Happy Matariki

The new light of Matariki has risen
May it be to you a sign of resurrection and new life
May it be to you a sign of hope in times of darkness
May it be to you a sign of wondrous mystery of Atua who loves you
May it be to you a sign that the eyes of the Eternal are ever upon you
And that the presence of the Holy One is ever with you
And may this be the cause of your rejoicing
Go in peace
Through Christ and in perfect unity of the Holy Spirit, we pray
Amen

As a school, we will be celebrating Matariki with breakfast on Monday Morning, beginning at 7:30 am. Please come and join us for this celebration.

We will also be having a Matariki Disco on Thursday evening from 5:30pm – 6:30pm (Team Kiwi) and 6:30pm – 7:30pm (Teams Kakapo and Kakariki). All children are required to be accompanied by their parents in order to attend. Parents are responsible for their children at the disco. We look forward to seeing children and their parents on the dance floor.

If you and your whanau would like to learn about Matariki please click on this link

The Board will be developing the school’s 2026 – 2028 Strategic Plan over the next couple of months. This process happens every three years. Students, teachers and whanau will have a variety of opportunities to provide feedback; and will have input as to the school’s direction over the next three years. At Monday’s Matariki Breakfast, there will be whiteboards with questions posted on them. Please take time to read the questions and write a response. It is really helpful for the Board. These whiteboards are only for parents to write on. The children will have an opportunity to respond to questions with their Home Group teacher.

All children can wear weekend wear on Monday, and come along dressed as their favourite book character. Monday morning, at about 9am, we will be having our Book Character Parade to celebrate the beginning of our Book Week. You are welcome to stay for the parade; and then go to the library and check out the books that you can buy for your whanau. There is a great selection of books and through making a purchase, you are in turn supporting the school library.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, 8:15 am – 8:45 am, you will be able to see what your child has been learning this term. ‘Sharing the Learning’ is a wonderful opportunity for your child to share their learning with you. At the end of next week you will receive your child’s report by email and next term you will be able to meet with their teacher to discuss their progress.

Have a wonderful Matariki weekend!

Ka manaakitia e te Atua

Alister Bridgman
Principal

The Principal’s Message will cover the following topics:

• No School Tomorrow – Matariki Public Holiday
• Matariki Breakfast – Monday Morning
• 2025 Book Week – Next Week!
• Matariki Disco on Thursday
• 2025 Speech Competition
• Second-hand Uniforms
• Disney’s “Moana Jr” Coming Soon
• Parish News
• Community Notices

The Speech Competition
On Wednesday, the 18th of June, we had a speech competition, and I was one of the finalists along with Daniel (Year 6 ). The competition was at Carmel College in the Colleen Roche theatre. Our transport wasn’t on the bus, but in our parents’ car. When we arrived at the theatre, a teacher from St Mary’s came up to all of the contestants and told us when to go up. The teacher told me I was after Sophie.

The Speeches
The first person to go up was a boy named Jacob; then Daniel. While I was watching the speeches, they called out “Sophie please come forward. After watching her speech, they called out “Matthew, please come to the front.” I felt nerve-wracked. When I got to the front, I started my speech. I only messed up one or two times. Half way through, and I was shaking with fear. I stared at everybody in the theatre . When I finished my speech, everybody gave me a round of applause. I felt like the king of the theatre. I sat back down in my comfy chair and watched the rest of the speeches. When all the speeches were finished. We had morning tea.

Morning Tea (this one’s just for fun)
Now we were supposed to eat our own food. But instead, we had the grown up’s foods. I COULDN’T HELP MYSELF, the food was so good.

The Results
They decided to call out all the highly commended people. There were so many highly commended, that I thought I was going to get at least 3rd place. But sadly, I got highly commended. I felt dissatisfied. But in the end, I felt really happy I got to compete in the finals.

Report by: Matthew, HG1

Dear Parents

There is a limited range of second hand uniforms available at the school office. You are welcome to email or call in to see if we have the uniform items you require.

If you are buying bigger sizes for your children, we would appreciate you donating the uniform items that you no longer need, bringing them to the office.

Please note, we are only able to accept uniforms with the current school logo and in good condition.

Items with broken zips, holes, ink or paint are unsellable.

Our uniform supplier is Janbells, 4 G Antares Place, Rosedale PH 09 478 3450.

Latest News from St Josephs Takapuna Church

Please check out the latest community notices which you can find on our school website.