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- Donna McDonald - Principal's Note
- Gospel for Sunday, 27th March, 2022
- Sparks of God - 2022, Term 1, Week 6
- Class of the Week - Room 8
- A very warm welcome!
- 2022 Senior Swimming Sports Results - Years 4 - 6
- Young Joeys Group
- Caritas Challenge 2022
- Pool keys due back by end of March
- Telling it like it is!
- Look what's up for grabs! Easter Raffle Update
- Need more seating?
- Olivia Wakefield Photography photo shoot fundraiser
- Some important dates for your diary
- Entertainment Book - 2022
- Quick Links to our website
- Named fence pickets
- Secondhand school uniform
- Link to download Schoolzine App
- Yummy Apple stickers
- St. T's After School Care is up and running - come check it out!
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 St. Theresa's whanau,
Last week we welcomed our new students and staff in our modified powhiri. An important part of this very special celebration is the presentation of a Kete from our Parish, to those being welcomed. This is a special tradition that we are very grateful for and another opportunity for us to strengthen the link between our Parish and School. Unfortunately, not everyone was able to receive their Kete so we presented them at school, in 2 groups. Thank you once again to Jocelyn Bryant, the Parish Secretary, who organises this on behalf of our Parish community.
This term has seen our School join the wave of COVID cases. We have had many families isolating with positive cases and this has put an extra strain on many. Our thanks go out to the St Vincent de Paul Society and our Parish Foodbank who have so generously continued to support us.
Our 2nd hand uniform sales have proved popular and we are very grateful to Libby Baker for taking up this role. As you may know, we ask for a donation for all uniform items and all money raised goes directly to the School. There have been quite a few queries from people regarding how much to donate, so we are putting together a donation guide that will be attached to any secondhand uniform you receive. The school bank account number will also be attached to make things as simple as possible. If you have received items already, please contact Gina if you need the school bank account number.
As I'm sure you are all aware, the Government announced changes to our current COVID-19 protection framework yesterday. It was pleasing to see that restrictions on gatherings both indoors and outdoors, have been increased. This means we will again be able to hold Assemblies together in the Hall and you will be able to attend. It also means from next week we will not require you to scan in when coming into school, however we are still required to wear masks so please continue to wear a mask at school.
We are excited to be able to plan our Easter Pageant with the opportunity to have you all in attendance and we will share more details with you as soon as possible.
Our drop off and pick up system throughout the changing levels has worked really well and we have seen an increase in the independence of our children, right across the School. With the changes to the COVID protection framework, we can once again welcome whanau back in to drop off and pick up their children. It would be great if you encourage your children to continue coming into school independently as this supports them to settle quickly. The children will be released at the end of the day and are still able to meet you at whichever gate works for your whanau, however if you prefer to come into school and meet them on the school grounds, you are very welcome to do that. Please wait outside of classrooms and continue to wear a mask.
As we have daily cases of COVID being reported to us now, we will not be sending out letters to individual classes and After School Care notifying you of a new case. We ask that you continue to be vigilant with symptoms and keep children home if they are unwell. All children who display symptoms and need to be picked up will be given a few Rapid Antigen Tests to take home. If you require extras, please let us know and we can organise these for you.
Thank you again for your continued support of the staff and students, as we navigate these ever-changing times.
Have a lovely weekend.
Donna McDonald - Principal
Kia pai too raa whakataa
Gospel for Sunday, 27th March, 2022
Fourth Sunday of Lent
Luke 15:1-3,11-32
In this Sunday's Gospel, we hear the parable of the Prodigal Son. The father in the parable is an image for us of how much God wants to forgive us. In our lives, we are sometimes like the younger son; we wander away from God. At other times, we might be like the older son, jealous of the love and forgiveness that God shows to others. This story speaks to us of the meaning of reconciliation, of God's forgiveness and the mercy God wants us to show to one another. During Lent, we remember this story and we seek to be reconciled with God and others, especially through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Last week, Room 8 had such a great time joining the whole school to re-enact the legend of Awarua: The Taniwha of Porirua. Everyone has a special part to play and now the children are excited to have the props to play with in the classroom and make up their own stories and legends about sharing, friendship and resilience.
This week, we welcome Olivia Murphy, daughter of Mark and Barbara and sister of Hannah in Room 10. Along with her, we welcome Matthew Bastian, son of John and Vineetha and brother of Michael in Room 6. These students have joined Mrs. Beasley in Room 2 and we wish them many happy years as part of our St. Theresa's community.
We are the Young Joeys Group for this term. We have been learning all about Saint Mary Mackillop and what she did. Her big saying was “never see a need without doing something about it”. Normally we would be helping pack items at the food bank but because we aren’t able to at the moment, we have thought of some things we already do or could all do to address the needs in our community, particularly during Lent. You might like to give one or two of these ideas a go.
* Donate Toys;
* Video call someone who is isolating;
* Ring family you haven’t been able to see;
* Buy something extra in your grocery shop to donate to the food bank;
* Do some jobs to earn some money to donate to charities.
Maya, Amelia, Hannah, Jacob, Dante
Caritas is a Catholic organisation that works really hard in New Zealand and many other countries around the world. At the moment, Caritas is working particularly hard to provide aid to Ukraine. They need our support so we have decided that for the Caritas Challenge this year, everyone in the school will make a sunflower (a symbol of peace) that they can take home for a donation to Caritas.
This will be on Friday, 1st April. Can children please bring a monetary donation and they can also wear something yellow.
Thank you.
Caritas Challenge Leaders: Noah, Kobe, Tiarnan, Sophia D, Poppy-Lou
Look what's up for grabs! Easter Raffle Update
In order to finalise our Easter Raffle and present these amazing prizes to our winners, we are asking that all raffle tickets (preferably sold) be returned to school by Friday, 1st April. Thanks again to all the families who have already sold their tickets and to those who have taken even more - we really appreciate your effort.
One of these could be going home to your place!! Good luck, everyone!
Olivia Wakefield Photography photo shoot fundraiser
Thanks to Olivia of Olivia Wakefield Photography, we are holding a photo shoot fundraiser in the April school holidays! An accredited member of the NZ Institute of Professional Photographers, Olivia is also the proud Mum of two St T’s boys (Tom & Henry). Each photo shoot booked is 15 minutes long and costs $69.00 for the booking fee. This price also includes one digital file. $50 from every single one of these session fees will be donated back to St Theresa’s Catholic School!
If you are interested, please check out the link below for more fine detail and get in quick to secure your booking!
Thanks so much Olivia!
https://
Some important dates for your diary
These dates are just for the next few weeks. More details about the bigger events will be in the newsletter.
Wednesday, 30th March - Board meeting 6p.m.
Friday, 8th April - Uniform fittings from 2p.m. onwards
Thursday, 14th April - Holy Thursday, our Easter Pageant and the end of Term 1
Monday, 2nd May - Start of Term 2
Purchasing an Entertainment Membership is a WIN-WIN!!
Not only will you receive limited time Bonus Offers and a Bonus eGift card with your purchase you will also support our fundraiser.
Winners are grinners so make sure you purchase your Membership TODAY!!
https://www.
If you would like to order a picket, please complete the attached form and return to the Office. The cost is $35 per picket.
We have had items donated to us over the last couple of years so if you need anything, please contact Libby Baker on elizabeth.baker@tegrisk.co.nz
She can tell you how it all works!
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.
We're still collecting Yummy stickers which earn us points for sports equipment. A chart is attached for you to use and copies are also available from the Office.
St. T's After School Care is up and running - come check it out!
After School Care - Permanent or Casual
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. Monday - Friday
Cost? $20 per day
Sibling Discount: 10%
There will be no fee for sickness. Children can be booked in full time, on selected days or on a casual basis as well.
Enrolment forms are available from both the School Office or Hone in the hall.
The booking facility is on our website.
https://www.st-theresas.school.nz/1488/forms/45-after-school-care-booking-form-term-4/submissions/new
If you have any questions, please contact Hone on 021-02426850 or email him asc2021@stp.school.nz.