St Benedict's School Pānui ā-rorohiko (Online Newsletter) Week 4, Term 3

First Holy Communicants

Congratulations to our tamariki who made their First Holy Communion at St Francis of Assisi Parish last Sunday. Miss Simpson, Mrs Miranda and I were delighted to share this special day with you. 

This is a prayer that was shared by the children:

St. Theresa's Prayer

Christ has no Body now but yours
No hands, no feet on earth but yours
Yours are the eyes through which He looks
Compassion on this world
Yours are the feet with which He walks
To do good
Yours are the hands with which He blesses
All the world

Yours are the hands
Yours are the feet
Yours are the eyes
You are His Body

Christ has no Body now but yours
No hands, no feet on earth but yours
Yours are the eyes through which He looks
Compassion on this world
Christ has no body now on earth but yours

My New Gallery

Family Mass

Family Mass  10:00am Sunday 17th September. Parish church of St. Francis of Assisi Johnsonville.

Anyone who would like to participate in this mass please contact Pat Collier.

tchpat.collier@gmail.com

On the day please bring food for a shared lunch.

The children will receive an iceblock after lunch.

Also we encourage you to bring an item of non perishable food for families in need.

These can be placed in the basket before mass and will be presented at the offertory.

Board update

The Board are pleased to announce the completion of a successful election for the vacant role of Parent Representative.  Thank you to all the nominees who have put their names forward to stand for the Board.  Congratulations to Aimie Hines who has been elected to serve our school community. Aimie joins our new Proprietors Representatives Johanna Reidy and Jools Munn. They will introduce themselves in our next school newsletter. 

Tumuaki Korero - A word from our Principal

Tēnā koutou e te whānau,

Reporting on whānau feedback

Thank you to the 23/170 whānau who have participated in this survey. We appreciate your honesty and time to support this review. 

We would really like to hear from more of our community and get to a participation rate of 70% from the current 13%. 

At St Benedict's School we use a mix of face to face and written reports to provide information on your child's/tamaiti progress throughout the year. In Term 1 we started the year with 20 minute whānau meetings. In Term 2 we ended the term with 10 minute parent/teacher/child interviews and a written action plan. The following survey will help us to review our current practice and identify possible ways to strengthen how we report to whānau. Thank you for your participation.

Survey link 

PB4L Family meeting 

An engaged group of parents joined us for the PB4L launch. The team led an excellent presentation and there was a real buzz in the air as they discussed what it means to be an EPIC student. We will complete a video for our next school newsletter capturing the main points and seeking further input from you all. The feedback from those who attended was very favorable. Special shout out to Jason who canvassed views from whānau who could not attend our meeting. 

School dates 2024

Each year the Ministry of Education sets down the number of half days that a school should be open for instruction. For 2024 the number is 384  Prior to school starting the teachers will be involved in three call back days which will focus on the following.

Call back day one TOD/Retreat Monday 29 January will be our retreat and professional learning day. As a Catholic school it is important that our staff are involved in faith nurturing experiences much like we provide for our tamariki throughout the year. 

Call back day two Whānau Conference Day Tuesday 30 January 8:30am-5:30pm
The school will open on Tuesday 30th January for our whānau conferences.  Every family will book a 15-minute slot with each child’s teacher. This is a fairly new process at St Benedict's and you may wonder why we feel they are so important that we are allocating a Teacher Call Back Day to these. We believe that the whānau conferences are a powerful way for the teacher/whānau to build relationships that support the educational success of their tamariki. 

The feedback from this year’s meetings from our teachers was they enabled them to get a real sense of the whānau around the child and to build relationships with whānau quickly. Teachers noticed a considerable reduction in first day anxiety which in turn created a settled environment for the beginning of the school year.  Our office staff found that the return of forms that needed to be completed was much smoother and that they had time to support any queries during this day. While our parents noted that tamariki trepidation about their first day was lessened and they already felt connected to their new teacher. 

There will be a guide document for you to fill out prior to the meeting to facilitate discussion in the following areas. 

• Parent/student ideas about areas of strength and interest.
• Possible areas of challenge or concern for your child in their learning, behaviour or social/emotional needs.
• Any worries or anxiety around starting a new year with a new class and teacher.
• Class routines and PB4L expectations.
• Initial goal ideas for the first term, these will be part of our mid-year reports.
• Shared expectations about Responsible Use of Devices = going through the agreement and signing off by students and parents.
• Consent and health forms.

Any other topics that will assist a positive start to the school year.

Call back Day three Syndicate/Leadership and Class meetings 31st January
Teachers will use the information shared during whānau conference to discuss:

• Possible learning focuses for syndicates throughout the year.
• Review goals set within whānau conferences with previous teacher.
• Plan first week activities that reflect the interest shared in whānau meetings. 

Term One (96)
•    Thursday 1st February First day of school Pōwhiri and beginning of year Blessing Liturgy
•    6th Feb Waitangi Day
•    29th March Good Friday 
•    1st and 2nd of April Easter Holiday no school 
•    12th April Last day of Term 1
Term Two (94)
•    29th April First Day of Term 2
•    3rd June King’s Birthday
•    28th June Matariki
•    4th July Last Day of Term 2
•    5th July Staff only Day Kāhui Ako
Term Three (100)
•    22nd July First Day of Term 3
•    27th September Last Day of Term 3
Term Four (96)
•    14th October First Day of Term 4
•    28th October Labour Day
•    18th December Last Day of School
NB: Two Ministry of Education Curriculum Refresh days to be communicated once the Ministry of Education decides when these must be delivered. 
384 half days

Attendance at St Benedict’s School 

As part of a school’s obligations to the Ministry of Education and our School Board policies we must monitor tamariki attendance. Attendance has become a hot topic since the return to school from COVID lockdowns and we are all focused on ensuring our tamariki are engaged at school and receiving support if their attendance rate is below 10% of each term. 

We must balance this responsibility while also acknowledging that we understand and appreciate that when tamariki are unwell they should stay home from school. We trust that our school community makes the best decisions regarding illness and they do this with the needs of our whole community in mind. 

Last week we sent out attendance letters to highlight anyone whose attendance dropped below 90% in Term 2. The aim of these letters was to ensure whānau were both aware of the number of absences and could take that into account when planning whānau events that might affect attendance. I was under the impression that this was not a new practice for our community. Thank you to those who got in contact to let me know that this was in fact a new practice. I apologise for any offense that was caused through these letters arriving like a bolt out of the blue. 

While a revised letter will be a part of our practice going forward, we will also publish a heads up in the newsletter to warn you that you may be getting a letter.  We acknowledge and appreciate people keeping unwell kids at home and that absences can creep up unnoticed. In face-to-face interviews teachers would highlight any attendance concerns and check if there is anything we can do to support whānau as a school. For example, with ongoing illness support from school for online learning if the child was well enough or accessing the supports of the Health School. 

Please know that any communications you receive from any member of our St Benedict's team has been shared with the best intentions and we are always willing to hear your feedback. We will, of course, balance that feedback with our own professional knowledge and best practice guidelines as we work together to ensure St Benedict’s continues to reach the high standards we set.

Our School App 

Notifications can be sent to your phone via the School APP. Make sure you allow notification in the APP and in your phone’s settings. Currently you should be receiving an APP message as well as an email as a backup while we move to using the APP for most communication. 

Upcoming Events from our Calendar:

Term 3 

Recurring events

Mondays Week 3-Week 9  Kelly Sports Athletics Rooms 6,7,11,12,13 to wear sports uniform.

Tuesdays Week 3-Week 9 Kelly Sports Athletics for Rooms 8-9 wear sports uniform.
                                                     Kelly Sports Gymnastics for Manuka Syndicate - sports non-uniform.

Thursday Library Liturgy (click here for schedule) 

Week 5

Feast of the Assumption 15 August 11:30am at St Francis of Assisi Parish Church. 

Pōwhiri for new students 16 August 9am School Turf. 

Northern Zones Swimming 18 August - students who have qualified were informed by Ms Kelly. 

St Patrick's College Academic Entrance Scholarship exam 18 August - optional opportunity for Year 8 boys enrolled in St Pats for 2024. 

Week 6 

Daffodil Day 24th August Non uniform day - wear yellow to raise funds for the Cancer Society please bring gold coin donations. 

 Teacher Only Day 25 August Professional Development in Universal Design for Learning  and completion of Safeguarding Children course for all staff.

Mā te Atua koutou e manaaki, e tiaki hoki,
May God bless and care for you,
Tania Savage - Principal

Raroa Dental Hub

Whilst the dental van is not on school grounds below is the process for children to be checked for any dental work by the Raroa Dental Hub team.

• Their staff will call, email or text parents to make appointments for parents to  bring their child  to the hub for an examination.
• If follow up treatment is needed then an appointment is booked  with the parent at the time of the examination.
• If the follow up treatment appointment is failed then their staff  are responsible for  contacting the parent to arrange another time. If they are unable to make contact or have no response to texts or emails then they send out a letter asking the parent to contact the hub to arrange an appointment.

If  a parent has concerns about their child’s teeth  or their child is experiencing pain between examination appointments then the parent is  responsible for calling the 0800 number to arrange an appointment -0800 825 583.

Congratulations to....

Congratulations to Eli who has been selected to be part of the Wellington Hockey Representative Programme for 2023.  

Congratulations to Louie who competed in a Karate tournament on the weekend. Louie won silver in his kata.  

Netball News

Our Year 1-4 netballers had their final game of their season last Saturday.  It was a festival day with multiple games being played and they all played so well!  A huge thank you to Kaye Herrick, Hannah Anderson and Suzy Cullen for their help coaching the girls this year.  Thanks also to all the parents and supporters for their help on the sideline and well done to all the netballers for a wonderful season!

ASC Holiday Programme 2nd-8th October

Last term we decided to trial a school holiday programme. Many parents were interested in this programme however some had already made plans therefore our program did not proceed. Some parents advised they would definitely be keen to book their children into a September/October program therefore we anticipate the demand will be high. The programme will run during the second week of the holidays,  2nd October 2023 to 6 October 2023.

Again we  have capped the programme to 20 children and will be taking registrations on a first in first served basis.  At this stage we will also be giving preference to families who would like their children to attend all week.  However, if you would prefer part of the week we will take your name and details and make contact should spaces become available.

Whilst our activity schedule is still being drafted, it is our intention to have one day offsite. There will also be different activities every day, opportunities for free play and a wind down period. Details are as follows:

Time: 8.30 - 5.30pm (everyday) Cost $50 per child per day (non-trip days) $65 per child per day (trip days) Children will be provided with afternoon tea, timetable for activities to be advised.
Finally could you please advise Donna by emailing asc@st-benedicts.school.nz no later than 8 August 2023 if you wish to proceed in registering this program.

Helping Our Kids

SAVE THE DATE: HOK FATHER'S BREAKFAST - FRIDAY 1 SEPTEMBER

One of the most anticipated events on the HOK calendar is coming soon. Save the date of Friday 1 September for the annual HOK Father's Day breakfast. Dads and father figures - clear the calendar to bring your kids along to school for breakfast. Mums - send them along with some cash and start the celebrations early. 

We will soon have a call for volunteers of our incredibly capable St Ben's mums to make this huge event a success.

Choosing and ordering photos

The Inspire Photography team will be in touch with information on accessing and ordering your school photos in the week or so following the photo session.

Entertainment Book

Lost Property

We have had a size Large Sports jacket and a small black case containing two decks of cards which was left at the disco.  Please call the office to collect.

'YUMMY STICKERS’

– Now until the end of Term 3.   

Please remember to save ‘Yummy Stickers’ for your sticker sheet.

Thank you to families who are collecting stickers for their sticker sheet.

We have 2498 stickers so far.

It’s time to start collecting yummy apple stickers and the cut-out labels on the yummy 1.5kg apple bags.  You will find all your favourite yummy apples at your local New World or Pak’n Save (and some participating Four Square stores).

Eat ‘Yummy’ and support our school.  Crunch on apples and collect ‘yummy’ sports money. 

Collect the ‘cut out’ labels from the 2kg bags of ‘Yummy’ apples or individual ‘Yummy’ apple

stickers, available from New World and Pak’n Save stores.  Cash them in for Rebel Sports

gear for our school.  Send all your ‘Yummy’ stickers to the office.  

Collect more sticker sheets from the office or visit www.yummyfruit.co.nz.  Lets get munching.

Last year we received $373 worth of Rebel sports equipment for FREE. 

Parent Road Patrol Roster

NICHOLSON ROAD
(Mornings and Afternoons)
Parents: Please be present from 8:25am - 9:00am and again from 2:45am - 3:15pm

Wider Community Notices

Asthma Study

If you would like to particiapate in the Children's Asthma Study please visit the link for more information.  

St Anthony's School Centenary

St Anthony’s Catholic School, Seatoun, Wellington are gearing up to celebrate 100 years on 13 /14 OCTOBER 2023.  We invite all past and present students, staff, families and supporters to celebrate this amazing occasion.  Please register by completing the registration form here or you can find it on the St Anthony's School Centenary Facebook Page 

If you have any queries please email us at centenary@stants.school.nz or contact Julie O’Brien on 021 377 192.

If you are planning on travelling to join us, there is accommodation held aside at Brentwood Hotel on a first in first served basis. 

Fill out the accommodation form here.