Come and read the latest news from St Francis Xavier.
ST FRANCIS XAVIER SCHOOL
Principal's Message
The end of Term 2 is a milestone for me as it marks one year at St Francis Xavier School. I can't believe how lucky I am to be part of this wonderful community. Thank you so much to everyone for all your support and making me feel so welcome. This is the final newsletter for the term. It has been a very busy and there has been some fantastic learning. A big thank you to the staff who have worked so hard to ensure that your children are getting the best possible education. There are a lot of tired children so I wish everyone a safe and happy holiday and we look forward to seeing everyone back in Term 3 after a restful break.
Pauline and I recently attended the Catholic Convention in Wellington. It was an amazing three days where we were able to celebrate being part of the NZ Catholic educators community. We were inspired by top quality speakers and have some exciting ideas for next term. Our favourite speaker was David Wells from England who was not only inspiring but entertaining.
We have had a busy week with many opportunities to come together as a school community. The disco was a fantastic evening and a big THANK YOU to the PTA for all their hard work organising this. Events like this do not just happen without alot of hard work behind the scenes.
The BOT also took the opportunity to start our community consultation as we are wanting to upgrade our vision. What values and skills do we want our children to have when they leave St Francis Xavier at the end of Year 6. We still have some surveys in the office if you would like to complete one. Your contributions are vital.
We also had an excellent turn out for our inaugrual monthly Family Mass. The highlight was the choir who sung so beautifully. We look forward to the next School Mass on 28 July.
On Tuesday evening we opened up our classrooms and shared our learning for the term. Our big question was "How can we do it better?". The children have worked so hard creating, reworking, designing and constructing. It was fantastic to see so many parents engaged with their child's learning. Growth mindset was evident in the conversations that could be heard as children explained their creations. The construction was a great demonstration of this.
Thank you for your support today for teachers to attend the Paid Union meeting. It has been a busy week for staff, as yesterday they attended a workshop after school that was run by Christina Rubie-Davies from Auckland University. She spoke with us about raising the bar and what the important things are that will actually raise achievement for all children. We will be looking at this in more depth and how we can put this into practice. Staff are also attending a two hour workshop today after school with the musician Fr Chris Skinner as part of their ongoing professional development.
If you have any problems or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me. My door is always open.
Regards
Carmel Jolly
Principal
027 229 5271
Friday 17/8 School closed for a Kahui Ako Staff Development Day
The keynote speaker is Marcus Akuhata-Brown. Marcus is a gifted communicator and qualified teacher - he's an emerging leader and inspiring international speaker with a powerful message!
Marcus motivates and inspires people to hit higher levels of performance and they leave his presentations with a fresh perspective on life. He’s a gifted communicator and has travelled the world extensively – he’s done everything from meeting the Queen and dining with members of the Royal family to working with the poor and marginalised in countries around the world.
If you would like to join us and be inspired please let me know as we have a limited number of spaces available for our parents.
TERM 2
June June 29 Assembly
July July 6 Room 4 Shared Prayer 2.40pm
July 6 Last day of Term 2
TERM 3 July 27 Assembly
July 30 Gymnastics
August August 3 Mufti Day - Donations of quiz prizes
August 3 Shared Prayer Room 2
August 6 Gymnastics
August 7 BOT Meeting
August 8 Parent/Teacher Interviews 2.00pm - 8.00pm
August 9 Parent/Teacher Interviews 3.15pm - 6.00pm
August 10 Assembly
August 13 Gymnastics
August 17 COL Professional Development - School closed
August 19 Confirmation
August 20 Gymnastics
August 20 School Quiz - Kensington 7pm
August 24 Shared Prayer Room 5
August 29 Uke Jam
August 31 Assembly
September September 7 Shared Prayer Room 1
September 8 Ski Weekend
September 11 BOT Meeting
September 14 Assembly
September 18 Yipadee Show 9.15am
September 21 Shared Prayer Room 3
September 27 Inquiry Evening / Calendar Sales Evening
September 28 Assembly
We held a Fact-a-thon on Tuesday to raise money for the Year 6 end of year rafting trip and to put towards a new computer for the school library. We ask that the money be returned to school by the Wednesday 4 July. Thank you for your support.
Special Character
Mass Times
St Marys Kaikorai Saturday 6.00 pm
St Francis Xavier Sunday 9.30 am
FAMILY MASS The school will begin hosting a Family Mass every month at St Francis Xavier Church at 9.30am. Please put the following dates in your calendar:
28 July
19 August
23 September
28 October
25 November
We would encourage all families to attend as this is an important part of the special character of our school.
Lord, I want to thank you for walking with me, and those that I love, through the seasons of our lives. For the wintertime, we are held safe within your arms through the cold and darkness. In the hope of springtime, we are filled with new promise and a bountiful life each and every year. For summer time, with it’s days full of warmth and color, and for crisp, autumn days as colorful leaves fall to seed new growth. You are always with us in all things, and in all seasons. Amen.
The word holidaycomes from the Old English word hāligdæg (hālig "holy" + dæg "day"). The word originally referred only to special religious days. In modern use, it means any special day of rest or relaxation, as opposed to normal days away from work or school.
PTA LUNCHES
The tickets printed are different to the menu that has been organised. The correct weekly menu is below. Wednesday 4 July Mince pie and juicie The cost is $3.00.
Treat your child/ren to a hot lunch and treat yourself to a day off from making sandwiches.
The children can bring along their lunch wrapped in tinfoil and we will heat it up for them on a Tuesday and Thursday.
PTA School Holiday Reminders
Reading Cinema Tickets
A reminder for the School Holidays, if you go to the Reading Cinema bring your flyer tickets as the school gets rewards for every ticket purchased.
McDonald's Receipts
Please keep your Dunedin McDonald's receipts and bring them to the office as the school can redeem these for free McDonald's vouchers.
Dear school families,
as you may be aware the St Francis Xavier Primary School App (The Skool Loop App) has had a number of updates in recent days.
This is to ensure your experience of the St Francis Xavier Primary School App is smooth and seamless.
When you next open the school app there is a prompt which asks you to tap on the link to take you to the new and updated version of the Skool Loop app.
Please click on this link and download the new version of the Skool Loop App. Choose our region and school and the app will automatically stay on the St Francis Xavier Primary School app.
Once this has been done please delete the old version of the Skool Loop App off your phone.’
Confirmation Meeting
Parents Confirmation Meeting (Year 4 children) is scheduled for Wednesday 25 July at 7.00pm, in Room 4.
comes from the Old English word hāligdæg (hālig "holy" + dæg "day"). The word originally referred only to special religious days. In modern use, it means any special day of rest or relaxation, as opposed to normal days away from work or school.
