Kia ora koutou,
FAREWELL / HAERE RĀ
Today is Dean’s last day at St Anne’s before he takes up the role of principal at Our Lady Star of the Sea School in Sumner. We are immensely proud of him and know he will do well. He’s ready!
Dean’s been at St Anne’s five years at the end of this term. I honestly thought he might not even come (the interview was on Zoom while he was in Malaysia), or last a year as I knew he had to travel a long way to get to us and school life is pretty busy at St Anne’s compared to his stories of international schooling. However, he stayed. Thank God! He’s grown so much as an educational leader, I knew he would as soon as he realised achieving highly in sports and coaching (he is a NZ rep numerous times over) means you are dedicated, focus on all things you can to improve your performance, just like us as educators.
He had a taste of being principal for a term and a bit last year, and did a great job learning on the fly! I heard he was the ‘Heat Pump Fairy’, running around getting rooms ready for teachers, how do I compete with that? He has been on the ‘Leading for Mission’ Programme with the diocese which looks at your ‘reason’ for leading through a faith lens. Unsurprisingly, he quickly became a favourite of the tutors/mentors. We call him ‘The Chosen One’ as the diocese are always asking Dean to do things or inquiring how he is going.
Dean or Mr Ish, will leave a massive hole in our team. You’ve seen it (or more likely ‘heard it’). He brings immense energy and enthusiasm to everything he does. His positivity and strengths focus has been so great and rubs off on everyone. He’s an action man, he doesn’t just say ‘I’ll do it’, he does it! He’s set the bar so high in all areas. From Wheels Week, Grit Challenges, Frost Busters, sports tournaments, river safety, beach ed, ski trips, camps, prizegivings, positivity, kāhui events, nobody does them better than him.
If we look at just one of these, ‘leavers events’: he has not only a dinner with the students but certificates, stories and tunes. He organises the best prizegivings with thoughtful powerpoint slides, gifts, memorable comments, bad jokes, bands playing, forces me to sing, and the list goes on. He won’t be replaced, he can’t be, so just be thankful for what he gave us.
I am personally thankful as my son moved to St Anne’s for one year, this is not normal, nor do I advise swapping schools all the time. However, he was struggling with bullying and friendships and he just wasn’t happy. Dean made him welcome and safe. He had a great year, made new friends and made me regret not bringing him earlier! He was also so supportive to me when my father passed. It was a tough time with lots going on for me, and he was amazing.
I asked the staff and his class what he’s done that’s impactful at St Anne’s, here’s some of what they said (I’ve covered some stuff above):
-Kind and understanding when you’re having a hard time with your class
-Serves others in the small things all the time
-Taught us all how to use etap
-Made heaps of amazing things happen with Healthy Active Learning
-The best laugh ever, can be heard from afar! Uplifting when you hear it and you’re busy under a pile of work/students
-An amazing first contact for relievers. He made me feel more welcomed than any other school.
-Made school more fun
-Positive, energetic, hardworking and dedicated
-Impactful year as ASL – Reading competition, writing workshops, sports tournaments
He learnt more than the students, in five short years he was involved in professional learning with:
-Numicon maths programme
-The Code spelling programme
-Better Start literacy programme
-Healthy Active Learning
-He also arrived with two certificates in Māori Language from Te Wānanga O Rauwaka, and at the time we were preparing to start our first two bilingual classes the next year. From there he completed Te Ahu o te Reo Programme up to level 5, participated in Kā Poupou Reo o Tahu ki Rāpaki, a short immersion programme, before a full term with Ngāi Tahu at Te Pae Kahuraki. Four years from when he arrived, he jumped in to teaching bilingually. What an effort!
He’s a world class ‘sweep’ in surf boating, and we know he’s going to steer Star of the Sea with the same skill. We wish him all the best! Thank you for all you did for the children here, the community, the staff and for me.
Kia manuia!
WELCOME / NAU MAI
Welcome to Rebekah Bradbrook, who joins the teaching team. She will be Room 4’s teacher for the rest of the year. Many of you will know Rebekah from our parish as she has been leading our Youth Group for around six years. Rebekah came into our team back in 2022 as a teacher aide and near the end of that year she joined the first intake of the Mātauranga Māori bilingual teacher training pathway (a pathway for those training to be preschool/ primary teachers in bilingual or full immersion spaces). She had seen Josh and Clara with their bilingual rooms and I encouraged her to do that as Māori speaking teachers are hard to find (I was part of the feedback team when the course was being created).
Three years later, she graduated, has done some relieving and now is back as a teacher. Rebekah is an ex-student of St Anne’s, has two beautiful children and has a family who are fully involved in our parish. Please make her welcome if you see her.
TOMORROW / ĀPŌPŌ
LAST REMINDER, EARLY FINISH, 1PM ON FRIDAY.
Note: Please collect children quickly on Friday and the bus is arriving at 1.15pm to pick up our kapa haka group to take them to the welcome. If your child is in this, they will be back to school 3pm-3.15pm.
If you are reading this online and still haven’t sorted childcare from 1pm on Friday, you could try Kidsbase as they are open from 1pm to 6pm that day. They are based in the library. Note, this is a paid service but is cheap compared to most and are WINZ approved. https://kidsbase.co.nz/
KIDSBASE
Yes they are open from 1pm to 6pm on Friday 3 July. Please go to www.kidsbase.co.nz to register or book. Also, IMPORTANT NOTE, they are discontinuing mornings 7.30am to 8.30am due to the lack of numbers. If you are desperate, try the below:
KOHI PŪTEA / FUNDRAISER
A massive fa’afetai tele lava to everyone for Tuesday’s efforts in fundraising for the Sau Ia Festival uniforms. We raised over $500 – we appreciate your support! Also thank you to our amazing parents who came in to run the BBQ, you were awesome!
TWO CLASSES DONE, TWO TO GO / KUA OTI KĀ AKOMAKA E RUA, E RUA E TOE ANA
Room 5 and 6 have been finished and our Samoan classes have moved in. These have been named (Samoan names) through aiga consultation, and then through our leadership team of two board representatives, our amazing Fr Paulo and our two Samoan teachers. You will find out soon. Feel free to pop in and have a look. We will bless them to start next term. There’s still a few things not complete, but the builders wanted us to move so they could begin the next two and really get into them in the holidays. Reminder, the court and school will be for workers only over the break!
Countdown till it’s all done. 90 days! (or 89 sleeps if you are like my children)
View of senior Samoan room (old Room 5)
View of the junior Samoan room (old Room 6)
View of junior room from the far end looking through to senior room (there are sliding doors)
This was the cloakroom, cleaners cupboard and storeroom, now an extra space and a sensory room / break out space (unfinished).
View of the old boys and girls toilets, now two toilets with internal and external access.
YOUTH GROUP / RŌPŪ Ā-TAITAMARIKI
A reminder this happens on a Friday and our students who go, love it. Please consider this for your child. No Gen 1:1 this week due to the early finish.
KĀ HERE / POLICIES
A reminder, if you are interested in our policies and/or would like to take part in our termly reviews, 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 (If an event is for your child and you have misplaced the notice, go the the calendar entry on the Skool Loop app for all the information you need for the day)
If you need assistance with downloading the Skool Loop app please see Shelley in the office.
WEEK 11 / WIKI TEKAU MĀ TAHI
Friday 3 July – EARLY FINISH – 1pm (so staff can attend Dean’s welcome at Star of the Sea) PLEASE NOTE: KIDSBASE WILL BE OPEN FROM 1PM. PLEASE BOOK OR REGISTER ON THEIR WEBSITE IF YOU WANT THIS SERVICE https://kidsbase.co.nz/
Friday 2 July – 2pm Pōwhiri at Our Lady Star of the Sea for Dean Isherwood. YOU ARE WELCOME! If you would like to attend on ‘our’ side to support Dean, please let me know principal@stannes.co.nz
kapa haka group to see Mrs T at 1pm. They will leave together at 1.15pm and return 3pm ish.
TERM 3 / WĀHAKA TORU
WEEK 1 / WIKI TAHI
Monday 20 July – 9am First day back after break
WEEK 2 / WIKI RUA (VANUATU LANGUAGE WEEK)
Tuesday 28 July – Ski Trip Years 7 and 8 palo@stannes.co.nz daniel@stannes.co.nz mareta@stannes.co.nz
WEEK 3 / WIKI TORU (COOK ISLANDS LANGUAGE WEEK)
Thursday 6 July – Sau Ia Fest Dress Rehearsal 9-12pm mareta@stannes.co.nz
Thursday 6 July – Sau Ia Fest 6.30pm mareta@stannes.co.nz
WEEK 4 / WIKI WHĀ
WEEK 5 / WIKI RIMA (TONGAN LANGUAGE WEEK)
Friday 21 August – Art Galler Rm 7 & 8 josh@stannes.co.nz palo@stannes.co.nz
WEEK 6 / WIKI ONO
WEEK 7 / WIKI WHITU
WEEK 8 / WIKI WARU (PNG LANGUAGE WEEK)
WEEK 9 / WIKI IWA
WEEK 10 / WIKI TEKAU
Tuesday 22 September – Thursday 24 September – Koru Games Years 7 and 8 palo@stannes.co.nz
Te Atua te aro’a ‘ē kia manuia,
Dallas Wichman
Tumuaki / Principal / Pū ‘Āpi’i Ma’ata