Principal's Message

Tēnā kotou katoa,

As a college, we welcome parent and family involvement as we continue to build our community. Please look out for opportunities as they arise. A current opportunity is to become nominated for election as a member of the college board, successful candidates would then join the board, overseeing the college on a governance level. A further opportunity is to register and become involved in our Parent teacher Association; we are hoping that we can build a very strong association that will support and assist with enhancing the experience for everybody associated with the college.

In this spirt, we are asking you, as a community, to consider the gifts that you have and if you have time to share those gifts with the school community. We welcome all gifts and talents and encourage them to be shared. This can be seen through the wide choice of co-curricular opportunities available for students through the sharing of the gifts and passions of the staff. We are truly Blessed to have such talented staff who are ready and willing to share their gifts to enhance the lives of our students. It is also truly heartening to see our students sharing their own gifts and talents through the variety of experiences on offer at the college. So, do you have the gifts and time to join in and take our community to even greater heights? Keep reading to find the opportunities and we look forward to seeing you at a school event or meeting soon, growing together as a Catholic Ignatian community; growing together as one body in Christ. Ad Majorem Dei gloriam.

In the spirit of St Ignatius,

Dean Wearmouth

College Life

Sport

Netball

Our girls had some amazing games, coming away with a win each, and showing fantastic teamwork and ball skills.

St Ignatius/Papakura Silver vs Pukekohe High School = 20-15
St Ignatius/Papakura Ferns vs James Cook High = 16-12
St Ignatius/Papakura Gold vs Ormiston Junior College = 25-2

Well done!

Basketball

Our two teams are doing an amazing job this season, with our junior boys team on a three game winning streak! Teams play at the Pukekohe Recreation and Leisure Centre, with the Year 9 junior boys on a Thursday evening, and the Year 7 & 8 boys (playing under the Ramarama Rebels Under 14 Black) playing on a Friday evening. 

U14 Ramarama Rebels Black played the Pukekohe Stingers last Friday and won their first game of the season 33-12 ! All players contributed to the scoring over the game and showed great skill development from their weekly training sessions with Coach Benge.

This Thursday the Year 9 junior boys played a very tight game against Te Kauwhata, and Manaia Davis, playing his first game for the team, scored 3 3 pointers in the last 5 minutes to draw the game 34-34.

Ākonga Elective

Choir

Over the last few weeks, we have been refining the performance of ‘Better Be Home Soon’ by Crowded House. 
All our Ākonga have been singing beautifully together in different parts of the school to prepare us for a performance coming up later in the year. 
When the chorus of the song hits, and the students feel that big shift, our voices ringing through the school, especially when we were practicing at the Manresa seating. The school was filled with music which drew people out to hear the choir singing. 

We look forward to our performance of it coming up soon.

Nacho News

Follow the link in the News section at the bottom of this Newsletter to read our latest edition of Nacho News.

Math

In Year 7 Mathematics we are learning about time, and making time calculations. 7A calculated the number of days, hours and even minutes until their next birthday!

Year 8 students have been working hard on their Number skills all term in maths. Small groups took up the challenge to work out some tricky subtraction problems. Can you work out 2005 - 148 without a calculator?

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.

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

Celebrating Ākonga

This week the following ākonga/student were recognised by their Manutaki for having received an outstanding Weekly Excellence Review in Week 5, Term 2.  These students will be presented with their certificates in our assembly next week.

Year 7 -  Olivia Malele
Year 8 -  Chelsie Farrell
Year 9 - Georgia Turner

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

Cura Personalis

Year 9 Leadership Training

This week all year 9 ākonga/students participated in a day of Leadership Training led by Waikato Institute of Leadership and Sport.  Our Year 9 cohort are in the unique position of always being the most senior group of ākonga/students.  We expect all Year 9 students to be leaders in our college.  This training session was the beginning of their formal leadership formation and was an opportunity for all to reflect on the leadership skills they possess and where the opportunities for growth and development may be.  

Read the reflections below from 2 Year 9 ākonga/students:

Today I took part in a leadership program. The first session I attended helped helped motivate and encourage everyone in the class to participate which made it a positive learning experience. The part of  that lesson that I found most helpful was putting together a puzzle. This meant that we had to work together and communicate. By communicating we learnt what sort of ways were better to lead others in different situations. This was an informative, hands-on learning experience.  We then had the opportunity to think of better strategies for the games we played and how to be a more positive leader by cheering others on who were struggling. 
In conclusion, I enjoyed the leadership training day and gained valuable things from the day. 

- Elysia Rollo


In The leadership course for the year 9s, students got the opportunities to build their skills to help them become a better leader. We did activities where we needed to communicate well and have good teamwork. These activities made everyone step up as a leader and engage in guiding classmates, cheering people and supporting their friends. As a class we also discussed what qualities good leaders have, such as being kind, using initiative and having confidence. In summary, I think that the leadership day was very helpful as it sets us up for the future to lead and inspire others.

- Oli Yee

Kapa Haka at St Ignatius

Kia ora St Ignatius Whānau,

We are excited to announce the creation of Kapahaka at St Ignatius of Loyola Catholic College.
These sessions will run Tuesdays and Thursdays during the Ākonga Elective time and will continue for the remainder of 2024.
Ākonga need to be aware that they are making this choice over their other electives.
We are calling for expressions of interest from our student body.
Names will be collected and shared with our new tutor - Katarina Turu-Heretaunga from Te Wānanga o Aotearoa
Sessions will begin Tuesday 11th June 2024 if numbers are sufficient
The Kapahaka Group size is limited to 30 students at this stage. So please register as soon as possible.
Kapahaka will be held in the Level One Open Learning Space.

Please have your son or daughter complete the following form as soon as possible to ensure their placement: 

Kapa Haka Student Expression of Interest

Ngā mihi, The Kapahaka Team.

Join St Ignatius of Loyola Catholic College PTA

We are beginning the process of forming our Parent Teacher Association. This is a vital group in our community which will nurture and build relationships and support and develop life of our community.

If you are interested in joining please follow the link to complete and submit the form.  There will be an initial meeting at school for those interested on Thursday June 20 at 6pm.

PTA Expressions of Interest Form

Upcoming Events

Parent Formation Evening Part Two - Monday 10th June
Asian Language Week - Monday 17 to Friday 21 June 
PTA Initial Meeting - Thursday 20th June 6pm
School Board Nominations Close - Friday 21st June
Matariki - Friday 28th June
Term 2 finishes - Friday 5th July
School Board Voting Closes - Friday 26th July

Parent Formation Evening

The second session of our Parent Formation Evening on Focused Attention is Monday 10th June.
If you would like to attend session two, please register through the following link:
Parent Formation Evening Tickets

Community Notices

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]

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

Database/Grants/Administration/Fundraising Coordinator

The Catholic Caring Foundation is seeking a well-organised multitasker, loyal team player for their small, busy, and welcoming organisation.  This position is a full-time position, Monday to Friday.
The main functions of the role are donor database/donations coordination and administration, Grants coordination and support, Fundraising support and donor care, Basic accounting and Liaison with key stakeholders.
To view the full advert and position description, please visit our website www.aucklandcatholic.org.nz under Diocesan Services and Staff Vacancies.  Applications close 25^th of June.

Special Character

A Formation Toward Faith that Does Justice

At times, we can quietly slip into a particular way of living without even realising it or making decisions about it. Making decisions could involve consequences which we are not willing or ready to deal with and some may be uncomfortable or inconvenient, so we can feel better to just maintain the status quo. The fact is that we are always deciding. Not making decisions is a decision which consequences we will still have to live with. Collectively, we have stayed too quiet for too long in regard to the care of our common home.

After celebrating the important Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ last week, the Church celebrates another major Feast Day, the Sacred Heart of Jesus this Friday (See the below News item to find out how we celebrated). Images of the Sacred Heart of Jesus depict Jesus’ heart that is pierced and encircled with a crown of thorns. There, Jesus’ heart is damaged and broken, but it also radiates bright light because of the fire that is burning from inside the heart. Perhaps, the Sacred Heart of Jesus may symbolise that some of the holiest places can also be the most broken places.

Our students are busy preparing for the next House competition “Trash to Fash.” Representatives from each Kaiārahi will compete on the catwalk before the whole school assembly to showcase their fashion that is born out of the would-have-been trash. With the most appropriate theme, “Fashion with Compassion,” the student body will collectively voice the cries of our bruised world that is filled with more and more trash everyday. The students are learning to make an uncomfortable but important decision that our school community is committed to standing under the banner of Christ, to extend the radiance of his Sacred Heart, to bring hope out of our damaged and broken world. In line with the call of Pope Francis in Laudato Si’, we hope to participate in the healing work of reparation of and reconciliation with our common home. “Fashion with compassion” is only one statement, but a milestone in the students’ formation toward faith that does justice.

News