Address: 1 Percy Street, Whangarei 0112. Phone: 09-4371039 Cellphone: 027 2784303 Email: office@sfx.school.nz Website: sfx.school.nz

St Francis Xavier Catholic School

To Love, To Learn and To Serve Kia Aroha, Kia Akona, Kia Aro Atu

No. 13, Thursday 6th August 2015 !

Tena koutou katoa. Good afternoon parents, caregivers and members of our school community. In order to reassure the Proprietor that schools have appropriate systems in place to deliver education with a Catholic Special Character the New Zealand Bishops have put in place a process for review and development. On Monday the 17th of August we will be welcoming Mr Neil Laurensen, Manager of the Catholic Education Services, Mrs Colleen Gleeson, Review and Development Officer, and Mrs Kathryn Carey, Principal of Pompallier Catholic School in Kaitaia, to our school. The reviewers will be visiting us for three days and we welcome this opportunity to share our learning and serving and how we have progressed since our last review. If you see any of the reviewers please say hello and have a chat if you wish. It’s been a busy week at St Francis Xavier Catholic School. A Board meeting on Tuesday night and last night a Maths evening for parents was held. The feedback from parents was very positive. We encourage all parents to avail themselves of these opportunities so that they can better support and assist their children. Next week we have our PTFA meeting on Wednesday 12th of August, you are most welcome to come along. Baptism is the first of seven sacraments and the beginning of a journey of life in the Catholic Church. As Catholics we believe that this is an essential part of a child’s life in that they will be filled with the Holy Spirit. The sacrament is referred to as the “Gateway to life in the Spirit.” This weekend the Parish will be starting the Baptism programme for children. Because Baptism is so special we too are preparing to host a baptism course at school later this year. An invitation will be sent to the parents of children who have yet to be baptised. Further information will be coming to you soon. Have a great fortnight. God bless you all, Craig McKernan (Principal)

The Baptism of Jesus 13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptised by John. 14 But John

tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptised by you, and do you come to me?”

15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all

righteousness.” Then John consented.

16 As soon as Jesus was baptised, he went up out of the water. At that moment

heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting

on him.17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am

well pleased.”

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION Family Masses Our next Family Mass will be on Sunday 23rd August at 10am. Karaka Whanau (Rooms 06, 08,09 & 10) will be participating in the Mass. The invitation is for as many families as possible, to come and celebrate with Karaka Whanau at Mass. Mufti Days Mufti days are when the children bring along a gold coin donation and do not have to wear their school uniform. The funds raised are donated to worthy causes. There will be one mufti day this term on Friday 28th August – Daffodil day, for the Cancer Society. School Mass Our school Mass will be on Friday 14th August at 1:30pm in our church. We will be celebrating the Feast of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven. First Communion Sacramental Programme 2015 / 2016 Reconciliation, Confirmation & First Communion. For baptised children who will be 8 years of age, or older by Easter 2016 (27March). Enrolment forms are available from the Parish Office. The first session is on Sunday 13th September at 4pm in our Parish Hall. Enquiries to the Parish Office. Baptism Preparation. We welcome children aged 7 or older who have not been baptised, and who will join the Sacramental Programme commencing in September, to a three-session Baptism Course to be held on the 9, 16 and 23 August. The course includes catch up sessions for parents. We ask those wishing to enrol to complete the form available at the Parish Office. For further info please phone Jan 437 0426 or Kay 435 5345. Fathers Day Liturgy Our Fathers Day liturgy will be held on Thursday 3rd September at 1:30pm, in the church. Dads, please keep this date free! Student Books Your child’s Religious Education books will be coming home quite regularly. Please ensure that it is returned to school the next day as the will be required for class. Yours in Christ Maria Russo DRS – Director of Religious Studies

FAMILY WORKER NEWS Supporting children through grief Any change brings about a sense of loss in children and in adults. For example loss can be experienced when there is death of a family member, friend or pet, when a family breaks up, or when there is a change in friendships. Grief is a natural response to such a loss. I will be presenting a programme called “GOOD GRIEF” which gives strategies for supporting children who are grieving and helps those supporting children in grief to recognise what is “normal” grief behaviour. If you are interested in attending then please state your preference for an evening or afternoon session by either emailing me at liz@sfx.school.nz or by phoning or texting me on 0274714120. I will notify you of dates and times in the next newsletter. Thank you to those who have donated school uniforms. If you require help in this way then contact me and I will try to assist you. Liz Beazley Family Worker

JD’s JEWELLERY DESIGN RAFFLE Every two years our very generous sponsor, JD’s Jewellery Design, offer prizes and bikes for us to run a school raffle. 1st prize - $1000 JD’s voucher 2nd prize - $500 JD’s voucher Plus two bikes to give away, one to the child who sells the most raffle tickets and the other lucky recipient will be drawn from all the children who have sold tickets. One raffle book of five tickets will be given to each family to sell and there will be plenty more raffle books to pick up from the office when those are sold. If you are unable to sell any tickets, please return your book to the office to be allocated to someone else. The raffle books will be given out to your child by the end of this week, so from then on you can GET SELLING!! The raffle will close on the 18th September and all tickets must then be returned for the draw on the last day of term, 25th September 2015.

COBBLESTONES FOR SALE We have some surplus cobblestones for sale. The cobbles retail at $1.68c each and we are selling ours for .50c each. If you are interested in purchasing some of these cobblestones then please contact our school caretaker, Mr Hacker. Funds raised will go towards the cycle track. !

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PTFA NEWS

The next PTFA meeting is Wednesday the 12th August at 7 pm. All welcome :)

SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB ORDERING

Brochures went home last week. All book orders should be received at the office or online by 13th August. There are three ways to pay: Cash – please pay exact amount. Cheque – Please make cheques out to Scholastic New Zealand Ltd. Credit Card – Please complete the credit card slip at the bottom of the ordering form. If paying by credit card you also have an option to pay online using the LOOP parent portal. Visit http://mybookclub.scholastic.co.nz/ to register for online ordering. If you have any problems gaining access please come and see me in the office. Thanks Mrs B

2016 ENROLMENTS POMPALLIER CATHOLIC COLLEGE OPEN EVENING

6.00 - 8.00pm Wednesday 19 August

Meet the teachers, meet our students and see class displays on a tour of the College.

2016 enrolment packs will be available Enrolments close Monday 21 September

Fr Phil Bennenbroek will be available on the night to discuss any queries relating to

eligibility for Preference enrolment.

CROSS COUNTRY We are all looking forward to the school cross-country on Friday, August 20th. (Postponement date is Friday 28th August.) This year we are going to hold the junior races on Kensington Park, as well as the senior races. Junior races will start at around 11 am over by the hockey side of Kensington Park. Seniors will run after lunch in the same part of the park. Parents are welcome to come and watch. Can you help on Cross Country day? Please see Mrs J if you can be a marshall or an official - we would love to see you! The Whangarei Champs for the seniors is on Tuesday 1st September at Barge Park.

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NEW AVAILABLE APP We have exciting news! Cabu, who have built our website and e-learning site, have selected our school to test their new App. The App offers the following features: . Call the Office (phone number link) . Report an Absence (a form you can complete and submit on your phone) . News (latest newsletters) . Events (up-to-the-minute list of upcoming events at the school) . Alerts (push notifications to your phone) . A location map of the school During the testing phase, the App will only be available on Android, so if you do have any of these devices please go to the Google Play Store and download the App for free. Search for "St Francis Xavier School, NZ" or click on the link below: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cabuschools70.app&hl=en Once the testing phase has been completed it will be available from the Apple Store. Cabu and the school welcome your feedback on the App, so if you can let us know what you think - the good and the bad - it would be most appreciated. Email your feedback to office@sfx.school.nz

SCHOOL NEWSLETTER BY EMAIL

The school newsletter will now be emailed to parents and caregivers. If you’ve recently updated your email address or you want to check the address we have, please call the school office or email raewyn@sfx.school.nz Paper copies of the school newsletter will be available from the school office for families who do not have an email address or internet access. A downloadable version of the school newsletter is always available on our school website www.sfx.school.nz as well.

Welcome to these students who started at our school recently.

Varden Burns, James Crawford, Riley and William Dawson, Peter Hale, Ciara Hall, Jazmine Kore Mahani,

and Corrienne Watt

TEXTING FOR UNEXPLAINED ABSENCES

This term, if your child is absent, and we have not heard from you, we will be texting the first preference caregiver only. These texts are non-reply and we ask you call the school regarding your child’s absence. Landlines will only be called where a cellphone number is not available.

ASB SCHOOL BANKING PROGRAMME If you would like your child/ren to join the ASB School Banking Programme just call in to the school office for more information and to collect an application form. New and existing ASB Headstart customers are welcome to register.

Our lost property pile has grown in three weeks. Piles of clothing have been sorted and named items returned to their owners.

There are still many unnamed uniform items left.

Please name ALL your uniforms and if you are missing any items, please look through the lost property located in the foyer of Room 20 and 21.

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COMMUNITY NOTICES

SCHOOL EVENTS THIS MONTH August

3-7 PTFA fundraising Raffle Tickets go home 4 1.30-2.30 Reading Together Programme in the staffroom 4 7pm BOT Meeting 5 Parent evening – Maths 10-12 Rippa Rugby with Brad 11 1.30-2.30 Reading Together Programme in the staffroom 12 PTFA Sausage Sizzle 12 7pm PTFA Meeting 13 Rippa Tourney 14 1.30pm Feast of the Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary Mass,

in the church 17-20 Hockey with Brad 17-19 Catholic Character Review 21 School Cross Country pp 28th August 23 10am Karaka Whanau Mass 25 Festival of Hockey Y4-6 pp 27th August

GLENBERVIE SCHOOL ART EXHIBITION 2015

You are warmly invited to our upcoming Glenbervie School Art Exhibition - Monday 24th August 2.30-5.30pm - Tuesday 25th and Wednesday 26th August 2.30-6.00pm - Glenbervie School Hall, entry by gold coin donation per person. Every child in the school has a 2D and 3D artwork on display.

A visual extravaganza awaits!

POMPALLIER CATHOLIC COLLEGE SCHOOL PRODUCTION -

DISCO INFERNO The Show runs from Wednesday 5th to Friday 7th August at 7pm and tickets are available from the College office. It is the story of a young man who wants to make it big in the Pop World during the 1970's. The play is packed with songs of the 70's and will be very entertaining.

AFFORDABLE FRUIT AND VEGETABLES FOR FAMILIES Have you heard of the Fresh Food Collective? www.freshfoodcollective.com It is a fantastic way to get fresh fruit and vegetables for up to 40% cheaper than supermarkets. You pre-order a $10 or $20 pack of fruit and veg and you can now pick up just 500meters up the road from St Francis at the Red Hub on the Corner of Bedlington St and Kamo Road (just before the Whau Valley Shops) between 2.30pm and 3.30pm on a Tuesday afternoon. Go to their website or txt ring 0212071331 for more information.

COME AND SEE – CAMP FOR YOUTH AND CHILDREN 8-18 YEARS

" Mon 5 to Wed 7 Oct, arrive 10am and depart 2pm. " Venue: Campbell Park Christian Camp, Mangawhai Heads " Organised by Northland Catholic Youth Ministry " Registrations close 14th Sept 2015 (limited spaces available) " Contact: Bernadette Isaacs at cathnorwai@xtra.co.nz

MAKING A SCENE Action packed drama classes in Whangarei and Ruakaka. Students develop confidence and communication skills in a fun, creative environment. Your child will make friends with other imaginers, actors, speakers and creatives just like them. We're getting ready for our end of year showcase so come on and join the fun. www.makingascene.co.nz !

GUITAR LESSONS Is your child interested in learning guitar? Dave Meredith is a guitar tutor who provides lesson on the school premises. Contact Dave on Ph:43 43459 or 027 3832633.!

Board of Trustees Report August 2015 Dear School Community Catholic Schools Office Review On August 17 a team from the Catholic Schools Office in Auckland will arrive at the school for a three day review of the school’s Catholic Special Character. The team will be spending time in classrooms as well as speaking with parents, staff, the Board of Trustees and the Parish Priest. Our last external review was in 2011 and was very positive. The few recommendations and suggestions from that review have been acted on by the school. We are looking forward to meeting with the reviewers and sharing how the school’s special character is protected and enhanced and how the Gospel values permeate all that we do at the school and have a positive impact on student learning and wellbeing. We will share with you a summary of the 2015 report when we receive it later in the year. Internal Catholic Character Review Each year we carry out an internal school-wide review of one aspect of the Catholic Special Character. Last year we focussed on ‘Catholic Character – Community’ and a short survey was distributed to you via the school newsletter. This year we are focussing on ‘Religious Education’ and in particular on professional development opportunities for our teachers which will positively impact on the teaching and modelling of the Good News. An action plan is developed from the results of each review and points are incorporated into the school’s Annual Plan in consultation with the Board. School Website One of the action points arising from last year’s internal Catholic Special Character review was to make more information available to families about our Catholic practices and sacraments. The school website is being updated in the coming days with a new Special Character drop down menu to provide – among other things - links and information about the sacramental programme, family Masses and youth Masses, Catholic practices and symbols in the church. Look out in the school newsletter for more information and take some time to explore our great school website.

New Buildings It has been thrilling to see the major work on buildings in the school this year. We were very pleased to have the new classrooms and multi-purpose room open and to see the longer term plan for the school beginning to take shape. The contribution from community-raised funds through the PTFA was essential for the new buildings and we are very grateful to the PTFA for helping to get the project across the line. It is an example of why parent participation in the PTFA and in the Gala days is so important and we strongly encourage each parent to help out in some way. There are more exciting developments to come with the cycle track and the scooter track. Landscaping work will also be carried out in the summer months. Baptism Many children in our school are not yet baptised Catholic. We are reminded by our New Zealand Bishops that our Catholic school is to be truly “the Church in action”. Our school is an expression of the Church’s mission which includes deepening the faith of our children. With this in mind we are sending personal invitations for Baptism to those children in the school records are who not baptised. There is a Baptism course in our Parish Church on 9 and 16 August from 2.00 – 3.30 pm. We warmly invite any children who are not baptised to attend this course. The school is also working with the Parish to arrange a course to be run at the school and we will keep you advised on progress in this regard. Partnership Part of the Board’s role is to work in partnership with the community, Principal, teachers and support staff, and the Ministry of Education to ensure the best possible educational outcomes for students. The Board also greatly values the school’s partnership with the Parish. The names and photos of the school Trustees are on the school website. Please do not hesitate to contact any of the Trustees if you wish to discuss any matters relating to the governance of the school. Andrew Luxford Chairperson Board of Trustees