Term 2 Week 3 Newsletter #4

To Love/AROHA	To Learn/ĀKO	To Lead/ĀRAHI

St Joseph’s Catholic School

“Excellent Education befitting our Catholic Character”

94 Seddon St Pukekohe 2120

Term 2 Week 3 15 May 2025 Newsletter #4

Principal’s Message

Tena Koutou Katoa Talofa Lava Kamusta Malo e lelei Mauri Malo ni Faka talofa atu Namaste Greetings to all

As we began our second term, we shared our sorrow with Catholics worldwide with the passing of Pope Francis. He was indeed a good man and an advocate for the poor and disadvantaged, the migrant and refugee, and all people of difference. On the first day of term, we held a special school liturgy of remembrance and our classes shared stories and prayed for Pope Francis. Pope Francis had designated 2025 as a year to renew ourselves as “Pilgrims of Hope”. Hope is certainly needed in these uncertain times. We welcome Pope Leo XIV as St Peter’s successor to lead our Catholic Church. He also sounds like he will be an amazing example for us going forward.

It is lovely to see everyone looking very smart in their winter uniforms and back at school engaged in their learning. Welcome to our new students and their whaanau. This term our roll has reached 351, nearly 30 more than at the beginning of the year. This term, we have opened Room 8/Ako RP as an additional Year 2 classroom, and Room 3/Aroha LW is now our Year 0 reception room with all of our Year 1s distributed across three other rooms.

With only nine weeks, this term will race by. Our Year 5&6 students have already been to orienteering and ‘Science in a Van’ has performed at our school. Our Year 0-3 children participated in “The Wonderful World of Bubbles”, while the Year 4-6 discovered “What’s the Matter?” looking at the three states of matter. I know they found the experience interesting and fun.

The winter illnesses are creeping in and we have been sending children home from school. We have also had several teacher absences. Although we are focusing on regular school attendance, please keep your sick child at home to avoid other students and teachers from becoming ill.

Today our children have come to school dressed as Heroes to support our Franklin Hospice. Heroes aren’t just people in capes or with super powers – they’re everyday kids who show kindness and care for others. At our school, we see heroes all the time, and they don’t need special costumes to make a difference. Being a hero is about how you treat people around you. Heroes are helpful and show compassion and understanding. Being a hero at St Joseph’s School is following Jesus’ example by displaying Christian values every day,

Our teaching staff will be joining other Franklin schools on Tuesday 3rd June (the day after King’s Birthday Monday) for a MOE designated Teacher Only Day on the new NZ Curriculum focused on Mathematics. Our school will be closed on this date. As this professional development is off-site, no teachers will be at school. I understand that D’Saints will be open in our school hall (Dublin St entrance). Further information to follow. I am sure you will enjoy a four day break with your whaanau.

Nga manaakitanga ki a koe.

Special Catholic Character

School Assisted Mass
Our first School Assisted Mass is on Sunday the 8th June at the 10am Mass. As it is Pentecost Sunday children are to wear either their school uniform or formal traditional cultural dress. We will be holding a cake stall afterwards to raise funds for our Year 5&6 Camp and ask all families to bring baking ready to sell to support this cause.

School Values Awards

Blake Goldfinch – Arahi – For stepping up and showing leadership in a tricky situation.

Edward Wynne – Arahi – For showing initiative and helping to coach the year 3 and 4 soccer teams.

Hunter Jamieson – Arahi – For showing initiative and helping to coach the year 3 and 4 soccer teams.

Anthony Helu – Arahi – For showing initiative and helping to coach the year 3 and 4 soccer teams.

Jonny Eyton Fa’afiu – Aroha – For reflecting Christ’s love through kindness and compassion towards others.

Reuben D’Souza – Aroha – For being a friend. Reuben displays the virtues of kindness and compassion.

Ava Farrell – Aroha & Arahi – Ava displays kindness and hospitality when helping in the Breakfast Club.

Leanne Domingo – Arahi & Aroha –Showing arahi and aroha by translating for a classmate, showing empathy, responsibility and kindness.

Key Dates

Term 2 Key Dates

Please note these dates are subject to change For further dates see calendars on the website at: www.stjosephs.co.nz or the eTAP app

School Board

SCHOOL POLICIES

A link to our school policies can be found on our school website or through www.schooldocs.co.nz

Go to www.schooldocs.co.nz/
Click Search for your school
Start typing the school’s name (St Joseph’s School Pukekohe) and then select it from the dropdown list.
Enter the community username: stjosephspukekohe and password: mission.

SchoolDocs Term 2 Policy Review:

In Term 2, the Board, staff and community are asked to review the following policies: Planning and Preparing for Emergencies, Disasters, and Crises (board), Communication During an Emergency, Disaster, or Crisis (board), Emergency Closure (board), Emergency Management, Disaster Management, Crisis Management.

If you would like to contact the Board directly at any time, please do so through our email address schoolboard@stjosephs.co.nz

EDUCATION REVIEW OFFICE (ERO) PARENT AND WHAANAU SURVEY

Researchers at the Education Review Office (ERO) are doing some research about school attendance. They want to hear your thoughts about what makes a difference.

Please help by clicking on this survey link: Parent and Whānau Survey

2026 COHORT ENTRY ENROLMENT (for Year 0/1) CONSULTATION

We are currently seeking feedback from our whānau, staff, and the community of local preschools on the proposed implementation of a Cohort Entry Policy at St Joseph’s School Pukekohe.

What is Cohort Entry?

Cohort entry allows new entrants to start school in groups at specific times during the year, rather than individually on or after their fifth birthday. Under this policy, new entrants will start school in cohorts after they have turned five, with two entry points per term: one on the first day of term and one at the mid-point of the term. These dates are set by the Ministry of Education.

Benefits of Cohort Entry

Cohort entry aims to help children settle better into school. Starting as a group at the beginning or mid-point of the term allows for a consistent and progressive induction process, rather than repeating the induction multiple times throughout the term. This ensures that all children receive the same information and support simultaneously, fostering a sense of community and teamwork.

Research indicates that starting school alongside peers helps children build relationships and support a smoother transition into school life. It also enables teachers to better address the social and emotional needs of children as they adjust to a new environment.

Schools that have adopted cohort entry report that it provides children with the best start to their school journey. It reduces disruptions for new entrant teachers, who can prepare for groups of children arriving on specific dates rather than individually throughout the year (referred to as Continuous Entry).

We Value Your Feedback

We invite you to share your thoughts on the proposed change to our New Entrant Enrolment Process.

Please submit your feedback to principal@stjosephs.co.nz by 12pm on Monday 9th June.

We will inform you of the outcome of this consultation in Term 3.

St Joseph’s School Pukekohe Development Trust

We are looking for parents to join our St Joseph’s School Development Trust.

You do need to have an understanding of property, finance, business, and/or law.

Please register your interest with our principal Ursula Hall. principal@stjosephs.co.nz

The St Joseph’s Development Trust will meet at 6:00 pm on Wednesday 11 June in the boardroom.

At St Joseph’s, we know that regular school attendance is essential for every child’s learning and success. This year, as part of our annual plan, we are placing a strong emphasis on attendance, aligning with the government’s priority to ensure students are at school and engaged in learning. Our goal is for 80% of our students to attend school at least 90% of the time. Research shows that children who attend school consistently make better progress academically and socially. Every day counts—missing just one day a fortnight can add up to a month of lost learning each year. We encourage whānau to prioritise attendance, ensuring that children develop strong routines, build friendships, and make the most of their learning opportunities. Let’s work together to give our tamariki the best possible start to their education.

The percentage of ākonga attending school regularly during Term 1 (attending more than 90%, an average of 9 days a fortnight) = 75% (09/05/25). Our average daily attendance was 93%.

In Term 1, 26% of children were regularly late to school i.e. 88 students were arriving at school after 8:45 am.

School Notices / Upcoming Events

School Start Time

Students are expected to be at school by 8:30 am. Teachers are not in class until 8:15 am.

Any children who come to school earlier than 8:15 are not supervised.

Parents, you need to ensure your child is at school by 8:30 every day. Thank you.

Second-Hand Uniform Shop

The Second-hand uniform shop is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays 2:30 – 3:00 pm

All students should now be in winter uniform. Some prices have been updated. We are limiting purchases to 1 item of each article of clothing per child, per term.

New items can be purchased from The Uniform Shoppe on Glasgow Road, Pukekohe.

Understanding Your Child’s Learning

As you may be aware the Ministry of Education has released a new “Parent Portal” where you can find practical videos, activities and resources to support your child’s learning. You can access it here.

https://www.education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/understand-your-childs-learning/new-zealand-curriculum-year-by-year-learning-guide

Celebrations

Aroha

In Aroha we are settling into the start of Term 2 very nicely and we have enjoyed the science in a van visit where we saw some amazing experiments with bubbles! We will be exploring science some more later in the term and this show was a good indicator that we will enjoy our next concept topic. Sign Language Week last week was enjoyed by the junior team and some of the children have loved communicating with each other through simple signs. The children who moved into the Year 1 classes from Mrs Wallace and Mrs Wilcox are thriving in their new classrooms and there are some wonderful friendships blossoming.

Ako

In Ako we have started the new term welcoming a new teacher and a reshuffle of our classrooms. We have settled into our new classrooms wonderfully and have enjoyed getting to know our new classmates. We enjoyed watching and learning with Science in a Van all about bubbles and mixtures. This has supported our science learning with the Year 2 tamariki focussing on Eggs and the Year 3 tamariki learning about Milk. We have had a lot of fun predicting and experimenting and seeing what the chemical changes are.

Arahi

Our Year 4 – 6 team attended the Science in a Van presentation. Students enjoyed learning about states of matter through experiments and discussions. This links in with our current concept topic term.

We have had a busy start to the term. Last Tuesday, our Year 5 and 6 students participated in an Orienteering practice at the Colin Lawrie fields. This was a great day, enhancing our map-reading skills, independence and fitness.

Easter Liturgy on Wednesday, April 30th, led by the Year 5 class, created a wonderful start to the term, filled with the joyful sounds of “The Stones are Rolled Away” and “Sing for Joy Now, Jesus is Alive!” The liturgy served as a time to remember the core of the Easter story: Jesus’ resurrection and the hope it signifies for the world.

The “flowering of the cross” was a poignant moment, symbolising the transformation of death and sorrow into life and beauty. As flowers were offered, the community remembered the living Jesus and the new life he brings to everyone.

Community Notices

D’Saints Care

Dear Parents/Caregivers, just a reminder that D’Saints Care will be open on the Franklin Schools Teacher Only Day, Tuesday 3rd June. There are two options for hours of care.

(Short day – 8:00 am – 3:00 pm and long day 8:00 am – 6:00 pm).

Bookings are open now and spaces are limited.

Please contact Vivian if you have any questions, Ph: 022 4669041 Email: dsaintsosc@gmail.com

Preparing for Infectious Diseases This Winter

A message from Te Whatu Ora (Ministry of Health)

As an education provider, schools play a key role in keeping our community safe. This may include promoting preventative measures and supporting the management of infectious disease outbreaks on your premises, or among tamariki, ākonga, and kaimahi. Going to school every day is important for all school aged tamariki, helping to build their confidence and social skills, and to achieve their education and life ambitions.

The best way for your ākonga to stay well and in school is for them to be up to date with their immunisations. Schools and ECEs can encourage their community to check their immunisation status at My Health Record.

Information on where you can get immunised is available at Book My Vaccine, which now includes many pharmacies. Guidance for parents on when it is ok to send an unwell child to school or when they need to see a health professional is available from info.health. Guidance for schools in the Northern Region on how to prepare for, and help to prevent outbreaks is available from TeWhatuOra.govt.nz, including info about infectious diseases such as measles and pertussis (whooping cough).

Click here to unsubscribe.

Call us on 09 238 7745

Email us at stjoesoffice@stjosephs.co.nz

94 Seddon St Pukekohe 2120

Contact Us

Term Dates 2025