Newsletter Week 4 Term 4

Principal's Message

Newsletter Week 4, Term 4 – 2026

Dear Parents and Whānau,

I can’t believe we are already in Week 4 of Term 4! The term is moving quickly, and it has been an exceptionally proud week for our entire school community.

Today, we had the absolute honour of hosting Minister of Education Erica Stanford and our local Member of Parliament Todd McLay. She specifically requested to visit after hearing so many positive reports about our school, and she was completely blown away by what she saw! During her visit, Minister Stanford toured our classrooms and met with our Senior Leadership Team to discuss our transition to a Knowledge Rich Curriculum and High Impact Teaching Practices (HITP). She was impressed by our high standard of teaching, our curriculum direction, and, most of all, the incredible engagement and enthusiasm of our students. This national recognition is a true testament to the hard work of our staff and children every single day.

I also want to share a special thank you to Lorna Dobson and the Tōtara Team for leading the Rosary at the church recently. We received awesome feedback from parishioners on the children’s active contribution and exemplary behaviour throughout the Rosary. As we head into the end of the week, we wish our students participating in the Legends of the Peak event this Friday the best of luck. We know you will represent our school with pride!

We have two very important upcoming events for your calendars. First, we warmly invite all Grandparents and Grandfriends to join us for our Grandparents and Grandfriends Mass on Friday, 13th November at 9:00 am. We would love to see as many of you there as possible to celebrate the wonderful role you play in our students' lives.

Additionally, our annual Interhouse Athletics Day for Years 4 to 6 will take place on Wednesday, 25th November. To help us organise events and details smoothly, please complete the online parent permission form as soon as possible via the Athletics 2026 link.

Thank you all for your continued support of our school community. Have a fantastic week ahead!

God bless

David

TERM 4:

Friday 6th November: Legends of the Peak

Friday 13th November: Grandparents' Day Mass and Kakano Fun Run

Saturday 14th November: Pasifika Festival at the Village Green

Wednesday 18th November: Students’ Celebration

Thursday 12th November: PTA School Disco

Friday 20th November: JPC Orientation Day for Year 6 students

Tuesday Nov 24th: Ahurei Performance

Wednesday 25th November: Athletics Day for Totara Team

Friday 27th November: Year 6 Retreat and Year 5 Leadership Day

Tuesday 1st December: Year 6 Big Day In

Wednesday 2nd December: Kakano team and Year 4 Big Day In and Totara team picnic

Thursday 3rd December: Interschool Athletics

Monday 7th December: End of Year Mass

Wednesday 9th December: Year 5 & 6 Lake Day

Friday 11th December: School Prize Giving & School Tryathlon

Monday 14th December: Missioning of our Year 6 students and the last day of school. Also meet your 2027 teacher.

School Calendar - Click Here to View

Director of Religious Studies

Thank you to Tōtara 5 for leading our All Souls and All Saints Liturgy last week. It was a beautiful time to pause, reflect, and remember our loved ones who have passed away. As we remembered the saints, we were also reminded that sainthood isn't just for the past; we are all called to be everyday saints by walking in the footsteps of Jesus through our daily acts of kindness, love, and faith.

A huge well done to our Tōtara Team, who led the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary with our parish on Friday! We received so many lovely compliments on how reverently our children conducted themselves. Their exemplary behavior was a fantastic reflection of our school values! Jenny Bolton, we thank you for your wonderful support in getting us ready for the Rosary! The artwork you created for the slides was absolutely lovely.

Grandparents & Friends Mass. Mark your calendars! On Friday, 13th November, we will hold a Whole School Mass to celebrate our wonderful grandparents and special friends of our school. We would love to see you there for this special occasion.

I hope you have a blessed week.

God bless

Lorna Dobson

DRS

Week 2 Assembly Awards

Week 3 Assembly Awards

Have you got our school app?

Our school often posts alerts with information for families. We encourage all of our community to install the SchoolApps app and then link to St Mary's Catholic School Rotorua. Please subscribe to your children's classes and any sports teams to keep informed.

Year 6 Orientation Day

Year 6 students are to come to school as normal. Parents are responsible for organising transport for their children to and from John Paul College.

If transport is an issue, please see the school office, and we will do our best to help find a ride for your child.

SPORTS NOTICES

Term 4 Summer Sports Registrations:

Summer Sports registrations are open. Information is up on the website. Please remember to register so your child does not miss out on a team and remember our values and fair play.

Term 4 Cricket

Smashplay - Years 1- 3

SmashPlay is an updated version of our previous SuperSmash programme and will be held at Smallbone Park on Thursday evenings.

SmashPlay Registration - Please No Payments to school

Incrediball - Years 3-5

Our popular Incrediball programme is back for another season at Smallbone Park on Thursday evenings.

Incrediball Registration - Please No Payments to school

SPORTS PHOTOS

Please keep sending in and taking photos of our children playing sports. We love to see them and they all get used for the magazine pages at the end of the year. Please send to schooloffice@stmarysrotorua.school.nz

School Disco

Change of date for disco

The PTA school disco is now going to be on Thursday 12th Nov, due to a clash with the JPC parent info evening for our year 6 parents on the 19th.

Please mark the change in your diaries.

If any parents are able to help with set up / clean up / selling lollies / food please contact the school office.

UNIFORM SHOP & OPENING HOURS

We need you! If you have time to spare half hour before school on a Monday/Friday 8.30-9am or Wednesday 2.30-3pm, we would love to have you volunteer in our uniform shop.

All training would be given and if we get enough helpers we can alternate week to week. Please contact the office if you are able to help.

Online Uniform Orders:

Just a reminder that there is a 3 day turn around for online uniform orders.

Orders will be sent home with your child when complete - unless other arrangements have been made.

Uniform orders can be done through the school website only. (Private messaging and emailing staff are not options). The uniform shop is open Monday and Friday 8.30 - 9am, and Wednesday 2.30-3pm - and is looked after by very kind volunteers.

Pola Fleeces can be brought from the Warehouse, click the link below:

https://www.thewarehouse.co.nz/p/schooltex-st-marys-rotorua-polar-fleece-top-with-embroidery/RM110109095_BURG-1M.html

The Ezlunch and Kindo Team

We’re excited to share some tasty news with our St Mary's Catholic School family!

From this week, school lunches are available 4 days a week through Ezlunch — giving you even more choice when it comes to healthy, convenient lunches for your tamariki.

Here’s what’s on the menu:

Monday: St Pierres & Pita Pit/Tuckr
Tuesday: Pita Pit/Tuckr
Wednesday: Pita Pit/Tuckr
Thursday: St Pierres & Pita Pit/Tuckr

PLEASE NOTE PITA PIT HAS GONE BACK TO THEIR OLD MENU WITH A LOT MORE VARIETY!

You’ll find a variety of nutritious options to keep your kids fuelled and focused.

To view the full menu and place an order, just log in to your Ezlunch account as usual.
https://shop.kindo.co.nz/shop/upload/pdf/school/st_marys_rotorua/Menu.pdf

Together, we simplify school life — one lunch at a time.

Affordable. Healthy. Ready when they are.

Warm kai, happy kids.

JPC Uniform

A message from John Paul College- NZ Uniforms has sold out of JPC boys summer shorts (light grey).They will not be restocking these until next year. St Mary's boys will be able to wear their St Marys grey summer shorts as part of their summer JPC uniform. You can also buy this style of shorts in the Warehouse.