Principal's Message

Leading by Serving

At St Francis de Sales we believe that true leadership isn’t about holding a title or being the loudest voice in the room. Instead, it is rooted deeply in service. When we look for the ultimate example of what it means to lead, we look to our greatest role model- Jesus. He completely flipped the world’s definition of power on its head. He didn’t demand to be served; rather, he rolled up his sleeves, washed the feet of his disciples, and walked among the people with radical empathy and humility.

Jesus perfectly modelled how leadership and service are inseparably linked. He showed us that to lead effectively, one must first care deeply for the well-being of others. A beautiful reminder of this can be found in Mark 10:45:

"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Celebrating Our Student Leaders

It is with immense joy and pride that we celebrate a special group of year 7&8 students this week who have truly taken this message to heart. These students were officially recognized and presented with awards under these categories: Academic Achievement, Sport, Cultural and Arts, and Service. 

These individuals haven't just talked about making a difference—they have actively demonstrated it. Whether by mentoring younger peers, organising school activities or quietly helping out behind the scenes, they have shown what it means to lead with a servant's heart.

We Are So Proud of You!

To our award recipients: we are incredibly proud of your achievements and your unwavering commitment to our school. Thank you for using your unique talents, time, and energy to serve our school community. You have shown us that leadership isn't about self-glory, but about lifting others up.

Your actions make our school a brighter, more compassionate place every single day. We cannot wait to see how you continue to use your gifts to bless the world around you. Keep leading, keep serving, and keep shining!

A huge thanks to our wonderful Senior Syndicate kaiako, Jemma and Lauren for your effort in setting our young leaders for success.

Congratulations!

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our wonderful students Yvo, Seth, Lexie and Tommy who have received the Sacrament of Confirmation on Saturday. It was truly a special event for our tamariki, having the sacrament carried out by Archbishop Paul Martin.

A special thank you to Fran, Denise and Lauren for preparing our young children.

Sports

Swimming Sports Success!

A huge congratulations to all of our tamariki who took part in Swimming Sports today. Whether they were competing in qualifying races or giving participation races a go, we were incredibly proud of the effort, determination, and positive attitudes on display.

It was fantastic to see our students demonstrating all of our school values throughout the day. They encouraged one another, showed resilience, and gave every race their very best effort.

A special thank you also goes to our amazing whānau volunteers who generously gave up their time to support us today. We simply couldn't run events like these without your help, and we are incredibly grateful for your support. Thank you for helping make the day such a success!

Well done, everyone!

Garden to table 

Today we made spanokopita cigars with the last of our silver beet and parsley!! A delicious way to use up the last of our garden goods. 

The children harvested the silver beet and parsley, mixed and rolled the ‘cigars’ and even surprised themselves enjoying these so much!! 

We even made some vegan ones for those children not eating dairy due to fasting!  We also planted some pea seedlings we’ve been raising and dug up the ‘long garden’ bed ready for potatoes, wild flowers and lupins. The next few months not much will be harvested while we wait for our winter crop to grow.  

We are looking forward to Matariki and sharing some kai.  

PSL

Reminder Disco Tomorrow!! Tickets still avalible on Kindo- Door sales will be accepted also! 

• Tangaroa (years 1-3) 5.30 - 6.15pm

• Papatuanuku (years 4-6) - 6.30 - 7.15pm

• Ranginui (years 7 & 8) - 7.30-8.15pm

Disco is a Drop off event only - if you want to stay please sign up!

Dates to Add to Your Diary

Our  SFDS Events Calendar is the best way to stay up to date with everything happening at school — including PE days, special events, and other important dates. You can find the calendar by clicking on the link above or either on our school website or through Hero.