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THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Naumai e te whānau o te kura St Anthony's Tēnā Koutou Katoa 

Dear Parents and Caregivers

This week is NZ Bullying-Free Week ‘Whakanuia Tōu Āhua Ake! Celebrating Being Us!’

Student Wellbeing is paramount at St Anthony's and all teachers work collaboratively to create a supportive and safe learning environment where our students can grow and develop. All classes have been engaging in a myriad of activities throughout this week focusing on the NZ Bullying-Free initiative, discussing what bullying is and how it may make you feel, what to do if you are being bullied, as well as what to do if you see others being bullied. Please join us for our School Assembly on Friday at 2.15pm in the Church, led by Hoiho Class. Classes will be sharing their learning with us.

Last week, Years 5-8 students completed the NZCER Wellbeing at School Survey. As a staff, led by Jeannine Winton our Kahui Ako In-school teacher, we will be analysing this year's data and comparing it with the 2018 data collected in April and November. Findings will help inform further wellbeing initiatives within our school and clarify key areas of focus for the rest of the year. We look forward to sharing these key areas with you in a future newsletter.

Open communication within our school community is key to the success of any wellbeing programme. All staff members are committed to making themselves regularly available to discuss student needs and/or any issues at hand. This is an area that we prioritise and look forward to continuing to enhance positive relationships with whānau to benefit our students.

At St Anthony's, we have a responsibility to respect and protect all of our students even when they have made poor choices. All schools have students who present challenging behaviour at times. As professionals, we have knowledge and training on how to support these children during their heightened times of stress/anxiety, as well as supporting the children who may have been affected by these behaviours. 

A reminder that as per our school policy, it is not appropriate for an adult to approach a child from another family. It is important that the classroom teacher is contacted in the first instance and the matter will be investigated. The sooner issues are addressed by the teacher, the quicker they can be resolved. However, if you feel that an issue hasn't been resolved or adequately addressed, please do not hesitate to contact me. 

We ask you for your support in following this process to maintain the values, beliefs and culture that is St Anthony's School.


Ngā manaakitanga

Jennifer Ioannou

PRINCIPAL

School closed all day Wednesday 29 May

Both primary and secondary teachers and principals have voted overwhelmingly to strike on Wednesday 29 May. This is a full day strike, and the school will be closed all day, so you will need to make alternative child care arrangements for your children. We understand that this is an inconvenience for our families. Please remember that the reason the NZEI principal and primary member groups are striking is for future of our students. It's about attracting and retaining teachers, having more time to teach and having truly inclusive schools where all children can learn and thrive. If the strike action is cancelled, we will update you.

Board of Trustees Election

A reminder that the calls for nominations for our Board of Trustees Election close at noon on Friday 24 May 2019. Please see our previous Newsletter for more details on dates. If you are thinking about standing for election, you can find out what it’s like to be on the board at St Anthony’s here.

Privacy Officer

Boards of trustees and their schools are agencies that collect and store significant amounts of personal information about identifiable students, staff, parents and caregivers and members of school boards of trustees. The board is responsible for ensuring there is a Privacy Officer and that both the board and the school have robust procedures in place around the collection, storage and disclosure of personal information, including if there is a data breach of some kind. The Privacy Officer at St Anthony’s School is our Principal, Jennifer Ioannou. The Privacy Officer is the first port of call for requests under the Privacy Act and their responsibilities include encouraging compliance with the 12 information privacy principles.

Scripture Alive Competition

On Tuesday we had the pleasure of participating in the inaugural Scripture Alive competition between the six Eastern and Southern Catholic Primary Schools in Wellington. Olivia Napp, Eve Williams, Selma Smith, Marimatina Peni and Katelyn Wilson represented our school. They all read incredibly well and we were proud to see them read with confidence and proclaim the Word of God. Our drama group performed an amazing piece which they had spent several lunchtimes practising. 

Catholic Schools Day

On Tuesday 28 May it is Catholic Schools Day. This is a special day that is held every three years. It reminds us how lucky we are to be able to attend Catholic schools in New Zealand and gives us a chance to celebrate our Special Character. This year the theme is Extending Christs Call: To Love, To Be, To Do. On this day the children will be learning about how to love our neighbours as ourselves, what it means to be a Catholic and how we can do Jesus' work today. The Powerpoint below showcases what our schools are all about.

Faith Reflection

My grandmother had a saying: "You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?" It made me laugh to hear it, and it also made me more accepting of what I had. Of course I couldn’t expect to have everything, but I remember never being satisfied and always wanting more. My grandmother, who lived with us at the time, quietened my 12 year old impatience and got me thinking of more than just myself.

A couple of years ago, a boy on his 10th birthday asked guests to give a donation instead of presents as he wanted to help a family pay their school Attendance Dues. He raised nearly $250 and handed it on to the Education Office. How amazing! I doubt I would have done that at his age. In a sense he gave everything he had; I am sure the character forming within him will provide him with everything he needs.

We had a very special morning tea for our fabulous support staff, Kirsten and Yvonne as it is International Support Staff Day today.

Thank you Kirsten and Yvonne for all the wonderful work you do to help our school run so well every day. You guys are amazing and we are so grateful you are at St Anthony's School supporting us all.

NAME: Lucy Williams 

POSITION: Kiwi Class Teacher, ICT Leader, PB4L leader, Civil Defence Leader, Young Vinnies Leader

Tell us a little about your teaching journey

My teaching journey began in Christchurch 2017 when I decided to return to study to gain my Graduate Diploma in Primary Teaching. Before this I attended Waikato University where I earned my Bachelor of Social Sciences majoring in Human Resource Management. After awhile of working in Wellington in this area, I decided I wanted a change and booked flights which started my 3 and half month backpacking trip around Southeast Asia. It was during this time when I decided that I wanted to work in a job where I could make a difference.

What do you like most about your job?
I like that I genuinely love coming to work in the morning. There is never a dull moment.

What is the best advice you have ever received?
Look for the positive in every situation.

If you weren’t a teacher, what other career would interest you?
I enjoy working with people, so probably nursing.

What part of your job do you find the most challenging?
There is only so many minutes in the day! Learning to prioritise what is important and learning when it is time to add a task to tomorrow’s to-do-list.

We are pleased to announce that Petra Bouras (Kea Class) has won the (first equal) Wellington City district prize for the Movin’March Art Challenge in age category 8-10 yrs and to acknowledge her efforts she will receive a $30 Warehouse Stationery voucher.     

Below is a picture of her fabulous artwork. GWRC said they were thrilled with the number and quality of entries this year and the standard of Petra’s artwork demonstrates how strong the competition was. Petra’s work was unique in using a 3D aspect which really brought it to life (and we loved her explaining that the fabric used was made from materials that were “almost binned”).

Ka pai Petra!

And for more Movin' March success... our school won the $100 Prezzy card draw for the school who has diligently promoted Movin’March during the campaign. We used the money to purchase some equipment for the senior syndicate students to use in the playground, and we look forward to getting it up and running very shortly!

Tui Camp Fundraiser

Thanks to all those who supported our selling of Milo yesterday. It is much appreciated.

Each Wednesday, we will be selling cups of hot chocolate and soup on alternate weeks. Next Wednesday 22 May, we will be selling soup. The choice is chicken or potato and leek.

It will be $1 per cup and the seniors will take the orders on a Wednesday morning. If you are happy to support us simply send your child to school with the money that day. 

While we will have disposable cups if needed, we invite your child to bring a mug to school in the interests of ‘Caring for Our Common Home’ and reducing our waste.

Saints Basketball Tickets

The school has been offered free children's tickets to The Saints basketball game on Saturday 18 May, 7pm at the TSB Arena. The Saints are playing the Auckland Rangers.   
With these tickets (normally a child's ticket is $8.00), children enter for free accompanied by a paying parent (adult tickets are $18.00) who can take as many children as they want. Seating is for upstairs only.  

Please contact the Office if you would like to receive free children's tickets.

ASB Floorball and Gymnastics sessions

Last Thursday, Gymnastics/Floorball P.E. lessons started at the ASB for this term. Students were split into two groups with one half doing Gymnastics and the other half taking part in Floorball. The Floorball students worked on controlling the ball and moved around the court in a clockwise direction followed by playing a game. The gymnastics group practised their balance and coordination skills on a range of equipment; we are very fortunate to be using such quality equipment during the lessons.

Years 5-8 Eastern Zones Netball

On the 15 of May, Kea and Tui went to the ASB Arena for Eastern Zones Netball. Everyone was put into teams. Everyone was focused on the ball, the whistle blew…

“Go" your mind roars. Everyone starts running.

Wham! The ball has been passed to you, everyone is depending on you, the pressure is on, the tension building inside you…

“Sophia, Sophia, pass the ball to me” Selma shrieks. “Here you go” I say, sadly the defender of the other team catches it. She tries to throw the ball to a member in her team but Riley caught it and shot it at the goal. SCORE!!!

Sophia's experience:

The Eastern Zones Netball, a great experience. Although I’ve only been twice, it was fun as always! I was glad that I was able to make it there because my back had been sore for a while but luckily it healed before it was too late! It was tiring afterwards as four games it was too much. Even the day after that my body was still sore!

Selma's experience:

I loved the Eastern Zones Netball because it was a new experience for me because I have never gone to Eastern Zones Netball. I was excited because I play netball and it is one of my favorite sports. So we all got sorted into teams of seven or eight. My team was the first to play we played four game. I saw lots of my friends from other schools. I would definitely do Eastern Zones Netball again.

By Selma and Sophia (Kea Class)

Golden Opportunity

The school has received storage-lunch boxes which we will be selling for a gold coin donation. 

Please bring your coins to the Office and see Yvonne if you would like to make a purchase.

St Catherine's College Invitation to Prospective Parents

You are warmly welcome to a morning tea on Friday 31 May from 10.30-11.30am.

Hosted by students; meet the Principal and Staff; view the facilities. Meet at St Catherine's College office and rsvp to office@scc.school.nz by 28 May or phn 939 8988


Yummy Sticker Promotion 2019

The Yummy Sticker promotion has kicked off again for this year so you can start to collecting Yummy stickers and bag cut-outs from fruit NOW.  The promotion is now in its 22 year and there is another $200,000 available to spend on sports gear for schools. 

The promotion finishes at the end of Term 3 (Friday 27 September), so there is plenty of time to collect as many stickers & bag cut outs as possible.  

Please print off sheets at home to enable you to 'stick labels straight on'.