Tēnā koutou katoa St Michael’s Catholic School Community,
In this week’s Gospel Luke 6: 39-45 Jesus says “A good man draws what is good from the store of goodness in his heart; a bad man draws what is bad from the store of badness. For a man’s words flow out of what fills his heart”
We are called to not be judgemental towards another, before we cast judgement on another failings, we firstly examine the intentions of our own heart. This challenges us to draw from the store of goodness dwelling within us.
On Thursday morning, our school community came together for a significant and heartwarming event – our first school mass of the year, coupled with the presentation of leadership badges. This gathering was a wonderful opportunity for us to unite as a faith-filled community, celebrating our shared values and the beginning of a new chapter.
The mass was a beautiful and reflective ceremony, allowing students, staff, and families to connect spiritually and reinforce our commitment to our faith. Following the mass, we proudly presented leadership badges to our newly appointed student leaders. These badges symbolise the trust and responsibility placed upon them to guide and inspire their peers throughout the year.
I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Fr. Tony for celebrating our Mass and Director of Religious Studies, Rebekah Capon, for her dedication and hard work in organising this special occasion. Their efforts ensured that the event was not only meaningful but also memorable for everyone involved.
Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to making this event a success. We look forward to many more gatherings that strengthen our bonds and enrich our school community.
The 2025 Year 6 Leadership roles are as follows:
Student Council Leader: Aaron, Grace, Sophie, Issac and Dominic
Catholic Character Leader: Manu, Andrew, Ella and Michaela
Arts Leader: Suri, Noah, Daniela and My
Digital Leader: Veronique, Maddie, Riley and Matisse House Sports Leader (Cluny): Thomas R. and Louise
House Sports Leader (MacKillop): Augustine and Andrei House Sports Leader (Patrick): Ethan and Thomas E. House Sports Leader (Pompallier): Harry and India Library Leader: Alexander, Lilou, Heidi, Carl and Wilmer Outreach Leader: Adela, Yiku, Joanna and Laila Cultural Leader: Angela, Georgia, Angelo and Athena
Pictured below are our Y6 students wearing their Leadership badges:
Whole School Assembly
Our first whole school assembly of the year will take place on Wednesday, 5 March, from 2pm to 3pm. This special assembly will be led by our Year 6 students and will focus on their recent camp experiences.
We are also excited to introduce changes to our certificate awards. Starting this year, we will be presenting two new certificates at our whole school assemblies. You are welcome to join if you are able, however, we will not be emailing parents of Certificate recipients for these awards.
Value Certificate: For 2025, this certificate will emphasise our school value, “Do your bit,” recognising students who consistently demonstrate this value in their actions and behavior.
Love of Learning Certificate: This certificate will celebrate students who have shown a genuine love for learning. This recognition is not limited to academic achievements but includes any student who displays enthusiasm and passion for learning.
In addition to these new certificates, I will be awarding Principal Certificates at the end of each term to honor outstanding achievements and contributions by our students. Parents will be emailed for these awards.
The Assembly dates are as follows:
Wednesday 5 March - (Whole School Assembly Led by Y6 Students)
Wednesday 26 March - (Whole School Assembly Led by Room 4)
Friday 11 April - Sports Assembly and Principals Awards (last day of term)
We look forward to seeing you at the assembly and celebrating the wonderful accomplishments of our students together!
Parent Teacher Interviews 2025
For 2025 SMCS will have parent interviews in Term 1 and 4 only. Term 1 parent interviews will be held on Monday, 31 March 2025, from 1:30 PM to 7:30 PM.
The Bookings will open Friday 21 March at 9am and will close on Friday 28 March 9am.
Please note that this is a change from 2024 and will be for one night only. We look forward to discussing your child’s progress and achievements with you.
Keeping our Children safe online
In today’s digital age, the internet offers a wealth of educational resources and opportunities for our primary children. However, it also presents various risks that can impact their safety and well-being. Ensuring our children are safe online is crucial to protect them from inappropriate content, cyberbullying, and potential online predators. By teaching them safe online practices and monitoring their internet use, we can help them navigate the digital world responsibly and confidently. Let’s work together at SMCS to create a secure online environment for our young learners, fostering their growth and development in a safe and supportive space.
To support understanding for parents Netsafe is offering a Parent Webinar: Online Safety for Children Under 10 . I encourage you to register. If you are unable to watch it live you will be sent the recording if registered.
Please read details below: 5th March @ 19.00 (30 minutes plus Q&A) Netsafe is hosting a free webinar for parents and whānau on how to support children under 10 to have safe and positive experiences online. Discover practical advice and helpful tools to support your tamariki as they navigate the digital world. The webinar will explore: The opportunities and risks under 10s face online Resources available from Netsafe (including Hector’s World) to help support online safety in the home What to do when things go wrong online Whether you’re seeking reassurance or taking your first steps in learning about online safety, this welcoming and judgment-free webinar is here to support you. There will be plenty of time for Q&A. Register via the link: https://netsafe-org-nz.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Zm5xCPL3Qxy7RLsh5xPKQA
School Parking
For school drop-off and pick-up, the preferred parking area is Bassett Road. Thankyou for all caregivers who have been respectful to our neighbours by avoiding parking across their driveways.
A reminder that the Parish carpark is for drop-off only—please do not park and walk your child into school from this area or park and collect your child at the end of the day.
It becomes very congested, and is currently a safety issue. Please note over the coming weeks the Parish will be installing cameras in this area.
Thank you for your cooperation in ensuring a smooth and respectful parking process for everyone.
Manaaki ki te Atua,
Vincenza Golding
Principal Tumuaki
Director of Religious Studies
Week 4 - DRS Corner
Over the last few years as a school we have been introducing the new national Religious Education curriculum, Titled ‘To Tātou Whakapono – Our Faith’, the new curriculum has been approved by the New Zealand Catholic bishops and is now being fully implemented throughout Catholic schools across the country in Phase 1 (Year 1-3) and is Phase 2 (Year 4-6) is being rolled out this year. This aligns with the revised Maths and Literacy curriculum.
‘The Religious Education curriculum presents a coherent and seamless religious education. There is a greater emphasis on connecting to the lives of children, their spiritual journey, a personal call to holiness – and wholeness – and their role in the mission of the Church.
There are four themes, one theme will be taught each term.
In Term 1 we will be starting with Ā Tātou Whakapapa - Our Story. This also links with our Inquiry.
As part of the new curriculum, there are whanau pages which are an overview of RE learning that term for parents. These pages will be sent home either in hard copy or on the classroom dojo page by the teacher. Look out for these, they are a fabulous resource!
A sample below of prayers you can try at home with your whanau from the new RE Curriculum:
Playing Card Prayers
The four suits in playing cards can act as a prompt for students who want to pray for people and/or situations in their lives.
Each card represents a question.
CLUB – Write something that you are struggling with at the moment.
DIAMOND - What do you value or hold dear in your life?
SPADE – Is there something you feel you need to work at?
HEART – Write something you love or the name or a symbol of someone you love.
Now pray for each of the things you have written. You may like to ask God to bless all that you love and hold dear. Pray also that God will help you in your struggles and in the things that you feel you need to work on.
Reminders:
Next week, Wednesday 5th March at 9:15am we have our Ash Wednesday Mass which begins our Lenten journey. All are welcome to attend.
Sunday 16th March is our first school / Parish mass starting at 10am.This is acompulsory Mass, and all children are expected to be in full school uniform. We will gather in the Parish Centre at 9:40am and teachers will take the children into the Church.
March 2025 Retreat Information for Parents from the Sisters of St Joseph Aotearoa New Zealand
Eamon Butler is offering a reflection morning on the theme: The Humility and Gentleness of Jesus. As we approach Lent this may be helpful as a reminder of what we are all called to. The session will take place on Saturday March 8th from 9.30am until 1pm at Mary MacKillop Centre in Meeting Room 2 (In the main house). Please see the flyer below for more information.
Reporting
New Maths and English Curriculum
As many families will be aware, the New Zealand Curriculum is currently being updated and made available in phases. This year, St Michael’s are implementing the new English curriculumand the Mathematics and Statistics curriculum.
The revised curriculum clearly outlines for schools what to teach, when to teach, and how, based on the science of learning. Changes made reflect the Government’s six educational priorities:
Clearer curriculum
Better approach to literacy and numeracy
Smarter assessment and reporting
Improved teacher training
Stronger learning support
Greater use of data
Last week, our Senior Leadership Team attended professional development regarding the new curriculum. We look forward to using this information to guide our teaching staff to achieve the best outcomes for our learners.
Teacher Only Days
The Ministry of Education has given the staff the opportunity for professional development of the new Maths and English Curriculum.
Our Teacher Only Days will be on the following: Monday23 June 2025 and Thursday 14 August 2025.
Students will need to stay home on these days.
Reporting to Parents
One of the key changes reflected in the new curriculum is that learners are now taught and assessed against their year level, rather than against a curriculum level. The curriculum outlines to learners, families and teachers what progress children need to make each year at school. We believe that this specificity will provide families with the clarity that they need to understand exactly where their child is achieving, and how they can best support their learning.
All of the above means that our reporting to parents, and the reporting timeline, will look quite different this year. We will be updating our reporting template to align with the new curriculum, and will report to parents in Term 2 and Term 4. Parent Teacher Interviews will be held in Term 1 and Term 3.
We will continue to keep you informed about the implementation of the new curriculum, and look forward to sharing highlights of our students’ learning with you this year. If you would like any further information, please click here.
Road Patrol
This week, Constable Gordon came to complete Road Patrol Refresher training with some of our Year 6 students. Next week you will notice a group of our wonderful Year 6 Road Patrol leaders “doing their bit” to keep our school community safe on Bassett Rd in the mornings and afternoons!
It is vital that as adults we also follow the procedures for crossing the road safely. The more our children see us following the road rules, the more likely they are to make good decisions when they are crossing roads independently.
The Road Patrol leaders use the following calls:
“Signs out”
“Check”
“Clear”
“Cross now”
Please ensure that you (and your child/ren) do not step onto the pedestrian crossing until you have heard the final call.
Thank you for supporting our very responsible Year 6 Road Patrol leaders!
In the 'search for your school' box, start typing 'St Michaels' and select 'St Michael's School Remuera'.
Username: smcs Password: mackillop
Select the 'blue' box 'Reviews'
Select the first review topic as pictured above which will open the document
Click the blue box 'start your review'
2025 Sports News/Events
Last Friday 28th February all of our St Michael's students were fortunate enough to participate in a Rippa Rugby taster session with Jess from College Rifles. It was lovely to see so many children engaged and learning new skills which they will be able to transfer into many other sports. We look forward to welcoming Jess back on the 7th March.
Inflatable Football is still available to sign up (user pays) starting next Thursday 6th March. Please see the flyer attached for more details.
2025 Senior Swimming Sports
For the last two Mondays a group of dedicated year 4- 6 swimmers have been attending swim club to give them some additional training in preparation for our annual swimming sports to be held at Sacred Heart School on Thursday 13th March. It's not too late to join, see you Monday at lunchtime!
Parent help is still needed for the senior swimming sports onThursday 13th March, if you can help in any way please email c.bagnall@smcs.school.nz. Thank you to those parents who have already emailed.
2025 Football Season
Ellerslie Football Club REGISTRATIONS ARE OPEN!
We are affiliated with the Tamaki League at Ellerslie Football Club. Register through the club and then you will be allocated to a St Michael's team.
The team started the 2025 season with a great win 14-0 at St Kents for game one.
Our second game we lost 7-6, still a great achievement with only 1 point in it.
Congratulations to our Player of the day Ryder for game 1 and Maddie for game 2.
All our players have started strong with great skills and team work.
Thank you to our parent coach James.
We are looking to add another team to the League for Term 2, more details to come.
SMCS Netball Registration 2025 (Y3 – Y6 students)
If your child is interested in playing netball for SMCS in 2025 please note the following information:
Registrations are open to students in Year 3-6
If you register your child to play for St Michael’s, it is expected that you will attend all games (other than sickness)
You must be able to arrange transport for your child to and from the games.
In addition to weekly games there is typically one weekly training at St Michael’s. The time is usually agreed by consensus within each team.
Games are played on Thursday afternoons at the Auckland Netball Centre in St Johns at either 3.50, 4.50 or 5.50pm. The draw is released weekly, usually on Tuesday.
The season is scheduled to start on 15th May and finish on 11th September 2025
Fees are approximately $95 (TBC) for the season (there may be a small additional cost for umpiring fees in the Year 5/6 grades).
St Michael’s provides uniforms.
St Michael’s relies on parents to coach and manage teams. Each team must have a coach and manager. If no one volunteers to perform these roles then the team will not be able to play.
Year 3 & 4 need to have on-court assistance to assist with, and umpire at each game.
It is recommended that there are only 7 (max 8) players per team in order that each player gets enough game time.
Registrations are on a first come first served basis. Priority is given to students who played the season before.
To register your child please complete the form at the link below before 17th March 2025:
We look forward to another successful season for St Michael’s!
News and Upcoming Events
Hello St Michael’s Families,
Following our AGM on the 18th of February, here’s your new PTA team!
From left to right: Amanda Kennedy (Secretary), Yii Petrus (Co-Chair), Angelic Murray (Co-Chair) & Venus Itoh (Treasurer)
Who are we?
Collectively, we have a range of experiences from running businesses, law, finance, strategy, marketing, philanthropy, event and project management. We have experiences across various sectors, large corporates, medium and small businesses. One of the things that we all have in common is that we are passionate about building a strong, supportive community at St Michael’s.
What we are all about
We value teamwork, openness, and communication. We will put things in place to make sure that we hear you well, consider all ideas, and that our PTA works in the most transparent way possible. We want to provide you with clear updates and information as we continue our shared journey of making St Michael’s the best little community possible.
First, a review…
Before we get started, we will be doing a review. This is just so that we can hear about the community’s experiences of PTA to date, what worked really well and what you would like to see more of in the future. We will also work closely with Mrs Golding, the school board and Father Tony to make sure we are all aligned. Once we have completed our review, we will finalise PTA activities and other roles for 2025. We will share this with you later in March.
This review is just the beginning! With new faces and fresh perspectives, we’re excited to work together to create an environment where everyone feels they can contribute well. The best part? There are plenty of opportunities for YOU to get involved! We can’t wait to see what we accomplish together.
If you have any questions or want to get involved, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at ptasmcs@gmail.com.
Acknowledgements
A huge thank you to Gio and Sam for their outstanding leadership as Co-Chairs of the PTA over the past two years. Their communication, events, and efforts in fostering a strong community have truly made a positive impact. We also want to extend our thanks to everyone who has supported the PTA so far. We look forward to getting to know all of you better in the coming months.
Here’s to new beginnings and an even stronger St Michael’s community!
Movie Night - First 2025 PTA Event
Invite your friends and family, make it a date night or just a fun one. We will be screening the latest Bridget Jones - Mad About The Boy. Tickets are available on myKindo, $30 each. If you are unable to make this but would like to contribute to the PTA, you can also purchase a ticket. The PTA and Mrs Golding would love to see you on Thursday, 6th March 2025 at 7pm.
Pizza Fridays
Please remember to order pizzas for your child(ren) by 9am on Friday mornings to avoid them having no pizza for lunch. Cancellations are also accepted by 9am.
Thank you to the following families for helping with pizza and ice blocks today, 28 February:
Yap (Yiku, Rm09)
Yeung (Rm04 and Rm06)
Wong (Cecilia, Rm08)
Zhou (Rm04)
A reminder for families scheduled on pizza/ice block duty on Fridays between 12.30pm to 1.30pm in the next two weeks:
7 March:
Landers (Rm04 and Rm10)
Na (Rm09)
14 March:
Rocque (Rm06)
Rodrigues Cunha (Rm07)
Rothwell (Rm06)
Sacro (Rm03)
Uniform Shop
The Uniform Shop will be open on every 1st Friday of the month. The next open date is 7th March 2025 at 2.30pm.
HELP NEEDED - Uniform Shop Stocktake
The Uniform Shop needs to do a stocktake to make sure its stock levels are correct. Can you or someone you know come in from 3.00pm to 4.30pm on Friday, 7th March 2025 to help Kathya and her team out? Please email ptasmcs@gmail.com. Thank you!
The next PTA Meeting will be held on Monday 17th March at 7pm (staffroom).
Yii & Angelic
St Michael's Parish News/Events
St Michael's Parish Sacramental Programme 2025
Enrolments are now open for the St Michael's Parish Sacramental Programme 2025. We encourage families of St Michael’s School to get their registration (form, baptism certificate and fee) in ASAP so your place can be confirmed. Places can only be held until 31 March 2025, after which they will be offered to other children.
There can be no exceptions due to large numbers, so please enrol asap to avoid disappointment.
Position Description: Manager, Pleroma Christian Supplies We seek a dedicated and enthusiastic Manager to oversee the daily operations of Pleroma Christian Supplies. The successful candidate will be responsible for managing the store, leading a team of dedicated staff, and fostering a welcoming environment for our customers, online, by phone and face-to-face. If you have a passion for Christian resourcing and a strong desire to serve the community, this is a fantastic opportunity for you.
Receptionist/Administrator – Catholic Social Services, Auckland
Catholic Social Services is looking for a part-time (20 hours - 3 days – hours can be negotiable) Receptionist/Administrator based in Ponsonby. As a faith-based professional service Catholic Social Services provides social work, counselling, out-reach and support to individual people and families.
The successful applicant would be required to provide efficient, effective, and professional reception and administrative services to the team at Catholic Social Services.
For further details please go to our website www.aucklandcatholic.org.nz, Diocesan Services and staff vacancies.
Celebrating our Past Students’ Successes!
We are proud to share the exciting news that several of our former students have been announced as Year 13 prefects at their current schools.
Congratulations to Emily Choi, Ashalena Cordtz, Keira Evans, Hiranya Fernando, Scarlett Hale and Emily Lydon from Baradene College and to Marko Glass, William Harris and Logan Jennings from Sacred Heart College on this wonderful accomplishment!
Being selected for these leadership roles is a significant achievement, reflecting their dedication, positive character and commitment to serving their school communities.
Huge congratulations to Dora Slavich! We are incredibly proud that she has been selected to represent New Zealand in the W16 grade at the European Youth Orienteering Championships in Brno, Czechia, July 17th-21st. Her hard work at Oceania 2025 has paid off, and we couldn't be more happy for her!
We're always delighted to see our former students excel! Your updates on their achievements – academic, sporting, cultural, or personal – help us celebrate their journey and inspire our current students. Please send any stories or updates (photos are welcome too!) to Philippa Barling (p.barling@smcs.school.nz).
Thank you for being part of our supportive and proud community.
Important Dates
Auckland Maritime Museum Trips
All Day
Tuesday 4 March: Rooms 8 and Room 9
Wednesday 5 March: Rooms 2 and Room 3
Thursday 6 March: Rooms 4 and 6
Friday 7 March: Rooms 7 and 10
Becoming Church Info Evening (Hall)
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Lent Begins
All Day
ASH Wednesday - Whole School Mass
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Whole School Assembly (Led by Y6 Students)
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Senior Swimming Sports only @ SHC
All Day
SMCS OPEN DAY for Prospective Families 2025/2026
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Session 1 starts at 9am - 9.45am
Session 2 starts at 10am - 10.45am
Whole School/Parish Mass (followed by M/Tea in the St Mary MacKillop Hall)
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PTA Meeting (staffroom)
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Class Mass - Room 8, 2 & 6
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Junior Swimming Sports at SMCS pool
All Day
Start and Finish times to be advised closer to the time.
