Newsletter Week Six- Term Two
5 June 2024
Principal's Message
Dear Whanau,
We are now in the second half of the term; isn’t time going so quickly? Saturday was also officially the first day of Winter.
Our recent Kahui Ako Sports and Cultural Day was a success! It was a fantastic opportunity for many of our Year 5 and 6 students to showcase their skills and compete against students from other Catholic Schools. The event was filled with energy and enthusiasm; we are proud of all our participants. Thanks to Jill Dinnis and Shanelle Macashin for preparing us for the day. Thanks also to the many parents who coached, managed, provided transport or came to support our children.
Our chess teams have been on a winning streak, securing first and second place in Taupo last week. The excitement continues as a group of students gear up to travel to Hamilton for a tournament this Thursday. The following week, we are proud to host the Regional Chess Tournament right here at St Mary’s, with several of our students competing. We wish them all the best.
We had a successful Teacher-Only day on Tuesday. ‘Writers’ Toolbox’ facilitated the day, focusing on structured writing in the classrooms.
On Friday, we have a special event, our Sacred Heart Mass. We warmly invite all parents to attend and be part of this significant occasion. Your presence will not only be appreciated but will also strengthen our school community.
Enjoy the week,
David Macmillan
Principal.
Director of Religious Studies
We have a whole School Mass to celebrate the Sacred Heart of Jesus feast this Friday 7th June at 9 am. Please join us if you can. It is so special when our whanau comes along too.
Saint John Paul ll, a great devotee of the Sacred Heart said, “This feast reminds us of the mystery of the love of God for the people of all times.” The Sacred Heart is the actual heart of Christ and displays his love for us all. The symbol of the Sacred Heart is a human heart encircled with a crown of thorns, crowned with a cross, and radiating flames. In images of the Sacred Heart, Jesus points to his Heart. This is to show his eternal love for each one of us.
Well done to all the students who participated in the Sports and Cultural Day at Aquinas College. I enjoyed working with a group preparing for the Role Play. It sounds like everyone had a wonderful day.
I hope you have a wonderful week.
God bless
Lorna Dobson
DRS
Structured Literacy
A little more about the reading brain…
Through specific teaching and learning, we can activate the necessary parts of the brain to develop the reading brain. However, this doesn't mean that all brains learn at the same pace. We must teach our brains to become literate by consciously building a reading network.
When learning to read, our brain makes connections in our speech sound system (phonological awareness), our phonics system (matching sounds to letters), our meaning processing (comprehending what we read), and our letterbox (storing words in long-term memory). We aren't born with the white matter to connect these areas; they must be taught and activated for reading and spelling to take place.
Effective implementation of a Structured Literacy approach draws from elements and principles to support the diverse needs of learners, encompassing the science behind learning to read.
Explicit, systematic and cumulative instruction is the most effective and efficient way for children to be taught to read and spell. Structured Literacy practice, while rooted in a common foundation, allows for adaptable and individualised instruction tailored to optimise learning outcomes for each student.
Next Week: How you can help your child at home....
Hot Chocolate
Thursday 6 June from 8.15am
Bring a can for the St Vinnies Food Bank
Will be available Week 4, Week 6, Week 8 and Week 10.
Special Mention
Mateo competed in the XLR8 swimming competition held in Taupo over the weekend.
In the event 300 kids participated, with clubs mainly from BOP and Waikato, but some also from Auckland and other parts of North Island.
Mateo competed in 8 races, and got PBs in all of them. He got three 3rd places and two second 2nd places. Well done Mateo!!!
Sports Notices
ALL SPORTS FEES ARE NOW DUE, PLEASE PAY ASAP
Netball Dresses - Please have these returned by the end of next week.
Photos - Please if you have photos of your sports teams we would love to see them. We use these for our end of year magazine and web pages.
Golf
There is another tournament coming up on the 17th of June at the Lakeview Golf Club. Register online under Golf on our website. Will be taking a max of 36 kids. There are about 5 spots left.
LOCATION: Lakeview Golf Club
DATE: Monday 17th June
Cost: $5 per player
Registrations AND Payment must be received by: 3:00pm Friday 7th of June 2024
Click Here to register.
Rats Junior Duathlon Series - Not a school event but if you would like to register see details below:
Special Mention
Ian competed in 'WTNZ open championship 2024' in Auckland over the long weekend. He applied for Poomsae (pattern) competition as a 10yr old black belt holder. Unfortunately he was told to compete in the 12-14yr blackbelt category as there's no other competitors in blackbelt at his age. Ian placed 3rd in his division and came home with his bronze medal. Well done Ian!!!