St Benedict's School Pānui ā-rorohiko (Online Newsletter) Term 2, week 9, 2025
- Upcoming Events from our Calendar
- School Board News
- Tumuaki Korero
- ICAS Examinations - Years 3-8
- WCC Waste Management visit
- Science Experiments - Room 5
- Student Celebrations
- Catholic Character
- ASC Highlights
- Safe Speed Limits Outside Our School
- ASC Holiday Programme
- School dates 2025
- Sports Updates
- FWFC
- 'Yummy Stickers'
- Drama Lessons available at school
- Parent Road Patrol Roster
- Wider Community Notices
- ezlunch lunch orders
Upcoming Events from our Calendar
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Term 2, 2025
Week 9
Thursday 26 June Reports go out
Swimming - Rooms 2 - 8 - Keith Spry
Friday 27 June St Benedict's Feast Day Celebrations- tamariki to wear house colours
Mass @ St Francis of Assisi Parish 11:30am-12:30pm
House games 1:40pm
Jump Rope for Heart Jump Off at 2:30pm
Future Dates:
School office open: 10 & 11 July
Term 3 begins Monday 14 July
Tuesday 15 July Parent Interviews (Years 1-8) 3:00pm – 6:00pm
Thursday 17 July Parent Interviews (Years 1-8) 3:00pm – 6:00pm
Items found in the School APP
School Notices
Teacher Messages
Documents Section
St Ben's Handbook
Widget link
Newsletter
SchoolDocs (Board Policies)
Account information
Absences notification and rate of absences.
School Calendar
MyKindo for lunch orders
FWFC Facebook and Instagram
School Board News
Board elections are fast approaching in September and it's time for parents and caregivers in our St Ben's whanau to consider whether they would be interested in joining the board.
St Ben's board runs triannual and mid term elections. This means we retain institutional knowledge while refreshing the board membership. Parent representatives are elected by the parent community. Skills in property and finance will needed. This September elected members Duncan, Aimie, and Daniel step down as their terms end. Please be in touch with Tania or Johanna to come and chat if you'd like to consider standing for the board.
What about the rest of the board?
In addition to parent reps, there are proprietors appointees. Proprietor's representatives are chosen from the parish or school community by the Archdiocese. These are Catholics with other skills whose role is to ensure that the school maintains its Catholic Character and look after the property, in addition to other responsibilities.
When does the Presiding Chair change?
The presiding chair can change at two points - at the first board meeting of the year (March) or at the election. More often than not the presiding chair is a board member who steps up to be presiding chair for a period of time. For example Daniel Marks was chair from 2021 -2024 and remained on the board. Lucy Wollaston took over from him in March 2024. When Lucy returned to fulltime legal practice in early 2025 she handed over the reins to Johanna Reidy in March 2025, while remaining on the board.
Wondering what being a St Ben’s board member involves? Lisa McGregor shares her experience:
The board is responsible for school governance, ensuring that St Benedict’s has appropriate policies and is operating in accordance with them. The board also sets the school’s strategic plan.
There are 8 planned board meetings per year, two per term. Prior to the meeting a board pack is circulated for members to read ahead of the meeting. Between meetings there may be some other ad-hoc tasks or messages to respond to depending on what the board is involved in at the time. The board also needs to regularly review all school policies (these are scheduled and 2-3 policies are allocated for review each term).
Our board is made up of people with a wide range of skills, experience and backgrounds. I’ve drawn on collaboration, analytical, communication and decision-making skills while on the board. There is lots of support and training available, including an induction for all new members, so don’t let being new to a governance role put you off.
The St Ben’s board has a tri-annual and mid term election cycle which means that not all positions are up for election at once – this ensures continuity while still leaving room for new perspectives and talent to join the board.
Like many parents I have limited time available during school hours so can’t often help when parent volunteers are needed during the day. Board meetings are held in the evening so being a board member is a great way to contribute to the school and help ensure that St Ben’s is an environment for all our children to thrive.
Have a think about standing for the board. Talk to any of the existing members or reach out to Tania or our Presiding Chair Johanna for more information.
Tumuaki Korero
Tēnā koutou e te whānau ō Hato Penetika,
Matariki
What a busy and exciting final two weeks we have had of this term! Last week we celebrated Matariki with waiata, rock painting and soup and for the first time we used our canopy to hold a community gathering. What an amazing space it its. Thank you to all who were able to come and join us. We have frozen the left over soup for community members who might need support. Please get in touch with us if you know of a whānau who would benefit from this.
We had so many vegetables we were also able to share this bounty with Challenge 2000 who distributed it through their food parcels, thank you so much for your generosity as a school community. Our soup fed not just our school but others in need.
Science Fair
Our school has been buzzing with the wonder of science as our Year 7/8 tamariki presented their entries into our school science fair. At the same time Kowhai Syndicate have been working in groups to perform a science experiment and then present it to another class.
The Science Fair entries are judged by scientists from the Royal Society Te Apārangi and our top ten get to compete at the NIWA Science Fair in Term 3. The judges were most impressed with the number of real world problems our Year 7/8 scientists decided to investigate. The Science Fair cumulated with a well attended prizegiving on Tuesday evening where our top ten of Ezra, Leah, James B, Esther, Jillian. Elliot, Emma, Hugo (3rd) Liam (2nd) and Henry (1st) were revealed. We wish you all the very best of luck for Term 3.
Thank you to our awesome whānau who supported these science projects and to our amazing teachers who have provided such a wonderful challenge to our tamariki.
Reports and Interviews
Today you will receive your tamariki action report. To book your follow up interview please use the following link :
St Benedict's Day
We celebrate St Benedict's Feast Day at the end of Term 2 each year. Our actual feast day falls on July 11th and is usually within the school holidays.
As we reflect on the life and legacy of St Benedict, the patron saint of our school, we are reminded of the timeless values he lived by— and the EPIC values that continue to shape our learning, relationships, and actions today.
St Benedict showed empathy through his care for others, creating communities where everyone felt welcome, respected, and supported. His perseverance is seen in his quiet determination to build a life of purpose and prayer, even in times of challenge and uncertainty. He lived with deep integrity, guided by a strong moral compass and the belief that actions should always align with values. And through the establishment of his rule—a creative and thoughtful guide to community living—St Benedict showed us that creativity can bring structure, harmony, and innovation to everyday life.
As a school, we are proud to carry his name and strive to live these values in our classrooms, playgrounds, and wider community.
As we draw to the end of Term 2, I hope that you all have an opportunity to enjoy some wonderful family time and stay well during this winter break.
Mā te Atua koutou e manaaki,
May God bless and care for you.
Tania Savage - Principal
Independence Day
Cressie spoke to the school about how her family went to a Philippine Market to celebrate Independence Day. Here she shows a Filipino cake made of ube (a purple yam). Harley, Luna and Markus also shared what their family did on Independence Day
ICAS Examinations - Years 3-8
University of NSW ICAS examinations 2025
It is time to sign up for the university of NSW ICAS examinations for 2025.
Students from Year 3-8 can elect to sit the ICAS University examinations in Digital Technology, Science, Maths, English and Writing. These are extension activities and not suitable for all students so please ask your child's if you need advice.
The link to purchase the ICAs examinations is
Code: SCC533Your parent page link is:https://shop.
The examinations take place in Term 3.
WCC Waste Management visit
Lorraine from WCC Waste Management came to school this week to share knowledge about how we can look after our community. She presented information about how we can be more conscious consumers and make better decisions about products we buy. When we dispose of the packaging it becomes waste and the students learnt about options for disposal...and a few little songs to help them remember. A very worthwhile presentation.
Science Experiments - Room 5
Room 5 thoroughly enjoyed using the House of Science Exploration kit. There was lots of discussion about what was happening inside mystery tubes, observational drawing of insects and guessing what was inside little pots. A fantastic resource to get the students thinking about where we find science in everyday life.
Student Celebrations
Congratulations to the students who received awards at Assembly last week.
Gymnastic Competition
We had three St Ben's girls on the podium last weekend at the Omni Gymnastics Step 5 competition in Napier!
DAY 1
Elliana 3rd E on Vault, and 4th overall
Emma 1st on Vault, 3rd on Bars, and 2nd overall
Poppy 2nd on Floor, and 6th overall
DAY 2
Elliana 1st on Beam, 3rd E on Vault, and 2nd overall
Emma 3rd on Floor, 3rd E on Vault, and 5th overall
Poppy 3rd on Bars, 3rd E on Vault and 6th overall
Our students continue to be EPIC
New Zealand Garden Bird Survey
What are our garden birds telling us?
Birds act as backyard barometers – telling us about the health of the environment we live in. They are signalling significant changes in our environment over the last 10 years. We should be listening.
Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research has distilled a substantial information base – bird counts gathered by New Zealanders from more than 49,000 garden surveys since 2014 – into simple but powerful metrics.
Thank you to all the citizen scientists who participated in the survey in 2024. It was a great turnout.
Catholic Character
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
Foyer Art
Catholic Schools Day - St Benedict's and St Brigid's Years 1-4
ASC Highlights
Safe Speed Limits Outside Our School
Safe Speed Limits Outside Our School
Wellington City Council is rolling out safe speed limits outside schools across the city, including ours.
As part of this programme, a new variable speed limit of 30km/h will operate during school travel times on roads outside our school gates. This change will apply within 150 metres of the school gates, helping to create a safer environment for our whānau as they arrive and leave each day.
You can find more information about the project, including which schools are included and when the changes are expected to happen, on the Council’s website:
�� http://wellington.govt.nz/safe-speed-limits-outside-schools
ASC Holiday Programme
We still have some space available for our Holiday Programme please email asc@st-benedicts.school.nz directly to book your place.
School dates 2025
School dates for 2025
Term 3 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
Regional Cross Country
Congratulations to Lucia and Oscar who participated in the Regional Cross Country this week.
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.
GoogleForm
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:
Thank you to Jacinta Schultz, Tom Newby and team for leading Frosty Friday, two weeks ago. We raised just over $750.
Term 3
Work is underway planning for the School Disco (8 August) and the Father's Day breakfast (5 September). Mark these dates in your calendar!
Please contact Sarah or anything FWFC related: sarah.garty@hotmail.com
Entertainment Book
'Yummy Stickers'
Thank you to Everest for his stickers. We now have 800 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.
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
| Term 2 | ||
| Thursday | 26 June | Macoy family |
| Friday | 27 June | Manyumwa family |
| Term 3 | ||
| Monday | 14 July | Marks family |
| Tuesday | 15 July | Matsopoulos family |
| Wednesday | 16 July | Mazur family |
| Thursday | 17 July | McCarthy family |
| Friday | 18 July | McDougall family |
Monday | 21 July | McGregor family |
Tuesday | 22 July | Mekonnen family |
Wednesday | 23 July | Millar family |
Thursday | 24 July | Morris family |
Friday | 25 July | Munn family |
Wider Community Notices
ezlunch lunch orders
