15 October '25

15 Oketopa '25

Welcome

Thank you for your ongoing support as we are well under way in Term 4! It is lovely to have welcomed new students to our school.

Catholic Character

Catholic Special Character Review Results

In late August the Catholic Special Character Review Team visited St Francis de Sales School to conduct a scheduled review.

The Catholic special character review is a collaborative process between the school and the evaluators. It aims to produce a focused picture of the impact of Catholic schooling on the lives of all tamariki in the school. An important focus of the team is to investigate how well our school is acting as kaitiaki of Catholic special character. It also helps the school identify what it is doing well and our next steps for development.

During their time at our school the review team met with the school leadership, teachers, board members and students to develop a picture of the learning environment and management in a range of areas including:

Encounter with Christ
Growth in knowledge
Christian witness
Strengthening Catholic Special Character

The recently released report from the team sets out how effectively we are meeting our Special Character responsibilities as a school, and makes recommendations for improvement going forward.

Some notable comments made by the reviewers included:

“Evidence shows that the school is not only teaching about Jesus but also nurturing a living, personal relationship with Him in the hearts of its learners. Through intentional practices, authentic relationships, and consistent integration of faith the school effectively encourages and facilitates the journey of tamariki to know, love, and follow Jesus Christ.”

“Through these intentional practices and a culture of genuine care, the school ensures that every member of the community feels valued, supported, and able to thrive.”

A copy of the Catholic Character Review can be provided on request if you would like to read the full report.

Be Active, Me Kori Tonu

We teach the children the value of self-control, and we do this through actively balancing the learning times with the play times - so that children learn how to take control of their own actions. They have regular breaks, and regular opportunities to practice self-control out in the playground and in the classroom. This is also good for your wellbeing.

Sports

Touch Rugby

A reminder to please register your child/ren on Kindo by this Friday 17th at 3pm if they are going to play touch rugby. All details about the league are on Kindo.

Southern Zone Athletics

Please email Sarah on sarah.fountain@sfds.school.nz if you are able to help at this event next Wednesday 22nd. Our school is required to run the vortex event and we need parents/caregivers to help teachers to do so.

Garden to table

Our Garden to Table group had a busy and successful week in the school garden! With the help of our wonderful grandmothers and volunteers, Ann and Annette, and our hardworking students Madi and Sofia, we gave away a selection of fresh vegetables and herbs from our garden. This helped make space for the next round of planting! We are thrilled to share that every last veggie found a home!

A huge thank you to everyone who came along and supported our giveaway. It was a great success and a lovely way to share the fruits (and veggies!) of our hard work.

Tomato Plants for Sale Next week -Next week, we’ll be selling tomato plants that we have raised from seed. Keep your eyes peeled for more details - these little plants are growing fast and will be ready just in time for summer gardens!

School Notices and Events

Sunhat Reminder

The school uniform sunhat is required to be worn during break times in Term 4. Students without hats will be required to play under the veranda by Rooms 3 and 4 . If you need a new sunhat you are able to order a new hat via kindo.

Culture Day -Friday 24 October!

Kia ora, Namaste, Talofa lava, Mālō e lelei, Vanakkam, Ni hao, and warm greetings to all our families,

As part of our Diwali learning, we will be celebrating with a Cultural Dress Up Day on Friday 24 October.

We invite all students to come dressed in cultural clothing to celebrate not only Diwali but the rich diversity within our school community. If you’re unsure of what to wear, you are welcome to come in your favourite clothes or favourite dress-ups.

Diwali is a special time to give back and share kindness.

To support our community, we are inviting students to bring a canned food item to donate to the local soup kitchen. We look forward to celebrating this special occasion together.

Mission Fair (Friday 7 November) Atawhai cards on Kindo

Mission Fair Atawhai money cards are now available to purchase on Kindo! These money tokens will be printed out the day before the Mission fair day and can be exchanged for goods on the day.

Dates to Add to Your Diary

Please also check our SFDS Events Calendar

Thursday 16 October

12:30pm - 2:45pm Technology Ranginui (Yr 7 & 8)
Room 10 PE Day - Wear PE Gear
Room 7 & 8 PE Day - Wear PE Gear

Friday 17 October

Ranginui (Year 7 & 8) PE Day- Wear PE Gear
Room 7 & 8 PE Day - Wear PE Gear

Monday 20 October

11:15am - 1:15pm Rm 2 and 6 Swimming lessons
12pm - 1:30pm Rm 5 Swimming lessons
Tangaroa (Year 0-3) PE Day Wear PE Gear

Wednesday 22 October

Ranginui (Year 7 & 8) PE Day- Wear PE Gear
Room 10 PE Day - Wear PE Gear
Southern Zone Athletics

Thursday 23 October

Possible Strike action TBC

Monday 27 October

Labour Day- Public Holiday- School Closed!

Friday 7 November

Mission Fair day!

Friday 14 November

Cultural day

Tuesday 16 December

Year 8 Leavers' Dinner

Wednesday 17 December

End of Year Liturgy

Thursday 18 December

Last day of Term 4 - School closes at 12.30pm

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