Newsletter - 11 April 2025

Due to Easter falling in the holidays the school celebrated washing of the feet Liturgy led by the students and Fr Tony this followed Jesus' example, we had a representative from each class, and a member of the teaching staff. As Palm Sunday approaches, let's take a moment to think about Jesus' journey to the cross. This is a time to remember the incredible love and sacrifice He showed. By reading the scripture and imagining ourselves in the scene, we can reflect on how we might have reacted if we were there.

Jesus faced false accusations and chose to stay silent, trusting in God's plan. His example teaches us about faith and resilience. When we feel scared or powerless, we can remember that Jesus invites us to join Him in His suffering, giving us the strength to face our own challenges.

Here are some questions to think about and discuss as a family:

Can you remember a time when someone you know was unfairly accused?
Have you ever been blamed for something you didn’t do?
Did you wish someone would speak up for you and defend you?

Wishing you all peace and a deeper understanding of Jesus' love and sacrifice this Palm Sunday.

We've had a busy few weeks as we wrap up Term 1, and I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for their support during my transition as principal. Your encouragement has been invaluable.

Today, we celebrated the achievements of our Junior and Senior swimmers who excelled in our recent swimming event. Their dedication, hard work, and perseverance in the pool have truly shone through. Each swimmer demonstrated remarkable skill and sportsmanship, making us incredibly proud. We look forward to seeing their continued success and growth in future competitions.

I also had the pleasure of handing out Principal Awards to students who have shown outstanding commitment, persistence, and engagement in all aspects of school life. Congratulations to all the awardees!

A heartfelt thank you to the entire St Michael's community for your incredible support in collecting Easter eggs for the Monte Celica Housing Trust. Your generosity will bring joy to many young people this Easter Sunday.

Last Wednesday, our "Hoods Up, Volume Down" event raised an impressive $435.50 for Autism NZ. This is a fantastic effort, and Autism NZ expressed their heartfelt gratitude for our school's generous donation. Thank you to everyone who participated and contributed to this meaningful cause!

Wishing you all a safe and restful term break. Reminder, we have a TOD on Monday 28 April, I will see all the children back at school on Tuesday, April 29th!

Staff Graduation

A big "Congratulations" to Miss Price and Miss Jones who officially graduated this week. We wish you all God's blessings in your teaching journey.

Below are a few important notices:

Kathy Harding - Amazing Opportunity

We are delighted to invite you to an engaging and insightful presentation by Kathy Harding at St Michael’s Catholic School.

Event Details:
Date: 5 May 2025
Time: Doors open at 5:30 PM, Presentation starts at 6:00 PM
Venue: School Hall

About Kathy Harding:
Kathy Harding is a highly respected speaker, educator, and advocate for mental well-being and resilience. With years of experience working with families, schools, and communities, she is passionate about helping parents and children develop strategies for emotional strength, happiness, and balance. Her expertise in neuroscience, psychology, and practical well-being techniques has made her a sought-after speaker at conferences and workshops across the country.

What You’ll Learn:

✔️ Understanding the neuroscience of resilience and how it affects children and parents
✔️ Simple daily tips and tricks to build mental well-being and emotional strength
✔️ Key factors influencing happiness and well-being in today’s fast-paced world
✔️ Addressing the real challenges of social media and phone use on mental health

This is a FREE event, but seats are limited. Please secure your spot by reserving a free ticket on Kindo. We highly encourage all parents to attend this valuable session.

MCHT Easter Egg House Competition

We are thrilled to announce that the school collected a remarkable total of 596 Easter eggs! This outstanding effort is a testament to the kindness and community spirit of everyone involved.

Here are the final results of the competition:

Mackillop: 174 eggs
Patrick: 170 eggs
Pompallier: 151 eggs
Cluny: 101 eggs

Congratulations to Mackillop for collecting the most eggs!

Once again, thank you all for your incredible support and participation. Your contributions will make a significant difference in the lives of many young people.

Term 2-Winter School Uniform Update

As we move into Term 2 and Term 3, please ensure that students are wearing the winter uniform. Due to an increase in manufacturing costs, the St Michael’s school jacket is now priced at $105.50. Students have the option to wear either the school woollen jumper/cardigan (which is being phased out) or the school jacket in class.

Please refrain from sending your child to school with non-branded clothing if they are cold. Only school beanies are permitted at school. Additionally, track pants are available for winter sports.

School shoes must be black leather with laces, velcro or buckles or sport shoes which are totally blacked out, no colour on the shoe. For more details on the correct uniform and the full price list, please visit the school website.

Road Patrol

Road patrol on Bassett Rd is managed in the mornings from approximately 8:35 to 8:50 am, depending on the punctuality of our senior road patrol leaders. If you drop your child off outside of these times, please be prepared to assist them in crossing the road safely.

In the afternoons, road patrol is conducted just before the end of the school day. Please note that teachers strive to ensure both students and themselves are on time for this duty.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Calendar on Website

Please be aware there has been a change to the website calendar earlier this term which is now linked to our school google calendar. All the main events etc are placed on this calendar. This calendar is live and is updated when needed. At the end of each newsletter the Important dates for the month are also highlighted. Link below:
https://www.smcs.school.nz/calendars/2-calendar

Manaaki ki te Atua,

Vincenza Golding

Principal Tumuaki

Yesterday we had the washing of the feet liturgy where Father Tony, Mrs Golding and Mrs Capon followed Jesus' example and washed the feet of a representative from each class, and a member of the teaching staff.

Jesus said: “I, your Lord and Teacher, have just washed your feet. You, then, should wash one another’s feet”. It is no accident that this act of service used water. Water has a lot of significance for the Catholic Church. For example, the water added to the wine in preparation for our celebration of the Eucharist, symbolises humanity while the wine signifies the blood of Christ. When the two are mixed we are made one with Christ.
Wishing you all a very blessed Easter.

Next term in Religious Education, the whole school theme will be Te Atua - God. Father Tony joined the staff on Monday to unpack the theological knowledge of our Term 2 theme Te Atua-God.

God is understood in the Catholic faith to be a unity of three ‘persons’ – the Trinity. The three ‘persons’, as expressed in the Sign of the Cross, are God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit. These three form a dynamic relationship of overflowing creative and sacrificial love. The purpose of human beings is to live in this loving relationship with God and live out this love in their human relationships.

Young people will develop an understanding of what the Church teaches about God in terms of the nature and persons of the Trinity, and God’s relationship with humanity and all of creation.

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 and will help you support your child with their RE learning in Term 2.

March 2025 Retreat Information for Parents from the Sisters of St Joseph Aotearoa New Zealand

APRIL

REFLECTION DAY on Creation and the Incarnation (Part 1)

Date: Saturday 12April; 10am - 1pm
Venue: Meeting Room
Facilitator: Ann Neven rsj
From: “An Astonishing Secret” – by Daniel O’Leary Session One – Love Changes Everything

This is an opportunity to reflect on an aspect of Fr Daniel O’Leary’s book, An Astonishing Secret. He helps us to look anew at the story of Creation and Incarnation as a story of God’s unconditional love for us.

CARD-CRAFTING WORKSHOP with Fun, Fellowship & Creativity

Date: Saturday 26 April; 10am - 3pm To Be Confirmed
Venue: Meeting Room
Facilitator: Meg Hills rsj

This workshop is for those who have a small degree of experience in card-making. It provides an opportunity to design and create a variety of handcrafted all-occasion cards that recipients will treasure. All materials are supplied. A maximum of eight people can attend this workshop.

REFLECTIVE EVENING: Pilgrims of Hope

Date: Tuesday 6 May; 7pm
Venue: Chapel Leader Jill McLoughlin rsj

2025 is a Year of Jubilee! “For all of us, may the Jubilee be an opportunity to be renewed in hope.” Pope Francis

Hope is transformative. It widens our vision and fills our hearts, inspires our imagination and creativity, strengthens our resolve and helps us to live differently. Come along for an evening of reflection on the call to be pilgrims of hope.

Science Curriculum

We are excited to share some updates regarding Science at St Michael’s in Term 2. Students will be studying the following topics:

Years 1 and 2: Sound - An inquiry into how sound is produced and travels.

Years 3 and 4: Light - An inquiry into sources of light and the effects of heat and light on Earth.

Years 5 and 6: Flight - An inquiry into flight and the forces that affect it.

These inquiries have been created by our Inquiry Team, with valuable input from a science specialist. We look forward to exploring these units with our learners next term! Please click on the link to learn more about the Wonder Project Rocket Challenge: https://wonderproject.nz/programmes/rocket-challenge/.

In addition, all Year 5 and 6 students will be participating in the Wonder Project Rocket Challenge, an initiative led by Engineering New Zealand. The children will be working alongside an Ambassador (engineer) so that they can be provided with the best learning experience. The students follow the engineering process to design, modify, and launch their own rockets. We look forward to sharing the results with you.

Math Wizard Tournament

St Michael's Catholic School participated for the first time in the Maths Wizard Tournament a nationwide competition hosted by the NZ Math Foundation with over 60 participating schools. On Saturday 5 April 2025, 45 students from Years 3 to 6 qualified to represent at the Final Round of the Math Wizard Tournament. We are so proud of our students' involvement and success in this competition.

Congratulations to Veronique Itoh's outstanding achievement in winning the overall Math Wizard Tournament for the Year 6-8 year group. Veronique achieved remarkable results, correctly scoring 98 out of 100 questions in just 10 minutes.

Upcoming Chess Power Tournaments for 2025

Participating in chess tournaments offers schools a range of valuable benefits that go beyond the chessboard. It enhances the school’s reputation by showcasing a commitment to academic excellence and holistic education.

Success in competitions brings positive recognition and builds pride among students, staff, and the wider community. Chess also supports intellectual development, boosting students’ critical thinking, focus, and problem-solving skills—attributes that often lead to stronger academic outcomes.

Additionally, tournament participation fosters a sense of teamwork and school spirit, while providing unique leadership and mentorship opportunities for staff. Altogether, chess tournaments contribute to a vibrant, achievement-oriented school culture.

The Checkmate Challenge

The checkmate challenge is an online team event that your students can play in over the internet from school. If you are interested in signing up, please email Mrs Vincenza Golding directly at v.golding@smcs.school.nz. The event is held every month on a Thursday from 11am - 2pm. Your school can qualify directly for Nationals through the Checkmate Challenge. You can find out more about the next checkmate challenge here https://www.chesspower.co.nz/event/379108.

The Auckland Regionals
This year and beyond we are running two Auckland Regional events each year, one in Term 2, and another in Term 3. School teams must be a minimum of 4 students and can be up to a maximum of 8 students or any number between. If you are interested in signing up, please email Mrs Vincenza Golding directly at v.golding@smcs.school.nz.

The Sarapu Cup

The Sarapu Cup is an individual event open to all players ages 4 to 18 inclusive. Held once a month on Sundays from 1pm - 5:30pm. Parents register directly. The next Central Auckland Sarapu Cup is on Sunday 18 May. Here is the link for parents to register https://www.chesspower.co.nz/event/379024.

You can find all events Chess Power runs on our events calendar https://www.chesspower.co.nz/page/events.

Gardening Club News

Jim's Super Luffa gardening Competition was to guess the number of Luffas on the vine. Closest guesses were Margy (Rm10) and Nicholas (Rm4). A special prize for best original artwork for Emily L (rm4). All received gardening gloves. Well done!

Room 6 Religious Education Artwork for Easter

Kia ora St Michael’s families,

Easter “Egg” Hunt held on 9th April 2025

With Easter fast approaching, we thought it would be fun to put on our bunny ears and surprise all the kids with a quick hunt for special tokens that they could exchange for some treats! All the treats given to the children on Wednesday were generously donated by a few St Michael’s families who wanted to remain anonymous. Please accept our thanks on behalf of all the children.

Of course, the day wouldn’t have been possible without the help of some volunteers to pack these treats up and on the day - big thanks to you too, we hope you saw how happy and excited the kids were that afternoon! View Photos below.

All about Events at the next PTA Meeting & Date Change

Our next PTA meeting is now on Tuesday, 6th May 2025, 7.00pm in the Staff Room. It will be a meeting talking about some of the key events. Please come along and join us if you are interested to help or be part of the committee for these events:

Overview of the Grandparents Day from the Event Lead
High level discussion of the Quiz Night/Mid Winter Event planned for June
High level discussion of the Disco/Spring Picnic Event planned for September
If time allows, St Michael’s Food & Cultural Festival in November

After this meeting, we are hoping to form subcommittees for each event so planning and organising for these events can start. If you can’t come

Please note that although there will be an online link for this meeting, you will only be able to listen in to the meeting as the meeting space is not set up to do online interactions well. You will still be able to provide your feedback via the chat option or email us after the meeting separately if you prefer. Please RSVP to ptasmcs@gmail.com so that we make sure to expect you and/or send you a link to the meeting or a copy of our minutes to you after the meeting.

Scholastic Book Fair

We are looking for volunteers to help be in the shop for the week of 19th May to 23rd May 2025. Typically when you are in the shop, you will be expected to use the Eftpos machine for book sale, and take book orders from children when needed. You can see the options that are available to help here: volunteersignup.org/PXLQD.

Grandparents/Special Person Day - 23rd May 2025

The PTA will be supporting the school’s Grandparents Day by providing morning tea. We need your help to make this event a special day for the special people in our children’s lives! You can see what help is needed and sign up here: volunteersignup.org/98KBM.

To help with catering for the event, please RSVP via MyKindo. If you would like to donate some money towards the morning tea, options are available for this too.

More information about the Grandparents/Special Persons day will be provided in the next PTA meeting.

Pizza Fridays

A few parents have told us that the scheduling of the Pizza Fridays have worked well. Thank you for that. We will also be putting the Pizza Friday schedule on the PTA Notice Board so that you can refer to this from time to time.

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 on 4th April and 11th April:

Barnes (Rm05 and Rm09)
Beny (Rm07)
Black (Rm08)
Bonus (Rm10)
Fougere (Rm08)
Franks (Rm06)
Frogoso (Rm04 and Rm07)
Gatmaitan (Rm09)

A reminder for families scheduled on pizza/ice block duty on Fridays between 12.30pm to 1.30pm in the first two weeks of Term 2. If you are unable to attend, please try and find someone else to fill your spot or email ptasmcs@gmail.com:

2nd May:

George (Rm09)
Giblin (Rm03)
Helsby (Rm04, Rm05 and Rm08)
Hibberd (Rm07)

9th May:

Gollop (Rm10)
Gomez Iglesias (Rm06)
Gray (Rm05)
Ha (Rm09)

Pie instead of Pasta in Term 2

For your information, from Term 2, the pasta lunch option for Mondays will be replaced with Pies. There will be posters around the school about this change from the supplier of the pies.