Term 4 Week 9 4 December 2025 Newsletter #12
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Tena Koutou Katoa Talofa Lava Kamusta Malo e lelei Mauri Malo ni Faka talofa atu Namaste Greetings to all
It’s hard to believe we are already nearing the end of another school year—this year seems to have flown by! The warmer weather has been a real treat, meaning our children have been able to make good use of the swimming pool, and it is truly lovely to hear their laughter and enjoyment.
A major highlight was the successful three-day camp attended by our Year 5 & 6 students at Totara Springs, Matamata, during Week 7. This fantastic EOTC event was organised by Tiana Farrell and supported by teachers Nicole Sarginson and Jenni Logan. We were incredibly grateful to Patricia Roberts for stepping in at the last minute when a teacher was unwell. We must also extend our thanks to our amazing camp parents and our wider community for supporting the fundraising that made this memorable event affordable for every child. I am sure this will become a favourite school memory for them all.
Following this, we celebrated our Year 6 graduation event in the school hall last night. This was a lovely evening for the tamariki and their parents. The Year 6 tamariki were presented with their graduation certificates, and we are so grateful for the support of the PTA and Year 5 parents, who beautifully decorated the hall and prepared a special meal. Special thanks go to our DP, Robin Burns, who coordinated this memorable occasion.
Week 10 is certainly busy! On Tuesday, we look forward to hosting our Parent-Helper morning—tea an important opportunity for our staff to show appreciation for the gift of time and service our parents have given over the year. Thank you for all you do to support us. I also want to sincerely acknowledge all of our staff, both teachers and support staff, who consistently go above and beyond their job descriptions, fulfilling their vocation to ensure your tamariki have the best possible school experience.
Next Thursday evening, we invite you to join us for our whānau picnic and Christmas carols; a lovely occasion to celebrate our year together during the Advent season. Our youngest Aroha students are preparing to dress as shepherds, kings, and angels to re-enact the nativity scene, and I hope to see you all there.
Our annual prize-giving will be held next Friday at 11:30 am. While some children will receive prizes for special achievements, we want to acknowledge that all our ākōnga have made progress and shown success in a variety of ways over the year, as every child is blessed and precious. Please note that school reports and 2026 placement letters will be sent home next Friday afternoon.
The End-of-Year School Mass will then be held at 1:00 pm on Tuesday, 16 December, where our Year 6 students will receive their leavers’ gift. A Christian Living Award will be presented to a child in each kaitiaki roopu, and we will announce this year’s prestigious St Joseph’s Award recipient.
Finally, I want to thank all the parents of our Year 6 students for their generous support and their contribution to the success of many events over their time with us. Some of our families are saying their final goodbyes after a significant association with St Joseph’s, and we want you to know that we have deeply valued these relationships. We wish all of you the very best for the future and hope you will continue to be a friend of our school. If you no longer have a use for your child’s school uniform, we would warmly welcome its donation to our second-hand uniform shop to benefit other whānau.
Our school year finishes on Wednesday, 17 December, at 1:15 pm. Please ensure your children are collected by 1:30 pm, as our office will be closed and supervision will not be available after this time. We wish you all a peaceful and safe summer holiday full of special family moments. God bless you and watch over you always.
Nga manaakitanga ki a koe.
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Special Catholic Character
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School Values Awards
Robin Falo – Aroha and Arahi
For knowing that a friend in your class needed support when she crossed the road without a parent. You showed love and leadership by coming to the office to get help.
Clark Lopes Irwin – Ako
Your academic achievement has been outstanding this year. We are so proud of you.
John Ramoni and Keira Murray – Aroha
for always helping their friends and classmates with whatever they need help with
Ashwin Sunil Kumar, Jaden Silverio, Devyn Concepcion, Dhyan Chirayath Jayesh – Arahi & Aroha
for being patient and understanding when things didn’t go to plan during their camp activity.
George Kneebone, Lachlan Farrell, Henry Kenny, Isaac Creasy – Aroha & Arahi
for showing great sportsmanship and patience when playing a class game of cricket by helping, showing and encouraging those who did not know how to play. Ka pai
Oliver Burton – Arahi
for demonstrating great responsibility when he noticed iPads that were not packed away and did the right thing by bringing them inside to a teacher. Well done for leading by example and looking out for others!
End of Year Mass
We are celebrating the wonderful year that was 2025 as well as farewelling our Year 6 Graduates. Everyone is welcome to join us at 1pm on Tuesday 16th December at St Patrick’s Pukekohe. To help support our Parish Christmas Appeal we ask all families to contribute a non-perishable food item. These can be brought into school over the next two weeks and handed in to your child’s classroom teacher.
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Term 4 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
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SCHOOL POLICIES
SchoolDocs: In Term 4, the Board, staff and community are asked to review the following policies: Bullying and Harassment (board), Behaviour Management (board), Minimising Physical Restraint (board), Searches, Surrender, and Retention of Property, Stand-down, Suspension, and Exclusion, and Staff Wellbeing and Safety.
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.
Thank you to our school community for participating in our triennial board elections.
If you would like to contact the Board directly at any time, please do so through our email address schoolboard@stjosephs.co.nz
Our next School Board Meeting is 7:00 pm Wednesday 10th December at 7.00pm
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At St Joseph’s, we know that regular school attendance is essential for every child’s learning and success.
Our goal is for 80% of our students to attend school at least 90% of the time.
We aim to have at least 80% of children attending school regularly.
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School Notices / Upcoming Events
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Term Dates 2026
Term 1 – Tuesday 3rd February – Thursday 2nd April
Term 2 – Monday 20th April – Friday 3rd July
Term 3 – Monday 20th July – Friday 25th September
Term 4 – Monday 12th October – Tuesday 15th December
Please email the office if your children are taking a holiday during the school term. stjoesoffice@stjosephs.co.nz
School Attendance Dues
Attendance Dues for the year should now be paid in full.
ASB account: 12-3023-0338374-01 ref: student’s name
These can also be paid at the school office by eftpos or cash.
Thank you to the families who have made the effort to get their dues paid.
When making a payment, please help us by telling us what you are paying for.
Ref: Student’s name / Particulars – What payment is for.
The Catholic Character Contribution is a voluntary contribution forwarded to the Catholic Education Services Board. The St Joseph’s Development Trust Contribution is a voluntary contribution which the Trust is extremely grateful to receive. This is used in our school for improvements to our site and facilities. Both of these voluntary contributions are tax-deductible
School Start Time
Students are expected to be at school by 8:30 am. Teachers are not in class until 8:15 am. Parents, you need to ensure your child is at school by 8:30 every day. Thank you. Please note that any children who arrive at school before 8:15 are not supervised. Some children are arriving at school before 8:00 am!
Book Amnesty
We are about to start our annual stocktake of school resources. Please ensure that your child/children return all borrowed books to school. It is unfortunate that every year, many of our school readers and library books go missing, so check under the bed, behind the sofa or on a shelf. We would love to have these returned, no questions asked.
Second-Hand Uniform Shop
The Second-hand uniform shop is open on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons 2:30 – 3:00 pm. We are limiting purchases to 1 item of each article of clothing per child, per term. All students should now be in their summer uniform. The secondhand uniform shop will be open on Wednesday 28th January 2026 10am-2pm.
New items can be purchased from The Uniform Shoppe on Glasgow Road, Pukekohe
Health and Safety Update
Information to share with parents, caregivers and your communities about the Measles Outbreak in New Zealand.
- Measles is circulating and is very contagious. There have been cases throughout New Zealand and there is expected to be more.
- Watch out for symptoms – fever, cough, runny nose, sore eyes, and a blotchy rash:
Measles – Health New Zealand
- Anyone with measles symptoms must stay at home and should seek urgent advice by ringing their doctor or Healthline on 0800 611 116.
- Anyone who is closely exposed to a measles case must stay at home. Heath New Zealand will provide individuals with advice on a case-by-case basis (including when they can leave quarantine at home).
- Health New Zealand is actively working with the schools that currently have measles cases.
- People are considered immune to measles after having 2 doses of a measles vaccine from 12 months or older, or if you have had measles before. For more information on measles immunity visit the Health NZ website. Measles immunity – Health New Zealand
- Encourage families and whānau to check their own and their child/childrens’ immunisation status through My Health Record:
My Health Record – Health New Zealand
- Anyone born between 1969-2004 may have only received one vaccine dose and might not be fully protected. It’s safe to get extra doses. A free vaccine can be booked online or via the vaccination helpline on 0800 28 29 26.
Book my vaccine – Health New Zealand
Cybersafety
Please consider signing up to the Qustodio Parent App (free through our school portal).
As a parent or caregiver at St Joseph’s, you have free access to Qustodio, a parental control tool that helps you monitor and guide your child’s online activity, and an online safety hub with digital safety advice.
Click here to access the St Joseph’s School Online Safety Hub
About halfway down the front page, you will find the section for Qustodio. If you would like to create a free account, you need to use the link from the St Joseph’s School Online Safety Hub.
Qustodio allows you to:
- Filter content and apps
- Monitor activity
- Set time limits
- Locate family
- Track calls and SMS
- Receive reports, alerts & SOS
You will only have access to Qustodio while you have a child attending St Joseph’s School, and for as long as we are able to include this as part of our Linewize subscription.
If you have any questions or issues regarding your Qustodio account, please contact their support team – myschool@qustodio.com
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Aroha
We have had many special visitors this term, including the Fire Brigade, St John, the Police, and a Dental Nurse. Each of them came to school to help teach us about their important roles in our community. This linked to our concept for the term, Economic World and created a real buzz of excitement in our classrooms. Students have enjoyed rich conversations and have shown great enthusiasm as they shared what they have learned. These experiences have helped students make meaningful connections between classroom learning and the real world.
Ako
During this term, Ako has been learning about the Economic World. We focussed on Trade for the Common Good and looked at how we could be part of the Common Good. We worked hard and made a range of products which we will sell at a Christmas market on the carols evening, 11th December. All the money raised will go to MissionNZ to help those less fortunate than ourselves.
Ako Piano Concert
Yesterday, all of Ako had the privilege of attending a piano concert performed by some of our wonderful Ako pianists. We were lucky enough to hear songs like Jingle Bells, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Silent Night and many more! They were wonderful, and we are so proud of their dedication and hard work! Tino pai!
Arahi
In Week 7, our Year 5 and 6 students had an amazing time at the Totara Springs Camp in Matamata! Students tackled a wide range of thrilling activities, including Archery, Slug Guns, Rock Climbing, Water Slides, and more. The children were absolutely outstanding, showing great enthusiasm and resilience throughout the entire adventure. A big thank you to all the parents who attended and helped make the camp an unforgettable experience for everyone!
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PTA/Friends of St Joseph’s School Notices
If you are interested in sponsoring or helping our fair in any way please contact
us at pta@stjosephs.co.nz
St Ignatius enrolments for 2027 opened on Monday 1st September for current Year 5 students going into Year 7 in 2027. Applications close at 9am, Friday 20th February 2026.
Please see their website for details https://www.ignatius.school.nz/admissions
 
   
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Sign up for Raumati Reads!
Raumati Reads is a free, fun summer reading challenge for primary school aged children that will help them maintain their reading levels over the summer break. It’s a must-do for the school holidays offering free events and activities at local libraries across Tāmaki Makaurau, with great prizes to be won.
Tamariki and their whānau can register from Saturday 6 December at their local Auckland Libraries branch to begin the challenge, which runs until Sunday 1 February. Stay tuned to https://www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/ for all you need to know!
Experience the Magic of Enchanted Christmas!
Auckland’s newest festive wonderland is lighting up Teed Street! (Newmarket)
Stroll through 240+ themed trees, twinkling lights, immersive Christmas scenes – and enjoy private time with Santa or the Grinch.
Use our school’s code at checkout for 10% off tickets and 10% back to our school!
Book now: www.enchantedchristmas.co.nz
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