St Teresa's School Newsletter

My goodness! What a start to the term! It certainly was a wild and busy one.

Firstly, I would like to thank everyone for the kindness you showed as we juggled everything that comes with an extreme weather event like the one we had last week. Staff shortages meant that classes were combined on Tuesday, and bus service disruptions meant that many families had to find alternative transport to school. Regular school attendance is important, so it was fantastic to see many students attend through these trying times.

We were fortunate that the weather had cleared by Thursday, with the sun shining on our Mihi Whakatau. It was lovely to welcome all of our new students and their whānau. I felt very privileged to also be welcomed into the best job in the world - being principal of our lovely school! We hope that our new tamariki and their whānau love their time at St Teresa's.

In case you have missed it, our quad roof has been completed and is looking stronger and brighter than ever! Make sure you come in and have a look. You can also see it in the photos below.

A big thank you to everyone who joined us at the Anzac Day Parade. The tamariki represented our school with pride. Well done to the two students who read the Anzac Day poem during the service.

We have a busy couple of weeks coming up as we prepare for Booktown. Thank you to everyone who has put their hand up to help (either by donating food or helping during the weekend). One of our team will be in touch over the next couple of weeks with final details.

As always, feel free to pop in for a chat, and let me know how I can help.

Ngā mihi nui

Liz

This year is the jubilee of St Francis of Assisi (one of our House Group Saints - the green house). One of his famous quotes is "Let us begin, brothers, to serve the Lord God, for up until now we have done little or nothing." Pope Leo calls for us to put faith into action in a world that is crying out for peace and justice.

Please take some time this week to pray St Francis' prayer for peace:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Monday 27th April

Anzac Day observed - school closed

Tuesday 28th April

Board Meeting at 6pm - please join us

Wednesday 29th April

Basketball starts for Yr 7&8

Thursday 30th April

Kuranui College Open Day for Yr 8s

Friday 1st May

Remutaka's Assembly - please join us!

Monday 4th May

Sign Language Week starts

Tuesday 5th May

PHOTO DAY!

Tākitimu Mass

Wednesday 6th May

Basketball for Yr 7&8

Thursday 7th May

Speed Date an Editor Yr 7&8

Friday 8th May

Booktown dress-up

Fish 'n Chip Kapa Haka 6:30pm (meet at 4:45pm)

Reap House is offering free Parenting Workshops in the South Wairarapa from 1st May through to 30th June. There are a range of workshops to choose from - from Toddlers to Teenagers, Oral Language through to Digital Connection.

Please check out the following link for All the workshops in one place, and to register.

From next week, we will be removing the 8:30am “allowed in class” bell (or "fake bell" as commonly known by the students).

This change has been made to better support a calm and settled start to the school day for all students. Some children benefit from having a little extra time in the morning to reconnect with their teacher to decompress, or quietly re-familiarise themselves with their learning space before the classroom becomes busy. Removing the 8:30am bell allows for a more flexible and responsive approach to meeting these needs.

As we move into the colder months, this also ensures that there are more warm, indoor spaces available for students in the mornings, rather than everyone needing to remain outside or in the Hub.

We would like to remind families that the time between 8:00am and 8:30am is part of teachers’ preparation time. While teachers will begin welcoming students into classrooms from around 8:15am, they may not always be available or present in the classroom prior to 8:30am. If you need to share brief, important information about your child’s morning or evening, this can still be done as the students arrive. However, for any matters that require a longer discussion, please arrange an appointment with your child’s teacher at a mutually convenient time.

Please be aware that while your child is welcome to be in the classroom before 8:30am, there may be limited supervision until 8:30am.

We appreciate your support in helping us create a positive and settled start to each school day.

Just a small reminder, our first break of the day is at 9:50am. This is a fruit break, not a general eating time. Students are expected to bring a piece of fruit in their lunchbox specifically for this short snack time.

The purpose of this break is to ensure that students who may have arrived at school without breakfast have something in their system early in the day, helping them to settle and engage in their learning. It also provides a valuable opportunity for teachers to connect with any students who have arrived late, without interrupting lesson time.

We ask that this break is kept to fruit only, as we believe it is important for students to begin their day with a nutritious option that supports their wellbeing and learning.

Cross Country practises started with a bang last week! We are looking forward to keep this momentum going.

Please make sure your child brings their running shoes to school every day. Students Year 4 and up are also required to wear their PE gear. We will be running every day we can over the next few weeks, so it's a great idea to leave these things in their bags so they are ready to run.

Let's get those feet pumping!

Daily attendance at school is important for your child's learning and development. With the current fuel prices, and the possibility of fuel shortages, getting to and from school may become a little more tricky, particularly as winter approaches.

Remember, we are here to help!

Carpooling is a great way of saving fuel. If you are having trouble getting your child/ren to and/or from school because of the fuel difficulities, please contact us as soon as possible. Let us know if you would like assistance to organise carpooling with other families in your area, or to organise a walking/wheeling "school bus".

At St Teresa's School, we will continue to monitor the national situation, and will keep you informed as and when things change.

HOW CAN YOU HELP YOUR SCHOOL? SEE THE FOLLOWING ODD JOBS:

We are still struggling to get these jobs done. If you can spare even half an hour, we would love to hear from you.

🧰 GUTTER CLEANING BEFORE WINTER!

🧰 putting our new football goals together

🧰 staining 2 picnic tables

🧰 repairing/replacing a corner of seats in the quad

🧰 clearning the soil away from the building outside Waiorongomai to prevent the timber from rotting (urgent)

🧰 repairing taps on mud kitchen sink outside Wairarapa

🧰 deep cleaning lino area in the corridor outside the art room

🧰 fixing panels on the current greenhouse by triming and taping them in place

🧰 cateloging library books onto a spreadsheet

🧰 painting a shelving unit to make a pōtaka kai/food cupboard for our school

🧰 assemble metal bin shed when it arrives (tricky!) to replace the one that was destroyed by last year's storm

If you are able to help with any of these jobs, please contact Zoë or Liz. These can be completed anytime at your convenience. Materials and most tools will be supplied by school.

Oh boy did they have fun in the April Holiday Club! Keep an eye out for information on how your child can be involved during the next school holidays.