 Stationery lists
On behalf of all the staff, we would like to thank our very special School community for all their support, hard work, care and concern throughout the year. We appreciate everything you do for us. We wish everyone a very merry Christmas and everything of the best for 2021.
Miniball results - Managers'/Coaches' reports
St. T's Thunderbirds: Our last game of the season was against the Saint Theresa's Eagles. The children played so well and it was a close game 3 - 4 to The Eagles. Bella Woodley got Player of the Day for her fantastic defense. Thanks to the children, parents and refs for a fantastic season!
Fantastic game by the St. T's Tigers to finish off the season even when we lost by one goal. PoD goes to Abby for her relentless energy and great goals. Bring on next year so we can play Miniball again!
Early bus on Tuesday, 15th December
The School bus will be here to collect children at 12.30p.m. on the last day of term. If your child usually travels home by bus, getting a ride home is still an option!
YMCA extended After School Care programme on Tuesday, 15th December for anyone!
YMCA extended After School Care programme
It's that time again! It is nearly the end of the year and we are offering an extended After School Program on Tuesday, 15th December – 12.30pm – 6.00pm. We will focus on a Christmas theme and enjoy time together before the long Summer Holiday. Everybody welcome.
Where? Parish Hall
When? 12.30pm – 6.00pm, Tuesday 15th December
Who? Year 0-6
Contact Natalie (Centre Manager) 022 424 5917 for further information.
A huge thank you to our St Theresa's whānau for your continued support of our fundraising activities. Overall it’s been a really positive term for the Parents & Friends Group, created by the amazing support of our members and the wider school community.
End of term wrap up
We are pleased to announce that we have raised $7 500 this term, which meets our target for the kids’ kitchen in the Junior block!
Covid forced us to think differently this year and the Parents & Friends Group responded with four key objectives. Here’s a quick summary of our we did – more detail can be found here
- Recruit – we now have an active crew of around 18 Parents and Friends members
- Review – we now have solid structures and processes to support the group
- Reimagine – we now have a diverse range of Covid friendly fundraising activities
- Raise – we met our target of 5-10K to fund the kids’ kitchen
2021 vacancies
Both Sarah Davies and Maria Gair are stepping away from their coordination role in 2021. The group is there therefore looking for core of people to lead next year’s fundraising activities. If this is something that you, or someone you know, could be interested in then please let us know. Remember, there is a solid foundation and really supportive members to lean on!
Please find attached the 2021 Attendance Dues flyer to confirm the $545 charge for primary school students. Please note the charge has been kept at the same level as this year. You are encouranged to start a regular payment plan to your account, if payment in full is not manageable.
Please give this some thought..............
Please consider being a blood donor - it's quick, it's easy, it's painless and YOU can save lives.
(Gina's prepared to go with anyone who might need support or just wants some company!)
Mobile Blood Drive at Pataka Museum in Porirua
(Whole blood donations)
Please travel safely during the holidays!
Each time I drive Lord, may I feel Your hands on mine, upon the wheel.
Give me a careful watchful eye for young and old and I pass by.
I want to use this car for you, to drive my friends/family in safety too
But all these things can never be, unless O Lord, You drive with me.
Amen.
We are selling pool keys for the summer season. The pool will be available from the beginning of December until approximately the end of March, depending on the weather. Use of the pool during term time and in the holidays is outlined in the agreement attached as well as all the other conditions.
The cost of a key for the whole of the season is $100. Head over to the office if you're keen!
Christmas Play - Thursday, 24th December at 6p.m.
Anyone wanting to be in the Christmas play that will be part of the Christmas Vigil Mass at Bishop Viard College on Thursday, 24th December at 6pm needs to email Livvy at livvy.mckennie@gmail.com.
YMCA After School Care here at St. T's
The Y is at St Theresa’s School! We offer a fun, innovative program that caters for each individual child, in a safe and relaxing environment. Your child will be supervised by skilled leaders who enjoy creating opportunities for play, in and outdoors. We use the school playground as well as the swimming pool in summer. We are well-resourced and have planned and spontaneous activities that include baking, arts and crafts, quiet areas, science and outdoor physical/ sporty activities.
Where? Parish Hall.
When? 2.45pm – 6.00pm. Mon-Fri.
All St. T's students are most welcome!
Contact Natalie (Centre Manager) 022 424 5917 for further information.
Never a dull moment! We're constantly adding notices about sports registrations, holiday programmes, courses and much more which are happening mostly but not exclusively, in our community. Check out this link:
If you would like to order a picket, please complete the attached form and return to the Office. The cost is $35 per picket.
Link to download Schoolzine App
NEWSLETTER APP
Here is the link to download the Schoolzine App. At the end of set up, you are asked for a passcode and this is 3025.
An important update for SZapp has been released to accomodate for iPhones which have been intermittently receiving push notifications.
SZapp version 3.6.0 is available from the App Store now and we advise all iPhone users to install this version to ensure notifications are received correctly.
Users with automatic updates enabled on their device will recieve this update automatically.