Newsletter Week 8 Term 4
Sacred Heart School Christchurch - 5 December 2022
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Kia ora, Talofa lava, Malo e lei lei, Jou sahn, Aubowan, Chao, Hola, Fakalofa atu, Kumusta, Namaste, Salam
Wow, where has 2022 gone? This brings about the last fortnightly newsletter of the year. There will, however, be a few updates via Seesaw before the end of the year. It is a distant memory how disrupted the year has been, especially in Terms 1 and 2. We are really looking forward to welcoming you all into the school on Wednesday night from 5.00pm for an evening of celebrating the performances that make us proud of all our tamariki.
We prepare to farewell our Year 8’s who will be heading off to various high schools next year. You have been excellent ambassadors for our school and we appreciate all you have added in your time with us. You are a very inclusive group who have welcomed new children to your groups openly over the years. In fact, of the 18, only 5 of you started as New Entrants.
We wish you all the best for the future and look forward to you coming back to visit when you can.
Many thanks to our whole school community, whānau and students who have supported us as we faced each new challenge and change through the year. Your support and understanding have been much appreciated and has made getting through this year so much easier. Thank you also to all our staff who have been flexible and have ensured that school life and learning continues as smoothly as possible for all our children. We are very privileged to have such a lovely school community to work with and we are very proud of how your tamariki have navigated this year.
Next Thursday we have our our final school Mass and prize giving for the year. We will be celebrating Mass on the 15 December at 10.30am, the final morning of the school year so we can all farewell the Year 8 children prior to our prizegiving. Children will need to be collected at the end of the prize giving at midday.
Reports on Seesaw
On Tuesday next week we will be posting your child’s report on Seesaw explaining where you child is working against the Curriculum in Reading, Writing, Maths and Religious Education plus a comment on their Key Competencies. Below is an explanation of Curriculum levels that your child is assessed against. If you have any questions regarding the reports, please feel free to contact your child's classroom teacher to discuss them further. You will also receive a letter explaining the class placement and teachers for 2023 along with how to order stationery for 2023.
If you are not connected or need some help setting it up Seesaw please contact your child’s teacher.
THE NEW ZEALAND CURRICULUM LEVELS
The diagram below shows the expectations where each year group should be achieving in relation to the New Zealand Curriculum.
Many students do not, however, fit this pattern. They include those with special learning needs, those who are gifted, and those who come from non-English-speaking backgrounds.
The gradual shading at each level recognises that learning is a personal journey and students make progress at different rates; within any year group there will be students achieving at different levels.
For reporting to parents at Sacred Heart School we look closely at curriculum levels to identify where students are achieving and making progress in relation to the curriculum. You will see the comments based on where your child is achieving.
2023 Staffing
We have some changes to the teaching team for next year. We are delighted to welcome new staff into the school to be part of our Sacred Heart teaching team. We will be farewelling Miss Journee who is moving to Newtown School school in Wellington, Miss Farrell is looking at a change in direction for her teaching and Mrs Munro and Mrs French will be part of our relieving pool next year. We wish them all the very best in the New Year and thank all teachers for all their efforts in 2022
Juniors
New Entrants/Year 1 - Muriwai - Paula Duncan
Year 1/2 - Aumoana - Jo Norman-Larter
Year 2/3 - Teretere - Lyneen Thomson
Year 2/3 - Paretai - Annabel Williams
Te Rōpū Waenga
Year 4/5/6 - Whaea Andrea/Joanne Casey
Te Rōpū Tāuhu
Year 6/7/8 - Liz Williams/Susannah Debenham
Part-Time Teachers
Jo McLauchlan and Kayte Jory.
Support Staff
Sue Kortegast
Rowela Limcangco
Grace Ridsdel
Mairi Forde
Ange Stuart
John Kubiak
Pam Clearwater
Camp Dates - 2023
All our Years 5-8 children will be attending camp next year.
Our Yr 5 and 6 children will be attending Living Springs in Governors Bay From 8th - 10th March.
Our Yr 7 and 8 children will be at Wainui YMCA from 22 - 24 March.
Books Returned
Sport
Last Wednesday Amelia, Archie, CJ, Raiken, Bella and Nia represented our school at the South West Zone at the Canterbury Athletics Championship at Ngā Puna Wai. This event is a huge event with schools from all over Canterbury and the West Coast. We were delighted with CJ who finished 2nd in his heat and finished 4th in his final of the 60m sprints. A great achievement.
Congratulations
Religious Education
Advent
This week all classes have started learning about Advent - it’s meaning, symbolism and stages until Christmas.
The First Week of Advent - Hope
The first week of Advent celebrates Hope. As we light the first candle on the Advent wreath, we think, pray for and desire a more peaceful, tolerant and connected world. Also known as the “prophecy candle”, this candle assures us that we can have Hope that God will fulfill the prophecies declared in the Old Testament about Jesus.
The History and Symbolism of the Advent Wreath
For an in depth discussion on the history and symbolism of the Advent wreath visit: The History of the Advent Wreath
Internet Safety
The Online Safety Parent Toolkit is a simple and practical seven step framework to help parents with digital parenting in a rapidly changing world. It explains the online challenges young people are likely to encounter, how to best support them and what you can do to teach your child to have a safer online experience.
Upcoming Events
Wednesday 7 December - Picnic Concert at School - 5.00-7.30 pm
Tuesday 13 December - Water Fun day - More information to come.
Thursday 15 December - Last Day of the Year. 10.30 am Mass followed by Prizegiving. School will finish at 12.00pm
2023 Dates
Our Facebook Page
Our Facebook page is Sacred Heart School Te Kura o Te Ngākau Tapu, Addington
Click here to check it out.
Make sure you keep up with all communications from school and have the latest update of our School App. Download SchoolAppsNZ from the App Store or Google Play and search Sacred
Please visit https://www.lunchonline.co.nz/ to join up and order for your children.
Breakfast at School
All children are welcome to come and have breakfast together each morning. If your child is eating breakfast at school they can enter the school grounds at 8.20 am.
Policy Review
We have all our policies and procedures on School Docs. At present we have Safety On and Off School Grounds along with Health, Safety and Welfare Policies that we would appreciate your feedback on. Please follow the link below and review these policies.
1. Visit the website
http://sacredheartchch.schooldocs.co.nz/1893.htm (note that there is no “www”!)
2. Enter the user name (sacred) and password (heart).
3. Follow the link to the relevant policy as listed.
4. Read the policy.
5. Click the Policy Review button at the right-hand top corner of the page.
6. Select the reviewer type "Parent".
7. Enter your name (optional).
8. Submit your ratings and comments.
Parish News
For Church Notices Please view the Catholic Parish of Christchurch South website. https://christchurchsouth.org.nz or the New App
Here are the details of how to download our excellent new Parish App. Keep updated on mass times, news and what is happening in the Parish.
Go to the App Store on your Apple or Android device and Search 'Church AppsNZ' to download the app onto your device.
Then search "The Catholic Parish of Christchurch South' to find your church app.