From the Principal
Dear Parents,
Never is God nearer to us than when danger threatens
Catholic Special Character Review for Development 13 – 15 March 2018
Every four years the Catholic Bishops Conference of NZ asks the local Catholic Schools Office to conduct an external review. The review for our school is taking place on 13-15 March 2018. As part of the preparation for this review all stakeholders are invited to complete a short questionnaire. Copies of this will be available at our Meet the Teacher conferences on 21.02.2018. Completed questionnaires can be dropped into the boxes located around the school. We will have a box at the school office until 28.02.2018.
Alternatively you can click here for the survey link to complete the form online.
Meet the Teacher afternoon / evening 21.02.2018 – School closes at 1:50pm
Yesterday you should have received a school links email inviting you to make an appointment to meet your child’s class teacher. The purpose of these sessions is to give you a chance to meet the teacher and share with them information about your child. Today your child will bring home with them a Getting to know our Learners information sheet which we would like you to complete and bring with you to your sharing session on Wednesday.
Thank you for your support.
Blessing:
Spirit of God be with us
As shade in the heat
Rest in the journey
Drink for the thirsty
And refreshing presence.
Amen
DRS Report
Mea ana te atawhai haere mai i runga i te aroha me te awhi
Mercy invites us to love and to care.
Lent has begun. It’s a time for us to take stock of our lives and relationship with God. It’s a time to model to our children ways to reach out and improve the lives of others.
This week we have witnessed the devastation cyclone Gita has waged on pacific nations. Extended family from our school community are having to rebuild their homes, schools and lives. Please keep them in your prayers. In particular we think of our school families from Tonga which has suffered badly since the storm.
Our Lenten focus this year is to raise money for the restoration of their resources – fresh water supplies, cooking needs, bedding and more. Children are encouraged to consider giving up a treat and donating the money each week or doing some extra jobs at home or for family members to raise money. Thank you for supporting our families from Tonga to support their families back home.
‘If we all do a little, together we can do a lot’
Detta Fairweather
DRS
News from the Board
Dear All
Nga mihi nui ki a koutou katoa.
Your Board of Trustees held a very successful strategy day last Friday. We discussed our school’s vision and where we wanted the school to be in three years time. We will use this to develop our draft strategic plan which sets out the direction for our school over the next three years and our annual plan which sets out what we would like our school to achieve over the next year. We will prepare these documents over the next month. The Auckland Diocese Catholic Education Office will be undertaking its regular four yearly review of our school in early March so we also took the opportunity at our strategy day to prepare for that. I will keep you informed about the development of our strategic and annual plans and our upcoming Catholic character review in upcoming newsletters.
We have been advertising the vacancy for our new Principal online since December but our formal advertisement was printed in the Education Gazette on Monday. We attach a copy of our Education Gazette advertisement and our Principal appointment criteria (see links below) so you can all see the qualities that we would like to see in our new Principal. Our advertisement and Principal appointment criteria reflect the feedback that we received from all of you at our last student teacher conference day, from all of our staff and from all of our children.
I have also been back up to our field to check out the work early this week. The drainage work has been finished and with all the rain we have been having I can see the difference the drainage has made to the field surface. The grass is growing well and the installation of the cricket pitch is scheduled for completion next week assuming that the weather co-operates. Hopefully, the field will look a picture at the PTA’s annual welcome picnic next month.
Our first formal Board meeting will be held in the staffroom at 6:30p.m. next Tuesday 20 February 2018. All are welcome to attend. I will report on our meeting in my next Board report.
Atua e manaaki.
Stephen McKenzie
Chair
Below is a copy of the Education Gazette advertisement for the school’s new Principal and our appointment criteria.
Education Gazette – Advertisement (1)
Principal Appointment Criteria
News from the Classroom
Room 1 students have been settling in to school so nicely. Students have spent time discovering their classroom environment and the equipment in it. We have been learning about each other and the things that we each like. Here are some pictures of us learning with a friend, discovering new and exciting things and most of all – having fun!
Walking School Bus – “Wacky Hair Day”
On Tuesday 20 February any children wishing to join the Walking School Bus can wear their hair as wacky as they like. They must dress in their school uniform, but may keep their hair wacky throughout the school day. This applies only to children walking on the bus. The Summermist Drive walking school bus leaves each day at 8 20 a.m. from the Summermist Drive Park, Northpark. The Kilimanjaro bus meets at 8 a.m. and leaves at 8.10 a.m. every day from 5 Kilimanjaro Drive, Northpark.
Information Centre News
Mrs Bell, Mrs Mckay and Mrs Ryan are thrilled to welcome these children to the role of Student Librarian for 2018.
It will be great to have their help and input into all the exciting things we have planned for the Information Centre this year.
- Book covering, mending, shelving – these jobs are never ending in the Information Centre. If you are able to spare some time after school drop off in the morning or before school pick up in the afternoon, we’d love to have your help! Please contact Bronwyn Bell [email protected] or pop in and see us.
- Urgent Help Needed : Patrol Crossing Supervision – Unfortunately we had no response to our last newsletter request. If anyone is available to help supervise our school patrol on a Tuesday afternoon or a Thursday morning for half an hour please see Sue Kubala for further details.
Other Information
Attendance Dues
Current invoices/statements have been emailed out today. Term 1 is due by 20 March 2018. A letter from your Board of Trustees explaining the amounts and methods of payment has been emailed separately.
REMINDERS:
Friendly Reminders of Term 1
Absences
If your child is absent from school for any reason you must email [email protected] or phone the office and leave a message or use the school website ‘Absence’ line. Please leave a specific reason for the absence i.e. if the child is sick please specify the sickness e.g. cold, vomiting etc. If the child is absent from school due to sickness for more than three days, a medical certificate is required. For any holiday or overseas travel please email our Principal Mrs Platt at [email protected]
Car parking
Please be considerate when street parking near the school. We have received complaints from neighbours regarding parking across driveways.
Lunches
When ordering online please make sure your child’s order has the correct room number as last term a few lunches have gone to incorrect rooms.
Lost Property
The lost property cupboard is by Room 1 entrance. You are welcome to check this at any time as it is open all day.
Uniform shop
Open every Thursday 8.30 – 9.00 a.m. and 2.30-3 p.m. (during school term)
Bizzybodz
Before and Afterschool care – 021837977 for bookings
New Lunch Menu Update – Tuckshop
For our updated Lunch Menus for the tuckshop. Please see LUNCHES under the Parent Information tab on website.
Term Events
Community Notices
- ST MARY’S COLLEGE OPEN DAY – THURSDAY 8 March 2018. Click on link below for further information.
- SACRED HEART COLLEGE Cricket Bayleys Golf Day. Thursday, 8th March at Whitford Park Golf Club. See links below for poster and registration form.
- BARADENE COLLEGE – OPEN EVENING will be held on Thursday 8 March, 2018 at 6.30 p.m. All prospective parents and students are welcome to visit the College. Entry at Gate 2 to the Auditorium.
Enrolments for Year 7, 2019 are presently being accepted and will close on Thursday 22 March, 2018.
Companion Training Workshop
Seasons for Growth is a peer support program which assists people of all ages to understand and manage the changes they experience when a significant loss occurs.
We are looking for volunteer Companions (adult facilitators) who would be willing to assist in the delivery of this program in schools and the community.
A 2 day Companion Workshop will be held on
Monday 5th and Tuesday, 6th March, 2018
at St Columba Centre
40 Vermont Street
Ponsonby
10.00 ~ 4.00pm
(morning tea will be provided)
REGISTRATION IS ESSENTIAL by Thursday, 1st March 2018
To register or find out more about this program,
contact: Delia 09-360 3027, or [email protected]
www.aucklandcatholic.org.nz/religious-education/seasons-for-growth/
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Rotary Club of Howick FUN RUN/WALK for all the family
SUNDAY 18 March 2018
FUNDRAISING TO support HOWICK COASTGUARD
Thanks to all those schools who have supported this annual community event, we look forward to you and many others joining us again this year.
It will be on Sunday 18th March starting and finishing on Stockade Hill.
This is a community event and all proceeds go to our local Coastguard.
Further information is on the website howickfunwalkrun.co.nz
There are different courses for primary and Intermediate Schools.
Many thanks again for your fantastic support, parents are very welcome to enter as well either to walk or to run.
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