Kia ora koutou,

Welcome back to Term 3. I hope everyone had plenty of wonderful family time over the holidays. It is awesome to see the tamariki all return refreshed and excited for the term ahead. The staff are all feeling fabulous after a well earned break.

Our grounds look stunning, despite the grass being a little soggy after all the rain we have had. We pride ourselves on our open door policy so please come in and visit any time, any day. Come and see your children in action. We will be sharing some of our stunning achievement data with you all soon. We are proud of the progress we are seeing and how happy and engaged our children are in their learning.

Last term reports and learning stories went out and we would love to hear your feedback. We will be sending out a google survey this week as well as approaching groups of people to collect voice and feedback. We wish to respond to our whanau wishes and aspirations for their tamariki so gathering feedback is imperative. Please do email me directly if you have any specific feedback ggardiner@stpatsnapier.school.nz

Interviews have been this week and have gone super well. We have received some amazing feedback from families recognising all the wonderful learning that is happening.

Our staff are working probably the hardest they have in their careers doing their utmost to deliver an outstanding, inclusive education for every child that enters our gate. Our children are so happy and our attendance rates reflect this. We pride ourselves on always remaining over 90% attendance rates. We have embedded Numicon Math programs and Structured Literacy full time and seeing significant progress school wide. Our innovative pedagogy and best practice schoolwide is something we pride ourselves on.

Finally, how exciting and humbling to have won the best school in Hawke's Bay announced by The Hits radio station last week. It was so much fun to have Adam and Meagan visit our singing assembly. They loved our singing. We are very proud and thank our whole community for getting behind us. The Hits received over 2000 votes so it was an incredibly popular competition.


Blessings,
Gemma

Our St Patrick's BOT pride ourselves on our commitment to governing/leading our amazing St Patrick's School and have an awesome team of knowledgeable, skilled and connected members. We welcome two new parent reps to our Board of Trustees - Willie Tran and Kirsty Karangaroa. Both Kirsty and Willie bring a wealth of knowledge and connections to the wider community. We also welcome Patrick Doohan as a proprietor rep - Patrick is an active member of our Napier Parish and has the utmost integrity in upholding the Special Character of our school.

Celebrating 100 Days of School in the Mission Whanau What an amazing, fun day we have had. From Chapel prayers of thanks to predicting where we’ll be after 100 steps, blowing up 100 balloons, creating our own unique party hat or seeing ourselves as a 100 year old and writing about it. The highlight for our tamariki was probably the shared long lunch. Thank you whānau for the very generous and delicious goodies your children brought in to share. A special shout out to Ms Macdonald and SJ15 for organising our special day. We are a bit exhausted after our 100th day at school!

Jesus Christ took three of His disciples, Peter, James, and John, up on a mountain, where Moses and Elijah appeared and Jesus was transfigured before them; His face and clothes becoming white and shining as light, and a voice came out of heaven saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; listen to Him” (Mk 9:2-13; Mt 17:1-13; Lk 9:28-36).
On August 6th, the Church celebrates the Transfiguration of the Lord as a major feast day. The Transfiguration is a theophany — a manifestation of God — showing Christ’s divinity through the display of His uncreated, divine light. This dates back to before 1000 A.D. in the Eastern Catholic Church.
Pope Francis address August 2017 spoke these words: 
He said the Feast of the Transfiguration is an invitation to put God and others first, adding that the lazy summer months are the perfect time to take a step back and refocus on the essentials.
Vatican City (CNA/EWTN News).- "The event of the Transfiguration of the Lord offers us a message of hope: it invites us to encounter Jesus, in order to be at the service of our brothers," the Pope said during his Aug. 6 Angelus address.
Looking to pilgrims gathered in a sweltering St. Peter's Square, he turned to the day's Gospel passage from St. Matthew, which recounted the event of the Transfiguration and the disciples descent down the mountain afterward.
The image of the disciples going down Mount Tabor serves as a reminder of the importance of detaching ourselves from worldly things, and walking toward Christ, he said.
And to do this, he added, involves dedicating ourselves to an "attentive and prayerful listening to Christ," by looking for "intimate moments of prayer that allow the docile and joyful welcoming of the Word of God."
Speaking in August, when most Romans are out on vacation, he said summer time is the perfect opportunity to delve into this prayer, and called summer a "providential moment to enhance our commitment to seek and encounter the Lord."
"In this period, students are free from scholastic duties and many families are taking their vacation; it's important that in the time of rest and detachment from daily concerns, they can re-energize the forces of body and spirit, deepening their spiritual path."
Returning to the image of the Transfiguration, Pope Francis noted that the disciples went back down the mountain with "eyes and hearts transfigured by their encounter with the Lord."
This is also a path that we can take, he said, adding that the "ever more vivid" rediscovery of Jesus is not an end in itself, but rather something that leads us to go down the mountain ourselves, "recharged by the strength of the Divine Spirit."
With this renewed strength, we'll be able to take "new steps of authentic conversion" and will be able to "constantly bear witness to charity, as a law of daily life."
By allowing ourselves to be transformed by the presence of Christ and his Word, we will become concrete signs of love for our brothers and sisters, Francis said, especially those who suffer due to loneliness, abandonment, illness, injustice and violence.
He closed his address by turning to Mary, who is "always ready to welcome and guard in her heart every word of her Divine Son."
Pope Francis prayed that Mary would help all to enter into harmony with the Word of God, enabling Christ to be "the light and guide" of our entire lives, and entrusted to her all those on vacation during the summer months.
"To her we entrust the vacation of everyone, so that they are serene and profitable," he said, and offered a special prayer for those who are unable to take vacation due to age, health, work or financial trouble.

As part of our ongoing commitment to improving and reflection on reporting to whanau at St Patrick's School we invite all families to complete the Google Form about our Reports/Learning Journals/Learning Stories.
Year 1-4; You receive Learning Stories for your child/children.
Year 5-8; You receive a Report for you child/children.
We would appreciate your constructive feedback on these.
Please select the link below.
Link to Google Form here
Many thanks for your support!

Mr Wallace is currently working with the maths extension group to select students for two Year 7 Teams and two Year 8 Teams. Each team consists of 3 members and we will have 1 person as a 'backup' person should someone be sick. If your child is successful in being selected for a team they will need to be available for  Wednesday 25 September  (NB both year groups on same date.)
Year 7 at 4.30 pm
Year 8: at 6:30pm
Venue – St Joseph’s School, Hastings

ACTIVITY ONE:  Individual and Team Problem Solving

a)  Each session – (Year 7 & Year 8) will consist of three sections with all teams completing each section together.

(1)   Individual: Ten multiple choice questions. The scoring of the Ten Questions component will be 3 marks for each correct answer, with no marks deducted for an incorrect answer. There will be no communication between team members for this section. The top three individual scorers will be acknowledged.
 
(2)  Timed Challenge: Teams will be given five cooperative problem-solving questions one at a time each of 4 – 5 minute duration. Points allocated will be 10, 8, 6, 4, 0 decreasing as time passes.

(3)  Team Challenge: Teams will complete as many of the possible 25 questions in the allocated time. The scoring will be 5 marks if correct on first attempt; 4 marks if correct second attempt; 3 marks if correct regardless of number of attempts. Some recognition is therefore given for accuracy as well as speed. Teams may pass on any question they cannot solve and receive the next question. Passed questions cannot be retrieved.
 
The points gained by each team in the three sections will be added for the final team score.

Once assessment for the selection are complete, you and your child with be notified by Mr W. 
Thanks!
Paul. 

Dear Whanau, 

Within our community there are students who shine brightly, displaying exemplary dedication and academic talent. They deserve to be recognised and this year we are giving them the opportunity to showcase and celebrate their talents in the world-renowned ICAS competition.

ICAS is an online academic competition that gives students the opportunity to challenge their higher order thinking and problem solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science, Writing, Spelling Beem and Digital Technologies. Every student who participates is celebrated and recognised with a printed certificate in each subject area. 

Learn more about the ICAS here. https://www.icasassessments.com/

This year, our students can elect to sit the following assessments, a paper version is also coming home. 

Subject | Sitting Date | Cost to Families (NZ$)
Digital Technologies | 5 - 9 August | $21.50
Writing | 5 - 9 August | $27.75
English | 12 - 16 August | $21.50
Science | 19 - 23 August | $21.50
Spelling Bee | 19 - 23 August | $21.50
Mathematics | 26 - 30 August | $21.50

If you wish to have your child/children participate in ICAS this year, please: 

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Privacy Collection Statement
The following information is a privacy notification about how your child’s data is kept private and secure…
Privacy Collection Statement 
Janison is aware of our responsibility to protect the identity of, and all information relating to, children, and students in general, from disclosure and consequently Janison does not: 
collect any personal information or data of children other than as required for the purposes of completion of the assessment, test or exam; 
transfer any personal information or data obtained during the delivery of assessments, tests or exams conducted in Australia to any jurisdiction outside of Australia other than with the specific consent of the person, or his or her parent or guardian; 
transfer any personal information or data obtained during the delivery of assessments, tests or exams conducted in other international regions out of the child’s jurisdiction other than with the specific consent of the person, or his or her parent or guardian; 
share any personal information or data relating to children or students with any third parties (other than a third party whose services are necessary for servicing our products, e.g. print/distribution companies, medal engraving, etc.) except with the specific consent of the person, or his or her parent or guardian; 
use any personal information or data relating to children or students for marketing purposes. 
Janison may retain personal information and data relevant to a child for their future purposes or for research purposes by Janison for the duration of the school life cycle of the child. However, if you or your child at any time wish to have their personal information or data removed from our systems, they or you may opt out by simply contacting our Privacy Officer  at  privacy@janison.com. 
We are excited to be offering ICAS to our students this year and look forward to celebrating their achievements. 

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions
Kind Regards
Paul Wallace. - pwallace@stpatsnapier.school.nz 

Next Term we have many awesome things happening at St Pats.

Week 3: Monday, 5 August: HB Rugby working with Marist. Wednesday, 7 August: Sacrament of Eucharist Parent Meeting.  Wednesday, 7 August; School Photos. - Friday, 9 August: Year 7&8 and Sibling School Photos
Week 4: Sunday, 11 August: Session 1: Eucharist. Tuesday, 13 August: Barbier Chapel Mass
Week 5: Sunday, 18 August: Session 2: Eucharist.
Week 6: Sunday, 25 August: Session 3: Eucharist. Monday, 26 August: HB Cricket working with Mission.
Week 7: Wednesday, 4 September: School Cross Country.
Week 8: Sunday, 8 September: Session 4: Eucharist. Tuesday, 10 September: Forest Chapel Mass.
Week 9: Sunday, 15 September: Sacrament of First Holy Communion. Tuesday, 17 September: Interschool Cross Country.
Week 10:  Wednesday, 25 September: Mathletics; Year 5/6 and Year 7/6.
Friday, 27 September: Term 3 ends

Sacred Heart College
Touch of Class this year will be held in Term 3, Week 3, Wednesday 7 August.
Attached is the information that was emailed to all the parents of Year 7 and Year 8 girls. Sacred Heart College will provide transport.  The bus times are below.
Scholarships are also available.
Touch of Class 2024
• students who may be interested in attending Sacred Heart College and are in Year 7 or Year 8 in a state
intermediate school. If your daughter is attending a state school and would like to attend (or if you know of other
families who may be interested in attending) please contact Mrs Brassington in the school office by Friday 2
August.
The day will start at 9.30am in the SHC Mission Centre. We have arranged for buses to transport students, please see
below. Our purpose is to give the students an opportunity to experience a day in the life of a high school student. They
will engage in some new curriculum experiences and become familiar with our beautiful site.
Students should wear their school uniform, bring pen and paper and some ‘active wear’ to participate in a variety of
activities. If there are any health issues we should be aware of, please notify the College office. The students will also
need to bring their lunch and a drink. No devices please.
Our Open Evening will be on Tuesday 20 August at 6.30pm. You are invited to this occasion. If you are unable to attend
you are welcome to visit the College and be given a tour at a time that suits you.
Enrolments are open for 2025.
Enrolment and scholarship forms are available on our website. Please return completed forms to our school office. Closing
date for non-preference enrolments is Friday 23 August. All other enrolments close on Monday 2 September. We will
then be in touch to organise a time for an enrolment interview. Please contact Lisa Brassington on 835 3761 if you have
any questions. 

• ‘Z’ Station, Havelock North 8.20am departure
• St Joseph’s School, Eastbourne St, Hastings 8.30am departure
• St Mary’s School, Frederick St, Hastings 8.50am departure
• Avondale Road at the Taradale Clock Tower 8.50am departure
• St Patrick’s School, Riverbend Road, Napier 9.00am departure
The buses will depart from Sacred Heart at 2pm and follow the reverse route home.

Scholarships
Scholarships 2025

The Sacred Heart College Board of Trustees invites you to apply for one of our seven Year 9 Scholarships for 2025. As a school, we take pride in a culture that promotes academic, cultural, spiritual and sporting excellence, which also aims at developing citizenship and leadership in our young people. We also aim to support those who wish to avail of a Catholic education but are unable to do so due to financial hardship.
We invite applications for the following scholarships:
•Academic Scholarship of $1000. This will be awarded to a student who can provide evidence of exceptional academic ability.
•All-Rounder Scholarship of $1000. This will be awarded to a student who can provide evidence of excellence across two or more fields of endeavour: Academic, Sporting, Cultural and Leadership
•Leadership Scholarship of $1000. This will be awarded to a student in recognition of the leadership they have demonstrated whilst attending intermediate school.
•Sports Scholarship of $1000. This will be awarded to a student who excels in a sporting area.
•Cultural Scholarship of $1000. This will be awarded to a student whose involvement in instrumental music, choir, singing, debating, public speaking, dance, drama, or Kapa Haka has been of a high level.
•Catholic Character Scholarship of $1000. This will be awarded to a student who is actively involved in their faith and shows leadership in the area of Catholic Character.
•Dr. Ramsay Perera and Mrs. Sita Perera memorial Scholarship of $1500. This Scholarship will be awarded to incoming Year 9 students who experience financial hardship.
•Hibernian Catholic Benefit Scholarship $850 We also aim to support those who wish to avail of a Catholic education but are unable to do so due to financial hardship.
How to Apply
To apply for a Sacred Heart College Scholarship, you must provide the following:
1. Your completed Sacred Heart College enrolment form for 2025 (available on the Sacred Heart College website under the Enrolment tab)
2. The Scholarship Application Form
3. A letter, in your own handwriting, introducing yourself to SHC. This should describe:
•Who you are
•Some ‘public’ information on your family
•What you most enjoy doing, both in and out of school
•What you would like to do at high school
•What career(s) you are considering
4. Your CV – this should be an outline of your abilities and previous achievements in the areas you wish to highlight. Remember to highlight academic, cultural, sporting and leadership achievements. These should be backed up by copies (not originals) of:
•Latest school report (this will likely be a final school report from last year)
•Any certificates/ awards
•Testimonials, letters of congratulations
Each of the scholarship winners will be selected on the following basis:
• Applicant’s letter
• A Curriculum Vitae which outlines the student’s previous achievements across a range of
activities.
Your application must be received by the school no later than Friday 23 August. Applicants should
expect to hear the results of the selection process by Friday 6 September.
Successful applicants must notify the school of their acceptance of the scholarship by Tuesday 10
September. The scholarships will be in the form of a single payment into your school account from
which students/ families may draw to pay any school-related costs. Uniform, sports gear, sport
subscriptions, subject fees, school trips, music tuition, Attendance Dues etc. are all appropriate uses of
these funds. It is not a requirement that all money be spent in the first year and any balance will be
carried forward.
Important dates
Friday 23 August - Application form, letter, and CV to Sacred Heart College

Tēnā koe
Outcome of review of school bus services in the Bay View and Clive areas
Information has come back from the MoE regarding the Bay View and Clive areas. This review is part of a wider review of the school bus services in the Napier and Hastings areas.
This information is to formally confirm the Ministry has completed its review of the Ministry-funded school bus services in the Bay View and Clive areas.
School bus service changes from 2025 - Ministry of Education Decision...
We have been notified that from the end of the 2024 school year, the Ministry school bus services from Bay View and Clive to our school will no longer be operating. 
This means that the following school bus services will be canceled and will not be running next year. This is a decision that has been made and made by the Ministry of Education. Nothing to do with the school
• Bay View – D050404, D050405, D050406, D050417
• Clive – D050407, D050419, D050422 .

Frequently asked questions:
Review of school bus services in Bay View & Clive areas

Recent changes in the public transport network in Napier and Hastings meant that we needed to take a look at all of the Ministry school bus services in these areas to make sure that they are operating within our policy settings. In addition, over time there have been changes in the location of eligible students and the schooling network that may also have affected your school bus routes status.

The Ministry is funded to offer School Transport Assistance to eligible students only and we are required to work within our school transport assistance policy settings. These settings are designed to help us make effective and efficient use of limited resources and helps us maintain the integrity of local schooling networks across New Zealand.

Reviews of school bus services such as this one for Napier and Hastings are also occurring in other places across the country. 

School Transport Assistance is provided by the Ministry of Education to help parents overcome barriers to education and meet their responsibility to get their children to school. This assistance is provided when distance and/or accessibility may be a barrier for students attending the closest school that they can enrol at. Students must meet certain criteria to qualify for school transport assistance.

To be eligible for school transport assistance, students must meet all three of the following criteria:

1.       The student must attend their closest state or state-integrated school.

2.       The student must live more than a certain distance from the school:

·         Years 1-8: At least 3.2 km

·         Years 9-13: At least 4.8 km

3.       There must be no suitable public transport options.

Your child is ineligible for school transport assistance as they do not meet our eligibility criteria. They are not going to their closest school they can enroll at and/or there is public transport available.

One of the eligibility criteria for Ministry-funded transport assistance is that students must be enrolled at their closest state or state-integrated school. For students attending a state-integrated school, the school must be the closest school of its specific character type. A special character school usually has a philosophical or religious belief as part of their school programme. Under the Education and Training Act 2020, single sex education is not defined as a 'type' of special character school.

No. The changes will result in there being only two buses servicing the Bay View area, one for eligible primary students and one for eligible secondary students. There will not be any spare capacity on these buses to carry ineligible students.

How can my child get to school now?

You may also wish to talk with families in your area to see if you could work together on other transport options, such as carpooling. 

There is also public transport available in both Bay View and Clive to Napier. Timetable and routes are available through the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council website.

We have moved out of the dark ages and now all of our school Policies are readily available to view online via 'SchoolDocs". These are reviewed at Board Meetings regularly.
https://stpatsnapier.schooldocs.co.nz
User name: stpatsnapier
Password: riverbend