Dear Parents and Caregivers,

It’s hard to believe we are now in the final few days of school. This year has been one of many and varied experiences. We have at times been challenged by the rapid changes in protocols for the ever present Covid-19 and adapted to the best of our ability in order to follow Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education guidelines to keep our community safe. Here in Wainuiomata we have been very fortunate that Covid has not emerged in our area and hope this will continue over our much anticipated summer break.

As we come to the end of the year we reflect on our positive experiences- You can read about these in the Whanau wrap up of 2021 later on in the newsletter.

This year we also farewell some staff who are leaving St Claudine’s for other places, opportunities and jobs. We appreciate all they have gifted the community with and wish them all our blessings on the next stage of their journey.

Staff Leaving 2021

Mr Mainin, Ms Roarty, Mr Breathnach and Ms Cawley are all leaving NZ at the end of the year. They have enjoyed NZ greatly and seen many wonderful places in our lovely country. They have brought a great level of commitment and joy to their time with us and we will miss them all.

Ms Rigby, Mr Wheeler, Miss Mayes will be finishing their fixed term contracts at the end of next week. We appreciate them being with us when we needed to replace staff. We wish them every success in their next role in education.

Ms McGrath is looking forward to a very well deserved retirement – We have been blessed to have Ms McGrath back on staff – she brings a great level of experience in both classroom teaching and leadership. We wish her a wonderful retirement back in her home town on the West Coast.

Staffing for 2022

Whilst most positions have been filled for 2022 there are still a couple of appointments to confirm. Once these have been finalised a letter will be sent to parents letting you know your child’s class and classroom teacher.

Thank you

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our Board of Trustees for the work they do to support our school community and staff. I also want to thank them for their support of me as Principal – Their support has been so appreciated in these most challenging of times.

Thanks to the staff – Teaching, Admin, Learning Support - They have worked tirelessly this year for the students within our school – their efforts in being able to adapt to ever changing protocols and rules have been amazing and I am very grateful. I know they all have the students and their families at the heart of what they do. They put in so much effort to ensure children feel safe and cared for while they are at school. They plan for all students to have fun, to learn and to enjoy the success that their learning brings. We all owe them a great deal of gratitude for their efforts.

Finally, thanks to our students who come to school every day with a sense of wonder and a desire to learn. This year they have learned in many different ways- at school, at home, with whānau, with peers, with a range of teachers and in a variety of places. They have worked hard to progress in their learning and enjoyed the success their efforts bring. I know that the year has had its challenges and that they all deserve a lovely summer break to rest, play, celebrate and explore.

On behalf of the staff I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We pray that your holidays bring the opportunity for you to make more family memories together.

“A life-long blessing for children is to fill them with warm memories of times together. Happy memories become treasures in the heart to pull out on the tough days of adulthood.”

Charlotte Kasl

Ngā mihi nui koutou

Sue Jury

Principal

On behalf of the School Board I want to acknowledge any departing Teachers and thank you for being a part of our school community, your service to our students and their families.

To our departing Year 8 students whilst our wider school community are unable to gather with you on your final school day to celebrate your learning journey please know that you, like many other past students, will always be a special part of the whanau and legacy of St Claudine Thevenet Primary School.

To all our returning staff and students next year, please have an enjoyable and safe holidays with your families.

Our God’s blessings and peace to you all.

Tony Harrington

Presiding Member

As we come to the end of another year, we’re taking a look back at some of the highlights from our year as a Hinau whānau. Although the second half of our year was disrupted by the changing alert levels, both students and staff alike have made fond memories that we will look back on for years to come.

Here are 5 high points from 2021!

1. EOTC week

2. Science Fair

3. Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa /Samoan Langauge Week

4. Whānau Day

5. Hinau Celebration Day

EOTC Week: The Hinau whānau kicked off EOTC week with a trip to Te Papa where students engaged with a varitey of programmes including Māori Art, Pasifika Art and Talking Pictures, where they explored the history of and techniques used in various art forms. Along with this, students had the opportunity to head along to open exhibitions, including, Mana Whenua and Tangata O Te Moana. They even had their own scavenger hunt in the Bush Gardens! This was closely followed by a visit from Hutt Valley scientists who brought along some cool science equipment so they could investigate different science experiments. To top it all off, the Hinau whānau made their way back over the hill, to Queen’s Wharf for a visit to Capital E, where they attended different workshops. Some students chose to take part in a televised news production, while others tried their hand at making their own digital music or computer games.

Samoan Language Week: As the month of May rolled around, it brought with it Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa. Our students showed great knowledge of and pride in their culture as they engaged with a range of activities to celebrate their language and culture. Our whānau singing session was filled with beautiful dances, songs and engaging performances. Malo-lava!

Science Fair: In August, a visit from our student council members, brought a sense of excitment to our students as they planned and prepared for the upcoming Science Fair! Students approached the task with a real sense of enthusiasm. We saw a wide range of science projects on display across the three classroom, from volcanos, to mentos experiments, to walking waters! Students beamed with pride as other members of our school community visited the classes to share in what they had learned from their investigations.

Whānau Day: Following a very quiet third term, our students were raring to go as our school wide whānau day approached. They took to the field to take part in four different rotations, brilliantly planned by their teachers. First up, were some classic collaboative races; the egg and spoon, wheelbarrow races and three-legged races! Next they headed off to practice their ball handling skills and have some fun with elastics. Then they played a quick game of soft ball before finishing it off with some fun challenges including giant Jenga and Connect 4. With the sun high in the sky, the students were happy to sit down and rest at their whānau picnic. The day was topped off by a special delivery of ice blocks from Ms. Jury!

Hinau Celebration Day: Our latest but greatest high point was this week’s Celebration Day. Our Hinau whānau were blessed with a sunny day as they eagerly took part in a scavenger hunt along with some fun team-building activities. Once again, students sat in the shade for a whānau picnic before they headed off for playtime. Our afternoon was filled with water based activities – sponge bucket races, water balloon races, cup races and a fun bucket challenge at the end. We were so proud of how our tamariki came together and worked as a team to complete all activities and challenges.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our school community for the continued support throughout the year. Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday.

Message from Totara Wise

This year, 2021, has been challenging for all of us. The restrictions around Covid Alert Levels have meant that we have been unable to engage with many of our usual activities. We could not meet together as a Whanau for Assembly and song, we were not permitted to share food, use sports equipment during our breaks nor could we invite you, our parents and whanau to school events and celebrations. In addition we had periods of online learning during Lockdown. Nevertheless, we are grateful for these restrictions because they have kept us safe. Many students in New Zealand have faced tougher restrictions at greater personal cost.

From all of us here in Wise Whanau, may you be Blessed with a Happy and a Holy Christmas.

Joan McGrath Teacher

Here are some of Wise’s favourite memories from this year.

Playing handball.

Learning about the 1918 Pandemic.

Sewing.

Learning from home.

Eating ice blocks.

Pride Assembly.

Mufti Day.

Science Fair.

Friends.

Playing tag.

Digi Tech.

Te Papa.

Student Council.

Message from Totara Sinclair

Ngā mihi nunui e te whānau

It has been an incredible pleasure these last three terms in Totara Sinclair. Memories that I will take include our electric Kapa Haka Matariki performance, first to each rōpu here at St. Claudine, and then to the Wainui Community at the local Library. I will always remember creating stunning Matariki costumes from natural and recycled materials with Year 7 & 8 students (they know who they are:) and winning the 'Nature Award', taking $575 back to St. Claudine. Despite lock-down this year we had FUN - Zooming on KAHOOT. There was Lape on the field. But that Debate, just yesterday, was top notch!...Totara will always SHINE in my eyes:)

Kia ora ra e te Whānau, Meri Kirihimete ki a koutou katoa

Mabel Rigby Teacher

Message from Totara Heath

In Totara Heath, we had a very positive 2021. Although it wasn't the year we planned we made the most of it. We had some new additions to the class and Lyanie commented saying, "I joined Heath during the year and I made some great new friends.” Mrs. Rigby led a Wearable Arts presentation during the year and Jazmyn really enjoyed it. "I really enjoyed the Wearable Arts presentation we made this year. I loved using the different materials like flax, newspapers, lights, cardboard, paper, and ornaments to make costumes. I loved showing off the finished project in front of the Totara Whanau.” Saimone liked sharing our culture with the community. He really liked the Maori Cultural clothes we wore and performing the Maori songs and dances for the community.

Antoine O’Mainin Teacher

Message from Totara Prouse

In Totara Prouse we have many special memories of the time we have spent together this year. For many of us 2021 is our last year at St Claudine’s. We are both sad and excited as we look forward to next year and our first year at College. Some of us are parting ways but the friendships we made here at St Claudine’s will always be special. Those of us who will be returning next year are looking forward to beginning the year as Seniors. We know that being a Year 8 carries extra responsibilities and we know we are ready for the challenge. We want to thank the teachers and staff and especially Ms Jury for guiding us on our journey this year.

Wishing you and your families a very Happy Christmas.

Neil McDonald Teacher

Term One - Wednesday 2 February- Thursday 14 April

Term Two- Monday 2 May- Friday 8 July ( Teacher Only day Friday 21 June)

Term Three- Monday 25 July- Friday 30 September

Term Four- Monday 17 October- Thursday 15 December