A few "wins" to share
Well done to all of our Rippa teams who competed at the tournament yesterday. Particularly well done to our year 7 & 8 team who made it to the finals. A great day out and thank you to the parents who enabled it to happen through lifts and coaching. It is so much appreciated.
The Ministry of Education publishes attendance data and I would like to share that our school's attendance rates are 15% higher than other similar schools. The Ministry's target for attendance for schools is 70% of children attending regularly ie more than 90% attendance. So far this year at St Joseph's 90.5% of our children have been attending 90% or more. Well done to St Joseph's. Attendance is the basis of everything else, because if the children are not here there's not much we can do with their learning and social development. Keep it up!
I have published the writing and RE reports for Hoiho on Educa and the rest of the classes will be up early in term 2. I hope that parents like the more detailed reporting we are doing for writing. The main feedback we got last year was that you liked the direct reporting and seeing examples of work and liked the opportunity to comment on children's work but you wanted to know more specifically how they were performing against curriculum expectations. I think this will answer that query. The teachers will also be working on providing similar reports for reading.
Holy Week
We have remembered Jesus's last week before he was crucified. On Monday, Pukeko and Kereru enacted Palm Sunday. On Tuesday, Kiwi did the Washing of the Feet and Hoiho did the Last Supper. Today Takahe will lead us with stations of the cross at 11am.
Blessings to You
This is my last day at St Joseph's. I will say some things this afternoon I am sure. I want to thank everybody who has supported our school. I have loved my time at St Joseph's. This school is a really special place and I feel confident that our staff has worked together to make a school that is truly Catholic school in every way. We continue to reach for the stars and I would like to share the painting I did of one of our students. In this painting, she is leaping from one of the Moeraki boulders. The rock she has left has the Icthus symbol - the symbol of Christ. That's St Joseph's school - a symbol of Christ in our world and one way or another we all leap off from this bedrock of strength and faith and we go and do what we need to do for the world, with our own personal mission and service. Although I am so sad to leave our beautiful children, their families, the staff and the deep friendships I have made here, I know it's time for me to make my next leap. God bless you all and I will always pray for St Joseph's and the people who make up St Joseph's.
Ma te Atua e manaaki a aroha,
(God bless, and love)
