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Newsletter Week 6, Term 2
St Michael's Catholic School, Wednesday 4th June
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PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Tēnā koutou kātoa e te whānau,
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It’s hard to believe we’re nearly halfway through the school year already! As we head into the winter months, there’s lots happening both in and out of the classroom. We’ve included a few important reminders and upcoming events below to help keep everyone in the loop. Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support — it makes such a positive difference to our school community.
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We would like to sincerely thank everyone who took the time to vote for the St Michael’s Project in the BOPRC School Sustainability and Resilience Fund. We are thrilled to share that our application was successful, and we have been awarded $9000 to support the creation of a native sensory walk on our school grounds. This special space will be planted by our tamariki, creating a peaceful, engaging area filled with native plants, textures, and scents that will grow and thrive for generations to come. We’re so grateful for Adrienne Smith, who put our application together and for the children for making a fabulous video showcasing our wonderful little school.
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Early Finish – Monday 9 & Tuesday 10 June:
School will be finishing early at 1pm on both Monday 9 and Tuesday 10 June to allow our teachers to take part in valuable Maths professional learning. If you are unable to collect your child early, please let the office know so we can arrange supervision until 3.00pm.
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Matariki Public Holiday:
A reminder that Friday 20 June is a public holiday to celebrate Matariki — the Māori New Year. Matariki is a time to reflect on the past, celebrate the present, and plan for the future. It’s a special opportunity for whānau to come together, remember loved ones, and set intentions for the year ahead.
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School Reports & Parent-Teacher Interviews:
School reports will be sent home on Friday 27 June, our last day of Term 2. Please make sure you book a time to meet with your child’s teacher — it’s a great opportunity to check in on their progress and next learning steps. The link for booking your interview is below.
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John Paul College Enrolments 2026:
A reminder that enrolments for John Paul College are now open for the 2026 school year. If your child intends to attend JPC next year, please complete the online enrolment form via the John Paul College website.
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The Read-a-thon has now come to a close. Please return all completed forms and money raised for the Parish Roof Fund to the school office as soon as possible.
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A big thank you to all those who took part – we really appreciate your support!
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The Parish has kindly organised a couple of prizes, as well as a pizza lunch for the class that read and earned the most. Stay tuned for the results!
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Covid Reminder:
A quick reminder that Covid is still present in our community. While symptoms are generally mild for most, we are asking parents to be vigilant. It’s important we do our best to keep our staff well over the winter months — relievers are an extra cost and disruption to your child’s learning. If your child is showing flu-like symptoms, please keep them home until they’re well. Thank you for your support with this.
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Stay warm, stay well, and thank you for your ongoing support.
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Te tumuaki o te kura o Hato Mikaere
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Parent-Teacher Interviews – Term 3, Week 1
Parent-Teacher Interviews will take place in Week 1 of Term 3, on the following dates:
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Wednesday 16 July – 2:00pm to 5:00pm
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Thursday 17 July – 2:00pm to 6:00pm
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We kindly ask that parents collect their children at 2:00pm on both days if possible. Teacher aides will be available to supervise any children who remain at school.
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📝 How to Book:
You can make your bookings in either of the following ways:
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@School App: Tap the Interview button to book directly through the app.
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EPro8 Challenge
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We had two teams of our amazing Year 5/6 students take part in the EPro8 Challenge at Rotorua Intermediate last week. They tackled engineering and problem-solving tasks with teamwork, creativity, and perseverance. We’re so proud of their efforts and the way they represented our school!
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Special Character
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This Sunday, 8 June at 10am, St Mary’s Church will host a special Jubilee Mass celebrating Pentecost and our Diocese’s rich cultural diversity. The Jubilee Year, declared by Pope Francis in 2022, is a special time of grace, mercy, and renewal for the Catholic Church. It invites all believers to reflect, seek forgiveness, and renew their faith as “pilgrims of hope.” The Jubilee encourages people to embrace God’s mercy, promote peace, and live with greater compassion and love in their daily lives. We’re proud that some of our children from the school kapa haka roupu will be opening the Mass with a traditional performance. This is a wonderful opportunity for our community to come together in faith and celebration. Everyone is welcome to attend and enjoy light refreshments after the service.
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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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Health & Safety
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Regular attendance is essential for your child's learning, progress, and overall wellbeing. We’d like to remind you of our attendance expectations, which are communicated clearly at the time of enrolment, at the start of each school year, and every term.
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Key Attendance Expectations:
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Every day counts – Students are expected to attend school every day, unless they are sick or there is a justified reason for their absence.
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Notify us of absences – Please contact the school before 9am if your child will be away, including the reason for the absence.
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Planned absences – If you know your child will be away (e.g. for a family event or trip), please discuss this with the school in advance.
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Ongoing absences – If your child is away for multiple days or has frequent absences, we may request further information or work with you to support regular attendance.
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Regular attendance supports strong learning habits and keeps students connected socially and emotionally with their peers and teachers. We appreciate your support in making school attendance a top priority.
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A little favour— if you’re able to send along a box of tissues to your child’s classroom, it would be much appreciated. There are lots of noses to be wiped at the moment!
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Missing Clothing Items
Some parents have mentioned that named items of clothing have been missing since the Mini Marathon. Please take a moment to check that your child has all of their own clothes and that everything is clearly labelled. If you have found any items at home that don’t belong to your child, we’d appreciate it if you could return them to the school office. Thank you for your help!
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2026 John Paul College Enrolments
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Upcoming events for Term 2:
- June 9 and 10- Teacher PLD - School finishes at 12.30pm
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Friday 20th June - Matariki Holiday
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- Monday 23 June - BOT Meeting
- Friday 27 June - Last day of Term 2
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Sports News
Player Of The Day
24/05/25 - Sophie Chapman
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Pumas - Clara Smith-Bigwood & Cruze Goodwin
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Ethan King Maxi Hockey Player Of The Day
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Spotlight On Learning
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We recently celebrated Catholic Schools Day on Wednesday, 28 May 2025! It was a wonderful opportunity to reflect on and showcase the unique character of Catholic education in our community.
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The theme for this year was:
"Shine like stars in the world – E tīaho ana koe hei rama i te ao."
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Here are some of our Eden 6 children with their beautiful stars, created to reflect this special theme.
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Board of Trustees
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Next board meeting Date: Monday 23 June
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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 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 Joseph Assen (Chair)
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St Michael's School Board of Trustees
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Joseph Assen(Chair), Rachael McLanachan(Principal), Shalya O'Neill (Staff Rep), Joe Hewlett, Nick Horton, Ange Smith - Bigwood, Thushara Jayawickrama Vithanage (Parent Reps), Bernadette Fredericksen (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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Sausage Sizzle on Friday
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Sausages will be available every Friday for $2.00. Orders are taken in class at 9:00am.
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Bread on Wednesday
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Bread will be available on Wednesday Mornings. Please collect your bread from outside the main office. 2 bags maximum per family thank you.
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Lucky Book Club – Last Day for Orders!
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A reminder that tomorrow, Wednesday 5th June, is the last day to place your orders for Issue 4 of the Lucky Book Club. If you’d like to order anything, please make sure your order is in by then!
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Community News
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Way to Play – Tauranga and Rotorua it’s your turn in June 2025!
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For family/whānau, early childhood teachers, health professionals, or anyone else living or working with young children on autism spectrum.
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Way to Play is a fun one-day introduction to playing joyously with a child on the autism spectrum.
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Way to play has been specifically designed for people directly involved with a young autistic child. Adults are often left bewildered when trying to play with the child. The course offers some simple, easy to use, practical strategies to begin playing joyously together. Having fun playing together is the focus. Through ‘Way to Play’, we aim to help you understand why young autistic tamariki may find social interaction stressful, how to overcome that stress, and to show you the simple steps to joyful and purposeful play.
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Monday 9th June 9:30am – 3:30pm
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Papamoa Community Centre, 15 Gravatt Road, Papamoa, Tauranga
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Thursday 26th June 9:30 – 3:30pm
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Pukaki Centre, Level 3, 1144 Pukaki St, Rotorua
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