Welcome

A very warm welcome to Mebeamariam Terefi and her family who started in Kiwi Class last week. We are delighted that you have joined our school, Mebea and wish you all the best for an excellent start to your education.

If you know of anyone who is interested in starting at St Anthony's this year, or in 2020, please encourage them to download the enrolment forms from our website http://www.stants.school.nz/enrolment or contact the school office as early as possible to ensure the best chance of attending our School.

Junior Block Renovation Progress

We are really excited about the progress of the Junior Block Renovation and the latest photos are included below. The breakout rooms are taking shape and oven appliances have been purchased so that there are cooking facilities in our school. Unfortunately, the completion date has been pushed out a couple of weeks due to a large section of the roof needing replacing. There will be an update to the community at the beginning of next term as to when the latest 'moving back in' date will be. We are really pleased that the children are enjoying their temporary environments so much in the meantime!

End of Term

Next week, Jeannine Winton will be on leave overseas and Denise Whiteley is kindly teaching Hoiho Class. We wish Jeannine a wonderful trip to Europe with her daughter, Holly and we are grateful to Denise for teaching the class in her absence.

Next Thursday 26 September at 1pm, End of Term Report comments will be released on LINC-ED. Thank you to the teachers for the great amount of time and effort that they put into writing the comments. We hope you and your child enjoy reading about the wonderful progress and achievement they have been making this term. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact your child's teacher.

As this is the End of Term 3 newsletter, this is my final newsletter as Principal. I look forward to seeing you at the End of Term Assembly next Friday 27 September at 1.45pm in the Church. If you are unable to attend, please come to the office next week as I would love to have the opportunity to say goodbye to you.

Ngā manaakitanga

Jennifer Ioannou

PRINCIPAL

The role of the Board of Trustees

The concepts of governance and management can sometimes be difficult to come to grips with, so we thought it would be useful to share with the community what the role of the Board of Trustees is. The primary objective of the Board of Trustees is to make sure that every student at the school is able to reach their highest possible standard in educational achievement. In order to stay focused on its primary objective, the board must be proactive and fully take on its governance roles and responsibilities as part of the school leadership team together with the principal, who is responsible for the day to day control and management of the school. The board is responsible for the “what” and the principal is responsible for the “how”. 

Thank you to the families who provided feedback via the St Anthony’s School Whānau Survey. This will form an important part of our planning “the what” in the table above.

Principal Update

We are continuing with our recruitment process of a new principal for St Anthony’s. You may have seen in our previous communications that our current Deputy Principal, Denise Johnson, has been appointed to the role of Acting Principal from Term 4 until a new principal is appointed. This is a role that Denise has previously filled successfully at St Anthony’s School.

To farewell our current Principal, Jennifer Ioannou, the Board will be attending the special assembly on the last day of term, Friday 27 September and we hope to see as many of you there as possible. If you would like to donate towards Jen's leaving gift please see Yvonne at the school office by the end of Friday 20 September.

Grandparents' Mass

Join us on Friday 25 October at 9am for our Grandparents' Mass. We will also use this opportunity to have a pōwhiri to welcome our new families. Invitations will be sent out next week with more details so please look out for these. 

Mercy Day

Next Tuesday 24 September, the Sisters of Mercy and people all around the world celebrate Mercy Day. This is the day where Catherine McAuley first opened the House of Mercy in Ireland. As we are a Mercy School we will be taking part in the celebrations by having special activities at school. 

Faith Reflection

“Only faith can guarantee the blessings that we hope for, or prove the existence of the realities that at present remain unseen.” [Hebrews, 11:1]  This statement, written before the end of the first century, is relevant in our own time when nothing less than certainty is expected.

As privacy becomes more and more threatened through the invasion of social media, and transparency is demanded of every institution in the wake of much mismanagement and dishonesty, the feeling that we have a right to everything, and that nothing should be hidden, is pervasive.

Yet, every discovery or revelation opens up further questions.  The mysteries surrounding life – notably the basics: What am I here for and where am I going? – cannot be penetrated by any amount of human science and thought.

Perhaps we should pay more attention to faith.  It is the gift of a loving God to ease the frustration of doubt and enable us to rest in the security that real love offers.  Faith doesn’t oppose certainty; it is the God-given backup for those who accept they are only human and cannot know all the answers.

This afternoon (Thursday 19 September), our five House Leaders led P.E. activities for the students. Thank you to our wonderful House leaders for their excellent planning, effort and leadership with organising End of Term fun for their Houses on a beautiful Wellington sunny day! 

This week we hear from our Year 8 student, Summer Hood.

Introduction

Hello... I’m Summer Hood I have two brothers called Koby (10) & Bailey (20) (they didn't come to this school). I am 12 years old and I'm a Year 8. I'm in Veronica House and deputy House leader! I'm in Tui class which is based in He Atawhai Block.

Favourite subject

My favourite subject is art because I can express what I can do through pictures. I think that art is important because you can express yourself in a unique way...you can do what you love! For me, art lets me be creative in a special way.

When I’m not at school I like...

In my own time, I like to watch T.V. with my family-movies mostly. I also love going shopping with my friends because they are honest if they don't like the clothing I wear! I love spending time with my parents alone as it's special and sometimes I hang out with my dad and other times I like to go shopping with mum. When I get the chance I go horse riding because I absolutely love horses to death.

I like coming to St Anthony’s because…

I like to come to St Anthony’s because it’s a small school and for me it doesn't feel too crowded…the vibe is really positive and I recommend people to come here when I can.

Movie Night Fundraiser

A big thank you to everyone who sold and bought raffle tickets and who attended our Downton Abbey movie night fundraiser which was a great night out. Your support is much appreciated. 

We were very fortunate to have our raffle prizes donated from these businesses:

Bongusto, Bed Bath and Beyond, Chipmunks Lyall Bay, Chocolate Frog Café, Commonsense Kilbirnie, Countdown Kilbirnie, Craig’s Chemist, Donna Williams Massage Therapy, Fix and Fogg, Floriade, Habit gym, Hataitai Osteopaths, Mind Body Freedom, MJ Motors, New World Miramar, Noel Leeming Lyall Bay, Pak n Save Kilbirnie, Roxy Cinema, Salon 91, Strathmore Butchery, Strathmore Pharmacy, Supreme Coffee, The Children’s Book Shop, Unichem Miramar, Wellington Chocolate Factory and Whittaker’s.

Please thank these businesses and support them when you can.

Our gratitude also to the organising committee: Miriama Williams, Vanessa Monahan, Donna Williams, Amanda Burke, Kirsten Bouras, and Anna Kempton.  Thank you for your hard work.

We raised approximately $2000 which will go towards upgrading the playground for our years 6 to 8 students.

Congratulations to our raffle winners:

1st - Vonda Cummings

2nd - Jacinta Handscomb

3rd - Beatrice Foschetti

4th - Emma Mulhern

5th - Leaso Tavoi

Friday 27 September

Sushi 

Thanks to our fabulous parent lunch heroes Natasha Thompson & Tala Nuuuli-Lene. Our Year 6 helpers are Petra Bouras & Glenys Keresi, thanks guys!

Please ensure the correct amount is given. Payment received over and above the required amount will be considered a donation to FOSA. Please also remember to put money and order in a clear plastic bag.

Lunch Order sheets can be printed off from the forms below:

2019_Order_Forms_Term_3.pdf

2019_Order_Forms_Term_3 _pdf 294.87 KB

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.

ONLY  1 MORE WEEK LEFT to collect YUMMY STICKERS & LABELS

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

Miramar Softball Club

Summer is nearly here and we are looking for players to join us in playing Tball/Softball this season. We are inviting kids of all ages and abilities to come and give it a go on Sunday 22 September at 10am at the Polo Grounds, Miramar. Season registrations can be completed through our website, https://www.sporty.co.nz/miramarsoftball/Online-Registration-Form

If you have enquiries, contact: miramarjuniors@gmail.com or Natalie 021 889 383.

Maranui Surf Life Saving Club - Club Open Day

Summer is approaching, so now is the time to register with Maranui Surf Life Saving Club. Junior Surf is a great way for children to make friends, be active and enjoy the beach in a safe environment. Come along to our Registration and Club Open Day on Sunday 22 September 11am-1pm. See what’s happening at the club this season, meet coaches, lifeguards and athletes, have a look around the surf clubhouse, ask questions, and if conditions allow have a go. Information on junior surf, Lifeguard sport and becoming a lifeguard will be available. You'll be so impressed you can even register on the day. We look forward to seeing you all. Or join Maranui SLSC today at www.maranui.co.nz/how-to-join.html and check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/MaranuiSLSC

School Holiday Camps for Young Writers and Illustrators.
"Write like an Author" is an internationally acclaimed writing course that teaches young writers the skills and techniques that professional authors use to create their stories. During the camp, each participant will develop and write an original creative story under the guidance of well-known author and writing coach Maria Gill.

"Draw Like an Illustrator" is our concurrent illustration course that teaches young artists the skills and techniques that professional illustrators use. The presenter is Fifi Colston.

The camps will be held at Raroa Intermediate during the school holidays, starting on Tuesday 8 October and running until Thursday 10 October 2019.

The writing camp is ideal for young people who have a dream of becoming a published author or anyone who wants to improve their writing skills. The illustration camp offers the same opportunity to young artists. The camps are non-residential, and run from 9am to 4pm each day. The number of places on the camp is strictly limited. Websites are www.writelikeanauthor.com & www.drawlikeanillustrator.com.

Wellington Harrier Children's Athletic Club

The Wellington Harriers children's athletics programme resumes on Saturday 12th October 2019. Our club days are held at the Newtown Park athletic track on Saturdays mornings from 11.30am-1 pm. Activities on club days will cover a range of traditional events such as long jump, high jump,  shot put, discus, sprints, hurdles, middle distance, and race walking. Alongside this, we will also be doing a run jump throw program which teaches children athletic skills through fun athletic games.

We also offer a “Get Set, Go” program for ages 4 - 6 years. This is made up of fun games based around running, jumping and throwing activities. (Please note for children aged 4- 6 the programme is for 1 hour). To sign up please click on the link below or for more information please contact: Julie Richards email:  juliemaerdy@yahoo.co.uk mobile: 0212959026 https://www.sporty.co.nz/whacjuniors/How-to-Join-1/How-to-Join

Cricket - ESJCC

Summer is coming! Come and play cricket with your mates for Eastern Suburbs Junior Cricket Club. You can register online now at www.eastsjuniorcricket.co.nz Alternatively come to Kilbirnie Park clubrooms on Saturday 28 September between 10am - midday to register in person. Girls-only and mixed boys and girls teams. 

Fun-filled Rhythmic Gymnastics Holiday Programme

Elements Rhythmic Gymnastics in Kelburn is running a holiday programme for boys and girls in the second week of the October school holidays.  Rhythmic gymnastics teaches co-ordination through apparatus handling (balls, rope, ribbon, hoop, clubs), flexibility, gymnastics skills and dance.  This program is suitable for complete beginners wanting to give Rhythmic a go as well as more experienced gymnasts. Our qualified coaches are first aid certified.

Short days from 9am-3pm are $45, Long days 8am-5pm are $55. For more info and to register go to www.rhythmicgym.nz or email info@rhythmicgym.nz

Capital E Presents Patch Theatre Company's Mr McGee & the Biting Flea

Suitable for children aged 2-7 years, Mr McGee and the Biting Flea shows children how stories can be told beyond a book In the theatre they'll experience the anticipation of a live show and will explore worlds of ducklings, cows, monsters and fleas! 15 & 16 October, 15 18 & 19 November at The Hannah Playhouse, Cambridge Tce. Book now on 913 3742 or capitalebookings@experiencewellington.org.nz 

Nanny / Childcare Available

Hi, I am Karen Fong and provide local childcare in the Eastern Suburbs and surrounding area. My nannying services are becoming available from October 2019. I have just under 2 years experience as a nanny. I also hold a full clean drivers licence. My nanny services include picking your children up from school and taking them to their activities, preparing dinner, and light housework duti­es. ​I am available for 20 hours or more work per week at $25 per hour.​ If you are interested please contact me on kevkarfong@gmail.com