Inside this issue: 30th Oct 2018 Issue 18. Principals Piece. E ngã mãtua, tena Koutou, Talofa Dear Parents/Caregivers, PTFA Twilight Gala

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1 Principals Piece St Joseph s Catholic School, Fairfield 88 Clarkin Road, Fairfield PO Box 957, Hamilton Phone: (07) admin@stjosephs.school.nz Website: 30th Oct 2018 Issue 18 Inside this issue: E ngã mãtua, tena Koutou, Talofa Dear Parents/Caregivers, Term 4 is an exceptionally busy term so please keep up to date with the latest information by checking the calendar on the school app and the school website. Our Yr 4-8 Athletics day has been required to change because of the Teachers strike day. Our Athletics day will now be Wednesday 7th November as the Teacher strike day is Tuesday 13th November. PARKING: We are pleased to be supporting the Council in their Mix It Up At School Pick Up - Be A 3pm Superhero campaign. Schools in Hamilton face the same re-occurring problems when it comes to the issues around their school gates. Congestion, poor parking and general bad driving behavior, seem to intensify out the front of school gates across Hamilton especially in the afternoons. The Council, and Police are committed to working with schools to improve safety and the Council has put infrastructure in place to make the areas as safe as possible, but we can t do it all on our own. We need your help! You will hear this campaign in the media this term and we encourage you to be a 3pm superhero, try alternative transport options: Park down the road or around the corner away from the busy school gate Walk, bike and scooter at least once or twice a week Carpool with families in your area 3pm Mix It Up At School Pick Up UNIFORM: As a school we have been working very closely with NZ Uniforms recently to try and make sure that the children and parents get what is required. NZ Uniforms have some of the old logo uniform at certain sizes that must be sold first before some new stock is made. This means that for a good period of time we will operate under the old and the new logo. Please don't be too upset if your child has the old logo, it is ok. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the office. New Zealand s principals and primary teachers have just voted about what to do to get government action on the current crisis in recruiting and retaining teachers. Book Fair 2018 We re agreed - we can t in good conscience Lucky Book Club accept the Government s latest collective FOCUS ON FAITH agreement offer Cultural Corner because it does not begin to address the and more. crisis. We have therefore voted for an unprecedented second strike, to be held next month. There will be nationwide rolling strikes over a week, and our region will be striking on TUESDAY 13TH NOVEMBER. Our school will be closed on that date. While we regret the inconvenience we know this will cause, we need to send a clear message to the Government that we are standing strong for our students. Already children s education is suffering because of the difficulty in recruiting teachers and relievers, and we must take bold steps to turn this around. The Government recently announced a $5.5 billion surplus, so there is no reason to make our children wait while the situation deteriorates further. Through our union, NZEI Te Riu Roa, we are asking for: Smaller classes, so our children can get more oneon-one attention More resources and staffing to adequately support children with additional learning needs this will benefit all children because teachers will be freed to spend more one-on-one time with every student A significant increase in teachers salaries so that they are properly valued for their qualifications and responsibilities, and as a country we can recruit and retain teachers. We appreciate your continued support on this important issue. For more information, please go to or talk with your child s teacher. God bless, James Murray Principal PTFA Twilight Gala

2 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year B (Mark 10:46-52) When Jesus asked the blind man what he wanted the man replied Master, let me see again. This man was not blind from birth; he had previously been able to see and something had happened which rendered him blind. Perhaps the knowledge of what he had lost was felt so acutely by the blind man that it gave him the confidence to call out loudly, despite the scolding of the people around him. Jesus entered the world of the blind man, breaking into his darkness and returning him to the world he had known before he lost his sight. This encounter with Jesus must have been profound for the blind man, so much so that he followed Jesus rather than racing off to his friends and family. In his Confessions St Augustine describes encountering Jesus in a way which was just as profound, although it was not connected to physical healing: You were radiant and resplendent, you put to flight my blindness. You were fragrant, and I drew in my breath and now pant after you. I tasted you, and I feel but hunger and thirst for you. You touched me, and I am set on fire to attain the peace which is yours. Blindness can creep up on us in the form of things we don t want to know about, and which over time we cease to see. Being blind to one s own blindness compounds the problem. Everyone of us has blindspots, born of our life experience, our upbringing, perhaps hurt or harm we have suffered, which make it too hard to acknowledge some realities and to deal with them in a spiritual way. Sometimes we just don t want to open our eyes to the vision God is presenting to us, because it involves too much change. Like the blind man there were times in our lives when we did see. His request of Jesus Master, let me see again is a powerful prayer, which if we have the courage to use it, may lead us down the same path as St Augustine, so that we too can say: You touched me, and I am set on fire to attain the peace which is yours. School Focus

3 PTFA News Twilight Gala 23th Nov: Co-ordinator Tania Harvey The Twilight Gala is now just 25 days away! Planning is gearing up, and if you are interested in helping and hearing more, the organising committee is meeting tonight (Tues 30th Oct) at Smith & McKenzie in Chartwell at 7pm. Stalls/attractions we have confirmed so far: Cakes, sweets and cupcakes; kids books and toys, Harley rides, old car displays, Mexican food and mock mojitos, venison BBQ, Kiwi sausage sizzle, strawberries and cream, nail bar, face painting, smash a plate, lucky dip, kids games, Santa grotto, mystery bottle game, Mamas Donuts, coffee cart, quick fire raffle spinning wheel, regular raffles and silent auctions, dunk a teacher, Domino Pizza, ice creams, chocolate game, hair spray painting, photo booth, fire truck visit, rugby skills game, throw a sponge, Nerf gun tent, bouncy castle, Hyundai WOF scheme (vouchers for a WOF check at Hyundai are available for $25, and 100% goes to the Gala). We need your help... As is tradition with past Gala Days, we are asking families to contribute items to make the Gala a success. We are seeking at least one grocery item per family for creating quick fire raffle prize bundles; a bottle per family for the mystery bottle game; and some homemade baking for our cake stall. Please watch out for the alerts when we would like these items to come in and we will have a collection bin at the school. We are working on getting some baking ingredients donated, so may be able to supply raw ingredients; and packaging for cakes and sweets. We expect this to be one of our most popular stalls, so we need a good volume of baking to sell. We would gratefully accept any additional items to sell and use in raffles like jams/preserves/christmas goodies /hamper items/lucky dip items/fresh flowers and produce. Remember the Gala is just a month before Christmas, and people will be looking for gifts. We also require specific things: can you help by donating or loaning unwanted nail polishes, old chipped plates for the smash a plate, Gazebo tents, trestle tables, old (working) nerf guns to be used on a stall, hessian New World reusable shopping bags (to hold the quick-fire raffle prizes); some Hi Vis vests. There will also be some things requiring collection on the days approaching the Gala; as well as jobs on the day. We also require delivery people for 500 fliers we are distributing in the neighbourhood around our school the week of the Gala. If you can help, please talk to Tania or us: ptfa@stjosephs.school.nz. If you haven t already, please follow the Twilight Gala event page on Facebook, where we are posting details about the event including details about stalls, sponsors and donated prizes. Closer to the time we would appreciate shares of this event. A thanks to St Paul s Collegiate School who are kindly loaning us some entertainment items they used at their recent community Gala. Posters and Signs: Hopefully by now you would have noticed the Twilight Gala signs up around town, at spots including the Fairfield Bridge. We are still looking for places to display posters, so please talk to Monica Holt if you can help. Book Fair 2018 School Library Fri 9th Nov (12-4pm) Mon 12th - Thur 15th Nov (8am - 4pm daily) Lucky Book Club - Issue 7 Lucky Book club online orders will close Fri 2nd Nov. This is the last order for All orders must be completed online using the Scholastic LOOP, details are on the catalogue. No orders will be accepted at the school office. Orders completed by Fri 2nd Nov will be delivered to school for distribution to students. Any orders completed after this date can be sent to your home address at a small postage cost.

4 FOCUS ON FAITH But you, O Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head. I cry aloud to the Lord, and he answers me from His holy hill. Psalm 3:3-4 Our main learning focus for Religious Education this term is around the God strand. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains; One of the most important doctrines about God revealed in the Old Testament is that of God as Creator. Students possess a natural awe and wonder which disposes them to learning about God as Creator. 32 The Old Testament also reveals a God who is present to people in many ways in nature and events as well as in people Most of all, though, the God revealed in Scripture is a God of Love. In fact St John writes that God is Love. (1 John 4:8) Each syndicate has a different focus when it comes to learning more about God. To help your child with their understanding, please find below some ideas taken from the Family Whanau book that you can try as a family at home. Year 0 - Year 2 Year 3 & 4

5 Year 5&6 Year 7&8 Reminders: Week 3 - Thurs 1st Nov is the Solemnity of All Saints Day. We will be attending mass with the parish at 9am. Week 4 - Mon 5th Nov: We will meet as a school at 9am in the Church to pray the Rosary. You are welcome to join us at both of these events.

6 Cultural Corner Term 4 Te Reo - Whanaungatanga Our Te Reo focus for this term will be looking at the value of Whanaungatanga. Whanaungatanga is a significant value in the Maori world. It fits in nicely with what we do at St Joseph s in Term 4, with coming together and celebrating. In Maori culture Whanaungatanga signifies relationships, kinship and a sense of family connection. It is about relationships through shared experiences and working together. This provides people with a sense of belonging. It also encompasses the things below Relationships and values Respect for others Making connections Collaborating Co-Creating Celebrating Unuhia te rito o te harakeke kei whea te kōmako e kō Whakatairangitia rere ki uta rere ki tai Ui mai koe ki ahau he aha te mea nui o te ao Māku e kī atu he tangata, he tangata, he tangata! Remove the heart of the flax bush and where will the kōmako sing? Proclaim it to the land proclaim it to the sea Ask me What is the greatest thing in the world? I will reply, It is people, people, people! Junior Kapa Haka The Junior Kapa haka group will be working towards a performance this term. This will happen in Week 6 at assembly. Practices will continue on Thursday lunchtimes in Room 6. Senior Kapa Haka The Senior Kapa haka group has a number of performances to look forward to this term. They will be attending the Te Huinga kapa haka o ngā kura Katorika on the 15th November at Marian School. This is the opportunity for them to perform alongside other Catholic Schools. A notice will be sent home with information on this shortly. Another rest home visit is also planned and a performance for the school will take place at the end of the term. It is lovely to see them having an opportunity to perform and wear their impressive new uniforms. If your child is part of the senior group, please encourage them to practise the words and actions in their own time. Cultural Committee Update I d like to send out a big thank you to all the committee members for such an awesome start to the committee and have been very proud to have seen the purchase of the beautiful uniforms and piupiu. This has been a fantastic start, and has really made a big difference to all the children. Looking forward to the coming year, we have several more goals and are seeking more volunteers to join the committee and contribute to cultural diversity of the school. Our last meeting of 2018 is set for Thurs 6th December. I would like to invite parents from all cultures to join and contribute to our school culture. Ngā mihi, Chris - Chairperson Glasses/Bottles/Jars We require drinking glasses/bottles/jars for a craft project at school. If you have any that we could have, please drop them off to the school office ASAP. Preferably they would be: Clear glass Have straight sides Jars/bottles - Moccona Coffee jars are perfect but we would be grateful for anything similar s.body@stjosephs.school.nz for any queries. Sporting Success Congratulations to Brooklyn and Dominic Miller who competed in the Central North Island Swimming Competition in Rotorua over Labour weekend and PB'd in every race. Especially to Brooklyn for getting 2nd in 400m Free, 3rd in 200m Free in the age group and Dominic for his 2nd in 200m free in the 11 and under age group. Reusable Produce Bags Fundraiser Get in before we sell out! These make would make great presents for Christmas! My Vita Bag reusable produce bags are available from the office. They are made from 100% organic cotton and are machine washable and biodegradable. Each set contains 4 bags: 1 x Large Cotton Mesh Bag (28x33cm) 1 x Small Cotton Mesh Bag (20x25cm) 1 x Large Cotton Muslin Bag (28x33cm) 1 x Small Cotton Muslin Bag (20x25cm) ONLY $12 PER SET!! Cash, Cheque or EFTPOS; available from the school office. Return of Cups/Trophies It is hard to believe it is that time of year already! In order for us to be organised for our prizegiving which takes place in the last week of school, could you please return any cups or trophies which were awarded in 2017 to the school office. Thank you.