Principal's Message

Tēnā koutou St Ignatius Community,

It was a true honour for the school to host Fr Jose Mesa SJ on Monday and Tuesday this week. Fr Jose is the worldwide Secretary for Jesuit Education and also a Professor of Philosophy of Education and Ignatian Pedagogy at Loyola University, Chicago. Fr Jose was visiting to see our new school, how we are progressing and to address the whole school during his Homily at Mass. During this time, we also welcomed Principals and Rectors from our partner Jesuit and Companions Schools in Australia and representatives from Jesuit Education Australia.

Monday began with a mihi whakatau to welcome our esteemed guests, this was followed by our annual Dedication Mass later in the morning and our annual House Parade competition in the afternoon. It was truly inspiring for our school community to witness so many people coming from fellow prestigious schools, showing we are not only a part of the Catholic education community in Auckland and New Zealand but also in the wider world. As a network of schools, we join together to discuss opportunities to work together and provide the best experiences for our students. It is exciting to plan for future opportunities for our students in the coming years.

In his homily at the Dedication Mass on Monday, Fr Jose gave an inspiring message to all gathered. He unpacked our school motto of finding God in all things as a way to understand life. This was truly great teaching around how alert we should be to the presence of God in our lives throughout our daily experiences. Fr Jose explained that when we allow God in to touch our hearts then we live good lives and achieve our own excellence. This simple yet profoundly deep message left me feeling what a blessing our school motto is to us and how fortunate we are that it was gifted to us by the Society of Jesus. Our school motto = a guide for an excellent life. 

Finally, congratulations should go to each and every student and staff member who contributed to our House Parade competition. The parades were truly outstanding and a testament to our school spirit. When we see others trying their hardest to achieve and exceed what they thought the best of their abilities it is easy to find God in them. It was easy to find God in our students and staff on Monday as they strived to show one another their positive contributions to our school community; they were truly excellent.

Inveniens Deum in omnibus,

Dean Wearmouth

Catholic Character

Not From the School Pulpit Series - A Fortnightly Reflection by Fr. Eka

Perfectly Imperfect

Fr. José Mesa SJ is the Secretary of the Society of Jesus for Secondary and Pre-Secondary Education. He recently visited our school alongside the representatives of JACSA (Jesuit and Companion Schools Australasia). Our ākonga, staff and some extended members of the school community were privileged to hear Fr. Mesa’s homily at our Dedication Mass. Fr. Mesa pointed out that Saint Ignatius of Loyola was a limited man who had his share of human fears, insecurities and doubts. More importantly, however, Ignatius was also a man who embraced the gifts that God granted him and sought God in all things.

As we are preparing ourselves to enter Lent, Fr. Mesa’s words could serve as a reminder as well as an encouragement of who we are as individuals and as a community. When I was a child, I often looked up at the sky when there was an airplane flying overhead. I thought, “That would be cool if I could fly one of those.” Then, I was told that one of the requirements to be a pilot was perfect eyesight, at least in those days. That ruled me out. I was limited; and I realised the list got longer as I grew up. 

These limitations have often heightened my fears, insecurities and doubts. What if I’m not good enough? What if I’m not worthy enough? What if my oddities get discovered and they stop liking me? As a result, I have often camouflaged my limitations by loudly trumpeting my other perceived strengths, in order to gain or retain control and accomplish things perfectly. In such a process, I may have hurt others and compromised my own identity as a beloved child of God.

In the First Week of the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, the retreatant is challenged to look at themselves with honesty before God. When one does this, one would realise the great imperfections that they are as humans. However, the amazing part is that they are invited to realise the unconditional love and healing mercy of God that is always on offer to them. In Lent, we are called to remember our dustiness, “from dust you are, to dust you shall return.” Perhaps it is not about putting ourselves down or negating ourselves; but rather about realising our true identity as God’s beloved children. Like Saint Ignatius, each of us has our shares of limitations but also God-given gifts. When we focus more on those gifts, embrace them and utilise them accordingly, we become more grounded in God. We become more ourselves and we become more whole. And it is wonderful to be perfectly imperfect (cf. Psalm 139:14).

College Life

Honoring Tradition: Mihi Whakatau for Father Jose Mesa and JACSA Principals and Rectors 

St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic College had the privilege of welcoming distinguished guests from the Jesuit and Companion Schools of Australia (JACSA), including Father Jose Mesa SJ, Secretary of Education for the Society of Jesus. The occasion was marked by a heartfelt Mihi Whakatau, led with grace and mana by our College Kapa Haka group.

As our visitors gathered at the entrance of La Storta, they were greeted with a resounding Haka, embodying the strength, pride, and unity of our College. This powerful display of whakawhanaungatanga set the tone for an authentic and deeply moving welcome. Our Kapa Haka girls then took centre stage, performing a beautiful Karanga, calling our guests forward and guiding them into our sacred space. This moment of connection not only acknowledged our visitors but also wove together our Māori and Ignatian traditions in a way that was both reverent and inspiring.

Once inside, the Mihi Whakatau continued with speeches of welcome, affirming the bonds of friendship and shared mission between our College and our brother and sister schools across the Tasman. The significance of this gathering was not lost on anyone present—this was a moment of unity, a time to reaffirm our collective commitment to Jesuit education and the values that underpin it.

Following the formalities, our guests and hosts came together to share in kai and conversation, embodying the spirit of hospitality that is central to both Te Ao Māori and our Ignatian way of proceeding.

We extend our gratitude to all those who played a role in making this Mihi Whakatau a memorable and meaningful event, especially our Kapa Haka rōpū, whose dedication and passion ensured that our visitors felt the full warmth of our welcome.

In the words of St. Ignatius, “Go forth and set the world on fire”—may this gathering strengthen our ties and inspire us all in the shared mission of forming young people of conscience, competence, compassion, and commitment.

More photos from this event are available via the News link at the bottom of this page.

Sport

Up Coming Events

Franklin Group Swimming Sports 
When: Tuesday 4th March 
Where: Jubilee Pool 
Who: Selected Y7 & 8 Students - letters will be sent to these parents. 
Time: 9.30am (leave school 9am) 

Netball 

A reminder to all parents to please complete the netball registration by 5pm this Saturday to allow our selectors time to organise teams. 
If you have already submitted your registration, it is still editable to indicate interest in trialling for AIMS Games and to update your availability to coach or manage a team. Without this support, some teams may not be able to go ahead.
If you are able to help, please get in touch—your support is greatly appreciated!

Last trial day 
Monday 3rd March 
Year 7&8 3.30pm-5.00pm 
Year 9&10 5.00pm-7.00pm
Location: La Storta, St Ignatius 
Netball Registration


Year 7 & 8 Girls Football trials

AIMS games team 
Intro to football 
Thursday 20th March, 3.30pm - 4.30pm 
Trials 
Thursday 27th March & 3rd April, 3.30pm-4.30pm 
Location - St Ignatius, Fields 
AIMS Girls Football registration


Franklin Year 7&8 Ultimate RIP 

Trials will take place for Franklin School teams. 
Please bring a change of clothes or PE gear. 
Franklin schools competition is on Wednesday 26th March 
Trials 
Thursday 6th March
Location - St Ignatius, Fields 
Franklin Ultimate RIP Registration


Waterpolo

Year 9 & 10 One day Tournament Saturday 5th April 
We are looking to put together a team for this tournament, options are a girls team or mixed. 
We are also interested in collecting expressions of interest from all year levels who may be interested in participating in Water Polo.
Please register your interest here 

Basketball

The Magis Knights Basketball team will be training afterschool on Wednesdays in La Storta from 3.05pm to 4.05pm during Term 1. 
The Junior Year 10 Boys Team will be training afterschool on Wednesdays in La Storta from 4.05pm to 5.05pm during Term 1. These teams were established last year and already have the required players.
A basketball muster will be held for other students who want to play Basketball for St Ignatius later in this Term. 
Please keep an eye on the daily notices and google sports classroom for this date.

Year 9 and 10 Sports Musters

Competition details are in the links.
Use the links to register for the following codes:

Hockey 5s
Badminton
Cricket
Rugby
Football

Sport Results

School Swimming Sports

This year, our Swimming Sports event was held outdoors at the Jubilee Pools, creating a fantastic atmosphere. With the sun shining all day, it was the perfect setting for an action-packed competition. A total of 80 events took place, with impressive podium finishes across the different houses. Participation was high, and the enthusiasm from both swimmers and spectators made for an exciting day.


 "We started the day off with hopping on 1 of the 2 buses that came and we soon arrived at the jubilee pools for our amazing swimming day! The first heat was the 200m Medley and there were a lot of heats for the day but I was in the 200m Medley, the 100m Breaststroke, the 200m Freestyle, and the house relay. My favourite ones were the 200m Freestyle and the house relay. We also did a Manu competition. Swimming is awesome!"

- Zaria Colbran 7XB

Midway through the event, we introduced our first-ever "Manu" competition, which proved to be a real highlight. Special mentions go to Killian Ainsley for style and flair, and to Sophie Wynne for proudly representing the girls in the finals. Our inaugural Manu champion was Manaia Davis, recognised for consistency and outstanding splash height.

A huge thank you to our incredible parent volunteers who stood out in the sun all day, ensuring everything ran smoothly. Your support and dedication are truly appreciated!

It was a day filled with fun, energy, and sportsmanship. We now set our sights on the Franklin North Group competition next week—best of luck to all competitors!

Top Swimmers
Year 7 Boy - Renzo Johnston
Year 7 Girl- Isla Shields
Year 8 Boy- Paul Eyton Fa'afiu
Year 8 Girl - Sian Balle
Year 9 Boy - Kaeleb Allison
Year 9 Girl - Eva Coe
Year 10 Boy - Aidan Tod
Year 10 Girl - Annabelle Shields

Top Boy Overall - Aidan Tod
Top Girl overall - Eva Coe

Counties Secondary School Athletics

On Tuesday 25th February,  a group of Year 9 and 10 students went to the Counties Manukau Secondary Schools Athletics day held at Massey Park. They achieved some awesome results, with a number of students achieving their personal bests, and others who will be heading on to the next stage of competition.

Emereziana Lautua - 1st in the Shotput (11.7 metres), 4th in Discus
Nacho Esquivel Garcia - 1st in the Long Jump (5.29 metres), 4th in 200m, 5th in 100m
Indiana Falanitule - 3rd in the 200m, 5th in 100m
Quinn Robinson - 4th= in the Long Jump
Arjun Bal - 4th in 400m
Pippa Wilson - 5th in 400m 

Well done to all ākonga, they represented St Ignatius with pride and commitment. 

Orienteering 

Round 2 results:

Year 7 Girls 
2nd Sian Balle
3rd Clara Wielenga
11th Kate Hainsworth 

Junior Girls 
10th Natalie Lee 
11th Veda Anuraj 
12th Layla Mohan 

Junior Boys 
4th Drew Liefting 
5th Max Ovington 
7th Kees Smith 

Well done to all our students! 

Round 3 3rd March at Papatoetoe High School closed 
Round 4 10th March at Rosehill College 
Round 5 17th March at Strathallen 

See Counties Manakau Orienteering website for other events outside of this series

Ākonga Elective

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

Manutaki Certificates

This week the following ākonga were recognised by their Manutaki for having received an outstanding Weekly Excellence Review.  We celebrate these ākonga being more fully alive and reflecting the greater glory of God through their work and actions.

Year 7: Janine Amposta
Year 8: Emma Ronald
Year 9: Hannah Mackintosh
Year 10: Georgia Turner

485 Award

The 485 Award celebrates students finding God in one another. This award is for students to nominate when they find God in one another. We had many nominations again this week and it was a pleasure for senior leaders to read through the nominations. Our top nominations this week are:

Loisi Liava’a  nominated Olivia Malele for showing conscience for sitting with her at both lunch and interval because she was feeling sad.

Sam Newby nominated Kaea Bramwell for showing compassion for helping to calm them down when feeling really stressed.

Agatha Finau nominated Brooklyn Henry for showing commitment and compassion for inviting me to Bible study with her and learning more about God.

Ivy Killian nominated Caitlin McFadden for showing commitment for turning up to Athletics Day to help staff even though she couldn’t participate.

Leo Bent nominated Paikea Maihi for showing compassion for teaching a Year 7 student how to play Uno and making them feel welcome.

George Matthew nominated Andy Nguyen for showing compassion by helping him to the classroom, carrying his bag and helping with difficult classwork.

Our winner this week was Ethan Innes, who was nominated by Gwen Reyes for showing compassion for helping a Year 7 student who was hurt on the stairs.

Congratualations Ethan!

Cura Personalis

House Parade

This year our House Parades were on the theme of Commitment.  Each House impressed with their creativity, energy and participation.  Each House had a unique way of presenting the theme.  Faber Marian were the winners of the House Parade Competition, closely followed by Romero Aubert, Xavier Barbier and Acutis Magdalene.  Well done to everyone!

Photos from this exciting day are available via the News link at the bottom of this newsletter.

House Leaders

We were delighted to be able to commission our House Leaders 2025 at our Dedication Mass.  Fr Eka blessed the leaders badges and Mr Wearmouth presented them to each student leader.

A full list of ākonga who have been named leaders, and their official titles is available via the News link at the bottom of this newsletter.

Barbier House Mass

Xavier and Barbier House students gathered together on Wednesday to honour Euphrasie Barbier. The Mass was held in our Companions of Jesus Chapel and not only was it the first House Saint Mass this year, it was also the first Mass to use our new wooden pews. 

Barbier ākonga, Hayley Thomson (10XB) writes:

"On Wednesday 26th February we held our first House Mass of the year for Barbier House. Euphrasie Barbier (1829-1893) is one of House XB’s patron saints, and the mass was held in honour of her and how she inspires us in our school life. Barbier founded “Sisters of our Lady of the Mission”, a community of Catholic Sisters who strived to do missionary work across the globe. In 1885, she and her Sisters traveled to New Zealand, where they journeyed around the country and blessed the grounds for St Joseph’s Pukekohe. Barbier planted the oak tree which still stands today in Pukekohe at St Joseph’s. Mr Benge addressed the great things Euphraise Barbier did in his gospel reflection, focusing on how she didn’t just talk about love; she lived it. Euphrasie Barbier inspires us to be determined and devoted in everything we do."

Attendance

Understanding Attendance Codes
Attendance codes are used by all schools to track whether a student is present, justifiably absent, or unjustifiably absent. These classifications are set by the Ministry of Education and help schools and whānau monitor student attendance.
A student’s absence can only be marked as Justified if it meets one of the following criteria:
✅ Approved leave granted by the Principal
✅ Medical illness (with appropriate notification)
✅ Exam leave
✅ Stand down or suspension
Any absence that does not fit these categories is recorded as Unjustified. This includes holidays taken during term time. 
For more information, you can refer to the Ministry of Education’s Attendance Tree, which outlines how absences must be classified. If you have any questions about your child’s attendance, please contact the school office.

International Students Homestay Expressions of Interest

We are looking to host 30 young men from Tokyo City Boys in August this year. They will be staying for two weeks. If any families would be interested in finding out more about the opportunity to host our guests can you please email Mrs Hartland at [email protected] in the next week please.

Immunisation Forms

Can the Immunisation Form sent home for Year 7 and 8 Akonga response please be returned by Monday 3rd March with consent signed for either YES or NO 

New Staff

Each week we will introduce you to new members of our school staff. This week we would like to introduce you to Mr. Craig Franswah, and Ms. Cayla Parkinson.

Craig Franswah - Assistant Head of Faculty Religious Education I am excited to be joining the St Ignatius Whānau as the Assistant Head of Faculty for Religious Education. I studied a Bachelor of Theology from Good Shepherd Theological College - Te Hepara Pai (now known as Catholic Theological College) in Auckland and completed my Graduate Diploma from Bethlehem Tertiary Institute (BTI) in Tauranga.

I am looking forward to helping all ākonga know and love Jesus and journey with them as they strive to live their faith. A fun fact about me is that in 2022, I had the privilege and honour of being invested as a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem by Pope Francis.

Cayla Parkinson - Technology/Art /ASL Malo e lelei! I am thrilled to join St. Ignatius as the new Creative Design and Fashion & Textiles teacher.  With 14 years of experience teaching across multiple specialist areas in Technology, I am excited to contribute to the growth of the subject both at St. Ignatius and within the wider Pukekohe education community as a lead teacher in the community of learning.

In my first year, I look forward to providing students with endless opportunities in the fields of design and textiles, fostering creativity, and supporting those interested in entering the Bernina Fashion Awards.

A fun fact about me—I was a stage show finalist in the prestigious World of Wearable Arts show in Wellington!

Upcoming Events

Whānau Smiles Dentist 3rd March
Monday Community Mass 3rd March 7:30am Companions of Jesus Chapel
Ash Wednesday Liturgy (students only) 5th March
Opening Evening for invited families (2026 enrolments) 4-6pm 6th March
FOSI / PTA Meeting 6:30pm 6th March
Stations of the Cross (students only) 7th March

PTA News

It’s Pickleball Time! TONIGHT Friday February 28!

Come cheer on your favourite teams or relax with a picnic in the sun. Enjoy the FOSI sausage sizzle and grab some tasty goodies for purchase.

Briefing: 5:45 PM
Game On: 6:00 PM
Winners Crowned: 7:30 PM
Everyone’s welcome - don’t miss the fun!

Community Notices

News