Week 4 Term 2 2025

A Warm Thank You to Our School Community

Kia ora e te whānau,

As we move through the term, I want to take a moment to sincerely thank all of our parents and caregivers for your continued support—especially around some of the practical day-to-day routines that make a big difference to school life.

We really appreciate the way so many of you have responded to our recent reminders about the importance of arriving at school on time and ensuring students are wearing the correct school uniform. These small things help set a positive tone for the day, allowing students to settle into learning calmly and confidently.

Being on time and in uniform also reinforces a shared sense of pride and belonging in our school.

Your support in helping us uphold these expectations shows our tamariki that school is a place where learning and community values are respected—and that makes a powerful difference.

Ngā mihi nui for being such strong partners in your children’s education.
Together, we’re creating a positive and focused environment where every learner can thrive.

You’re Invited – School Parish Mass This Sunday

We warmly invite all families, students, and staff to join us for our upcoming School Parish Mass this Sunday, 25th May at 11:00am at St Pius X.

This is a special opportunity for our school community to come together in prayer, reflection, and celebration. Our students will be taking part in the Mass, helping with readings, prayers of the faithful, and singing, and it’s always a wonderful way to strengthen the connection between our school and parish.

We’d love to see as many of you there as possible—your presence helps show our students the importance of faith, community, and belonging.

🕚 Date: Sunday, 25th May
📍 Time: 11:00am
📌 Location: St Pius X Church

We look forward to seeing you there!

Monday’s Maths Teacher-Only Day

I’d also like to share some insights into our recent Teacher-Only Day, which focused on the implementation of Aotearoa New Zealand’s refreshed Mathematics & Statistics curriculum.

This was the first of several nationwide professional learning days allocated by the Ministry of Education to support schools as we transition to the new curriculum over the next few years.

You may be wondering why a full day away from the classroom is needed. The reason is simple but significant: delivering high-quality, future-focused education begins with well-prepared teachers. This curriculum refresh is more than just an update—it’s a fundamental shift in how we teach and understand maths in the 21st century. It focuses on deep understanding, real-world application, and helping every student build confidence in maths from early learning onwards.

During the day, our staff:

Unpacked the key changes in the refreshed curriculum, including new progressions and teaching approaches
Engaged in professional development around culturally responsive practices
Collaborated to begin planning how to integrate these changes across all year levels, ensuring consistency and equity for our learners

These sessions are essential, as they allow teachers to reflect, deepen their practice, and plan purposefully—something that isn’t always possible during the fast pace of a regular school week.

We know Teacher-Only Days can be an inconvenience for families, and we truly appreciate your support. The time invested now will directly benefit our tamariki and strengthen their learning journeys.

🗓️ Please note: The next Maths Teacher-Only Day will be Monday 14 July, which is also the first day of Term 3.

Lunch order options

The Kebab shop on Urlich Ave, is offering ordered Lunches on Tuesday and Wednesday. Find more details on their website orders.kebabstop.co.nz. They can be ordered by you anytime and will be delivered to the office in time for the children to eat. We will continue with our Tommo's orders on Friday. We are proud to support local business.

On Thursday we will be having Pizza Thursday. Pizza is ordered at school on Thursday morning and delivered in time for Lunch. We sell Pizza as a way to fundraise for the end of year camps and EOTC. Please support this when you can.

Continued Work at the Front Gate – Pick-Up and Drop-Off Update

As many of you will be aware, there is ongoing utility work happening at the front gate of our school. This has affected access to the Church carpark and created some challenges during drop-off and pick-up times.
🚫 Important reminder: The carparks under the trees at the Church entrance are now part of a designated clearway and must not be used for parking at any time. This space is needed to maintain a safe and accessible entry point during the roadworks. Thank you for your cooperation in keeping this area clear.

To help ease some of the congestion, we are trialling a new approach:
👟 Year 7 & 8 students (and their younger siblings) will be walked by staff to Dermont Street for pick-up.
👟 Year 6 students will continue to be collected from the front of the Church.
This change could provide up to 55 families with a safer, less congested alternative to the Church carpark. If you would like your child to join the 'Stride and Ride' walking school bus to Dermont Street, please message the office or your child’s class teacher so we can add them to the list.

If this trial proves successful, we may look to expand the ‘Stride and Ride’ initiative to other nearby streets such as Odette Street and Pollen Crescent.

🚸 If this approach does not relieve congestion, we will need to explore further options to ensure the safety of students and families at pick-up time.
Thank you again for your patience, flexibility, and ongoing support as we work through these changes.

Student Health – When to Stay Home and When to Come to School

As we head into the colder months, we often see an increase in common illnesses such as colds, flu, and tummy bugs. We want to make sure our students are well and able to engage fully in their learning, while also keeping our school community as healthy as possible.

The Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health have provided updated guidance to help families decide when to keep children home and when they can attend school, even if mildly unwell.

✅ Children can come to school if they:

Have a mild runny nose or slight cough but are otherwise well and active
Have been sick earlier in the week but have improved and have energy to learn
Do not have a fever and are eating, drinking, and participating normally

❌ Children should stay home if they:

Have a fever or are feeling hot and flushed
Are vomiting or have had diarrhoea (must stay home for at least 48 hours after the last episode)
Have a frequent or severe cough, or are generally unwell or lethargic
Have COVID-19

If you're ever unsure whether your child should attend school, please err on the side of caution or speak to your GP or Healthline (0800 611 116).

Keeping unwell students at home helps protect others—especially those who are more vulnerable—and also gives your child the best chance to rest and recover properly.

Thank you for working with us to keep our school community healthy and learning

Catholic Schools Day – Wednesday 28th May

Catholic Schools Day is a time to celebrate the unique gifts of Catholic education—our faith, values, and the strong sense of community that shapes our school.

We’ll begin the day in our classrooms, then come together for Tabloid Sports in our house teams during the middle of the day. To conclude, we will celebrate a School Mass at 2:00pm, and all families and whānau are warmly invited to join us.

We look forward to a joyful day of faith, fun, and school spirit!

Afterschool Care

Te Whare Kokonga provide an affordable and enriching afterschool care programme. Please check them out.

Ngā mihi nui
Erin Clayton (Principal)

🧥 Winter Uniform Expectations

With the start of the new term, students should now be wearing the winter school uniform. Please check that your child is dressed appropriately each day and all uniform items are clearly named.

Footwear (All Students):

Black, flat shoes (Crocs or similar styles are not permitted)

Boys:

Grey shorts
Long sleeve school polo
School jumper or jacket
Grey socks with blue stripes or navy knee-high socks

Girls:

Tunic, school skirt, or blue skort
- Note: The tunic and grey skort have been discontinued as new items but can still be worn.
- The blue skort is only available new from the school uniform shop.
Long sleeve school polo
School jumper or jacket
Grey socks with blue stripes or navy knee-high socks

We’ve recently added navy knee-high socks as an option due to supply issues with grey socks.

If your child is not in correct uniform on a given day, please inform their teacher. For permanent uniform changes, a written explanation must be provided to the Principal, in accordance with our uniform policy.

Thank you for your continued support in ensuring our students feel prepared, supported, and part of our school community.