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- Donna McDonald - Principal's Note
- Gospel for Sunday, 17th December, 2022
- Sparks of God - Term 4, 2022 - Week 8
- Class of the Week - Room 3
- A huge thank you................
- Silent Auction for a Juniper Restaurant voucher - here's your chance!
- March Madness Fair 2023
- School Pool keys for sale - cut off today (Thursday, 15th Dec.) at 3p.m.
- If you have a bit of spare time.........
- Traveller's prayer
- Parish News and the Christmas Play
- A special request from our School Gardener to any pool users during the holidays
- Uniform fittings and purchases during the holidays
- Secondhand uniform donations
- School Terms - end 2022 and start/end 2023
- Tips to keep those reading miles ticking over!
- A message from Kiwirail
- St. T's After School Care - come check it out!
- St. Theresa's Secondhand School Uniform Shop - read all about it!
- Link to download Schoolzine App
- Quick Links to our website
- Yummy Apple stickers
- Named fence pickets
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.
Thank you all so much for joining us on Tuesday night for our end of year celebration. It was so lovely to have everyone back together, to be able to farewell our Year 6 students and celebrate another amazing year. Once again, the children presented the Christmas story beautifully and I'm sure we could all relate to how Mary could have been feeling - especially in the heat of Tuesday night. Thank you to the team here at St. Theresa's for preparing the children so well and to Shona Hockings and her helpers for the lovely supper we enjoyed afterwards.
Please join us tomorrow at 11a.m. if you can, for our final Mass for the year.
Last week, we held our annual Whanau Day and sadly the rain prevented us from being outside. This week Rm 9 and 10 were able to present their Maypole dance that Mrs. MacLean had taught them, as part of her culture.
Yesterday our Year 6 students enjoyed their leavers' lunch. They had a great day wearing their own choice clothing, having fish and chips, ice cream and fizzy drink for lunch and they also had the most amazing cake with their individual names piped onto it. They have been an awesome group and it was so lovely to be able to host them for their lunch.
As we prepare for Christmas and the end of this year, it is a good time to reflect on the legacy we will leave behind. I would like to again share these words from Marianne Baum, that I shared on Tuesday night:
“Every minute someone leaves this world behind. Age has nothing to do with it.
We are all in "the line" without knowing it.
We never know how many people are before us.
We can not move to the back of the line.
We can not step out of the line.
We can not avoid the line.
So while we wait in line:
Make moments count.
Make priorities.
Make the time.
Make your gifts known.
Make a nobody feel like a somebody.
Make your voice heard.
Make the small things big.
Make someone smile.
Make the change.
Make up.
Make peace.
Make sure to tell your people they are loved.
Make sure to have no regrets.
Make sure you are ready…”
“Every minute someone leaves this world”
I wish you all a very happy and holy Christmas. Travel safely if you are heading away and enjoy your precious time with family and friends.
Nga mihi,
Donna McDonald - Principal
Kia pai too raa whakataa
Gospel for Sunday, 17th December, 2022
Matthew 1:18-24
In this Sunday's Gospel, an angel appears to Joseph, directing him to take Mary as his wife and telling him that the child she will bear will be called Emmanuel. Joseph and Mary are our models for family life and for the service of God. Even when the circumstances seemed unclear, Joseph trusted God. Healthy family life is built upon trust; trust in God and trust in one another. We reflect on this Gospel and ask that as we celebrate Christmas this week, that we like Joseph and Mary, will always be people who trust God.
We had a great time at Prizegiving being angels. We made very glittery halos. They were awesome. We found out what classes we will be in next year; it is so exciting to be Year 2s.
Today we had fun swimming with Room 6. It was a great way to finish our swimming for 2022. We can’t wait for Christmas and the holidays and we hope you all have a great break.
A huge thank you................
A wee thank you to all of our school community for their love and support this year and for all the generous gifts we have received. We appreciate it very much. We wish you a very happy and holy Christmas and everything of the best for 2023.
Silent Auction for a Juniper Restaurant voucher - here's your chance!
Thank you so much for the amazing response we've had so far towards March Madness. The Finance area and Mighty Muscle are already full and other areas are starting to fill up.
If you want to help in your preferred area, email shonah@stp.school.nz as soon as possible. If you're not sure where to help out, refer to the notices that came home on Monday; there is a little description of all the roles/areas.
School Pool keys for sale - cut off today (Thursday, 15th Dec.) at 3p.m.
We are selling pool keys for the summer season. The pool will be available from the end of this term to the last week of March, 2023. All the details are in the attachments. If you want to buy a key, please read the Terms & Conditions and then complete the Key Allocation form, make your payment and Gina will send your key home with one of your children. No more keys will be sold after Thursday, 15th December at 3p.m.
If you have a bit of spare time.........
If you are eligible and have a bit of time, please consider donating blood or plasma. There is currently a shortage and there won't be enough to cover the holiday period. Blood donations only take about half an hour - consider it a time to have a quiet, relaxing break!
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, when I drive 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.
Parish News and the Christmas Play
If any children would like to be part of the Christmas Play at the Christmas Family Mass at Bishop Viard College, please contact Lauren Johnstone on 021-450643. There will be a part for everyone!
From Fr. Andrew and Jocelyn Bryant: We wish everyone a very blessed Christmas, safe travels and wonderful family times over the holiday period. We look forward to 2023 and continuing to grow our Parish and School relationship.
A special request from our School Gardener to any pool users during the holidays
If you have bought a pool key and are on site, would you PLEASE pop along to the veggie gardens at the back of the Learning Hub and Rooms 6 & 7 and giving them a bit of a watering? The hose will be left outside the door of the wee garden shed. We would hate all the hard work of planting to go to waste. Many thanks in anticipation.
Uniform fittings and purchases during the holidays
During Term 1, 2023, we will have some on site uniform fitting (as we usually do). However, if you want to have your child fitted for any uniform items before the start of school next year, our supplier will be available during the school holidays. Please contact Bernadette Chapman directly, to make an appointment or to order anything. (Based in Paraparaumu.)
Phone: 04-2125611 or email b.chapman093@gmail.com
If your child is leaving St. T's as a Year 6 student or has outgrown their uniform and there is no one else in the family to pass items on to, please consider donating it to our Secondhand Uniform Shop. The Shop is currently closed and will reopen on 25th January, 2023 but items can be left here at school.
School Terms - end 2022 and start/end 2023
School closes for 2022 on Friday, 16th December at 12.30p.m.
School terms for 2023:
T1: Officially on Wednesday, 1st February but this is a Teacher Only Day so from Thursday, 2nd February for all students. Term 1 ends on Thursday, 6th April.
T2: Monday, 24th April - Friday, 30th June
T3: Monday, 17th July - Friday, 22nd September
T4: Monday, 9th October - Friday, 15th December
Tips to keep those reading miles ticking over!
It’s hard to keep up a reading routine in a season packed with distractions and diversions.
Many children, especially struggling readers, forget some of what they've learned or slip out of practice during the summer months. Try these 3 steps to help your child improve their reading during the summer and beyond:
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Six books to summer success: Research shows that reading just six books during the summer may keep a struggling reader from regressing. When choosing the six, be sure that they are just right — not too hard and not too easy. Take advantage of your school and local library. Ask for help selecting books that match your child's age, interests, and abilities. (We allow up to 10 books per child).
2. Read something every day: Encourage your child to take advantage of every opportunity to read. Find them throughout the day:
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Morning: The newspaper (physical or digital) — even if it is just the comics or today's weather.
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Daytime: Schedules, TV guides, magazines, online resources, etc.
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Evening: End the day by having your child read to you from the book they are currently reading (maybe one of their library books). Have them rehearse a paragraph, page, or chapter before reading to you. Rereading will help them be more fluent — able to read at an appropriate speed, correctly, and with nice expression.
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Travelling: Read road signs, town names, street names, personalised number plates, billboards, shop displays, airport, bus and train schedule boards - the options are endless.
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Equally important “Keep reading aloud”: Reading aloud benefits all children and teens, especially those who struggle. One benefit is that you can read books your child can't, so they will build listening comprehension skills. This will increase their knowledge and expand their experience with text, so that they will do better when reading on their own.
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Consider borrowing an audiobook from the Public Library and allow your child to put on some headphones and listen online. (free with a public library membership)
St. T's After School Care - 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 with a sibling discount of 10%
Early pick up (4p.m.) - $10 per child
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, the programme manager, 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.
St. Theresa's Secondhand School Uniform Shop - read all about it!
PLEASE NOTE: The shop will be closed from Sunday, 13th November and will re-open on 25th January, 2023.
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.
If you would like to order a picket, please complete the attached form and return to the Office. The cost is $35 per picket.