Newsletter Week One Term Four
St Claudine Thevenet 21 October 2022
Message from the Principal
Kia ora Whānau,
Welcome to Term Four. It was wonderful to be able to start the term in beautiful
sunshine with so many smiling faces. It is lovely to be back at school – this week I've
heard lots of exciting stories from students – they have been so lovely and I
appreciate the kind welcome back.
As you may know I was on sabbatical last term and I appreciated the time to rest and
rejuvenate the spirit. I also cherish the time I had to spend with my family. I would like to
take this opportunity to thank Ms Page for her fantastic job as acting principal- I was
blessed to be able to leave for a term knowing the school was in such great hands.
Thanks also to Mrs Neville and Mrs Hailwood who also go above and beyond their
role to ensure the school is well cared for and managed. You have done an amazing
job and your efforts are very much appreciated.
As we begin our new term we also change focus for our learning- this term is the
final term of our “Watch Me Grow- Kua Tipu te Wa” schoolwide theme. Term four
focuses on “Our Spiritual Journey”. We have developed activities and experiences
which help our students to:
Understand that we grow and change on our spiritual journey, which is filled
with hope.
Understand what a sacrament is and how they bring us closer to God.
Understand that Jesus is a model for us and calls us to be a disciple.
Take some time to talk with your children about what they are learning at school and
how you can grow your spiritual journey as a family.
Have a lovely long weekend
Sue Jury
Principal
Spirituality
For weeks 1 and 2 of this term our faith focus with students is based around the theme of “Spirituality”. Living a Catholic life of spirituality is to attend to what is of God and to dwell in a life of conversion that has discipleship as its goal. Through spiritual development, our students learn to be aware of and comfortable with qualities such as respect, responsibility, and reverence for self and others. They learn to be capable of acknowledging differences between people without feeling fear. They develop a love for the earth and take action to protect it.
We want our students to develop a sense of their personal need for a relationship with Jesus. To know and understand that life is sacred, that their choices matter, that nature deserves a certain reverence, that their presence in the world contributes to joy and goodness, that things have a way of working out (not always as we expect), that the greatest joy usually comes from connecting and sharing with others, that being uncomfortable can push us to grow, and that while we don't always get what we want, we can always choose to make the most of what we get. A life full of spiritual growth will allow our students to hear and recall the truth about God, and will support them to flesh out the details of their own personal faith as they grow.
Here is a list of 10 ways we can grow our spiritual self.
1. Recognize your Creator. Think on this: There is a supreme power in the
universe that is bigger and more powerful than your small mortal self. This
step makes you humble.
2. Seek opportunities to put more love into the world. Strive to be a vessel
of love, to fill the world with more compassion and kindness. This step makes
you loving and lovable.
3. Set aside time each day to spend in spiritual reflection and
contemplation. Dwell in the presence of the divine: Your path may be to
pray, meditate, read spiritual material, take a long walk through nature—or all
of the above—but an optimum practice includes both morning and evening
sessions of at least 20 minutes each. This step makes you strong.
4. Become more accepting. With every interaction, surrender any tendency
to judge another person. Pray for a more accepting heart. This step makes
you gracious.
5. Forgive anyone you have not forgiven. Whenever you withhold
forgiveness, you keep yourself bound to your own feelings of guilt. This step
makes you kind.
6. Recognize your mistakes. Admit where you yourself have been wrong,
and be willing to be corrected. This step makes you responsible.
7. Try to see the good in others. When you are tempted to judge someone,
make an effort to see their goodness. Your willingness to look for the best in
people will subconsciously bring it forth. This step makes you positive.
8. Take stock of your thoughts and behaviour. Each night ask yourself,
when were you negative when you could have been positive? When did you
withhold love when you might have given it? When did you play a neurotic
game instead of behaving in a powerful way? Use this process to self-
correct. This step makes you grow.
9. Bless the world. Pray not just that your own life will be blessed but that
blessings be poured on everyone. This step makes you beautiful.
10. Use each interaction to be the best, most powerful version of
yourself. Try to rise to the occasion. Be the most wonderful expression of you
that you are capable of. This step makes you a conduit of God's love.
A message from the Tōtara Whānau
In the Tōtara Whānau, we have been working hard during our first week back at school. We are excited for the term ahead, and putting our best foot forward to prepare for the end of the year. October is the Month of Mary, so we have been learning about the Rosary, and all prayers associated with it. Our value for the first two weeks of term is Spirituality.
In Totara Rua, we have been exploring what Spirituality means. We understand that Spirituality means different things to each of us, and that it can be expressed and practiced in many different ways. We defined it as a belief in something beyond the self, and the search for a meaningful connection with something greater than ourselves.
We asked ourselves what this meant to each of us personally, and created visual images and poems to express our spirituality. For some of us, we find spirituality in religion, our Catholic Faith, and prayer. For others, it can be found in quiet moments spent in nature, or by listening to music. For all of us, spirituality can be enhanced by time with family and loved ones. Each day, we have been exploring different aspects of spirituality through prayer, by making entries in a reflective journal, in our Connected work and in visual art. We are sharing some of our work with you in these photos:
Literacy - Totara Tahi
In Totara Tahi we are beginning our literacy by writing about Saints. Everyone has chosen a Saint that is important to them - some of our year 8s are researching and writing about people from their future colleges, while others are writing about the Saints they chose during their confirmation. We are using our reading to help us with this, by reading about the lives of extraordinary people. Our class is looking forward to the rest of the term, where we will learn to read and understand different types of poems, read and retell parables, and prepare ourselves for the journeys we will be taking next year.
Maths – Totara Toru
This week in Totara Toru we have completed our JOL activities to show what we have learnt and can do from Term 3. We have begun to revisit place value to consolidate what we know and to practice those aspects we found challenging in Term One, including whole numbers, decimals and how to order numbers correctly according to their value.
That wraps up Week 1 and we can’t wait for the weeks to come!
Planning for 2023
As we begin our planning for 2023 we would like to remind families to let the school
know if they will not be returning next year. If you are not in Year 8 and you are
moving on from St Claudine’s please send student’s name, year group and where
the student will be enrolled for 2023 to principal@stclaudine.school.nz.
If you have a child turning 5 next year please collect an enrolemnt pack from the
school office as soon as possible. It is really helpful to have indicative numbers when
preparing classes.
Sunhats
Student Statements - Outstanding Fees
We would appreciate these outstanding amounts being paid as soon as possible or an arrangement can be made with Leeanne to set up a regular automatic payment.
Touch
If you have not yet paid your Touch fees these need to be paid by Friday 28th October.
Something for the Girls
School Calendar
Term dates 2022
Term One - Wednesday 2 February- Thursday 14 April 2.40pm
Term Two- Monday 2 May- Friday 8 July 2.40pm
Term Three- Monday 25 July- Friday 30 September 2.40pm
Term Four- Monday 17 October- Thursday 15 December 12.30pm
Contact Us
Email: office@stclaudine.school.nz
Website: https://www.stclaudine.school.nz/1/pages/1-welcome
Location: 14 Rata St, Wainuiomata, Lower Hutt 5014, New Zealand
Phone: +64 4 9399189