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Newsletter Week 9, Term 4
St Michael's Catholic School, Wednesday 3 December
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PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Tēnā koutou kātoa e te whānau,
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As we head towards the finish line of the school year, the next couple of weeks will certainly keep us busy.
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- Prizegiving: Thursday, 11 December at 1pm – a chance to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of our students and farewell Miss O'Neill.
- Final School Mass & Candle Ceremony: Thursday, 11 December, at St. Michael’s Church. This will be a special and meaningful farewell for our Year 6 students.
- Blue Lake Picnic: Monday, 15 December – a fun day out to celebrate the end of the year. 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. We will let everyone know if the Blue Lake Picnic trip is canceled on Monday by 7:00 am.
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2025 Learning Progress – Reading, Writing & Maths
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As we near the end of the year, I’m pleased to share that our students have made excellent progress across reading, writing, and mathematics in 2025.
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Mathematics:
Years 4–6 are achieving above national expectations, with strong foundations in number, geometry, and measurement. We are very grateful to the Ngāti Whakaue Endowment Trust, whose generous support is helping us continue to accelerate progress next year through targeted staffing and programmes such as Maths Whizz.
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Writing:
Writing continues to be an area of real strength. All Year 4–6 cohorts made significant progress, confirmed through our "No More Marking" writing assessments. The introduction of Writer’s Workshop and our consistent structured approach is helping all learners succeed, especially those who previously found writing challenging. Students are writing with more confidence, stamina, and vocabulary, and we are excited to keep building on this in 2026.
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Reading:
Reading achievement remains strong, with students improving in fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary through structured literacy and daily reading practice.
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We are incredibly proud of the effort, progress, and determination shown by our learners this year, and equally proud of the commitment and expertise of our teaching team. Their hard work is evident in the positive gains we are seeing across all areas of learning.
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St Michael’s continues to grow strong, confident learners grounded in faith, character, and excellence.
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We are thrilled to announce our teaching team for 2026!
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- The Ark Year 0/1: Edith Klostermann, who will also serve as our Director of Religious Studies (DRS).
- Eden - Year 2/3: Adrienne Smith will be leading this class
- Galilee 4 - Year 3/ 4/5: Jo Paget will be leading this class and will be released on Friday's by Zenobia Knox
- Galilee 1 - Year 5/6: Jenny Chapman (DP, SENCO) and Ruth O'Leary will be teaching collaboratively.
Marion Brits will continue in her role as Literacy Specialist. Zenobia Knox will continue providing Classroom Teacher Release.
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Our wonderful support staff, Cristy Tucker (Office Admin), Bruce Patrick (Caretaker), Tracey Goodrick, Ra Ward, Tina Hetherington and Shania Howe, will all be returning in 2026.
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With our staffing team in place, we are excited about the year ahead and look forward to a vibrant and busy 2026!
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End-of-year reports will be handed out on Friday, 12 December, and I want to acknowledge the tremendous effort our teachers have put into preparing them. These reports reflect a great deal of thought, care, and professional judgment to ensure they give an accurate picture of where each child is at as we conclude the school year.
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Having already read several reports, I am genuinely impressed by how well our teachers know their learners, their strengths, challenges, and the wonderful progress they have made. It has been heartening to see just how far our tamariki have come in 2025, and I am incredibly proud of the growth shown across the school.
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Thank you for your ongoing support. We look forward to sharing our upcoming events with you and your tamariki as we wrap up an incredible school year!
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Ma te Atua koe e manaaki,
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Te tumuaki o te kura Hato Mikaere
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Special Character
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As we enter the season of Advent, we’re reminded that this is a time of preparation - not only in the practical sense, but in a deeper, more personal way. Many of us will be busy decorating our homes, buying presents, planning gatherings and ticking off long to-do lists. These things bring excitement and help make the season feel special.
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But Advent also invites us to prepare on the inside. It’s a chance to slow down, notice the small moments of kindness around us, and make room for patience, hope and connection.
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Amid the busyness, taking even a few quiet moments can help us refocus on what truly matters.
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As Christmas approaches, may we all find the space to remember the heart of the season: the warmth of being together, the joy of giving and the message of love and compassion that sits at the centre of the story we celebrate.
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Wishing you and your whānau a gentle, joyful Advent and a Christmas filled with peace.
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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 Resources
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As the school year draws to a close, we kindly ask for your help in locating and returning any school journals, library books, or sports uniforms that may still be at home.
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Returning these resources promptly ensures they are ready for use next year and supports our ability to provide quality learning opportunities for all students.
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Please have your child bring these items back to school and hand them to their teacher. Thank you for your cooperation and support as we wrap up another fantastic year!
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Health & Safety
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This week is expected to be a scorcher, so please ensure your child comes to school each day with a sunhat and sunscreen already applied. Staying hydrated is essential, so we encourage you to send a water bottle with your child.
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We also remind families of our No Hat, No Play policy. Students without a sunhat will be required to stay under the play shade during their morning tea and lunchtime playtimes.
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Spotlight on learning
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What an awesome time our Year 6 students had this week at Ziplining Rotorua! They absolutely had a ball soaring through the forest canopy. We are so fortunate to be able to provide these memorable opportunities and experiences for our leavers. A massive thank you to all the parent helpers who came along and made the trip possible!
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Upcoming events for Term 4:
- 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
- Term 1 2026 start date: Monday 2nd 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 next week.
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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 2025.
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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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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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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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PTA News
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Remainder of tomato plants are available after school by the staffroom. Please support our PTA and school by purchasing a plant or two! 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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Thank you to all the families who have already brought in items for our Christmas Raffle and to those who have started selling their raffle books. Your support is truly appreciated!
If you are able to sell extra books, please let the school office know.
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We are continuing to collect grocery items over the coming weeks to help create our raffle hampers. The family who sells the most tickets will win a $50 Motion Entertainment Voucher.
The raffle will be drawn at school on 11 December 2025.
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Week 4 — 01–05 December
Christmas Week (any festive items)
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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 2025. 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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Thank you in advance for your support
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Community News
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