Kia ora one and all,

Matariki is a time to reflect on the past and those who have passed on, to celebrate the present with kai, time with our whānau and communities, and to look ahead and plan for the future. And that is what we did last night as a community! Thanks to all of you who braved the cold and joined us for the celebration of the Māori New Year - it was truly a wonderful time of karakia, waiata, and kai. Thanks too to our wonderful Willian Tye who entertained us with another fantastic fire dance - our tamariki were enthralled.  Ka pai to our tamariki for leading us in prayer and nga mihi to Sam Cripps and Sophie Smyth for leading this time. A wonderful conclusion to Term 2!

How quickly the term goes and it has indeed been a busy one. With the theme ‘Made in the Image of God,’ the learning has focused on My Body | Toku Tinana. Our tamariki have loved exploring the various body systems and the human skeleton. The digital resources, books, our two awesome models (yet to be named but you can see below) Life Education, and the opportunity to see how an MRI machine works have ensured the learning has been wide-ranging and varied.  

A great night was had by all with so many little ones excited to be at the movies to watch Despicable Me 4. Feedback for the adults was that it was a pretty good one to watch as well so maybe a holiday treat for those who couldn’t make it. Well done to the FOSA team who organised this evening- it was a great success and we appreciate the hard work you put in to gather the community and raise funds for our school at the same time. FOSA made over $900 in profit which was a wonderful result!

Watch out for our tamariki’s reports that will come out this afternoon. We hope you enjoy reading these. It is wonderful to read each student’s voice and for your enjoyment, we adults have not edited these as there are some really cute phrases and comments.

It was lovely to have our visitors last week for our Learning in Action morning - they were impressed with the range of activities and our engaged learners. Ka pai to our kaiako | teachers and tamariki for this great learning time.  Please do check out our instagram and facebook posts to see more of the wonderful learning and opportunities that our tamariki have.

Ngā mihi nui ki a koe | congratulations to Sophie Smyth on achieving her Best Start Literacy micro-credentials this week! Sophie has worked very hard over the past two terms' of training in BSL while leading the programme with our young learners. This has required Sophie to take on extra professional development each week and we are very grateful for her time and dedication. The great news is that all our tamariki’s progress has accelerated and we are thrilled with their results after the 10-week programme - Ka pai He Atawhai on your mahi!

Tomorrow we teachers | Kaiako are joining with the 12 other Catholic schools and colleges for a day of learning and networking at our Kāhui Ako Midwinter Hui while our tamariki begin their holidays. We wish you all a safe happy time and look forward to seeing you back for an action-packed Term 3!

Ngā manaakitanga | With best wishes

Denise 

Last night we gathered in aroha to celebrate, be drawn into, and pray over the wonder of this time - Matariki

This is a special time of year, here in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Matariki holds great importance for Māori, however, the star cluster is known across the world.  

It has been used to guide people since the beginning of humankind. Matariki celebrates the beginning of the Māori New Year. The advent of the New Year holds an important place in the Māori calendar and is rich with meaning. Customs vary among different iwi. In Te Whanganui a Tara, we celebrate the New Year as Matariki. However, some iwi use the rising of the star Puanga rather than the Matariki cluster, to signify the beginning of the New Year, as the Matariki cluster cannot be easily seen from all localities. 

Our karakia | prayer is:

Star of Matariki – we pray for all mothers in the world – that they have the love and support they need to fulfil this vital role.

Star of Pōhutakawa – we pray for those who are no longer alive – that we keep them in our hearts forever.

Star of Tupuānuku – we pray for the food that grows in our soil – that we may all have enough food.

Star of Tupuārangi – we pray for everything that grows up in trees including birds – that we continue to enjoy the fruit and look after our bird life.

Star of Waiti – we pray for our streams, rivers, and lakes and all creatures that live in them – that we learn to look after our freshwater systems.

Star of Waita – we pray for the food that we gather from the sea – that we protect and respect this food source when we collect food from the sea.

Star of Waipuna-ā-rangi – we pray for the rain that falls on our land – that we appreciate the value of water

Star of Ururangi – we pray for the winds that blow the clouds – that we understand the wind and use it for its benefits.

Star of Hiwa-i-te-rangi – we pray for our future – that we can make our wishes and dreams come true.

Amene

Keeping your children safe online: 28 August 7 pm

Save the date Tuesday 28 August at 7 pm for our next speaker event, John Parsons on cyber-safety. 

John Parsons is New Zealand’s leading authority on cyber-safety for children and the author of “Keeping your children safe online”. He works with victims of cyber-crime, the New Zealand Police, and in the education and health sectors.

John is an engaging, hard-hitting presenter who will share statistics, facts, and everyday stories about children and families and the impacts of unsafe internet usage. 

This is a practical presentation and workshop with the intention that you leave with skills and strategies to help you keep your children safe online and encourage them to be responsible citizens in the digital world.

This community whānau education event is open to everyone in our school and local communities.

Registrations open soon, spread the word and watch this space.

Did you know we start each Board meeting with a reflection and our prayer? 

This is our Board karakia:

E te Atua aroha (God of love)

We ask for your guidance, wisdom, and blessing for our St Anthony’s School Board meeting.

Our Small School with Strong Spirit!

Help us to be present, to keenly and kindly engage in meaningful discussion, and to always hold our tamariki and our faith at the centre of our decisions.

Whakarongo mai ki tā mātou īnoi (Listen to our prayer)

Āmene

St Anthony’s School board meetings are held twice a term and everyone is welcome to attend.  The next meeting is Tuesday 6 August at 7pm. See school website for information about the Board.

"Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini." (My strength is not that of an individual, but that of the collective.)

Discovery Time

During Discovery Time, students in He Atawhai are able to explore interests and imaginative play within the classroom.

Here we have some students who are flying to Italy, with Ralph as their Captain.

Benedict is solving tangram puzzles using Osmos and Lola and Avery are making a pie with the playdough.

Matariki Art

To celebrate Matariki, we did some scratch art. To do this we coloured in a whole piece of paper with pastels. Then, we painted over the pastel with a thick layer of black paint. It was so weird to paint over all our hard work, but we trusted the process! The next day when it was dry, we used blunt needles to carefully scratch 9 stars to show the Matariki cluster. 

Religious Education

Over the first half of this year we have been learning about Te Atua | God and Ā Tātou Whakapono | Our Story. Here is our amazing display of work we have done with Mrs Mitrakas.

Ka Pai to our senior basketball team who have come second in their division, after narrowly losing in the finals 35-31 this week.  They played really well all season and a huge shout out to  Tim's dad, Steve who did a fantastic job as coach, and to the other wonderful whānau who supported the team each week. 

We are excited to unveil our partnership with Noel Leeming – bringing in-store discounts to any Hero user, year round!

This partnership builds upon our continued mission to support equitable access to tools and technology for whole school communities.

How Does it Work? 

1. Get Your Code: In your Hero App, navigate to ‘About Hero’ – your barcode is located here, in the new ‘Special Offers’ tab.

2. Shop, Scan & Save: Present your barcode in-store to access exclusive discounts across a range of products.

3. Spread the Word: Hero caregivers can also access discounts via the Hero Parent App! 

*Terms & conditions apply. Barcodes must be scanned in-store to redeem preferential pricing. 

JOIN SQUARE EYES FOR 8 DAYS OF SCREENINGS AT THE EMBASSY THEATRE! 
JULY 13-20, WEEK TWO OF THE SCHOOL HOLIDAYS  

Square Eyes Screen Foundation is hosting AROUND THE WORLD IN 8 DAYS these July school holidays—an all ages film tour at the iconic Embassy Theatre—and you’re all invited!

AROUND THE WORLD is a week-long celebration of on-screen storytelling ideal for tamariki and rangatahi aged 3-15 (and their grown-up film-going companions), showcasing big screen premieres, beloved classics, short films, features, documentaries, and more.  

Highlights include a YELLOW SUBMARINE SING-ALONG, MY NEIGHBOUR TOTORO, THE MUPPET MOVIE, the NZ premiere of KENSUKE'S KINGDOM, and LIVE CINEMA: PINK PANTHER.
And there is plenty more to discover...

Tickets are just $9-$12. Check out the full line-up and get your tickets here:
https://ticketing.humanitix.com/tours/square-eyes-around-the-world-in-8-days

This is a terrific opportunity to experience the magic of collective viewing on the big screen with friends and whānau—and to explore the wider world, right here at home.

We are seeking a compassionate and organised Healthcare Coordinator to join our Catholic Social Services team, supporting the health and wellbeing of our clergy. Reporting directly to the Vicar General, this role is crucial in ensuring the holistic care of both active and retired clergy members of the Archdiocese of Wellington. Applications close Monday 8 July. For more information and to apply: https://mclaren.co.nz/vacancies/?ja-job=4250106

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Please get in touch….. Directly : Eamonn Kilgariff 021447401