Welcome

Happy spring! We are now into the final 3 weeks of the term - and our children are starting to get tired. Thank you so much to our staff who work hard to maintain the children's stamina - and plan learning that suits their capabilities. 

Popping Into Your Child's Class to Speak With Their Teacher

We love that parents want to stay connected. Popping in to say, "hi" or share a quick thought before or after school can be really helpful.

At the same time, we want to acknowledge that our teachers carry a significant cognitive and emotional load throughout the day. They are deeply committed to your child’s growth, but they’re also human. Sensitive or complex conversations require time and mental space to be handled thoughtfully and respectfully.

If you have something important or sensitive to discuss, we kindly ask that you email your child's teacher to arrange a time. This gives them the chance to be fully prepared and present for the conversation. This is ultimately in the best interest of your child, and supports the wellbeing of our teachers too.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support.

Artsplash

44 of our tamariki from Year 4-8 took part in Artsplash this year. This is an annual performing arts festival that students from different schools from across Wellington participate in. They learned to perform 9 songs this year, and some of our ākonga took leadership roles in various songs being performed. The songs included waiata Māori and one song with NZ Sign Language. It was a proud moment to stand beside the tamariki from our kura, as they were so happy and enthusiastic throughout their rehearsal and performance at the Michael Fowler Centre. 

Special thanks to Jo Calvert and Lydia Wadsworth who led our choir again this year, and to Jemma for supporting the tamariki, Jo and Lydia. 

Catholic Character

Student reflections on our current value focus of Generosity

"Generosity means kindness. People can be generous by not being mean to each other. My mum is generous.  She helps around the house and takes me to school.  She cooks for us.  She listens to me.  My dad is generous because he gives me hugs.  He is kind." (Maddox)

"Thea is generous. She laughs with me and is kind. Lexie is also generous in the same way as Thea. Being generous means being kind to each other and truthful." (Alba)

"Being generous means helping out others and seeing them happy. My family are generous and so are my friends. Everyone in my family is generous. They have cared for me all my life. They have given me necessities like food and shelter. My friends are generous by helping me out with my work." (Liam N)

"People show generosity with their kindness and with their words. People at our school show generosity. In the seniors everyone includes you in everything. The boys and the girls play basketball together and no one gets judged. I show generosity by giving away my things sometimes." (Lilou)

"Generosity means being kind to people and giving. It means treating people the way you would like to be treated. You should help people even if you can only help a little. You can also help when no one is looking. You can be there for others. My dad is generous. He always helps when he can - even if he doesn’t have a lot of time." (Elijah S)

"Generosity means being kind and helpful to people in need. Boaz is generous. He is always nice and helpful. He helps people when they get hurt.  Harry is generous. He always helps the teachers and he is really nice." (Dallas T. r12)

"Generosity means that you are caring to the poor and vulnerable. You look after them, you care for them and you give them food. At our school we can be generous by caring for little kids and looking after them. If anyone is alone we sit with them.  We smile and laugh together at our school.  My nonna is generous.  She cares for us and cooks great food for us." (Sofia P)

"Generosity means putting others before yourself. It means sharing and helping.  My parents are generous.  They always put themselves before us - like if there was only one piece of bread left they would give it to us.  They provide us with everything - water, a home, food, a bed, a house and shelter.  And of course they give us their love." (Frankie)

"Generosity means that you don’t always have to look out for yourself. If someone gets hurt, you should take care of them." (Harper M)

Demonstrations of Generosity at SFDS

At St Francis de Sales School, our students consistently demonstrate our values of generosity and kindness. This is reflected in the pie chart below, which shows that the value of 'Give – tukua' (representing kindness and generosity) has been observed by staff more frequently than any other school value. 

Learning Updates

Preparing for Learning Conferences: 16th / 17th September

We are really looking forward to welcoming you to your child(ren)'s class to meet with their teacher(s) during their Learning Conference(s) coming up in the last week of this term. The reason for the upcoming Learning Conferences on the 16th and 17th of September includes:

• An opportunity to celebrate your child - talking about them and their strengths and needs

• To give you a time to discuss your child's learning progress

• For you to let the teacher know anything you have noticed at home in relation to their learning - skills, interests, habits, questions, etc

Learning Conferences don’t just have to be about learning. If you have concerns about your child’s behaviour or wellbeing, the hui/meeting is a good place to connect with the teacher about your concerns. This gives you a new perspective from someone who is also with your child every day.

It helps the teacher if they know what else might be happening for your child. Provide the teacher with any information that could help them better understand or assist your child, including health issues, life changes or learning difficulties.

Some things you could do to prepare:

• Read your child's Progress Report on Hero

• Talk with your child about:

  • what they want the teacher to know about them

  • things they like about school

  • things they do not enjoy or find difficult

  • any worries or concerns they have about school that they would like you to discuss.

After the learning conference, talk with your child. Discuss their progress and next steps and celebrate their achievements.

Support your child’s learning at home by acting on the ideas discussed at the parent-teacher interview. You can also use the suggestions provided in the curriculum year-by-year learning guides.

Most families have now booked in a time during the learning conferences, but there are still plenty of spaces available - booked through Hero. See the image following.

If you still have questions or points to discuss at the end of your child(ren)'s Learning Conference, ask your child’s teacher for another meeting or a phone conversation.

School Notices and Events

Reminder: Early finish at 2.00pm Tuesday 16th and wednesday 17th of September for the Learning Conference. 

Make sure to Vote in the Board Elections

This is a reminder for you to vote in the Board election, which closes on 10 September.

Please check your emails as almost all of you will have received an email from Election Pilot around the 13th of August, along with several reminders from Election Pilot. 

Voting is VERY EASY - just click the link in the email, which is personalised to you, and a one-off. 

If we do not have an email for you on file, Election Pilot has posted paper voting forms to you. Paper votes can be dropped into the school office inside the envelope provided.

If you have any questions, please contact Suzanne in the office.