Kia ora e te whānau,

Welcome back to Term 3! We’re pleased to welcome Katrina Agno to our teaching team, and Isobel Leibbrandt, our new Learning Assistant. A warm welcome also to our new students and families who joined us in Cohort 5 at the start of this term – we’re so glad to have you as part of our Sancta Maria whānau.

Thank you to all the families who made time to attend our recent Parent Teacher Conferences. It’s always encouraging to see the strong partnerships we have between home and school. We also appreciated the opportunity to pause for a Teacher Only Day, where staff took part in professional learning focused on the refreshed New Zealand Maths Curriculum. This time together strengthens our teaching practice and supports better learning outcomes for our students.

This newsletter includes information about:

As always, thank you for your continued support. Let’s keep working together to grow a safe, faith-filled, and engaging learning environment for all our tamariki.

Ngā mihi nui,
Carolyn Massey

For the first part of this term, we are focusing on the Mary Value of Compassion.

Mary, a woman of deep faith and kindness, showed compassion by recognising and responding to the needs of others. One powerful example is when she travelled many miles to visit her cousin Elizabeth, offering support during a time of great change.

Compassion is more than just feeling sympathy — it is a call to act with love, kindness, and forgiveness when we see someone in need. It means noticing when others are struggling and doing something to help.

In the Gospel of John, Mary shows compassion and confidence in Jesus at the wedding in Cana:

"When the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said to him, 'They have no wine.' And Jesus said to her, 'O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come.' His mother said to the servants, 'Do whatever he tells you.'"
 – John 2:3–5

Let’s all look for ways to be compassionate this term – through our words, our actions, and our hearts.

Each term, our school reviews specific policies to ensure they are up to date and reflect best practice. Everyone in our school community – board members, staff, parents/caregivers/whānau, and even students – is welcome to take part.

This term (Term 3), we're reviewing policies under the Health, Safety, and Welfare section, including:

To review a policy:

Let’s work together to ensure our policies reflect our values and support a safe, inclusive school environment.

We’re pleased to let you know that new school trousers are now available for purchase!

Please note: These trousers are an optional extra for both boys and girls and may be worn during Terms 2 and 3 if your child is cold.

If you have any questions, please contact the uniform shop.

Our annual Scholastic Book Fair is on now! Come along and support our school by purchasing books for your whānau and friends. Every purchase earns reward dollars that help us buy new books for our School Library.

Location: School Library
Opening Hours:

Please note: Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian during Book Fair hours.

Just follow the signs to the Library — we look forward to seeing you!

As a Catholic school, we aim to celebrate all special occasions, including birthdays, in a humble and inclusive way that aligns with our Special Character.

To ensure the well-being of all our students and to minimize waste, we kindly ask that you do not send birthday cakes, lollies, or loot bags to school when celebrating your child's birthday. We also want to let you know that we do not have shared lunches or similar food-based celebrations at the end of the term or for any other occasion.

We have a number of students with food allergies and other conditions, which means that cakes and lollies are not permitted for distribution. Additionally, loot bags often contain small toys that can quickly become unwanted and contribute to landfill, which goes against our values of responsible stewardship.

We understand that you may wish to celebrate your child's birthday with their classmates, and we appreciate your thoughtfulness. However, please do not be disappointed if we are unable to distribute these items to the classes.

Instead, we celebrate birthdays at our whole-school line-ups on Mondays and Thursdays by handing out a special birthday certificate to each child. This allows us to acknowledge every student's birthday in a simple yet meaningful way.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation with these guidelines. Your support helps us maintain a safe, healthy, and values-driven environment for all our students.

We're reaching out to our parent community with an important request for support to help keep our school community safe during the busy end-of-day pick-up.

Our driveway can become quite congested during peak traffic times, at the end of the day, and to ensure the safety of all our parents, students, and the wider community, we're seeking parent volunteers to assist as driveway controllers.

This role involves helping to manage the flow of traffic and ensure everyone can navigate the area safely. It's a wonderful way to contribute to the common good and directly support the well-being of all our tamariki (students).

Even offering just one afternoon a week would make a tremendous difference and be greatly appreciated! 

If you're able to spare some time to help us ensure a smoother and safer pick-up for everyone, please contact Mrs Claire Raubenheimer - clairer@sanctamariaprimary.school.nz  to sign up or find out more.

Thank you for considering how you can support our school in this vital role!

Grateful thanks to the current volunteers.  We sincerely appreciate your support!

Enrolments for 2026 for Sancta Maria Catholic Primary School close next month on 31 August 2025. If you have a child who is turning 5 years of age next year (2026) it is now time to collect an Application Pack from the school office, Monday to Friday, or we can send a pack home with your child – just email Michelle at the office michellec@sanctamariaprimary.school.nz  Further information can be found on the website: www.sanctamariaprimary.school.nz

Bestselling author Michael Gross and researcher Dr Jody Richardson offer techniques to manage anxiety and turn it into something empowering.

Their book is called Anxious Kids: How Children Can Turn Their Anxiety Into Resilience. We have captured some of their thoughts and ideas in this article.  

Anxiety is normal, but too much can be a problem. The authors explain that it's okay for kids to feel worried sometimes, but when those worries start to get in the way of their everyday life (like going to school or having fun), that's when it needs attention.

Parents play a big role. They highlight that anxiety can be "contagious," meaning if parents are stressed, kids can pick up on it. The book helps parents learn how to respond to their child's anxiety calmly, rather than reacting with their own worries.

Understand and Empathise. A key message is to truly understand and acknowledge your child's anxious feelings. Don't just tell them to "get over it." Instead, show them you get it over it, and help them feel comfortable with those uncomfortable feelings.

Practical Tools. The book offers simple techniques like deep breathing to help calm the brain when worries hit. They also talk about the importance of things like free play (where kids learn to solve problems and take small risks) and limiting screen time (because constant digital stimulation can make anxiety worse).

Managing, Not Curing. The goal isn't to get rid of anxiety completely, but to give kids the tools to manage it. It's about helping them understand what's happening in their brain so they can turn down the volume on their worries and still live a full, happy life.

In short, it's about giving parents the understanding and practical steps to empower their kids to face their anxieties and build resilience, rather than letting anxiety control them.

Here is a wonderful newspaper article that you can read to learn more about this wonderful book. LINK