Principal's Message
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Kia ora koutou katoa,
This week began with a joyous Easter Mass celebrated by Fr Eka. It was a real pleasure to see the whole school join together again in communion through the Eucharist. The students maintained their reverence throughout the Mass. It was an occasion that every parent and caregiver would have been proud to witness; their child(ren) finding God through the school Mass and enabling one another to find God through their glorious examples of reverence.
Today is the final day that parents and caregivers are able to register for our inaugural House Parade event next week. This event is a great opportunity for you to see your children) being great examples to one another and to our parent community through their efforts. Come along to find God through their efforts and joy as we celebrate together. The link to register is below.
We look forward to engaging with parents and caregivers who plan to attend our Parent Teacher interviews, progress reports for term one will be sent out later today. Please take a good look and book with any teachers you may wish to consult.
Finally, our open community tours are taking place tomorrow from 9:30-am to 12:30pm. If you have wider family who are interested in joining a tour of our facilities, everybody is welcome and booking is not necessary. We are looking forward to opening up to provide the local community an opportunity to see how we are living out our school motto, Finding God in all things. Inveniens Deum in omnibus.
Dean Wearmouth  |
Parent / Ākonga / Kaiako Interviews Term One
Our first Parent / Ākonga / Kaiako Interviews for 2024 are scheduled for April 10th and 11th from 2pm - 7pm.
Note: Students will finish at 12:50pm both days and buses will be rescheduled for this earlier finish. If students are attending they must be in the college uniform.
You are warmly invited to book an interview time with your child's respective teachers. If your child's report reflects a successful term and curriculum levels are appropriate for their year, it is not necessary to book.
If you have concerns about progress, your child's current curriculum level or another pressing matter, please follow the process below.
Click the link or use the QR code provided.
Enter your details. Select the day, time and teacher to make your booking
BOOKING LINK
https://www.schoolinterviews.co.nz/code/7mxd9
BOOKING QR CODE  |
Sport
Netball
Our first teams competed at the Pukekohe pre-season netball tournament on Wednesday night. It was great to see our school represented out in the community.  |
Dance at St Ignatius of Loyola Catholic College
Over the past few weeks, dance students have been immersed in creating original choreographies as well as exploring a range of dance styles.
Year 8 ākonga are enjoying learning about cultural dances from around the world. In pairs, they are researching a cultural dance that interests them and exploring and experimenting with how to perform the unique dance style as part of their end of term assessment.
Year 9 ākonga are using the knowledge of dance elements and choreographic devices which they have been exploring over the term to create their own original group choreographies inspired by everyday sports.
It is exciting to see all dance students using the new skills that they have developed and having the confidence to perform in front of their peers.
Student comments:
Dance is a wonderful experience and a different perspective of the Arts. I enjoy choreographing dance movements with groups, and performing them to an audience.
- Jamie Barillas 9A
Dance here at St Ignatius is extremely exciting and fun, we get to learn lots of different techniques and take on new opportunities.
-Tamsyn Bennett 9D
I had never been taught dance before and I always was afraid to dance in front of other people. However, now I love having my dance classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. These lessons have helped me feel more confident dancing both by myself and in front of other people. - Ethan Steadman 8M
Dance at St Ignatius is very fun and entertaining. We learn about the different forms and elements of dance and how to make our performances the most effective it can be. -Skylar Vibal. 8M
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Ākonga Achievement
Year 7 student Poppy Illston and her pony Snickers were 5th in the Category B Show Hunter of the Year class at the recent NZ Horse of the Year Show in Hastings. This is a national event with competitions attending from all over the country and even some from Australia this year!
 Killian Ainsley and his team (Killian Ainsley, Jemima Walker, Martha Jonstone and Ross Ainsley) won the John Walker Memorial Cup at the recent Bombay Hills Polo Tournament. On top of that, Killian's horse Kai won Best Playing Pony for the 2 Goal Division. Well done Killian!
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The Hungry Wolf
The Hungry Wolf has had a very successful first week. Students have provided overwhelmingly positive feedback about the service, quality and choices. The top three most popular items for students this week have been: Teriyaki chicken on rice, mince & cheese pie and butter chicken pie. |
Celebrating Ākonga
This week the following ākonga/student were recognised by their Manutaki for having received an outstanding Weekly Excellence Review.
Year 7 - Samuel Speedy
Year 8 - Annie Yu
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.
Term 1 Virtue Awards
Our kaiako/teachers have been busy nominating ākonga/students to receive one of our 7 virtue awards. These are a termly set of awards which seek to celebrate ākonga/students who manifest the theological and Cardinal virtues in which our college kaupapa is rooted. If ākonga/students receive all seven of the virtue awards during their time at college they will be awarded the prestigious virture award at prizegiving.
The Virtue awards we will celebrate next week are:
Faith
For Ākonga who have demonstrated particular support for the Catholic Life of our College
Hope
For Ākonga who bring light and hope into the world for others
Love
For Ākonga who demonstrate love of God and others
Prudence
For Ākonga who consistently make great choices
Temperance
For Ākonga who practice self-control
Justice
For Ākonga who are fair and just to all
Fortitude
For Ākonga who demonstrate resilience and courage
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Uniform
We expect all ākonga/students to be in full winter uniform when they return from the upcoming school holidays. Our winter uniform guidelines are as follows:
Junior Winter Uniform (Term 2 and 3)
-All ākonga/students will wear St Ignatius long sleeved white shirt and school tie
-All ākonga/students will wear school blazer
-All ākonga/students will wear school jumper
-Female ākonga/students wear a skirt or trouser options and black tights
-Male ākonga/students wear shorts and knee high school socks
Please refer to the school website for our full uniform guidelines.
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House Parades Tuesday April 9th
Over the last few weeks our House groups have been busy preparing their presentation for our inaugural House Parades. This is an opportunity for each House Community to build relationships, grow in leadership, develop their gifts and talents and capture something truly unique about each House spirit. The theme of our House Parades this year is 'Growing Community'. The parades this year will be judged by a panel of carefully selected judges who have been involved in the growth and development of our College community over the last two decades.
As this is a supervised and controlled event onsite we are delighted to be able to invite ākonga/students to bring a guest to share in this event with. Guests are requested to arrive at 1:15 pm ready for the start of the House Parades at 1:30pm.
We have limited space in La Stora so please register your attendance by following the link below.
House Parade Registration  |
Important Dates to Remember:
Community Open Day - Saturday April 6th - 9:30pm - 12:30pm
Term One Reports sent - Monday April 8th
House Parades - Tuesday April 9th - 1:30pm - 3:00pm
Parent / Ākonga / Kaiako Interviews - Wednesday / Thursday 10th-11th April - 2:00pm - 7:00pm (School finishes at 12:50pm both days and buses depart at 1:00pm.)
Teacher Only Day - Friday April 12th - All Day
Last Day of Term One - Thursday April 11th
First Day of Term Two - Monday April 29th |
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Situation Vacant - Catholic Diocese of Auckland, Te Taumata O Te Hahi Katorika
Accountant – Graduate Role
The Accountant role will assist the Diocesan Accounting Manager and CFO with operational leadership for the financial management of the Diocese and its related entities. In this role, you will be responsible for ensuring all financial reporting requirements, imperatives are delivered accurately and add value to the organisation. You will provide accurate, timely and relevant statutory and monthly management reporting information for entities which ensures the Diocese both fully meets its statutory requirements and to support the Diocese in the achievement of its strategic goals. This role will suit a recent graduate of a Bachelor’s degree or relevant tertiary qualification (Accounting).
To view the full advert and the position description please go to our website www.aucklandcatholic.org.nz under Diocesan Services and Staff Vacancies.
Applications close 12 April 2024. |
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Public transport fares are changing for under 25’s from Wednesday 01 May
Free travel for 5 to 12 year old's and half-price travel for 13 to 24 year old's on AT bus, train and ferry services will end on 30 April 2024, in line with the government’s decision to withdraw funding for these concessions.
This means that from Wednesday 1 May:
5 to 12 year olds will no longer travel for free on weekdays and will instead pay a child concession (at least 40% off adult fares). They will continue to travel for free on weekends. The child concession will apply to anyone aged 5 to 15, who has a registered AT HOP card with their correct date of birth.
13 to 15 year olds will stop receiving the half-price child fares discount and instead switch to paying full child fares (at least 40% off an adult fare during weekdays, and free travel on weekends) from 1 May. The child concession will apply to anyone aged 5 to 15, who has a registered AT HOP card with their correct date of birth.
16 to 19 year olds with a secondary student concession will stop receiving the half-price secondary fares discount and instead switch to paying full secondary fares (at least 40% off an adult fare). Students aged 16-19 should apply for the secondary student concession to ensure they are paying the cheapest fare possible.
More information about the discounts and what you may need to do next can be found at AT.govt.nz/farechanges |
Pay Attention, Be Astonished, Tell About It.
In the first period when school re-opened last Wednesday, we had our Easter Mass to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. It was our first whole-school Mass and it was held in La Storta Hall. After such a busy start of the new school, the Mass was quite a wonderful occasion and refreshing celebration of our identity as a faith community. The Gospel reading for the day was on the story of the Emmaus Journey. Two disciples of Jesus were going home to Emmaus, after the celebration of Passover in Jerusalem. Along the way, they were downcast as they heard about what happened to Jesus whom they thought to be their liberator, that he was arrested and sentenced to die. And worse, some have alleged that his body went missing. A few women, however, have reported seeing Jesus alive. In their fear and confusion about what was happening in and around Jerusalem, they failed to pay attention to what was happening close to them - that the Risen Jesus was walking alongside them. He remained a stranger.
At times, we can be too fixated by the busy-ness and the external circumstances of our life, that we may forget to also pay attention to the deeper side of ourselves. Mary Oliver, a Pulitzer Prize winner poet, wrote little instructions for living a life: “Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.” In the Emmaus story, only when the stranger broke the bread, were the two men’s eyes opened. They began to pay attention to what has been burning in their hearts: a feeling of being alive. They began to realise what they had experienced: a close encounter with the risen Christ. We don’t know what happened to them years after; they may have died in old age, or they may have died as martyrs of faith, but what we know is that they willingly and immediately became Christ’s witnesses by returning to Jerusalem. They paid attention to their hearts, became astonished by God's work in raising Jesus and in lifting up their drooping spirit; and they decided to tell others about it.
That is the process which we are developing in our school community. The regular practice of the Ignatian Examen allows us to grow in our sensitivity to the traces of God in our life. In becoming more familiar with the patterns of God’s gentle (or sometimes prodding), patient and loving work in us and around us, we may hopefully become astonished by our God. The wonder of the Resurrection can only be understood and received fully through the eyes of faith. When we are convinced of such wonder and what it means to us, we may then decide to commit and participate more in God’s work of salvation in the world; and become Christ’s witnesses through our words and actions.
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