2020 School Stationery - 'MySchool'
As in previous years, your child/ren’s stationery order will be available for purchase and payment online via ‘MySchool'. Full composite class stationery lists are available below.  You can elect to purchase all or any of the items for your child for the year, depending on what has been returned and available to re-use. Parents/caregivers can also elect to order now, pay later and get the stationery delivered to home for a small fee at a time when it is convenient. There is also the option of going into the store and purchasing stationery there (Victoria Street).

There are also benefits from the 'MySchool' extra payment options in their annual December Parent Promotion.  One, you avoid the last minute rush in January, two, you can order online in December and choose when to pay - and when they deliver, and three, you will also receive a FREE A5 Magnetic shopping list & menu planner!

Flyers have already been sent home explaining this offer, however if you require another hard copy please see the office.

No holiday worries and no back to school hurries!

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

Dear St Anthony’s School Community

It has been an honour to work at St Anthony’s School and assist your children to be the best they can be.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time leading St Anthony’s over the last four years. St Ant’s offers your children an exceptional education and I feel privileged to have been able to contribute to this.

It is now time for me to take my rich experience and joy of leadership and education to Samuel Marsden where I will be the Director of Primary.

I have been blessed by the community that is our school. I thank the Board for their unfailing strong leadership as well as support and faith in me; the teachers for their commitment and love for quality education - every day it is a joy to work with such dedicated and capable staff who are completely committed to doing their absolute best for the students of St Anthony’s; whānau for their support and partnership; and the students for being the best they can be and the shining light of St Anthony’s School.

I will always keep St Ants as a special place in my heart and will never forget the experiences I’ve had here. I look forward to connecting with you all over the remainder of the term, prior to my departure on the final day of Term 3.

I’d like to leave you with a special quote: “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” Walt Disney

Small School; Strong Spirit


Ngā manaakitanga

Jennifer Ioannou

PRINCIPAL

Important Board Update: Jennifer Ioannou

We shared the news with our community on 29 August that our Principal, Jennifer Ioannou, has resigned and she will leave St Anthony’s at the end of Term 3 on Friday 27 September http://www.stants.school.nz/news/2019/8/28/important-board-update-jennifer-ioannou. We congratulate Jennifer on her appointment as Director of Primary at Samuel Marsden Collegiate School and wish her well in her new position. During her 4 years as Principal, Jennifer has provided dynamic, committed and professional leadership for our children, the teaching staff and the wider school community.  In the coming weeks we will celebrate her success as Principal of St Anthony’s School.

With change comes opportunity. The Board has started a recruitment process and is committed to finding an exceptional new Principal with the skill, passion and faith to lead our School to an exciting new future. The Board will ensure a rigorous selection process to secure a talented leader who will build on Jennifer’s legacy and guide the school through the next stage of its development. We will provide a further update once the recruitment process is more advanced.  In the meantime, please take this opportunity to join us in thanking Jennifer for her significant contribution to the school.

St Anthony's School Whānau Survey

If you have already completed the survey thanks! If you have not yet completed the survey please do so before Friday. Your responses are confidential – we do not ask you to include your name and the results will be shared as grouped data only. Teachers, staff and Board of Trustees will use the survey responses to help plan for the 2020 school year and beyond. Click on the link: http://st-anthonys.whaanauaug19.sgizmo.com/s3/ Paper copies are also available at the office, and can be sent home on request.

Social Justice Week

Next week is Social Justice Week the focus is Fair you say? Seeking justice in an unfair world. The students will be exploring how being fair means treating people as fellow human beings born of God. As well as how fairness and justice are closely linked but they are not the same as equality. They will learn how we can all bring about fairness and justice through our daily actions. By being fair at school and at home by the words we use and the way we treat people we can do this. 

Faith Reflection

Planning for the future is considered wise business policy; setting a programme for yourself in order to achieve a particular goal is also a good idea.  People invest time, energy and finance into anticipating – and hoping for – the future high cost of a product or resource. Unfortunately, concern about what might, could or should happen, can leave you not appreciating what you now have.

Jesus tells of the person who had more than enough but built bigger barns to store away even more for a comfortable future.  Then he died before he could enjoy it. Sometimes our planning is too much about ourselves. Then it’s easy to forget that we are really here for one another, not just to help ourselves.  We can also forget that nothing we have or achieve is without the help of others, and that our life is surrounded and supported by gifts such as light and air, colour and landscape, family and friends.

Here’s a saying that’s worth reflecting on: Look not back in anger, nor forward in fear; but around, in awareness.

In Week 6, Tui Class headed down to Teapot Valley Christian Camp in Nelson where we took part in different activities. This year, we were also joined by Holy Cross Miramar and together we had an amazing time! The camp is definitely one of the best parts of being in Tui Class and here’s a little snapshot of our great time!

Tuesday was an exciting day for all of us as we were going to do a variety of different and challenging activities; our first rotation was archery. We were handed a large wooden bow and taught how to shoot one of the thin plastic arrows on a target. 

The technique we used was to position your pointer and index fingers so that the arrow was between them and then to pull back the string as far as you could go! It felt like it would snap but we found out that it was actually quite flexible! Lots of children scored a bullseye. However, lots of arrows accidentally shot into the banks below and above the targets as well!  Our next rotation was the low ropes and confidence course. Some classmates found it really easy but some also found it challenging. There was a variety of obstacles such as tyre ropes, beams, and wires in which we had to balance on. When we had all had a go, we held a race, the fastest time we had was 14 seconds to complete the course. 

After that, we had morning tea- scones, cream, and jam. Then we were back into it doing abseiling. There was a tall wooden tower that we had to climb up before standing over the edge of the abseiling wall and walking down backwards in a harness. Lots of us conquered our fears and also felt incredibly proud of ourselves. This is just a taster of what we experienced during the days and of course, the nights offered even more fun, adrenaline, and challenge - but we need to keep some of this secret so the next group can enjoy it as much as we did!

Another highlight of this week was our day at Rainbow Ski Field. The temperature started off at 0 °C and ended at 12°C. After being equipped with our ski’s, snowboards, and helmets, we all had an hour and a half of being taught by the professionals. Once we had learned the basics, we were free to do what we wanted. A few of us got onto the intermediate slope which was steeper and a bit more complex than the learner's slopes, and only a couple of people got onto the advanced slopes which were steeper way longer and a lot more complex. At the end of the day, we all had a great time and learned a lot. 

The food was delicious at camp and we had a variety of different options, which suited everybody. 

Overall, we all had an amazing time!

Name: Yvonne Small

Position: Office Manager

Tell us a little about your journey
After a years’ Polytechnic course and 3 years working in Wellington as an EA/Secretary, I travelled to the UK for my OE. Based in London, I ended up staying, working (meeting my future husband) and travelling around Europe for the next 6½ years. Coming home, via Africa and Australia, we ended up in Christchurch for 6 months before deciding that Wellington would be our city of choice to “get a mortgage and raise a family”.  Since then, I’ve always worked part time in administrative roles.

What do you like most about your job?
The variety of duties that comes with the role; everything from being the ’first point of contact’ to communications officer, nurse, financial operator, travel co-ordinator, purchasing & supplies officer, clerk, bookings officer, secretary, etc., etc.

What is the best advice you have ever received?
I received two – “no matter what, keep smiling” and “never look back”. 

If you weren’t in Education administration, what other career would interest you?
Something that involved travel and/or hospitality, whether it be in an organisational capacity or a practical one.

What part of your job do you find the most challenging?
Prioritising – there’s always something to do…..

What do you like most about your job? 

The variety of the job and the different and ever changing relationships between staff, students, parents and community.

School Lunches

Friday 13 September

Pizza

Thanks to our fabulous parent lunch heroes Cilla Sukha & Simone Meech. Our Year 6 helpers are Liam Balogh & Chloe Blades, thanks guys!

In the playground, a small silver medallion which has great sentimental value.

If anyone finds this medallion, please hand into the school office.

ONLY  3 MORE WEEKS LEFT to collect YUMMY STICKERS & LABELS

The Yummy Sticker promotion finishes at the end of Term 3, so we really need as many stickers & bag cut outs as possible.  

Please print off sheets at home to enable you to 'stick labels straight on', or please pick up hard copies in the school office (see Yvonne).

Please hand in all stickets & bag labels sheets to the office by Wednesday 25 September.