Newsletter No:  2          February 2009 

Dear Parents, Caregivers and Students

FAREWELL FOR MRS McDONALD
Susan McDonald, our Foundation Director of Religious Studies and Member of Senior Leadership Team resigned her position at Sancta Maria College at the end of last year after 5 years of dedicated and valued service to establish the college.  She is the DRS at St Therese School in Three Kings.

A farewell Mass will be celebrated in the School Chapel at 5pm on Thursday 19 February followed by refreshments and presentations in the staffroom.

Past and present students and parents are welcome to attend.  To assist with catering it would be appreciated if you could contact the school office by 4pm Tuesday 17 February to indicate numbers from your family that will attend this farewell.

Year 7 PARENTS EVENING  -  Wednesday 18 February – 7.00pm
Reminder to Parents of Year 7 Students that this meeting will start promptly at 7pm in the school auditorium with a 20 minute address by the Principal.  Parents will then be taken to their child’s Homeroom where the Homeroom Teacher will talk about daily procedures.  Parents wishing to discuss individual concerns will be given an opportunity to make an appointment at a later date.
The evening will conclude no later than 8.15pm.

CULTURAL FESTIVAL – Saturday 21st March – at Sancta Maria College – 11am – 3pm
An International Festival of Food and Culture from Sancta Maria College Community.
If you can assist  – please telephone Francie Morgan: Ph: 274 1205 or 0274 902 243 or
Tracey Monaghan Ph: 535 7609 or 021 658 700.

CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations to 1st XI boys cricket team.  Our first team to be playing in an Auckland Secondary Schools premier competition.  They started the competition last weekend with 2 wins in 50 over matches against Northcote College and Long Bay College.
Caleb Brookland (C), Amadeus Vincent (VC), Matthew Henkin, Nathan Noble-Campbell, Dean Lovell-Shippey, Ronan Mooney, Michele Casey (WK), Ben Roborgh, Matthew Kurtovich, Stephen Rendle, Kieran O’Brien, Owen Kalapu

WORKBOOK SALE
Workbooks - The last day for students to purchase their workbooks is Tuesday lunch break and after school.  We would appreciate if all workbooks could be finalised on this date.

OPEN DAY AND ENROLMENTS FOR 2010
Sancta Maria College will hold their annual Open Day on Thursday 2 April.  Enrolments for 2010 will  open on this day.  If you know of any families who may wish to enrol their child  for next year, please ensure that they are aware of this very important date.

             OPEN DAY – Thursday 2 April 2009
                              2.30pm – 6.00pm

ATTENDANCE DUES
As Proprietor of all our Diocesan primary and secondary schools, I am writing to thank you most sincerely for the ongoing commitment you have made to educate your children at Catholic schools.  The existing Catholic school system across New Zealand, highly regarded for its pastoral and educational standards and achievements, is very much the product of the generosity and commitment of all our Catholic forebears in New Zealand, representing an inheritance rich in commitment to church and community.

Buildings and facilities of the past and today have largely been funded from long-term loans which the Diocese has the obligation to repay.

As we have brought improvements to our Catholic schools, so too has the quantum of these loans increased.  The single source of funds to service the debt for these loans is from attendance dues, which proprietors of Catholic integrated schools legally charge parents and caregivers in respect of students enrolled at the schools.

I do urge you to consider the importance of promptly paying these attendance dues.

I am deeply grateful to so many who pay attendance dues.  In this way I am able to do the very best I can to enhance and expand our Catholic school system in the Diocese of Auckland.

God bless you all, and thank you for your continued support for the benefit of our Catholic students for this and future generations.

 
Patrick Dunn
Bishop of Auckland

EDUCATION REVIEW OFFICE REPORT
Yesterday we received the confirmed ERO Report.  It is an exceptionally positive report on Sancta Maria College and the achievements of students, staff and the community.

A full summary will be highlighted in the next newsletter.