St Teresa's School Newsletter
Sunday 24th May 2026
We have been very lucky to have some building work happening, including extending the handrail by Tākitimu to remove a trip hazard, affixing carpet to the deck and stairs by the Hub and Library to so they are no longer slippery, putting a handrail on the fire exit outside the Hub, new glass doors in the Hub, trip warning strips have been installed on the ramp and courts, the tree stump has been removed, and an area of concrete damaged by the fallen tree by the PE shed has been fixed. So much has been happening!
Well done to everyone who participated in Cross Country last week, from the newest 5 year olds, to the oldest 13 year olds. It was great to see everyone try their hardest to complete what is always a challenging course. Congratulations to the 21 students who made it through to the next round in Masterton.
This week we have celebrated two important times in the Church - the Feast of the Ascension was last Sunday, and today - Pentecost Sunday. These two times remind us to show peace and love towards others, and to have courage and hope, just as the Disciples of Jesus did. Pentecost Sunday is the birthday of the Church. Perhaps in this coming week, you might like to celebrate this by spreading joy, hope and peace to others. And maybe even enjoy a little birthday cake 🎂.
As we look ahead to another busy week of learning and amazing activities next week, we can look forward to the blessing of a long weekend at the end of it, for the celebration of another birthday - King's Birthday.
Have a great week - Kia pai tō wiki!
Liz Lark
Tumuaki Principal
Please note, we have scheduled two Curriculum Days - one in Term 3 and one in Term 4.
This means that on Friday 25th September (the last day of Term 3) and Friday 23rd October (the day before Labour Weekend), school will be closed for instruction.
These days will be used to support teachers to strengthen their knowledge around the new assessments ahead of their mandatory implementation in 2027, and to assist kaiako in using assessments and classroom learning to make fair and consistent judgements on progress against the new curriculum.
If you have any questions about these two Curriculum Days, please feel free to send me an email, or make an appointment to chat.
As it was Pink Shirt day last week, our Positive Behaviour for Learning focus was based on understanding bullying, being an upstander, inclusion, and respectful relationships through a Catholic lens. The ideal being that no one is invisible and everyone at school feels included.
“We Notice, We Care, We Act”
We looked at a variety of Bible verses and this one was especially relevant: Luke 10:33-34 – The Good Samaritan stopped to help.
Pink Shirt Day was well celebrated with a sea of pink flooding the school.
We are aware that a number of you have been having trouble sourcing St Teresa's School uniform from the NZ Uniform Shop, either online or at the Masterton store. We understand that this is very frustrating and are working towards finding a resolution.
Firstly, please note that we have a small supply of second hand uniform available, that we may be able to help you supplement your child's current uniform. Please email Zoë with the item and size needed.
Secondly, there are some items at the Warehouse that are similar to our uniform, and available for purchase. Feel free to purchase these items as you update your child's winter uniform, while NZ Uniform stock is in short supply:
- Schooltex navy cargo pants
- Schooltex navy skort
- Schooltex long sleeve polo shirt (please note that these do not have our school logo on them, however these will not be back in stock ahead of this winter)
Finally, I would like to direct you to the uniform guidelines on our website, in particular the Uniform Guidelines and the following two points:
- Hair - if a student's hair (boy or girl) is past their shoulders, then it is required to be tied up. This is to firstly help prevent the spread of head lice, and secondly to keep the student's hair out of their eyes as they complete their learning.
- Shoes - students are to wear plain back shoes to school. These can be lace-ups, velcro or buckle fastening - whatever your child can manage as independently as possible. Please note that Crocs are not part of our uniform so should not be worn to school. If your child needs to wear non-uniform shoes for a day (i.e. because their shoes are wet), then please send them to school with a note or contact your child's teacher with an explanation. If you need assistance to get shoes for your child, please contact Liz or Zoë.
Thank you in advance for helping tighten up our uniform expectations.
And another thank you to the now closed down Featherston Judo Club for their grant that allowed us to purchase these goals.
For a while now, we have been having trouble connecting with people who are ringing our landline number. Although the phone rings, we are unable to answer it, meaning that you either need to leave a message or Zoë has to ring you back. This is very frustrating for everyone! We have contacted numerous people to try to get this sorted, to no avail.
If you need to get in touch with us for any reason, PLEASE RING OR TEXT THE OFFICE CELL PHONE 027 733 1636
Your contact is important, and we would hate to miss something vital.
Alternatively, if the matter is not urgent or time sensative, feel free to contact your child's teacher directly on the school phone.
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.
🧰 putting our new bin shed - currently in the foyer
🧰 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
🧰 water blasting/washing the outside of our buildings (school water blaster available)
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.
Parenting Courses
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.
Contact Us
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/