Principal's Message
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Tēnā koutou katoa,
It is a significant privilege for everybody to be a part of our school community. I often hear feedback from within the college and wider that we are becoming known for high standards across the whole school experience. Whilst it is great to hear so much positive feedback about our standards, they all relate and stem from our one true standard. The word standard has an interesting history; its etymology helps us to unpack its meaning. It also helps us to unpack how St Ignatius of Loyla understood it and what our one true standard is at the college.
The word standard probably stems from the combination of two words 'stand' and 'hard' in the Frankish language. The word would have been used to describe a flag attached to a pole and fixed into the ground. The 'standard' would have represented something like a Kingdom or a city or a noble family and represented where people 'stood'. It is easy to imagine St Ignatius having a clear understanding of what a standard was as he went into battle with the Loyola family. The Loyola family standard would have been carried by a standard bearer into battle, reflecting who the army were fighting for, in effect, where they stood. We can see the standard St Ignatius and his family used because the Loyola Family Standard is the top left part of our school crest.
During his own conversion, St Ignatius left his old standard of fighting and fame and fortune for a new standard, and this was the standard of Christ. The words and actions of St Ignatius flowed from the new 'standard' that he was adhering to; the standard of the cross. So when St Ignatius talks about 'Two standards' in the spiritual exercises, we can understand that we have a clear choice to make in how we live our lives. Do we look at material things as a standard and ask ourselves what we want and how we want to live or do we look at ourselves and ask how Christ lives within us and who we have been called to be? Christ calls us to follow him and when we are following him we achieve the highest human standards.
So my reflection this week is that the true standard at St Ignatius of Loyola Catholic College is the standard of the cross and when we follow Jesus and live in this standard then we can become truly excellent and truly who we have been called to be.
Ad majorem Dei gloriam
Dean Wearmouth |
Faber House Mass
Yesterday we held our first Faber House Mass. Students of Faber and Marian, as well as parents of Faber students, were invited to a service where we learnt about why Peter Faber is the House Patron, why the House motto is 'Wise and Humble', and how we can reflect on his saintly example.   Sport
Week ahead Timetable:
Friday 09.08.24
Basketball
Ramarama Rebels Black VS Pukekohe Kings
Franklin Basketball
6.00pm
Saturday 10.08.24
Netball
St Ignatius Black VS Patumahoe
Pukekohe Netball Centre
9.50am
St Ignatius Ferns VS Buckland
Pukekohe Netball Centre
2.00pm
Rugby
St Ignatius Under 14's VS Waiuku
Papakura High School
9.00am
Wednesday 14.08.24
Badminton
St Ignatius Gold VS TBD
Counties Manukau Badminton Centre
4.10pm
St Ignatius Silver VS TBD
Counties Manukau Badminton Centre
5.35pm
St Ignatius Bronze VS TBD
Counties Manukau Badminton Centre
5.35pm
Futsal
NRF Auckland Futsal Champs
Year 7 & 8 Tournament
Auckland Netball Centre
9.30-2.30
Thursday 15.08.24
Netball
Franklin Zone Netball
Year 7 & 8 Tournament
Pukekohe Netball
9.30-2.30
Basketball
Year 9 Junior Boys VS TBC
Franklin Basketball
TBD
This Weeks Results:
Netball
St Ignatius/Pukekohe Black VS Pukekohe Hill 8-35
St Ignatius/Pukekohe Ferns VS Puni Rugby Club 18-10
Badminton
St Ignatius Silver VS Strathallan
Jasleen Singh had her first singles win!! Congratulations!
Ākonga Elective
Crochet
In our magical Crochet Elective, beginners and experts alike united in crafting a dazzling array of squares, each one a unique piece of our collective creativity. From first-time stitchers to seasoned pros, everyone contributed their flair to our vibrant tapestry. As we weave together these squares into a stunning, collaborative piece, we celebrate the blend of new skills and experienced techniques, resulting in a heartwarming masterpiece that’s truly a testament to our shared passion. Keep those hooks moving, and stay tuned for the unveiling of our colorful creation at the end of the year! Happy crocheting!
  Cultural Group
Sharing and gaining an appreciation of our diverse culture has been the focus of the ‘Cultural Group’ Elective. The opportunity to explore a range of cultural traditions such as food, language, art and dance have been interesting and engaging. Ākonga are using their knowledge to create fun activities to share aspects of their culture with the group. From Japanese Anime art and traditional Samoan Siapo patterns to K-pop and Filipino folk dance, everyone is keen to share. Ākonga are also getting active by learning about the context and moves of a Samoan sasa dance. Respect and co-operation are bringing this group together.   Ākonga Achievement
Hockey Reps Update
Last week we shared that Jaeda Foster, Jones Elliot, and Drew Liefting made the Counties Hockey Reps teams. We are delighted to share that three more of our students also made Counties Hockey Rep teams!
Congratulations to Daisy Bertram who made the Under 13 girls team, and Pippa Wilson, and Saskia Balle who both made the Under 16 girls team.  |
Celebrating Ākonga
Manutaki Certificate
This week the following ākonga/student were recognised by their Manutaki for having received an outstanding Weekly Excellence Review.
Year 7 - Emma Ronald
Year 8 - Kees Smith
Year 9 - Madi Clark
We celebrate these ākonga/students being more fully alive and reflecting the greater glory of God through their work and actions.  485 Award
We had many nominations again this week and it was a pleasure for senior leaders to read of students finding God in others through their nominations. Some of our top nominations this week are:
Mia Wright nominated Georgia Turner for tutoring her during class when Mia was struggling.
Kaden Balu nominated Lucas Orum for caring for the home-stay (international) students.
Bela Giri nominated Felicity Kavanagh for volunteering to share her notes in English and always helping to explain materials in Maths.
Grace Faire nominated Ruby Waugh for helping her with English homework and studying for a test.
Davina Roebeck nominated Rosaria Soo Choon for hanging out with people who are lonely and being a friend to the exchange students.
Kimberley Nunez nominated Kourtney Sublette for helping her catch up on the work she missed.
Jamie Barillas nominated Annabelle Shields for explaining what to do in Science when an exchange student needed help.
Olivia Fitzpatrick nominated Ben Hunter for taking care of his international friends and making sure they had an incredible time.
Paea Finau nominated Kaea Bramwell for giving him stationery when he needed it.
The winner this week is Tiger Bernabe who was nominated by Tate Yorke for helping him with Maths work and showing kindness. Well done Tiger!  |
Internet Health and Well-being presentation for parents and whānau
Raising Resilient Capable Children
Cybercrime is a very real issue facing families in NZ, but there are easy practical steps to reduce the risk. We invite you to a presentation on the issues associated with the inappropriate use of computers, mobile phones and the internet. This invaluable presentation is led by John Parsons (www.citizen21.co.nz), a leading authority in New Zealand on Safeguarding children online.
This presentation :
- Identifies the specific challenges children face when using ICT
- Includes guidance on behaviour management processes for parents in the practical situations they will face
- This workshop empowers parents to take responsibility for safeguarding their children
- Parents leave with the tools to support their children to use ICT safely and ethically at home and at school
Date: Tuesday August 13
Time: 6-7pm
Venue: School.
If you would like to attend please follow the link. Click here to register your place
Our ākonga/students will also have chance to work with John Parsons on this day.  |
Book Review Competition
The Magis Centre held a Book Review competition at the beginning of this term and we had some amazing entries. Its was fantastic to see students expressing their enjoyment of reading by sharing their favourite books, and letting other students know why they should get into reading!
A winner was chosen from each year level, and the winners are as follows:
Caitlin McFadden 7AM 'The Rainbow Warrior' by Sharon Holt
Deanna Fermin 8FM 'The Pilgram's Progress' By Rousseaux Brasseur
Jamie Barillas 9RA 'Refugee' By Alan Gratz
Congratulations to these students! They have won a voucher for the Hungry Wolf!    Week 8: St Ignatius Book Week
As mentioned in last week's newsletter we are getting ready for our first St Ignatius Book Week in Week 8! It has been a joy to hear the excitement amongst the children and to have books at the centre of conversations around school. We are hopeful that by highlighting great books here at St Ignatius and by encouraging conversations at home, our ākonga will become lifelong readers. Next week we will have a competition displayed in the Magis Centre which is "Match the teacher with their favourite book". Whilst some will be glaringly obvious - I do think that this will be tricky to get them all correct! All entries will go in the draw to win a Whitcoulls Voucher. This will be the first of many competitions that we have planned in the lead-up to Book Week.
If you have a reluctant reader at home, sometimes the task of a "massive" novel is overwhelming and that's where we need to suggest an alternative. Instead of insisting that they read a book with pages of words, encourage them to start with something that interests them. They need to see reading as something to do for leisure and/or as a reward rather than a punishment or task. They can read comic books, light readers, biographies, the local newspaper or Graphic Novels. The visual component of Graphic Novels helps take away the arduous task of reading a novel and helps reluctant readers get into the habit of reading before bedtime or throughout the weekend when they need time to decompress and relax. If you can read with them - then please do! Children love to spend time alone with you and reading a book together is a beautiful way to connect and share time together.
Each week we will put the spotlight on potential books/series you can read at home with your children and this week's option is:
Harry Potter
What’s so cool about Harry Potter?
Where do we start? Harry Potter is a series that kids and adults can enjoy reading together. It stormed the world in 1997 and reintroduced a generation of children (and adults) to the joys of great fantasy story writing. It is loved worldwide for its wonderful messages of Good always overcoming Evil, the power of a mother’s love, the underdog beating the villain, staying true to yourself and the importance of good friendship. Did you know that over 300 million books have been sold in over 200 countries and translated into 80 different languages? The author J K Rowling first wrote the words Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff on the back of an aeroplane vomit bag. She was inspired to write the series on a train and wrote the beginnings of it in a cafe called “The Elephant House” in Edinburgh, Scotland. The characters are relatable and it's a bit of escapism - it is beautifully written where we are invested in the characters and their outcomes.
Harry Potter is famous because the plot of the story is exquisite and intricate. Each character made some sort of contribution to the narrative. Every subplot is related to every other one. It is an absolute masterpiece.
Give it a go!!  |
International Student Exchange Group Two - Mon-Fri 12th-16th August
John Parsons Student Presentations (Cybersafety) Tuesday 13th August
John Parsons Parent / Whanau Evening (Cybersafety) Tuesday 13th August 6-7pm
House Time Maths Competition - Wednesday 14th August
Feast of Our Lady of the Assumption Thursday 15th August
Practice Exam Week - Monday 19th August - Friday 23rd August
Tongan Language Week - Monday 19th August - Friday 23rd August
House Time Lip Sync Preparation - Wednesday 21st August
Lip Sync Preparation - Friday 23rd during Magis Time
Group Photos with Photosmart - Tuesday 27th August. Sporting, Cultural group etc to be photographed. More information closer to time.
House Time Lip Sync Preparation - Wednesday 28th August
Romaro House Mass - Wednesday 28th August
Year 7 Retreat (At School) - Thursday 29th August
Lip Sync Preparation - Friday 30th during Magis Time
Year 7 & 8 Blake ER Experience - Monday 2nd September - Friday 6th September
Father's Day Mass - Monday 2nd September 7:30am
Lip Sync Competition - Wednesday 4th September 2:20pm- 3pm in La Storta
AIMS Games 2024 - Sat 7th Sept to Fri 13th Sept
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Imaginative Contemplation
A young newly-ordained priest noticed that at the church he was assigned to, there was an elderly lady who sat in the corner pew every morning for about an hour. He found it interesting that she was just sitting there, not kneeling, not making any ritualistic gestures, not holding any prayer book and sometimes likely falling asleep. Out of curiosity, he asked her about how she prayed. Sheepishly, she admitted that she did fall asleep every now and then, when she was tired. “Other times,” she said, “I was imagining working, walking or talking with Jesus. I just love being around him.”
[God] is not far from any of us, since it is in him that we live and move, and exist. (Acts 17:28)
St. Ignatius of Loyola was blessed with a remarkable imagination. That grace played a central role in his conversion after the battle of Pamplona. Reading books about Christ and about saints, he imagined himself being part of their stories. Later on, he developed a method of prayer using imagination by placing himself in the Gospel scenes with and around Jesus; and letting his imagination unfold the story. In his prayers, he became an onlooker or a participant in the life of Jesus. He came to know Jesus better and became his companion. He came to know Jesus himself, “and not just from [what others] report.” (John 4:42).
 Our culture tends to recognise only those things that are measurable. Think of the Olympics! Imagination often lacks such measurables. However, it could intuit the truth of things that can often be inaccessible to our logical minds. Artists (not those involved in the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics) could attest to that. In imaginative contemplations, spiritual fruits that God offers us may await.
Here are some practical ways to approach this prayer method:
1: Acknowledge that prayer is God’s gift, that is God working in us, offering a deeper relationship with him. So, ask for the gift from the Holy Spirit, to work in us and guide our imagination.
2: Pick a Gospel scene about Jesus, get familiar with the story before praying. Use either the reading for the day or any suitable theme. Find an image if it helps set off your imagination. Set a time and commit to it, maybe start small with 15 minutes; but not too much over one hour.
3: Treat distractions as if they were some items behind a shop front window as we are out to get a particular something. We can look at it or admire it briefly, but we move on. Or we can treat distractions as if they were birds flying above our heads, as we are doing a particular activity. Acknowledge them, put them aside for the time being. Don’t get too hard on yourself. Jesus also falls asleep.
4: Imagine using our senses: see, hear, touch, smell and taste. Pay attention to our various feelings during the contemplation but don’t think too much or analyse the story you are immersed in. Experience and meet Jesus, his entire being as the story unfolds. Seek the truth of the heart rather than the truth of facts.
5: After the prayer, allow a short break. Then, reflect on the prayer experience, and journal.
6: Repetitions of the prayer using the same scene may be good, if there are still fruits to be gained.
7: Let your prayer experiences inform your actions in life. Imitate Jesus, accompany him, work with him in his mission in the world.
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