He taonga rongonui te aroha ki te tangata | Goodwill towards others is a precious treasure

Tēnā koutou katoa, ngā mihi nui
It is the season of goodwill and tidings of great joy and we are almost at the end of the school year.  It’s been another unusual year (thank you Covid-19).  Despite another lockdown, we are fortunate that our small school with a strong spirit has much to celebrate. St Anthony’s is blessed with committed and capable teachers and fantastic teacher-to-student ratios and as a result, our tamariki have thrived.  We acknowledge with appreciation the huge effort to pivot from classroom teaching to at-home online learning and the easy transition for our tamariki to continue their learning.  We are grateful to our school whānau for supporting your tamariki with their learning at school and at home especially with the additional pressure and stresses of Covid and its uncertainties.

This combination of amazing kaiako (teachers) and supportive whānau (family) for our ākonga (students) provide the foundation for happy, active, and curious learners and this is demonstrated across the wider school curriculum.  Our end-of-year school results show significant improvements across our key student academic achievement indicators (reading, writing, and maths) and these improvements were evident across all classes. Our school is inclusive and our diverse cultural heritage is acknowledged and celebrated through classroom and school community activities. Music, arts, languages, computing, sciences, history, local and natural environments are part of the school curriculum and students can apply their lessons outside traditional classroom lessons. Events such as last week’s movie evenings and Matariki demonstrate the abilities and talents of our students and the opportunities that our school offers to students to extend their knowledge and skills across a wide range of interests.

Sports lessons, playground sports, physical activities such as dance lessons, after-school team sports, and our students attending Eastern zone sports days all make up a rich and varied physical education at St Anthony’s.

We thank our amazing and dedicated Principal and staff and everyone in our school community who supported our tamariki and our school this year.  Your presence, willingness, and enthusiasm are valued and appreciated.

Ngā mihi nui to Helen Revill and Amy Troy
At the end of this term, we say farewell with gratitude and aroha to Helen Revill and Amy Troy.

Amy (Miss Troy) leaves us to return to Ireland and be able again to be with her family and friends after a long absence.  During her time at St Anthony’s, Amy was our Year 3 and 4 teacher.  Amy’s passion for education was evident through her commitment to using the many digital platforms and innovative ways to encourage and support the learning.   Amy has led our Special Character for the past 3 terms, planning the masses and liturgies, and inspiring us with her wonderful faith news for the newsletter each fortnight. Amy has also been our ICT leader and we have been grateful for her expertise in this area. We thank you Amy for the love and commitment that you have shown our whānau and tamariki and wish you all the best.  

Helen (Mrs. Revill) has been one of our Year 7 and 8 teachers for the last 5 years and has made an enormous contribution to St Anthony’s tamariki and their experiences.  We are grateful for her dedication, commitment, and effort outside the teaching day to make so many events and activities at St Anthony’s a very special experience.  In addition to classroom teaching, her influence and contributions included art, the new school mural, school gardens, camp, Leavers’ Dinner, sewing, and school assemblies.  Helen was the staff representative on the Board for 4 years.  For all of this and more, we thank you Helen, and wish you all the best with your new adventures in the Far North. 

Strategic Plan 2022 to 2024 development

Thank you to the students, parents, board members, and staff who took part in a series of workshops about our school’s strategic plan.  The strategic plan confirms St Anthony’s vision, mission statement, and key strategic goals and these drive the annual goals and plans.  We are now in the final stages of its completion and we look forward to sharing this in the new year.

Meri Kirihimete

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. We hope you all have the chance to spend some time with family and friends and return to us safe and sound next year.

May the Lord bless you and keep you; May the Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you. Amen