IMPORTANT NOTICE – SCHOOL CLOSES AT 1PM ON FRIDAY 14th DECEMBER

A Message From The Principal

Kia ora, Malo e Lelei, Talofa Lava, Kia Orana, Bula, Ni sabula, Mauri, Suosday, Sat Sri Akaal, Tajba Filghodu, Xin Chao, Ni Hao, Guten Tag, Mabuhay, Sawadee, Kumusta, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Maith, Sawubona, warm greetings to you all.

WELCOME

We welcome our new student Laythne Simpson.

PRIZE GIVING

Last night we celebrated the many successes our senior students have achieved.  W ealso honoured those who have lived gospel and school values and shown pastoral care and given of their time in service to our school.

2018 has been another busy year with two major external reviews.  I am fortunate to be working collaboratively with some of the best educators in the Howick/Pakuranga area.  Our teachers drive, passion and determination, underpinned by skill, knowledge and empathy ensure our teaching and learning programmes continue to raise progress and achievement.  So we thank our teacher for their hard work and dedication and our support staff who help us and support us in the day to day running of our school.

THANK YOU

On behalf of the staff and students, I would like to acknowledge all our parents.  It is your loving support and high expectations that makes a difference in your child’s/our students’ achievements.  Thank you.

Many parents and grandparents who also give up time, and energy to help keep our school running smoothly or hep our school to raise funds for the extras.  A combined goal of PTFA and BOT meant that our long awaited Multi-purpose space was erected this year in the form of a large Shade Space which our students at every level enjoy.  Our new major project will be upgrading our adventure playground which is quickly coming to the end of its life.  I think parents who are on our PTFA, especially all those who organised and ran stalls on the day of the Food Festival.  We also thank those who have supported us in a myriad of ways with library, crossing duty, bus duty, putting readers away, helping with class and/or syndicate trips, managed or coached sports teams etc.  Thank you all!

Also congratulations to our basketball teams.  Our year 5/6  St Mark’s Stars won their game 26 to 20.  Thank you to Mr Paul Siao and Mr Edward Hicban for coaching the team and to Mrs Siao for managing the team this year.  We also congratulate the Year 4/5 Angels team who only narrowly lost their final game 12 to 10.  We thank Mr Strevens who coached and Ms Emily Blake who was assistant coach and manager.  Thank you for all your hard work.

Catherine Rivers – Principal

LIBRARY STOCK TAKE

Thank you to the wonderful team who helped at Library Stocktake and through the year.  Mieke Engelmann, Quintelle Osthuizen, Ethaleen Lanuza, Anna O’Brien, Abigail Evans, Abigail Tigley, Lydia Gutierrez and Nick Chan.  If you come across any library books or school journals through the holidays, please return them to school in the new year.

ENROLMENTS FOR 2019

If you have a child who will turn five in 2019 please come to the office and get an enrolment pack or let us know and we can send it home with their older sibling.  It is very helpful to know numbers for our class planning for 2019 so we would really appreciate to know if you have another children starting at St Mark’s in 2019.

PRAYER

At the moment we are celebrating Advent, this is the four week season immediately preceding Christmas.  It is the joyful preparation for the coming of Christ and Christmas and for his Second Coming at the end of time.

PRAYERS FOR THE LIGHTING OF CANDLES FOR YOUR ADVENT WREATH

The first candle is lit

God of promises made and fulfilled

Through your Spirit you speak to prophets.

People pray and wait for the messiah to come

In these times of distress and disturbance

Make our hearts attentive to your liberating presence

And strong in expectation of your coming.

Two candles are lit

God of mercy and righteousness

You call us to remove our garments of sorrow and affliction

May we be so confronted by your tenderness

That we too will reach out in compassion

To our troubled world,

Drawing others to your forgiveness and love.

Three candles are lit

God of joy and gladness

The promise of your presence fills us

With thanksgiving

May the fire of your refining Spirit

Renew us in your love

And bring joy to all who seek you in faith.

Four candles are lit

God of life and light

Whose presence speaks to our dark and hidden places

We rejoice in your faithfulness

and the fulfilment of your promises.

Lead us to the peace and security

That come from co-operating with your will.

REFLECTIONS

Hope can be a slippery word, a four-letter word, one that’s here-today-gone-tomorrow and painted gray with disappointment.  But it can also be a powerful word, a pick-yourself-up-dust-yourself-off kind of word, that helps people achieve impossible things in the middle of desperate moments.

There’s nothing more hopeless than feeling hopeless.  Which is why the real  gift of Christmas is such a knock-your-socks-off surprise.  That wild, improbable tale – of starts and shepherds, a pregnant mum and her newborn boy – offers  hope on a different scale altogether … plus the pinch-me-please promise:

• that we’re not alone in an empty universe
• that God knows what it’s like on the factory-floor
• that all will be well and, one day, made new
• that the best is yet to be

Worth a second thought?  I hope so …..

JOHN COONEY

CONDOLENCES

Condolences to Leah Clarke’s family who have recently lost a grandfather.

CONGRATULATIONS & THANK YOU!

Congratulations to Brooklyn Peters and Leiyah Curtis who recently represented New Zealand in Melbourne playing Tag Rugby.  Well done!

Congratulations to the Mayadunnage family on their recent new arrival.  A baby girl!  Also to the Stowers family on the safe arrival of their twins in November.  A girl and a boy!

Good News/PB4L (Positive Behaviour for Learning)

We follow Jesus through showing a positive Attitude, Behaviour and Care and our 3 R’s.

This weeks focus is to:  Keep toilet areas tidy and use correctly.

We would like to congratulate the following children who have been recognised at assembly:

Respect for Others:  Leiyah Curtis, Scarlette Wardle, Vinny Curtis, Vinnie Wells, Ronan Prakash, Sahara-May Mafi, Stephanie McCormack, Samya Taboada, Fletcher O’Brien, Adam Masaryk, Chantelle McIntyre, Mikhayla Townsend

Respect for Self: 

Respect for the Environment:  James Pienaar, Annika Joji, Phoenix Naidu, 

Ka pai rawa!

Catherine Rivers – on behalf of all staff at St Mark’s Catholic School

PRINCIPAL

SCHOOL MAGAZINE 2018

We have some school magazines still available.  If you would like to secure your copy please send $20 to the school office.  Magazines will be handed out on Friday.

UNIFORM SHOP NEWS

Our uniform shop will be open for second hand uniforms only on the following dates:    Friday 14th Dec, Tues 29th January 2019.  All other uniforms can be purchased from NZ Uniform as per below.  Also the uniform shop has 5 pairs of Boys summer shorts (brand new) size 3 available.

HEALTH AND SAFETY AND CONSIDERATION FOR OTHERS

Do not turn left into Pakuranga Park Village to show respect to the residents and employees.  Please continue to turn left onto Fortunes Road and come back around the round-a-bout during peak school times, ie:  8:40-9am, and 2:50-3:15pm.  This will ensure safety of your children and others travelling in your car and residents of the village.

NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIPTIONS

Please be advised that if you do unsubscribe from our newsletters, you will not receive any notifications if ever there was an emergency, ie. lockdown at the school.  If you do unsubscribe accidently please resubscribe.

TERM DATES 2019

Term 1 2019

Tuesday 29th January- 12th April 2019

Wed 6th February – Waitangi Day

Friday 19th April – Tuesday 23rd April – Easter

Thursday 25th April – Anzac Day

COMMUNITY NOTICES

“The Marian Centre, CATHOLIC KINDERGARTEN” – This Kindy is situated in the heart of the Eastern Region of the Diocese of Auckland.  It opened in 1999, on St. Luke’s Day and it was blessed by our Bishop Patrick Dunn D.D. in the year 2000.  The Marian Early Childhood Centre is an Apostolate of the Catholic Diocese of Auckland and it is  located in Panmure beside St. Patrick’s Church.  We cater to children from 2 to 5 years of age.  The Centre operates Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm.

The Kindy was created for and has been faithfully serving, the young children in the Catholic parishes of the Catholic Diocese of Auckland in the East..  We are a Catholic Early Childhood Centre and we follow the Catholic Early Childhood Religious Education Curriculum Statement.  Our programme is guided by the Catholic Liturgical Calendar and focuses on Catholic values and virtues.  Please phone: 5705690 or visit Cyril at 19A Sunset View Road, Panmure.

Yvette Nicholls | Communications and Engagement

AMETI Eastern Busway 20 Viaduct Harbour, Auckland 1010
P 09 355 3553 | DDI 09 447 4128| M 021 825 611

www.at.govt.nz   Yvette.Nicholls@at.govt.nz

Construction on the AMETI Eastern busway is scheduled to begin in March/April 2019. This new transformational transport project will provide better public transport connections, faster journey times, more travel choices and improved safety.

During construction, there will be some disruption to major routes – particularly during morning and afternoon peak traffic times, around Lagoon Drive and the Panmure end of Pakuranga Road.

Plan a better journey through the construction: AT.govt.nz/travelplaneast

Have a safe and happy summer holiday!
The AMETI team