Principal's Message

Tēnā koutou St Ignatius community,

On Saturday it was a joyous occasion to celebrate the Baptism of 20 St Ignatius students in the Companions of Jesus Chapel. Baptism is the first of the 7 Sacraments of the Catholic Church. Through Baptism we become members of Christ, and we are welcomed into the Church. We look forward to our Baptised students going on to receive Confirmation and First Holy Communion in November alongside others who are preparing for these Sacraments. Our faith is a Sacramental faith, leading to a closer relationship with God and it is a Blessing to prepare our students for the Sacraments of Initiation and work alongside our local Parishes to administer them.

The journey over the course of term 3 has been a journey of growth in virtue for our school community. We have grown in faith through the many opportunities of formation and reflection; we have grown in hope for an exciting future as our school culture has been established; we have grown in love, that is in love for every person as unique and special, created in the image of God. We have done this in our daily lives through finding God in ourselves, finding God in one another and finding God in all things. I believe that our community is growing in the same realisation of just how transformational a Catholic Ignatian education can be for young people. How privileged we all are to be a part of our thriving community.

On behalf of all staff and the college board, we wish you a blessed and safe spring break. May your days be filled with faith, with hope and with love.

Inveniens Deum in omnibus,

Dean Wearmouth

College Life

Curriculum

Science

This year, as a new school, we opened the opportunity for students to enter the New Zealand Kiwi Science Competition on a voluntary basis. Eight brave students stepped forward, eager to challenge themselves against others from across the country.
Every student earned a certificate of participation, and we wish to congratulate Enzo Collado, from 8M, who achieved a Merit certificate.

Food Technology

The Food Technology department was incredibly grateful, and excited, to receive a donation of a brand new SMEG mixer. Thank you to Mr. Simon Gault for this generous donation, plans are already underway to make the most of this awesome gift.

Sport

Basketball

Some of our Year 9 St Ignatius of Loyola Catholic College Basketball team were fortunate enough to receive free tickets to the next NZ Breakers Game! Thank you to the BNZ Breakers for this amazing opportunity and generous gift to our ākonga!

Ākonga Electives

Young Vinnies

Last Thursday, the Young Vinnies group went on their long-awaited visit to Palms Lifecare and Village, a rest home in Pukekohe. Throughout the term, students have been learning about the challenges elderly face, such as loneliness, as well as the blessings they can offer, especially to our next generation. A full report of this amazing experience is available via the News link at the bottom of this Newsletter.

Nacho's news
This weeks issue is out now! Follow the News link at the bottom of this Newsletter to read.

Ākonga Achievements

Zachary Harris

St Ignatius ākonga Zachary Harris has spent the last week in Sydney with the New Zealand Under 13 Softball Team. This was an intense week for Zachary and the team, as it included training sessions, and at least 1 training game each day. They then played in the New South Wales state Under 14 championship, where they played 6 games over 2 days, winning 4 of them!
Congratulations Zachary!

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

Manutaki Certificiates

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

Year 7 - Loisi Liava'a
Year 8  - Jennifer Merkofer
Year 9 - Ben Hunter

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

485 Award

Each week students are given the opportunity to nominate fellow students who have been displaying our school values.

The top nominations this week are:

Deanna Fermin nominated Grace Fonseca for showing conscience by helping her to pack up her things without being asked when she saw that she was busy.

Rhys Matthews nominated Sawyer Mravicich for showing compassion by helping him to walk to class when he injured his leg.

Max Foley nominated Jacob Hughes for showing conscience for helping others in Maths when they were in need of support.

Jaxon Tegg nominated Manaia Davis for showing competence and compassion for promoting his culture with pride and helping others to learn Te Reo Māori.

Mikayla Lindsay nominated Michaela Yhonjan for showing compassion by spending time with her on the bus when she was left out by others.
  
Caitlin McFadden nominated Jericho Ulberg for showing conscience helping her group wash dishes when they were late in Food tech.

Olivia Fleming nominated Quinn Robinson for showing competence for helping her with science homework.

James Santos nominated Peni Helu for showing compassion by opening the door for him and becoming a friend to him.

Carrie Howarth nominated Tamara Edwards for showing conscience by helping her to find her art book when she had lost it.

Ivy Killian nominated Charlie Bower for showing compassion by including her and being kind towards her.

The winner of the 485 award goes to Manaia Davis who was nominated by Jaxon Tegg for showing competence and compassion for promoting his culture with pride and helping others to learn Te Reo Māori.

Ka mau te wehi Manaia!

Principal's Award

Each term the student from each year level that has earnt the most House points is acknowledged with a Principal's Certificate. These student's have shown not only House spirit, but led by example in regards to displaying our school values.
Congratulations to the following ākonga:
Year 7 - Emma Ronald (XB)
Year 8 - Nikita van Dam (RA)
Year 9 - Annabelle Shields (AM)

Congratulations to these Ākonga!

End of Term Virtue Awards

At the end of each term all our staff have the opportunity to nominate ākonga who have displayed one of the 7 virtues. These are the 3 theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Love and the 4 Cardinal Virtues of prudence, fortitude, temperance and justice. When we display these virtues it is an indication that a person is directing their lives towards God.
Congratulations to all those students who received these awards. Please follow the News item link at the bottom of this Newsletter to read more about the awards and the receipiants.

Cura Personalis

Term Four Ākonga Assessment Week

Please be aware that our end of year assessment week for ākonga is coming up early Term Four.

This is scheduled for Week Three (October 28th - November 1st).

Ākonga will be assessed in their core subjects of Religious Education, English, Mathematics, Science and Social Sciences.

Revision and study material will be available Week 1 Term Four within each classes 'Google Classroom'.

No further ākonga preparation is needed at this stage and we wish them a relaxing break.

Summer Uniform Term 4

As the weather seems to be warming up we will transition to our summer uniform at the start of Term 4.

Summer uniform guidelines are as follows:

- All ākonga/students will wear St Ignatius short sleeved white shirts and
  school tie.
- All ākonga/students will wear school blazer.
- Female ākonga/students wear a skirt or trouser options and white ankle
  socks.
- Male ākonga/students wear shorts and knee high school socks.

Ākonga Diary 2025 Art Competition

All ākonga/students are invited to enter the Saint Ignatius of Loyola Catholic College Ākonga diary art competition.
The theme this year is: “Finding God in all things”. Ākonga/students can express this theme in any visual art media of their choice, including; painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, college, and digital art. 
The competition winner will have their work featured on the cover of our 2025 Ākonga diary.

All entries to Ms Hyde-Hills by Friday October 18.

Parent Formation 2025

We are seeking feedback on the Parent Formation evenings that we facilitated this year and what topics the community would like to have in 2025. Especially around topics, modes and timing. Even if you have not attended an evening, we would be grateful if you could spend a few minutes completing the survey in the link below:
https://forms.gle/ZE4viKywV94N4YtF6 

Thank you for your feedback.

Youth Health Council

Throughout last week, the Youth Health council raised an impressive  $369.70 on Wear Your Own Clothes Day and an additional  $203 from the raffles, bringing our total to an incredible $572.70. 

Thank you to everyone who bought a raffle ticket or guessed the lolly- we congratulate our Guess the square winners Toby Benge, Indiana Falanitule and Logan Bower. We also award the lolly winners Sian Balle, Madi Kennedy & Jaeda Foster.

Your generous support will help create an engaging space for recreation and socializing at school, including new games like table tennis.Thank you for making such a positive impact in our community! Your contributions truly make a difference!

-St Ignatius Youth Health Council

International Student Hosting Opportunities

We are inviting expressions of interest from families who would like the enriching experience of hosting a Japanese student for Term 1 next year. This is a unique opportunity for your family to learn about Japanese culture, build lifelong relationships, and open the door to life and learning opportunities that come from cross-cultural exchange. Hosting a student not only provides a welcoming home to someone from another country but also offers an educational experience for your own children as they gain an appreciation for different traditions and perspectives. Japanese people are known for their kindness, respect, and strong sense of community, making this an incredibly positive and rewarding opportunity for all involved. If you’re interested in becoming a homestay family, we’d love to hear from you!  Please email me @ [email protected] for further information

Upcoming Events

First Day of Term 4 - Monday 14th October
Loving for Life Programme Year 8 - Tuesday to Friday Oct 15th - Oct 18th
Acutis House Mass - Wednesday 16th October @ 1:30pm
Jesuit Provincial Visit - Friday 18th October
Year 7 Theatre Trip -  Wednesday 23rd October 9.00am - 3.00pm
Ākonga Assessment Week -  Tuesday 29th Oct - Nov 1st
St Ignatius Got Talent - Wednesday 6th November
Teacher Only Day -  Wednesday 20th November
Year 7 Camp - Wednesday 4th - Friday 6th December

PTA News

PTA Member Introduction

I’m excited to introduce myself as part of the newly formed PTA at St Ignatius. My name is Tanja Dumper, and my youngest son is a Year 9 student at the college. I am a proud local, born and raised in Drury, now living in Karaka and a “third generation family” of St Mary’s Parish in Papakura.  Previously a volunteer at Drury School, I’m now thrilled to contribute to the St Ignatius community through the PTA.
 
My background is in logistics, business planning, and analytics, and I’ve spent the past four years working as a local real estate agent at Harcourts Karaka, where I have the privilege of engaging with the many wonderful families in our community.
 
We have some exciting events and initiatives planned, including a Second Hand Uniform buy/sell/donate Facebook group which will be a valuable resource for the school community.  If you have any ideas that you think will benefit our school, we would love to see you at our next meeting.  It’s a great opportunity to support our children and foster connections among parents.

Just a reminder about our events coming up- we'd love to see you at some of them! 29 November 2024, Year 7 and 8 Neon Fiesta 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]

Catholic Character

Baptismal Liturgy

On Saturday, September 21st, 20 students were baptised in the Companions of Jesus Chapel. It was a special occasion with many parents, caregivers, and sponsors in attendance. We are very proud of these students who have taken the next step in their faith journey. Please pray for them and the other candidates who are preparing for their remaining Sacraments.
Photos from the day have been uploaded to our website, please follow the New item link at the bottom of this Newsletter to view them.

The Kingdom of God: Here But Not Yet

Today marks the end of Term 3 at school. Reflecting on the time since the school started, there has been a tension in a way that the three terms felt quick but at the same time long. There had been so many things that needed to be done, and that time was always running out. Most staff members felt exhausted because of it. At the same time, there has been a common feeling among the staff and others in our whanau that the school seems to have been running so smoothly that it felt like we were a long-standing established school. This is a healthy tension, a good one to have, which can help all of us as a community to feel confident but not complacent.

Tension is probably a way to help us understand the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God carries the tension between “already” and “not yet”. By Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, God has already liberated humankind from domination by sin and death. We believe that the Kingdom of God has fully arrived with Christ’s once-and-for-all sacrifice on the cross. As a result, the need for our own sacrifice for sin has long gone (cf. Hebrews 10). At the same time, the full and glorious completion of the Kingdom is not yet achieved, because the world is still in distress (cf. Daniel 12). On our part, there are certainly still a lot of things to be done to make the world look more like the Kingdom of God.
That is what we do at school. We not only hope to grow our ākonga’s faith in believing that the Kingdom of God is already here because of Christ; but we also continue to take part in building the Kingdom of God on earth through the holistic education of our ākonga, our caring for them and nurturing them. Our mission is to prepare them for the mission that God has for each and everyone of them, to build God’s Kingdom as whoever and whatever they are called to be as God’s own children. In the first year of this school life, we have seen some good measures of success which can make us feel more confident. However, we cannot be complacent because we know that there is still a lot of work to be done. May the Term break allow us a time to pray, reflect and refresh. 

Community Notices

News