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Newsletter Week 9, Term 4
St Michael's Catholic School, Friday 13 December
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PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Tēnā koutou kātoa e te whānau,
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Season’s Greetings! As we wrap up the 2024 school year, we reflect on the many blessings we’ve experienced at St Michael’s Catholic School. We are deeply thankful for the unwavering support and love from our community. A huge thank you to our coaches, camp helpers, class helpers, P.T.A. members, and our Board – your time and dedication make all the exciting opportunities possible for our students.
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This year, the academic progress at St Michael’s Catholic School has been remarkable, thanks to the dedication and hard work of all our staff. They have worked tirelessly to create an environment where all students can thrive, implementing targeted interventions and structured learning programs to support each child’s development. Their commitment to enhancing literacy and numeracy outcomes has been inspiring, and their collaborative approach to teaching has fostered a positive and engaging learning environment. We are incredibly proud of the growth our students have made, and we are deeply grateful for the passion and effort our staff have put into ensuring each child's success.
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In 2024, our data in reading, writing, and maths reflects strong progress. Over 83% of students are reading at or above their expected level, exceeding our target of 80%. In writing, we have made significant strides in reducing the achievement gap between boys and girls, with more students meeting or exceeding expectations. In maths, targeted interventions and structured support have led to notable gains, particularly for students identified as needing extra support.
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For 2025, we will continue to build on these successes by focusing on further strengthening our literacy and numeracy programs, expanding targeted interventions, and deepening family and community engagement to ensure continued growth for all our students.
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Our Blue Lake picnic is on Monday, 16th December. Please ensure your child brings their togs, towel, water, and plenty of food. Apply sunscreen before they leave home, and teachers will reapply during the day. The weather forecast doesn’t look the greatest on Monday but we are praying for sunshine and are holding out hope! We will let everyone know if the Blue Lake Picnic trip is canceled or not on Monday by 7:00 am.
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Prizegiving and our final day is on Tuesday, 17th December. Prizegiving will begin at 10:30am. All students are expected to be in school uniform. Our prizegiving is expected to conclude at 12pm.
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We are immensely proud of our Kapa Haka Roopu for their outstanding performance at the recent Rotorua Schools Ahurei. If you were unable to attend, you can watch and download their performance using the link below.
This link will expire by the 6th of Feb 2025.
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Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a safe, joyful holiday with your whānau. We look forward to another amazing year in 2025 at the best little school in Rotorua!
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Te tumuaki o te kura Hato Mikaere
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Galilee 1 spreading holiday cheer, one smile at a time!
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Galilee 4 Bringing the magic of Christmas to the classroom
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The Ark 10 Merry & bright- celebrating the spirit of Christmas together
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The Ark 8 - Decked out for the season - look at our festive fashions!
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The Ark 6 - Santa's little helpers hard at work
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Whanau Meeting 2025
Whanau meeting dates have been set for Monday 3rd and Tuesday 4th of February. This is an opportunity for you to come and meet with your child's teacher to discuss the learning needs of your child and to set goals for 2025. We look forward to seeing you all.
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Use the link below to book in a meeting time:
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Exciting Changes to Our School Communication Platform
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We are excited to inform you that we are in the process of consolidating both Seesaw and The School App into one convenient platform called @school. This change is aimed at ensuring that all information relating to your child is accessible in one handy place.
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Instructions on how to access and use the new platform will be sent out shortly. Please note that the registration process for @school may take a little longer than usual.
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Since the platform will house private information about your child, we have implemented additional steps and security measures to ensure that this data is protected.
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We appreciate your patience as we transition from the existing platforms to @school. During this period, there may be a phased discontinuation of one platform as we move entirely to the new system.
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Thank you for your understanding and support as we work to streamline communication for our school community.
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Farewell Year 6
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Good Luck with your future endeavours.
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May you always remember with pride
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your time at St Michael's School
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Board of Trustees
On behalf of the board we would like to thank the staff for their wonderful work and support during 2024.
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We look forward to an exciting year ahead and wish all the families and staff a very happy and safe Christmas.
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St Michael's School Board of Trustees
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Joseph Assen (Chair), Rachael McLanachan(Principal), Nick Horton, Shalya O'Neill (Staff Rep), Bernadette Frederickson (Proprietor Rep).
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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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Start Date for 2024
- Monday 3rd and Tuesday 4th February school will be open for Whanau Meetings - Please book a time by clicking the link under the "whanau meeting 2025 "section of the newsletter
- First Day for all children - Wednesday 5th February
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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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Thank you
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A huge thank you to Ankush Kumar and whānau at Ray White Realty for their generous gift of amazing water bottles featuring our school logo! Our tamariki are thrilled and ready to stay hydrated in style!
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PTA News
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As we approach the end of the year, the PTA would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported us throughout 2024. Whether you’ve volunteered your time, donated items, or attended our events, your contributions have helped make each activity a success.
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Your support has enabled us to plan and deliver a variety of events and initiatives that have greatly benefited our school community. We truly couldn’t have done it without you!
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We look forward to another fantastic year ahead and hope to see you at future events in 2025.
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How can you help…
There are no obligations to join or commit to anything, we strive to make it all about what suits the reality of everyone’s busy lives. Come along to a meeting next year and join a lovely group of parents / grandparents and see for yourself. There are many ways that you could help the PTA:
Help selling gifts at our stalls (Mother’s Day, Father's Day & Christmas stall)
Supplying baking if required
Helping at events
Helping on the BBQ
Donating vouchers, we could use at events if you are a business owner or know any
businesses that could help
Please share any fundraising ideas, we are always open for options
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If you are considering joining the PTA, please come along and join us we would love to have you on board. All are welcome. Have a Blessed Christmas & a Prosperous New Year
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Leavers Lunch
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A heartfelt thank you to our wonderful PTA for organizing an amazing lunch for our Year 6 Leavers. It was a special way to celebrate their journey and wish them well for the next chapter.
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