Newsletter #3 2023 / Pānui #3 2023 | St Anne's Catholic School

Kia ora koutou,

I hope you have had as an exciting week as we have!!!
I start with a comment regarding the news in Stuff. As you may be aware a convicted pedophile has been placed somewhere in the community. It stated in the article that all schools and preschools were made aware of this and were fine with it. In fact, we believe only one school (Te Waka Unua) was told. We are really disappointed in the Council, the Police and all others involved. Not just in this, but in some of the people allowed to live and annoy others in Woolston. There are some people making the centre of Woolston a home for themselves and have been rude, nasty and offensive to many people. Included in this group, our children. I have children scared to walk or bike past certain places as they have been offered things, yelled at, seen things they shouldn’t etc. If you are cool with this, do nothing. If you are not, make some noise. Go and see our MP, lodge complaints with the police, go to the Night Market as they are all against this weak treatment of people putting our children in danger.
You all helped me change this road to a safer place to walk and cross with traffic, help us make it safe to walk on the footpath again!!!!! Make some noise St Anne’s whānau!

Strike
As you may have seen in the media yesterday, there is a teacher and principal strike on Thursday 16 March 2023. This means that school will be closed on this day. Kidsbase will also be closed. We apologise for the inconvenience. This is a nationwide strike affecting all schools.

This is not a decision taken lightly but our tamariki need quality education and we want to give that to them. Unfortunately, the funding for our schools is not enough for us to give us the time we would like to support all of our children to thrive. Secondary schools get a third more staffing than primary, it could be easily argued that primary-aged children should have higher staffing levels. We just need better staffing!

We need to attract and retain educators by ensuring that teaching is a valued and attractive profession. At the moment a beginning teacher receives just over the minimum wage, if you take into account paying back a student loan, the profession is not at all attractive.

Principals and teachers in primary and area schools have considered the offers from the government to settle our respective collective agreements. The offers did not come close to meeting our expectations, nor make sufficient steps toward the changes we need for our children to succeed. Industrial action is the last thing we wanted to do, the decision was not taken lightly.

Thank you for the great start this year, considering all the building works going on (not too much longer now). Apologies again for being closed, but this is important. We appreciate your support for better investment in our tamariki. Change needs to happen for these children and the children to come.

Woolston Night Market
4-7pm every Friday! Let’s get this community going. It is held next to the Community Library in the hall/dance/multipurpose room right in the heart of Woolston! Bring the children, pop across the road to one of our family’s bakery if you are early.

Walking and Wheels Week
What a week! We had Pedalmania booked in for Mane, bright colours on Turei and our parade today. See Facebook for more photos soon. Big thanks to Dean Isherwood and Caitlin Barnes for getting us moving again!

Camp
A big thank you to our parent helpers and Dean Isherwood for this experience. Living Springs were amazing as usual! Hopefully we get a write up soon from some year 7 and 8 students.

Student Teachers / Kaiako Whakangungu
We welcomed Rebekah Bradbrook and Valelia Taaso on Monday to St Anne’s as part of the first year of the University of Canterbury’s Mātauranga Māori- Kaiako Whakangungu Whānau. This is teacher training for those who would like to teach in bilingual schools, Māori immersion schools or regular schools. We have been working with UC for a few years to help create this programme due to the ever increasing need for more teachers who can teach in the first language and culture of NZ. Rebekah is an ex student of St Anne’s. Welcome to them both!

Reconciliation and Adoration
Two weeks ago Room 7 & 8 went to St Anne´s church for Reconciliation and Adoration. Reconciliation is when we say our mistakes to the priest, the priest will tell you some prayers for you to say and ways for you to become a better person. Adoration is a time to pray and praise God for all the work he has done and thanking him for making the world and us.

Father Paulo and Father Ben were the priests for reconciliation. We both went to go to Father Ben but one at a time of course, he was very kind and funny. Some other people went to Father Paulo. After we all went to the priests we sat down separately and silently prayed. After that, we said some prayers with everyone else.

By: Shammie & Kailyn

Climbing to the height of Everest
There are plenty of fundraisers happening at the moment but Clara Fleming and Dallas Wichman are attempting the peak of Everest Challenge this March. If you want to support the either of them, click on this for Dallas and this for Clara . It is roughly 25-30 times up the Port Hills in a month. The lowest height is part of our Mahi Kāika senior homework challenges if you want to get involved. Both are on track with 2000-3000m climbed so far in the first 9 days.

Homework Challenges
Homework tasks are starting to come in fast now! Remember two tasks per section is the challenge. If the booklet didn’t get home, it is on our website https://www.stannes.co.nz/homework-challenges/

Marian College Open Day 2023
Haere Mai! Talofa lava and Welcome.
You are invited to attend the Marian College Open Day on Monday 1 May between 2.00 pm and 6.30 pm. Bookings for a tour are essential and are to be made via our website www.mariancollege.school.nz/openday. Come and learn about what Marian College has to offer and hear the latest updates about the new school.
There is a Wilsons car park next to Marian College on Moorhouse Avenue and ParkMate (APP required) parking on Barbadoes Street.

Positive Parenting