Newsletter 8th February 2022

Warm Pasifika greetings and welcome to the 2022 school year at St Joseph's Catholic School. We especially welcome our new students and whanau. We trust that your time spent with us will be a memorable experience of great growth and learning.

As you all know, Tonga has been devastated by the eruption of Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai and the resulting tsunami. Communications and infrastructure have been severely damaged. There is an urgent need for drinking water, food and shelter.

This Friday 12 February we will be fundraising for the Catholic Tongan relief fund (see poster below for how your family can get invovled)

Students wear red mufti or Tongan traditional clothing and bring a gold coin.

As we joyfully return to school we reconnect and look to our TAONGA as a source of strength, source of identity, source of nurture for ourselves and one another. Our inquiry theme for the term is Taonga, we chose this topic as a way to be KAITIAKI - GUARDIANS of our Taonga which are tangible and non - tangible.

In the first week of school, Our Lady of the Assumption Parish received a TAONGA - Te Ara a Maria which our students have enjoyed viewing and praying in its presence.

Our school has been working with SchoolDocs to create a website for our policies and procedures.

The school works on a subscription basis with SchoolDocs to maintain, update, and review our policies. SchoolDocs provides us with a comprehensive core set of policies, which have been well researched and follow the Ministry of Education National Administration Guidelines. The policies and procedures are tailored to our school, and the school supplies specific information such as our charter, and procedures for behaviour management, reporting to parents, etc.

SchoolDocs updates, modifies, or creates policies in response to changes in legislation or Ministry guidelines, significant events, reviews/requests from our school, and regular reviewing from the SchoolDocs team. Our board of trustees has the opportunity to view changes/additions and comment on them before they are implemented. We will advise you when policies are up for review and how you can take part in the review.

We invite you to visit the site at https://sjs.schooldocs.co.nz (note that there’s no “www.”). Our username is “sjs” and password “mercy”

FAREWELL

Sadly we have farewelled Margaret Lavulavu. Margaret has made considerable contribution to St Joseph's, her students always spoke fondly of her calm, compassionate nature, her love of literacy and music.

Thank you Margaret for all that you have done for our St Joseph 's whanau.

WELCOME

We welcome back Mrs Christine Chauca. Mrs Chauca is well known to many of our students having relieved across all levels of the school. She brings a wealth of experience, and we feel blessed to have her teaching in Room 9.

Many thanks to our parent community for following our protocols so carefully when coming onsite and when collecting our tamariki after school. The car park is a busy spot and we thank you for looking out for all our students while maintaining social distance protocols.

Families are being encouraged to be prepared should they need to self isolate if a family member has COVID. Panadol, cough medicine and throat lozenges are suggested as well as plans around food etc.

Like your family; we have also developed a plan should any of our families need to self isolate. This coming Friday each child will come home with a learning pack of work for you to put aside should such an event happen. We ask that this be kept for this purpose only and not used as additional homework.

Please also note that Distance Learning is still on our school website.

Enrolments are open for children 8 years and older to receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Holy Communion and Confirmation. Please contact Melanie or Michaela @ olotasacramentalprogramme@gmail.com or 021 231 11 85 for more information. Enrolments close Sunday 13 March 2022. No enrolments will be accepted after this date.

Blessed are you, Lord God, Creator of body and mind and heart.

At the beginning of this new school year we implore your mercy: bless our St Joseph's community that together we may grow in faith, hope, and love as we learn from you and each other how to follow your Son Jesus

Amen

Email: admin@sjs.school.nz
Website: http://www.sjs.school.nz/
Location: 125 Church Street, Onehunga, Auckland, New Zealand
Phone: 09 636 8102
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SJSOnehunga