ST JOSEPH’S CATHOLIC
SCHOOL
TAKAPUNA

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

Kia ora whanau

It is hard to believe that it is only six weeks until the end of term.

As does happen at this time of the year, the various Christmas celebrations begin happening. We have our Kiwi Team Christmas show happening in Week 9; and our school end-of-year liturgy in Week 10. These events are on the school calendar.

This week sees our PTA celebrating their very successful year of supporting our children and teachers. They would love you to come along and join in the celebration, and see what the PTA is all about. We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday, 11th November @ 6:30 pm in the staffroom.

The PTA are currently doing the Kids Art Works fundraiser. The children have enjoyed doing their art pieces and they will make great Christmas gifts. You can read more about this below.

We have a set of baskets in our foyer for the gifts that we hope you will donate for the parish Angel Tree. Please read the notice below and please consider sending along an item with your child. They can place it in the basket or you are welcome to pop into the office to put an item into the baskets

Our choir is singing at the Carmel College Christmas Market next Friday, 14 November. Take the family to this market for dinner and be entertained by our children. An AWESOME evening for all.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Take care

Ka manaakitia e te Atua
Alister Bridgman
Tumuaki

The Principal’s Message will cover the following topics:

Last PTA Meeting for 2025
PTA – 2025 Recap
Angel Tree
Kids Art Works
Carmel College Christmas Market
Parish News
Community Notices

LAST PTA MEETING FOR 2025

PTA – 2025 RECAP

2025 PTA Year in Review

As the year comes to a close, the PTA would like to thank our amazing school community for your support, energy and generosity throughout 2025. Together, we’ve raised funds, brought our community closer and given our tamariki some wonderful experiences this year.

Sandpit Update
Earlier this year, we proudly reached our fundraising target for the sandpit redevelopment – a milestone made possible by our community’s incredible generosity and support. Unfortunately, due to site planning changes currently in development for the school, the original sandpit upgrade has been placed on hold. However, we are actively exploring a range of options to enhance our play spaces and remain committed to creating the best possible environment for our tamariki as part of the upcoming site improvements.

In the meantime, the PTA has directed its fundraising resources towards initiatives that will provide more immediate benefits for our students. We’re excited to announce that the PTA is funding a major upgrade to the school’s gymnastics equipment, replacing much of the older gear with brand-new boxes, mats, springboards, ribbons, hula hoops, a mini trampoline, crash mat and more. The new equipment is expected to arrive within the next few weeks.

This term, the PTA is also supporting an upgrade to the Kapa Haka uniforms, providing new outfits for more than 60 students in the group.

Here’s a look back at what we’ve achieved this year:

Term 1
We started the year by purchasing new outdoor equipment for school sports days and community events, including:

4 new school-branded gazebos
2 new school flags

Term 2

Term 2 was filled with fun and community spirit:

Early in Term 2 the Colour Fun Run brought a bright burst of energy to the school and successfully met our sandpit fundraising goal.

The PTA treated the Year 6 campers to s’mores — always a camp favourite!
Our Mother’s Day Coffee & Brownie Morning was a lovely way to celebrate the special mums in our community.
At the end of Term 2 we also hosted a fantastic Matariki Disco, which the students loved.

Term 3
The PTA organised Ula Lei making for over 80 children receiving their First Holy Communion in August, to celebrate this special milestone.

We also ran our online fundraising auction, raising funds for future school projects
Celebrated dads with our Father’s Day Coffee & Brownie Morning.

Term 4
Term 4 is always a busy one, with plenty of school events and activities taking place! Our fundraising collaboration with “Love From Seventeen” is now underway and runs through to the end of November. When you shop online and use St Joseph’s unique code, you’ll receive 5% off your order, and 15% of the sale will be donated back to our school – a great way to get organised for Christmas while supporting our community (please see last week’s “Principal’s Message” for further details).

Also, keep an eye out for the children’s Calendar Art, which will be available to order very soon – these make wonderful keepsakes and gifts!

Thank You!
A huge thank you to all parents, caregivers and volunteers who have supported PTA events and fundraisers this year. Your generosity helps make our school an even better place for our children to learn, play and grow. If you would like to learn more about our school’s PTA you are most welcome to join us for drinks and nibbles at our last meeting of the year – Tuesday, 11th November at 6.30pm in the staff room.

With thanks,

St Joseph’s PTA Team