Term 3 has been a great term! For the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, we’ve seen a return to normality with events such as Winter Tournament Week, AIMS, Chanel Shield and the ITM Music Festival. I believe that participating in these types of events is critical for our students’ holistic development. As a College, we’ve enjoyed some wonderful successes this term, be sure to read all about them in this newsletter.

School Donations Provide Vital Funding For Aquinas

I wanted to take this opportunity to profile the importance your school donation makes to our operations. In reality, your school donation is a crucial funding source for many of the vital services we offer our students.

As a high decile school (moving to Equity Index in 2023), we rely on your continued support in the form of your school donation. From 2023, the Ministry of Education will provide funding to all schools based on its Equity Index number. Schools with a lower Equity Index number (as we have) indicate that a school has students facing fewer socio-economic barriers. As a result, the funding on a per-student basis is less for our school than for schools with a higher Equity Index number. The same was true under the Decile system. This leaves us with a funding shortfall compared toschools with a higher Equity Index number.

Your $1200 donation is split into two parts:

1. $1000 for targeted school funding.

2. $200 contributes to the College’s building fund.

$1000 for Targeted School Funding

For us to provide rich and targeted curricular opportunities to better cater to the needs of the Aquinas student community, we require your support. Your donation is utilised for:

• Funding to suport our Special Character e.g. student retreats. Special Character is not funded by state funds.

• Additional staffing above Ministry-approved levels. Your school donations enable the board to fund two additional teachers above what our roll allows for. This is critical in helping us to provide a broad curriculum for a school of our size.

• Generous resourcing for curriculum areas to support effective teaching and learning.

• Bolstering our teacher aide workforce. Unfortunately, the Ministry of Education does not provide resourcing for Teacher Aides to meet the needs of students in New Zealand. Aquinas College employs teacher aides above the Ministry’s resourcing.

• Additional school counsellor student support. With young people experiencing more pressure than ever, Aquinas is fortunate to have counsellors on site every day. Unlike most schools, we have two counsellors - a staffing commitment that significantly exceeds our government funding.

• Targeted programmes for literacy and numeracy support. For example, Education Perfect and Write That Essay which are interactive online tools to help students improve their learning outcomes.

• Extra funding to support extra-curricular activities such as sport, the performing arts and cultural pursuits.

• Student wellbeing services such as guest speakers and workshop facilitators, the funding behind free Yearbooks and Student ID cards and our student recognition system – Honours badges etc.

While this is not an exhaustive list, I hope it provides an overview of the importance of your donation.

$200 Contribution to the College’s Building Fund

Proprietors of State Integrated schools (in our case, the Bishop) are responsible for capital work at their schools. The Board has set a $200 contribution of the school donation to be paid into the College’s building fund. While this fund accumulates for a future build, it also supports ongoing property projects. The most recent example was the installation of four new basketball hoops and the upcoming resurfacing of the netball/basketball courts.

Without your continued support of the school donation, some of these opportunities and resources our students enjoy will no longer be possible to fund.

Air Quality Upgrades

I am pleased to share with you an exciting property project that is about to begin. Beginning in November and stretching into 2023, we are installing air conditioning and mechanical ventilation across the College. Our staff and students will attest to how hot our learning spaces can be at the beginning and end of the school year. This work will enable a consistent temperature and improved ventilation year-round. While the long-term impacts of this will only be positive, the short-term implications are that some classes will be displaced as the contractors progress through the blocks.

End of year examinations

Last week senior students were involved in their Derived Grade Examinations. These examinations inevitably give students a sense of how their preparation is tracking for the end of year NCEA examinations. With only two weeks of timetabled classes for students in Term 4, followed by a one-week block of self-determined learning, it is critical our young people use their time wisely in preparation for their examinations. A schedule of workshops available to students in the Self-Determined Learning week will be distributed early next term. Middle school students will have exams/end of year assessments in Week 5 of Term 4. Again, it is important these students prepare accordingly to maximise their opportunities to realise their academic potential.

Start of Year Dates

31st January – 3rd February 2023: Staff-only days

2nd – 3rd February: Student Executive Leadership Retreat

3rd February: Course confirmation for senior students

7th February: All Students present (College pōwhiri and Liturgy).

Summer Uniform

Students must be in the correct College summer uniform from Monday, October 17th, Term 4. You can view the summer uniform on our website. We require your support to ensure your child(ren) leaves home in the correct uniform, including jewellery. The College will unreservedly support any families in need should it be required to ensure your child(ren) has the correct uniform available to them.

Thank you to all of you for your continued support of your child(ren) ’s education this term. Education is a partnership; we are all enriched by your active participation.I wish you all a safe and relaxing term break, and I look forward to another successful school term starting on Monday, October 17th.

Ma te Atua tātou e manaaki

May God’s Blessings be upon us all.

M R Dalton

Principal | Tumuaki