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Kia ora one and all,
Today we had the best sound ever as our playground rang with cheers and count-offs as the Potato Olympics took place today. What a load of fun our ‘spud’ Olypmicans have had - results will be announced at the assembly tomorrow afternoon.
Knowledge is power and our cultural focus where we explored the many cultures that enrich our school was a wonderful time of learning and building cultural inclusivity as when we understand one another, we thrive more. Our whakatauki for the term is:
Kotahi te kōhao o te ngira e kuhuna ai te miro mā, te miro whero, te miro pango -
There is but one eye of the needle through which white, red, and black thread must go.
And the sharing that happened over the past fortnight reflects the meaning of the whakatauākī which is when we make connections and collaborate together we build a stronger common vision of peace and well-being for all. Our sincere thanks to all those whānau who supported their tamariki to share their cultural heritage - they were very proud and we all learned a great deal. We hope you all enjoyed our special edition of the newsletter where photos and student voice were shared by each continent.
However, at times we misunderstand each other and upsets happen so it is timely that this week is Socal Justice week with our focus on Forgiveness as we look at the theme - Imagine peace for all - choose forgiveness, know peace | Kōwhiria te murunga hara, kia mōhio ki te rangimārie. You may enjoy as a family this story to create a discussion on forgiveness with one another - The Angry Bee | A Story About Forgiveness
We welcome Ryan as a New Entrant this week and hope you have taken the time to chat to our new whānau. May they have a wonderful time of fun and learning here at St Anthony’s.
Further success has been gained by one of our tamariki with Tom Adams achieving the Academic Entrance Scholarship for St Patrick’s College. Tom has excelled as a learner, always committed to achieving his best and being open to new learning opportunities and challenges so we are thrilled with his latest success. Ka pai Tom!
In Term 1, Kea Kids News came and ran a workshop for our senior students. From that Gila Crosbie was selected to be a presenter and has shown great success. Check out the link below to see her in action. Ka pai Gila!
Many thanks to everyone for coming along to our Student-led Conferences. It is always great to see our students in action sharing their learning and witnessing the pride they take with what they have achieved. Giving them the power to speak for their own learning journey is such an important step for them so thank you one and all.
I invite you to check out the various opportunities noted in the newsletter and look forward to seeing more goodies arriving in the office for our Quiz Night hampers. We hope you have bought your tickets for Friday, September 20 and of course, you are welcome to buy raffle tickets early by popping into the office when you get a chance.
Ngā manaakitanga
Denise
Each year from September 1 to October 4, the Christian community unites for this worldwide celebration of prayer and action to protect our common home. It is a special season where we celebrate God as Creator and acknowledge Creation as the divine continuing act that summons us as collaborators to love and care for the gift of all that is created. As followers of Christ from around the globe, we share a common call to care for Creation. We are co-creatures and part of all that God has made. Our well-being is interwoven with the well-being of the Earth and Pope Francis calls on us all to help - please take time to reflect on his brief message.
Tena koutou katoa and greetings from your school board
FOSA Quiz Night 20 September 7pm
The St Anthony's community quiz night is on Friday 20th September from 7 pm to 9:30 pm at the Seatoun Bowling Club. Tickets are $10 each, with one raffle ticket included with entry!
This is the FOSA fundraising event for Term 3 and funds raised from this event will go straight towards creating the best school environment possible for our Tamariki!
Please get your tickets via this Trybooking link: St Anthony's School Community Quiz Night
Thanks for your support, we look forward to seeing you there!
Speaker series - John Parsons and keeping our tamariki safe online
On 27 August, John Parsons, a cyber-safety expert, talked to our Tamariki, the teaching staff, and the school community about online safety. Some key messages shared at the community session were:
- Be interested and know what your children are doing online
- Be aware of cyber-separation: the disconnection between the child and their parent when the parent has little understanding or involvement in their child's online world
- Keep technology out of the bedroom and in a communal space in the house.
- Age restrictions are there for a reason, children have a right to be children and not be exposed to inappropriate content. These restrictions include gaming, social media and YouTube.
- Just say no: children don’t need to be on social media nor have unlimited access to smartphones and the internet.
- The importance of sleep on learning and general wellbeing: guarding children's sleep*
In 2025, St Anthony’s will be working with John Parsons on Sleep Power: Win your day every day. This programme was developed by John over many years to help children and young people understand the impacts of sleep deprivation on their bodies. Read how a Nelson school has benefitted from this programme.
Speaker Series continuing – 7 November – save the date
Our Speaker Series, established in 2023, is designed to provide valuable parenting education to our school whānau and the wider community. It’s also an opportunity to highlight the fantastic work being done at St Anthony’s and increase awareness of our school.
Our next speaker event is on Tuesday 7 November and the topic is "Building Healthy Habits for Whānau and Tamariki." Our guest speaker is Joel Bouzaid, a passionate and dedicated professional with leadership experience in the health industry and business. Please save the date and watch for details in upcoming newsletters.
Little Angels Mainly Play is back!
Please spread the good news that Little Angels Mainly Play, a playgroup for children under 5s at St Anthony’s, starts in Term 4. This playgroup is a fun time of play and learning for 0- to 5-year-olds with their whānau members (Mums, Dads, Grandparents, and Caregivers).
Each play session will be held every Friday during school term time starting at 10 am in the school library.
Love to see you there, all craft materials and morning tea provided.
Ngā mihi nui Kirsten and George Bouras
A huge thank you to Kirsten and George who braved horrible weather ahead of an even worse storm last week and came to St Anthony’s to fasten the roof of the PE shed. This meant we didn’t lose any equipment or have any damage to the surrounding buildings. We so appreciate your help Kirsten and George – ngā mihi nui!
Ka tangi te pīpīwharauroa, ko te karere a Mahuru
Pīpīwharauroa | Shining cuckoo
This whakataukī speaks to how the pīpīwharauroa’s call signals that spring has commenced.
We hope you are enjoying these early days of spring.
Check out our star reporter Gila who recently did a story for Kea Kids News.
Exciting news! We are starting Little Angels Mainly Play at St Anthony's on 18th October running throughout term time.
We're looking for enthusiastic volunteers with a flair for hospitality to help make this a fun and welcoming experience. Want to make a difference for families and preschoolers for just 2 hours a week? Reach out to Lisa Halliwell at lisa@paratu.net and join us in creating something special!
Great news! Bookings for our Quiz Night on Friday, 20th September are now open so get your team together and order your tickets today to secure a table.
We are looking forward to seeing you all for a great fun night.
Thanks
FOSA
