St Benedict's School Pānui ā-rorohiko (Online Newsletter) Term 2, week 4, 2025

Upcoming Events from our Calendar

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Term 2, 2025

Week 5
Monday 26 May Catholic Schools Day  Years 5-8 to St Brigid's Y1-4 at St Bens 
Tuesday 27 May Catholic Schools Intermediate Netball tournament 
                                 St Patrick’s College Open Day - 10-11:30am & 12:30-2pm
                                 Swimming - Rooms 9 - 13 - Keith Spry
                                  Jubilee Planning meeting - 7-8pm
Thursday 29 May Swimming - Rooms 2 - 8 - Keith Spry
                                   Feast of  the Ascension
                                   St Patrick’s College Open Day - 10-11:30am & 12:30-2pm

Week 6
Monday 2 June King’s Birthday – Public Holiday school closed
Tuesday 3 June Blessing of new courts 11am - please RSVP to office
                                Swimming - Rooms 9 - 13 - Keith Spry
Thursday 5 June  8am-10am Kapa Haka Performance Group  performing for New Zealand Catholic Primary                                                    Principals Conference
                                  Swimming - Rooms 2 - 8 - Keith Spry

Future Dates:
Wednesday 18th June Matariki Day celebration  (see details in newsletter)
Thursday 19 June MOE PLD Maths TOD- School closed for instruction
Friday 20 Matariki Public Holiday - school closed
Tuesday 24 June Science Fair Prize Giving 

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School Board Update

The board extends our thanks to the amazing teachers at St Benedict's who are working through a very challenging amount of change to the  curriculum. Our teachers are attending additional training in mathematics, structured literacy and our Religious Education curriculum . In addition, they willingly give their own time to prepare for and attend school camp.  We are grateful that our teachers continue to show up smiling and ready to do their best for our tamariki and our school.

Thanks also to the wonderful group of parents in FWFC. The colour run and Mother day shops were both excellent. FWFC fundraising efforts have directly enabled the purchase of basketball and netball hoops for our new covered turf and we're excited to see the kids being able to use them in the coming weeks.

In September we will have 3 members stepping down from the board. We'd encourage everyone to have a think about putting their hand up to join the board. It's a valuable way to contribute to our school. If you'd like to find put more about what's involved in being a board member, please reach out to Tania,  Johanna or any current board members for a confidential, no obligation chat.

Johanna Reidy
PresidingChair@st-benedicts.school.nz

Tumuaki Korero

Tēnā koutou e te whānau ō Hato Penetika,

Thank you for the very warm welcome back messages I have received from so many of you as I am on road crossing duty. It has helped ease the temperature difference between Spain and Wellington! It was so lovely to have the opportunity to celebrate my Father in Law's 80th birthday.  My sincere thanks to the School Board for allowing me to take that time. Thank you also to Cheryl Taylor for leading the school in my                                                         absence.

Court Update
Every day brings us closer to the opening of our new courts. This week has seen the laying down of the Turf and the outline of the court markings. The hoops are in and it won't be long before the sound of children playing on the bottom courts will return. Please do come along for our Court Blessing by Bishop Paul Martin on the 3rd of June at 11am. There will be a morning tea afterwards and we would love for you to join in the celebration of such a massive community effort to create a new resource that will benefit generations of children to come. Please RSVP to the office. 

Congratulations Lit Quiz Team
Our lit quiz team of Eli, Rosa, Henry and did a cracking job at the Lit Quiz held last Friday. They finished 7th out of 51 teams - even topping one round. We are so proud of you. Thank you to Camilla and Rachel who supported the teams. 

Matariki Invitation 
Our school and community will celebrate Matariki 2025 on the afternoon of Wednesday, June 18th from 3-5:30pm. This event aims to:

• Gather us together to express gratitude for the year just passed,
  
• Provide a meaningful learning experience about Matariki through shared food (kai), song (waiata), and time together (te wā kotahi).

After school, two activities will be offered: painting a Matariki-themed stone (one per family/whānau) for our new turf garden, and learning actions for a waiata we will sing together later. Additionally, each classroom will have created a poster or activity about one of the nine Matariki stars, which will be displayed (locations TBC) for families to view and learn from. Our Kapa Haka group will perform haka and waiata, building up to singing the waiata learned earlier all together – kotahitanga.
The event will conclude with everyone sharing pre-prepared Matariki soup and a roll (soup prepared the day beforehand from whānau donation), followed by well wishes for a safe and blessed Matariki weekend.

A Parenting expert in your pocket 

Parenting can be incredibly rewarding, but it also comes with plenty of challenges—and that's where Parentland comes in. Created by clinical psychologist Nigel Latta and a team of experts, Parentland is a new app designed to give parents trusted, evidence-based advice tailored to their child’s age, temperament, and their own parenting style. Whether you're dealing with sleep issues, fussy eating, or tricky behaviour, Parentland offers practical, personalised strategies without overwhelming you with endless to-do lists or conflicting advice.

The app includes helpful tools like the Sleep Props gameplan, Farty Monkey reward system, and bite-sized videos on a wide range of parenting topics. While the free version offers great value, a premium subscription unlocks even more gameplans, custom advice, and tools such as the Ladder of Doom and a food range diary. Parentland is a refreshing, realistic support system for parents—meeting you where you’re at and helping you navigate the ups and downs with confidence and clarity.

iPhone

Android

We warmly welcome Nivi (Room 7) and her family into our school community.  

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

Pink Shirt Day

Last week we learnt about bullying and Pink Shirt day. This is my poster about bullying and I have included a few anti-bullying slogans. This poster signifies to me the meaning of anti-bullying and that bullying is bad.

By Emmeline, Room 11

Former Students doing well in the World

It is always great to hear how our former students are doing in the world, below are some of the success storys and if you know of more, please do share with us.

St Benedict's is so proud of the following:

Isabella Aduna, who left in 2022 recently represented New Zealand at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Columbus, Ohio, United States of America last week and placed 3rd in the Chemistry category for her eco-friendly production of solar panels, winning USD $1,200.– an outstanding achievement.

Isabelle with one other representative attended the fair with the support of the Australian Science and Engineering Fair (AUSSEF) team who provided a pathway for them to attend.

T.J Duggan who left in 2021 and has recently directed his first play for the KAT Theatre's production of Poverty.  T.J has also acted in the KAT's Puss in Boots and played in the band for Alice.  

Joseph Witkowski who left in 2008 is now acting in the popular New Zealand drama, Shortland Street.  Joseph plays the new doctor, Hendrix and though he is not comfortable playing the bad guy, we think his acting is great.

Catholic Character - Sacramental Programme

Sacramental Programme 2025 have been confirmed.
The full Programme will run over Term 2 and into term three finishing on the 16th November with the First Communion Mass.
The Timetable is as follows...
                  Tuesday July 22, 7pm Parents Information Evening
                  Sunday July 27th 11.15am Reconciliation Session 1
                  Sunday August 3rd 11.15am Reconciliation Session 2
                 Saturday  August 9th 2.00pm Reconciliation Practice
                 Sunday August 10th 2.00pm Reconciliation
                Sunday 31st August 11.15am Confirmation Session 1
               Sunday 7th September 11.15am Confirmation Session 2
                Saturday 13th September 2.00pm Confirmation Practice
                Sunday 14th September 2.00pm Confirmation Mass with Archbishop Paul Martin
                Sunday 2nd November 11.15am Communion Session 1
               Sunday 9th November 11.15am Communion Session 2
               Saturday 15th November 2.00pm Communion Practice
                Sunday 16th November 2.00pm Communion Mass
Please note that the Sunday Sessions start immediately following the Sunday Mass and all participants and their families should attend Mass before the sessions.
The Programme is being run on behalf of the Parish by Pat Collier and Natasha Telles.  
Please contact via email: sacramentalprogramme@stfrancisohariu.nz

Student Celebrations

Congratulations to the students who received awards at our recent assembly.

Lit Quiz

Congratulations to Ellie, Rosa, Eli and Henry who represented St Benedict's in the Kid's Lit Quiz. There were 51 teams participating from all around the Wellington Region.  The team did really well and finished in the top 10.  The team chose a random round named 'hair' as their double round and top scored out of the teams for this round with 9/10 correct!  

Congratulations to Rosa who had a very good weekend at the Capital City Feis (traditional Irish dancing competition).  Rosa won all three events she entered in. 

Congratulations to Jina who participated in the yearly Junior golf tournament recently with great results.  The tournament included junior golfers from Wellington’s clubs as representatives of their teams. 

In the 18-hole Junior Pennant final, her team from the Shandon Golf Club emerged victorious, securing the championship title for this year. From the beginning of the Pennant tournament to the final match, Jina delivered impressive performances and made valuable contributions to her team. Her strong play in the final further reinforced the team's success.

Jina will also perform with her dance group and choir at the 10th anniversary of the Korea–New Zealand Free Trade Agreement!  Flyer below

ASC Highlights

ASC Holiday Programme

We’re excited to share a sneak peak of our upcoming holiday programme, crafted to keep our tamariki engaged, active, and learning over the break! This year, we’ll have a blend of on-site activities and trip days, creating special memories each week.

We require 20 participants each day for the programme to run and can take a maximum of 30. Our registration form will be live from next week - or you can email ASC directly to book your place.  

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

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

Futsal Tournament

Kia ora, 

Please fill in the following FORM to register your tamaraiki for the Futsal Tournament in September.  Further details will be sent out to families who register through this form closer to the time.  We will need parent volunteers to help supervise/coach on the day.  Please note that this is the same week as the Year 7/8 camp so they will be unable to attend.  Let me know if you have any questions. 

molly.kelly@st-benedicts.school.nz


GoogleForm

Northern Zone Cross Country

Congratulations to the following students who have qualified for the InterZone Cross Country to be held on Tuesday 10th June (PP Thursday 12th June).  We have yet to receive a confirmed location for this event.

Yr 6 Boys: Hadleigh, Jono
Yr 7 Girls: Lucia, Alex, Eleanor
Yr 7 Boys: Aedan, James, Zach, Oscar
Yr 8 Girls: Nora, Jillian, Charlotte, Hanna
Yr 8 Boys: Flynn, Nakos, Jehiel

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Junior Invitational Cross Country

A special congrats to Alex from Room 4 who came 3rd place overall in the Year 2 Girls race at Amesbury.  Thank you again to our wonderful parent helpers.

FWFC

Kia ora e te whānau ō Hato Penetika,

Friends and Whānau Fundraising Committee 

Kia ora e te whānau,

Friends and Whānau Fundraising Committee (FWFC) update: 
We are really proud to have paid over $60k towards the school canopy project and netball/basketball hoops for it. This money comes from a collective fundraising effort from our whole school over the past few years, so thank you everyone for all your support and contributions. We can't wait for the opening next month!! 
Prizes for kids from their Colour Run fundraising will be handed out direct to the kids at school this week. Some of the larger items will be coming soon.

Coming up: Frosty Friday (featuring candy floss cups) - put 13 June in your calendars for this. Please get in touch if you can help, this will be led by the wonderful Jacinta and Candy Floss King Tom.
Term 3 - we are starting to plan for the school disco (date TBC) and the Father's day breakfast (5 September). We'd love some members of our school community to lead or support with these events, so please raise your hand early to support event planning. 

Please contact Sarah McCarthy for anything FWFC related: sarah.garty@hotmail.com 

Entertainment Book

'Yummy Stickers'

Thank you to George and Luca for their sticker sheets.  We now have 700 stickers.

This promotion runs until 20 October so send in your stickers and keep munching on 'Yummy Fruit'.   

Sticker sheets can be found on the 'Yummy Sticker' website: www.yummyfruit.co.nz or just pick a sheet up from the office.

St Patrick’s College Open Day Tours

Our exciting 2025 Open Day tours are here.  

For those interested in enrolling their son at St Pat's for 2026, Open Days will
be held on: Tuesday 27 May between 10:00am to 11:30am and again from 12:30pm to 2:00pm, and
Thursday 29 May between 10:00am to 11:30am and again from 12:30pm to 2:00pm.

These tours are informative, inclusive and enlightening and give families a live snapshot of a day in the life of our College.  Online bookings are now available by signing up via a google sign-up form on the college website – www.stpats.school.nz

Online Enrolments are now open, so go to the Enrolment Tab if you would like to enrol for 2026 now. Alternatively you can download the Enrolment Form and complete the appropriate forms and return them via hand or post to the
College or send through email to admin@stpats.school.nz
Alternatively, please get in touch with the College directly at 939 3070 for further enrolment information.

Drama Lessons available at school

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

ezlunch lunch orders