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Newsletter Week 7, Term 2
St Michael's Catholic School, Wednesday 3rd June
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PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
As we move into Week 7, it is hard to believe how quickly the term is passing. It has been a busy and rewarding few weeks at St Michael’s, with many opportunities for our students to learn, grow, and shine.
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Unfortunately, due to the recent severe weather, our Buried Village trip has been postponed until Wednesday 24 June. While disappointing, safety must always come first, and we look forward to this valuable learning experience later in the term.
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Our Catholic special character remains at the heart of all we do. It has been wonderful to see the growing number of students and staff attending the Rosary each Friday morning in our chapel. Thank you to Jenny Chapman for providing this opportunity for prayer and reflection. Parents are most welcome to join us on Friday morning at 8:20am.
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As educators across New Zealand continue to navigate significant curriculum and assessment changes, I would like to acknowledge the incredible commitment of our staff. They continue to work tirelessly to provide high-quality learning experiences for our students while adapting to new expectations and requirements. We are blessed to have such dedicated professionals working alongside our children every day.
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From June, the speed limit outside our school will drop to 30km/h during busy drop-off and
pick-up times (8:00–9:00am and 2:45–3:45pm). At other times, the normal speed limit will
apply. There will be a mix of electronic and static signs. As soon as the signs are installed, the lower speed limit can be enforced, so please keep an eye out.
Take a look at the map to see how your usual route might change.
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Teacher Only Day Reminder
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A friendly reminder that school will be closed on Friday 12 June for a Teacher Only Day.
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Our staff will be attending an overnight retreat at Tyburn Monastery, providing an opportunity for reflection, prayer, faith formation, and spiritual renewal.
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As a Catholic school, these opportunities are an important part of supporting our staff to deepen their understanding of faith and strengthen the Catholic special character that is at the heart of all we do.
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We thank you for your support and understanding. We look forward to welcoming students back to school on Monday refreshed and ready for another great week of learning.
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Te tumuaki o te kura Hato Mikaere
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Introducing Our New Year 6 Leaders!
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A huge congratulations to our three newest Year 6 leaders: Angie, Jean, and Gigi!
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These fantastic students have been awarded the St Michael's Ambassador medal in recognition of their incredible dedication to our faith and their commitment to sharing Christ with others.
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We are so incredibly proud of you, ladies—thank you for being such wonderful role models for our school community. Awesome stuff!
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Welcome Back Collins Family!
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It is wonderful to welcome back a familiar family to St Michael's!
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We are absolutely thrilled to welcome back Georgia, who has returned to our school community.
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Alongside Georgia, a very warm welcome goes to her little sister, Sophie Collins, who is starting her own St Michael's journey in The Ark!
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It is so fantastic to have you both here with us.
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Please join us in giving Georgia a warm "welcome back" and Sophie a big friendly hello when you see them around!
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We would love to extend a warm welcome to Billy Pappon ( The Ark) and his family to our school community! We are so glad to have you with us.
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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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Parking and Student Safety
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The safety of our children is always our highest priority, and we ask all whānau to help us keep our school environment safe during drop-off and pick-up times.
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Recently, we have noticed an increase in unsafe parking practices, particularly on May Road. Please remember that vehicles must not park across driveways, on the grass verge, on yellow lines, or too close to the school driveway. Parking in these areas reduces visibility for drivers and pedestrians and makes it difficult for families to safely enter the school through the May Road gates.
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There is plenty of parking available in the Clayton Road car park, and we encourage families to make use of this space whenever possible.
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The drive-through access from May Road to Lisa Crescent remains available; however, please do not stop and wait for your child in this area. When vehicles queue or wait in the drive-through, traffic backs up onto May Road, creating additional safety concerns for everyone.
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A reminder also that the staff car park is reserved for staff vehicles only. Parents are not permitted to park in the staff car park at any time, including before and after school.
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We appreciate your support and cooperation. By working together and following these simple guidelines, we can ensure that our children arrive at and leave school safely each day.
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Message from the DRS
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On Sunday, we celebrated the Feast of the Holy Trinity. The Trinity can be difficult to explain, and when I was planning lessons for my students in the Ark, I found myself pausing and thinking: how do you put something so profound into words a 5-year-old can grasp?
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The Father is the source of love. We see this in the people who care for us each day: parents, grandparents, teachers, and those who look out for us and help us grow.
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The Son, Jesus, shows us what love looks like in action. We see Him when someone shares, includes others, forgives, helps a friend, or stands up for what is right.
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The Holy Spirit is God’s presence with us. We notice the Spirit in moments of courage, when we choose what is right even when it is hard, or when we feel gently guided to do good.
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In the end, I found myself returning to a very simple idea for our youngest learners: the Trinity is love given, love shown, and love helping us to live well.
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At school, in our homes, and in our community, we are invited into that same life of love: receiving it, sharing it, and living it out each day.
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This week, may we recognise God’s presence in the ordinary: in the love we receive, the love we give, and the quiet strength that helps us choose what is good.
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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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Spotlight on learning
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Eden 6, we have been diving deep into the world of arrays! The students are discovering how these visual grids can help us easily solve tricky multiplication and division problems.
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A special shout-out goes to Xavier, who showed massive initiative by doing extra homework on arrays this week. Way to go, Xavier—your extra effort is awesome!
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It is so wonderful to see our parents engaging with their children's education outside the classroom. Thank you for supporting the learning at home; it truly makes a world of difference.
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Our children had an amazing day planting 920 native trees and shrubs (including Karamu, Mānuka, Umbrella Sedge, and Flax)! Along the way, we learned all about dairy farming, native bats, and how these plants keep our local streams healthy and clean.
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A massive thank you to everyone who made this day happen: the Foote family for hosting us, our incredible parent helpers for your hard work, the Trees for Survival Charitable Trust for guiding us, the Rotorua North Rotary Club, for your wonderful sponsorship and our amazing Eco warrior Whaea Adrienne for organising a wonderful day for our kids. We appreciate you all so much!
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Upcoming events for Term 2:
- Thursday 4 June - Whole School Buried Village Trip (postponed)
- Friday 5 June - Galilee 1 - Museum Education
- Monday 8 June - Board of Trustees Meeting
- Thursday 11 June- Galilee 1/Eden 6- Class Mass
- Friday 12 June - Teachers Only Day
- Tuesday 16 June- Central School Cross Country
- Wednesday 24 June - Buried Village Trip - Postponement date.
- Friday 3 July - End of Term 2/Mufti Day for Caritas
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Sports News
Players of the Day:
Soccer
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Tigers: Mason Forster & Adam Geyer
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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 Touch Rugby or 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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Cross Country
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Our Galilee 1 and 4 classes competed in a combined cross-country event with St. Mary’s School out in the beautiful Redwood Forest.
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Everyone gave it their absolute all, showed fantastic sportsmanship, and made us incredibly proud! It was wonderful to see the kids digging deep and running hard right up to the finish line.
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Well done to all of our runners for representing our school so beautifully!
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Here are the top place-getters from our school in Friday's event:
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• 1st: Ethan King & Finau Stokes-Kaukau (Tie!)
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• 3rd: Gavesh Jayawickrama Vithanage
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• 3rd: Mecah Petersen & Milan Geyer (Tie!)
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PTA News
We are currently looking for Treasurer and Secretary volunteers to take over these roles from next year. If you are interested in getting involved, please email the PTA as soon as possible. Training and support will be provided throughout this year to help prepare you before stepping into the role in 2027.
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If you think the Chairperson role might be something you would like to take on in the future, we would also love to hear from you. We are looking to appoint a Vice Chairperson who can learn and grow into the Chairperson role over the next two years.
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Board of Trustees
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Next board meeting Date: Monday 8 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 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, Thushara Jayawickrama Vithanage, 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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Lucky Book Club Orders
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Booklets will have gone home. All orders must be handed into the school office or done online via the loop app or website by Thursday the 11th of June.
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Community News
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IT Bytes: Keeping Our Tamariki Safe Online
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Online safety is more important than ever, and Netsafe is here to help! They are currently offering a series of free online webinars packed with practical tools and information to help keep you and your tamariki safe in the digital world.
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With a range of different topics available, you can easily find a session that interests you and attend right from the comfort of your own home.
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Where: Online (Zoom/Webinar)
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Beginners After school Art Classes with Janet Keen enrolling NOW for the remainder of Term 2,3 and 4
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Drawing, Painting, Mosaics.
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Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays 3.30pm to 4.30pm and 4.35pm to 5.35pm
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Small classes, friendly, safe, quiet, studio/classroom in an organic native tree and bird - filled garden.
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People aged 5 and upwards welcome.
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