School Notices & Events

Important Dates - please also check our SFDS Events Calendar

Important dates: Term 4

End of Year social time and ceremony from 5.00pm, Tuesday 19 December
Year 8 Leavers' Mass 11:15am Wednesday 20 December
School finishes 12.30pm Wednesday 20 December

CHRISTMAS DAY MONDAY 25 DECEMBER
Wednesday 3 January 2024 - Whānau day bookings are now open.
Whānau Day and Uniform Fittings - Thursday 1 February, 2024.

NB: Papatūānuku Assembly's are held in the school library

13 Maramamārua - 13 December 2023

Helpers needed for the end of year Sausage sizzle!! C'mon dads!! come cook a cheeky sausage!!!! Please email office@sfds.school.nz if you are able to help!

School Leavers – Notice re ezlunch / Kindo School Shop

If your family is leaving our school and has been using ezlunch or Kindo, please make sure to stop any regular automatic payments that have been set up before the school year finishes.  You may also need to transfer or close your account which can be done as follows: Not sure if your new school is using Kindo?  If you’re not sure if your new school is using Kindo, you can either ask them directly or go to “My Details” in your Kindo account and click on the list of schools to see if your new school is listed.  
New school IS using Kindo.  If your new school is using Kindo, simply click on the new school from the list in “My Details” of your Kindo account and you’ll be attached to the new school’s menu.  Any balance on your Kindo account will remain available to spend with the new school.

New school is NOT using Kindo, or you no longer need Kindo.  If you need to close your Kindo account, use the “Close Account” button within the “My Details” section of your Kindo account.  You can either withdraw your account balance or choose to donate your balance to the school.  Please note that all withdrawals will be made via electronic payment to your New Zealand bank account. Kindo is unable to process cash withdrawals.

If you are wanting to withdraw your Kindo account balance or make a donation that exceeds Kindo’s threshold (currently more than $10,000 total within one year), Kindo may need to undertake some identity checks on you to comply with its obligations under the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Countering Financing of Terrorism (CFT) Act 2009.  Please action the withdrawal or donation in your Kindo account as outlined above and if these AML checks are necessary Kindo will advise of the next steps required in this regard. Kindo has endeavoured to make this process as pain-free as possible and appreciates your patience.

Message from Jenna Tangaroa Team Leader 2024

I hope you all will have a lovely Christmas and summer!

The juniors are looking for some resources for our classrooms. If you are clearing any toys out over the summer holidays, we would love to have them!

Examples of what we are looking for:

-Water play/sand play tray tables.

-Water toys and sand toys

-Mud kitchen resources

-Home corner resources like fruit and veg/pots/pans/Kitchen/small table and chairs/cutlery/old plastic plates/bowls.

-Baby dolls and clothes/cot/blankets

-Imaginative play toys e.g.

-doll house dolls

-Dinosaurs

-animals

-Toy cars

Jenna is available over the holidays to collect any bits to take off your hands. You can email me Jenna on Jenna.laney@sfds.school.nz to organise collection.

6 Maramamārua - 6 December 2023

YEAR 8 DINNER REMINDER

The 'tickets' for this will close on Kindo at 12pm this Friday 8th December. Parents and year 8 students are required to pay via Kindo to be able to attend the dinner.

BACK TO SCHOOL STATIONERY - ORDER NOW!

We’ve teamed up with OfficeMax to make your back to school shop super easy. And if you order in December, you’ll go in the draw to WIN 1 of 5 $1000 cash prizes*.

Your child’s class list is already loaded. Just go to myschool.co.nz. Simply add your details, check that you want everything on the list, then click and confirm — and OfficeMax will get your delivery underway with free delivery on orders over $70^.

You can pay by internet banking, credit card or debit card. Laybuy* is also available, so you can pay in 6 weekly, interest-free payments and still get your order right away. Plus you’ll be helping our school earn school rewards* that we use to purchase much needed extra resources for our school.

We encourage you to order early to ensure your child has all their stationery requirements ready to go in plenty of time for the start of Term 1.

So go ahead and beat the back to school rush, order today and give them the best start possible.

*Terms and Conditions apply, see myschool.co.nz for details. ^Exclusions apply, see myschool.co.nz/delivery for details.

MySchool-Newsletter-Advert-118x88mm.pdf

Alternatively please find attached this stationery list if you would rather purchase stationery elsewhere.

2024 Stationery Pack for families.pdf

THANK YOU PSL!!!

Big thanks to the PSL team for putting on an epic sausage sizzle (with massive sausages!!!!) and Ice cream afternoon!! If you are interested in joining this amazing team of volunteers please email them on psl.sfds@gmail.com

29 Maramamātahi - 29 November 2023

UNIFORM SHOP

The Uniform shop will be closing on Friday 8 December at 9am to enable us to do a stocktake and prepare for 2024.

Kindo will re-open for uniform sales on 3rd January 2024. You can purchase uniform and these will be made up and available for collection from the school office from Monday 29 January 2024.

Our lovely volunteers will be available to do fittings on Thursday 1 February 2024. Keep an eye out for link for bookings shortly.

ABSENCES FROM SCHOOL

If your child is sick or unable to attend school for all or part of the day, please phone the school office by 9.00am or send a message through the HERO app so that their absence can be accounted for. This is most important to alleviate any concerns about their whereabouts. If no communication has been received from parents, then the school will contact you by text/phone call.

Children who are late (arriving after the 9am bell) need to sign in on our Vistab system in the school foyer, in case they have been marked absent by the teacher who takes the roll first thing in the morning.

If an absence is planned for a special reason and will be longer than 2 days, an email to the office or a message through the Hero app in advance is required (we will notify the teacher).

SCHOOL DONATIONS AND CHARGES

Thank you to all the families that have paid or are making payments towards their school donations. These have been added to your Kindo account and can be paid in full or by part payment.

Donations to the school are voluntary and tax deductible. If payment is received prior to 1 April 2023, you can claim your 2023 donations rebate from IRD this year. Receipts are generated and emailed through your Kindo account when payment is made. Copies can be requested through your Kindo account if required.

While we acknowledge payment of the donations are voluntary; we rely on these donations to provide facilities for the children.

If you have any queries, or if payment at this time causes difficulty, please speak to Suzanne in the office to arrange payment options

Sausages and Ice Cream are now available on Kindo now!!! Get in quick!!! Or make sure to bring cash on the day!!!

22 Maramamātahi - 22 November 2023

GARDEN TO TABLE 2024

We are still on the lookout for new volunteers to continue running the garden to table programme at school. If you are interested in taking this over or would like to know more about it, please contact the school office for more information! This is also open to wider family members who would be interested!!

YEAR 8 UPDATES:

YEAR 8 LEAVERS' DINNER

The 'tickets' for the Year 8 Leavers' dinner are now available on Kindo. All year 8 leavers and their parents/caregivers are invited to this event. All the details are on Kindo. Payment is required by Thursday 7 December at 3pm.

YEAR 8 LEAVERS' MASS

This will be held on Wednesday 20 December at 11.15am in our St Francis de Sales Church. All whānau are invited to join us at this mass.

PSL RAFFLE BOOKLET

It's that time of year where we are asking for your help in supporting the PSL by selling raffle tickets! Your child will be bringing home a Raffle booklet to sell to your friends, family, neighbours and work colleagues etc!

Each ticket cost $2, $20 per book! Books need to be handed back to the school office by Wednesday 6 December 9am. Raffle will be drawn at the SFDS Nativity show.

If you are unable to sell your Raffles please return the book to the office as soon as possible so we can then distribute them to other families.

15 Maramamātahi - 15 November 2023

YEAR 8 LEAVERS INFORMATION

The end of the year brings some bittersweet moments as we prepare to say goodbye to our Year 8 students. We are in the process of planning some exciting events to celebrate our Year 8 students and create lasting memories of their time in St Francis de Sales. Important information about these events have been emailed to Whānau of our Year 8 learners. Please keep an eye on your emails for updates and extra information about these dates. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Sarah (sarah.fountain@sfds.school.nz) or Eilís (eilis.ryan@sfds.school.nz).

PSL THANK YOU

Huge thank you from the PSL team for all the amazing support we received at our quiz night last Saturday! Was a great night had by all! Special thank you to Peter Chew for being a wonderful quiz master! Thank you to the local business for supplying our great prizes!

PSL QUIZ NIGHT!!! TICKETS ON SALE NOW!!!

Please join us for an action packed fun night of quiz and raffle delite.

SFDS annual Quiz night

Saturday 11th November

Where Sprig & Fern 461 Adelaide Road Berhampore

Doors open 8:00 pm

Quiz starts 8:30 pm

Finish time: 10-10:30pm

Some amazing goodies to be raffled off throughout the night, so please ensure you bring cash so to be in for all the fun.

Tickets can be purchased on kindo and seats are limited so don't delay.

01 November 2023

KIDS ART WORKS CALENDARS

The children have been busy creating artworks for our annual fundraising project with Kids Art Works. You can order calendars, diaries, notepads, cards and even a mouse mat with a personalised picture drawn by your child. These items make great Christmas presents!!

You should have received an A4 poster last week with your child’s unique code on this. (Check the bottom of those bags!!!!!)

You can visit the website https://www.kidsartworks.com/ and enter the code and start shopping for Christmas!! Alternatively please feel free to contact Fran or Suzanne in the school office and they would be more than happy to re-send you your child’s code.

Orders need to be placed by Tuesday 7 November.

GARDEN TO TABLE 2024

Our amazing, lovely volunteers Annette and Amber have decided to hang up their tools at the end of this year and are stepping down from running Garden to table. We thank them for their dedication, time, patience and lessons over the past 5 years! So many children fed and so much wisdom passed on!

We are now looking for new volunteers to continue running this programme at school! If you are interested in taking this over or would like to know more about it, please contact the school office for more information! This is also open to wider family members who would be interested!!

MISSION FAIR 2023

REMINDER THIS IS A NON UNIFORM MUFTI DAY!!!!

When: Friday 3 November 1.30 – 2.30pm

Where: St Francis de Sales School
Who: The children of St Francis de Sales
Why: The Mission Fair is run by the senior students to raise money for Caritas, and it is also a chance for our students to showcase their creativity, teamwork, and organisational skills.

What happens: After an early lunch on Friday your child will be buddied up with a more senior student (usually from year 5 or 6) who will accompany them around the school and help them “buy” treats and participate in games that are being run by our Ranginui students (our year 7 & 8 children.)

The types of things available will be:

Slices of Pizza, Waffles, Spiders, Water Balloon Throwing, Pie Throwing, Cake Stall, Lollie Scramble, Penalty Shootout and many more stalls!

How to Pay:

This is a CASHLESS DAY. You can

purchase “Money cards” on KINDO. This is under the tab MISSION FAIR

They will be printed on Friday and

delivered to your child before the mission fair starts. Any issues purchasing these cards please see Fran in the office

PSL QUIZ NIGHT!!! TICKETS ON SALE NOW!!!

Please join us for an action packed fun night of quiz and raffle delite.

SFDS annual Quiz night

Saturday 11th November

Where Sprig & Fern 461 Adelaide Road Berhampore

Doors open 8:00 pm

Quiz starts 8:30 pm

Finish time: 10-10:30pm

Some amazing goodies to be raffled off throughout the night, so please ensure you bring cash so to be in for all the fun.

Tickets can be purchased on kindo and seats are limited so don't delay.

This term Chris, Michael and Ronan will be growing fabulous moustaches for Movember to raise awareness and funds for men's health - specifically prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention. Last year our team raised $730 for this worthy cause. If you would like to contribute, please go to the Movember website and search St Francis de Sales to donate to the Let's smash last year's target!"

18 Oketopa 2023

MESSAGE FROM INSPIRE PHOTOGRAPHY RE SPORTS PHOTOS

Hello parents,

We would like to invite you all to view your pictures at Inspire Photography's online ordering site. This gallery and ordering system is live and working as of now.

The fundraising period for this gallery will finish at midnight on Monday 30th October 2023 and orders placed and paid for by this date aim to be dropped off at your school by the 14.11.23. Orders to be posted will be processed at the same time as the prints that are to be returned to the school. Digital files are purchased as is and retouching requests may incur fees.

Please check your order confirmation email closely and get in touch if you are unsure that you wanted to order does not match what you have entered on your order. Please also check your child’s name is spelled correctly and let us know before the fundraising period finishes if not.

Incorrectly-ordered prints cannot be swapped or reimbursed.

The gallery will remain live and online for up to 12 months after the main ordering period closes, postage and packing fees may also apply as drop off at school is not available with late orders.

To view and order your photographs:

1. Go to our website at https://www.inspirephotocart.co.nz

2. Enter this access code in the box: taputeranga937

If you require help with the ordering ordering process or have any questions around ordering, then please feel free to call or email us: orders@inspirephotography.co.nz.

Kind regards,

The Inspire Team.

orders@inspirephotography.co.nz

043848009

Inspire Photography

Studio 3, Level 1

177B Thorndon Quay, Pipitea 6011

20 Hepetema 2023

SCHOOL DONATIONS AND CHARGES

Thank you to all the families that have paid or are making payments towards their school donations. These have been added to your Kindo account and can be paid in full or by part payment.

Donations to the school are voluntary and tax deductible. Receipts are generated and emailed through your Kindo account when payment is made. Copies can be requested through your Kindo account if required.

While we acknowledge payment of the donations are voluntary; we rely on these donations to provide facilities for the children.

If you have any queries, or if payment at this time causes difficulty, please speak to Suzanne in the office to arrange payment options.

13 Hepetema 2023

As many of you are aware SFDS are working extremely hard to implement a new structured literacy approach across the kura. This explicit teaching is primarily through the bsla and the code programmes. This transition in teaching approach is proving to be successful across the kura and many akonga are experiencing amazing success as a result.

As you can imagine a change like this requires a huge amount of effort and energy from the teaching team (who have done a stellar job!) and it also requires multiple new resources – take home readers for the younger readers, and age-appropriate, interesting decodable text across the entire kura.

Unfortunately funding for this is limited so.... This is where we are asking for the support of the wonderful school community. We need your help to buy some books for the kids!

On average these books are costing approximately $15 a piece (including shipping and cataloguing

Etc). We need to fundraise as a school and are humbly inviting whanau to support the cause and

“Buy a book”.

For each book gifted ($15 donated) we will send home a plaque/label that the kids can personalise and return for us to stick inside the front cover of a new book as a record of your generosity.

The more donations we receive the more books we can purchase, its that simple! Please spread the

Message wide and far and invite wider family to get on board too!

Books can be gifted through kindo (in the fundraising section).

The plaques/labels will be sent home asap and, once personalised, returned to the office to be placed in a new book. Let’s build the kids a great library of books and help young readers for years to come!

STUDENTS ARRIVING EARLY AT SCHOOL

With the finer weather we are seeing more students arriving at school very early, sometimes before 8am. We ask that students do not arrive at school before 8.30am as our staff use this time to prepare for the day and are often engaged in before school meetings, which means they are not available to supervise our students. If students need to come to school earlier than 8.30am then arrangements can be made with the Before School Care Programme. Details are available from the office.

MESSAGE FROM THE ATTENDANCE DUES TEAM

We are getting a new data base which will be going live by the end of the year. This will include a Parent Portal at some stage, which will mean parents can log in and see their account balance and manage their account details. This secure self-service platform will also allow you to make payments. Watch this space!

All communication by us are now via email so please check that emails from

dues@wn.catholic.org.nz do not go to your Spam/Junk Inbox so that you receive

all communications from ourselves.

If you are paying by regular instalments your account should be paid by the end of November, or by payment plan as agreed by us. It is preferable to have a regular instalment that keeps your account in hand.

Financial assistance is available to families experiencing financial hardship (loss of income/redundancy, family reasons, etc.). It is a condition of the assistance application that the family has an affordable regular payment in place. You apply for this assistance with the school.

If you have any questions, please so not hesitate to contact us:

Phone: 0800 462 725 Email: dues@wn.catholic.org.nz

6 Hepetema 2023

Recently, the New Zealand Government removed all COVID-19 public health requirements. While it is no longer mandatory to test and isolate for COVID-19, Te Whatu Ora recommends that anyone with COVID-19 isolate for at least 5 days. We endorse this common sense approach and would ask that you do this if your tamaiti contracts COVID-19.

Reminder PSL AGM Friday 15 September - Please see the final agenda:

PSL AGM Agenda Sept 15.pdf

30 August 2023

CALL FOR DONATIONS: HELP CREATE A SENSORY WALL AT OUR SCHOOL!

We are still looking for the following Items!!! Please check around home and see if you have any of these things laying around!!

Items We Are Looking For:

Toy xylophone
Plastic piping
Bell
Locks and latches
Wide angle/blind spot mirror
Spring doorstop
Fidget spinners
Chains
Bead track toy
Tambourine
Baking tray
Sweeping brush
Handset phone
Push light
Shoe laces
Zips
Buckles
Astro/Artificial grass
Sequin Fabric
Door knocker
Lightswitch
Calculator
Mop head
Combination lock

If you have any of the above-mentioned items to spare or any other items that you think would be suitable, we would be immensely grateful for your support. You can drop off your donations at the school's main office during normal school hours.

PSL NEWS

DISCO

Reminder the School Disco is this coming Friday!! We still urgently need helpers for the Ranginui Disco!!

The Ranginui disco is in danger of being cancelled due to low ticket sales and NO parent helpers.

If you would like the Ranginui disco to go ahead please purchase your tickets before 12 midday Thursday 31st August. (If you are having trouble purchasing tickets please pop into the school office and have a chat to Fran. )

If you are able to help out at the Ranginui Disco please email the PSL ASAP on psl.sfds@gmail.com

We will know by Lunch time tomorrow if the Ranginui Disco is going ahead. We will refund your kindo if it doesnt.

Reminder PSL AGM Friday 15 September - Please see the following agenda

PSL AGM Agenda Sept 15.pdf

HOW TO REPORT AN ABSENCE

You may have noticed we are no longer using the SchoolsApp application . For those that didn't notice you can now remove this app from your devices.

For those who were still using this to report their child's absence from school, you can now do this using the school Hero App. Please see the following diograms to see how you do this. If you are having trouble using Hero please come see Fran or Suzanne in the school office and they can help you with this.

16 August 2023

PSL AGM Friday 15 September at 7.00pm

On Friday 15 September at 7.00pm, the Parent School Link is holding its Annual General Meeting at school. This meeting will mark an ‘Appointing of the guard’ as we currently have no official Chair, Treasurer or Secretary.

We welcome nominations to all positions of Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and Treasurer and we also welcome new committee members, Tangaroa parents don't be shy! This is a great way to get involved in your children's school.

Not sure what the PSL is about? It's all explained here:

http://www.sfds.school.nz/Site/psl/default.aspx

If you have anything you wish discussed at the AGM let us know and we will add it to the agenda, which we will send out before the meeting.

All welcome to attend the AGM - put it in your diary now.

ART SPLASH CHOIR TICKETS

There is a delay with Ticketmaster with the tickets going on sale. They will be on sale this Friday 18th August.

09 August 2023

CALL FOR DONATIONS: HELP CREATE A SENSORY WALL AT OUR SCHOOL!

We are planning to create a Sensory Wall, a valuable addition to our school that will provide a stimulating and therapeutic environment for our students.

What is a Sensory Wall, you may ask? It's a specialised interactive installation that engages multiple senses, enhancing the learning experiences of children with various abilities. Through the use of different materials, textures, colours, and sensory elements, our Sensory Wall will promote cognitive development, fine motor skills, creativity, and emotional regulation among our students. However, to turn this vision into a reality, we need the generous support of our parents and local community. We are seeking donations of various materials and items to build this innovative and enriching space for our students.

Items We Are Looking For:

Toy xylophone
Plastic piping
Bell
Locks and latches
Wide angle/blind spot mirror
Spring doorstop
Fidget spinners
Chains
Bead track toy
Tambourine
Baking tray
Sweeping brush
Handset phone
Push light
Shoe laces
Zips
Buckles
Clock
Astro/Artificial grass
Sequin Fabric
Door knocked
Lightswitch
Calculator
Mop head
Combination lock

If you have any of the above-mentioned items to spare or any other items that you think would be suitable, we would be immensely grateful for your support. You can drop off your donations at the school's main office during normal school hours.

ART SPLASH CHOIR TICKETS

Tickets for Artsplash 2023 will be sold through the sole digital ticketing agent for the Michael Fowler Centre - Ticketmaster. Artsplash tickets for all concerts will be purchased by families through the Ticketmaster website www.ticketmaster.co.nz

These will go on sale on Friday the 11th of August until Thursday the 14th of September 2023. Whānau/families will be able to purchase tickets for Choir/Wearable Art and Dance concerts online and have them available on their mobile device. We hope this will streamline the process for your school administrators and our families. Ticket cost: $5.50 Ticketmaster Transaction Fee: $5.00

Tickets will be $5.50 per person/per concert with a ‘per event’ transaction fee of $5. This fee is fixed whether you buy two tickets or more. This is a change from last year; we feel proud to have kept the tickets at a very low price to meet the needs of our schools and their families. The transaction fee is set and collected by Ticketmaster.

A friendly reminder that our school choir group is singing in the concert on Wednesday 13 September at 5pm.

26 July 2023

Game On! A Parenting Course Just for Dads

In early August, Ian Gault (senior social worker for Catholic Social Services), and Duncan Holland will present a series of workshops for dads.

Ian's background is in family violence prevention and intervention, government child protection, intellectual disability support and residential tenancy management.

Duncan is a very experienced facilitator and also very passionate about growing men’s capabilities as safe, competent and loving fathers.

Please see the advert following for more details.

KIWI COMPETITIONS - SPELLING BEE

Please read the information below if you are interested in registering your child for this. Registrations must be received on Kindo by Wednesday 2 August at 3pm. The registrations for the Spelling Bee were not open when we previously offered English, Maths and Science.

The University of Canterbury is delighted to offer the annual Kiwi Spelling Bee. The skills based Kiwi competitions are written by New Zealand teachers for New Zealand students and closely align with the New Zealand Curriculum. The Kiwi Spelling Bee assesses aspects of English grammar, spelling and vocabulary relevant to the student’s year level. The online competition will be run in the last 3 weeks of Term 3. The competition will take place at school under exam conditions. Parents/caregivers will be provided with an individual student report outlining student performance. All participating students will be awarded a certificate and a prize will be awarded to the top student in each competition. The cost for a student to participate is $9.90 per competition entered.

FREE Dental Checks! BEE HEALTHY

The Bee Healthy Dental Mobile will be parked at your school in term 3 from 4 August to 23 August 2023.

We want all children to have a positive experience when they have a dental check.

Please call us on 0800 825 583 to discuss any special considerations about your child that we need to be aware of. Special considerations may include ASD, sensory issues, developmental delay, anxiety or ADHD.

We would also like to know if your child has a medical condition or is taking medication we may not be aware of.

Our privacy policy can be found on our website: https://www.beehealthy.org.nz/contact-us/privacy-policy/

To update your contact details, please call 0800 TALK TEETH (825 583) Please call Bee Healthy if you need to organize an enrolment form.

Private Bag 31907 Lower Hutt

www.beehealthy.org.nz | 0800 TALK TEETH (825 583)

19 July 2023

ART SPLASH CHOIR

We are really lucky to have two of our parents - Joanna Calvert and Lydia Wadsworth - who will be working with a group of year 4 - 8 students to learn the songs for this year's Art Splash choir. They will be working towards a performance at the Michael Fowler Centre on Wednesday 13 September. This is a great opportunity for the kids. A huge thank you to Joanna and Lydia!

KINDO & EZLUNCH ARE EXCITED TO SHARE THE ARRIVAL OF A FRESH NEW LOOK IN TERM 3!
Just in case you missed our last message, Kindo wanted to make sure you know about their new myKindo web interface for you that has just launched in time for schools starting back this week.It's now easier than ever for them (and staff) to view products, filter by dietary requirements and order for multiple days.

Introduction of a service fee for ezlunch families.
To ensure we can continue to provide the fast and effective helpdesk service our customers deserve and keep up with increasing costs, we have introduced an ezlunch service fee of 50 cents per lunch. This will be payable by parents and added automatically at checkout. The amount was set based on research with families to ensure it does not affect them unduly, and it will apply for ezlunch only.

Our team are so excited about the new look web user interface. We hope you and your families will be too!

Should you have any queries, please get in touch.

28 June 2023

MESSAGE FROM THE ATTENDANCE DUES TEAM

The Term 3 statement will be emailed to all families in early July. Please check that the invoice has not gone to your Spam/Junk Inbox and that all your children

are listed on the statement.

If you are paying by regular instalments, payments should be set up to close the balance by Thursday 30 November 2023 or by arrangement with the Dues team.

Financial assistance is available to families experiencing financial hardship (loss of income/redundancy, family reasons, etc.). It is a condition of the assistance

application that the family has an affordable regular payment in place.

If you have any questions, please contact us:

Phone: 0800 462 725 Email: dues@wn.catholic.org.nz Text: 021 08907902

KINDO & EZLUNCH ARE EXCITED TO SHARE THE ARRIVAL OF A FRESH NEW LOOK IN TERM 3!

With it's improved layout and enhanced features, the interface is now easier than ever to navigate, further simplifying school life and saving you time.

So what can you expect from the new and improved versions of Kindo & ezlunch?

A fresh, new look with better navigation and clear student selection
Clearer cart layout showing what has been purchased for each person
Faster and easier checkout flow for a better shopping experience
Better visibility of which items are available and which aren't
New item search & sort function e.g. sort lunch by dietary requirement
Easier process for ordering lunches for 'multiple days'

Introducing a fresh new look for

Kindo & ezlunch parents!

Save the date!

Nau mai, haere mai e te whānau! Please join us for our 2023 Matariki celebration at SFDS.

We will gather in the SFDS courtyard at 7.30am - while it is still dark. Be part of our very own Hautapu ceremony. We will start on time - to make sure it is still dark.

Join us for breakfast - to start the day together. Help us save the planet. To cut down on waste, please bring your own mugs / spoons.

Dress up warmly, as this event will happen rain, hail or shine - as it is all about being in the elements (we will have a wet-weather plan)

31 May 2023

Reminder: Learning Conferences 26th and 27th June

Reminder: You have been sent a booking link through Hero to book in a time to meet with your child's teacher. Please bring your child along to this meeting.

*NB - Given that two of our teachers (Julia and Jemma) are each away for one term this year, we have had to change the times of their learning conferences.

Jemma's learning conferences were postponed this week, due to sickness. As soon as we are able to reschedule for this class, we will let whānau know.
Julia will meet with her class mid-way through Term 3, once she is back from overseas. Therefore if your child is in Julia's class, you will be able to book in next term.

VISION and HEARING

Reminder that Vision and Hearing testing will take place at school on Tuesday 6 June:

Te Whatu Ora, Health New Zealand provides a vision screening programme for all Year 1 and 7 students.

· Vision – pupils will be advised of results at the time of screening. If further assessment is recommended you will be notified by mail.

· Children who wear glasses and/or are under professional care and have regular checks will not require a vision check from our service.

Non-consent – please notify your school if you do not want your child being screened.

This screening is not a full assessment of your child’s vision. If you have any concerns, please see an optometrist

Look out for this HERO symbol to book

Winter bugs are starting to pop up! Keep an eye out and make sure to follow public health advise!

Create your child’s personalised immunisation schedule

https://www.immunise.health.nz/get-a-personalised-immunisation-schedule/

Papatūānuku Learning News!

24 May 2023

Reminder: Learning Conferences

It is important that you and your child attend their learning conference in the last week of term.

You have been sent a booking link through Hero to book in a time to meet with your child's teacher. Please bring your child along to this meeting.

Look for the School Bookings icon. Fran has kindly shared screenshots of what the steps look like when she made booking(s) for her tamariki.

Once you have booked, you will receive a confirmation email. *NB Please refer to previous post on 17 May for more detail.

17 May 2023

MESSAGE FROM THE ATTENDANCE DUES TEAM

Just a friendly reminder that full payment of the Attendance Dues for 2023 is due

by 31 May 2023. If you are paying by regular instalments, payments should be

set up to close the balance by 30th November 2023 or by arrangement with the

Dues team.

The May invoice/statement was emailed or posted to all families on 5th May.

Please check that the invoice has not gone to your Spam/Junk Inbox and that all

your children are listed on the statement.

Financial assistance is available to families experiencing financial hardship (loss

of income/redundancy, family reasons, etc.). It is a condition of the assistance

application that the family has an affordable regular payment in place.

If you have any questions, please contact us:

Phone: 0800 462 725 Email: dues@wn.catholic.org.nz Text: 021 08907902

10 May 2023

SCHOOL DONATIONS AND CHARGES (Reminder emails sent Monday)

Thank you to all the families that have paid or are making payments towards their school donations. These have been added to your Kindo account and can be paid in full or by part payment.

While we acknowledge payment of the donations are voluntary; we rely on these donations to provide facilities for the children.

For further information regarding school donations and payments click here.

ATTENDANCE DUES

Attendance Dues are the compulsory property and insurance fees that you commit to paying when you enrol your child/ren in a catholic school in New Zealand. Attendance dues are compulsory. The dues are used to pay for the costs of new school classrooms, and other buildings, pay off existing mortgages and pay for the insurance on all school property.

Families are invoiced by the Archdiocese and payment must be made directly to them. The school does not accept these payments.

If you have any queries about attendance dues please visit the Archdiocese of Wellington’s website: https://www.wn.catholic.org.nz/about/schools-in-the-archdiocese/attendance-dues/ Attendance dues are not tax deductible. (Please see the attached information sheet from the Archdiocese for more information regarding Attendance dues).

Kiwi Competitions

The registrations for this close on Kindo this Friday 12 May at 12 noon.

Information was sent out on Hero however if you missed this please see belkow:

Instead of offering the ICAS tests this year, we will be offering 'Kiwi Competitions.' These are written by New Zealand teachers for New Zealand students and closely align with the New Zealand Curriculum. Please read the information below:

The University of Canterbury is offering your child the opportunity to participate in the KIWI English, Mathematics and Science competitions. These competitions take place annually and are designed by New Zealand teachers for New Zealand students based on the New Zealand Curriculum. For further information, please consult the CAM website: www.canterbury.ac.nz/cam.

The competitions are open to all Year 5-10 students in English, Mathematics and Science. Students can enter in one or more subjects. Each competition will provide parents/caregivers with an individual student report of their child’s overall performance. These are available through your school. The supervised online tests will take place in the last 3 weeks of Term 2 and the first week of Term 3. The competitions are to be administered at school under exam conditions and supervised. All participating students will receive a certificate and a prize will be awarded to the top student nationally in each competition. If two or more students share the same top score then the prize is awarded to the student with the highest speed and accuracy. NOTE: Our policy is not to release test papers.

The tests are provided primarily as a competition and not as a teaching resource. Entries are administered by the school. For further information, please consult the CAM website: www.canterbury.ac.nz/cam

If you would like to register your child/ren, please do so through Kindo.

03 May 2023

Helpers Needed for Te Papa - Wednesday 10 May for Ranginui and Thursday 11 May for Papatuanuku!

Ranginui are off to Te Papa next Wednesday 10 May and are in need of parent helpers! If you are able to help out please contact email your child's class room teachers Jemma, Lauren or Eilís.

Papatuanuku (Rooms 10 and 11) have planned to go on a trip to Te Papa on Thursday 11 May. At the moment we only have one helper for both classes. Three parent helpers per class will be needed to go on the trip. If we do not have enough helpers the trip will be cancelled. If you are able to come along on the day to support Bev and Jenna please get in touch with them or me by this Friday May 5.

RELAY FOR LIFE

It was a huge honor to take part in this year’s relay for life! Our Ranginui students and family members put in an amazing effort of walking and running a total of 169 laps over 16 hours placing 36th out of 69 teams, raising the total of $8,833!! What an amazing effort!

Thank you to Ayla S for organizing the team and to all those who kindly donated to this amazing cause!

FREE FRUIT & VEG

We have been donated this lovely big box of fruit and veg! Please pop into the school office to collect your favourites! First come first served!

26 April 2023

Please keep an eye on the events Calendar for any upcoming events this term. you can access this on the links page or via our school website.

PAPATUANUKU ASSEMBLY DATES

Friday 19 May Week 4 - Room 8 leading

Friday 2 June Week 6 - Room 9 leading

Friday 16 June Week 8 - Room 10 leading

Friday 30 June Week 10 - Room 11 leading.

Talanoa Night

Monday 1 May, 6.00pm

Kia ora koutou, talofa lava, kiaorana, malo e lelei, fakaalofa lahi atu!

Early next term, we are holding a Talanoa Night for whānau of our Samoan, Tongan, Cook Island Māori, Niuean and New Zealand Māori tamariki. This will be a chance to meet one another, share a meal together, talk about ways we can all support our tamariki to learn, and share ideas about ways that SFDS can be more responsive to our pasifika whānau.

A meal will be provided, so just come along and enjoy the evening. Bring the whānau with you.

Come and join us in the school library.

One of our dads - Julian Tupai, is helping me to arrange this get together. We will also have a guest speaker, Mary Mesui join us. Mary would like to start a free homework centre at SFDS specifically to support local Pasifika and Māori children. Mary's homework initiative is funded by the Ministry of Education.

I hope to see you all there!

Ngā mihi nui

Mary-Angela Tombs principal@sfds.school.nz

5 April 2023

PARKING

Please make sure to park legally (not on yellow lines, on corners, acorss driveways) when dropping off or picking up your child(ren). We want to keep our community safe. Thank you for your support.

RANGINUI BEHAVIOUR PROCEDURES

If you are interested in this, please have a read.

HUI FOR WHĀNAU OF ĀKONGA MĀORI: THURSDAY 27 APRIL FROM 6:00PM IN THE SCHOOL LIBRARY.

The purpose of this hui is to:

Whakawhānaungatanga - Welcoming everyone back together, and new families who were not able to be with us at the last hui
Share mahi that has continued since we last met. Discuss ideas for the future, requests for support - including seeking the continuation of Korowai Atawhai
Discuss Talanoa Night, Term 2 Mihi Whakatau, Matariki celebration
Share kai

I hope to see all of our whānau of ākonga Māori there.

TALANOA NIGHT: MONDAY 1 MAY, 6:00PM

Early next term, we are holding an Talanoa Night for whānau of our Samoan, Tongan, Cook Island Māori and New Zealand Māori tamariki. This will be a chance to meet one another, share a meal together, talk about ways we can all support our tamariki to learn, and share ideas about ways that SFDS can be more responsive to our pasifika whānau.

More information will be sent out directly to our whānau of Pacific and Māori ākonga.

29 March 2023

REMINDER about photo orders - see 22 March update below, for previous message: NB St Francis de Sales School 2023 gallery will be closing tomorrow.

REMINDER: TERM 2 STARTS ON WEDNESDAY 26 APRIL

Earlier this year, we let you know that our staff will be having a Teacher Only Day on Monday 24 April (along with most other schools across NZ). This is followed by ANZAC Day, which is a public holiday for all of New Zealand.

SOUTH COAST ARTS TRAIL 2023

Mark your calendars... the South Coast Arts Trail 2023 is just a few weeks away!

April 15th and 16th will see nearly 40 talented South Coast artists and makers opening their doors to the public. There's something for everyone - from pop-up galleries to open studios, murals, and community exhibitions.

22 March 2023

MESSAGE FROM INSPIRE PHOTOGRAPHY

We would like to invite you all to view your pictures at Inspire Photography's online ordering site.

This gallery and ordering system is live and working as of now. The fundraising period for this gallery will finish at midnight on Thursday 30th March 2023 and orders placed and paid for by this date aim to be dropped off at your school in the first week of Term 2. Orders to be posted will be processed at the same time as the prints that are to be returned to the school. Digital files are purchased as is and retouching requests may incur fees.

Please check your order confirmation email closely and get in touch if you are unsure if what you wanted to order does not match what you have entered on your order. Incorrectly-ordered prints can not be swapped or reimbursed.

The gallery will remain live and online for up to 12 months after the main ordering period closes, postage and packing fees may also apply as drop off at the school is not available with late orders. The school does not receive any fundraising donations on sales after the main ordering period finishes.

To view and order your photographs:

1. Go to our website at https://www.inspirephotocart.co.nz

2. Enter this access code in the box: mersey232

If you require an alternative method of ordering, have any questions or are having problems

ordering, then please feel free to call or email us. The more questions we receive the better we become at informing parents about this process.

The Inspire Team. orders@inspirephotography.co.nz 043848009

CONTACTING THE SCHOOL OFFICE

The school office is open Monday to Friday 8.30am –3.30pm. If you call and we are away from our desks please leave a message and we will get back to you as soon are free. We Check our phone messages regularly.

15 March 2023

SCHOOL CLOSED TOMORROW: TEACHER STRIKE

A reminder that tomorrow SFDS school is closed, along with most other schools across New Zealand. If you have missed this information until now and you are having trouble with childcare for tomorrow - please email office@sfds.school.nz as we will have a small number of staff onsite if support is needed.

ROCK YOUR SOCKS FUNDRAISER World Down Syndrome Day was yesterday Tuesday 21 March (the date signifies the 3 copies of the 21st chromosome that are present in DS) ROCK YOUR SOCKS FUNDRASER

Thank you for all the donations for the Rock your sock fundraiser! We raised $245! This will be left open on kindo for the next few days if you haven't donated!

Page updated

Report abuse