Teacher Only Day - Tuesday 27 October

We have set our final Teacher only day of the year, this will be Tuesday 27 October (the day after Labour day) School will be closed. 

Principal's Message

The Gift of Time. 

As our upcoming Wearable Arts Show is less than a month away, the energy across our kura is electric. Classrooms and the art room are buzzing with cardboard and material cutting, hot glue guns, and endless reels of threading. Yet, amidst the spectacular designs taking shape, the most remarkable element of this entire event isn't something you will see on the runway. It is something far quieter, yet profoundly impactful.

We often think of generosity as a gift wrapped in bright paper and tied with a bow—something tangible that we can hold in our hands. While those physical presents are wonderful, the truest, most valuable gift anyone can offer is their time. Unlike material things, time is finite. Once given, it cannot be recovered. That is precisely what makes it our most precious commodity, and seeing our school community share it so freely is a humbling experience.

Right now, that generosity of time is on full display. Staff members and students are working throughout their breaks quietly stepping in to help others finish their costumes. You will find senior students patiently supporting our younger peers how to piece their outfit together, or an adult staying behind to help a stressed young designer to gather ideas. No one is asking for recognition or extra credit; they are simply giving up their own free time to ensure someone else succeeds.

This spirit of shared time isn't limited to the stage. It is woven into the very fabric of our school every single day. We see it in:

Student Mentors: Older students spending their lunch breaks to help and support young tamariki.

Staff and Parent helpers: volunteering their early mornings and weekends to run sports practices.

Peer Supporters: Friends sitting together on the bench, offering a patient, listening ear when someone is having a tough week.

At its core, giving time is about human connection. When we choose to pause our own busy lives to lift someone else up, we send a powerful message: You matter, and your success is worth my effort.

As our performers finally step under the spotlights at the Wearable Arts Show on Thursday 24 September, take a moment to look beyond the glitter and bold designs. Behind every smile on that stage is a network of people who gave their time to put it there. Thank you to everyone who chooses generosity every day—you make our school a warmer, brighter place for everyone.

Ngā mihi nui,

Nikolai Solia

Principal

Condolences

We extend our sincere condolences to Alan Fleming on the passing of his beloved wife Cristina Fruscalzo Fleming, who sadly passed away recently. Alan was principal at St Francis de Sales from 2004 until 2015. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his whanau at this time. If you would like to send your condolences, please contact the school office and we can pass on those details. 

Spotlight on Wheke (Room 7)

This term, Wheke Class are blessed to be taking part in an incredible pen pal project with residents of the Rita Angus Retirement Village in Kilbirnie. We have worked alongside the amazing Audrey Withers, a former student of our school, who now attends Scots College. Through writing and exchanging letters with our pen pals there, Audrey guided us to build connections in our community and explore social justice actions in the most meaningful of ways. We learnt that, despite our age differences (one pen pal is 95!), we have a lot in common. Some of us discovered we have the same favourite colour, a taste for similar foods, or support the same football team! Friendship knows no bounds.  

Garden to table 

Spring is Here! 

Happy first day of Spring!! Spring has officially sprung in our school garden, and our small gardeners have been busy getting their hands dirty! Here is a look at what we’ve been up to outside this week:

 Spring Blooms & Wildflowers: Our garden is bursting with color! The daffodils and bright freesias are in full bloom, bringing beautiful color (and sweet scents) to our space. We also sowed a batch of wild spring flower seeds to attract plenty of friendly bees and pollinators to our garden beds over the coming months.

 Tending to the Veggies: We gave everything a good soak to kick off the growing season. The kids added a rich layer of fresh compost to the top of our potato patch to keep the growing tubers cozy and fed. Even better, our autumn-planted broccoli and sweet peas are officially sprouting!

 The Great Compost Dig: We rolled up our sleeves and dug right into our new compost bin! The kids loved exploring the active decomposition process and learning how our food scraps turn into rich soil for our plants.

 Kumara Patch Preparation: Looking ahead to summer, we’ve started prepping our kumara! We set up our seed tubers in a warm spot to start sprouting their "slips" (the roots and leafy shoots). Once these grow big and strong, we'll plant them out in our dedicated kumara patch come November.

Tiber Street Garden Update

Thank you to those families that turned up on Saturday to help with the planting and warming of the tiber street garden!! Was a nice wee turn out with lots of effort and a great outcome! Pop past and check out all the hard work already done and keep an eye out for future requests for help!! 

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. 

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