Week 7 Wow, isn’t the term whizzing by. 3 weeks to go!
Teacher Only Day - Tomorrow
Monday 27 November
is a Teacher Only Day. There will be NO school for our children. If you
need care for your children on Monday you can contact Mary-Ann Roling on 347 0709 or 0211 215599
Student Led Conferences Room 9 will not be having Student Led Conferences on Thursday as the
children are so new to school. The
children will still take home their portfolios on Friday. Please take the time to go through this with
your child, as a lot of time and effort goes into creating these.
Follow up to 5.1 testing –
parent discussions Now that I have completed testing all of the
children who have had 4 weeks at school, please make a time
to meet with me over the next week so that we can discuss your child’s next
learning steps. This should take
approximately 10 - 15 minutes. I am
usually at school fairly early if you prefer a morning appointment. Feel free to contact me via email to arrange
a time to meet, nicolag@stmarysrotorua.school.nz.
Thanks to those parents I have already met with.
Big Day Out – Thursday 7
December A permission slip went home last
Thursday. All children need to return this
to school as soon as possible. Thanks to
those parents who have offered to help and supervise a small group of children
for the day. The more helpers we have, the easier it is for everyone. Parents please bring your togs as we will
need parents in the water, supervising the children.
Young Vinnies Can
Collection Thanks
to those of you who have already donated cans.
The Young Vinnies are continuing to collect cans of food for the food
bank. Each can the children bring to
school, earns a point for their house. We will keep the cans in our classroom, and
the Young Vinnies will do a collection each Friday.
Swimming No swimming
for us this week.
Construction The
builders were hard at work on Friday.
The area directly outside our class is now a building site. On Tuesday morning the children will need to
access Room 9 via Room 10’s sliding door.
We will keep our bags inside our classroom. Hopefully
the disruptions will be kept to a minimum, but if we are not in our room at the
end of the day, we will probably be in the hall.
Drink bottles Now that the weather is getting warmer, it
is a good idea to send your child to school with their own drink bottle of water.
A Message from Mrs Hall – Director of Religious Studies
On Tuesday at 10:00 we
will hold our Advent Liturgy in the hall.
All parents are welcome.
Advent is a season
observed in many Christian churches as a time of expectant waiting and
preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. The term
is a version of the Latin word meaning 'coming'The Advent season lasts for four
Sundays. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, or the nearest Sunday
to November 30. Advent ends on Christmas Eve and thus is not considered part of
the Christmas season.
One of the most
common Advent traditions involves the use of evergreen wreaths, branches, and
trees. On the first Sunday of Advent, churches and homes are decorated with
green to symbolise the eternal life that Jesus brings. An Advent wreath—an
evergreen circle with four coloured candles surrounding a white one in the
middle—is placed in a prominent spot. The candles are then lighted one at a
time, on successive Sundays. The first candle is the candle of “hope” or
“expectation.” The three remaining candles on the perimeter are given various
meanings depending on the church. On Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, the centre
white candle is lighted; this is the “Christ Candle,” a reminder that Jesus,
the Light of the
Word, has come.
A message from Mr Macmillan – Rotorua Christmas Parade
The Christmas Parade is only a week
away and here are some details for you. This year St Mary’s and St Michael’s
are sharing the float. It will be great to have a Catholic presence in the
parade.
We will have a donkey with Mary on it
leading our float, with Joseph, Wise Men and shepherds. It would be quite nice
to have a drummer boy too. If you have an appropriate costume for any of these
characters please email me davidm@stmarysrotorua.school.nz
The rest of the children will be on
the float which will be decorated as a stable. Children can come dressed as
angels, shepherds and any clothes that might resemble people in Jesus’ era.
I will need a small group to help set
up the float at school on Saturday. Once we are set up, the float will be
driven to Rangiuru Street and children can meet us there. I will also need
people to help at the actual parade – six parents walking alongside the float
and a few on board the float, dressed up of course.
The parade starts at 4.00pm so
children need to be at the float by 3.15 pm. The parade will happen – wet or
fine, but fortunately Saturday’s forecast is okay. Children will need lots of
sunblock and a bottle of water. The parade itself should last under an hour, so
children can be picked up on the Village Green from the float. All children
will stay on the float until a parent collects them.
The Parade Committee is encouraging
families to stay on after the parade for a family picnic. There will be an
outdoor movie and other special things for children to do.
IN BRIEF:
3.30pm Children need to be at the float on Rangiuru Street
3.45pm Our donkey arrives
4.00pm Parade starts
5.00pm Approximate finish for parade on Village Green.
5.15 pm Prizegiving
6.00pm Movie
NEED TO BRING :
Children in costume; angel, shepherd,
wise man, sheep etc.
Water bottle, Sunscreen already
applied on child.
Wow, that was a lot
of information! If you have any questions/concerns about
anything at all, please feel free to email me, nicolag@stmarys.schoo.nz or pop in and
see me.
