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5
17th

pril

!"1#

,e-sletter

Birthday Wishes
Mr Kemp 26th April (We wont disclose his age)

Gospel Values for Term One: Love, Forgiveness and Justice

Farewell
Unfortunately today not only sees the end of the term, it also means we say farewell to a family that has been a part of the St Pats family for the last 4 years. The Hakets are making the move to the orth !sland and we wish "illem all the best in his new s#hool. "e would also like to say you help a to huge $on, and thank their

(ra)er of the *ee+


God of all cultures, God of all people, help us not to label anyone inferior or secondclass. Help us overcome our attitudes of superiority and oppression. May we broaden our vision and widen our tents so that plurality and diversity determine who we are; people called and committed to a world united in justice and peace, now and forever. Amen.

%ngela and &ary for all generosity throughout their time at St Pats. "e hope you will not be a stranger and we will hear from you in the future.

School News
Subway ' Tuesday ()th &ay. *orms are available from the s#hool offi#e or in the #lassroom.

Miniball starting

'

&iniball (

is

week

ne+t

term for #hildren in year ),-. St Pats has entered ( .unior team and ( senior team. /ets hope we have a repeat of last seasons a#hievements.

(rincipal.s /ommentar):
Changing times I have had the absolute privilege of being the acting rincipal of !t atric"#s !chool since mid$%&%. 'uring that time I have seen our school go from strength to strength and watched (uite a number of our year ) students go on from our school to begin their courses of study at various high schools with absolutely outstanding results. Most of our students go on to these high schools better e(uipped than many of their peers and they e*perience greater levels of success more (uic"ly, due to the good grounding that they receive here at !t atric"s. I have also seen numerous enrolments come in to our school, at all levels, but most importantly I have seen how having teaching staff of the highest calibre, with the latest and greatest training, s"ills and new "nowledge and high standards can be a positive influence on many aspects of school life, not the least of which is the growth in new entrant enrolments, which is always good for the long term outloo" of any school. I have witnessed the trials and tribulations of older students new to our school. Having been misunderstood or discarded by other schools and agencies, they all, without e*ception, succeeded at something here and they usually e*ceeded their own e*pectations and all,

Thank

You

from

Morgan & Laney ' "e would .ust like to say thank you to everyone who supported us with pur#hasing 0ho#olate *undraiser. raised a 2verall our 1rownie we wonderful

3((4.56 whi#h we have sent off to ""*. "e would also like to say a big thank you to &rs "aller who took us down to ew "orls to get all of our ingredients and also supported us all the way with our fundraiser. "e hope she has a great time at "aihao 7owns S#hool ne+t term. "e would also like to say a big thank you to Toni 2udemans who helped them bake the #ho#olate brownies.

without fail, were reluctant to leave to move on to higher education. +he all-embracing and welcoming atmosphere of our school is something that I have not seen elsewhere and it should be treasured. ,s a staff, we have lifted student achievement, across the curriculum and we have made a difference for all of our students. -e have won national and regional competitions through hard wor" and aiming high and we have never considered our students to be capable of anything less than e*cellence. It has been my absolute privilege to have wor"ed with those on staff and I cannot emphasise what a fantastic and dedicated team we have had here over the past few years. -e have all been so luc"y to have had such wonderful and capable people loo"ing after our children#s education and I than" each and every one of those that have wor"ed with me over the past few years. +here have been so many highlights during my time here at !t atric"#s and there are so many occasions and achievements that I will never forget and I don#t need to mention them all here, as most of you already "now what we have achieved over the past couple of years. .i"ewise, I will also never forget some of those people in the community that have gone above and beyond in their efforts to support me in my role, or our school. +he following are just some of those that need to be singled out for their contributions. Gareth /udemans for e*ample, needs a medal for all of his support and for the ridiculous hours that he has spent over the past four years wor"ing to ma"e this school such a good place of learning and helping to ensure that the 0atholic !pecial character is upheld and enhanced. ,t least I got paid to do the job that I have done, but the hefty hours that Gareth puts in as 0hairperson on behalf of the school is all voluntary.

Gareth is the only 1oard member left that has been on the 1oard for the entirety of my tenure and I am so glad that he is there to support ,nne in her new role as well. Gareth is a good role model for all of our board members, attending regular training and "eeping himself abreast of latest trends and developments in education and governance. Gareth is also active on the arish 0ouncil and is a stalwart of this school community. Mi"e 2olan, 0ushla /#0onnor and Maureen 3err from the 0atholic 4ducation office have provided me and the 1oard with advice and guidance from a bottomless pit of support and enthusiasm and I am indebted to them all for their understanding and suffering of my endless (uestions and lac" of e*perience. -hat a sterling job you fol"s all do, even through earth(ua"es and mayhem. +oni /udemans, as outgoing chairperson of the 5riends at !t ats 6a.".a. +,7 is another who has provided unerring support over the past years and on many occasions has filled in as surrogate parent for school outings and events when others couldn#t. Her drive and commitment to the 5riends at !t ats is beyond doubt and she has overseen the raising of (uite a stash of funds over the past couple of years, all for the benefit of our students. 8ess 6 .+.7 1ailey, as /ffice ,dministrator has been an absolute treasure. 8ess runs things with efficiency and enthusiasm and despite the challenges that are often placed in front of her. 5rom 2ovopay disputes to ordering supplies and filling in as parent support on school outings, 8ess has repeatedly demonstrated her commitment to your children#s education and welfare. /ften going outside her job description and often wor"ing well beyond the hours for which she is paid, I could not have done my job without the assistance and commitment that 8ess provides. I thin" that it is

really special that 8ess is a past student and having her own children attending the school provides an even greater level of synergy. +han"s 8ess for all that you have done. It has been a real pleasure to have wor"ed with you and I cannot emphasise enough how much I appreciate all that you have done to ma"e my job easier. +he rest of the team at !t ats; 8o !hea, 0olleen Mouton, Hannah 9eeves, 1arry .ist, 0hristine 2ash and 3elly -aller : I am so luc"y to have got to "now you fol"s and to have wor"ed with you. I than" you for everything that you have done and continue to do for this school. ;ou are all very very wonderful fol"s and part of me would be (uite happy to stay, just to enjoy the camaraderie that e*ists at the school. +hese wonderful, efficient and highly entertaining people are all committed to the cause and all, without fail, often do so much more than what they are paid to do, because they "now that it is a great wee school with something special about it. -hat they don#t "now, is that it is them and the "ids in it that ma"es it so special. It is them and the "ids that ma"es our 0atholic special character bear witness to the teachings of 8esus 0hrist. !pea"ing of 0atholic students<.. 6here we go again<.7 6why couldn#t he just say goodbye without ma"ing people s(uirm with embarrassment=7 at a recent meeting of !outh 0anterbury 0atholic rimary rincipals held here at !t atric"#s last wee", the consensus over the (uestion of why so many 0atholic families are ignoring their 0atholic obligations at 0hurch and in attending 0atholic schools, was that people have become less interested and less devout, or more la>y. ,pathy is a self-perpetuating ?disease.# +here is no e*cuse for 0atholics to bypass the 0atholic school. +here are buses that cover nearly all of the -aimate district. +he school has an e*ceptional forward-focused curriculum and everything that students may

need in terms of resources and e(uipment. !t atric"#s students e*perience such success on the sporting fields that the old complaint of @not enough competitionA almost ma"es me feel embarrassed for those that use that one for an e*cuse. /h yes, and @e*cuse me,A but we#ve got both of the -aimate miniball trophies hanging on our wall. 2o competition= ;es, we often complain about that here too. It would be good if all of the parishioners could encourage everyone that they "now to send their children to !t atric"#s. +he roll is safe enough and at least the parents of early childhood centres seem to have their heads screwed on and are enrolling their children here, presumably because they "now it#s the best primary school in town, for their children#s needs 6no offence anyoneB7. ,nd, many of our older enrolments come from newcomers to the district. 1ut still, there are (uite a few families that consider themselves to be 0atholic that don#t send their children to the 0atholic school. +here are many families that attend church that don#t send their children to the 0atholic school. ,nd there are many families that want to send their children to our school just for year C and ) that should be sending them here for years &-D as well. 2o apologies whatsoever if this conversation ma"es you uncomfortableE that is your conscience doing that : not meB /ne of the few disappointments for me during my tenure here has been the lac" of cohesion between the parish itself and the school community. -e still never really got it right, or got it in sync. +here has to be more than what we#ve had and I suspect that the very careful appointment of our new roprietors 9eps by the very adept 5ather 1rian, and the new rincipal may just be the tic"et to solving this problem. 'espite the narrow perspective of some, the long-term future of the parish is directly related to the roll of the school, as the

students are the future of the parish. 4ven the late -hitney Houston sang @<I believe that children are the future<A 1eing part of this school, for over five years has made me realise that 0atholic schools really are part of something much bigger. +he collegiality of rincipalship in a 0atholic school for e*ample, is superb. I have made so many friends and ac(uaintances on behalf of the school and there are some really nice people out there that are continuously wor"ing on our behalf, lobbying, promoting and sharing the word about what a good school this is. I must finish by saying that it really has been an absolute treat to have been able to teach those students that have been in my class since I have been at this school; without e*ception. +he school has a few challenges ahead of it, but I "now that you will all go out of your way to support ,nne in her new role and that she is more than up for those challenges. +o all of those that have congratulated me over the past few wee"s and said nice things about what we have achieved her; 4hara ta"u toa, he ta"itahi, he toa ta"itini +ranslated, this means that the successes of the school over my tenure were not mine; they were the results of the efforts of everyone. 4very single student and all of the team. +han" you 2a"u no na Me rongo 6in peace7 'arcy 3emp rincipal !t atric"#s -aimate

Community News
Waimate Company Holiday (-. The ) Theatre 8aster workshop hours be of and from

program for ages 9 ' dan#e, drama (.)6pm :4


th

singing will on at

Thursday "aimate S#hool. forms

%pril

&ain $egistration

available at Parkers. Aorangi Junior Golf

Coa hing an! " hole tournament ' *or all golfers aged (; and under. Held on Thursday (st &ay at <eraldine <olf 0lub. and $eport #ost is *or by 3:6 ;am per more #onta#t email on

person. information 4(56 > or

Helen &ay on 6:4 :9; helen.mi#hael=+tra.#o.n

#a!minton &onday 4pm at the

8very from

evening

"aimate

Stadium. %ll wel#ome.

$on alli S hool The 1oard $on#alli &anagement of Trustees 0ollege and of are

%t (atric+. %chool -ould li+e to than+ the follo-ing sponsors 1 Main North Road Oamaru

please and en#ouraged by the re#ent 8$2 report and su##esses by our students in %#ademi#, Sporting and 0ultural important areas. that !t is this

momentum is maintained and we are therefore in the initial stages of some long term strategi# planning. Part of this is developing an awareness of both the needs and desires of our #ommunity over the ne+t (6 years. %s some value a result spe#ifi#, and $on#alli detailed you

The Warehouse 27 Eden Street

0ollege would appre#iate feedba#k as to what you where would like emphasis to be pla#ed with regards to the building the future. !f you are a member of the 0ollege 0ommunity ?parent or pupil, present, past or future@ and would like to have input in this strategi# planning, please go to www.ron#alli.s#hool.n> and #li#k on the survey A$on#alli :6:9A. "e value your input in shaping our future. and physi#al resour#ing to prepare for

0essage from nn (ratt


3ia /ra arents and 0aregivers, -hat an ama>ing opportunity lies ahead of meB I am so e*cited to be wor"ing with your children and alongside the 1/+ and parentsFcaregivers in my position as the new rincipal of !t atric"#s school. .ots of new and e*citing events are planned for the remainder of the school year and I loo" forward to encouraging more of you to ta"e an active part in our school. I have a busy few wee"s ahead of me, pac"ing up my house in 0hristchurch, relocating to -aimate, sorting out my classroom and moving into my new officeB ,t this time of year, I urge you to remember the real reason we celebrate the 4aster season, reflecting on how we e*perience suffering, sin and abandonment in our own lives and invite 0hrist into them to transform them. In prayer and the reception of the sacraments, 0hrist can transform the most bro"en and seemingly hopeless realities of our lives. I#d li"e to ta"e this opportunity to wish 'arcy and atric" all the very best for their new venture in Geraldine. +han" you for all your help and guidance over this past wee" 'arcy. 5ear not : you definitely have not heard the last from meB I loo" forward to meeting you all ne*t term. Have a safe and 1lessed 4aster.

0essage from 1annah 2eeves


,s my first term here at !t ats draws to a close I can reflect on all the wonder things we have accomplished in the 8unior room thus far. I would li"e to than" the community for welcoming and supporting me as I start on my teaching journey. , special than" you needs to go to both 'arcy and 3ellie, my mentor teacher, for all the wonderful support and guidance they have given me along the way. I loo" forward to my future here at !t ats and all the wonderful things the students and I can achieve together.

0essage from 3ellie *aller


'ear arents and 0hildren I would just li"e to send a wee message to let you all "now what an ama>ing community you have here, within !t atric"Gs school. I have so enjoyed my brief time wor"ing with your children. ,s the children "now, I have done alot of learning alongside this term, as I am used to teaching H year olds. -e have all been learning about In(uiryGs, and I am so proud of the children and all of their individual and group successes. I feel privileged to have been involved with parents and children ali"e, and after a year out of the education system, wor"ing at this school has felt li"e coming home in a strange way. I wish your incredible team the best for the future, and loo" forward to my continued wor" with Miss 9eeves, and Mrs 2ash. +han" you for having me in your fantastic school.

Term 1 !"1# in (hotos

0essage from Gareth Oudemans 4 5oard of Trustees /hairperson


Hello to you all, The first term is drawing to an end already. !m not sure where the time has gone however, here it is drawing to an end. ! would like to take this opportunity to advise our parents, the students and the wider s#hool #ommunity that the 1oard of Trustees has made a su##essful appointment for the role of Prin#ipal. !t is with great pleasure that we wel#ome %nne Pratt who will be .oining our fantasti# s#hool in Term Two. !t is also now time for us to farewell &r Bemp as he leaves us to take on a new position in <eraldine. "e are not .ust saying goodbye to 7ar#y but also to Tania, *ran#is, Harrison and Patri#k as they also have be#ome a huge part of the fabri# of our great wee s#hool. "ithout the love and support of his family !m sure 7ar#y wouldnt have been able to a#hieve what he has and our s#hool would have been poorer for it. The #ontribution to the s#hool by 7ar#y sin#e :66; #annot be overstated, and for many will not fully be understood. ! have been fortunate that in my role as 0hairman ! have seen first,hand 7ar#ys absolute passion and desire to see all the students of this s#hool a#hieve. His drive and #ommitment has been to see the s#hool be#ome the best s#hool it #an be, not .ust in "aimate or South 0anterbury but on the national stage. His belief in our kids that they #an foot it with the best in the #ountry, and in many #ases be the best in the #ountry, has been steadfast and our kids have delivered. ational Sumdog maths #hampions, twi#e, 0anterbury Sumdog #hampion. Ba Toi 2 %oraki Cunior Disual arts winners, three years running, Cunior Performing %rts 0hampions in :6(:. !t is be#ause of 7ar#ys belief in our kids, and what they are #apable of, that these results have o##urred. His passion for our kids to su##eed has also #ome through when looking at the appointment of other tea#hing staff. %ppointing the right staff into the right pla#e has seen this s#hool and its students su##eed. The appointments of &rs Suddaby, &rs /iddy, &iss P and now &iss $eeves all have #ome from needing to have the best and brightest in this s#hool. They have all been an integral part of our s#hool and its #ontinued .ourney of su##ess and their #ontribution is still evident in the s#hool even after they have moved on. %nd so it will be with &r Bemp. !t has been the overriding feature that ! have witnessed from 7ar#y, his absolute passion for what he does, whi#h is help our kids learn and a#hieve in a way that is meaningful for them, so that they all en.oy su##ess. 2n a personal note ! write this with no small amount of sadness, for 7ar#y has be#ome a true friend in the time ! have been privileged to know him. ! have #ome to value and trust his honesty, integrity and his opinion. He has a fabulous sense of humour, of so#ial .usti#e, of what is right and a good dollop of #ommon sense, whi#h is not as #ommon as the name suggests. ! will miss the impromptu #onversations over many varied and different topi#s and the fa#t that there was always something e+#iting to be speaking about. 7ar#y has been an in#redible asset to this s#hool and we have been immensely fortunate to have had him here as long as we have. *inally, to 7ar#y, this is the whakatauEki of the ew Fealand Poli#e. !t #hallenges us to embra#e the future and show leadership in all we do. !t was given to the Poli#e by a highly respe#ted kaumEtua and ! believe it is fitting to finish with it, as it en#ompasses all you have done and are bound to do in the future. %& t' ki te kei o te waka( kia p)kia koe e ng) ngaru o te w) * Stan! at the front of the waka an! feel the bite of the +pray upon one,+ fa e-%

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