Week 7

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.