St Francis Xavier Catholic School

Transcription

1 St Francis Xavier Catholic School To Love, To Learn and To Serve Kia Aroha, Kia Akona, Kia Aro Atu No. 8 Thursday 18th May, 2017 Tena koutou katoa. Dear Parents, Caregivers and Friends of the school, At the Mother s Day liturgy on Friday we listened to students sharing their stories, reflections and the things they love about their mums. We also listened to a fabulous speech by Mrs Angela Pool about how she feels about being a mum. Parenting is a challenging job and there are very few opportunities to have a practice before you begin to take on a hugely rewarding but at times challenging role. I recall an article by John Cowan that is published on the Parenting Place web site and John says Some parents wonder what they are supposed to be in their home are they the sergeant major, maintenance man, the entertainment officer, the in-house ATM machine? The role that best describes parents is coach. We realise that as our kids head off into their lives we won t be able to run onto the field with them, but we can train up their skills to do well. At Tuesday night s Board of Trustee meeting we discussed the early timing of intermediate school Open Days. In the opinion of Mrs Jakicevich and myself, we sometimes see Year 6 students who suddenly become unsettled, because they believe that they are too big for primary school or their peers are considering moving to other schools. There are a couple of points I would like to suggest that might help you navigate the transition from primary to intermediate school. 1. You are the parent. You decide the education for your child. Not their peers. 2. By all means attend the Open Days but consider carefully whether or not you take your child. They will, in all likelihood, get another chance at a later date. 3. Consider carefully the type of education you want for your child, academically, spiritually, emotionally and physically. Fr Chris Martin Our thoughts and prayers are with Fr Chris this week as his dear mother passed away on Tuesday. Eternal rest, grant unto her O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace. Craig McKernan Principal Room 17 Wool Request Room 17 have a knitting project planned, knitting blankets for the elderly. If you have any spare skeins of wool to donate please send them to Room 17. Address: 1 Percy Street, Whangarei Phone: Cellphone: Office Manager: office@sfx.school.nz Website: sfx.school.nz

2 Religious Education FAITH FACT Two more Saints for the Church - Celebrating Mass last week on May 13th, the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima and the 100th anniversary of the date when Our Lady of Fatima appeared to three young children, Pope Francis canonised two of the three young shepherds, Jacinta and Francisco Marto. In announcing their canonisation back in March, Pope Francis said we must all listen attentively to the Mother of God and ask for peace in our world. Chopper Appeal and Caritas Mufti Mania Days Thank you very much, we raised $ for our local rescue helicopter! Our next mufti day this term, is on Friday 09 th June with the gold coin donation going towards Caritas Mufti Mania. This year we are supporting Nawi Catholic Primary School in Fiji. This will help provide the school with solar power and books for their library. Family Masses Our next Family Mass will be on Sunday 28th May at 10am. Kauri Whanau (Rooms 1, 2, 3, 4 & 7) will be participating in the Mass. We hope to see you there! Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus School Mass You are warmly invited to come and join us in celebrating the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, on Friday 23 rd June at 1:30pm, with a Mass. Faith Alive The Family/Whanau book that you can use to support the Religious Education programme can be accessed by this site You can download the Whanau book by clicking Families. Pastoral Care Basket A reminder about our Pastoral Care basket that is situated underneath the statue of Mary, in the school office area. Non-perishable food items placed in this basket goes towards a family in need, in our community. Yours in Christ Maria Wilson DRS Director of Religious Studies FROM THE FAMILY WORKER Never see a need without doing something about it Thank you to those who have offered to cook a meal for families in need. The meals are always appreciated. If you are able to add your name to the list then text me. Second-hand uniforms The donations paid to the office for the second-hand uniforms go towards the pastoral care needs of families. If your family is going through difficult times please don't hesitate to contact me so you can get the support you need. Wishing you and your families every blessing this term. Liz Beazley Family Worker PH:

3 Holy Baptism Invitation St Francis Xavier Parish and St Francis Xavier Catholic School would like to invite our older children, aged seven years and over, to be part of a school-based Baptism programme this term. Baptism is the first Sacrament of the Catholic Church and it leads to all the other Sacraments. There will be a series of three preparation sessions starting on Wednesday 31st May at 8.45am in the school staffroom. The next two dates will be Wednesday 14th and Wednesday the 21st June. There is an expectation that at least one parent or caregiver will attend the sessions with their child. Mrs Jakicevich and Parish Priest Father Chris Martin sm, will host the sessions which take about 45 minutes each. The children will be baptised on a Sunday later this year, when the three sessions have been completed. Invitations have been sent home with students aged seven years or older who, according to our records, have not received the Sacrament of Baptism. You may register your child for the programme at the school office or by contacting myself (Mrs Jakicevich) glenys@sfx.school.nz or phone I am also happy to answer any questions regarding any aspect of Baptism or the other Sacraments of the church. Also, please contact the school office if: You received an invitation but your child has been baptised. (We may need to adjust your preference criteria.) If your child is aged seven years or older, you did not receive an invitation and you would like to register them for the Baptism Programme. Once the children are baptised, they will be able to go on and join the Sacramental programme later in the year which includes Confirmation and First Holy Communion. Mrs Jakicevich Deputy Principal SCHOOL ATTENDANCE DUES SPONSORSHIP SCHEME The Attendance Dues Sponsorship Scheme - has been created to assist families who may need financial support with the payment of attendance dues, for students attending Catholic schools in Auckland Diocese, both primary and secondary. The purpose of the sponsorship scheme is to allow parents or caregivers facing financial hardship another option to seek relief where they may be reluctant to approach their school for help. The existing financial hardship scheme operated by your school is also available to parents or caregivers facing hardship and we do encourage families facing financial difficulties to please contact your school Office Manager, Deborah Rudolph. Application forms are available from school and parish offices, or can be down-loaded from the Catholic Schools Office Website: (go to Property and Finance / Finance / Attendance Dues) If you have any queries or require assistance with the payment of attendance dues under the sponsorship scheme, you are invited to phone in confidence, Carol Krebs (Ph ) at the Auckland Diocese office. Applications to the sponsorship scheme for 2017 attendance dues will be accepted by the Auckland Common Fund Ltd up to November 2017.

4 PTFA NEWS Good afternoon Parents and Caregivers, I trust you have had a happy start to Term 2. A special welcome to all our new students and their families. The PTFA Committee had a successful AGM last Wednesday evening, at which time the positions of Secretary and Chairperson were filled. It gives me great pleasure to introduce Mrs Kate McKenzie as our new Secretary. Kate and her family returned to NZ in 2016, after living in Perth for several years. While there, Kate was a member of her Parish Playgroup Committee and Parish Council. She was also an active member of the school Parents and Friends Committee and a class rep. We are very fortunate to have Kate on board and we know she will be a valuable member of our team. Having previously stood as Chairperson, I am pleased to take on this role once again. As a teacher and parent at St Francis Xavier Catholic School I believe I am twice blessed! We have some exciting plans for 2017 and I am looking forward to working alongside our staff, management and school community over the coming year. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank Mrs Jo Walker, who continues in her role as our Treasurer. Jo does a fantastic job and was particularly amazing at this year's Gala. We are very lucky to have her and we appreciate all that she brings to this position. Our next meeting is Wednesday 28th June at 7pm in the staffroom. We are a friendly, welcoming group and would love to see some new faces on our dynamic team. If you would like to know more about the PTFA feel free to contact me on God Bless, Mrs Serena Ross Next PTFA Sausage Sizzle Date: 24th May 2017 Cost: $2 Order: Please place your order with the class teacher on the morning of the 24th of May SCHOOL CALENDAR ST FRANCIS XAVIER SCHOOL CALENDARS are still available at the school office, they are now $5 each. Marist Hockey Club Junior Marist Hockey Club desperately need a coach for a D Grade team (7 & 8 year olds). The season is about to start and this team does not have a coach. They train on Wednesdays at 3pm and the games are Saturday mornings. If you think you can help this team please contact Liz Wood Ph:

5 SCHOOL EVENTS Dates and times for events are subject to change. Please check this fortnightly newsletter for any changes. MAY 24 Sausage Sizzle $2 ea - Please place order with class teacher on the day am Family/Whanau Mass, Kauri (Rooms 1, 2, 3, 4 & 7). JUNE 2 School Assembly led by Rimu Whanau, Rms 21, 22, 23 &8 5 QUEEN S BIRTHDAY SCHOOL CLOSED 8 Yr 5 and 6 Winter Tournament. 9 Mufti Day Caritas gold coin donation. 14 6pm Confirmation by Bishop Pat am First Holy Communion. 20 7pm BOT meeting. 21 Sausage Sizzle $2 ea - Please place order with class teacher on the day. 23 1:30pm Feast of the Sacred Heart Mass 28 7pm PTFA Meeting 30 1:30pm School Assembly led by Karaka Whanau Rms 20, 19, 18 & Reports sent home. JULY 4 1:30-6pm Triadic Interviews. 5 1:30-6pm Triadic Interviews. 7 2:50pm Term 2 ends. Term Dates for 2017 Term Two: 1st May to 7th July Term Three: 24 July to 29 September Term Four: 16 October to 15 December School Timetable 8:45 10:25am Morning session 10: am Morning tea 10.50am 12:30pm Mid-morning session 12:30 1:20pm Lunch break 1:20pm 2:50pm Afternoon session

6 COMMUNITY NOTICES HUANUI COLLEGE Huanui College Open Day, Sunday 28 May. Guided Tours from 1:00 pm. Presentation at 2.30 pm. Phone COLLEGE PRODUCTION - The Little Mermaid, Capitaine Bougainville Theatre 10th and 11th August, 12pm and 6pm. On the 12th August at 2pm and 6pm. Tickets available through Ticketek, $10 per child and $12 per adult. NPH LATIN AMERICAN MARKET Our popular NPH Latin American market is back! Come and enjoy a range of delicious food, great music, arts and crafts from Latin America. Sunday 21 st of May, 2-6pm, Mt Eden War Memorial Hall, Balmoral. Koha/Donation entry to NPH (nph-nz.org), a Catholic organisation helping at-risk, abandoned and orphaned children in Latin America. ASB SCHOOL BANKING PROGRAMME If you wish to join the ASB School Banking Programme please collect an application form from the school office. New and existing ASB customers are welcome. Forms must be completed by the legal parent/guardian of the applicant.