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Newsletter Week 11, Term 2
St Michael's Catholic School, Wednesday 1 July
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PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
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As we come to the end of another busy and rewarding term, I would like to thank our wonderful students, staff, whānau, and Board for making Term 2 such a successful one.
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This term has been full of memorable learning experiences. Our students have loved exploring our Caring for Creation curriculum, learning about the Tarawera Eruption, geothermal wonders, and the history of Te Wairoa. Alongside this, they have continued to grow in their faith through class liturgies, prayer, and Mass, living out our Mercy values each day.
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One of the biggest highlights this term was the opening of our new bike track. It has quickly become a favourite part of the school day, with students developing confidence, resilience, and teamwork while enjoying being active outdoors. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make this amazing project possible.
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Our students have also represented St Michael's with pride in cross country, EPro8, Trees for Survival planting day, and a range of other sporting and learning opportunities. Thank you to our staff and parent volunteers who make these experiences possible.
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I am also delighted with the learning progress our students have made this term. Mid-year achievement data shows strong improvement across reading, writing, and mathematics, reflecting the hard work of our students, the dedication of our teachers and support staff, and the support our families provide at home.
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Reports will be emailed home this Friday, so please keep an eye on your inbox. Take some time to celebrate your child's hard work and the progress they have made over the first two terms of the year. I also encourage you to book a learning conference with your child's teacher during Week 1 of next term. These meetings are a valuable opportunity to celebrate successes, discuss progress, and work together to support your child's learning goals for the second half of the year.
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A reminder that on Tuesday 21 July and Thursday 23 July, school will finish early at 2.00 pm to allow time for learning conferences. If you are able to collect your child at 2.00 pm, we would greatly appreciate it. However, we understand this isn't possible for every family, and support staff will be available to supervise children until the normal finishing time of 2:55 pm.
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Finally, thank you to our incredible staff. Their care, commitment, and willingness to go above and beyond for our children never goes unnoticed.
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I wish all of our families a safe and restful holiday break. We hope you enjoy some quality time together and return refreshed for another exciting term of learning.
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Te tumuaki o te kura Hato Mikaere
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Our mid-year results reflect the dedication of our students, staff, and whānau. Strong achievement across all learning areas, consistent outcomes for boys and girls, and positive progress for many learners show that our commitment to high-quality teaching and learning is making a real difference. While we celebrate these successes, we remain focused on helping every child reach their full potential.
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Parent-Teacher Interviews: Book Your Slot Now!
Parent-teacher interviews will be held during the first week back of Term 3. This is a wonderful opportunity to discuss your child's progress and goals with their teacher.
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Dates: Tuesday 21st July & Thursday 23rd July
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Times: 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM both days
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How to Book:
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Booking is quick and easy online. Please click the link below or scan the code to choose a time that suits your schedule:
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ERO Visit – Week 3, Term 3
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We are excited to welcome the Education Review Office (ERO) to St Michael's in Week 3 of next term. This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase our amazing little kura and celebrate the learning, faith, and strong sense of community that make St Michael's so special.
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As part of their visit, ERO would like to meet with a group of parents to hear about your experiences of our school. We would love to have a cross-section of our school community represented, with parents sharing what they value most about St Michael's.
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We will let you know closer to the time when this parent hui will take place. We hope many of you will be able to join us and help tell the story of our wonderful school.
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A Warm Welcome!
Welcome to Our New Students and their families! We are absolutely delighted to welcome some new faces to our school community . Please join us in giving a warm welcome to:
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- Gabriel Knight ( Kylan's brother) – Joining us in The Ark
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Jacob Loest – Joining us in Galilee 1
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It is wonderful to have you all here with us. We know our current students and families will make Gabriel and Jacob feel right at home!
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Enrolments for Siblings for 2026/2027
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Do you have a child due to start school this year (born 2021) or in Term 1 2027 as a Year 1?
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Please come into the school office to collect an enrolment form. Getting these completed early helps us immensely with our future planning!
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Term 2 Attendance
Currently, 77% of our students sit in the "Good" attendance category.
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To give you an idea of what attendance looks like across our school community this term, we have broken down our current data into the pie chart shown below.
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Balancing Illness and Learning
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We completely understand that bugs, colds, and general illnesses happen. When a child is genuinely unwell, the best place for them is at home resting and recovering. We greatly appreciate parents and caregivers keeping us updated regarding medical absences so we can support your child's return to school and accurately record their time off.
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Holidays During Term Time
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While illness is often unavoidable, one area where we can collectively make a huge difference is reducing holidays taken during term time. Every week of school missed for a family holiday breaks the momentum of learning, making it much harder for students to keep up with their peers and make steady academic progress. We kindly ask that family trips and holidays are planned exclusively during the official school break periods whenever possible.
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Missing just a few days a term might not seem like a lot at the time, but it adds up quickly:
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🟢 GOOD (Less than 5 days absent per term — 77% of our students): Gives your child the absolute best chance of social and academic success.
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🟡 WORRYING (Up to $10 days absent per term — 19% of our students): Reduces their chance of success and creates gaps in learning.
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🟠🔴 CONCERNING / SERIOUS CONCERN (10 or more days absent per term — 4% of our students): Makes it incredibly hard for students to make progress and maintain close social connections with classmates.
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Thank you to all of our families for your ongoing support, communication, and commitment to getting our children to school every single day!
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Special Character
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Message from the DRS
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As we come to the end of an 11-week term, there is a real sense of tiredness across our school community. Staff and students alike have worked hard, and it is not surprising that patience can start to wear a little thin at this point in the term. We are seeing small disagreements pop up more easily, often over things that would normally be quickly resolved.
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In these final days, it helps to remember that everyone is feeling it in some way. A simple reminder from Scripture fits well here:
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“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” (Ephesians 4:2)
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This feels especially relevant when energy is low. When we are tired, small things can feel bigger than they are, and it can take more effort to respond with calm and kindness. Choosing patience in those moments can make a real difference to the atmosphere in a classroom or playground.
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We are also reminded of Jesus’ invitation:
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“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
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As we head into the final stretch of the term, this is a good time to slow down where we can, show a bit of extra understanding toward one another, and recognise that everyone is trying to do their best.
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May we finish the term with steady kindness and patience, supporting each other well and look forward to a well-earned break ahead.
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Director of Religious Studies
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St Michael's Church Holy Mass Timetable
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St Mary's Church Holy Mass Timetable
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Community Masses -All Welcome
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Miha Maori - First Saturday of the month, 5pm Vigil Mass at St Michael’s.
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Tokelauan Community - Third Saturday of the month, 5pm Vigil Mass at St Michael’s.
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Filipino Community - Third Friday of the month, 6pm at St Michael’s.
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School lunches available on Wednesday each week
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You can order lunch by 8.30am on Wednesday morning and this will be delivered to the office for your child.
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🌭 Friday Lunch Special: American Hot Dogs
We are having an American Hot Dog lunch this Friday only!
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How to order: Orders are taken in class.
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Deadline: Must be ordered by 9:00 AM.
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Please remind your child to get their order in with their teacher as soon as they arrive. We unfortunately cannot fill any orders placed after 9:00 AM!
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Upcoming events for Term 2:
- Friday 3 July - End of Term 2/Mufti Day for Caritas (Gold coin donation)
Term 3
- Monday 20 July- Start of Term 3
- Tuesday 21st July- Parent/Teacher Interviews 2pm-6pm
- Thursday 23rd July- Parent/Teacher Interviews 2pm-6pm
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Sports News
Players of the Day:
Soccer
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Tigers: Ryan Benjamin & Odelia Hayes
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Tigers: Zion Aislabie & Mason Forster
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Hockey
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📸 Reminder: Send in Your Sports Photos
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We love celebrating the efforts of all our players, whether they are playing here at school or achieving big goals elsewhere.
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If you have any photos from other sporting events, please email them to the office. We want to keep our community updated with all your action shots!
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PTA News
Upcoming Term 3 Events
More details will be provided closer to each event date:
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• Father's Day Stall – Date TBC
• Disco – Date TBC
• Tomato Seedlings Sale – Selling earlier this year, ready for spring planting
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Please keep an eye out for further updates throughout the term.
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Board of Trustees
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Next board meeting Date: Monday 5 August
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At each BOT meeting - twice a term - policies are reviewed. If you would like to communicate with the BOT, you are welcome to email our board e-mail address; smcsboard@stmichaelsrotorua.school.nz or alternatively, send letters to the school in an envelope marked "Board of Trustees."
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St Michaels School Board of Trustees
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Angela Smith-Bigwood (Chair), Damian Flynn, Joseph Hewlett, Shania Howe (Parent Reps), Bernadette Fredrickson (Proprietor Rep), Nicky Curran (Proprietor Rep) Gary Dender (Proprietor Rep)
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You are also welcome to attend any meeting, however, if you would like to have speaking rights, you need to request this from the chair using the email address. This email address can be accessed by Angela Smith-Bigwood (Presiding Member)
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Each term, the whole school community is invited to review and comment on specific policies and procedures. This feedback is captured using the review button on topics that are under review.
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Log on to School Docs to have your say.
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SchoolDocs is an online platform that provides access to our school policies, procedures, and guidelines. It serves as a valuable tool for staying informed and ensuring that we are all on the same page.
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To access SchoolDocs, please visit
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schooldoc.co.nz and use the following login details:
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Username: stmichaelsrotorua
Password: community
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