Newsletter Week 2 Term 3
Newsletter 21 - Week 2 Term 3, 4 August 2021
Principal's Message
On August 15th the Bishops of NZ are rededicating Aotearoa to Mary who was assumed into Heaven. Aotearoa was first dedicated to Mary by New Zealand’s first Bishop of NZ, Bishop Pompallier in 1838. The parish has organised a procession after the 10.00 am Mass on Sunday 15th and we would like as many families as possible to be involved.
Next Friday we are celebrating St Mary ‘of the Cross’ MacKillop and we have Mass at 12 noon on that Friday. You are welcome to attend. The children will be involved with special ‘Mary MacKillop” activities during the day as well.
Last Wednesday our awesome PTA held their AGM. I want to once again thank the PTA for the great work they do around our school with organising successful events such as the Gala Day, Discos, gifts to sell for Mothers’ and Fathers’ Day, a Sausage Sizzle on Fridays and other activities too. Thanks to Sarah-Louise Wooten for her leadership of the PTA during the year and I also had the opportunity to thank Renee Roberts for her great work as the previous chairperson. Thank you to all the committee members. I would also like to thank Viv Radley and Maria Johnson who come in every Friday to organise the sausage sizzle for our children. They do a great job. Thank you all very much. Sarah-Louise Tapsell remains the Chairperson, Jenni McGowan as Secretary and Giovanna Fredricksen as treasurer. The PTA would appreciate support from more of our parents please. I’ll let you know when their next meeting is.
The 3 way conferences are underway at the moment and yesterday’s meetings were very successful. Thank you for supporting these. If you missed the opportunity to meet with your child’s teacher then email them for a time to meet. These meetings are very important.
You may have noticed that the scaffolding and safety fences around the hall have been removed. The renovation of the upstairs space has been completed and it is now where the English Language Learners (ELL), Learning Support and Enrichment Classes will take place. There is also a well appointed kitchen in this space too. We are very pleased with the renovation, it is an excellent learning space.
Next week turf and artificial grass will be laid behind the fence in the courtyard and there will also be artificial grass laid next to the hall in the courtyard area. Fingers crossed that the weather is fine for this to take place.
We are supporting the ‘Lazy Sneakers’ campaign (see below for details). St Mary's will be a collection point for Lazy Sneakers and I have placed a blue bin in the school reception area for you to drop any lazy sneakers that you might like to donate.
Next week we will be asking parents to complete two online surveys. The data gained from both surveys will help us to plan for the future. One survey is regarding both how we communicate with families and how we share student learning with families. The other survey is regarding our Health and PE programme and Y3-6 Sports events.
Kind regards,
David Macmillan,
Principal.
Lake City Athletic Club is proud to partner with Lazy Sneakers as a collection and distribution site. We will collect good quality shoes, these will be distributed to people who need them for free – so they can play, participate and reach their potential.
Lazy Sneakers was created by Maia, who was only 12, when she noticed her friends couldn’t participate in sport because they didn’t have the right footwear. She started the sneaker bank in Wellington in 2018 and now there are sites and ambassadors popping up around the country.
Donated shoes can be of any size or type, they need to be:
Clean
In good condition,
And have at least a year’s worth of life left.
LCAC is excited to be working with Fordlands Community Centre and St. Mary’s Catholic School on this worthy cause. Keep an eye out on the Lake City Facebook Page and Guff Sheet (newsletter) for collection dates and watch out for the donation box at the club rooms.
Message from DRS Bernie Hall
Novena in Preparation for the Assumption of Mary
Our school will be hosting part of this Novena. The middle school are hosting it on Friday -06-08-21. The prayer and devotion begins at 11:00am with Adoration, then the Rosary will be led by middle school. After the Novena reading and Benediction there will be a Mass at 12:05pm. All are welcome!
What is a Novena?
A novena (from Latin: novem, "nine") is an ancient tradition of devotional praying in Christianity, consisting of private or public prayers repeated for nine successive days or weeks. Novena are often prayed by members of the Roman Catholic Church, but by other faiths as well. Rived from devotional prayer books consist of recitation of the rosary and the novena is dedicated to a specific saint, or the Virgin Mary, or one of the persons in the Trinity.
Condolences
Our love, prayers and sympathy are with you all.
Goal Setting Three Way Conferences Wednesday 4 August
Thanks to those who attended their conference yesterday afternoon. We continue with conferences this afternoon.
Please note: If you are late for your appointment you might be asked to rebook for another time. This is because the class teacher needs to consider the bookings made by other families and keep to the times they have booked for. We look forward to seeing you and your child at the conference.
Important Community Hui : Monday 9 August 5.15 - 6pm in Room 14
Kia ora koutou. I would like to acknowledge St Mary’s school for their ongoing commitment to delivering the Keeping Ourselves Safe (KOS) programme. KOS is a personal safety programme that teaches students vital interpersonal skills in different situations. You can find out about the programme at: https://www.police.govt.nz/advice-services/personal-community-safety/school-portal/resources/successful-relationships/kos
The programme will be delivered by classroom teachers from 23rd August. There will be a community hui at St Mary's School on Monday 9 August, 5.15-6pm, in Room 14, where I will explain what the programme entails, and share some tips about keeping your young ones safe. You are encouraged to attend.
Please take time to speak with your children about what they are learning in the programme. It will also give you an opportunity to reinforce your family’s values and expectations.
If you have any questions please contact me Vivienne.Sutton@police.govt.nz
E mihi ana
Viv Sutton
School Community Officer, Rotorua Police
Zones of Regulation - Green Zone
The Green Zone is used to describe a calm state of alertness. A person may be described as happy, focused, content, or ready to learn when in the Green Zone. This is the zone where optimal learning occurs. When in the Green Zone, you are “good to go”.
You could discuss:
what emotion they feel in the green zone (happy, relaxed, calm…)
What clues do our faces and bodies give to show that we are in the Green zone
how they physically feel (smiling, relaxed heart rate, calm breathing…)
what might they be doing (getting on with their learning, playing nicely with others, trying new things…)
how to stay calm and happy
PB4L Parent Chat
The PB4L team will be hosting a Parent Chat night. The focus will be on Relationships between families, children and school. We will cover topics such as wellbeing, Home-School Partnerships, Bullying and where to go for guidance and support. There are 2 sessions available to make sure that we can involve as many families as possible.
Thursday 19th August
3:15-4:15pm and 6:00-7:00pm.
Upcoming School Events
Wednesday 4 August - Goal Setting Three Way Conferences
Monday 9 August 'Keeping Ourselves Safe' programme
Thursday 19 August PB4L 'Focus on Family' presentation
Grandparents Mass 10 September 2021
School Photos
Each child will be sent home a flyer today stating their unique keycode to order photos. All orders need to be done online by Sunday the 29th of August for free Delivery to the school.
Special Mentions
Sports News
Sports
End of Season Dates -
Hockey (Funsticks only) - Saturday 7th August
Netball (all grades) - Sunday 8th August
Football - all grades Saturday 11th September
Hockey (Y3/4 & Y5/6) & Miniball (all grades) - TBC
JUNIOR TOUGH GUY & GAL CHALLENGE
Entries through school have now closed - if you have registered your child, please make sure you have paid the $25 registration fee by Friday 30th July.
You can still register your child directly through the Event Promotions website by clicking HERE. Important Information: Our school group is attending on Wednesday 18th August, please put ‘St Marys Catholic Primary School’ as school and TEACHER for bib pickup, otherwise your child's race bib will not be available for us to collect on the day.
FOOTBALL
Important Dates for your calendars:
Duty club day - Saturday 28th August
Junior Football Festival (8th - 11/12th grade only) - Saturday 18th September
Craigs Investment Partners Junior Football Tournament - (8th - 11/12th Grade Only)
WaiBOP Football is inviting our Football teams to enter this year’s Rotorua Junior Football Festival for 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th/12th grade. (Girls teams are welcome to enter in the relevant grade, but there are no Girls Only grades).
When: Saturday 18th September
Where: Puarenga Park
Time: 9.00am onwards
Cost: There will be a cost per player depending on how many in the team.
Please note: Teams can only be entered if there is a coach and manager available to take the team on the day.
Coaches: Please let me know by 3.15pm Friday 13th August if your team will be taking part or not. If you don’t have enough players but are keen to enter your team, please contact Whaea Leanne at sports@stmarysrotorua.school.nz or 027 285 7579 or 07 348 1701
Contact Us
Email: schooloffice@stmarysrotorua.school.nz
Website: https://www.stmarysrotorua.school.nz
Location: 37 Carnot Street, Glenholme, Rotorua 3010, New Zealand
Phone: +64 07 3481701
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/St-Marys-Catholic-School-Rotorua-870642283022074