As we continue through Lent, we are reminded of the call to reflect, pray, and serve others. This season invites us to grow in faith and kindness, finding ways to support and uplift those around us.
We also ask for your prayers for our children preparing for Baptism. This is a special and sacred journey for them as they take their first steps in faith, and we are blessed as a school community to support them along the way.
Last week, we celebrated 70 years of St Teresa’s School! It was a joyous occasion, bringing our community together to reflect on seven decades of faith, learning, and whānau. Thank you to everyone who helped make this milestone so special.
A huge thank you to Prime Community Trust for their generous donation of sports equipment! Our students are already making great use of it, and we are so grateful for this wonderful support. We also want to acknowledge everyone who has donated goods for the raffle and taken time to sell tickets—your generosity and effort make a big difference for our kura.
Also, we would like to extend a big thank you to Erin and the Waiwaste team for, all of the yummy bread that has been coming home lately.
Finally, I was proud to represent our school at Parihaka this week, a place of profound spiritual and historical significance. The peaceful resistance led by Te Whiti-o-Rongomai and Tohu Kākahi holds valuable lessons in faith, justice, and resilience—values that we continue to uphold in our Catholic school community.
May this season of Lent be a time of renewal and grace for you all.
Ngā manaakitanga,
Lindsey
Value Awards
Waiorongomai - Mei, Kate
Wairarapa - Kaia, Stella M, Stella-Rose, Luke
Tauwharenīkau - Chloe, Miracle, William B, Maisey
Remutaka - Lila, Rohan, Stephanie, Maddie
Tākitimu - Meliah, Christopher, Luca, Fletcher
Star of the Week
Waiorongomai - Jojo, Mei
Wairarapa - Maddy
Tauwharenīkau - Riria-Jean, Isaac
Remutaka - Soča, Tawera
Tākitimu - Zeke, Andrew
Property Brokers Values Awards
Juniors - Ida
Seniors - Christopher
Join Us for the FOSTA AGM & Meeting!
Our next FOSTA meeting and AGM is happening on Tuesday, 8th April, at 6:00 PM, and we’d love for you to be there!
There are plenty of exciting projects coming up, and we need all kinds of skills and helping hands—whether you can bake, build, plan events, or simply lend a hand, there’s a way for everyone to contribute. Your time and support, no matter how big or small, make a real difference for our tamariki.
Babysitting will be available, so come along, meet other whānau, and be part of the great work FOSTA is doing for our school community!
Supporting Children Through Change and Loss
Change and loss are a natural part of life, but they can be challenging for children to navigate. Seasons for Growth is a small-group programme designed to help young people understand and respond well to experiences of change, loss, and grief.
This programme is suitable for children who have faced changes such as family separation, the loss of a loved one or pet, moving to a new home, friendship changes, or other significant life events. Through discussions, activities, and peer support, children will develop emotional resilience, coping skills, and a sense of belonging.
Lindsey, our principal, will be running Seasons for Growth in Term 2. If you feel this programme would benefit your child, please contact principal@teresas.school.nz to enrol.
Our goal setting event is on Tuesday 1st April 3.00 pm - 8.00 pm. To book a slot with your child/ren's teacher please download the Hero app and follow the instructions below;
TO MAKE A BOOKING
1. Log into the Hero app
2. Navigate to the School Bookings event and click ADD
This will display a table of all available slots for all your children
3. To add a booking, click a GREEN slot. The booking popup will be displayed. To allow time to travel between meetings you will be unable to book consecutive slots.
4. You will have the option of entering a note for the relevant staff member. Clicking CONFIRM will secure the interview slot.
5. Once a booking is made all other slots will become unavailable to prevent duplicate bookings.
6. If you have more than one child at school you will be unable to choose back to back timeslots with their teacher. This will allow us to stay on track with the timetable.
7. To cancel or change a booking click MANAGE BOOKINGS.
If you need support downloading the Hero App, please come and see Zoё at the office. She will be happy to share our wifi details and guide you through the process.
At St Teresa’s School, we teach positive behaviours that help our students learn in a range of places and spaces.
Every fortnight, we have a new PB4L focus. Our first focuses of the year have been dedicated to how we demonstrate our school values in all settings, as well as how to play with our friends and solve problems during unstructured times.
The remainder of the term we will focus on Empathy not Sympathy, as well as Rubbishing the Rubbish. We have been learning about how God made us all as individuals, and how we can demonstrate the Catholic Social Teaching principle of Human Dignity, as well as being kaitiakitanga of our school environment.
We are looking forward to sharing the students’ successes and learning in our next newsletter.
Last Tuesday was the Annunciation of the Lord, an important day in our chruch.
Luke 1:26-38, tells us that this is the day when Gabriel, the angel of God, invited Mary to be the mother of Jesus. Mary accepts, even though she does not understand how this will happen or what the consequences will be. This invitation was God’s initiative, but its completion was dependent on Mary’s cooperation and consent.
From scripture, we know that Mary was open to God’s presence and action in her life. She was ‘full of grace’ and, despite her fears, she still said ‘yes’ to God. The Annunciation reminds us of how we can be brave in scary and unknown situations, and to put trust the God has a plan and knows our way. Mary demonstrated great resilience and strength of character, and encourages us to do the same in times of trial.
School Policies and Procedures: School Docs
SchoolDocs is a website for our policies and procedures. We invite you to participate in the Term 1 review:
- Health, Safety, and Welfare Policy
- Safety Management System
- Risk Management
- Worker Engagement, Participation, and Representation
- Healthcare
- Recording and Reporting Accidents, Injuries, and Illness
To take part follow these steps;
- Visit the website https://teresas.schooldocs.co.nz/
- Enter the username (teresas) and password (ontrack).
- Follow the link to the relevant policy as listed.
- Read the policy.
- Click the Policy Review button at the top right-hand corner of the page.
- Select the reviewer type "Parent".
- Enter your name (optional).
- Submit your ratings and comments.
Students may join us from 8am in the quad for our complimentary breakfast club. Please note this is not a general drop off time. Students attending breakfast club must stay in the Hub or Quad. Classrooms are closed to students and whānau until 8.30am to allow our staff time to prepare for the day. If you wish to meet with your child's teacher please text or email them to make an appointment.
Contact Us
Email: office@teresas.school.nz
Website: https://www.teresas.school.nz/
Location: St Teresa's School Bell Street, Featherston, New Zealand
Phone: 06 308 9064
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/St-Teresas-Featherston/100057033717170/