Newsletter Week 1 Term Two

NEWSLETTER WEEK 1 TERM 2 2026

We were saddened to hear the news of the passing of Hennie Gomez, Penelope and Ava’s mother. Please keep Christian and the girls in your prayers.

Welcome back to Term 2. I hope your child has returned to school refreshed and ready to go. It has been great to see the winter changeover from summer to winter uniforms this week go very smoothly. Thank you for your support with this. Our uniform shop hours are on Monday and Friday from 8:30 to 9:30 am, and on Wednesday from 2:30 to 3:00 pm. You can purchase uniforms online by visiting the school's website. Once you have placed the online order, the order will be sent home with your child. We are also looking for volunteers to help with working in our uniform shop. If you are able to help, please let Shanelle in the office know.

Thank you for your support with the Teacher's Only Day on Monday. All our teachers were participating in a High Impact Teaching Practices workshop in Whakatane. It was led by Professor Lorraine Hammond from Notre Dame University in Perth. There were over 650 teachers from 26 schools around New Zealand in attendance. A group of teachers remain in Whakatane for the coaching of teachers course.

We welcome Charu D'Souza to our teaching staff. Charu has opened the new entrant class. We also welcome Olivia Keeffe, a former student, who has been appointed as a Teacher's Aide for term 2.

I am sure that you will make both Charu and Olivia feel very welcome and help them to settle into St Mary’s.

We receive a quite comprehensive attendance report from the ministry each term. It breaks down attendance by year group, ethnicity, gender, days of the week students are absent, reasons for students’ absences and lateness to school. The Ministry’s target is for 80% of students, who are children, to attend school regularly, with no more than five days missed per term. We reached 84% last term, a slight improvement on 82% at this time last year. Thank you for your support with this. I appreciate that with the winter months approaching, there are a lot of flu bugs around, and children need to stay home if they are unwell. To help us maintain accurate records and ensure your child’s regular attendance, we kindly ask for your support with the following:

• Ensure your child arrives at school on time each day. Punctuality is important for their learning and sets them up for a successful day. Bells ring at 8.45 am for the start of the day.

• If your child is unwell or unable to attend school, please contact the school office at 073481701 before 9.15 am to inform us of their absence. You can also submit your child’s absence online via our school app or website. This saves our office staff a considerable amount of time spent calling parents to confirm absences.

• If you plan to take your child on holiday during school time, you must notify me, as the principal, in advance. Please be aware that if the time away is excessive or we are not informed, it may result in your child being removed from the school roll, in accordance with Ministry guidelines.

We celebrate ANZAC Day on Saturday, April 25th. I hope to have strong representation from our school at the parade. I have sent a notice home today. Please send the children’s replies to their classroom teacher.

Our parent-teacher meetings are scheduled for Tuesday, April 28th, and Wednesday, April 29th. Please book an interview using the link below. We do expect parents to attend these meetings; if this is not possible, you can make an alternative time with the classroom teacher: School Interviews

Reading Logs need to be returned to classroom teachers this week so that we can have the draw at Friday’s assembly. There will be two draws for Class Pizza lunches.

April 27th, Monday, ANZAC Day Public Holiday (no School)

April 28th and 29th Parent Interviews

May 22nd, Friday, School Cross Country

May 22nd, Friday, 9.00 am Pentecost Mass

May 25th, Monday, School Photos

May 29th, Friday, Teacher Only Day

June 1st, King’s Birthday Public Holiday (No school)

June 12th, Friday. Mass of the Sacred Heart

June 29th Sunday, Parish/School Mass

July 3rd, Friday, Last Day of Term 2

Have a great week.

David

Welcome back, everyone. I hope you all enjoyed a restful break with your whānau.

We are continuing to celebrate the season of Easter, a special time in the Church that lasts for 50 days from Easter Sunday through to Pentecost. This is a season of joy, where we remember and celebrate Jesus’ resurrection and His ongoing presence in our lives.

One of the stories we reflect on during this time is the journey to Emmaus. Like the disciples, we are reminded that Jesus walks beside us, guiding and supporting us, even when we may not recognise Him at first. By inviting Him into our lives and being open to His presence, we begin to see Him at work, even in times of challenge and uncertainty.

As we place our faith and hope in God, we can trust that He has a purpose for us. In both the joyful and difficult moments, He is always with us, gently leading the way. Like the disciples, may our hearts “burn within us” as we grow in faith, deepen our trust, and become more aware of Jesus walking with us each day.

Tomorrow, there will be an ANZAC Liturgy at 12:15 in the hall to help us remember and honour the soldiers who served and died in wars, especially those from Australia and New Zealand. ANZAC Day is a time when we reflect on courage, sacrifice, and peace. You are all welcome to join us.

I hope you have a wonderful week.

God bless

Lorna Dobson

DRS