Thursday 26 July 2018

1. Principal's News - Term 3, Week 1, 2018

Student and Parent Interviews
Our student and parent interviews are happening next week on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons/evenings.  We strongly encourage all families to attend the interviews as your support for your child's learning progress is a very important factor in their success.
Our year 2/3 do an acid/base reaction with vinegar and bicarbonate of soda in our STEAM room.
At the interviews your child will present an example, or examples of their learning.  This will help to illustrate the reports you received at the end of last term.  The teacher will be there and will be able to clarify and help in a three way conversation.

To book go to: https://www.schoolinterviews.co.nz/
and use the event code:          9dhs6
Parent Feedback
We value your feedback.  Constructive and respectful feedback can support us to know we going in the right direction or it may help us to stop and reflect and maybe make changes.  In the next few weeks there will be two opportunities for feedback.  These are part of our planning and development cycle and we take all comments seriously.

After the student/parent interviews there will be a form to fill in regarding the new report forms and
Production Practice
how they worked for you.  Your comments will be used as part of the development process.

Also in the next couple of weeks you will receive a special character survey.  We are a faith-based school.  The reason and measure of success for our school is how well we provide the conditions for our community to encounter God.   We would love to have your feedback on this please.

Production Practice



Senior Production - Jumanji - the 4Rs

This is coming together now and we look forward to performing it in week 4.

It is based on the movie Jumangi.  It starts in a school where the four main characters each need to learn something about one of our school values - respect, relationship, reverence and resilience.  As in the movie, they are transported into the land of Jumangi where they become "game" characters.  At each level of the game they have to learn something about one of our values in order to get to the next level.  By the end they have learnt a lot and return to their real selves as true JJ role models.  All children from year 4 to 8 are involved and have a part either on stage or as a stage, lighting or sound technician.  There's some great singing and dancing coming along and we're looking forward to sharing it with our community on Thursday 16th August at 6.30 pm at St Kevin's auditorium.

Singing Cup 2018
We have run the Singing Cup annually now at St Joseph's for nearly 50 years.  This is a very big part of our Dominican tradition.  The Dominican sisters who started our school were committed to singing and music and our Singing Cup grew out of this.

Normally, our winners and house choirs perform at St Kevin's but this year due to having to postpone the school production, we will have our Singing Cup celebration at St Joseph's - date and details to be confirmed.  The process is:
  • Years 5 to 8 are all encouraged to audition but not pressured.  
  • The first audition happens only within their own class.  
  • This is on Tuesday 7th August.  
  • Two St Kevin's students will be judging it.  
  • The top two or three children will get the chance to prepare their own song for the finals.  
  • The finals will be judged by an adult external judge.
  • For the qualifying students, preparing their song is something they take responsibility for themselves but Mrs Brookes and myself will help them with accompaniment and support and Mrs Brookes gives them feedback on their performance prior to the competition.
  • All children in years 4-8 take part in house choirs which compete at the final celebration.
  • To show the children that the teachers also have resilience, we will put ourselves out of our comfort zones, and take the time to rehearse and improve on something, all the teachers participate in a staff choir which will also perform.  For adults who do not feel comfortable singing or getting on stage (not me - I like it), this takes some guts and we want to show the children that it's OK to give something a go and not be perfect but with a growth mindset we can sometimes surprise ourselves and we support each other no matter what.
Aroha and God Bless
Lorraine Frances-Rees

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