Kia ora e te whānau,
A warm greeting to you all as we navigate the second half of what is proving to be a busy and productive term. It’s been heartening to see our tamariki engaged in their learning and the school buzzing with a positive, purposeful energy – despite the wet weather!
I’d also like to take a moment to remind parents and caregivers that school officially opens at 8:30am. We are noticing a growing number of students arriving well before this time. For the safety and well-being of all children, if you need to drop your child/children off earlier, please register them with Kids Base. Enrolment forms can be downloaded from www.kidsbase.co.nz, or by texting your email address to 027 239 7690
STATEMENT FROM THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION ABOUT REPORTING TO PARENTS
The Ministry of Education is aware of the adjustment to students’ levels of progress and achievement caused by the implementation of new English and Maths curricula this year.
To support parents’ understanding of potential changes in their children’s levels of achievement, Ministry staff have prepared the following statement:
As part of our focus on lifting student achievement, we have introduced new, knowledge-rich and internationally-comparable curriculum this year for Maths in Years 0-8 and English in Years 0-6.
This means we are currently changing from the old to the new curriculum. We want to acknowledge that schools and kura will only have been using the new curricula from the start of 2025, which includes new teaching and assessment methods and content.
Because of this you could see a change in your child’s progress or achievement compared to previous years which may be the result of changes in the curriculum expectations for your child’s year level. If you have concerns or questions about your child’s achievement, we strongly suggest you talk with your child’s teacher or kaiako. They will also have used their own observations, classroom tasks and other tests to report on the progress your child is making.
The refreshed curriculum sets higher expectations for student achievement in English and Mathematics than in the past. As a result, some children may appear to ‘plateau’ as they adjust to these more challenging standards.
LATENESS/TŪREITI
A significant number of our students arrive late to school each day. Being on time is more than just a school expectation, it plays a crucial role in your child’s learning and well-being. A message I have always told my own children is this: “If you are on time, you are late.” It reminds us that arriving early or right on time is essential to being fully prepared and ready to participate.
Educational research shows that punctuality is linked to better academic achievement and stronger social skills. According to the Ministry of Education and various studies, students who arrive on time have more opportunities to engage fully in learning and develop positive routines that support their success throughout their school journey. At St Anne’s, the start of the day is especially important. Our teachers begin with prayer and gospel reflections, setting a calm and thoughtful tone for the day ahead. When students arrive late, they miss this meaningful time of spiritual connection and community, and it can be challenging to settle into their learning.
We ask that you support your child to be at school and ready to start on time each day.
COMMUNICATION/WHAKAKAKAU
We deeply value the partnership between home and school, and we always welcome conversations about your child’s learning and wellbeing. To ensure these discussions are meaningful and well-prepared, we kindly ask that parents and caregivers email their child’s classroom teacher to arrange a suitable time for a meeting. Mornings are an important time for our teachers as they prepare lessons, organise resources, and connect with students as they arrive. Thank you for your understanding and support in helping us create a smooth and focused start to each school day.
WEBINAR FOR PARENTS/WĀNANGA MĀ NGĀ MĀTUA
There is an opportunity for our school whānau to join experienced educator Anna Mowat for a valuable webinar focused on supporting school attendance, particularly for tamariki who are neurodiverse or experiencing anxiety. The session will provide practical tools, insights into common barriers, and effective strategies for working with your child’s school. Most importantly, it offers reassurance: you are not alone, and small, consistent steps can make a big difference. For more information, click on this link.
CROSS COUNTRY/RĒHI ROA
On Wednesday, the 4th of June, the school’s Cross Country Team participated in the Zone Cross Country event. This was held at Ferrymead Park. Well done to all who participated. A special mention to Prue Halkett who has qualified for the Canterbury Cross Country Event. Thank you to Mr Shanahan for his organisation and Nicola Edghill for her help on the day.
TE WIKI O TE REO HĀMOA
Last week, we celebrated Samoan Language Week with pride and enthusiasm. Each day, our Samoan students shared insights through short talks on different aspects of Gagana Samoa, Samoan history, and culture. We wrapped up the week on Friday with a wonderful shared lunch and some fantastic performances at assembly, which truly showcased the spirit of aiga and mana.
A heartfelt fa’afetai tele lava to Miss Tiatia, Mrs Togiaso, and our community for their incredible organisation and dedication. Your mahi made the week a meaningful and memorable one for all of us.
JUNIOR SCHOOL MASS/MĪHANA MŌ TE KURA TUATAHI
We recently celebrated the Junior School Mass in the Hato Ani Church. The students helped with the reading, welcoming, the collection plate, giving the gifts, and singing at the Mass. We were impressed by their faith and behaviour. Many thanks to the families who came to our Mass.
We were excited to share in the baptism of Te Waimirirangi on Wednesday. We know you will welcome her to our Catholic family! May God’s grace guide, protect, and bless Miri and her family as she embraces her journey of faith and hope.
FIRST HOLY COMMUNION CELEBRATION
You are warmly invited to join us at St Anne’s Church on Sunday, 29 June at 10:30am
to celebrate the First Holy Communion of members of our parish and school community.
Come and share in this joyful occasion as they receive this special gift from God.
ATTENDANCE DUES INVOICING UPDATE
We would like to update you on the progress of our transition to the new CathConnect system for managing and collecting Attendance Dues and Special Character Contributions.
The system is currently being set up in our production environment, and final validation testing will be completed in the coming days. We expect to be issuing invoices over the next couple of weeks. Please note that invoicing will be managed in batches.
Your invoice will cover the full year’s Attendance Dues and Catholic Character Contributions. It will not include any opening balances or reflect payments already made toward this year’s costs. This detail will show on your statements which will be issued in due course.
The invoice will include details of the new bank account along with the referencing information required for payments. The invoice will also include payment options. If you have an automatic payment set up, we kindly ask that you update this to the new account with the correct references to enable us to match your payments to your account.
We appreciate your patience and support as we continue to implement this important project.
If you have any questions regarding this please get in contact with the team via email dues@cdoc.nz or phone Lydia 03 378 3642 or Petro 03 353 0758.
Ngā mihi nui
Janice Rennell
Attendance Dues Team
NZ CATHOLIC PRINCIPALS’ CONFERENCE/TE HUI A KĀ TUMUAKI KATORIKIA O AOTEAROA
Last week, I had the privilege of attending the New Zealand Catholic Primary Principals’ Conference in Wellington. The theme, Te Ao Mārama – Embracing hope through aroha and whakapono, was a powerful reminder of the gift that Catholic education truly is.
The conference featured inspiring speakers, including keynote presenter Maggie Craig, along with engaging sessions led by Tīmoti Harris, author Vince Ford, and ‘The Sandman’ Marcus Winter. A particularly special moment was celebrating Mass at the beautifully restored Metropolitan Cathedral with Archbishop Paul Martin.
I return to St Anne’s feeling inspired, and deeply grateful to be part of the Catholic education system. It was a wonderful opportunity for me professionally, and I am very grateful to Dallas, Jonny and the Board for giving me this opportunity.
POLICIES / KĀ HERE
A reminder, if you are interested and would like to take part in our termly reviews of policies, or are interested in any, they can be found here. Please follow the link and then have a look around!
He mea maumahara tēnei, mēnā tō hiahia, tirohia kā here, mahia kā arotake hoki. Kai konei kā here. Whāia te honoka, kātahi, tirohia!
UPCOMING EVENTS / KĀ TAIOPEKA E HAERE MAI ANA
If you have any questions, please email or talk to the person whose email address follows the reminder. If there is no email address, it is just something to be aware of.
Mēnā he pātai āhau, īmēra atu te īmēra kua tuhia, kōrerotia ki te takata kua whakaikoatia. Mehemea kāhore he īmēra, he mea hai whakamōhio noa iho.
TERM 2 / WĀHAKA RUA
WEEK 8 / WIKI WARU
Sunday 15 – First Holy Communion
Lesson 12 & Rehearsal 9.30am -12.30pm jo@stannes.co.nz
Friday 20 June – Matariki Public Holiday – No school
WEEK 9 / WIKI IWA
Monday 23 June – Zone Basketball Tournament palo@stannes.co.nz
Friday 27 June – Last day of Term 2, 2.50pm finish
Sunday 29 June – First Holy Communion Celebration
TERM 3 / WĀHAKA TORU
WEEK 1 / WIKI TAHI
Monday 14 July – 9am start for first day back
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!
God bless,
Dean Isherwood
Acting Principal