Kia ora e te whānau,

Well, that is Term 2 done and dusted!

As we reach the end of Term 2, I’d like to especially acknowledge our amazing teaching team. We are incredibly lucky to have such dedicated, passionate, and hardworking teachers guiding our tamariki every single day. Their commitment to not only teaching but also nurturing and supporting our students is something special. As I continue to learn the ropes of principalship this term in Dallas’ absence, I’ve been so grateful for their support, wisdom, and generosity. Our teaching team truly go above and beyond, and we are all so blessed to have them. I’d also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Shelley. Shelley is the heart of so much that happens behind the scenes, and I am grateful to have had her guidance, calm presence, and knowledge during this term.

Pope Francis declared 2025 the Jubilee Year of Hope—a time for reflection, renewal, and living out hope in action. In uncertain times, we are reminded to be signs of hope – in our classrooms, homes, and the wider world. Families are encouraged to reflect on how hope can be lived each day:

• Say a short prayer of thanks or hope together.
• Choose patience and forgiveness at home.
• Do small acts of kindness—help a neighbour, donate, or write a card.
• Share hopeful stories of saints, whānau, or everyday heroes.
• Remind one another that God is always with us.

Hope is something we live and share. “Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.”— Romans 12:12

STUDY AWARD/TOHU AKORAKA
Next term, Mr Jean Chiron will be taking part in Te Pae Kahuraki, a full immersion study award to support his professional development. We’d like to warmly congratulate him on receiving this wonderful opportunity. This is the same award that both Mr Shanahan and I completed last year, and we know first hand how valuable the experience can be. Full-immersion learning provides a chance to step back from the day-to-day classroom environment and dive deeply into study and reflection. We are confident Mr Chiron will grow both personally and professionally from this experience. Mr B will be teaching in the classroom three days a week, and I will teach the other two. We wish Mr Chiron all the best for the journey ahead.

LEARNING CONFERENCES/ HUI AKORAKA
Our Learning Conferences (Parent/Teacher Interviews) will be held on Wednesday 23rd and Thursday 24th July – Week Two of next term. These conferences are a great opportunity to connect with your child’s teacher.

You can book your time through the Skool Loop app. Simply open the app on any phone, click on Parent Interviews, and select your preferred time. Please book only one time slot per teacher. During the conference, teachers will discuss your child’s report, and students will share their learning and their goals for the remainder of the year.

School will finish at 12.30pm on Wednesday 23rd July due to these interviews. If you are unable to arrange supervision for your child, they will be supervised in the Mission Centre until the end of the school day. Please notify your child’s teacher if supervision is required, or if you give permission for your child to walk home. Students will not be permitted to leave on their own unless we receive written notification from a parent or caregiver.

School will finish at the usual time of 2.50pm on Thursday 24th July.

Please note: Learning Conferences for Room 4 parents with Mr Chiron will take place on both days, but from 4.00 pm. We thank Mr Chiron for making himself available despite being on study leave.

CANTERBURY CROSS COUNTRY/WHAKATAETAE WHAKAWHITI WHENUA
Congratulations to Prue Halkett of Room 7, who competed at the Canterbury Cross Country Event last week. Prue finished 89th overall. 

AIGA DAY/RĀ WHĀNAU

We’re excited to announce that our Aiga Days will begin next term and will be held each Friday in the Mission Centre. Led by Mrs T and Ms Tiatia, it’ll be a special time to celebrate family, culture, and identity. These sessions will focus on fostering cultural awareness and connection among our Samoan students. We look forward to the richness these gatherings will bring to our school community.

MATARIKI SLEEPOVER/NOHO PŌ MŌ MATARIKI
Last week, Rooms 7 and 8 enjoyed a very special overnight stay at school – a memorable experience thoughtfully planned by our dedicated bilingual teachers with care and aroha. The evening began with a beautiful Matariki Prayer Service in the church, attended by Fr Tang. Earlier in the day, our Kapa Haka Rōpū proudly performed for the junior school (Rooms 1, 2, 3, and 4), with Matua Sonny once again weaving his magic through music. The juniors joined in the celebrations with a lively song performance and a pizza feast with their whānau. Dinner was a highlight – a delicious Lechon, generously provided by Manilla Grill, followed by ice cream thanks to Sam Tolra. The night continued with a movie, fun indoor games, and plenty of laughter. The following morning, students and whānau worked together to prepare breakfast – a lovely way to finish the experience.

A special thank you to Mr Halkett and Mr Shanahan for their leadership and enthusiasm, and to our wonderful parent helpers, Nathan Gould, Joebel Abenales, and Paula Gardiner, for their time, support, and generous spirit. 

SAU-IA FESTIVAL/TAIOPENKA SAU-IA
Sau Ia-Fest ’25 was a vibrant celebration of Pasifika songs and dance for our Tagata Mai Saute participants! The event is now in its fifth year, and the much-loved festival continues to grow, increasing from 16 schools in 2024 to 19 in 2025. With more students involved, the evening was filled with even more music, movement, and cultural pride. It was a fantastic night of festivities, celebrating the richness of Pacific cultures right here in Ōtautahi. A heartfelt thank you to Noah and Albany from Tagata Mai Saute who made this special event possible and a special mention to Mrs T and Miss Tiatia for all their hard work behind the scenes in preparing our tamariki to shine.

GRIT TRIP/ HAREKA NIWHA
This Wednesday, I had the pleasure (along with Denise) of accompanying a fantastic group of students on a well-earned outing to Launchpad! These students have been consistently demonstrating outstanding effort, teamwork, and positive attitudes throughout the term, and this trip was a celebration of their hard work. After all the jumping and excitement, we needed to cool down, so we made a quick stop at McDonald’s for a refreshing ice cream to top off a fantastic afternoon. If you haven’t visited Launchpad yet, we highly recommend checking it out!

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION CELEBRATION
You are warmly invited to join us at St Anne’s Church this Sunday, 29 June, at 10.30 am to celebrate with the members of our parish who are to receive the Sacrament of First Holy Communion.  

A  NIGHT AT THE CONCLAVE
 Cardinal John Dew will be sharing his inspirational reflections on his recent visit to Rome and his experience attending the Papal Conclave.
We have already had a fantastic response with strong interest in tickets and lots of word-of-mouth spreading through our Catholic communities.  Don’t miss out on this  once in a lifetime experience.

PARKING/TŪKA WAKA
Again, we kindly ask all families and staff to refrain from parking on the church grounds during school drop-off and pick-up times. Fr Job has shared that parishioners, particularly our elderly community members attending daily Mass, are finding it difficult to access parking, and the priests are also experiencing challenges using their driveway. 

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 9 / WIKI IWA
Friday 27 June – Last day of Term 2, 2.50 pm finish
Sunday 29 June – First Holy Communion Celebration

TERM 3 / WĀHAKA TORU
WEEK 1 / WIKI TAHI
Monday 14 July – 8.55 am start for first day back
WEEK 2 / WIKI RUA
Wednesday 23 July – Learning Conferences
Thursday 24 July – Learning Conferences

Monday 25 August – Swimming lessons begin at Te Pou Toetoe Linwood Pool

WEEK 3 / WIKI TORU
Thursday, 31 July – Faith Team Trip to St. Francis of Assisi School – dean@stannes.co.nz

WEEK 4 / WIKI WHĀ
Filipino Language Week – Mareta@stannes.co.nz

WEEK 5 / WIKI RIMA
Tuesday 12 August – Room 4 Trip to Bottle Lake Forest  – matt@stannes.co.nz or dean@stannes.co.nz

Friday 15 August – Feast of the Assumption – josh@stannes.co.nz

WEEK 6 / WIKI ONO
Thursday 21 August – Room 4 Trip to the Teece Museum matt@stannes.co.nz or dean@stannes.co.nz
Thursday 21 August – Room 7 & 8 trip to the Art Gallery – Josh@ stannes.co.nz  or palo@stannes.co.nz

Friday 22 August – The St. Anne’s Frost Buster at Ferrymead Park

WEEK 7 / WIKI WHITU
Thursday 28 August – Year 7 & 8 ski trip to Porters – Palo@stannes.co.nz

I wish you and your families a safe, restful, and joy-filled school holiday. We look forward to seeing everyone back next term, ready for more learning.

God bless,
Dean Isherwood
Acting Principal