St Benedict's School Pānui ā-rorohiko (Online Newsletter) Term 1, week 6, 2025
Upcoming Events from our Calendar
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Term 1, 2025
Sports Uniform
Tuesdays Room 9-13
Thursdays Room 7-8 and Rooms 3-5
Week 6
Thursday 13th March Class Liturgy Rooms 8/9
Week 7
Monday 17th March St Patricks Day - Tamariki can wear green mufti to school
Tuesday 18th March NZ Cricket Tournament - Alex Moore - Years 5 - 8
Wednesday 19th March Girls Futsal Festival - Years 3 - 8 - Akau Tangi
Thursday 20th March PP NZ Cricket Tournament - Alex Moore - Year 5-8
Friday 21 March Mass at church - Buses leave at 11am
Week 8
Monday 24th March - Wednesday 26th March Mrs Savage attending WCPPA summit at Parihaka and Ngāmotu.
Thursday 27th March Class liturgies 9-9.45am -Room 12 Class Mass - 9:00am -Rooms 8,9
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Documents Section
St Ben's Handbook
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Account information
Absences notification and rate of absences.
School Calendar
MyKindo for lunch orders
FWFC Facebook and Instagram
Tumuaki Korero
Tēnā koutou e te whānau ō Hato Penetika,
We've had a busy and exciting few weeks and we're thrilled to share some updates with you!
Canopy Project Update - Almost there & a special thank you
We're delighted to announce that the much-anticipated canopy project is nearing completion! By next Friday, we expect the construction of the canopy structure itself to be finished. However, there are still a few crucial steps remaining. Over the coming weeks, we will focus on fencing, groundwork, and drainage. We are excited to announce that in April, we will begin to see the multi purpose surface being laid down. We are still on track for our mid-May opening!
A huge thank you to all the whānau who have shared in my excitement and allowed me to drag them into the staff room for the best view of the canopy. If you haven't had a chance to view it from the staff room, do pop in and have a look; the progress is truly remarkable!
Please keep up your fundraising efforts with the FWFC Colour Run to raise the final $20,000 we need to complete this project.
Save the Date: Canopy Blessing with Bishop Paul Martin - June 3rd
We are thrilled to invite you to the official blessing of our new canopy on June 3rd @ 11am with Bishop Paul Martin. This will be a special occasion to celebrate this fantastic addition to our school. More details about the specific arrangements will follow closer to the date.
St. Patrick's Day Fun - Wear Green
Get ready to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with a splash of green! On Monday 17 March, we encourage all students to wear green to show their St. Patrick's Day spirit. Let's fill the school with festive cheer!
Moving March - Crazy Shoes Day (March 31st)
Don't forget to get creative for our Moving March finale! On March 31st, we're having a Crazy Shoes Day. Let your child's imagination run wild and send them to school in their most outlandish footwear. It's a fun way to celebrate our active month!
A huge thank you to the whānau that have been organising walking school busses in the morning. It would be great to have these running throughout the year, not just in March. If you are interested in having a walking school bus go past your home, please get in contact with me.
Northern Zone Cricket - Years 5-8 Next Week
Good luck to our Years 5-8 cricket teams! Next week, they'll be participating in the first Northern Zone event of the season. We're excited to see them showcase their skills and represent our school. We'll be cheering them on!
Girls Futsal Competition (Years 3-8)
Next week we also have our girls' futsal teams (Years 3-8) participating in a competition on Thursday. This event is all about having a go and encouraging sporting participation, so we're focusing on fun, teamwork and perseverance.
Jubilee Year Mass - All Welcome!
As part of our school's jubilee year celebrations, we're holding our first Mass in the church. All families are warmly invited to join us for this special occasion. The Mass will take place next week on Friday 21st of March from 11:30am to 12:30pm. We look forward to celebrating with you.
After School Care
We currently have vacancies for each day within our After School Care programme. Please contact Emma in the office (asc@st-benedicts.school.nz) if you wish to register. ASC has now moved into its own dedicated space in the old Room 5.
Enrolments for 2025
We have had a flurry of enrolments this week so please do get in touch if you have friends or whānau who are considering St Ben's. Please ensure that you have completed enrolment papers for your pre-school tamariki who are joining us in 2025. This allows us to plan a great transition from Early Childhood Education to School through a series of visits. Equally if you have whānau or friends who are considering enrolling their tamariki, please encourage them to make appointments so we can accommodate these new enrolments.
We warmly welcome the family of Jonathan (Room 3) into our school community, and Alice, sister of Max to Room 3.
Mā te Atua koutou e manaaki,
May God bless and care for you.
Tania Savage - Principal
Catholic Character
Shrove Thursday
Last week, Rooms 3 & 13 celebrated Shrove Tuesday, the day before Lent, cooking pancakes.
"Making pancakes was great. We flipped them and we waited for them to cook and then we ate them all up. Yummy! Then we got to eat two pancakes and we did our crafty thing while we waited for the pancakes."
Clara, Josiah and Markus - Room 3
Ash Wednesday
On Wednesday, 5th of March, Father Alfred visited our school to celebrate Ash Wednesday Mass. We participated in the Prayers of the Faithful and Ashes were placed on our foreheads to symbolise the beginning of Lent and our commitment to repentance. It was a meaningful time to gather and sing together.
By Mary Hanlon - Room 13, Catholic Character Team
School Board
Kia ora koutou katoa,
Thank you for the opportunity to be presiding member of the St Benedict's School Board. 2025 will be a busy year at St Ben's as we work on activity outlined in the strategic plan to make St Ben's an even better place to learn.
My husband Andrew Black and I have three children at St Benedict's: Rosa (Y7), and Edward and Ariane (Y4). Our family has been a part of St Benedict's for around 7 years. I've been a proprietor's representative on the board since September 2023, as well as a member of FWFC.
Both Andrew and I have had the benefit of a Catholic education. We love that our children have loads of opportunities at St Ben's to strive towards excellence. That means that they can develop their talents and also are supported to persevere with elements that they find challenging. When not writing profiles about myself I work as a university lecturer and researcher. I'm a big fan of baking, bushwalks, reading and podcasts. I'm a yellow belt in karate (hoping to grade soon to orange belt). We have a busy household with children's and community activities and family events which means it can be hard to finish a task uninterup-
Johanna Reidy
PresidingChair@st-benedicts.school.nz
Board Policy Review
Each term the School Board, Teachers and community are invited to review our School policies. The below flyer explains the process. To access the school’s Policies and Procedures, please click on the below link, and enter our username and password.
Visit the website https://st-benedicts.schooldocs.co.nz/1893.htm
Enter the username (st-benedicts) and password (3000stbens).
Student Celebrations
Room 12 hosted the Assembly in Week 6, featuring Irish dancing.
We included this performance because the assembly date was very close to St. Patrick's Day, which falls on March 17, 2025. The dancer, Rosa from Room 12, who has Irish ancestry, was kind to share her excellent Irish dancing skills.
The festival on the waterfront takes place on March 16, this coming weekend, which will feature a parade, Irish dancing and a competition for the best dressed spectator.
Congratulations to the following students who received certificates at our assembly
School dates 2025
The downloadable PDF below will give you a printable calendar for your fridge. It has been updated to reflect the new MOE Maths PLD days.
Since the Board set the dates, the Ministry of Education has announced there will be two mandated teacher only days to support the new curriculum during the year. Unfortunately we have not been able to choose our dates and have been allocated the following dates Friday 4 April 2025 and Thursday 19th of June.
Finalised school dates for 2025 are
Professional learning – Leading by Learning 28th January with Geoff Childs
Staff Retreat 29th January with Pa Gerry Burns
30 and 31 of January Whanaungatanga meetings and Staff meeting days
Term 1 Monday 3 February –11 April ( Easter and Anzac Day in holidays)
Friday 4th April MOE Mathematics PLD teacher only day.
Term 2 28 April- 27 June (Includes Matariki and Kings Birthday)
Staff call back day in school holidays Friday 11 July
Thursday 19 June MOE Mathematics PLD teacher only day.
Term 3 s 14 July – 19 September Kāhui Ako Teacher only day 1st August
Staff call back day in school holidays Friday 3 October
Term 4 6 October- Wednesday 17 December (Includes Labour Day)
Sports Updates / Movin' March / Netball
What is Movin’March?
Movin’ March is a free month-long event run by Greater Wellington in partnership with local councils. St Benedict’s have been involved since its beginnings and have enjoyed the opportunities for student leadership and seeing the enthusiasm the students have when as their passports are stamped and receiving a spot prize.
We have had a great start to Movin' March and we thank Oscar, Francesca, Peyton and Jackson for their help with the morning stamping of cards.
Movin' March
Netball Registrations
Netball registrations are now open - please fill out the registration form below (one form per player please) - it will be open until March 21st.
https://forms.gle/
We are still waiting on confirmation of the season dates but based on the last few years the format will be as follows.
Season details - Year 1-2 - Saturday afternoons, Terms 2-3, Years 3-4 - Saturday afternoons Terms 2-3, Year 5-8 Saturday mornings Terms 2-3. This year the Northern Suburbs Netball Committee have decided to run a Year 7 and Year 8 competition (rather than a combined intermediate) therefore we will not be running trials this year.
If you have any questions please contact Hannah and Camilla (netball@St-benedicts.school.
Weet-Bix TRYathlon
Good luck to those who have entered the Weet-Bix TRYathlon this weekend.
FWFC
Kia ora e te whānau ō Hato Penetika,
Friends and Whānau Fundraising Committee
Colour Run!!!
The Colour Run is coming up in less than a month, and we are excited to see that a large number of our kids have signed up and are fundraising! Please keep up the great work!!
Key info: Sunday 6th April, 11.30am til 1pm Nairnville field, Cost: $10 through the student fundraising profile: www.schoolfunrun.co.nz (or please put money direct into the FWFC/HOK account for siblings or those that aren't able to set up a profile).
The Colour Run will also have BBQ, baking and treats. To put this on, we are after volunteers to help support these activities. Please sign up if you can through this spreadsheet: https://docs.
Committee update:
We are still looking for a Chair and Secretary. Those currently in the roles will remain on the Committee, and will be able to provide support to new people.
The Chair leads the Committee and is a regular conduit between the school and FWFC. The Secretary organises and keeps records of our meetings, updates the school newsletter and some light touch administrative tasks. Sarah McCarthy the current Secretary is also able to job share but can't commit to the full role.
For any questions about FWFC or the Committee roles please contact: sarah.garty@hotmail.com
FWFC on your socials: follow us on social media for all the latest info on upcoming events and key dates:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
Entertainment Book
'Yummy Stickers'
Thank you to families who collected 'Yummy Stickers' last year. Students are very happy to have new sports equipment this year and we are grateful not to have paid for these. Look out for this promotion again in Term 2 and start saving your stickers. Sticker sheets can be found on the 'Yummy Sticker' website: www.yummyfruit.co.nz or just pick a sheet up from the office.
Metlink - Child Concession
Kia Ora parents and caregivers,
To support your child’s travel on Metlink services, please note the following important point.
High school students are required to present their secondary school photo ID when requested by onboard staff if not in uniform. For eligibility information please check the concessions section here.
Below is a summary of the conditions of carriage. The full version can be found here :
Children from age 5 and intermediate school students are entitled to the Child Concession while in or out of school uniform.
Secondary school students must either be wearing their school uniform, or present a valid physical or digital secondary school photo ID.
A Snapper enabled Student Photo ID can be used as a Snapper card to access the Child Concession.
Children 16 or older who have left school do not qualify for a Child Concession.
Tag on and off for each part of the journey. If you do not tag off, a default fare applies, see more information here.
Contact us on info@metlink.org.nz or call us on 0800 801 700 for more information.
Ngā mihi,
Metlink
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
| Term 1, 2025 | ||
| Thursday | 13 March | Abro family |
| Friday | 14 March | Agarwal family |
Monday | 17 March | Anderson family |
| Tuesday | 18 March | Barber family |
| Wednesday | 19 March | Bardell family |
| Thursday | 20 March | Bates family |
| Friday | 21 March | Bebawy family |
Monday | 24 March | Benison family |
Tuesday | 25 March | Bergquist family |
Wednesday | 26 March | Black family |
Thursday | 27 March | Blignaut family |
Friday | 28 March | Bowmaker family |
Wider Community Notices
ezlunch lunch orders
- Every parent who orders an ezlunch goes into a weekly draw to win $100 Kindo Credit for themselves AND $100 for your school. Starts Monday 10 February 2025 and runs through to Friday 11 April 2025.
- Plus, all orders automatically enter the Grand Prize Draw for a $1,000 JB Hi-Fi Voucher + $500 for their school!
Thank you to JB Hi-Fi for making our Grand Prize rewards possible!
JB Hi-Fi has partnered with Kindo in 2025 to streamline BYOD for schools, and we appreciate their generous support. 
