Hello, Kia ora, Talofa lava, Hola, Namaste, Mabuhay, Ciao, Kia Orana, Ahalan,  Konnichiwa, Ni hao, Selam,  Xin chao,  Bonjour,  Bula, Dzien/Dobry, Shalom,  Dia duit, Mauri, Halo, Bom dia, Gidday, Guten Tag, Hej   

Mai i te Kopae ki te Urupa, tatou ako tonu ai - From the cradle to the grave, we are forever learning.

Kia ora koutou e te whānau,

Today, the Ministry of Education released the updated curriculum content for Years 0 - 6 English and Years 0 - 8 Maths in the New Zealand Curriculum, as well as Years 0 - 6 Te Reo Rangatira and Years 0 - 8 Pāngarau in Te Marautanga o Aotearoa. Our teachers have been working hard to bring in these updates while still teaching the familiar lessons your children are used to. By keeping key parts of the current curriculum in place, they've ensured that learning continues smoothly without disruption. Teachers have been collaborating and training together to bring in new ideas and resources that align with the refreshed curriculum. This balanced approach means that students can enjoy exciting updates in their learning while continuing to build on what they know.

Our Teacher Only Day next Friday, will focus on what we still need to do as a school to ensure we are resourced and ready to implement the new English and Mathematics curriculum documents.   

These new curriculum documents are in line with the current government's 6 priorities for lifting achievement and deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/education-priorities-focused-lifting-achievement

As I'm sure you are aware, attendance at school is a hot topic in the media and another of our current Government's key priorities.  

Attending school every day is so important for your child’s success.  Regular attendance helps them stay on track with lessons, build on what they’ve learned and develop strong study habits. Missing days can make it challenging for them to catch up and can impact their confidence. By being in class consistently, your child is more likely to reach their full potential, both academically and socially.

The Ministry of Educaton tracks our atterndance data through our school management system and gives us a termly report.  In Term 3, we had 59% of students regularly attend school which is an increase from 43% in Term 3, 2023.  The main reasons for absence were sickness and holidays.  We also have 83% of students arrive to school on time.  This is good data and I encourage you to be mindful of the importance of getting your children to school everyday, where possible.

Donna McDonald - Principal

Week 2's fab bunch of SPARKs having a great start to the Term.

All families will be getting a book of raffle tickets to sell for our fabulous Christmas Raffle that will be making 5 lucky winners very happy!  If anyone would like to sell more books, let Gina know and she can send another book home with your child.  We ask for the support of all families for this fundaising initiative.

It may be worth making a note of the following important dates for this term, however, more may be added or removed so keep a check.  You can also refer to the calendar on our website.

Wednesday, 6th November - Powhiri and Mass of Welcome 9a.m.
Friday, 8th November - TEACHER ONLY DAY - no school for children!
Wednesday, 13th November - Speech Competition 1p.m.
Friday, 15th November - Uniform fittings from 2p.m. onwards.  Please call the Office to book an appointment.
Monday, 18th November to Friday, 22nd November -  Year 5 & 6 Camp 2024
Wednesday, 20th November - Board of Trustees Meeting - 6p.m.
Friday, 6th December - Whanau Day - Assembly and morning tea
Friday, 6th December - Uniform fittings from 2p.m. onwards.  Please call the Office to book an appointment.
Tuesday, 10th December - Prizegiving 5.30p.m.
Wednesday, 11th December - Board Meeting (Zoom) 6p.m.
Friday, 13th December - Final Assembly 9a.m.
Friday, 13th December - Big Day In
Wednesday, 18th December - Final Mass 11a.m.

Sending your child to a Catholic school is an important decision and one that reflects the values and principles you want them to further develop to assist them on their journey. As a parent or caregiver, you too need support, encouragement and to be with people who seek to live principles in a similar way. Passionist Family Groups can assist you and your family. It operates like a family where everyone one is welcome: families, non-Catholic, singles, separated, divorced – no judgement. We gather in a very non-threatening way to support one another; a group of families becoming a ‘family’. Our motto is, 'A Family for All'.  Contact: st.theresas1940@gmail.com.  www.passionistfamily.org.nz

You should all have received your own child's code for you to view on the CalendarArt website.  If for some reason you didn't get the hard copy information and code, please email Gina. Follow these instructions to place your order online:
1/. Go to www.kidsartworks.com
2/. Use the Entrance Code: KZ2066
3/. Enter your child's room & name when prompted

We suggest you do it sooner rather than later as there are busy times ahead  and you may run out of time which would be unfortunate.  Orders close on Monday, 11th November.

As per our notice last week, the order form is attached and has instructions for ordering.  The two sample sizes are available at the office.

Friday, 8th November is our Teacher Only Day which means there is no school for students.  Kelly Club, here at St. T's, is offering a full day of care from 7a.m. - 6p.m. for ALL students, regardless of whether the usually attend or not.

For Term 4:  There will be a total of 8 Fridays that pizza will be available for you to order for - that is for every Friday of the term except Teacher Only Day on 8th November.  

To order pizza and/or ice blocks for your child, please follow ONE of the two processes below:
1. ORDERS FOR THE TERM: Pizza will be available for 8 WEEKS this term. So if ordering for the term, just multiply by 8. If you decide part way through the term, then calculate how many Fridays are left. Send an email to the team, outlining the following information for each child you are ordering for BUT in one email is fine.

Child’s Name:
Room No.:
Number of pizza slices - please specify if gluten free
Number of ice blocks
Cost: $1.50 per pizza slice and $1 per ice block
Multiply the order total by the number of Fridays.

2. WEEKLY ORDERS: These need to be sent to the same email address, with the same order details as in Option 1 and also paid into the same bank account number.
VERY IMPORTANT: The deadline for weekly orders is at 3p.m. on a Thursday. Unfortunately, no late orders can be accepted.

If you would like to pay in advance for a set number of weeks but not all
the weeks in this particular term, please feel free to email these details to
the team.
If your child is new to our school and only starts part way through the term,
simply adjust the number of weeks for the remainder of the term.
kaiorders@stp.school.nz
Payment by internet banking only to 12 3254 0109325 00 using the
reference PIZZA. The team would appreciate a screenshot of your
payment, sent to their email address.

Community Connections

School Calendar

We're still collecting Yummy stickers which earn us points for sports equipment.  A chart is attached for you to use and copies are also available from the Office.

NEWSLETTER APP
Here is the link to download the Schoolzine App.  At the end of set up, you are asked for a passcode and this is 3025. 

An important update for SZapp has been released to accomodate for iPhones which have been intermittently receiving push notifications.

SZapp is available from the App Store now.

Users with automatic updates enabled on their device will recieve this update automatically.

If you would like to order a picket, please complete the attached form and return to the Office.  The cost is $35 per picket.