Week 9 Term 3 SFDS Newsletter
St Francis de Sales - 21 September 2021
TRACY'S MESSAGE
Kia Ora Ano
Goodness…where have the last 9 weeks gone? It does feel like it has been an extra-long term and we know that our learners are looking forward to a break. I think that it has been the uncertainty and the anticipation of what level life means for us all – the constant unknown!
Our learners are so excited about our Mission Fair on Friday – It’s a great way to have fun and give to those who need more. Our Ranginui team are being very creative and are totally motivated to make this a fun experience for all our learners.
Just a reminder that we continue to carry out our COVID alert level 2 procedures. We require all whānau who enter have to enter our school grounds to use our Government’s tracing app – this is located at all of our entrances. We have initiated our extra cleaning practices and procedures at COVID Level 2.
BEFORE SCHOOL CARE
- This will continue to be in our school library.
- See information from the provider if you wish to enrol your tamariki.
LEARNERS COMING TO AND FROM SCHOOL: PICK UP/DROP OFF
- Learners CANNOT come to school before 8.30am UNLESS they are attending before school care.
- Learners MUST enter school through one of the following school gates: Tiber Street, the driveway, or up from the bottom court from 8:30am.
- Learners CANNOT come through the main gate and front door off Mersey Street. This is reserved for whānau who need to visit our school office.
- Learners say ‘goodbye’ at home, in the car, or at our school gate.
WHĀNAU COMING ON SITE
Please note, as advised by the MOE and MOH we will be aiming to minimise the number of adults who come onto our school site – not only does this keep your tamariki but also our staff safe. The following procedure is ONLY if you need to come on site.
- Whānau MUST ONLY enter our school site through the driveway gate – up the driveway and left between the staffroom and library buildings.
- Scan a QR code (this is to supply contact tracing information to MOH, this information is not kept by our school).
- Sanitise your hands using school provided hand sanitiser.
- WHĀNAU ARE NOT PERMITTED TO ENTER THE CLOAK BAYS OR CLASSROOMS AS IT IS TOO DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN THE 2 METER DISTANCING BETWEEN ADULTS WHO DON’T KNOW EACH OTHER, THIS IS A MOH GUIDELINE.
- While on our school site, whānau must stay 2 meters from all other whānau and learners.
- Whānau must leave the school site within 15 minutes of arriving.
- If whānau need to speak to one of our teachers they can email and that teacher will reply within 48 hours.
SCHOOL OFFICE
- Our office will be open for whānau from 8.30am – 3.30pm if you have urgent business that cannot be conducted over email or phone.
- Access (entry and exit) to the school office is ONLY through the main gate off Mersey Street.
- We will be operating a one in one out system and ask you to remain 2 meters apart at all times.
SIGNING IN AND OUT
- Learners who arrive after 9am or leave before 3pm must sign in/out of the school office.
- Access to our school office for learners will be through the entrance off the school courtyard, NOT the front gate.
- If you need to collect your tamariki before 3pm, please come to our school office and our office staff will go and collect your child/ren.
LEARNERS LEAVING SCHOOL/PICK UP
- Learners must leave school through one of the following school gates: Tiber Street, the driveway, or down to the bottom court.
- The hallway will be reserved for whānau who need to visit the school office.
- Learners will walk home, or meet their whānau at a pre-organised location, for example, the bottom netball court or outside one of the school gates on the footpath. Please do not wait in the staff carpark area or along the driveway, please remain outside of our school grounds.
- Our years 1-3 learners – Tangaroa Team – will be taken by their teacher down to the bottom netball court (see bullet point above).
- We ask that you keep 2 meters between yourself and others, as per MOH guidelines.
If you have organised someone else to collect your tamariki (who normally would not and does not receive these notices from our kura) please ensure that they are also familiar with our COVID delta alert level 2 processes. The processes and procedures have been developed from guidelines set out from the MOH. These may change as more information is made available. We will let you know if they do.
Please email our office: office@sfds.school.nz if your tamariki will not be attending school level 2 for medical reasons. We do understand that this is a stressful and uncertain time for everyone – but we have all been here before and we know what to do to keep our community safe. Please remember to be kind to each other and let’s make this as stress free for our tamariki as possible.
Unfortunately, we are unable to hold an onsite consultation re: reporting to whānau. We REALLY want your feedback so that mid-year reporting is relevant and meaningful to your tamariki and whānau. Attached is a feedback form (the same as the one sent home with the mid-year reports) please take the time to share your thoughts with us. If you ever want to review our school policies please go to www.schooldocs.co.nz
User name and password: sfds
Take care, stay safe and see you soon.
Nga Mihi Nui
Tracy Gundesen
Tumuaki/Principal
Last weeks Principal’s Cup winner was….Archie. Well done Archie we are proud of you!
Poipoia te Kakano Kia Puawai - Nurture the seed and it will blossom
Newsletter proudly sponsored by
SFDS OPEN DAY
Here is the link to share with whanau interested in attending our open day:
DRS MESSAGE
MISSION FAIR:
Students will be looking forward to our Mission Fair which is this Friday! If possible, please bring along coins - this makes giving change easier. Huge thanks to the ākonga and kaiako in Ranginui who have been putting in lots of work organising some exciting stalls.
Friday will be a mufti-day for all students.
The money raised this year will go to Caritas’ mission He Oranga Taurikura. They work with local communities in Fiji, Kiribati, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Timor Leste and Cambodia. He Oranga Taurikura contributes to a more peaceful world in which all people live in dignity and safety, all countries can prosper, and our shared environment is protected.
The work that Caritas and their partners in these countries do will be diverse, ranging from disaster risk reduction and farming resilience training in communities, management of water sustainability and sanitation, facilitating inclusive and equitable education. They also work to reduce the impact of poverty with a focus on girls and women, refugees and migrants, and indigenous peoples. By supporting our Mission Fair you are also donating towards the He Oranga Taurikura Appeal which helps make a difference in the lives of those in need by eliminating injustice and poverty.
CANCELLED - GRANDPARENT’S MASS:
Unfortunately with all the uncertainty of alert levels we have decided to cancel our Grandparents mass that was planned for week 10. We will still acknowledge and celebrate Catholic Schools Day (29th Sept) in our classes instead.
MISSION FAIR INFORMATION
This Friday St Francis de Sales will be hosting our Mission Fair for 2021!
A few things to note:
· Friday will be a mufti-day for all students as some of the activities involve water.
· If students could bring coins instead of bank notes that would make handing back change much easier for our learners (not having to break large notes).
· All money collected will be counted and donated to the Caritas He Oranga Taurikura fund. Feel free to discuss this work with your tamariki.
Mission Fair timeline:
· Ranginui students begin gathering materials and organising stalls at 12.10pm
· Lunch in class from 12.30-12.45pm
· Middles collect junior buddies and teachers explain how the fair will run at 12.45pm
· Stalls open at 1pm
· Final sales at 2.25pm
Please get in touch with me directly if you have any questions or feedback regarding the Mission Fair.
Thank you for allowing our school to actively support this charitable cause.
SARAH'S MESSAGE
TERM 4 SPORT
The following sports are now open on Kindo:
Year 1 - 6 Futsal
Year 1 - 8 Touch Rugby
Year 1 - 4 Future Ferns Junior Netball
Year 3 - 6 Mini Polo
Year 7 - 8 Water Polo
Please register your child/ren through Kindo if they are going to play any of these sports. All of the information for each sport has been emailed out, is on the app and can be found on Kindo. We have not received any information from the Floorball organisers yet.
SOFTBALL SESSIONS
Kelly Sports are running a one-off Softball session for each class. This means the kids need to wear their school PE gear on the following days:
TOMORROW Wednesday 22 September: Rooms 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14
NEXT Thursday 30 September: Rooms 8, 9, 10, 11
ARTSPLASH FESTIVAL
Unfortunately, this has been cancelled. The organisers were unable to find alternative dates. Hopefully they will have better luck next year. The Papatuanuku students will still perform their routine next term on Monday 15 November at 2.15pm in the SFDS Church. All are welcome to come along. (covid levels permitting)
PSL
**********************************************************************
We are planning a sausage sizzle for the last day of term - Friday 1 October. This is Rooms 2 and 8's sausage sizzle that we would have had earlier in the term but now it will be a fun way to end the term!
We are now taking orders through Kindo and we encourage you to order through Kindo to
help us know in advance how many sausages we will need to cook. As usual, sausages will be $2 each with gluten free and vegetarian available. Please contact Fran or Suzanne in the office if you need help with ordering on Kindo.
We have helpers organised to come and run the event - thank you to those parents! If anyone in Rooms 2 and 8 would like to donate, please email Sarah on sarah.fountain@sfds.school.nz
SCHOOL NOTICES
UNIFORM
We are seeing an increasing number of students wearing mufti items of clothing to school. Please ensure your child/ren wear the correct school uniform to school, including the correct socks. Students are expected to wear the school PE shorts on their PE days. There are track pants available to buy through the uniform shop that can be worn instead of the PE shorts on cold days. The school hoody is to be worn with PE gear only.
SCHOOL PHOTOS
Inspire Photography will be coming to photograph the children at St Francis de Sale School from 9am on: Wednesday 27 October and Thursday 28 October.
As part of St Francis de Sale School’s fundraising for the year Inspire Photography will donate 10% of all sales directly to St Francis de Sale School. Inspire Photography is an award-winning, Wellington-based professional photography studio who specialise in School and ECE photography. We are popular throughout a number of Wellington Schools for the photographs we take, the manner in which we take them and our generous fundraising offers. We are unique in our style and approach.
What we offer on the day
• A totally relaxed and unique style of photography
• A friendly and easy-going photographer
• Fun, games and general silliness to get even the shyest children smiling
• Group photos of each class
• Individual portraits, friend portraits and siblings photos.
To view the pictures, we offer an online ordering system. The School Office will be advised of the password for the online gallery when the proofs are ready. Proofs are available to view online approximately two weeks after the date of the photo shoot, you will then have two weeks to place an order and two weeks after orders will be delivered back to the School. If you would prefer not to order online, please contact us in the studio for assistance. Please check out the flyer below for more infromation regarding pricing etc.
PLEASE NOTE ALL PREVIOUSLY PLANNED ACTIVITIES ARE DEPENDANT ON COVID LEVEL CHANGES AND WE WILL ADVISE RESCHEDULED DATES AS INFORMATION IS RECEIVED. We appreciate your understanding at this time.
Contact Us
Email: office@sfds.school.nz
Website: http://www.sfds.school.nz
Location: St Francis De Sales School 11 Mersey Street, Island Bay, Wellington, New Zealand
Phone: 04 939 7370
The following products are availble though your school KINDO account
For information on how to get to KINDO Click here to view. From there you are able to pay your school donations, (there is an option to make part payments) uniform and any other school charges or sign ups for sports and extra actvities.
Precious Labels – Customised Quality Sticky Labels 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed!
Durable and cost-effective sticky labels that make your life simple. Whether you need to label your kids clothes, school, daycare stuff or sports gear, Precious Labels has all of your needs covered. Our self-adhesive name labels are perfect for your everyday needs.
Peel it, stick it, forget it! It will all come back home!
MUNCH - Ethical + eco + essentials Munch is about empowering families to change the world. Every day, every way you can make a difference with Munch.
Buy a Munch product and feel good about using it. We are making it easier for you to be more sustainable. All our products are eco friendly in some way from being reusable, organic to biodegradable. Everyday products making a difference. Useful, beautiful and green. All our ingredients and products are sourced from ethical communities.
Our new ezlunch website is here...
We are very excited to announce the launch of our new look website. 11 years on from our first launch, it was time for a makeover!
We are still offering the same healthy lunches with great tasting hot & cold options from our cafe's and caterers, and the same fabulous customer service from our helpdesk team.
Ordering continues to be the same (through mykindo app or web). Just click "order lunch" at the top of our new look ezlunch website to get there, or you can go direct.
Check out the new look ezlunch website now...
COMMUNITY NOTICES
Children LOVE learning how to Cartwheel, Handstand, Round-off, Handspring and Flip at BIGAIR GYM! BIGAIR’s GYMNASTICS, TRAMPOLINE, CHEERLEADING, TUMBLING & FREE RUNNING classes are excellent for fun and fitness! We focus on safety, technique, fundamental skills, right through to more advanced skills, such as summersaults and twisting flips. Bigair Gym is a pristine, exciting, kid friendly gym! Our skilled and experienced coaches run structured and organized stimulating gym classes, that follows a badge programme which creates goals and allows children to plan for success!
Book now for Bigair’s October School Holiday Programme! Full day and half day sessions available. This is a wonderful opportunity for kids to keep active and to learn something new during the holidays! BOOK NOW for Term 4 Classes. Spots are limited so book now on www.bigairgym.co.nz
Bigair Gymsports Kapiti ph. 04 297 0400 e. kapiti@bigairgym.co.nz @. 4 Manchester Street, Kapiti.
Bigair Gym Owhiro Bay ph. 04 383 8779 e. wgtn@bigairgym.co.nz @.14 Landfill Road, Owhiro Bay.
Bigair Gym Tawa ph. 04 232 3508 e. office@bigairgym.co.nz @. 10 Surrey Street, Tawa.
**********************************************************************
Circus School Holiday Programme! The Circus Hub in Wellington offer circus classes that are fun, exciting and challenging. Skills taught include aerial silks, trapeze, acrobatics, juggling and more! A great activity to develop coordination, perseverance, creativity and confidence. For ages 5-15 years. We also run classes for all ages preschool to adults. Bookings essential, book online today at www.circus.org.nz
**********************************************************************
New eligibility criteria for the Wellington Curtain Bank.
The Wellington Curtain Bank has changed the eligibility criteria for homes that can get free curtains.
Instead of needing a Community Services Card or a SuperCombo Card to apply for curtains, you simply need to live in an area identified by the Government as being in a deprivation 8-10 zone in the Wellington region
Basically, if someone on your street got subsidised heating or insulation, you’re in a zone. If you’re not sure, you can check your eligibility here.
Please note that the Wellington Curtain Bank will stop taking orders for 2021 at the end of October.
**********************************************************************
The Gaia Collection is a YES business that wants to help protect and spread awareness about New Zealand’s wildlife. They have created a unique line of wooden earrings in the shape of some of this endangered wildlife with $5 from every pair sold going towards Forest and Bird’s Fairy Tern Project.
To make a further impact, they have created the Community Collection Challenge. An event running from 11th-17th October, where they are challenging all New Zealanders to clean up their communities. You can register to be apart for $5pp with all proceeds going towards Forest and Bird's Fairy Tern Project.
For more information about The Gaia Collection head to their website https://thegaiacollection.mystorbie.com and for more information about the Community Collection Challenge and how to register head to the “CCC” page.
**********************************************************************
October School Holiday Classes for Children at the Wellington Sewing Centre
The Wellington Sewing Centre in Coutts Street, Kilbirnie is running school holiday workshops for children 8 years old and over: make bags, pillowcases, decorated cushions, aprons, slippers and sheep! Friendly, patient tutors and small class sizes with lots of individual attention. For more information and to enrol, check out our website https://sewingdirect.co.nz/classes/childrens-classes/
**********************************************************************
October Holiday Computer Classes.
Grand Training runs educational and fun computer classes over the April holidays Wellington city location on Lambton Quay for ages 5 to 15.
- Roblox
- Minecraft Modpacks and Setup a Server
- Learn to Code; Scratch, Python or Java
- Learn to Code & Create 3D Games.
- Minecraft
- Web Design, HTML and CSS
- Build a PC
- Film and Video Editing
- Discovery Course in Computing - suitable for younger children
For information & bookings 499-2211 or grandtraining.co.nz
**********************************************************************
Sunshine Drama offers creative drama and singing classes in a supportive, fun and action packed learning environment. Sessions engage and challenge imaginative minds to build acting or singing techniques and ability, whilst growing student confidence, communication and social skills. Our timetable provides classes for students aged 4-16 years and runs after school and on Saturdays. For further information, enrolments or to arrange a free trial class, visit sunshinedrama.com or contact Jenae 0274 380 533 / sunshinedrama.nz@gmail.com.