Haere Mai from Brightwater Nelson - Our year 7s & 8s are having a blast - they don’t always like being out of their comfort zone but as one said, they were ‘so excited to finally be going on camp after waiting years and years for it!’ 

Our days have been full of activity - abseiling, rock wall climbing, confidence course, crate building, and slug guns to name a few not to mention the number of night games we have fitted in as well. 

Thursday was supposed to be our ski day but sadly the mountain was shut so off to the Ngarua Caves we went. Thoughts from the kids:

• Even though we didn’t get to go skiing we got to learn a bunch of things.

•  It was cool because of all the old stuff like stalactites and stalagmites

• It takes over 3200 years for most of these to grow

• A stalactite fell off in an earthquake and is now a stalagmite

• Some of this stuff gives us glimpses of the past

• We experienced a complete absence of light 

• Some poor moas and kiwis fell down the tomos (potholes) and died as they were then trapped in the cave

Lunch was at the Riwaka Resurgence followed by a bush walk to the resurgence. Our tamariki now know where a river begins, why a silver fern is named as such, and much more about agriculture and the bush.

Thoughts from the kids:

• Today I learned there are different species of ferns and water will always find the weakest spot to move through which sometimes creates a river

• Seeing the cool waterfall.

• Having a great time bonding with others 

The adults' best highlight overall was overhearing a group saying that before camp they got on with everyone in the class but now they really are friends and have become closer with so many different people.' Love that response!d

We were absolutely thrilled with the way the Student Council led Te Maunga to plan and host the school disco - they were all superstars at making sure all our tamarik had a fabulous time. Well done Te Maunga and thanks to our whānau for supporting this important fundraiser. 

Isn’t it great to have our playground marking repainted and of course some new games that the children asked for. The revamped spaces are generating some cool games and interactions between all. Thanks to the board for approving this expenditure and all those who have helped fundraise for the renovation of the playground!. 

Ka pai team!

Have a wonderful weekend and see you next week!

During camp, the seniors have led us in prayer morning, noon, and night and we have had some great reflection and time to pause over the week. Some chose Psalm 4 and some phrases were of great help as we were challenged and put out of our comfort zone. 

When I was in trouble, you helped me … a good one to remember when we are fearful and need to dig deep for the gift of courage!

Lord, look on us with kindness … when the rain is falling and we need it to clear so that the activities can go ahead

We have been blessed as God answered our prayers!

Tena koutou katoa

Senior school camp

This week our senior school is on camp at Teapot Valley, Brightwater,  Nelson.   Camp provides us with the facilities and activities to challenge and extend our students mentally, emotionally and physically.  Travelling by ferry is a new experience for some children as is being in the South Island.  One objective is to provide a range of physical activities that the student don’t normally experience and which challenges their team-building skills.  Another objective is Managing Self. Living together for a week gives students the opportunity to live independently of their parents, to develop life skills to cope with homesickness, being with peers and managing their day to day aspects of life.  By the end of camp, students have grown in their development as a person and as a class. 

On behalf of the Board, we’re sending all our best wishes to our students, teachers and parent helpers who are currently enjoying this wonderful opportunity. We hope you are having a great adventure full of teamwork and fun!

School disco

The school disco was a great success. A big round of applause to the school council who organised the event, to our teachers for their supervision, and the senior students who were great hosts on the night.  The dancing was awesome – ka pai to our students (and some brave parents) on the dance floor. A special thank you and round of applause to DJ Liam – the music and lights encouraged fantastic participation.  Love your work, Liam!

Playground markings 

Get ready to hop, skip and jump on our new playground games.  Last week the playground and courts were painted and there are new games to play as well as refreshed lines for netball and basketball.   We’d love to see our parents and families having a go with their tamariki.

Junior playground

It is great to see our junior students enjoying their colourful and engaging new look playground.  We are grateful for Mark Mulhern and Denise Johnson for their commitment to getting this work completed so that we can provide a stimulating environment where play and learning go hand in hand.

St Anthony’s 100 years: centenary celebration 13 to 14 October 2023

This is a special milestone in our school’s history and whether you are new to our school or have a long history with the school, we’d love to see you at our celebration events.  The weekend’s schedule has a variety of events to join – register here: ·    Book Your Centenary Tickets Now

You can support our celebrations by volunteering with the preparations for this centenary weekend.  Please contact Mrs Johnson at school or by email office@stants.school.nz

He manako te kōura i kore ai | Wishing for the crayfish won’t bring it.

We sometimes get stuck dreaming about the things we want in life. Once we act on what we want, our dreams will turn into reality. Take that leap and be active learners tamariki mā!

A wonderful term of Drama and Storytelling 

Te Ākau’s unique play-based learning environment allows our tamariki to be immersed in a variety of dramatic play: re-telling, role play, imaginative play.  A variety of equipment is used in our home learning centre, puppets and creative use of equipment to enhance storytelling. Oral language is a key component of learning to read and write and this skill was recently showcased at Te Akau’s assembly. 

Tamariki spoke confidently when introducing themselves in Te Reo, as they began to learn their pepeha for Te Wiki O Te Rēo - Maori Language Week in week 9.   

Ko_______ tōku ignoa.

Ko_______ tōku whānau.

Just a reminder to register for our centenary celebrations.  The date is coming up quickly so if you haven't registered yet contact centenary@stants.school.nz 

or Book Your Centenary Tickets Now

Please help spread the word about this weekend or use our social media pages to tag anyone you know who might be interested in attending any of our events.

On Wednesday, 20th September (Week 10), students will be hosting their own Student Led Conferences. Students will prepare for these conferences in their classrooms, deciding what to share with their parents.

During the conferences students share their goals, achievements and next steps, having selected learning from a variety of curriculum areas, discussing the process of learning and the progress made to date. 

Student Led Conferences will be held after school and are approximately 20mins each. There will be other families in the classroom at one time working with and listening to their own children. Teachers will be roving around the groups and will be able to help facilitate if necessary.

Once bookings are open to caregivers you will receive a notification or email from Hero. You will then need to navigate to School Bookings in the menu of the Hero App.  From here you can add and manage a booking until bookings are closed.  Bookings will open in week 9.

We look forward to you booking a time slot for your child/ren's Student Led Conference. Please note that due to limitations with the booking system, you will see time slots of 5mins to allow for multiple groups in the classroom at once but please ignore the booking end time as you are welcome to stay for up to 30 minutes for your conference.

The attachment below has some more information about these conferences. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your child's teacher.

Lunches

Thanks to Sian Kelly and our Year 6 helpers for sorting the Friday lunch option for the students this week.

Can you help?

Our wonderful treasurer Claire will be stepping down as treasurer at the end of term 4 so we need to start looking for a replacement for 2024.  This doesn't involve much of your time and is a great way to help the school and meet new people.  There will be a handover so you will know what to do.  Please let us know if you think you might be able to take over this role next year.

Just a reminder to please not park in the church carpark.  A few older parishioners who attend Wednesday Mass and Thursday friends need this space to be dropped off at the church easily.

Many thanks.

Metlink’s new fares, with new concessions for children and young adults, start Friday 1 September 2023, bringing ‘half price fares for all’ to an end.  

The move is in alignment with the fare changes outlined in the Government's 2023 Budget announcement in May. 

This is a reminder that if you are eligible for the new concessions for children 5-12 and young adults 19-24 you can apply now to ensure you receive the benefits as soon as possible.

From September 1:

• Under 13s can apply for a Child Under 13 Free Pass on a green Snapper card to enable free travel
• 13 - 18 year olds (or older if still at secondary school) will receive 75% off the full price adult fare when using a green Snapper card, no application is required
• 19 - 24 year olds can apply for a Young Adult Connect concession on a red Snapper card to receive 50% off the full price adult fare
• Over 25s will return to full price fares*
   

*Over 25s eligible for Tertiary, Accessible, and Community Connect will still have access to those concessions. 

To quickly check what fare you should be paying, you can use Metlink's Find Your Fare tool.

Alternatively, for an overview on the available concessions and how to apply for these, you can visit our Concessions page.