St Joseph's Newsletter T3 Wk8

Principal’s Piece

Kia Ora Koutou

I orea te tuatara ka patu ki waho

A problem is solved by continuing to find solutions

Welcome back to Term 3 - part 2! It is amazing how quickly our world can change! Three weeks are not a long time, but it is remarkable how much it can change things. The whakatauki refers to the need for creative thinking, adaptability and perseverance. In order to solve a problem you need to have all of these. The delta variant of Covid 19 has meant that we need to use all these attributes to help bring some normality back to our daily lives. The last few weeks have been challenging to try to balance everything and now it is time for us as a school to settle back into routine. If you need support in any way, please do not hesitate to ask us.

Transition back into Level 2 has run smoothly and we want to thank you all for your support. The children have returned to their routines much faster this time than the last time we returned following lock-down. Last week was all about reconnecting with teachers and friends. This week the focus is on re-establishing our learning and making the most of the next 3 weeks before the holidays.

As a school we are looking to get through as much as possible while still giving our learning the quality time it needs. Activities like ASB Moneywise, Prayer Workshops and Techni are up and running in our school. We are just waiting for clearance from the Ministry of Education before we can restart activities like Kapa Haka, Production and Choir.

A big thank you from all the staff for your support and kind feedback over the last three weeks. We know it hasn't been easy but we really do appreciate your efforts.

Also thank you to everybody for being so respectful of the Covid protocols we have put in place across the school. Parents are all scanning in and wearing face masks while on site.

This week is Te Wiki o te Reo Māori - Māori Language Week. Te Wiki o te Reo Māori – Māori Language Week has been celebrated in New Zealand since 1975. It acknowledges and celebrates the Māori language as a unique cultural treasure for all New Zealanders. The theme for 2021 is: Kia Kaha te Reo Māori - Let's make the Māori language strong.

This week is also Caritas Social Justice Week. This week is a time to consider, reflect and take action on a particular current social justice issue in the light of Catholic social teaching. This year the theme is: A Culture of Encounter: BE the Church. Social Justice Week was established in 1997 and is an ongoing commitment in the Catholic calendar.

Kia manaaki te Atua koutou katoa

Grant Stuart

PRINCIPAL

Gospel Reflection

Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Sunday, September 12, 2021

Gospel Reading
Mark 8:27-35
Peter declares that Jesus is the Christ, and Jesus teaches that those who would follow him must take up his or her cross.

Background on the Gospel Reading

Today’s reading is the turning point in Mark’s Gospel. In the presentation of the life and ministry of Jesus found in the Gospel of Mark, the deeds of Jesus have shown Jesus to be the Son of God. Yet many, including Jesus’ disciples, have not yet realized his identity. In today’s Gospel, Jesus asks the disciples for a field report by asking what others say about him. He then turns the question directly to the disciples and asks what they believe. Peter speaks for all of them when he announces that they believe Jesus to be the Christ.

The word Christ is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word for Messiah, which means “the anointed one.” At the time of Jesus, the image of the Messiah was laden with popular expectations, most of which looked for a political leader who would free the Jewish people from Roman occupation. Jesus does not appear to have used this term for himself. As we see in today’s reading, Jesus refers to himself instead as the Son of Man, a term derived from the Jewish Scriptures, found in the Book of Daniel and in other apocryphal writings. Many scholars suggest that the phrase Son of Man is best understood to mean “human being.”

Now that the disciples have acknowledged Jesus as the Christ, Jesus confides in them the outcome of his ministry: he will be rejected, must suffer and die, and will rise after three days. Peter rejects this prediction, and Jesus rebukes him severely. The image of Christ that Jesus is giving is not the image of the Messiah that Peter was expecting. Jesus then teaches the crowd and the disciples about the path of discipleship: To be Chris’s disciple is to follow in the way of the cross.

We can easily miss the fear that Jesus’ words must have evoked in his disciples. Death by crucifixion was all too familiar as a method of execution in Roman-occupied territories. It was also an omnipresent danger to the Christian community for whom Mark wrote. The path that Jesus was inviting his disciples to share meant tremendous suffering and death. This is the kind of radical commitment and sacrifice that Jesus calls us to adopt for the sake of the Gospel.

Social Justice Week 2021 Te Wiki o te Whai Tika 2021

In our daily lives, all of us encounter others in different and unique ways. As we reflect on these encounters and how they enable us to BE the church, we must always remember that we are all made in the image of God and have an inherent and immeasurable worth and dignity. We are called to love and respect God’s creation – including all those around us. Social Justice Week was established by the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference in 1997 as an ongoing commitment in the Catholic calendar. This week is a time to consider, reflect and take action on a particular current social justice issue in the light of Catholic social teaching. This year the theme is: A Culture of Encounter: BE the Church.

Catholic school communities throughout Aotearoa New Zealand are invited to join in solidarity and think about how we encounter one another as brothers and sisters and how we can be more like Jesus in living out the Beatitudes. We will be participating in lots of cool activities in school. Watch this space!

Alert Level 2

Coming on school grounds

Parents/caregivers are able to come onsite to drop off and pick up children. Please use the QR code at the entrance way to scan in. We ask that wherever possible, please do not enter the classroom areas (unless this is prearranged or you need to go into the class for a particular reason.) If you do enter the classroom, you MUST sign in at the office. If you are picking up your child throughout the school day, please come to the school office and we will organise to collect your child for you.

Changes to our Assessment Schedule

A couple of changes to our assessment schedule due to lockdown. Hero posts this term were to be on Reading, Maths, Religious Education and PE. Some teachers had already published posts earlier in the term however we have now asked the teachers to put their time and energies into teaching for the three weeks left of Term 3, rather than preparing Hero posts. If you notice inconsistencies between the posts your children in different classes have, this is why. The Student Led Conferences which were planned for the last week of this term are also on hold due to the current Alert Level situation.

Senior School Production

The Show - will go on, somehow! We are looking at various options to find a way for this performance by the Year 7&8 students and the Year 5&6 choir to go ahead when we are back in Alert Level 1. At this stage we will hold on to the money paid for tickets and they will roll over when new dates are arranged.

2022 New Entry Enrolment

Even though term 3, it's time to start thinking ahead to next year's enrolments.

This is a call out for all

current St. Joseph's families with children already enrolled who have siblings that will be starting in the New Entrant class (year 0) next year-

it is time to send in those new student applications, if you haven't already!

All enrolment information can be found online: https://stjosephs.school.nz/enrolments/

- Enrolments can be done online and documents can be emailed to admin@stjosephs.school.nz

or paper copies can be picked up and dropped off in the office during school hours.

- We will not be processing applications until all documents are received.

- Photocopies and pictures of original documents will be accepted, except for the Catholic Preference Card which needs to be the original copy.

- All successful applicants will be contacted in September to confirm their spot.

- While we greatly appreciate referrals to friends, neighbours and colleagues- priority of school placement will go to siblings first. Our waiting list is growing quite rapidly and we cannot guarantee spots to others at this moment in time.

*If your child will be starting Day 1 of Term 1 there will be an orientation day to visit the school and New Entrant class before term begins- stay tuned for more information! *

No Subway for the next two weeks

Due to Ulster Street undertaking an upgrade the store is closed for the next two weeks.

Don't panic Subway will return in term 4.

Sushi is still available through Kindo.

When in doubt, keep them out!

With winter and colder weather approaching, there have been a number of illnesses coming through the school. Thank you for keeping your child(ren) home when they are showing signs of potential infectious disease. It has been beneficial in stopping the spread to other students or staff members. Remember- "Just a headache" or "just a tummy ache" could turn into germs being spread during an initial contagious period.

*Please note that New Zealand is under advisory for RSV (Respiratory Syncitial Virus). If your child is demonstrating symptoms we advise following Ministry of Health guidelines for diagnosis and treatment and please keep them at home in the meantime.*

Here is a handy chart from the Health Ed with helpful information on infectious disease:

https://www.healthed.govt.nz/resource-table/table-infectious-diseases?fbclid=IwAR2FbbKVzy7RnzwqM4CdHzyPW0NB4vLsUm3ZvrK1CII7f8gG8lkSnmGRNJU

Driving Around the School and Community

We are reminding drivers to be vigilant when driving in the area and to adhere to parking rules, especially during drop off and pick up times. The residents in Strowan Ave and Clarkin Road get frustrated when parents park over their driveways.

Drop Off - Students are not allowed on site before 8am as there is no supervision available.

Pick Up - Students are to be picked up by 3.15pm as the teachers have meetings after school and can not provide supervision.

Students that are still at school after 3.15pm will be booked in to SKIDS and charges will apply.

The school is actively working with the Hamilton CIty Council and the Police to ensure that we can keep our students safe.

The Police have advised us to supply registration numbers and details of any offence and they will send a written notice. If you happen to see an incident, we ask that you report it to the school office by calling (07) 855 5434 or email admin@stjosephs.school.nz

Let’s keep the community safe for our whānau! Thank you!

StepsWeb - Free Licenses extended until 20 December

We are enormously grateful to the Canterbury-based company, StepsWeb, for the free licences they provided NZ school to support learning at home during Alert Level 4. They have generously extended these licences for the remainder of the school year, so you can continue to use this valuable resource at home. Your child’s log in details remain the same as during lockdown.

Our PTFA Runathon fundraiser for Term 3 was in full swing when lockdown stopped us in our tracks!

Students had trained so hard, and we were so fortunate to be able to hold our school Cross Country at Porritt Stadium just hours before we went into lockdown.

We know that many children had collected sponsors for this fundraiser, so we want them to be able to bring in the money they raised, and of course we want to give out the amazing spot prizes we have ready!

The key dates for our Runathon will now be:

This week: Year 4-8 students will bring home their individual recording sheet to show the kms that they clocked up. Year 0-3 teachers will pop the class information about the huff & puff sessions they were doing on Seesaw.
Children can collect money from sponsors. If your child misplaced their sponsorship form over lockdown, we can give them another one, they just need to ask. It is fine to collect sponsors retrospectively!
Sponsorship money can be paid to the office in cash or to PTFA bank account: 12-3171-0260206-00

Kindo can now be used to donate to the Runathon. There is an option to donate in $2.00 increments - just press it multiple times!
All students/families who bring in sponsorship money will go in the draw for our sporty spot prizes!
The closing date for bringing money in is Monday Week 10, 27 September.
The spot prize winners will be announced at assembly (via Zoom if we are still in Alert Level 2) on Friday 1 October, the last day of Term 3.

The PTFA really appreciates your support. The money raised in this fundraiser is going towards extra-curricular activities across the school, including Gymnastics sessions for Year 0-3, Term 4 trips for Year 4-6 and end of year activities for Year 7&8. Please give generously!