Quote of the WeekI believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.

C.S. Lewis

Prayer for the Year

Gospel Values for Term Four:

Trust and Hope

191 3 t h D e c e m b e r

2 0 1 3

I S S U E

Birthday Wishes

Noah Oudemans – 9th DecemberWillem Haket – 30th DecemberElla Hart – 31st DecemberMiss P – 11th JanuaryHannah Berry – 14th JanuarySummer Larsen – 20th January

Highs of 2013-Athletics Sports, the

schools performance at

the District Athletics

-School Fair

-Having Miss P join us

-School Camp to the

West Coast

-The Ka Toi performance

-Welcoming of all the

new students to our

school

Lows of 2013-Losing the Suddaby

family from the

town/school

-Losing Mrs Suddaby

from our staff

-Losing Miss P

-Losing Mrs Stringer

-Losing our Year 8

students

Athletics Sports, the

Prayer of the Week

Quote of the Fortnight“When you are discontent, you always want more, more, more. Your desire can never be satisfied. But when you practice contentment, you can say to yourself, Oh yes - I already have everything that I really need.”The Dalai Lama

With the help of the Holy Spirit, may all people learn to work together for that justice which brings true and lasting peace.To you be glory and honour for ever and ever.Amen

Glory BeGlory be to the Father,and to the Son,and to the Holy Spirit,as it was in the beginning,is now, and ever shall be,world without end. Amen.

The students showing how much they have enjoyed having Miss P as their teacher. We are all going to miss Becky and we wish her all the best for her future and her new position at St Josephs School in Papanui.

Unfortunately the end of the year also means we will be saying goodbye to our longest standing staff member Mrs Stringer. Louise will not be moving out of the area so I’m sure we will be seeing her around. We wish her all the best as she takes up a position at Waihao Downs School next year.

StaffWith the imminent and sad departure of Miss P we are currently recruiting for a replacement. Applications close today (Friday the 13th) and shortlisting will be done over the weekend. Hopefully interviewing will be done and an appointment made before Christmas. Becky has had a wonderful start to her career here at St Patrick’s and I am very confident that her career will go from strength to strength. She has been a focused and diligent professional and I consider myself fortunate to have had the pleasure of working with her. I also know that our school is much better off for having had her here. Once her replacement has been appointed, we will then begin recruiting a replacement for Mrs Stringer who is also leaving us after 10 years service to St Patrick’s. Louise is leaving to take up a full-time Long-Term Reliever’s position at Waihao Downs. Louise has taught here since she graduated, firstly in the senior side of the school, but will be best remembered for her service in the Junior Room, firstly as Miss Wilson and then as Mrs Stringer. Louise has provided Principal Release for me over the past 3.5 years and release for MissP this year as well. Whilst none of us like too much change, Mrs Stringer deserves

Friends at St Pats

Thank you to the

staff, parents,

students and

everyone else that

has helped out over

the year. We have

had many

fundraising

opportunities and

without the

generous support we

would not be able to

use these chances.

The committee

would like to wish

you all a very Merry

Christmas and a safe

and happy New Year.

We look forward to a

great and successful

2014.

We do have one last

fundraising event

which is a garage

sale happening this

Saturday morning

(14th December). We

will be trying to sell

the last of the items

leftover from the

school fair, so please

tell your friends and

family to come on

down to grab a

bargain – who knows

what little treasures

you might find.

Principal’s Commentary:

an opportunity to have her own class again and she will be a positive addition to the teaching staff at the Downs. We wish Louise all the best for this next big step in her teaching career. Any appointments will be published on the Staff page of the school website at www.st-pats.co.nz

2014I am anticipating that 2014 will be a great year for St Patrick’s. I am hopeful that there will be a permanent appointment made to the teaching staff and that finally the Board will appoint a permanent Catholic Principal. This too will be in the best interests of the school.

My ThanksTo all of those parents throughout the year, that in so many different ways, show their on-going support for what we do here, I most humbly thank you. To all those parishioners and members of our wider school community that offer assistance, encouragement and support, I thank you too. To my absolutely superb bunch of students, that work so hard (well, sometimes) but that do so well- all of the time; I thank you. You have no idea how much I enjoy teaching you guys. Your challenges become my challenges, but your successes are my reward. To my colleagues with whom I work: you’re all stark raving mad! But I love coming to work with you all. Colleen Moulton, Jess Bailey, Jo Shea, Louise Stringer, Miss P, and of course the ‘no longer with us’ Mrs Suddaby. You have no idea how much you brighten up a day. A little insanity goes a long way. Thankfully none of you have quite gotten to the totally demented stage yet, because that would bring in a whole new set of challenges.

St Patricks SchoolPeople seriously underestimate just what a great wee school this is, and why. Those parents that com on camp will now

have a better idea, but those other families that could be at our school, and aren’t; they’ll never know. You just have to be a part of it to get it. Our school is the most coolest, funn-est ‘high-achieving-est’ school around. Our kids are happy. Our kids are well-behaved. Our kids are respectful, even when they’re being “naughty” and our kids are engaged in learning and ‘doing!’ Our kids are 21st

century kids with attitude.Some of the changes recently being announced in some of the schools around South Canterbury lately, have caused me some mirth and I have to admit, the littlest bit of smugness, because we have been doing for a year or more, what they are talking about trialling next year. We are most definitely a 21st century school. We have already proven that digital technology makes a big difference. Our school is leading, not following and our kids are the confident, caring and creative people that our logo says we want them to be. One of our secret weapons – one of the things that makes us so different from those other schools, aside from our special character (actually this is part of our special character) is that our staff have an investment in our school as well. I am not talking about those staff that are parents in the school, I refer to all of our staff. They all, without exception, all go a long way out of their way to get stuff done, often with no recognition or reimbursement, other than the odd belated thanks. Nowhere else where I have worked would staff do that. Nowhere would you see the support staff purchasing stuff for the school from their own pocket or donating time (and lots of it) with no expectation of being paid. Nowhere else would you see staff busting a gut to make sure that the kids are sorted for this show or for that event. Nowhere else would you see the support staff conning their relations into contributing towards school

Café on QueenCafé on Queen

Café and Wine BarOpen 7 days

25 Queen StreetPh: (03) 689 6010

BreakfastsLunches

Evening Meals

Consult us for all yourspecial occasion catering

School Notices

Term Dates – The

2014 school term dates

are available on our

school website

calendar. www.st-

pats.co.nz Essentially

though school starts

back on Tuesday 28th

January 2014.

Swimming – We will

be swimming in the

New Year so please

make sure your

children have their togs

and a towel with them

most days.

Subway – This will

resume next year, we

will keep you updated

on dates.

Reports – These will

be posted out early

next week. Keep an

eye on the letter box

and perhaps keep the

kids away from them

too!

Quote of the Year

“The test of our

prosperity is not

whether we add

more to the

abundance of those

who alreadyhave

much; it is whether

we provide enough

for those who

alreadt have too

little.”

Adapted from

Franklin D.

Roosevelt

St Patrick’ School would like to thank the following sponsors

fundraisers, and nowhere else would you see a school’s support staff coming on camp, or being comfortable enough to contribute opinions on school activities. It’s because they are such a good team and because the environment encourages collaboration, which ironically is at the heart of 21st century learning. They do it because they are a great bunch of good people and we are really lucky to have them in our school. I have said it before though, that the real heart of a school is the kids in it and that they will determine the school environment. In our school, we have such a cool bunch of students. From the “munchkins” in the junior class to the big, mean and grumpy year 8 students, they are all the finest ambassadors for our school. We have got some real characters in our junior room, with real hard-case personalities, but I would bet you that they will all excel at something and they will all represent our school most ably at something over the next 8 or so years that they are here. I wouldn’t trade one of them and I certainly would not want to change any of them. We want our kids to learn and grow as themselves and we want them to excel in whatever form that they are good at. Not all of our kids are Catholic. Not all of them are even slightly ‘regularly’ church going, but they are all part of what constitutes our special character:

“Since many of you do not constitutes our special character: “Since many of you do not belong to the Catholic Church and others are non-believers, from the bottom of my heart I give this silent blessing to each and every one of you, respecting the conscience of each one of you but knowing that each one of you is a child of God”. Pope Francis 1

Our students with their regular weekly attendance at Mass, their adherence to the Catholic curriculum and the range of spiritual guidance and observations that they receive in their homes are definitely living and breathing the special character and they are so the reason why this school is by far the best school in town. We will inevitably lose a few along the way and we will gain a few, but the essence of the school remains with the students. National Standards reporting (and evidence) shows that the direction that the school is heading in provides a very successful recipe for student

achievement. The Board of Trustees do a superb job of monitoring student achievement, fiscal responsibility and policy development. They set the direction of the school, provide the resources or the means to get them and then they leave us (the staff) alone to get on withgetting the school there. We regularly report to them on progress or problems and then continue. The Board demands accountability, as they should do, but they understand the delineation between governance and management and thankfully the days of the Board wasting time discussing management issues has long past and the board is totally focussed on student achievement. In my thirteen years of involvement in schools I have never had the pleasure of working with someone with such professionalism and commitment as our Board Chairperson and I cannot help but reiterate that without his support and determination I do not believe that the school would be as well off as it is now. Gareth provides spiritual enthusiasm and commitment as well as intellectual and even physical resources around the school. Gareth also provides sound counsel for me as principal and a professional ear and advice when necessary.Naku noa naMe rongo (In peace)Darcy Kemp

Message from the Chairperson of the Board of TrusteesA Prayer for Christmas Morning

The day of joy

returns, Father in

Heaven, and crowns

another year with

peace and good will.

Help us rightly to

remember the birth

of Jesus, that we

may share in the

song of the angels,

the gladness of the

shepherds, and the

worship of the wise

men.

Close the doors of

hate and open the

doors of love all over

the world.

Let the kindness

come with every gift

and good desires

with every greeting.

Deliver us from evil,

by the blessing that

Christ brings, and

teach us to be merry

with clean hearts.

May the Christmas

morning make us

happy to be thy

children, And the

Christmas evening

bring us to our bed

with grateful

thoughts, forgiving

and forgiven, for

Jesus’ sake.

Amen

By Robert Louis

Stevenson

Another school year has reached its conclusion so now is the time for reflection on the year that has passed and anticipation for the year that is to come.It has been another successful year here at St Patrick’s and for that we thank the wonderful staff who make the school the fantastic place that it is. The Boards focus is on student achievement and learning outcomes and this is made considerably easier by the tremendous leadership and guidance we receive from our Acting Principal, Mr Kemp. I have the genuine pleasure of working closely with Darcy in my role as Board Chairperson and can wholehearted say that all our students benefit from his tireless effort, his enthusiasm and wry wit. To Mr Kemp, thank you for a great 2013 and we look forward to your continued leadership, guidance, friendship and commitment to the school and its students and their families in 2014.This year we welcomed Miss Rebecca-Sue Pratt into our school and how quickly she became an integral part of our school and became adored by our kids. Miss P has been an absolute gem. With her ready smile and cheerful disposition she made everyone feel welcome and didn’t the kids respond to her. Just a word of caution though, she is ruthless when playing cards. It is with more than just a tinge of sadness that we farewell Miss P as she moves on in her career. We wish her every success in the future and invite her to call back and see us whenever she is down this way.We also thank Mrs Suddaby for her tireless drive and vision in preparing the kids for the Ka Toi Flava Festival. She has high expectations of what our children can achieve and usually they respond admirably. We wish the Suddaby’s all the best for the future in Fairlie.Thank you to Mrs Stringer for her support this year providing release time for Mr Kemp and Miss P and ensuring that things keep working smoothly with little or no disruption, not an easy thing to do.Thank you to Mrs Shea our teacher aid. As always there is never a dull moment when you are around. Your sense of humour is always welcome and many of our students have benefitted from the one on one work that Mrs Shea has provided this year.And Mrs Bailey, who could forget Jess. Jess provides plenty of support to the school in her role as office administrator that often is unrecognised. Her work above and beyond is greatly appreciated and often it’s easy to forget to thank people for the extra work they do.I would like to thank the Friends at St Pat’s fundraising group for their untiring efforts in fundraising for the school. Without their hard work, dedication and can do attitude our school wouldn’t be able to provide the facilities it does, go on school camps at a low cost to families or hold events, like the school fair, which invite the wider community into the school so they can see first-hand what we all know, what a great school we have here.I would like to thank my fellow Board members for having the courage and interest in their children’s education to make the commitment to stand on the Board of Trustees. This is not always an easy role to undertake and can, at times, be an overwhelming and daunting prospect however, the rewards are many. We are blessed to have a Board that is focussed on giving all students the best education we can provide for them. This can be challenging, especially when changing things from the way they have always been done, to how we need them to be done for our kids today so that it is relevant and meaningful to them and their futures. So to all Board members you have my thanks.Finally to the reason we are all here at St Patrick’s, the kids and their families. Thank you. Thank you for supporting the school. You are what makes this school because without you none of us would be here today. We are a Special Character School, it is our point of difference and it is what sets us apart, but without students and their families we would have nothing. It is the whole school community that makes this school special. Everyone makes this school what it is.Finally, may God bless you all this Christmas season. May he watch over you and keep you safe. If you are travelling for the holidays may you safely reach your destinations and return home safe and well.

Gareth Oudemans

School Camp

The whole-school camp to Greymouth went off superbly last week with 27 children and 14 adults camping at the Seaside Top 10 holiday park in Greymouth for the week. The weather was great for most of the time with only a few showers during daytime. There was a little bit more during the last night, just to remind us of what it can really rain like. Even the sandflies were particularly polite, with minimal blood loss and only a few requiring treatment for itchy bites to the exposed bits. This was despite the kids and adults spending a lot of time on the beach. The activities were well received although there were a few apprehensive (or was it terrified) munchkins at the On Yer Bike “Haglund” ride. It may actually have been some of the attending parents that were a bit apprehensive?The seniors and adults enjoyed the blackwater rafting at Charleston and all students enjoyed the day in Hokitika and the visit to Shantytown. The camp was a resounding success, in planning and fundraising and in children’s expectations and also in how it linked to the curriculum. It was a real pleasure to be able to provide authentic contexts for the students learning that linked into what they had been working on all term. To be able to pan for gold at Shantytown was great. To be successful was even better and I think that everyone was. They all came away with a wee collection of alluvial gold. Being able to take them into the great outdoors and let them loose with icecream containers (and 1 gold pan) and for the more determined ones to actually find real gold in their containers was priceless. I am sure that even some of the parents were getting goldfever. (Please check out the photographs on our facebook page or on our school website gallery.) The camp could not have happened without the determined efforts of a small group of fundraisers and a very dedicated employee or two. The friends@st-pats raised a huge amount of money which made the camp more affordable for everyone. The school fair, the catering, the Waimate 50, kids selling candles, bath-bombs and sherbet; it all helped and without the efforts of all those people, the total cost of camp would have been prohibitive for many. Thank you to everyone that chipped in and helped raise money. Thank you especially to Toni Oudemans for her efforts throughout the entire year. “Ehara taku toa, he taki tahi, he toa taki tini”The camp could also not have happened without the great wee bunch of adults that attended. Jo Shea, Stu Price, Mike Cadogan, Anna Hart, Luke Stanistreet, Miss P, Jess Bailey, Todd Bailey, Claire Tait, Lee-Anne Smart, Melissa Thomson and Ron Haket. You folk were all absolutely superb and the camp ran like clockwork. There were many laughs and lots of incredibly bad jokes and humor, which we can’t share with you of course, because what goes on camp……! I can say though, that if you want some really good text jokes, that the ‘go to’ person for those is umm, …………. Yeah,……. Naaaah….. I cant. I am reasonably confident that after that camp that next year’s will be well subscribed to by parents; wherever it may be to. (That will depend on the topic for the term)

Check out the camp photos of the big event. Many thanks to Claire and Toni for supplying photos.