Tuesday, June 23, 2015




Dear Parents, Caregivers and Friends of St Mary’s School,

Winter has definitely arrived with a vengeance. My house which admittedly is quite high in altitude is still well and truly surrounded by snow.

We have just passed the winter solstice (the shortest day) and as the optimists among us will note, things will only get brighter from here on.

This is a very long term, eleven weeks, and it is important to keep a close watch on your child’s health as they begin to run out of energy, as the term winds down. If they are coughing or sneezing then please keep them home so as not to spread the ‘bugs’.

Last week I had the pleasure of listening to a number of speeches from our Year 6,7 and 8 pupils. They were all very good, and I was proud of the time and effort that they had put in. Verbal communication and the ability to be able to do this fluently is an important skill. Our senior pupils have shown that they possess this skill to a large degree and I look forward to seeing them present their speeches later in the week at Outram School.

Have a great week

Mike Brosnahan

Principal






Extra

Wednesday, June 17, 2015




Dear Parents, Caregivers and Friends of St Mary’s School,

We are well into our Autumn term although on many days it feels more like winter.

The pupils in the senior classes are in the midst of preparing their speeches. They will present these at school and then the pupils who produce the best speeches will be selected to go on to represent our school at the annual Haddon Shield competition.

One of the most important skills that we learn in life is to communicate. By far the most common way that people communicate is by speaking and listening. The old joke goes that: "we have one mouth and two ears, so we should listen twice as much as we should speak". But a

persuasive, engaging and articulate speaker will convince many more people that their opinion is correct, will change the opinion of others more readily and keep the attention of others than someone who fails to process these skills.

A good speaker speaks in a clear voice, speaks at a pace that is easy to understand and

engages with their audience.

The Haddon Shield event is always of a high level: entertaining and interesting. So whether your child is a participant or not try to come along for a very interesting evening.

During the next holidays I will be having a hip replacement operation. For a period of next term I will be convalescing. In my absence Mrs Lindsay Stevens will be acting Principal. Over the next weeks we will be informing you of any other organizational changes.

Have a great week

Mike Brosnahan

Principal

Tuesday, June 9, 2015




Dear Parents, Caregivers and Friends of St Mary’s School,

This week the pupils will have a busy week with their visits to see Harold the Giraffe and the Life Education Bus. The Life Education Trust and it’s educator Pip provide a fun way to learn some interesting information and values.

Last week my Year Eight R.E. class and I were talking about being positive (assuming that the glass is half full). We talked about how positive people were the people who achieved great things. Rather than ask the question why, they would ask why not?

Positive people are fun people to be around. We all quickly tire of being around people who only see the bad and focus on the negative. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t take the time for critical reflection but after we have reflected we need to have a positive plan of where to next.

Positive people keep moving forward.

When I reflect on my friends and family and the people I like to spend time with they are positive people; they see the good in others, they see the humorous side of a tough situation and they have a plan on how to go forward.

A friend of mine who is a Maniototo farmer, a couple of years ago had most of his sheep trapped in a large snowfall. I rang him up to see how things were going and he said most of them are still trapped up the hill but I’ve had a good crew helping to get them out. It could be worse the Maggots (Maniototo rugby team) could have lost. This guy had a plan and despite being in a tough situation he came out the other side.

Our children learn from us, if we are negative and always put others down focusing on the negative that's how they will be.

Have a great week

Mike Brosnahan

Principal






Life