Kā mihi o te mutuka o te wāhaka tuatahi ki a koutou katoa,
(End of term greetings to you all)
Term one is the longest of this year, at 11 weeks, but it has flown by. A lot has been happening at St Anne’s with a new structure to our classes, trips, tournaments, learning conferences, Easter, Pasifika growth work, and with a change of government, lots of extra requirements to add to our lists. Apologies if you haven’t seen me out and about as much, or I have been slow to get back to you, as the start of the year is very time-demanding on me, and this year the extras to add to this have made it worse. But, we are getting on top of things and the break should help get everything finished.
Professional Development / Whakawhanake-ā-Mahi
I want to acknowledge and congratulate the staff as they continue to teach to the best of their ability and work well over the 40-hour working week number we hear of, while adding to this by learning themselves through various courses. Many of these are in the evening, weekends and have assignments.
Some of these this term were:
-Spelling development (Josh Halkett, Jean Chiron, Clara Fleming, Te Māio Tamati-Stirling)
-Māori language (Matt Brorens, Maryse Vernon, Jean Chiron)
-Religious Education papers (Jean Chiron, Jo Smart, December McVicar, Hazel Harnett-Garbes)
-Early Years Programme (Jo Smart, December McVicar)
-Cook Islands Māori Language (Me)
-Leadership Development (Jo Smart)
Rugby League (years 5-8) urgent notice for tomorrow! / Rīki (tau kura 5-8) pānui whakahirihiri mō āpōpō!
Remember:
-Last practice today 3pm -3.40pm!
-For the day, black shorts, St Annes PE top (if you have one), a mouth guard, be at school at 8.30am for the bus, lots of food and water, and a smile! Parents, please have Skool Loop as we can send you updates in case we are late finishing.
Picture: 2019 Runners up (Whakapūmau won overall)
Hazel Harnett Garbes
Hazel, one of our amazing teachers, is heading off around the world in a few weeks! Basing herself as a teacher at St Christopher’s International School in Penang, Malaysia for the next three years. A great place to be and to travel from when she isn’t teaching. This is the school Dean Isherwood also worked at for a similar amount of time. It was an adventure of a lifetime for Dean, and we hope it will be the same for Hazel.
Hazel is in her seventh year at St Annes (she started the beginning of 2018), before this she was a student teacher on placement with our current Year 8s in Room 1 with Cathy French. We saw her talent and potential as a student teacher then and when a position became available, convinced her to apply.
Since then she has grown so much as a teacher and a person. She also became a confirmed Catholic during her time here. As a referee, it was easy to say just how much of an effective and competent teacher she is. Whilst in my heart I wanted to lie and say she is hopeless, so we could keep her, my job is to grow and support our staff as much as it is our children!
In terms of teachers, Hazel, Clara and Josh have all been here in their 7th, 8th and 9th year respectively and have all been part of so much development over the years to the position we are in now. She has been a big part in the crafting of our direction and curriculum. Hazel has taught across many age groups from new entrants to Year 8s. I was lucky enough to attend camp with her when she was running the senior room, and it was an awesome camp. She has been our Māori Culture Leader ensuring our direction, teaching and opportunities were sound and within tikanga. She has gone from speaking very little Māori when arriving, to surviving a term in immersion settings herself on a Kāi Tahu course and now has the most beautiful pronunciation and language flow I know. Last year she helped lead our spelling programme to our staff as is such an effective and research based literacy teacher.
Hazel, we will miss you, thank you for everything you have done for this school and its community over such a long period. We wish you all the best in your adventures. May the Lord bless you and protect you. Te Atua te aro’a ‘ē kia manuia!!
We will be having a poroporoaki at 2pm on Friday 12 April in the Mission Centre to farewell Hazel, parents are welcome to attend (Note: there will be limited space and not appropriate for preschoolers – just so everyone can hear in a small space).
Learning conferences / Hui-ā-whānau
A huge thank you to all families and teachers for these few nights. Remember, we are always here for a chat should you need it, but it is good to formally sit down and hear how things are going and how we can all help to continue our children’s learning journeys.
Easter Celebration / Whakanui Araka
Easter is a time of hope and new beginnings, symbolised by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This year, our Faith Team led a special celebration in each class. They organised an Easter Egg hunt where students found eggs containing parts of the Easter story. Together, they read and reflected on its meaning. Of course, there were chocolate eggs too! It was a beautiful moment of faith and joy for our school community, reminding us of the blessings of Easter. We hope you all had a blessed and happy Easter filled with love and joy.
Sienna
Outside of school, Sienna loves her horses and recently was runner up in a show jumping competition. Check out these amazing photos! Well done Sienna, I bet lots of children at school will want to know all about horses now!!!
Tamai Sports
We all recognise the importance of sport and regular physical activity in nurturing the holistic development of our young ones. It not only fosters health but also enhances social, emotional, and physical well-being. We’re excited to announce that Ben Hamilton and Logan Martin-Feek from Tamai Sports will be visiting St Anne’s next Wednesday, the 10th of April, to share their inspiring work with us.
Tamai Sports is a not-for-profit organisation with a strong focus on community impact. They offer children aged 9-13 from the Tamai Learning Cluster in the Eastern suburbs of Christchurch the chance to engage in sports. We invite you to join us and discover the incredible opportunities Tamai Sports can provide for your son or daughter.
The meeting will take place in Room 8 and will commence at 3pm. Come along, learn, and be inspired!
Ateliana Tiatia
Over the last few years, we have been fortunate to have Ateliana Tiatia, as firstly a teacher aide at our school, and then a teacher at our school. She is a real asset to us and our community. She has grown in confidence, ability and as a person over these few years. She has taught junior children and senior children, and is now working on strengthening our Pasifika cultures in our school in the hope of a Samoan bilingual unit for next year. This will be a huge step in Christchurch and a model for other schools to do better for our Pasifika children.
Last week, the school board decided to offer her a permanent teaching position at the school. Congratulations to her for her work for our Pasifika children and every child of the school, and to look forward to what’s to come in the future. This was announced to the Samoan Catholic community yesterday at Mass. Below are some photos of that. Thank you to our families who helped out!
Room 4 new teacher / Kaiako Hou o te Rūma 4
As a permanent position became available due to Hazel leaving, Ateliana was offered this through the usual process. We prefer she continues on her work Pasifika enhancement work for this year so we have been looking for cover in Room 4 for the remainder of the year to allow her to do this. With so much positive feedback on Daniel Richards, he has been offered a fixed term position through to the end of the year in Room 4. Before moving into teaching he worked teacher aiding, working with neurodiverse children and he obtained degrees (yes, plural). Well done Daniel and we hope you have a great rest of the year in Room 4.
For any holiday during term time, you need to advise the office in writing of the dates. Please be aware that Parents/Caregivers need to seek approval from the board for all planned absences that exceed 20 consecutive school days during school term time.
The board meets twice per term.
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 reading them, they can be found here. Please follow the link and then have a look around!
Uniform Survey / Weruweru Kura
We have put this survey out in the last two newsletters and also given a paper copy. We have had single figure responses from our parent community, this tells us that the majority (170/180) are happy with the uniform as it is, if this is not the case, or, even if it is, we would love for you to complete the survey to let us know. It doesn’t take long. The deadline has been shifted to the last day of the term. Thanks heaps team! Below is the post.
Don’t forget to let us know what you think! The survey closes 12 April 2024.
The board would like your feedback on our uniform to see if the community are happy with it and if it is still reflective of us. We warmly invite you to give feedback. Click on the link, any problems, complete the paper one at the end of the newsletter and return it to the office. https://forms.gle/gdcZ2yAKrVK53qpZ6
QR code for the survey if you are reading a paper copy of the newsletter.
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.
WEEK 11 / WIKI TEKAU MĀ TAHI
Monday 8 April – Kāhui Ako Sports and Indigenous Sports Tournament (years 7 and 8) josh@stannes.co.nz temaio@stannes.co.nz
Tuesday 9 April – Rugby League Tournament (selected students years 5-8)
principal@stannes.co.nz
Friday 12 April – Faith Trip (secret trip)
Friday 12 April – Poroporoaki (farewell to Hazel) – starting 2pm sharp
Friday 12 April – Last day of term 2.50pm finish
TERM 2 / WĀHAKA RUA
Monday 29 April – First day of term two 9am sharp start
This is the start of winter uniform! Hats can stay at home!
Te Atua te aro’a!
Kia manuia,
Dallas Wichman
Tumuaki / Principal / Pū ‘Āpi’i Ma’ata