|
Nau mai haere mai – Greetings – Tena Koutou – Kamusta – Malo e Lelei – Talofa Lava – Namaste – Ni Hao – Hallo – Kia Orana – Bula – Fakaalofa Atu
|
|
Community Consultation on Uniform.
 Have you filled in the survey which was sent to all families on 23/03/23?
The Board has been reviewing our Uniform Policy as part of the regular policy review cycle.
We have also been considering our current uniform and whether to make any changes, taking into account the guidelines available to school boards, including those released by the Human Rights Commission in May last year.
As part of any decision-making around the uniform, we would like to consult with our whole community to understand the views of all our parents and caregivers.
Please take the time to complete this short survey, which will help us gather valuable feedback, to inform any decisions. DEADLINE for completing this survey is Sunday 2 April 2023.
|
|
|
|
My name is Katie and I am the Head Librarian. During the student council meetings we decide cool and fun things for the school. I’m proud to be a leader of the school. In the library it is great to see the children reading lots of books.I’m looking forward to camp in term 3. In my free time I like to draw, participate in out-door activities and spend time with my family and friends.
|
|
|
My name is Claudia and I’m one of the St Mary’s House Captains. I’m in Room 4 with Mrs Flashman. On the student council we get to make improvements to our school. I love art, maths and writing. I’m very excited for camp in term 3, painting the mural on the back fence and planning the school disco.
|
|
|
|
My name is Miki, one of the St Anthony House Captains. I am a year 6 in room 1. I really like being on the student council because we make important decisions for the school. My favourite subjects are reading and art. I am very excited this year to contribute to the art mural on the back fence. On Wednesdays after school I have guitar lessons and In my spare time I love drumming, drawing, reading, and playing with my dogs.
|
|
|
School Closed Dates
Monday 24 April - Staff Only day
Tuesday 25 April - ANZAC day
Teachers and Support Staff will be involved in a professional development and learning day about the newly released New Zealand Curriculum Refresh. The Ministry of Education has granted this time/day to schools to allow teachers to work with the new document – to understand why changes have been made and to plan for the implication for our St Mary’s localised curriculum teaching and learning programme.
|
|
|
Wishing you all a safe and blessed fortnight ahead.
Ngā mihi nui
Sue Kubala
Principal
|
|
|
|
|
|
Key Dates Reminder
*Please note all dates and events are correct at the time of publishing. Please monitor your school eTap emails, Facebook communications or look on our school's Public Calendar for up to date information*
TERM 1 - 2023
Tuesday 4 April - Summer Field Day (Yr 5-6)
Wednesday 5 April - Wacky Wednesday
Thursday 6 April - Last day of Term 1 (normal finish time 2.45pm)
Friday 7 April - Good Friday (school closed)
TERM 2 - 2023
Monday 24 April - Staff Only Day (school closed)
Tuesday 25 April - Anzac Day (school closed)
Wednesday 26 April - First day of Term 2
Thursday 27 April - Museum Trip (Yr 5-6)
Thursday 4 May - Structured Literacy Day
Friday 12 May - Science Roadshow
Friday 19 May - Mother's Day Brunch (Community in Action event)
Monday 5 June - King's Birthday (school closed)
Monday 12 June - Swimming Yr3-6 (Weeks 8-9)
Friday 30 June - Last day of Term 2 (normal finish time 2.45pm)
|
|
|
Intermediate School Enrolment for 2024 Admission
Please use this list as a guide only. Check with the website and enrolment officer of each school to ensure you have the most up to date information, events and deadlines.
Baradene College ( website)
Marcellin College (website)
Marist College ( website)
Sacred Heart College ( website) Enrolments Close: 31 March
St Mary's College ( website)
St Paul's College ( website)
St Peter's College ( website) Enrolments Close: 5 April 4pm
|
|
|
|
|
As we come to the end of Term 1, I’d like to take this time to focus on the key values of our school which are Respect and Excellence. Jesus through the example of his life and his interactions with his disciples and everyone he came in contact with is the perfect example of respect and excellence.
Jesus washing the feet of his disciples - an act of selfless service and love shows his deep respect for them. Philippians 2:4 “Instead of each person watching out for their own good, watch out for what is better for others.”
Through his life, Jesus also encourages us to show ‘Excellence’ in everything we do, Colossians 3:2 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.”
Our tamariki and staff at St Mary’s continue to shine in their values of Respect and Excellence in every area of their school life and we are very proud of them.
 The Rite of Reconciliation is an essential part of our preparation for Lent and our learners from the Year 5 and 6 learning community prayerfully participated in the Sacrament at Church on Tuesday. We are grateful for Fr. George and Fr. Thomas for the pastoral support they offer us.
May you and your families continue to experience the grace of God this Lent - a beautiful season of renewal and revival.
Pope Francis’ prayer intention for March 2023
For victims of abuse
We pray for those who have suffered harm from members of the Church; may they find within the Church herself a concrete response to their pain and suffering.
Ma te Atua tātou e manaaki
God’s blessings
Charmaine D'lima
DRS
|
|
Room 15
This week Room 15 enjoyed visiting Harold the Giraffe. They have been learning about the best fuel to put into our bodies and even the names of some body parts! We have also been excitedly watching our monarch caterpillars turning into chrysalis. We currently have 4 chrysalises and 2 baby caterpillars.
We have been learning about their life cycles too.
Did you know that…
- Adult monarchs feed on the nectar from flowers, which contain sugars and other nutrients.
- The larvae that only eat milkweeds, for example swan plants.
- Monarch butterflies taste with their feet.
- The female monarch can smell a swan plant from 2 kms away.
- Monarch caterpillars become toxic to birds by feeding on swan plants.
For more information on butterflies you can visit this link. ~ Miss Ahearn
|
|
|
|
Room 14
Although we are coming to the end of the Term 1, Room 14 tamariki do not slow down their learning. Phonics lessons are always fun. We have been doing craft activities with letters and sounds that we learnt.
The children enjoy collaborating with their buddies to solve mathematical problems, after which they share their thinking strategies with the other pairs. I often hear very useful conversations between buddies. Have a look at their strategies to share 8 cupcakes equally on two plates:
We put 8 cupcakes one by one on each plate to serve the same numbers (equal sharing). - Ellie and Mia
We put 5 and 3 cupcakes on each, but found the numbers were different. So we crossed out one on the first plate, then added one on the other. - George and Elva
We already knew 4+4 = 8 but we found 8 is separated as 4 and 4 . - Neve and Ted
I am very proud of the mathematicians in Room 14!
~ Mrs Kim
|
|
|
Room 12
In Room 12 we love getting fit during our PE time and playing 'Castles' - Castles is a variation of the game 'Capture The Flag'. We have been playing this game throughout the term and have been looking at ways to change the rules of the game to make it more challenging and interesting, as well as thinking of tactics in order to get points. During our time playing, we talk about what it means to be a good team player as well as how to show good sportsmanship.
I like running around when playing castles - William
I like getting points - Thomas
Playing castles is fun - Oscar
~ Mr Ryan
|
|
|
Room 11
In Year 2 maths we are looking at equal groups and how problems can be solved by counting.
We love Maths in Room 11. We are working together in collaborative groups to solve problems. This is giving us a great foundation for moving into the early stages of multiplication. Together we are learning a variety of great activities which are improving our maths knowledge.
We were also lucky enough to visit the Life Education van this week where we were very excited to see our friend Harold again. We are learning about what we need to have a healthy body. As a class we've decided that this week's goal is to make sure we are drinking plenty of water during the day to help our brains stay alert.
~ Mrs Heyworth
|
|
|
|
Room 10
 Room 10 enjoyed starting their dot art journey. We listened to a story about The Dot by Peter. H Reynolds. Together the whole class started doing their own dots on a collaborative group piece of paper where they were able to explore the different colours and sizes. The class came up with some really amazing looking dots and colour combinations. There are a few steps to this art piece, so keep an eye out for the next part. ~ Mrs Worthington
|
|
|
|
Year 0-2 Hui
A big welcome to Elva and congratulations to the learners who received certificates at our week 9 hui.
~ Mrs Nelisi
|
|
|
|
Room 9
We've been having lots of fun in Room 9 while learning about scientific concepts. All we needed was a balloon and a sharp, long skewer.
I told the children that they had to blow the balloon up and tie the end. I then told them that they had to poke the skewer all the way through the balloon without it popping. So that meant the skewer had to go into the balloon and out the other side. It didn't matter where it went in and out, as long as it didn't pop.
The children figured out pretty quickly (when the first balloons popped straight away) how to do this successfully. They learnt the balloon had less pressure at the bottom and also where the knot was, so they put the skewer through there without popping it.
Well done Room 9 for kick starting your scientific brains.
~ Mrs Hyland
|
|
|
Room 8
Over the past few weeks we have been looking at the PB4L matrix and working on what our school values of Respect and Excellence look like in our classroom. We have had some wonderful in-depth and honest conversations. Each child created their own design that connected to our classroom learning focus, which is, A Rainbow of Opportunities.
As a class we have come to a consensus and our final design is up on our wall. It looks fantastic!
Last weekend Eloise and her family participated in the XRace and Harry and his family completed the Weetbix Triathlon. Both students shared stories with the class about all the different parts of their chosen adventure. They also showed off the medals they received. We are all very proud of them.
~ Mrs Teviotdale
|
|
|
Room 7
Room 7 has jumped into the world of Science with enthusiasm. Over the last couple of weeks we have been using teamwork and collaboration to undertake scientific investigations. We have learnt how to pose a question, make a hypothesis and test our hypothesis through procedure.
Check out how much fun we're having!
~ Miss Hutton
|
|
|
|
Room 6
Room 6 are practising our values of Respect and Excellence around our classroom. We have been discussing this to create a classroom matrix that shows all of our expectations in Room 6. We had lots of fun role-playing and posing for photos to show the correct behaviour. See if you can guess how we are showing Respect and Excellence in these pictures.
~ Miss Clubley
|
|
|
|
Room 5
This week Room 5 had their first Life Education lesson. We met our old friend, Harold the Giraffe, on the bus and learnt important lessons about healthy eating and making good choices for our lunch boxes. Thanks, Harold! See you again next week!
In class we've also been learning about proper nouns and the importance of proof reading when we write.
~ Mrs Agnew
|
|
|
Room 4
There has been a real gardening buzz in Room 4 this week. The children decided that they would like to grow flowers that they can cut to put on our prayer table, so they have taken control of the Year 5/6 flower bed. They have measured the plot, researched the flowers' final height and width and designed a final planting plan. Each group has presented their plan, with the merits of each idea being enthusiastically discussed. The planting has happened and now they are waiting patiently to see the fruits of their labours!
~ Mrs Flashman
|
|
|
Room 3
Room 3 has had a fun couple of weeks! We had a blast at our Food for Thought trip to New World, where we learnt about the different food groups as well as how to read and understand labels on food.
In Religious Education, the class has been working on their knowledge of the New Testament and learning about the four different books within it in depth.
For Art, the students learnt about the famous artist, Andy Warhol and created their own pop artwork inspired by his pieces. They turned out beautifully!
~ Miss Fepuleai
|
|
|
|
Room 2
In Room 2 we have been learning how to make graphs. We had a great time surveying cars on Main Highway and figuring out if the type of cars that drove past during a 15 minute window, matched the top car sales for Auckland in 2022. A great lesson indeed!
Benji - " I liked seeing different logos on cars and I enjoyed getting to go outside the classroom for my learning."
Menula - "I enjoyed seeing cool cars and seeing if they matched what we had learnt in class."
Joel - " I learnt a little bit more about car logos and how many cars would drive past in a certain time"
~ Mr Drumm
|
|
|
Room 1
Gosh! I cannot believe that we are at the end of Term 1. It has certainly passed us by at the speed of lightning. The last two weeks have been filled with varied learning opportunities. In Maths, we are becoming effective data collectors and learning how to best represent our data visually. We have learned how Alliteration can be used to enhance the creativity in our Writing and our creating ‘Restaurant Menus’ activity displayed our learning. A sensory experience of tasting Kimchi - a dish unique to Korean culture also provided a sensory starting point for our writing.
 We had an immense sense of adventure as we took part in the first ever St Mary’s Ellerslie Amazing Race. And finally, we would like to treat you to our musical talents as we integrated Science and Singing. We hope you will enjoy our singing as we use our ‘Clucking Chickens’ - made using the theory of friction. ~ Mrs Dlima
|
|
|
Korean Language Classes
The students in the Korean Language Classes have been thriving in a short period of time. Mrs Cecilia Kim, the Korean language tutor, evaluates the progress that the students have made as follows:
"Years 2 and 3 students are very quick to pick up new sounds and letters. As they keep copying sentences verbally in Korean, their pronunciation and intonation sound natural. These little children can also recognise their names written in Korean".
"Years 4 to 6 students are beyond my expectations. Most of them could not read Korean words in the first week. However, they are now able to blend the Korean alphabet letters to read and write some open syllable words. Ask your child to read the following sentence: 어머니 아버지, 사랑합니다. (Mum, Dad, I love you.)"
Mrs Cecilia Kim is looking forward to the continued achievement that the students at St Mary’s will make this year.
잘 했어요 모두들. (Well done, everyone.)
2학기에 다시 만나요! (See you in Term 2!)
~ Mrs Eugene Kim
|
|
|
|
Bounce Back in Room 6
Room 6 has been busy unpacking the Bounce Back statements, at the moment they are unpacking O - Other people can help if you talk to them. Get a reality check.
Room 6 has been discussing this important idea. We listened to a story about a young boy that was feeling negative emotions. These emotions made him feel grumpy and upset. The key to solving his struggles was talking to people around him and sharing his feelings. We then used a donut circle to share our ideas with each other in class. We discussed things like who to talk to if you are feeling sick, if you are worried about school, or if someone is unkind to you. We realised how important it is to feel heard and seen by the people around us.
Well done Room 6!
~ Miss Hutton
|
|
|
|
Digital - Reading Eggs and Mathletics
Room 12 has enjoyed integrating the use of iPads into their classroom program, they are getting more independent each time they use them. They are able to log in to both Reading Eggs and Mathletics as well as scan QR codes to listen to and read along with audiobooks.
I like doing Mathletics because you can verse people and answer questions quickly - Louis
~ Mr Ryan
|
|
|
Sustainability
These past few weeks the Sustainability Team, The Gardening Club and I have been spending a lot of time in God's creation.
We have been weeding, finding insects, collecting our fresh feijoa and maintaining our beautiful garden. Here is a cool before and after picture of the girls and I tidying up the swan plan garden. Sadly all the swan plants died and all the caterpillars and chrysalises have been re-homed in Room 15. Feel free to pop by and see some life cycle science in action!
~ Miss Ahearn, St Mary’s Sustainability Team and The Gardening Club.
|
|
|
St Mary's Amazing Race
On Monday, our Year 5/6 Community completed the inaugural Amazing Race. It was such a fun and exciting event and our tamariki worked incredibly well together. It was a great opportunity for some to discover more about our suburb of Ellerslie and learn about some historic places, only just down the road!
Ragnar - " I loved working together with my group!"
Jonnel - " It was fun because we got to see new places"
Holly - " I loved how all the teams showed collaboration"
~ Mr Drumm
|
|
|
Tō Tātou Whakapono - Our Faith
 This week our Year 0 - 2 learning community attended the first of four workshops introducing the new Religious Education Curriculum for Catholic Schools in Aotearoa NZ.
Year 0 - 2 teachers are excited to be at the forefront of delivering this new curriculum as a learning platform that supports young people's knowledge, skills and values.
Teachers were given the opportunity to collaboratively plan the first theme, Te Atua God, and explore the resources that will be made available to teachers through the upcoming new website.
~ Mrs Varoy
|
|
|
|
Weetbix Tryathlon
Congratulations to all the St Mary’s students who gave it their all at the Weetbix Tryathlon this weekend. They all persevered right until the end and demonstrated our school value of Excellence.
~ Mrs Heyworth
|
|
|
Reminder
On school afternoons please do not make a right hand turn into the carpark. This is an illegal turn and may result in a ticket. The police often monitor cars on Main Highway in the afternoon. Road signs have a purpose. Please adhere to them. Left turns only in the afternoon.
~ Mrs Varoy
|
|
|
Term 2 New Entrant Morning
Last week, new learners and their whanau, who will begin their learning journey in Term 2, were welcomed to St Mary's. The learners had an opportunity to experience a morning in a New Entrant classroom, with their teacher and other learners.
Whanau were introduced to the St Mary's way and hopefully answered any 'wonderings' they may have had about their child's transition to school.
We thank the Community in Action for the lovely morning tea enjoyed by both the children and adults.
~ Mrs Varoy
|
|
|
Combining Wa Rapu and R.E.
The year 1 classes have been integrating RE and Wa Rapu time (Learning Through Play). The students have been dressing up like Jesus and playing games during Wa Rapu like Jesus would have when he was young.
Room 14 also enjoyed a lovely lunch out on the field. The 'mini Jesus' were such a delightful sight on the school field. Their lunch items were made up of different types of food Jesus would have eaten in his time.
~ Mrs Dlima
|
|
|
|
Art Club
A few of our Year 6 students have taken the initiative to start an 'Art Club' on Thursday afternoon. Yesterday was the first session and it was inspiring to see this club that is totally 'student driven' take off. Ka Pai !
~ Mrs Dlima
|
|
|
|
Board News
Tēnā koutou e te whānau o St Mary’s Ellerslie
And just like that, a quarter of the year is gone! The start of the year has been tricky for our tamariki. However, we have been able to settle into a routine relatively quickly. We are ever mindful that this is not the case for many that were significantly affected by flooding and Cyclone Gabrielle. We continue to uplift these communities in our prayers as there is still a long road to recovery.
The Board held our second meeting last night. The special focus for the meeting was around our Structured Literacy and Reading Recovery programmes. The Board learned more about each of these offerings and we also saw some preliminary data on how Year 2 readers have progressed. We are blessed to have such passionate staff leading these programmes. Thank you to all our teaching staff for the work that goes into ensuring our tamariki become confident readers.
As the Lenten season and the first term draw to a close, I wish all our staff, tamariki and whānau a safe and happy Easter.
Noho ora mai
Si’ata
~ Si’ata Tavite
Presiding Member - St Mary's Board of Trustees
|
|
|
|
Parish News
As we lead up to Easter, we encourage parents and children to take time to come to a mid week mass.
- Make a regular time on Wednesday mornings before school starts.
- Get an early carpark and start the day in the best possible way.
Working Bee - volunteers required
On the 1st of April (Sat) at 1pm, we are doing a thorough clean up of the church before Easter period.
This is an opportunity for us to get together as a Parish and we would like to invite parents and children to join us that day.
If you can, please bring along a bucket, some cloth/ rags, paint brushes and/ or gardening tools. We would love to see you there.
Easter Mass times are as follows:
6th April - Holy Thursday: (The Sacred Triduum) 7.00 pm - The Lord’s Supper
7th April - Good Friday: 1:30 pm – Parish Station of the Cross
7th April -Good Friday: 3.00 pm – The Passion of the Lord.
8th April - Saturday Vigil: 7 pm
9th April - Easter Sunday: 9 am
10th April - Easter Monday: 9 am
~ Leonard Casey
Parish Chairman
|
|
|
Community in Action News
 Hot Cross Buns on Sale Now
We have partnered with LOAF Bakery again this year and are selling their delicious Hot Cross Buns. They come in 3 delicious flavours; Original, Chocolate, and Black Forest (berry, marshmallow & chocolate).
They are on Kindo now for $10 per pack, with $3 from each going to the Community in Action. Collection will be on Wednesday 6th April from school - we'll send out more details next week.
 Mothers Day Brunch - Friday 19 May, 8.30am
RSVP through this form, or by clicking on the poster graphic.
~ Justine Harvie
Chairperson - St Mary's Community in Action
|
|
|
|
Community Notices and Advertisements
|
|
|
|
|
