St Teresa's School Newsletter

This week is one of my favourite weeks of the year - Social Justice Week. This year we begin a new social justice journey - to truly explore how WE BELONG. The first focus is on how we belong to God. In our classes this week, the students will be exploring this theme, learning about what it truly means to belong to God and to be part of God's family.

"Pope Leo XIV reminds us that every person carries a dignity that is not earned and not given by others but woven into us by the God who made us. In Aotearoa New Zealand, this truth echoes in the idea of tūrangawaewae — a place to stand, a place to belong. Wherever we come from, whoever we are, we are held by a God who knows our name and calls us home" (quoted from the Caritas website)

This week we will also be celebrating Archie's Baptism at our Whole School Mass on Tuesday 8th September. Please join us in the Kiwi Hall at 10am where Archie will be welcomed into God's family through the Sacrament of baptism.

This week we will also be busy preparing for the Art Show on Monday 14th September. The theme of the show fits nicely with our social justice theme - The Art of Belonging (see the poster below). At the art show the students will be able to show off their fantastic learning in the Arts - from the performing art with dance, singing and kapa haka, to showing off all of their fantastic visual art creations. I can't wait for you all to see their amazing efforts!

This time of year also brings community consultations as we look ahead to refining our strategic direction for the next two years. Keep an eye on Hero for a link to a survey to have your say. You will also be able to add some notes to key areas at the Arts evening if you would prefer to give feedback that way.

As part of our strategic planning, we are also beginning to explore whether our current school logo still represents who we are as a school today. We would love to hear from our school community about what makes St Teresa's School special and what you believe should be reflected in our visual identity. If you have any thoughts about what you would like portrayed in our school logo, please send us an email. Some questions to get you thinking are:

• What three words best describe St Teresa's?
• What makes St Teresa's different from other schools?
• What aspects of our history or Catholic character are important to retain?
• What should people feel when they see our school logo?
• Is there anything in our existing logo that you think should be retained?

The end of the term is going to be a busy one, so make sure you keep a close eye on Hero for updates and upcoming events.

Ngā manaakitanga nui, many blessings,

Liz Lark

Tumuaki Principal

principal@teresas.school.nz

Monday 7th September

Social Justice Week begins

Tuesday 8th September

Whole School Mass and Baptism - please join us 10am in the Kiwi Hall

Year 7&8 Chess tournament

Board Meeting - feel free to join us at 6pm in the staffroom

Wednesday 9th September

Tākitimu at Technology

Miniball Year 5&6 - good luck team!

Thursday 10th September

Transition to School programme

Friday 11th September

Onesie Day!

Wairarapa Assembly - please join us in the Hub at 9am

Monday 14th September

Te Wiki o te Reo Māori - Māori Language Week begins

Art Show The Art of Belonging: our stories of faith, place and identity - doors open at 5pm

Tuesday 15th September

Hockey Tournament Years 5-8

Wednesday 16th September

Tākitimu at Technology

Miniball Year 5&6 finals - good luck team!

Thursday 17th September

Transition to School programme

Monday 21st September

Mihi Whakatau to welcome the Catholic Character Evaluation team, Andrew and Zita - please join us to welcome them to our wonderful school

Life Education Bus at school

Tuesday 22nd September

Junior Class' Mass - please join us at 10am in the Hub

Catholic Character Evaluation

Life Education Bus at school

Wednesday 23rd September

Catholic Character Evaluation

Life Education Bus at school

Thursday 24th September

Kapa Haka Festival - we will be leaving school at 8:45am

Please join us at Wairarapa College. We are performing at 10:15am.

Friday 25th September

Curriculum Day - SCHOOL CLOSED FOR INSTRUCTION

Term 4 begins on Monday 12th October. Check out the poster below for information on how your child can be involved in the Spring Holiday Club.

Last Saturday 29th August, these wonderful people received the Sacrament of Confirmation. Archbishop Paul led the special Mass, blessing each candidate with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and strengthening them with the guidance of their special Saint.

After unfortunately having to cancel our Bingo Night a few weeks ago, FOSTA have put together a fantastic raffle with the prizes we were donated. The prizes - an Interislander voucher, a family pass to Staglands, a Coop Hairdressing voucher, and a voucher for the Last Post - are all up for grabs!

The best part about this raffle is that you get to choose which draw you would like to enter. The only prize you will receive is that one you really want!

The money raised will be a start towards a deposit for a garage, and will help purchase a few fun extras for our kura.

To help our fundraising efforts, simply take the raffle sheets to your place of work, or convince all of your extended family to purchase a ticket or two.

If you need more raffle sheets, or receive this newsletter as part of our wider St Teresa's whānau, please pop into the office or get in touch with Zoë.

office@teresas.school.nz

027 733 1636

Last week the students had the opportunity to work with the St John educator, learning how to call 111 for help, how to put a bandage on, and how to place someone in the recovery position. The Year 5-8 students also learnt how to perform CPR, saving all of the manikins with great skill.

While some of the seniors were at the Rippa Rugby tournament, a group of students were working with Whaea Deb. They were given an interestingly spooky picture and asked to write a scary story while eerie music played in the background. Cheska certainly rose to the challenge and created this great piece of writing:

Paranoia

“Good night sweetie!” My mum yelled, slowly closing the creaky door.

I closed my eyes and heard the door snap shut as the room became pitch black. I twisted and rolled over, trying to drift off to sleep, but the thought of last night’s dream haunted me. Why won’t it just leave my mind! I thought to myself.

The heat felt like it would melt me. I took a deep breath and took off my blanket. It felt way better. Scratch! I heard scratching under my bed, but I paid no mind to it. The books on my shelf fell one by one, but I was already fast asleep by the time it happened.

I woke up in a dimly lit forest, the trees seemed like they went on forever. As I walked it got darker. I cautiously crept towards an orb of light. White glowing eyes followed my steps, their gaze never leaving me. Fear filled my chest as I got closer - it seemed the world was shaking.

The light from the orb burned my eyes. I heard screaming. Suddenly I heard a voice in my mind, “WAKE UP!” It screeched. It seemed my mind would refuse, like I couldn’t control it.

A music box started playing; it sounded like those jack-in the boxes my mum got for me when I was four. I picked up the orb. It started soaring up into the sky. I tried to reach for it but it just went higher like a balloon.

A hologram of a giant fish appeared. Its scales were grey like ash. Its eyes were glowing bright like the eyes watching me before. The wind howled and the trees danced when the fish was summoned. I felt a shiver run down my spine.

What is happening?! Is this a lucid dream? I couldn’t take it anymore. “THIS IS A DREAM!” I yowled.

The trees melted into the floor and the fish stared at me with wide eyes. My vision turned hazy and I collapsed as well.

I woke up, panting. I looked up at the clock on my wall, it was half past three. The sky was pitch black. I opened my curtain to peek out, but there were no stars, no moon, no anything. Only the stare of two glowing eyes.

I heard scratching and immediately closed the curtains. I laid back in bed; it was boiling hot! My mind was filled with one word, “WAKE UP!”. But I just did? I pondered.

My mum laid next to me in the bed, she was fast asleep. Wait… My mum died weeks ago… As I realised this, the figure turned towards me. It had a wide, creepy grin and glowing eyes like before. I felt nauseous immediately. I bolted up and ran towards the door.

I heard my mum’s humming, whenever I cried she would hum this exact tune, but her voice sounded distorted, like if you heard a recording of it on a broken computer. I didn’t care anymore, I twisted the handle and what I saw scared me. It was an endless void. If I took one more step I would fall into the pit.

I checked the clock again, it hadn’t moved.

The figure suddenly ran towards me. I had no choice but to jump in. My stomach churned as I fell into an endless void. My vision turned blurry as I passed out into nothingness.

In Week 6, a group of Year 3-8 students attended the South Wairarapa School's Rippa Rugby Tournament at Carrington Park. All 46 of our students played with heart, humility and determination.

You can use the website to help your child practise what they have learned at school.

• It is best to work together on the year level your child has just finished at school, not the year they're currently in.
• Short, regular sessions will help build confidence with Maths. This can be 10 to 15 minutes sessions, 3 to 5 times a week.
• After your child completes each question or puzzle, you will see a summary page suggesting next steps.
• You can use the Maths practice site on your tablet, laptop or phone.

The Maths practice website is a pilot that will run until the end of December 2026.

Have a look if you are interested. I'd be keen to hear how you find it.

Congratulation to the Macfie family for completing the Maths challenges that I set in the last newsletter - a yummy treat will be coming your way!

If you would still like to participate, please send your answers through. I'll put the solutions in the next newsletter.

Join our welcoming team these holidays for a vibrant, action-packed programme designed especially for kids in Years 1–8. With limited spaces and loads of excitement, our club is the perfect place to make new friends, learn, play, and grow!

• Wednesday 8th -Friday 19th April

• 8.30 am to 3.30 pm (late days available on request)

• $40 per day (full days only)

• Open to all children in Years 1-8

• Places are limited to 20 children per session

• OSCAR accredited

Bookings are open until 3pm Wednesday 23rd September 2026 and all payments must be made before the start of the programme. Your booking will only be confirmed once payment is received.

CLICK HERE TO MAKE A BOOKING

For more information about the OSCAR subsidy, CLICK HERE

Sibling discounts available - please contact Zoë.

We have lots of jobs in the process. Thank you to all who have volunteered to help, in particular to Adrian Bos who patched the wall on the side of Tākitimu and put a floor in our bin shed.

If you have put your name down, can you please contact us as soon as possible so we can get these jobs completed. The soon-to-come finer weather is going to make painting much easier.

🧰 Pātaka Kai - this needs to have it's painting finished, and to be installed, so we can share our surplus food with those in our community who need it most

🧰 Mosaic - a job that I have been really struggling to find time to get to, is the creation of a mosaic welcome for our new garden area. Please talk to Liz about the vision - especially if you have some knowledge about creating mosaics

🧰 Wood Chip - as you have probably noticed, there is a giant pile of wood chip dumped by the PE shed. This has all come from the trees that were trimmed/removed in the last holidays, and is destined to go under the feijoa and citrus trees at the back of the field to keep the weeds down. If you are able to help move this pile, either with a trailer or by wheelbarrow, we would really appreciate your help.

🧰 Furniture and Bits and Pieces Moving - the upcoming building work in Remutaka and Tauwharenīkau has been postponed until the end of Term 4. Keep an eye on the newsletter for the confirmed date if you are able to help move furniture closer to the time.

Email: office@teresas.school.nz
Website: https://www.teresas.school.nz/
Location: St Teresa's School Bell Street, Featherston, New Zealand
Phone: 027 733 1636

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/St-Teresas-Featherston/100057033717170/