Newsletter – Week 5, Term 2 28 May 2019

REMINDER… Our school will be closed:

Wednesday, 29th May due to industrial strike action. Monday, 3rd June due to the Queen’s Birthday public holiday.

“Love one another: Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”

John 13:34 On Friday we walked into assembly to the song “All you need is LOVE”. A strong message was given throughout our assembly, led by our house leaders, that we are called to love God and love one another in our thoughts, our words and our actions. The children were able to share, from the very youngest Year Ones to our Year Six students, how they can show and share this love in practical ways, following the example and teachings of Jesus.

We are called to; Be TRUTH- tika tika, live in God’s word Be WISDOM- maramatanga, light for the world Be FAITH- whakapono, in God above Be LOVE- aroha, be God’s Love Marina Binns - Deputy Principal

Talofa Lava! Vaiaso o le Gagana Sāmoa - Samoa Language Week is being held from Sunday, 26th May – Saturday, 1st June 2019. It is a lovely opportunity to share another culture by using different greetings and phrases.

Talofa lava Hello… Afio mai Welcome… Tofa Soifua Goodbye…Sau ii Come here… Faafetai tele lava Thank you very much…Manuia lou aso Have a great day.

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS DAY Today we celebrated Catholic Schools Day. We were blessed and excited to have St Leo’s School from Devonport come to share the day with us. Mrs Harris, their Principal, taught here for many years until becoming Principal in April 2018. It was lovely to see her back at St. John’s and the many children she taught enjoyed catching up with her. After welcoming St Leo’s with our customary powhiri, we shared a moving liturgy where we celebrated who we are and the work that we do. The theme for Catholic Schools Day this year is, ‘extending Christ’s call to love, to be, to do.’ This year’s theme is a reminder that we should celebrate the wonderful work that we do as a Catholic school. God calls us to use our gifts and talents in our school to help others, to be kind, to be merciful and to pray. God calls us to live like Jesus through our Josephite and Mercy charisms. The children spent time together in class and around the school sharing and learning about the things we have in common and the things that make our schools unique. Thank you to the PTFA for organising and facilitating a sausage sizzle for both schools. It was a little sad to see them leave after lunch as we had made some new friends. We hope to share more time and experiences with them in the future. Keep an eye out in next week’s newsletter for some photos from the day.

KAHUI AKO CULTURAL FESTIVAL Our Kahui Ako work to create opportunities for the staff and students of the seven North Shore Catholic Schools to come together and share. This Friday the Kahui Ako will be hosting our first ever Kahui Ako Cultural Festival at Rosmini College. Our Senior Kapa Haka group will be participating, taking the stage in the auditorium at approximately 11:15am. We thank Mrs Mountjoy and Whaea Tina for their leadership and effort in the preparation of the children and wish them every success for Friday.

RIPPA RUGBY Last Thursday five teams represented St John’s at the NHRU Primary Schools Rippa and Rubgy Festival. The children played hard and represented us with great spirit. Thank you to Mrs Dorrington, our Sports Co-ordinator and Mrs Sara Prendergast for their work co-ordinating our teams. Thank you to all the parents who volunteered and gave up their time and energy to coach and manage the teams before the tournament and for all the support on the day. Reports given back to school tell of a great day that was very much enjoyed, even if three games were “a bit tiring at the end”. BOT TRUSTEES We now have four Bishops Appointees who will serve our school on the Board of Trustees. I congratulate and look forward to working with Father Raphael, Lyn Ryan, Emma Simpson and Becky Buckley. We have been blessed with an abundance of candidates for the positions of parent representatives and will therefore go to an election. All candidates are of such a high calibre and all so willing to serve our school. Regardless of the outcome of the election, I wish to acknowledge and thank each of the candidates for putting themselves forward. Viki Trainor – Principal School Trustee Election Voting papers have been sent to all parents on the Electoral Roll for St. John’s School. The voting papers were posted on Saturday, 25th May. Your voting paper MUST be returned in the envelope that you are issued with. One voting paper per envelope. Full instructions are enclosed in your voting pack. You do not need to wait until Voting Day, 7th June, to complete your vote and return it. A locked ballot box is located in the school foyer if you wish to send your envelope back via your child. The school also has a locked letterbox at the Penzance Road entrance. If posting, please allow sufficient time for delivery to ensure your vote is counted. Michele Nash – Returning Officer BOT MEETING – Thursday, 30th May, 6.30pm in the Staff Room CAN YOU HELP… ?

Room 6 are collecting hard plastic waste for an art project. Things like: bottle caps, broken/unwanted small plastic toys (e.g. Happy Meal toys), toy parts (e.g. old train tracks), coffee lids, old pens, small unwanted plastic containers, old broken leads/cables and chargers, tubes, straws. Brightly coloured pieces are preferable, but not essential. Items must have been washed and dried. Please save anything you may have and send it to Room 6. Housepoints will be awarded!

PTFA FUNDRAISER - Dad’s Pies The Dad's Pies PTFA fundraiser is back just in time for winter. Dad’s Pies make a great easy meal, they are locally made with quality ingredients and will be delivered frozen. All the information and the order form is available in the school office.

Orders are due by THIS Friday, 31st May.

Friday, 7th June from 7pm. Come and enjoy a night of ‘Jingo’ - a game of Bingo with music hits from the 90s! Return ticket orders to the school office by Tuesday, 4th June. No door sales on the night.

Prizes for best fancy dressed table and cash prizes for games. School Hall open from 2.30pm so you can dress up your tables. $20 includes cards for all 4 games. BYO drinks and nibbles.

GIRLS CODING CELEBRATION On 23rd May the amazing St John’s School Code Club took part in the annual “She Can Code” online event.

We began our regular Code Club meeting with a celebratory shared afternoon tea. Once we had filled our tummies with delicious food, we began to code using the Scratch programme assisted by Cam, our volunteer from Code Club Aotearoa. Cam’s Dad, Mark, is our regular leader, but he had his own “Tech Week” event to attend and was unable to be with us. Our weekly Code Club currently works on projects using Scratch and HTML coding.

She Can Code began as an online event in 2018. The event celebrated the 125th anniversary of women’s suffrage in Aotearoa by recognising the girls and women who write much of our inventive code.

The aim of the event was to get as many girls and woman coding as possible, even if they had never coded before. Girls are often unseen or underrepresented in the tech industry. Of course, the St John’s girls (and boys) have done lots of coding and are always happy to do more!

Last year over 5000 girls took part in this event and the organisers are hoping that this year would be even more popular. The St John’s School Code Club was proud to have been a part of this and we look forward to encouraging all our students to enjoy coding and learn more about the tech industry.

We are always looking for volunteers to help with our Code Club. If you have a coding background and can spare an hour after school on Thursdays, we would love to hear from you. Jill Marsh – Assistant Principal

NEW ENTRANT ENROLMENTS FOR 2020 You are reminded that applications for New Entrant enrolment for next year (2020) will close on 31st August. Children applying for enrolment after applications have closed for the forthcoming year will not be considered until the following year, unless vacancies still exist on the roll after all previous applications have been accepted. If you have not yet made application for a New Entrant enrolment for 2020 then please email Michele Nash (MicheleN@stjohnsmairangibay.school.nz) for the Application forms. Confirmation, or otherwise, of New Entrant enrolment will be posted to all applicants by mid-September. We currently have a closed roll and spaces for 2020 will be limited. CONGRATULATIONS TO… PLAYERS OF THE DAY… Kanossa Premkumar, Ben Perry (Flippaball), Zac Dei-Conti, Jan Andrea (Soccer), Ashley Smith, Phoenix Mountjoy (Basketball), Lila Gilchrist, Megan Billings, Mia Williams, Rachel Qazanchy, Bella Murphy, Annabel Ko, Isabella Mitchell (Netball), Joshua Doherty (Rugby), Joshua Rendle (Hockey). SEASON AWARD… Bella Murphy (MVP, Cricket) ALSO TO… Ashley Smith (Dance), Molly Brannigan, Annabel Ko (Swimming), Joshua Doherty, Jamie Chapman-Smith (Lions Runway Challenge Fun Run), Elise Taylor (Gymnastics)

COMMUNITY NOTICES…

DRUMADIDDLE Limited spaces in beginner’s classes for drums, piano or guitar in Term 3. One-to-one lesson, $30 for half hour. To book email Mark at mark59@xtra.co.nz or call on Tel: 021 265 1975. Visit www.drumadiddle.co.nz for more information. PARISH NEWS…

Vacancy - Development/fundraising Administrator Family Life International are looking for a highly motivated person to join their team. Postion details and application forms available from www.fli.org.nz or Tel: 09 629 4361

Diocesan vacancies - Justice & Peace Desk, Parish & Pastoral Services Group are looking for an Executive Secretary. Prison Chaplain required for Women’s Corrections Facility (ARWCF)

Wanted to Rent: Lock up Garage for 5 ½ months from June 9th while overseas. Tel Joy, 09 489 6029

THANK YOU Last week I was very fortunate to attend the Auckland Catholic Primary Principals Conference in Waitangi. My colleagues and I spent three days immersed in Maori Spirituality. Manual Beasley was our Key Note speaker and was truly inspirational. Many thanks to Miss Binns who held the fort in my absence. Viki Trainor – Principal

PTFA Newsletter May 2019

Key Dates

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms.

Peter 4:10

Welcome to our first PTFA

Newsletter of 2019. I can’t believe it’s May already and if you’re anything like me you’ll be wondering where the year has gone!

Getting together as a community is the focus for the PTFA this term. Grab your friends, pick a theme and join us on 7th June for our Jingo Bingo night. And for the children our annual disco is coming up on the 28th of June. Listen out in assembly for the announcement of this years disco theme and watch out for more info later in the month.

Thanks to everyone that supported our fruity sacks initiative in Term 1 and to those of you clearing out room in your freezers ready for a new batch of Dads Pies! A picture of our new junior playground is included in the newsletter - this is a joint Board of Trustees and PTFA initiative that is the direct result of past fundraising efforts.

We’ve also included a bit of information about the PTFA and what we do, and encourage anyone who’s interested to come along to one of our meetings.

Thanks again for all your support.

Rachael

St John’s PTFA Newsletter

31 May Dad’s Pies orders are due back – don’t miss out!

7 June Parent’s Jingo Bingo night

11 June PTFA Meeting

2 July PTFA Meeting

School Disco 28 June

Term 2, 2019

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St John’s PTFA Newsletter May 2019

What we spent

in 2018

$2,600 Year 6 Camp Fees

$3,000 Mathletics

$480 Year 6 Graduation

$5,840 Sports

Uniforms

$27,080 Library build

& fit-out

$1,145 Sausage sizzles

& ice blocks

$2,000 Principal’s fund

School Disco Definitely one of the highlights of the school calendar – the school disco

is happening on Friday 28 June.

Last year children dressed up as their idols and showed off their best moves under the disco lights. We also had a range of treats on offer and

the kids could take photos with their friends in a photo booth as a special memento of the evening.

The theme for this year’s disco is yet to be announced, but make sure

you put the date in your diary now.

Don’t forget to order your Dad’s Pies!

The Dad's Pies PTFA fundraiser is back just in time for winter. Dad’s Pies make a great easy meal. They are locally made with quality ingredients and will be delivered frozen. All the information and the order form is available in the school office. Orders and payment are due by Friday 31 May.

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St John’s PTFA Newsletter May 2019

Our first parents’ social event for the year is on Friday 7 June. These evenings are always a lot of fun, and generally follow a similar format. Get together a team of 10-12 people and then pick a team theme. Dress your table and yourselves in your chosen theme (note for first timers: the dress-up component is taken pretty seriously by most, and there will be a prize for best table). Then, bring along some nibbles and drinks and settle in for some fierce competition! This year we’re playing Jingo. As the name suggests, it’s music bingo. Each player has a card with a bunch of songs on it, and the MC will play short snippets of songs which you have to identify and then mark off your card if it’s on there.

Jingo – it’s music bingo!

For families that are new to the school it really is a fantastic way to get to know people - feel free to talk to your class parent liaison teacher if you’d like to know more or a hand assembling a table. Those of you who have been to previous years’ events know how much fun they are, and that space is limited in the hall, so make sure you get your tables sorted ASAP!

New Junior School Playground We’re really excited to have confirmed construction of the new junior school playground will start this term. The playground was the main PTFA fundraising goal last year, and will provide an all-weather playground for the Year 0-2 children. It’s being built on the grass on the Penzance Road side of the artificial turf. The playground itself has been purchased and will be installed this term. No doubt you’ll see the work as it happens, and stand by for more details about the grand opening in Term 3!

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St John’s PTFA Newsletter May 2019

About us The PTFA (Parents, Teachers and Friends Association) is a group dedicated to supporting and enhancing our school and school community. We fundraise to improve school facilities and opportunities for our students, and build community through social events and other activity. Any member of the school community is welcome to be part of the PTFA, and we always love new members. It’s a fantastic way to learn more about the school and how it works, get to know other parents and school staff, and of course contribute to a wide range of activities that benefit our kids (which is also often a lot of fun!). In this newsletter we’d like to introduce the Chair, Secretary and Treasurer of the PTFA.

Rachael O’Brien I’m Rachael, chair of the PTFA and very proud Mum to Beth (Year 5), Isaac (Year 3) and Lachie, our 4 year old. Outside of Mum duties I work full time for IAG in a strategic risk and governance role. All of you will be familiar with the juggling that goes on to get through a week, but my involvement with the school community and the amazing friendships I have developed give me a real sense of balance in a busy world. Together we can create a community that helps our children grow into compassionate and resilient adults, ready to serve those around them.

Brianna Hill Hi, I’m Brianna (Brie) Hill, I've been secretary of the St John’s PTFA since early 2018. My eldest daughter Scarlett is a year two in room 8, although our family’s involvement with the school goes back much further as my husband, Simon, was a student here and my mother-in-law a teacher for many years. I really enjoy the opportunity to be part of the school community and contribute to the school's growth and

improvement plans that will benefit our children now and the children to come in the future.

Brendon Murphy

Kia ora, this is the second year I’ve been treasurer of the PTFA . Our daughter Ava is in Year Two, and our son George is four and will start at St John’s next year.

I really enjoy being able to participate in school life in various ways. I work for Maori Television so this year I’m happy to be helping with the Junior Kapa Haka group, in addition to my role with the PTFA.

Join us!

We meet monthly in the staff room – the next meeting is Tuesday 11 June. It’s a casual environment and you’re welcome to come along to any meeting and see what it’s like. There’s no commitment to attend regularly, but we really appreciate having the input and support of as many people as possible.

The St John’s PTFA