Kia Ora,

Welcome to Term 3. I hope our children enjoyed their break and avoided sickness during this time. We have a couple of our teachers away overseas visiting family, and visiting sick relatives and a staff member who has been tied up on Jury Service for the last eight weeks - and the case is still going. Harriet Fenwick, a teacher in Kakano 3 lost her grandmother in the holidays so please keep her and her family in your prayers.

I am hoping that children kept reading over the holidays and have kept their reading logs up to date. They will need to bring their logs back by THIS Friday in order to go in the draw at this week’s assembly. Classes who have a 100% log return will go in the draw for a class pizza and chips lunch.

During the holidays we had the back area of Kakano laid with artificial turf which will now be more inviting for our little learners to play in. Previously the asphalt got too hot during the hot summer days.

We have an action-packed term planned with great learning experiences for our students.

Next week, July 26th, our Junior and Senior Kapa Haka groups are performing at our Kahui Ako Ahurei at Aquinas College in Tauranga. We will bus the hundred or so students to the event and you are very welcome to come and support our tamariki at this event.

Welcome to our new children who started at St Mary’s this week : Rosco Dizon, Max Olsen, Philip Meeusen, Anthony Arun, Ava Jeffs, Christo Abin, Laura Brady, Zachery Libot, and two students from China studying with us for 3 weeks in senior school.

Our Three Way Student/Parent/Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Tuesday 1st August from 3.10 pm to 6.00 pm and Wednesday 2nd August 3.10pm - 5.30 pm. You need to go to www.schoolinterviews.co.nz

1st Aug 3.10 pm - 6.20 pm (last interview)

2nd Aug 3.10 pm - 5.20 pm (last interview)

Bookings will be open next week. You will receive advice of the event code to use.

The purpose of the conference is so parents/students/teachers can co-construct literacy, maths and values/key competency goals.

Reports will be sent home with your child on Friday. With the reports, there is a whanau sheet for you to rate your child’s progress against each key competency area.

The Key Competencies are capabilities that help your child learn. Using the scale you tick the appropriate box that you think best describes your child. Please return the form to your classroom teacher by Friday the 28th July. This document will form part of the discussion, in order to co-construct your child’s next learning goals, at the learning conferences.

Our Matariki Cultural Dinner is planned for Thursday 10th August in our school hall. This will be our 10th Dinner that has been hosted by our Whanau roopu. They have all been successful and a lot of fun. All families are invited to bring a dinner dish to share.

Here is a note from our awesome PTA:

The PTA would like to welcome you all back to Term 3. We hope you had an enjoyable holiday with your whanau.

A couple of reminders:

There is a Wine and Cheese evening this Wednesday (tonight) in the school staffroom starting at 7.30 pm. Please come along if you are interested in joining our PTA or if you have any questions or ideas - or maybe you would just like to be a part of something new. Maybe you just really like cheese and want to see what flavours are on offer! Don't be shy, come along! Our PTA is a fabulous bunch of people.

Also, the prices for Friday's Sausage Sizzle and Juicies are now $2 each starting this Friday.

We look forward to the start of another term and to meeting new faces.

Ngā mihi hui

St Mary's PTA

TERM 3 DATES:

Wednesday 19th July PTA Wine and Cheese

Thursday 20th July 12.30 Matariki Liturgy

Wednesday 26th July Kahui Ako Ahurei

Tuesday 1 August : 3-way conferences

Wednesday 2 August : 3-way conferences

Thursday 10th August Matariki Cultural dinner

Friday 11th August Mary Mackillop Mass

Thursday 24th August Tough Guy/ Girl Challenge

Monday 28th August Chess Regionals at St Mary’s

Friday 8th September Nativity of Mary Mass

Wednesday 13th September STEAM afternoon/evening

Tuesday 19th September to Friday 22nd September MAD School Art Exhibition - Art Village

Tuesday 19th September Totara Team Exhibition

Thursday 21st September Mini Munchy Makers final cooking competition

Friday 22nd September Final Day of Term 3

Ngā mihi

David Macmillan

Welcome back everyone. I hope you had a restful holiday with your whanau.

Our Year 3 and 4 team are hosting the Matariki Liturgy on Thursday 20th July. You are most welcome to join us at 12:15 pm in the hall.

The parish will be starting the next programme of Sacraments of Initiation, (Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, and Reconciliation) beginning Thursday 3rd August 2023 at 5 pm. This programme is for unbaptised children only. You can register your Child / Children 8 years and above at the Parish Office during Office hours only. The Parish Office is open from 8 am until 2 pm. Registrations will close at 2 pm this Friday 28th July.

We will be running a Baptism Course for children under the age of 8. The course will be run at school on a Wednesday. The children will participate in different activities around Baptism during school time and then have the opportunity to attend Mass. Parents do not need to be in attendance.

Please email Mrs. Mines if you want your child to participate in the 4-week course or have any question : saram@stmarysrotorua.school.nz

I hope you have a wonderful week. May God bless you all.

Lorna Dobson, DRS.

IMPORTANT NOTICES.

• Starting in Term 3 (Friday 21 July) the price for a sausage or a juicy for Friday's Sausage Sizzle will be $2.00. The PTA have held off increasing the price for as long as they can.

Thank you for your understanding.

• JPC enrolments for 2024 close 4th of August

• Photolife orders have arrived and are being sent out today

After School Painting Drawing and Mosaic Classes With Janet Keen

Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays

3.30pm to 4.30pm or 4.35pm to 5.35pm.

Enrolling new people aged 7 and upwards now for the rest of term 3 and 4.

Text 027 3513887 for more details.

Email: janet@jkeen.net

www.janetkeen.blogspot.com

Tough Guy and Girl

Registrations close: 3.15pm Friday 28th July 2023

All information and registration link is on our website under sports.

When: Thursday 24th August 8.30am - 12.30pm
Where: Lakes Ranch, 79 Rotokawau Rd, Rotorua
Who: Years 4 - 6 children only
How: Own transport / carpool if possible (note: we can not guarantee transport for your child)

Football

Please keep in your diary the 5th of August and the 2nd of September. These are our next club duty days.

I have also emailed all coaches to see who is interested in the Rotorua Junior Festival. See flyer below.

Hockey

In the Holidays, Bruce Johnson was nominated and interviewed by Haydn Jones, for "Good sorts in Sports" people who volunteer their time for a great length of time. Bruce has been part of our school for a long time and has helped us with cricket and hockey for many years and still does - with no children or grandchildren at our school any longer. Thank you to Viv Radley and Nichola Andersen for organising this and to all the children that could be there. This programme airs Sunday evening, at the end of the news.

Please send any team photos through to sports@stmarysrotorua.school.nz