Principal's Message

Tēnā koutou St Ignatius Community,

As the school year draws to its close next week, it was a pleasure to see an advance copy of the school yearbook. It was astounding to read though and see many of our achievements over the course of the year. St Ignatius is a true testament to what can be achieved with 28 staff, 340 students and a family body of conscience, competence, compassion and commitment.

The culture of the school community, that can be seen through the pages, is one where each and every individual can be themselves, created unique and in the image of God. Each and every member of our school community can find God in themselves and in others around them, nurtured through the programmes of daily school life. This special culture, fostered through our Ignatian Catholic character enables all to participate, to flourish and to find where they belong in God's Kingdom.

The commitment to our academic programme has seen students flourish in their academics and you will see this in school reports which are being sent to you. The commitment to our House programme by all staff and students has grown a camaraderie and spirit that cannot be found on such a level in many other places and our strong co-curricular programme has enabled students to find out more about their own passions and talents outside of the classroom.

We warmly invite you to our Christmas Picnic next week to join together and celebrate the end of a very successful year and the establishment of our unique school culture. A year in which we have all grown closer to finding God in our everyday lives. Finding God in all things.

Inveniens Deum in omnibus,

Dean Wearmouth 

College Life

Year 7 Camp

Year 7 Camp 2024 took place at Camp Adair in the Hunua Ranges from Wednesday the 4th of December to Friday the 6th of December. Ākonga had the chance to do high ropes challenges (some involving jumping from great heights!), a mud run, an obstacle course, a burma trail, and other amazing activities. These few days saw the student's learn to take risks, use teamwork, have confidence and faith in themselves, and enjoy each others company.  Please follow the link in the News section at the bottom of this Newsletter for more photos.

Curriculum

Food Technology

This Term in Food Technology ākonga have been researching, surveying, designing, and test baking in order to perfect the ultimate Christmas treat. The Year 7 and 8 classes have been working on cookies, and the Year 9 classes have been making cupcakes. Staff judged the creations, and said that overall the food was delicious!

Music

The students in 8M have been practicing hard, and the effort shows. The whole class works well together, and recently performed the songs 'Shake it off' by Taylor Swift, and 'Stay with me' by Sam Smith as a class. 

Sport

This Week's Results:

Futsal
Boys Team VS Papakura High School  Win 8-2
"A very contested game because both teams really wanted to win and we came out on top because of our team work" - Tiger Bernabe 9RA

Girls Team VS Wesley College  Loss 0-1
"Everyone had a great game, they played their part and everyone was really supportive" - Lauren Murillo

Ākonga Elective

Chess Club -  Check, mate!

The chess club was well-attended by 28 ākonga with varying degrees of skills and interests. Some ākonga have demonstrated significant improvements in terms of their skills and focus during the games throughout the two terms; some others were certainly having fun playing chess with their mates. They also displayed the spirit of generosity and kindness to each other throughout the season. 

The competition held also made it more interesting for many of the club members. After several weeks, two students rose to the grand final after winning most of their games and losing a few. Congratulations to Dylan Mulvany (8AM) who became the overall winner of the season, and to Kenshin Legaspi (7AM) as the runner-up. We hope that Chess Club will continue to attract many students next year, who would like to find ways to check-mate their opposition in chess games; but also to check on their mates, to ensure they are okay in life.

Nacho's News

Check out the link in the News section at the bottom of this Newsletter to read this week's BUMPER issue!

Ākonga Acheivement

Three of our Ākonga competed in the Karapiro Club Regatta over the weekend.

The novice boys had a busy day on Saturday with Aidan’s crews coming 6th in their eight, 7th in their quad, 7th their octuple heat, so unfortunately didn’t make it to finals on Sunday, but had good rows.

The novice girls all made it to the finals with Quinn’s crews coming 2nd in their heat on Saturday for their octuple and 8th in their heat on Saturday for their quad .On Sunday her crew came 4th in their 'A' final for their octuple, and then 3rd in their “C” final for their quad.

Emily as coxswain was busy both days coxing for many crews in the heats and then finals. She lost her voice by the end of the weekend! She did really well helping and motivating the teams through their races.

Onward for 2 more regattas before Christmas!

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

Manutaki Certificates

This week the following ākonga/student were recognised by their Manutaki for having received an outstanding Weekly Excellence Review. 

Year 7 - Luke Kiutau
Year 8 - Yasmin Prudente
Year 9 - Saskia Balle

We celebrate these ākonga/students being more fully alive and reflecting the greater glory of God through their work and actions.

485 Award

Again, we had many nominations this week and it was a pleasure for senior leaders to read of students finding God in others through their nominations. Our top nominations this week are:

Ivy Killian was nominated by Michaela Arnet for demonstrating compassion by always helping others when they don’t understand or are stuck on a task

Mia Wright was nominated by Ella Neels for demonstrating compassion by helping her find her bag when it was missing

Madi Kennedy was nominated by Kaylee Smith for showing compassion and commitment by helping her when she sprained her ankle, getting a wheelchair and comforting her

Anne Finau was nominated by Loisi Liava’a for showing compassion by comforting her a lunchtime and singing with her

Zena Richardson was nominated by Caitlin McFadden for showing compassion and Commitment - even though Zena went on a trip and would miss food tech she still brought in all the things needed for our cookies

Jayden Ahn was nominated by Daniel Scott for showing compassion by carrying him all across the field to avoid the prickles.

This week our winner was Braiden Aspinall, who was nominated by Tiger Bernabe, for showing conscience and compassion when he lent him a charger for his laptop. Congratulations Braiden!

Term 4 Virtue Awards

On Monday morning we celebrated our Virtue Award Assembly. Each Term Kaiako nominate students who demonstrate the Cardinal Virtues of Prudence, Temperance, Justice, or Fortitude, as well as the Theological Virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love.
Congratulations to those students who received one of these awards. A full list, and photos, are available via the News item link at the bottom of this Newsletter.

Cura Personalis

Student Timetables 2025

All families/whānau will be informed prior to the start of the school year 2025 of ākonga/student House and Teaching groups.  House Groups will remain unchanged for Years 8 -10 2025.  Ākonga/student teaching groups will change to ensure a continued focus on academic excellence and teaching and learning. 

Ākonga/students will receive their timetables during the ākonga induction programme at the start of Term 1, 2025. 

Neon Fiesta

Thanks to Ms. Bell, and the FOSI (Friends of St Ignatius/PTA) for organising such a memorable event last Friday. Our Year 8 ākonga enjoyed games, food, treats, competitions, and dancing along to our resident DJ Mr. Ruegg. Everyone who attended had a fantastic time!

International China Trip Applications

Thank you to all those who applied for this amazing opportunity, we had over 40 applicants. Videos and information is being carefully considered, and successful applicants will be contacted as soon as a decision has been made. 

Upcoming Events

Christmas Picnic - Tuesday 10th December
Thanksgiving Mass - Wednesday December 11th
Final School Day and Prizegiving Morning - Thursday December 12th - School finishes at midday.

Thanksgiving Mass
The College invites parents and caregivers to join us on Wednesday, December 11th, at 11:15 a.m., as we celebrate our Thanksgiving Mass. Spaces are limited, so you must reserve a ticket on the website.

PTA News

Hi, My name is Jesley Cruz and my youngest son is a Year 7 student at St Ignatius. I’m originally from Philippines. While my background is in Information Technology, moving to New Zealand sparked my passion for working with children and young adults, especially those with diverse abilities. It’s been an incredibly rewarding journey. 
I’ve always been the PTA helper, but never a member—well, that changed a few months ago! It’s been a great experience getting involved and supporting our wonderful St. Ignatius community. Whether you're helping out or fully involved, we’d love for you to join us! 

And please - Don’t miss out on our First School Christmas Picnic! It’s going to be a day of exciting activities, awesome raffle prizes and great opportunity to connect with our fellow parents and the school community. Bring your family, enjoy the festivities, and who knows—you might just walk away with a fantastic prize!

And don’t forget to check out our upcoming events—we’d love to see you there! 10 December 2024, Christmas Picnic 21 February 2025, Year 7 and 8 Social Event/Disco 28 February 2025, Pickleball Night 09 May 2025, Quiz Night Any questions, please contact [email protected]

Join us for our First Ever Christmas Picnic this Tuesday night — we’d love to have you there! Bring your family, a picnic, and a blanket or chairs, and enjoy a laid-back evening celebrating the year with your school community.

There will be live musical performances, fun games, and exciting prizes! We’ll be serving sausages (with a gluten-free option available) and drinks for just $2 each. Don’t forget to buy your raffle tickets — 3 for $5 — for a chance to win amazing prize hampers. Bring your cash for all the fun!
We’ll also have a silent auction with fantastic big-ticket items up for grabs! Want to have a splash of fun? For a gold coin donation, take a shot at drenching your teacher in the dunk tank. (Bring a change of clothes if you fancy a turn in the tank yourself!) and for dessert (or dinner!) cool down with a delicious ice cream from The Roaming Berry.

We can’t wait to see you there!


FOSI would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all our generous picnic sponsors who have made this event possible. These incredible members of our school community have donated their time, goods, and/or prizes to help bring this celebration to life:  
- The Roaming Berry
- Papakura Framers
- Carol Zugna - Amart Mosaics
- Pukekohe Thai Massage
- Rana Masad - Ray White Karaka 
- Tanja Dumper - Harcourts Karaka
- Harvey Norman Pukekohe Electrical Department
- St Mary's Catholic School Papakura
- The New Zealand Polo Open, Auckland Polo
- Bakers Delight Pukekohe
- Belinda Lindsay, Twin Agencies
- Warehouse Group
- Mad Butcher Pukekohe
- Balle Bros
- Cleven Electrical

Catholic Character

Would you like to find out more about the Catholic faith?
We are taking expressions of interest from those who want to learn more about the Catholic faith. It could be:
- to better support your child while they are here at St Ignatius. 
- maybe you aren't Catholic and are interested in becoming one.
- You were baptised Catholic but have not attended Mass for a long time. 
If this is something you are interested in, please complete the Google form in the link below, and we will be in touch at the beginning of next year.

https://forms.gle/XdxRj8jbB8Kh7vzf9

People of Gratitude

For Saint Ignatius of Loyola, gratitude matters a lot! He had such a strong view on gratitude that in fact, for him, the greatest sin of all is the sin of ingratitude. Ingratitude is when we forget or ignore the graces and blessings that God has bestowed upon us. It is when we forget who and what we are, beloved children of God. It is also often the beginning of other vices. 

In life, God’s love is abounding. Ignatius was sure of that. That is why, at school, through our daily Examen, our ākonga are trained to find the evidence of God’s love in their lives. And for sure, there is always something or someone in their day which reveals God’s graces and love for them. And the most appropriate response is gratitude. 

Reflecting on the very first year of St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic College, the school community has achieved so much. Not only are our students growing in their academic and co-curricular aptitude, but also in their sense of identity, personhood and community. Perhaps it can be considered that the ākonga have grown in their mana. We can be confident that the staff, parents and caregivers, and many other community members have also seen evidence of such growth. And many of the adults themselves have also grown. It is therefore most reasonable that we feel grateful. 

Looking back, many of us can also be grateful for the opportunities we had in sharing our labour and tears throughout the year. Discipleship comes with a cost, but these experiences have deepened our appreciation of who God is. God’s loving presence is not just felt when things are smooth-sailing, but also when the boat is rocked by strong and course-altering wind. God’s love remains abounding in times of difficulties. Even our limitations and failures contain God’s invitation to love and to life. And that is a wonderful gift for which we can be grateful.

God’s graces always invite our response of gratitude. Theologian Karl Barth wrote that “grace evokes gratitude like the voice an echo.” In the Fourth Week of the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, the exercitant is asked to recall God’s gifts of creation and redemption. In doing so, they can again rejoice in God’s loving presence and real action in the world and in their lives. This joy sparks gratitude in the exercitant. Leaving the Exercises, they are to become people of gratitude, shown through their words and actions.

As we move forward in Advent, may we be able to recall God’s abounding gifts which have been bestowed upon us throughout the year. May our hearts rejoice again and be filled with gratitude. May we then become a tangible and loud echo which accompanies God’s voice spoken through the mouth of Prophet Isaiah, “Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight.” (Luke 3:4).

Community Notices

Job Vacancy

The Catholic Diocese of Auckland is launching an exciting new Local Youth Ministers initiative in 2025. We’re looking for self-motivated leaders to become full-time Local Youth Ministers, working across a secondary school and parish. This is a unique opportunity to make a difference in the lives of young people!  Learn more and apply:  www.aucklandcatholic.org.nz/staff-vacancies/

News