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Newsletter Week 1, Term 2
St Michael's Catholic School, Thursday 23 April
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PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Welcome Back to Term 2
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Welcome back to Term 2! We hope you all had a restful and enjoyable Easter break and were able to spend special time with whānau. It has been wonderful to see our tamariki return to school settled, refreshed, and ready for learning.
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We began the term by celebrating the Easter season together with a beautiful Liturgy on Monday, led by Marion Brits. This was a special time for us to reflect on the message of hope, renewal, and new life that Easter brings, and how we can live this out in our daily lives.
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This Friday at 2pm, we will gather as a school community for our ANZAC Liturgy. This is an important opportunity for our students to remember and honour those who have served our country, and to reflect on the values of courage, sacrifice, and peace.
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Exciting Development – Our New Bike Track
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We are very excited to share the development of our new bike track, which is currently under construction. This will be a fantastic addition to our school, providing opportunities for active play, skill development, and enjoyment for our tamariki.
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Please note that the Clayton Road carpark will be closed while construction is underway. We are hoping the track will be completed within the next two weeks.
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We are also thrilled to have 40 new bikes arriving soon, along with a large storage container to house them. This will ensure all students have access to bikes and can fully enjoy the new track.
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We are incredibly fortunate to have Dennis Curtis, an ex-pupil from GroundBase, building our track. We would like to sincerely thank Dennis and his crew for their generous contribution to this project — we truly appreciate their time, expertise, and support.
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ANZAC Day
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We also acknowledge the upcoming ANZAC Day. While school will be closed on Monday 27 April, we warmly invite our students and families to take part in the community commemorations.
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We also acknowledge the upcoming ANZAC Day. While school will be closed on Monday 27 April, we warmly invite our students and families to take part in the community commemorations.
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ANZAC Day Civic Memorial Service Details:
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- Date: Saturday 25 April 2026
- Service Time: 9:30am
- Location: Sir Howard Morrison Centre, 1170 Fenton Street
For those wishing to participate in the parade:
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- Assembly: 8:50am at the Te Arawa Soldiers Memorial (corner of Oruawhata & Queens Drive, Government Gardens) in school uniform. Whaea Jenny and I will be there to meet you.
- March Start: 9:00am
- The parade will travel along Queens Drive, past the Cenotaph, through Princes Arch, along Arawa Street, and conclude at the Sir Howard Morrison Centre.
This is always a meaningful opportunity for our tamariki to honour those who have served our country.
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Winter Uniform Reminder
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As the weather begins to cool, please ensure your child is wearing the correct winter uniform. Uniform items are available from the Uniform Shop on Ranolf Street.
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- Children must wear plain black shoes
- No sports shoes please
We are also fortunate to have a selection of brand new shoes in smaller sizes that were generously donated to our school at the end of last year. These would be ideal for our junior students. If your child requires shoes for winter, please pop in and see Cristy in the office.
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We look forward to a wonderful term ahead, filled with learning, growth, and opportunities for our students to shine.
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Te tumuaki o te kura Hato Mikaere
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Welcome to Our School!
We are so excited to welcome two new faces to our community this week. Please join us in giving a warm hello to our newest students:
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Ivar Saunders, who is joining Eden 6.
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Joshua Arasanmi, who is joining The Ark.
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It’s always a joy to see our school family grow. We know everyone will do their best to make Ivar and Joshua feel right at home as they settle into their new classrooms.
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School Attendance
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At St Michael’s School, we are committed to providing our tamariki with the best possible start. A key part of that success is being in the classroom.
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The Government has set a nationwide target for 80% of students to attend regularly (attending school more than 90% of the time). We are thrilled to share that for Term 1, St Michael's is currently exceeding that goal, with the vast majority of our students sitting in the "Good" attendance category.
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Thank you to our entire school community for supporting this important initiative. Let's keep working together to ensure our tamariki are present, engaged, and ready to learn every single day!
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Special Character
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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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Winter Uniform – Term 2
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All children must come to and from school in the correct uniform. As we move into the cooler months, students may begin wearing their winter uniform from the start of Term 2.
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Standard Uniform (Boys & Girls):
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Tops: Navy Polo shirt and Polar Fleece with the Navy/Gold school logo.
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Footwear: Plain black leather shoes.
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Layers: On colder days, children may wear a polyprop top under their school T-shirt.
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NEW Option: Navy cargo pants are now available for students to wear. (available at NZ uniforms)
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Girls: Blue/Yellow tartan skort or skirt with navy stockings or ¾ navy socks.
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Boys: Grey shorts with grey ¾ socks.
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Optional Items: Wet weather jacket (Navy with school logo) and Navy beanie (no logo).
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A Note for our Junior Whānau: We kindly ask that juniors wear velcro shoes. Our teachers have limited time during the busy school day to tie laces, and velcro helps our younger students stay independent and ready for action!
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JPC 2027 Enrolments: 'Open to View' Tours
For our families looking ahead to high school, 2027 enrolments for John Paul College have now kicked off. JPC is hosting two 'Open to View' tour dates this year for interested parents and caregivers:
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When: Wednesday 24 June & Thursday 25 June 2026 (Week 10, Term 2).
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The Experience: Year 10 Prefects will be running the tours, allowing you to see the classes in action during a normal school day.
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We encourage our wider community to take note of these dates if you are considering JPC for your child’s future.
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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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American Hot Dogs Available this Friday Only $2
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Spotlight on learning
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We have had so much wonderful learning to celebrate lately that we wanted to reach back and share some highlights from earlier in the year!
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The students in Galilee 4 produced some truly amazing descriptive recounts about their holidays. Even though another term has flown by, these pieces of writing stood out for their vivid imagery and expressive language. It was a joy to see the students capturing their memories with such detail and flair.
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We wrapped up Term 1 on a high note by celebrating our Math Whiz superstars!
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A huge congratulations to the students who earned their Green Tick certificates for making incredible accelerated progress last term. It is fantastic to see such dedication and growth in their mathematical journey. Well done to our whizzes—keep up the amazing work in Term 2!
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Upcoming events for Term 2:
- Friday 1 May - Mini Marathon
- Monday 4 May - Board of Trustees Meeting
- Friday 22 May Cross Country with St Mary's
- Monday 8 June - Board of Trustees Meeting
- Friday 12 June - Teachers Only Day
- Friday 3 July - End of Term 2
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Sports News
As we prepare for the upcoming winter sports season, we kindly request that any sports uniforms you may have at home be returned to us as soon as possible. These uniforms are needed to reissue to our winter sports codes.
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Year 1/2 Touch Rugby Stars
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Our youngest rugby stars had a thrilling end to their season on March 25th! Our Year 1/2 Touch team played their hearts out in the finals, showing amazing teamwork to take home 2nd place overall.
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Special congratulations to our Players of the Day:
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25 March: Nate & Reid Laing
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Well done to the whole team for a fantastic season!
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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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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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Our annual Mother’s Day Stall will be held on 6th, 7th & 8th May
All gifts will be $3.00 each
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Let your child make Mother’s Day extra special by choosing a small gift to say, “Thank you, Mum.”
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Board of Trustees
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Next board meeting Date: Monday 4 May
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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), Joe Hewlett, Thushara Jayawickrama Vithanage, Shania Howe (Parent Reps), Bernadette Fredrickson (Proprietor Rep), Nicky Curran (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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🌳 Help Wanted: Our School Forest Area
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Do you have a green thumb or some building skills? We are looking for volunteers to help maintain and develop the new school forest area that was planted last year.
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We would greatly appreciate any support you can offer with the following tasks:
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Maintenance: Clearing weeds from around the trees and checking/adjusting tree stakes.
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Mulching: Helping to spread mulch when our next delivery arrives.
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Building Projects: We are looking for someone to assist our caretaker with installing wooden edging or building a low-level wooden platform for our future outdoor learning space. (All materials and tools are provided).
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Flexible Timing: These jobs can be done at a time that suits you. If you are keen to provide educational support, you are also welcome to help while Whaea Adrienne is working out there with groups of children.
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How to help: If you can lend a hand, please contact the school office or Whaea Adrienne (Eden 6) directly.
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Community News
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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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