Ash Wednesday (February 18) marks the beginning of the church season of Lent. Lent is a time of fasting, praying and almsgiving. The theme for Lent 2024 is “Hear the Voice, Answer the Call  –  Whakarongo ki te Reo, Whakahokia te Karanga.” 

This recognises that we listen to God’s voice and the voices of the vulnerable, and  to respond with love and action.

Students will be learning about Lent through their Religious Education programme. We will encourage them to consider something they could do, for the six weeks of Lent, to contribute to family life or support others in their life. This could be as simple as making their bed each day, or visiting an elderly neighbour each week and helping them in their garden. We would encourage you to have a chat with your child and support them with the activity they decide on. 

We will include each of the Lenten Action Plan for you to consider as a family as a way of preparing for the death and resurrection of Jesus at Easter.

During Lent, New Zealand’s Catholic Bishops invite us to provide for the needs of the poor through the work of Caritas. Students generously bring money each day for the home group mission box. The mission box money over the next six weeks will be donated to the Bishops’ Lent Appeal. This year the Bishop’s Lent Appeal will help to fund Caritas’s work in the Pacific and worldwide, including immediate emergency help, poverty reduction, advocacy for the common good, and education initiatives.

We invite your teams to register to play Sports for St Joseph’s Primary School in Term 1, 2026.

– North Harbour Basketball – Years 2-4

Game Times: Tip off varies, 3.45pm – 6.45pm

Game Duration: 35 min

Season Dates: Tuesday, 17th March for 13 weeks (not including school holidays)

– North Harbour Basketball – Girls only Years 5/6

Season Dates: Tuesday, 17th March for 13 weeks (not including school holidays)

– North Harbour Basketball – Years 5/6 (Boys/Mixed)

Season Dates: Wednesday, 18th March for 13 weeks (not including school holidays)

Due to the size of the league there are a number of different locations which may be used over the semester for all age groups.  The full list of locations are:

• Eventfinda Stadium (North Shore Events Centre)
• AUT
• Albany Junior High School (AJHS)
• The Y (YMCA)
• Murray’s Bay Intermediate School (MBIS) – Year 5 & 6 only & Girls only
• Massey University – Albany – Year 5 & 6 only & Girls only
• The SWISH Factory (possibly)
• Transformation Academy
• East Coast Bays Leisure Centre (ECBL)

PLEASE NOTE: The commitment is for both Terms 1 & 2. Please ensure that your game days do not coincide with other out-of-school activities as players must attend all games (unless sick).

Registrations close Friday, 27th February and can be completed through Enrolmy which can be accessed via the link below:

enrolmy.com

NB: Your registration will be considered once the full fee has been received.

Any questions please contact sports@sj.school.nz

Dear Parents

In the Principal Message on Thursday, 5 February I informed you of the new Attendance Procedure for 2026. The key changes are

• Children arriving after the bell rings (8:50 am) need to sign in at the Office and will be recorded as Late.
• Children leaving before the afternoon bell (2:50 pm) need to be signed out at the office.
• There will be no more early pick-ups on wet days.

If it is raining parents can walk in and collect their children as normal after the bell goes. Please do not take your child earlier. If you do, you will need to sign them out at the office.

The gate will open at the normal time of 3 pm. Please do not park in front of the gate waiting for it to open. Please go and park your car and walk in if the gate is not open. This applies to every school day, not just wet days.

If it is raining and you are using the drive through, please have your child’s full name and HG number on an A4 sheet of paper in your windscreen. The gate duty teacher will call your child on the walkie talkie, and your child will be sent to the pick-up zone by their HG teacher. The teachers on duty will organize for your child to get in the car.

I strongly recommend that you consider delaying your pick-up on a wet day as traffic is always heaviest on these days. Your child will be looked after until you can collect them.

If you are running late, on any day, please ring the office so that we are aware of your late arrival.

Join us for a family fun run (or walk) from Takapuna to Milford on Sunday March 29th! Prizes to be won and a delicious sausage sizzle at the finish line, provided by our AMAZING PTFA! And a portion of each entry goes towards sports equipment for our school!

Sign up at www.shoretoshore.co.nz

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