Principal's Message
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Tēnā koutou katoa,
You may have noticed the letters AMDG displayed throughout our school. AMDG is an abbreviation of the Latin Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam which means, “For the Greater Glory of God”. This is the motto of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) and one of the key ideas about who we are as a school and who we want our students to be.
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam means that we aim for the greater glory of God in everything that we do, not just in our grand gestures and actions, but also in the little things.
We ask our students to write AMDG at the top of the page in every lesson as a reminder to use their God-given gifts and talents to give glory to God. We know that each and every one of our students has gifts and talents to offer the world. We want them all to flourish and grow into the men and women whom God has created and called them to be. This means that we expect every one of our students to achieve to the best of their abilities and realise that they can use their skills to make a difference in the wider world.
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam extends beyond what we do to who we are as people. We want our students to find God in themselves and in others in everyday life. Of course, we find God through prayer, through the Sacraments and through Sacred Scripture. But we can also give glory to God through our words and actions. This can be as simple as holding a door open for somebody or offering to help when we see a need. We can all grow into the people God has created and called us to be through becoming the face of Christ for others. It is through this journey of becoming the greater glory of God that our students will go out into the world and make a difference. They will go out and “set the world on fire” with the love of God, as Saint Ignatius of Loyola urges us to do.
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam,
Dean Wearmouth
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Sport
Football
Year 7
On Tuesday the Year 7 Boys football team played at the Auckland football Championships at Seddon Park. They played well against strong opposition and came away with a draw and two close loses. They finished 7th overall.
 Year 8
On Wednesday we sent a Year 8 team to the Auckland Champs Football day at Seddon Park. They played well as a team and came up against very tough competition. They had a couple of loses including a tough game versus the overall champions Northcote Intermediate and got a win in their last game against Taupaki. They also ended up finishing 7th.
While both teams did not get the results they were after, it is still a great accomplishment to finish seventh overall in Auckland. They players can vbe proud of their efforts!  |
Netball
The St Ignatius team (under the name Pukekohe Ferns) won 27-11 against Pukekohe Hill team.
Rugby
The St Ignatius Under 14's played against Sacred Heart College on Saturday 8th June. This was a 'friendly match' during our bye week. The team played well against a strong opposition. Man of the match performance by Douglas Easthope who was outstanding on defense with strong tackling, and on attack.
Equestrian
Milla and Charli Fogarin represented our school at the North Island Secondary Schools Show Hunter Carnival in Cambridge last Sunday. Charli competed as an individual and came fourth in the pony 60cm round and fourth in her equitation. Milla competed as part of a composite team with Waihi college. We are still waiting on the team results but she placed fourth in her 70cm hack round.
Fantastic effort representing our school!  Basketball
A second win of 56-21 for the St Ignatius U14 Ramarama Rebels Black team against Pukekohe Kings. All players contributing to a strong performance. Congratulations to the player of the day, Natalie Lee.  Orienteering
Aidan Tod represented St Ignatius at the North Island orienteering championship three day event earlier this year. Aidan came 5th in the short course sprints, and 28th in the long course. Excellent effort Aidan!   Ākonga Electives
Young Vinnies
This term's project has been Pro Love: a non-profit charity that supports expectant mothers and caregivers with the things they need to care for their pēpē. We've been learning about what they do and researching the struggles of our community to understand the need for support. At assembly in Week 4, the group presented what they'd learned to the school and announced our fundraising idea: a gold coin in exchange for a chance to wear your own clothes for a day. In the ensuing weeks, the group created posters and Google Slides to publicise the event's cause to the student body. It worked well, since we earned $521, which is a great result with only a school roll of 342.
We are now planning two events: A shopping trip to the Warehouse to purchase items for Pro Love and a special visit from the founder of Pro Love, Melissa Dobbs! We are putting together around five 'love' boxes, filled with products for new mothers and babies, and donating it to Melissa when she visits. We are also preparing questions to ask Melissa about the important work she's doing and practising a waiata to perform for her.
Below are pictures of the students' publicity posters and our 'love' boxes that we've prepared for the products to go into.
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Kapa Haka
This week we had Katarina Turu-Heretunga from Te Wānanga o Aotearoa come and work with our ākonga on the creation of our first Kapa Haka group. There were a large amount of students who expressed interest in being part of the group, but at this stage we were only able to take 30. We look forward to seeing this group flourish, and are excited about the future.   Nacho's News
Issue 7 out now! Follow the News item link at the bottom of the page. Ākonga Achievement
Wrestling
Last Sunday Year 7 student Sam Newby wrestled at the Auckland Championship Wrestling Competition held at Dilworth College. Sam wrestles as part of the Counties Wrestling club and puts in 100% every time he competes. His hard work paid off, coming away as the winner, and Auckland Champ in the boys under 13 38-41kg weight range.
Congratulations Sam!   We are truly blessed to have such a talented cohort of ākonga/students and we are aware of their many successes and achievements both locally and at a regional and national level. We look forward to sharing regional and national achievements through our newsletter and Facebook page. There will be an opportunity to celebrate more local achievements through our Year Level assemblies which happen during the year.
If you have any regional or national achievements from outside of school to share, please email photos and a short blurb to [email protected] and it could potentially be used in our Newsletter or on our Facebook page. |
Celebrating Ākonga
This week the following ākonga/student were recognised by their Manutaki for having received an outstanding Weekly Excellence Review in Week 6, Term 2.
Year 7 - Evie Morrison
Year 8 - Amaria Matia
Year 9 - Annabelle Shields
We celebrate these ākonga/students being more fully alive and reflecting the greater glory of God through their work and actions.
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Punctuality to School
Punctuality is important for all ākonga/students and makes a significant contribution to the academic and personal development of everyone. However, we recognise that there may be times when factors beyond our control mean ākonga/students may be dropped late to school. In these cases we need a note from parents/caregivers informing school about this and explaining the reasons. Any ākonga/student who arrives late to school without a note from parents/caregivers may receive a consequence aligned to our restorative model.
Parents/caregivers can contact the school using the school ap or via email ([email protected]) |
 School Nurse
The school nurse will be onsite daily from 10am until 2pm, but if you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to email her on [email protected]
Some of the daily services the nurse will provide here in the school clinic will be first aid, rheumatic fever prevention which includes routine throat swabs for sore throats, bacterial skin infection treatment, acute asthma care and working with families on referrals to wider community teams as needed.
For each year 9 student, a comprehensive holistic assessment, which includes growth checks, vision and a basic ear exam is completed.
The nurse would like to reassure parents that she will not give any medication without parental consent first, but if any parents are concerned about her services, including throat and wound swabs or throat lozenges, please email her on [email protected]
Uniform Shop Updates
The Uniform Shoppe has moved to Pukekohe (7A Glasgow Road). We recognise that this requires a longer journey for some of our families to visit the shop. However, we believe that the new location will provide an improved service which is of benefit to all our community.
Homestay Family Evaluator Needed!
Do you or someone you know want to earn a little extra cash? Then we have the job for you! We are seeking a responsible and discerning adult to carry out our house inspections for our potential Homestay families.
Responsibilities include home visits, family interviews, and suitability reports. Flexible, part-time position with competitive pay.
Apply by Wednesday, June 19th to [email protected].
 Youthline Counselling
We are fortunate to be supported by Youthline in our work at St Ignatius. A youthline counsellor is available to our ākonga/students 2 days a week in school. Ākonga/students can also access this service outside of school and can receive 8 free counselling sessions. Parents and caregivers can also make referrals for their child following this link: Youthline Counselling Referral |
Asian Language Week - Monday 17 to Friday 21 June - ākonga/students may wear cultural dress on Monday.
Magdalene House Mass - Wednesday 19th June
PFTA Initial Meeting - Thursday 20th June 6pm
School Board Nominations Close - Friday 21st June
Arts Showcase - Wednesday 26th June
Matariki - Friday 28th June
Term 2 finishes - Friday 5th July
School Board Voting Closes - Friday 26th July Arts Showcase
'Illuminations' - A celebration of the Arts at St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic College.
The Arts Faculty are excited to present a night of performances from ākonga in Art, Dance, Drama, Music. The evening will be full of work that ākonga have developed throughout the year and also a chance to hear our 7 and 8 English speech finalists. Secure a ticket via the school website -no cost involved.  |
St Ignatius of Loyola Catholic College
School Board Elections
Parent Election Notice – notice to community
Nominations are open for the election of 5 parent representatives to the school board.
All eligible voters will receive a nomination form via email. Use this form to nominate yourself or someone in your community. You will also receive a nomination cover letter calling for nominations. Information on who is not eligible to be a board member is provided with the nomination form.
Nominations close at noon on Friday 21st June 2024. You may provide a signed candidate statement and photograph with your nomination.
The electoral roll is held at the school and can be viewed during normal school hours.
As nominations are received, there will be a list of candidates’ names kept at the school up until election day, which you can view.
Voting closes at 4pm on Friday 26th July 2024.
Karen Fromont
Returning Officer
St Ignatius of Loyola Catholic College
485 Burtt Road
DRURY
[email protected]
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Job Vacancies
Come work for us – Advocacy Lead at Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand
Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is the Catholic bishops’ agency for justice, peace and development, part of a global federation. We’re on the hunt for an Advocacy Lead to join our team and bring about positive social justice through education, advocacy, and Māori engagement. The ideal candidate will have strong writing and research skills, experience in an advocacy and/or policy position, and a relevant tertiary qualification. Reporting to the Chief Executive of Caritas NZ and the Regional Coordinator of Caritas Oceania, they will be responsible for contributing towards the establishment of the advocacy function and framework for Caritas Oceania and Caritas NZ and coordinating programmes aligned to the Caritas mission. This role offers an exciting opportunity within a close-knit Wellington-based team. Visit https://mclaren.co.nz/vacancies/?ja-job=4240637 |
The Bigger Picture
Recently, the world famous tennis player, Roger Federer, gave a speech at a university in the USA. While winning over 80% of his professional matches, Federer confessed that his record of winning points was only 54%. He offered this wisdom: “When you lose almost every second point on average, you learn not to dwell on every shot.” We live in a world that demands a lot of us. Yet, we cannot possibly win every single point in life. Some failures are inevitable and yes, they can feel very uncomfortable.
Term Two has entered the phase when students are doing their assessments in various forms. Despite their young age, they are demanded to perform to some degree by society, by their families, by the school, and also by themselves. Some students have been feeling the burden and the discomfort in having to meet these demands. Some have shed some tears. Some have felt that they are failing. Some have even begun to doubt themselves. Failures can be paralysing to anyone, young and old. Yet, failures can also teach us important things, which may not be able to be attained by always passing assessments or other tests in life with flying colours. Failures can teach us about ourselves and about God.
The regular practice of the Ignatian Examen can help us get in touch more deeply with our hearts. What has moved or sank our hearts? Even failures can reveal how God is always present in our life, drawing us closer. Perhaps, we can recognise God’s presence in times of our failures through the consoling friends and families, the willing help of others around us, the availability of resources, or the revelation of God’s encouragement for better discipline and resilience. Federer suggested that every point in a tennis match is important, but when it has passed, the player must let it go. Failures may be a setback for us, but we must not lose sight of the bigger picture. We are created in the image of God (cf. Gen. 1:27). That means we are created for love. So, how can we focus on the “next point” as our continuing participation in God’s mission of love in our world?
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Nacho's News Issue 7
Nacho's News Issue 7 is out now! | |  |
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