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,

What a wonderful night we had on Thursday for our Family Christmas Fun Night.  Thanks to the Parents & Friends Ctte and their wonderful group of helpers for organising this.  While the intended focus is bringing the community together, we were able to raise over $2200.00 which is a huge bonus.

Thank you to everyone who was able to join us on Tuesday night for our End of Year celebrations.  The children once again shone and I always love the Nativity play and the unique elements each group adds to it.

As I said in my speech, thank you is never enough but as a team we thank you for the continued support we receive from you everyday in so many ways. Thank you all for the trust you put in us to care for, educate and protect your children.  They are a taonga, a treasure and we are honoured to play a role in supporting them to grow into incredible ‘human beings’.

We also farewelled our Year 6 students who have been leaders and role models in our school.  We are so proud of the people they are becoming.  It was a pleasure to attend camp with this group of very cool kids and I know that as they move on to new schools and new adventures, they will take with them the values, friendships and memories that have been nurtured here at St Theresa's.
 

Ko ngā tamariki o tenei ra ko ngā kaiarahi o apopo,
The children of today are tomorrow's leaders.

This group of children helped to spread some Christmas cheer to our neighbours this week; another great example of 'service in action' and an opportunity to give without expecting anything back.

Our final Mass for the year will be on Wednesday at 11a.m. and you are all very welcome to attend.  School finishes at 12.30p.m. for the year.

Wishing you all a happy, safe and fun Christmas and a relaxing summer break.

Kia pai tō rā whakatā - Have a great weekend.
Donna McDonald - Principal

Late in the term, late in the year but these SPARKs are still doing their very best!

It would be too difficult to name everyone who has helped in some way during this school year but YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE.  Our school could simply not function as well as it does without the many helpers and supporters we rely on.  We appreciate everything that you do in support of all of our children.

We celebrated all our children on Tuesday evening and were entertained with an awesome Nativity play, the singing of Christmas carols and the awarding of the Year 6  trophies for 2024.  We congratulate all the winners.
Catholic Character:  Clara Dolan & Brooke Barber; Academic Achievement: Felix McMinn; Sport: Matthew Bleach; Perseverance: Fergus Gear; Cultural Contribution: Charles Tyrell; Leadership: Aahil Khan; The Arts: Iris Gair; Overall Excellence: Charlie Cheung & Alexandra Baker; Principal's Award: Kyle Sichampanakhone

One of our ex students, Phoebe Harland, is currently in Auckland Hospital recovering from a heart transplant. This requires the family to remain in Auckland to support her recovery. We would like to show our support for her and her family at this time.

How can we help? On Friday, students can wear Your Choice Clothing and bring a donation to school. We will create a money trail in the form of a heart during the day and we will also take a whole school photo to send to Phoebe and her family to show that our thoughts and prayers are with them.

Pool keys for the summer season are now available to be bought however the use of the pool by keyholders is only from Thursday, 19th December.   The cost is $150 per key and the absolute last day for buying a key is Monday, 16th December.

The attached forms need to be read and signed so that a key can be allocated.  You can either come to the Office to fill the form out or sign it and scan it through and once payment has been received, a key will be allocated and can be either collected from the Office or sent home with your child.

The Key Holder’s Agreement and Conditions of Use are attached as well as the Pool Key Allocation - 2024/2025 form that needs to be signed when a key is allocated.

MASS OF THANKSGIVING
Venue: St. Theresa’s Church
Time: 11a.m. on Wednesday, 18th December (last day of the term)
PURPOSE
The purpose of this Mass is to give thanks to God for the school year within
the Sacrament of the Eucharist and to ask God’s blessings on the Year 6
school leavers and their families.
WHAT WE EXPECT
This is an important, formal school occasion and as such, all children need to
wear their full school uniform. All children will attend, as the Mass is held
during the school day. Parents, family and friends are encouraged to
attend.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
 Duration: Approx. 1 hour 15 minutes
 The celebration of Holy Mass
 Short speeches by Year 5 and 6 students
 The presentation to the school leavers of a candle and the handing
over of the school candle from Year 6 to Year 5.
School finishes at approx. 12.30p.m.

The school bus will not be available for pick up from school on the last day of this term.  Please ensure you have made other arrangements if your child usually catches the bus.

.......... give the gift that saves lives.  Please consider donating blood or plasma over the holiday period as there is currently a great need.  This link will answer all your questions.  Thanks to those of you who have already donated blood products and continue to do so.

The full Mass schedule for the Christmas/New Year period is listed below.

Monday, 23rd December: 9.30am Mass
Tuesday, 24th December: 6.00pm Christmas Eve family Mass
Tuesday, 24th December: 9pm Christmas Eve Mass
Wednesday, 25th December: 9.30am Christmas Mass
Thursday/Friday 26th/27th December: No Mass or Liturgy of the Word
Saturday, 28th December: 6pm Vigil Mass
Sunday, 29th December: 9.30am Mass
Monday/Tuesday 30th/31st December: No Mass or Liturgy of the Word
Wednesday, 1st January, 2025: 9.30am Mass
Thursday/Friday, 2nd/3rd January: No Mass or Liturgy of the Word
Saturday, 4th January: 6pm Vigil Mass
Sunday, 5th January: 9:30am Mass

School finishes for this year on Wednesday, 18th December at approx. 12.30p.m.

Term dates for 2025:

Term 1:   Monday, 3rd February - 11th April

Term 2:   Monday, 28th April - Friday, 27th June

Term 3:   Monday, 14th July - Friday, 19th September

Term 4:   Monday, 6th October - Tuesday, 16th December  

Hat orders can continue to be placed over the Christmas and New Year period. All orders will be processed over this time and delivered to the school in time for the first day of
Term 1.  Order form attached.

Stationery lists will be available on our website under the 'What's on Top' tab and children will be given a hard copy on Monday when they are allocated their classroom for next year.  OfficeMax gives us a percentage of all sales of back to school stationery so that's a win!

Thank you to those parents who have already returned their form and offered to help.  We still need all families to return theirs as we need help and support going forward into 2025.  Unless we have offers of help, we won't be able to organise any fun and exciting events that are for the good of all our children.  Even the smallest offer of help will be gratefully accepted.  In case you can't find yours, a copy is attached.

It’s that wonderful time of year again and we are calling for all little performers to star in the Christmas Eve Nativity Play during the 6p.m. Vigil Mass at St Theresa’s Church on Tuesday, 24th December. It’s so special to hear the little voices of our youth singing at Christmas, so please sign your children up by messaging Lauren Johnstone at 021450643. Practices will be held right after school in the church - it’s like free babysitting! We are also looking for any parents to support in any way – especially someone to do the admin side of it such as communicating with the parents. On the night help would also be great.

Practices are from 3pm – 4pm and start on Monday, 9 December and will be on the following dates as well: Wednesday 11th, Thursday 12th, Monday 16th, Wednesday 18th, Thursday 19th and Monday 23rd.

The details for this programme are attached as well as an enrolment form.  For any questions or further information, please ring or email the Parish Office.  
0273289911  st.theresas1940@xtra.co.nz

More information and the schedule are attached.

Attendance Dues will be increasing by 5% in 2025. Attendance Dues have remained at their current rates since 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the decision to increase the rate was due to the increasing costs of materials and construction as part of the National Attendance Dues pool – Te Puna Waihanga component.
Across the year, this is an approximate increase of 0.50c per primary student and $1.00 per secondary student per week.
Change to rates Primary School: $572.00 per student (previously $545.00). Secondary School: $1,147.00 per student (previously $1,092.00). For more information visit www.wn.catholic.org.nz/about/schools-in-the archdiocese/attendance-dues

Please see the 2025 Attendance Dues flyer.

School closes for the year on Wednesday, 18th December at 12.30p.m.  Kelly Club's offer is open to ALL children, even if not regular users of this facility.

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.

Community Connections

School Calendar

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.

Unfortunately these are no longer available.