Principal’s Piece
Kia Ora Koutou
Matariki hunga, Matariki ahunga nui
Matariki has many admirers, Matariki brings us together
This morning we had a wonderful Matariki celebration that brought our school community together. It was great to see so many parents and grandparents on our school site to be a part of this special event. The students really enjoyed taking part in games and activities as well as having soup and fried bread. They also enjoyed sharing their musical and Kapa Haka performances. My special thanks to the Cultural Committee and PTFA for the work they have done behind the scenes to make this day a success.
To mark our first Matariki public holiday the school has planted a tree and a special carving has been created by Mr Lake. I hope that you too are able to mark this occasion in a special way with your families this Friday when school is closed . We look forward to hearing the stories when the students return to school on Monday.
This week we have started to have our mid year Learning Conversations across the school. The Learning Conversation provides a great opportunity to spend time with the teachers to discuss the learning so far this year. If you would like to book an appointment for the next round of Learning Conversations on Tuesday 5 July please follow the details below.
Tomorrow at Water World our senior school will have their annual Swimming Sports. The swimming sports were postponed from Term 1 due to Covid 19 going through our senior classes. Swimming Sports is a great opportunity for many of our students to use their talents. I wish all those students that are taking part in the pool tomorrow all the best. My thanks to the staff that have made this event possible and to the parents who have given up their time to help out.
Kia manaaki te Atua koutou katoa
Grant Stuart
Tumuaki / Principal
Gospel Reflection
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Cycle C
Sunday, June 19, 2022
Gospel Reading
Luke 9:11b-17
They all ate and were satisfied.
Background on the Gospel Reading
Today, the second Sunday after Pentecost, we celebrate a second solemnity, which marks our return to Ordinary Time. Today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. At one time, this day was called Corpus Christi, Latin for “the Body of Christ.” In the most recent revision of the liturgy, the name for this day is expanded to be a more complete reflection of our Eucharistic theology.
The feeding of the 5,000 is the only one of Jesus' miracles to appear in all four Gospels. Luke places it between Herod's question, “Who is this about whom I hear such things?” and Peter's response to Jesus' question about who he thought Jesus was: “You are the Messiah of God.” In Luke the feeding is not the result of Jesus' compassion for the crowd but is instigated by the disciples. They wanted Jesus to send the crowd away to town. Instead Jesus tells the disciples to give them some food on their own.
The passage is meant to remind us of two feedings in the Old Testament: the feeding of the Israelites in the desert and Elisha's feeding of 100 people with 20 loaves in 2 Kings 4:42-44. It is also connected to the institution of the Eucharist. As in the Last Supper accounts in Matthew, Mark, and Luke and in Paul's account in 1 Corinthians 11:23-24, Jesus takes bread, looks up to heaven, blesses the bread, breaks it, and then gives it to the disciples. In using this exact language, Luke is reminding his readers that in this miracle Jesus is doing more than feeding hungry people as God did for the Israelites and the prophet Elisha did as well. The bread he gives is his body, which he will continue to give as often as the community breaks bread in remembrance of him in the Eucharist.
Filipino Celebration
In an initiative led by parents from our Cultural Committee, the Filipino community in St. Joseph's celebrated the 124th Philippine Independence Day on Sunday June 12, 2022. This commemorated the country’s independence from the Spanish rule of more than 300 years. The celebration started with the Philippine national anthem and a prayer to bless the Filipino delicacies that each family brought in.
The children, with the assistance of their parents, drew and painted a canvas of the Philippine flag, which they were able to take home as a token of celebrating the event.
Of course, the program will not be complete without Filipino games. The children had a go at
Piko or our version of hopscotch. It’s a popular street game that can be played by two or more players. A diagram is divided into sections, drawn on the ground with usually chalk or charcoal. A player throws a “pamato” which can be a stone or small cap, to the first box, then hops from section to section. On the way back, the player picks up the “pamato” and hops back to the base.
Dads took a shot at playing “Sipa” (kick in English). Historically Sipa can be considered as the national sport and is very popular among street games. It is made of a washer, a metal stud with a hole in the middle, usually covered with colorful straw. Thrown up in the air and then kicked repeatedly with the heel or elbow. Definitely a battle of sipa control for the grown ups!!
With the joint efforts of our 11 Filipino families, not only were we able to commemorate this national event, but we also built friendship with new families. It's so great to know that the Filipino community in SJF is growing!
COVID 19 - Update
We still have some students showing symptoms of Covid 19 and a number of these children are testing positive. If this is the case with your child, please let us know.
Please email the Principal directly: g.stuart@stjosephs.school.nz or ring (07) 855 5434.
All students who return a positive test result, and their household contacts, need to self-isolate for 7 days, then they are able to return to school provided they are symptom free.
Before and After School Care 2022
Here is the link to find out more details and to enrol for Term Two:
Contact Us
Email: admin@stjosephs.school.nz
Website: https://www.stjosephs.school.nz
Location: St Joseph's Catholic School, Fairfield Clarkin Road, Fairfield, Hamilton, New Zealand
Phone: +64 7-855 5434
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/St-Josephs-Fairfield-Hamilton-155139431353445/