st joseph’s school hawera weekly newsletter

February 7th 2019 Issue 01

Over Arching Statement for Term 1

We belong to God’s whanau and share in the mission of the Church

Welcome Liturgy – Tomorrow @ 12pm

Please join us to celebrate the beginning of 2019. We will welcome new staff and students,

commission our Year 8s as our Mission Group leaders and receive our prayer candle for 2019.

Friday 8th February 12pm

Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa, mihi nui ki a koutou katoa

Hello everybody, warm greetings to everyone

My name is Geraldine Sumner, your new School Principal.

Welcome to the start of a brand-new school year, it is going to awesome. It is very exciting to join the St. Joseph’s family and I am looking forward to meeting everyone over the next term. I have shared with staff my school vision, which is blank, I believe the school vision is about its people and their hopes, dreams and desires. I want to spend this term talking to everyone about developing this vision by gathering the voices of all stakeholders, including the children’s voice. I will organize for a parent’s consultation evening in week 4, if you could begin to think about what you love about St. Josephs, what changes you would like to see and any hopes and dreams for the future to share at this meeting. Once we have gathered all the information, we will share this with you and the school and board will develop and whole community vision for St. Joseph’s.

My door is always open for a chat if you have any concerns of worries please make me your first port of call.

Kia te wairua tapu ki runga ki a koutou katoa. ~ May the Holy Spirit be upon you all.

Geraldine Sumner ~ Principal.

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C (Green)

‘You believed the message’ Isaiah 6:1-2, 3-8 Psalm 138 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, 11 Luke 5:1-11

Because of the crowds, Jesus climbed into Simon’s boat to teach. Later he told Peter to go out deeper and put his nets into the sea. Why did Peter not think this was a good idea? Despite being tired and disappointed he trusted Jesus enough to do as Jesus asked. Did Peter and his friends manage to catch any fish that day? How would they have felt? What would this have told them about Jesus? What did they do when Jesus invited them to follow him? The huge haul of fish is symbolic of the overabundance of blessing, which is promised to those who believe in and follow Jesus.

St Joseph’s school hawera

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

In this Issue The Principal’s Pen p1

Notices p2

Welcome p3

RE / Year 7 & 8 info p3

Swimming Sports p4

Rett Syndrome p5

Mission Group Leaders p6

Community Notices p6-7

The Principal’s Pen

RESPECT - RECONCILATION - RESPONSIBILITY - MANAAKITANGA - WAIRUA - KOTAHITANGA

Our Place – Our Children – Our Future We are committed at St Joseph’s School to the values of Jesus Christ and to excellence in learning and teaching.

CHILD ATTENDANCE & ABSENCES

• Parents please phone, text or email the School Office when your child is going to be late or absent, (with a reason) NOT just the Classroom Teacher. We now record absentees (and late students) electronically for Ministry of Education, and we HAVE to enter a reason for the absence from school.

• Classes begin at 8.45am and children should arrive at School before 8.30am, which gives them time to unpack their bags and socialise - very important start to the School day.

• PLEASE NOTE!! – If your child/ren need to attend appointments during the School day or need to go home early, Parents MUST come to the School Office and sign their child/ren out and sign them in should they return to School.

Buses

• Parents must notify the School Office when their child/children will NOT be travelling on the bus.

• All bus children MUST report to the designated classrooms for Roll Call immediately after leaving their class at 3.00pm.

• Parents - if you arrive at school and take your child/children home you MUST call into the School Office to let us know they’re NOT on the bus. This includes taking them home after sport and assemblies etc.

• PLEASE NOTE!!! If the School Office does not receive a message advising us of your child’s travel arrangements, THEY WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE PUT ON THE BUS

UNCOMING EVENTS • Friday 8th February: Candle Liturgy @ 12pm @ Church

• Monday 11th – Friday 15th February: Senior / Middle School Swimming (Rooms 1, 4, 5, 9, 11, 10)

• Thursday 21st February: School Swimming Sports (Yr 4-8): Powerco Aquatic Centre starts 9:30am

• Wednesday 6th March: Ash Wednesday / Spragg Banner

SPORTS UNIFORMS

Can all outstanding sports (touch, netball, interschool, basketball) uniforms please be returned to the school office in a named plastic bag ASAP. These uniforms are required for 2019 sports teams



This week we join together in prayer to start the New Year. In each classroom we have been exploring a range of prayer styles with a focus on traditional prayer.

A Student's Prayer for a New School Year

Lord Jesus,

I ask for Your help as I begin this new school year.

Allow me to experience Your presence in the many blessings You put before me.

Open my eyes to the new challenges and exciting opportunities that this new school year

brings. Open my heart and mind to new friends and new teachers.

Give me a generous spirit to be enthusiastic with my studies and courage to accept new

opportunities. Help me to be attentive to my teachers and let me experience Your presence in

my new friends. Jesus, inspire me to do my best this year!

Amen

Vertical Horizon Camp: 9th April – 12th April 2019. Further information to follow

Tech: Friday mornings: Ensure you have covered shoes. This is COMPULSORY

We would like to welcome the following student to our school and community. We hope you enjoy your time at St Joseph’s School.

Melah Rei, Ava Picard, Addison McNamara-Eder, Finn Rukuwai, Jack Hopkins.

Emmett Crowley, Te Karere Robinson

Clare Bower, Bella Cox, Annabelle Parsons, Marianne Arambulo, Luke Fearn.



Swimming 2019 SPORTS

Year 4 – 8 Students

Powerco Aquatic Pool, Hawera

Thursday 21st February (back-up Friday 22nd February): 09.30am – 12.30pm

Your child will need to decide if they are going to enter championship or non-championship events

All events are listed on the door of Mrs Brown’s office. Have a look and discuss with your

child. Classroom teachers will take entries by Thursday 14th February 2019.

Entrants for the championship events must be able to swim at least two of the three strokes (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke) as the winners are decided from an accumulation of points over the 4 championship events. For breaststroke in the championship races the children are required to be doing a breaststroke kick (frog kick and NOT freestyle Kick) and touching the wall with two hands. These races are only split into the junior and senior year groups and are not swum according to age. Junior: Y4 – Y6 Senior: Y7 – Y8

Each child may only enter in one event for each stroke. Try to encourage your child to enter in at least 2 events

All children who enter the championship races are eligible to enter both the Catherine Thompson and Douglas cups so therefore they may enter the championship free, back, breast and medley as well as these two races.

The Catherine Thompson and Douglas Cups are 100m races and all children who are entered in these, race against each other regardless of their age (eg: year 4 – 8) as the fastest time in each event wins the cup. Students can enter in both of these and the championship freestyle and breaststroke races.

Children are to take their age as on the 6th March 2019 (Spragg Banner day b/up is Friday 8th)

CLASS SWIM Lessons

Cost is $25.00 per child for the year

Please pay this fee as soon as possible to school office.

Rooms 1, 4, 5, 9, 11, 10 lessons start Monday 11th February through to Friday 15th February.

Please bring swimming togs / towels / goggles (optional) every day.

Junior classrooms’ lessons will be in start in Term 2



What is Rett Syndrome? Rett Syndrome is a severe neurological disorder that mainly affects girls.

Usually discovered within the first 2 years of life. Most start with normal

development then at some point (all girls are different) go through a

regressional period where they lose skills they had acquired. Stereotypical

hand movements and loss of purposeful use of the hands, seizures,

breathing irregularities, heart problems, scoliosis, bruxism, sleep

disturbances, and low bone density are some of the things Rett syndrome

brings. Apraxia and or dyspraxia – the inability or reduced ability to carry

out what the body wants to do plays a big part. Girls with Rett syndrome

have been classed for years as intellectually disabled, you can’t test a child

that’s nonverbal, has no hand use and cannot carry out a motor action due to apraxia/dyspraxia. With

technology advancing over the years and an eye gaze device brought out, research has shown these girls

are smart and are in fact just trapped inside their bodies.

Melah’s Journey

Melah was born a healthy baby, she developed and met all her milestones till around 11 months old. We started to notice she didn’t weight bare well on her legs, she was diagnosed with hypotonia (low muscle tone) and we started physiotherapy. Melah progressed to crawling, pulling to stand and walking around furniture. Around 14 months old she then started going backwards despite the constant physio. Melah had about 10 words which she was no longer saying, and she started losing hand function. We had genetic testing done and at 17 months Melah was diagnosed with Rett syndrome. Melah is now 5 and is not mobile at all and requires positioning, lost all purposeful use of her hands, her chewing and swallowing so she is on pureed food and is also fed nasal gastric and nonverbal. Melah is learning to communicate using a PODD communication book and will use yes and no cards (using her eyes) to answer.

Despite all of this Melah is a happy social child so be sure to say hello to her! Melah has started school and is in Room 7 with Mrs Meyer 😊. Click on the logo below to learn more.

Hopefully this gives you some insight into Melah’s life with Rett Syndrome. Melah also has a facebook page: miss Melahs journey with Rett syndrome if you would like to follow her journey,

St Joseph’s School, 32 Victoria Street, Hawera, 4610 / 06 278 7482 / 027 383 5145

Email: [email protected] / Website: www.sjshawera.school.nz

Principal: Mrs. Geraldine Sumner / Secretary: Mrs. Raewyn Dombroski

https://www.rettsyndrome.org/

Welcome to our Mission Group Leaders for 2019

Do you have any clean, empty ice

cream containers with lids you can

donate?

If you do can you, please drop off to school or parish

office?

Thank you.

Our Parish is looking for more Altar Servers.

If you have made your First Communion and

could Serve at Mass on either Saturday at 5pm or Sunday at 9.30am Mass, please leave your name at the Parish Office – Mission Centre.

Full training will be given

st joseph’s school hawera weekly newsletter

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