Our 2025 school year starts on Monday 3rd of February. The school office will be open January 29th to 31st (open hours TBC.)

Thursday the 6th of February is Waitangi Day so school will be closed Thursday the 6th and please note we will also be closed on Friday the 7th. We make up for the Friday that we are closed at the end of Term 4. The school year ends at 12.30pm on Wednesday the 17th of December.

Below are the terms:

Wednesday 4th December 2024

Dear St. Patrick’s School and Parish Community, 

As we reach the end of the school year, the Board of Trustees would like to take this opportunity to reflect on what has been a remarkable year filled with both celebrations and challenges. It is a time for us to come together and acknowledge the journey we have undertaken as a school community. This year has seen us celebrate many milestones, experiences, learning  and extracurricular successes to the unity and spirit that define St. Patrick’s School. 

We have witnessed our students grow, thrive, and embrace their learning experiences, showcasing their talents and hard work in various events throughout the year. These moments of joy have reminded us of the incredible potential within each of our students and the importance of fostering an environment where they can shine. However, like any journey, we have faced our share of challenges. The past year has tested our resilience and adaptability, but it has also highlighted the strength of our community. Together, we have navigated obstacles, supported one another, and emerged stronger. The commitment of our staff, students, and families has been truly inspiring, reflecting the core values we hold dear at St. Patrick’s School. 

Last term we farewelled our Deputy Principal Paul Wallace who with mixed emotions, but absolute pride, we gifted him to  be the new Principal at St Mary’s in Hastings. Paul is absolutely blooming in his new role and we are excited to stay in touch and work alongside him in our Heretaunga Parish. Last term we also farewelled Lorraine Levy who has been a valuable member of our team as a Teacher Aide and so much more. 

It was with great sadness that we farewelled our Caretaker Paddy Blundell who was battling illness. In December we farewell Cath Hollands as our Proprietor’s Appointee on the Board. Cath is now a permanent member on our wonderful St Patrick’s staff so we are so fortunate to have her gifts and strengths particularly in strengthening our Special Character. 

As we come near the end of the year, we take a moment to reflect on the incredible contributions of two beloved teachers who will be departing our school. Kate Smith and Nikki Thompson have been integral members of our team, dedicating their time, talent, and passion to shaping the lives of our students. Their impact on our school community has been immeasurable, and we are so grateful for their service. While we will miss them dearly, we wish them all the best in their future endeavors and know they will continue to inspire wherever they go.

At the same time, we are thrilled to announce the appointment of Amanda Good as our new Deputy Principal for 2025! Amanda brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm, and we look forward to the exciting new ideas and leadership she will bring to our school.

Thank you all for your continued support as we celebrate the achievements of our departing teachers and welcome Amanda to her new role. Together, we look forward to an incredible 2025!

As we approach the end of the term, we look forward to the upcoming events that will allow us to celebrate the achievements of our students and staff. The final Mass at St. Patrick’s Church will be a poignant moment for reflection and gratitude, offering us a chance to come together in prayer and community spirit. In closing, we extend our heartfelt thanks to each member of the St. Patrick's School community for your unwavering support throughout the year. Together, we have created a nurturing environment that encourages growth, learning, and connection. We look forward to what the future holds and are excited to continue this journey with all of you. Wishing you all a joyful and peaceful end to the year. 

Warm regards, 

Rowena Macdonald  Chair, St. Patrick’s School Board of Trustees

Dear whanau and friends, 

This week as we entered advent, we remember the significance of it being an invitation – in the midst of the busyness and sometimes chaos of the holidays, it is time to pause, reflect, and prepare oneself spiritually for the arrival of Jesus. 

It is a time for us to examine our hearts, seek forgiveness, and prepare for the joy of Christmas with open spirits. The themes that accompany each week of this season serve to realign priorities, nourish faith, and create a sense of community as families and congregations come together in celebration.

By embracing the reflective nature of Advent, we can experience personal and collective renewal, leading to a more meaningful celebration of Christmas.

The first week of Advent centers on the theme of hope, and is marked by the lighting of the first candle on the Advent wreath, often called the “Prophecy Candle.” This  week,we reflect on the prophecies of the coming Messiah and the hope that these biblical messages inspire us further in our faith.

This is a time  to contemplate our spiritual journey, consider our  role in spreading hope, and prepare our hearts for the joy of Christmas. It serves as a reminder of the anticipation felt by those who awaited the birth of Christ thousands of years ago.

As we approach the end of another significant year, I would like to take a moment to reflect on the achievements and activities that have marked this term. Term 4, Week 8 brings with it a sense of anticipation and celebration as we prepare for the upcoming end-of-year events. This time of year is always bustling with energy as we finalize preparations for our annual events, including the final mass at St. Patrick’s Church. This Mass serves as a beautiful opportunity for us to come together as a community, to give thanks for the year that has passed, and to celebrate the achievements of our students, staff, and families.

 As we look to the future, it is with a mix of gratitude and sadness that we announce the farewell of two beloved teachers, Kate Smith and Nikki Thompson. Both have been integral members of our school community, contributing not only to the academic growth of our students but also to the vibrant culture and spirit of St. Patrick’s School. Their dedication, passion, and commitment have left an indelible mark on our students and staff alike. We will cherish the wonderful memories they have created with us and wish them all the best in their next adventures. 

As we draw closer to the conclusion of the school year, I encourage everyone to reflect on the journey we have taken together. Let us celebrate our successes, learn from our challenges, and look forward to the new opportunities that lie ahead. Thank you for your continued support and involvement in our school community. Let’s make the most of the remaining two weeks of this term and ensure a joyful and meaningful conclusion to the year. 

God bless,

Gem

It is with great sadness that we farewell two wonderful people who have had such a positive impact on our school and leave many treasured memories with us.

Kate "Smithy babe" is retiring and taking well deserved time to enjoy being with family. Kate leaves a legacy like no other, in particular her strong commitment to upholding the Special Character of our School. It is fair to say that Kate pours so much love into anyone that is blessed to have been taught by her or worked alongside her. Her passion and love for our students is testament to her and her faith. It has been heart warming to see our Marist and past students so eager yet full of emotion to be part of her farewell, Kate touch's the hearts of so many of us.  Kate is a well respected member of our Napier Parish Community. Kate promises to come back for day to day relieving. We too are not ready to let go of our Kate.

Nikki Thompson has spent her whole teaching career so far with us at St Pats. Nikki has worked across most parts of the school and has demonstrated outstanding knowledge of the Curriculum, the Special Character of the school and the needs of every child at the heart. Nikki has made lifelong friends and will be so missed by all. This year Nikki has lead a group of teachers in their professional learning around the Sciences of Learning. She has had other schools come in especially to see her wonderful practice and teaching of Structured Literacy and Numicon. Angels have been so blessed having her in their team. Nikki is heading to Greenmeadows Primary School, along with Nixon and Henry and we know she will fly and share her greatness in her new school. We wish Nikki and family the absolute best and our blessings as she journeys into new horizons for 2025 and beyond.

2024 has been a mixed year of celebrations, challenges, growth, new learning for both staff and students, but what we wish to highlight today is that the Special Character of our School continually shines through. It is a time of year where we as a school wish to acknowledge all the amazing people that have journeyed and continue to journey with us in making our place a very special one to be.

This year, we lost a great man. Paddy Blundell was our School Caretaker for over 10 years and he was not just a caretaker or colleague, he was our family and friend. In the new year we will invite Paddy's family to school and plant a tree to celebrate the wonderful life of Mr Blundell and continue to live on his legacy. Over the next few days we will be advertising for our next Caretaker to begin in 2025. We take pride in how amazing our school grounds are looking and we have one of the best local school cricket pitches thanks to the amazing Grant Manning.

2025 is going to be our year. It has been a very big few days collaborating and consulting on 2025 in building our big picture and vision. We are on a very exciting journey!  Change in itself can be very uncomfortable and unsettling . However, change also brings new opportunity, fresh perspectives, new learning and growth and so much more.

Our team structures have significantly changed for 2025 and so much thought, consideration, strategic planning, big picture thinking, reflections on this year have gone into this process. 

We’ve had consultation with our board appointments team and consultation and collaboration as a lead team. We see opportunities to progress and strengthen the journey we have started. The team structure has come from an entirely strength based approach.  We see four very solid teams with so much potential to see our vision through. With change, one of the most important considerations to factor in, is that we put robust support, mentorship, and systems in place to ensure we remain focused on the why and build momentum and most importantly, keep the momentum going. 

Crystal and Kaehlah are going to be our specialist  curriculum leaders and will work right across the school supporting our curriculum and pedagogy. Amanda Good as our new deputy Principal and Karina our DRS will play a pivotal part in supporting these roles and Karina will have a lens and scope on ensuring we are upholding the special character of our school. Amanda comes with a growth coaching skill set so keeping the momentum going, coaching at every layer will be a key part of the system. We feel we have planned solid systems and key people to raise student achievement and progress, continue to strengthen our student engagement and remain a leading school for having absolutely amazing attendance levels. We have specialist Literacy and Math Leaders and are excited to announce that in 2025 we will have a specialist learning and intervention teacher. Raewyn William's is going to work with and alongside teachers, individuals and groups of students who have been identified from our end of year data to accelerate their progress and raise schoolwide achievement in Literacy and Numeracy.

All staff in 2025 will have intense Professional Development in Structured Literacy with the guru herself Liz Kane. Our Deputy Principal has successfully lead a school and raised achievement particularly in the area of Literacy. Over our January 2025 Curriculum Teacher Only Days (in school holidays) all staff will unpack and explore further our new Maths and English Curriculum. We are confident that we are well on track here.

We are proud to say that we have exceptional teachers here at St Pat's and plan to capitalise on their diverse knowledge and skillset.

Gemma

2025 staff structure:

Principal -  Gemma Gardiner

Deputy Principal - Amanda Good 

DRS - Karina Campbell

Two schoolwide Curriculum Leaders - Kaehlah Dawson and Crystal Hewett

Team Leaders - Gary Exeter, Kaehlah Dawson, Crystal Hewett and Pip Draeger

Office Administrator - Sharon Halas

Office/Admin and Library - Merrill Baird

Caretaker - estimate of 30  hours TBC 

Pip - Team Leader 

Jan and Cath 

Matt  and Anna 

Cath - TA

Crystal - Team Leader

Paddy

Darin

Andrea -  TA
TA - TBC

Kaehlah - Team Leader

Elise

Karina

Heather - TA

Logan - TA

Gary - Team Leader

Rachael

Kate T/Kellie

Todd

Nicole - TA 

Kirsty - TA 

Your child's 2025 teacher will be recorded on their end of year report. Teams have worked hard on class lists this week ensuring we have considered friendships, best fit teachers, teaching and learning styles and so much more. We do not take this process lightly and it is done with robust conversations, collaboration and consultation. We give the process the utmost integrity with clarity and thought behind all decisions.

We hope you will vibe with us into 2025
Gem