Term One, 2022

 As we are nearing the end of the term it has been timely to reflect on how we are going at Pompallier Catholic School.  Term one has been full of challenges as we navigate through health and safety requirements of covid.  Constant changes to formalities and limiting adult interaction with our students.  To say it has been challenging is an understatement!

We have worn masks in our senior school the entire 11 weeks which has seen relatively low illness rates transfering between our students, which was our goal.  The last six weeks has seen us juggling staff isolation requirements, trying to keep everything ticking along for our learners!

I am so proud of our team.  We have had our Catholic Schools Office Review that was done remotely.  Check out our video to show the whanaungatanga at PCS.

This review consisted of sharing our planning, learning and documentation remotely.  Interviews were undertaken with staff, board, students, whanau and parish.  The passion from our community, awhi, aroha and whanaungatanga seeped from every area.

We have worked hard to promote the local curriculum learning so that our tamariki are able to recognise who we are, we we came from and be proud to be Catholic.

Since the review, as a school team we have worked together to support our tamariki and each other.  That is really what being Catholic is all about.

We soon head to the term break.  As a Principal, I cannot wait.  I am exhausted!  My team are exhausted.  However, we are looking forward to moving ahead to get into the deep learning that our tamariki thrive on at PCS.

God bless

Kathryn

Beginning of the School Year 2022

 Kia Ora!

Well we are now in week 3 of term 1, 2022.  Our new "normal" is students and teachers wearing face masks in year 4 to 8.  Teachers wear masks with other adults who are only coming on site if it is essential due to "red" settings that we are working in with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education.  My role as Principal is now attending to numerous updates and emails.  We have established safety systems throughout the school and the paperwork is hugely demanding.

I am so proud of our staff and students.  They work together to make it work for all of us.  As the covid cases are reaching near 1000 per day, it is now in the Far North and we brace ourselves.  We keep praying for the safety of all.  For peace.  For unity.  We pray for those on the front lines who are working hard to keep our hospitals and services open.  We pray for the essential workers that are cleaning, restocking, delivering and working hard in these times.

The learning that is happening in week 3 already is exciting in our kura.  Our focus of the 4 C's (communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking) is flowing throughout the classrooms.  Our tamariki are learning about our school charism of Mercy.  This is what we base our learning on, as a Catholic School we are proud to be there for others.  We are learning about manners being important, respect and helping those less fortunate.  Our new students are learning a variety of ways to pray.

Next week we have our Catholic Review and we are excited to share our kura with the Auckland Catholic Diocese.  It is a chance to review, celebrate and set new goals moving forward.  

Our roll is the highest it has been and our students are welcoming those who are new to our kura with aroha and manaakitanga.  This is what being a Principal is all about!  Diversity, challenge and aroha.  Looking forward to a year brimming with all of those things.

Below is a photo of our whakatau....we could only have essential guests...it is so different for all of us, but we made it work.  So great to welcome Whaea Cherie and our new tamariki to our kura.

Nga mihi nui

Kathryn Carey

Principal

Pompallier Catholic School visuals

 I am so excited to share our visual connection.

Piper Harrison our talented student created this after gathering knowledge, inspiration, guidance and future focus from

- Staff, board members, students, whanau, parish and community.

Our Mercy Cross is the centre of the image, representing our school charism of Mercy.

Our values are depicted within.

The Maori design covers the iwi that are represented in our kura.

Care for God's creation is our focus as a kura.

Term 2 and 3 combined 2021

 Kia Ora Koutou

Wow, I didn't realise that time had passed so quickly that I was due to write my term 3 blog already, so I have combined both of the terms.

So many wonderful things are happening at PCS.  We have a focus on the four C's (creativity, collaboration, critical thinking and communication) with all of the learning.  Our staff are working hard to create opportunities for all of these things across the curriculum.

Term 3 saw us leaping back into lockdown.   As I write this we are in to our third week.  The online learning being provided by our teachers is so exciting to see.  Our learners are able to continue engaging and experiencing learning across the curriculum, but on a digital platform.  

My aspiration for our kura is that every student will have access to a digital device, with internet, without having to share with a sibling or adult to engage with the learning. I am working hard to access support to make this happen for our kura.

Prior to lockdown we had huge whanau and parish involvement in our kura.  With Matariki, 3 way conferences, kapa haka and then Catholic Schools Day.  We are wanting to continue nurturing whanaungatanga at PCS and engagement from whanau, supporting with your own gifts and talents is very  much valued.

As we all continue to pray for lockdown to be finished and Covid-19 to be under control I am humbled by our wonderful community.  Food packs were delivered to whanau by our staff and school community.  The aroha and care is something that continues to motivate me and inspire me.  Thank you, what a blessing to our school and parish community.

God bless

Kathryn Carey

Term 1, 2021

 Kia Ora!

It is so nice to be at PCS again in fulltime mode.  Boy, did I miss the tamariki and staff interactions last year.  I feel so very blessed to be able to complete my Master of Education with a Leadership endorsement in 2020 and am ready to hit the ground running!

We have a fabulous team at PCS.  All of our staff are committed professionals who are passionate in their roles.  We welcome two new teachers to our whanau - Grace Cadigan and Peyton Moro-Kirton.  These ladies have both arrived from Christchurch and it was pretty special to graduate on the same day as Grace!  Peyton actually comes from Canada, and her partner has a role at Kaitaia College so it is a bonus to have them both here.

I am excited about the year ahead.   Care for God's Creation continues as our theme.  We are focusing on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) throughout our school.  Our students are working on the 4C's of collaboration, communication, creativity and critical thinking.  These attributes are essential for future skills.

Come in and say "Hi" if you are able to.

Look forward to seeing you in the playground area.

Nga mihi nui

Kathryn Carey

Principal

Term 4, 2020

 As we approach the end of 2020 there is so much to reflect on.

I have had one of the best years of my career - it is such a blessing to be immersed in academic learning.  I have now gained my Masters in Education with an endorsement in leadership.  I have been able to apply the literature in my role as a Principal and I am very grateful for this opportunity.  I also thank the Board of Trustees of Pompallier Catholic School for supporting study awards at our school.  I am the third teacher who has applied and it adds so much to our professionalism.

The students have continued to inspire me, and our staff who are dedicated to providing the best possible learning for all.

Next steps at Pompallier Catholic School will be to maintain and grow our local curriculum.  We are focussed on "mirrors" and "windows" where the students can see themselves in the learning provided and where they can look up and out to the future ahead.

We will continue to aspire for excellence, where each student is valued for their uniqueness and has success in our school environment.  We aim to provide a range of authentic learning opportunities where our students thrive to become the best that they can be.  

Have a safe and happy summer break and a very blessed Christmas.

Kathryn Carey

Term 3, 2020

 As term 3 draws to an end there is so much to celebrate.  Being in Level 1 for COVID-19 is certainly a celebration!  The staff at PCS have done a fabulous job of ensuring the learning has been maintained.  The whanau survey has added some great feedback to our school goals.  Online learning and the relationship between school and home has been strengthened.  We have really enjoyed reading your comments about things that you have found helpful and things that you would like to see maintained.  We have put in place some plans for building on the online learning platform to ensure students are able to access their learning to share with you.

We have been working on our local curriculum and using the information shared from teachers, students, parents, caregivers, whanau, board of trustees, parish and the community.  We are working on our graduate profile and learning dispositions.  All of this information will be part of our future planning.  Watch this space for an opportunity to give us some feedback on all of this information when we have pulled it together.

I am heading to the last stretch of my study.  I have thoroughly enjoyed being immersed in literature, working alongside a range of colleagues throughout NZ.  This semester my papers are focused on teacher leadership, inclusive education and assessment practices.  I was thrilled to get two A's and a B, with my first set of 5000 word essays!  I hope to be able to continue with this momentum!  Wish me luck!

Have a wonderful term break with your whanau!  God bless

Kathryn Carey