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Newsletter Week 5, Term 4
St Michael's Catholic School, Wednesday 5 November
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PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Tēnā koutou kātoa e te whānau,
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Summer Uniform & Sun Safety Reminder
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With the weather finally warming up over the past few days, it’s time to pack away the long pants and bring out the sunhats! All students should now be in full summer uniform, which means no long pants or shoes. Please ensure your child is wearing black sandals and has a named blue sunhat at school every day.
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As part of our SunSmart policy, any child without a hat will be asked to stay in the shade during break times. Let’s work together to keep our tamariki sun-safe and comfortable as we enjoy the warmer days ahead. 🌞
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A Friendly Hygiene Reminder
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The warmer weather also makes this a great time to chat with your child about personal hygiene, especially our senior students. With lots of running around at lunchtime, classrooms can get a little extra fragrant in the afternoons! Please ensure children are showering regularly, wearing clean uniforms, and, for older students, using deodorant each day. Good hygiene helps everyone feel comfortable, confident, and ready to learn.
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Celebrating Writing Success in Years 4–6
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Last term, our Year 4–6 students took part in the No More Marking writing assessment. This is an international comparative judgement tool that allows student writing to be assessed more consistently and fairly by comparing pieces of writing rather than using a traditional rubric. The results showed strong progress across all year levels, with every cohort improving between February and September.
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The data shows that our students are not only improving, but are matching or exceeding national growth trends in writing. The percentage of students working at or above the expected level increased in every year group, and the number of students working below expectation has continued to decrease .
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A huge thank you goes to our teachers and support staff, who have worked incredibly hard to implement structured writing approaches, provide quality feedback, and support every learner, especially those who need extra scaffolding. Their teamwork, patience, and belief in our students is making a real and measurable difference.
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We are proud of the progress our young writers are making and will continue to build on this momentum in 2026.
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Community Consultation – We Need Your Voice!
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Our Community Consultation Survey has now been sent out digitally and in paper form. We ask all families to please complete the survey by this Friday. Every completed form will go into the draw to win a $100 grocery voucher, and the class with the highest number of returned forms will win a pizza lunch!
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Your feedback is incredibly important , it helps us improve what we do, reflect your priorities, and shape our strategic plan moving forward. Please take a few minutes to share your voice… it truly makes a difference.
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Wishing everyone a happy, sun-filled week ahead.
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Te tumuaki o te kura Hato Mikaere
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Special Character
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This term in Ark 8, we have been exploring how seeds germinate, take root and reach toward the light. The children have been captivated watching a tiny bean seed push through the soil and grow into a strong seedling. This simple transformation from something small and ordinary into something vibrant and full of life reminds us that true growth takes time, care, and patience.
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Just like seeds, our children need the right conditions to flourish. They need nourishing food, restful sleep, opportunities to play and move and, above all, to be surrounded by love. When these essentials are in place, children grow not only in body and mind, but also in confidence and joy.
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Our faith teaches us that even the smallest beginnings can lead to great things. Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants.” (Mark 4:30–32).
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With God’s love as their foundation, the seeds we plant in our children’s hearts, such as kindness, courage and faith, can grow into something far greater than we imagine.
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With God’s light to guide them, and the faithful care of home and school, each child can grow into the person God intended - deeply rooted, strong in spirit and ready to share their gifts with the world.
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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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Contact Cristy in the office and she will get some tickets for you.
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JPC Year 6 Annual Orientation Day
We have our annual Y6 Orientation Day.
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Wear: Regular school uniform
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Bring: Lunch and drink bottle
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Meet: Mrs Fraser, the Y7 Dean, in the Edmund Rice Centre (school gym)
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Finish time: 2:30pm – parents can collect students from inside the gym
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Health & Safety
Do we know about all of your child’s allergies?
When you enrolled your child, you filled out a form letting us know about any allergies. However, we understand that allergies can change or develop over time.
If your child has developed a new allergy, please let their classroom teacher know and also inform Cristy in the office so we can update your child’s records.
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Spotlight on learning
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We all had a wonderful time at MiCamp Taupo in Week 3. Thank you to the fantastic camp parents who supported the students and teachers. The weather was good, the food was amazing, and cabins and activities were appropriate for the age group. Our school was complimented by the MiCamp Taupo staff – great behavior and manners! Students challenged themselves with various activities and had the opportunity to try new things.
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Upcoming events for Term 4:
- Thursday 13 November - Galilee 1 / The Ark Class Mass
- Friday 21 November - JPC Orientation Day (Y6)
- Wednesday 26 November - Y6 Ziplining
- Thursday 27 November - Eden 6 / Galilee 4 Class Mass
- Thursday 4 December - Helpers Morning Tea
- Wednesday 10 December -Year 6 Retreat
- Thursday 11 December - Prizegiving Ceremony 1pm/ Final School Mass 5:30pm
- Monday 15 December- Blue Lake Picnic
- Term 4 Ends Tuesday 16th December @ 12pm
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Sports News
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Many thanks to those families who have returned their sports uniforms, it has been most appreciated. There are still a few who have not returned their uniforms, parents please have a good look at home and return these as soon as possible. For any outstanding uniforms that have not been returned, families will be invoiced the cost to replace these.
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Board of Trustees
Next board meeting date: Monday 24th November , at 6pm. 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 independent e-mail address; botstmichaels@gmail.com, or alternatively, send letters to the school in an envelope marked "Board of Trustees."
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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 (Chair)
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St Michael's School Board of Trustees
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Angela Smith-Bigwood (Chair) Rachael McLanachan(Principal), Edith Klostermann(Staff Rep), Joe Hewlett, Thushara Jayawickrama Vithanage, Shania Howe (Parent Reps), Bernadette Fredricksen (Proprietor Rep), Nicky Curran (Proprietor Rep)
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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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Juicies on Friday
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During Term 4 the children will be able to purchase a nice cold juicie for $2.
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All orders will be taken in the classroom at 9am. This will take over the sausage sizzle.
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Pita Pit Lunches available every Wednesday @ School
Cut off time for ordering is 8:30 am on Wednesday
It’s simple; all you need to do is register at www.lunchonline.co.nz
and follow 4 easy steps to get started
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1. Register an account
2. Add member/s including your name and delivery location
3. Make a payment to have funds in your account before you order
4. Select your lunch and place an order
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PTA News
Tomato order sheets will be sent home this week. Please support our PTA and school. These Tomato plants have been lovingly cared for and nurtured by a few students at home. All funds raised will go towards supporting our school where it is needed most.
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A big thank you to Mitre 10 Rotorua for generously sponsoring all the potting mix and planter pots.
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Please ensure all orders are placed by November 21, and the plants will be sent home with the kids on November 28, 2025.
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The PTA are wrapping up the year a Christmas Raffle Fundraiser
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Notices will be sent home with kids this week.
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We are asking for grocery items to be donated over the coming weeks, with raffle books will be handed out to families on the 17 November 2025. The family who sells the most tickets will win a $50 Motion Entertainment Voucher. Raffle will be drawn at school on the 14 December 2025
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Weekly Item Categories over the next 4 weeks:
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Week 1 - 09 - 14 November - Box of something e.g.Crackers
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Week 2 - 16 - 21 November - Packets e.g. Lollies
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Week 3 - 23 - 28 November - Cans and/or something to do with Christmas
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Week 4 - 01 - 05 December - Christmas Week
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Thank you in advance for your support
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Bread on Wednesday
Bread will be available on Wednesday mornings. Please collect your bread from outside the main office – limit of 2 bags per family.
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This bread is kindly donated by Bakers Delight, Rotorua Central Mall. If you happen to enjoy something you try, we encourage you to support their business by calling in and purchasing more.
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Community News
Look Sharp – Special Offer for Our School Community
We’re pleased to share that Look Sharp is offering a 10% discount to all students, parents, teachers, and staff at our school!
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Simply scan the QR code attached to this email to enjoy the discount. The same code can also be used for printing and party hire services.
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Feel free to share this great offer with your whānau and make the most of the savings!
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