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

Over the last week I have attended a number of situations where the major discussion point was "what

attributes do we need to succeed in life?"

The answer that seems to keep coming back is discipline. Discipline takes many guises, but to achieve in life what we talk about is self-discipline.

The discipline to get up and to train on a frosty morning, the discipline not to buy the new pair of sports shoes because you want to have some savings, the discipline to study for an exam when all of your friends are going to a party.

People who have self discipline have it from an early age and they tend to have it for life.

Can discipline be taught? Absolutely! Can it be role-modelled ? Without a doubt.

When we think of the things that you never hear anyone say, they are: "I wish I hadn’t studied so hard"! Or "I wish that I hadn’t trained so hard."

It’s always the opposite—I wish I had studied harder or trained harder. This is self-discipline.

When you look at people who are successful, the young Stephen Adams getting up at six o’clock in the morning to train, they are always the harder worker. To work hard you must have self-discipline.

Have a great week

Mike Brosnahan






Rooms

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

Over the past week there has been a major focus on ensuring that we have in place a safe environment for our pupils when leaving school at the end of the day.

Car parking and the correct use of the drop off zone have been a priority area. I have been closely

observing what is going on, and speaking to some people, to ensure that we are all working together to

make sure that our roads are safe for our pupils.

People who use the drop off zone between 8.30am and 9.30am and between 2.30pm and 3.30pm must not leave their car as the idea of the drop off zone is to quickly and safely pick up your child and then move on so that another car can use your space.

If you need to leave the vehicle for any reason then please park in one of the other parking spaces or on the road. Please also remember to respect the designated mobility/young (expectant) mum parking zones as we have a number of parents in the school who have a real need to use these parks.

The weather has once again gone off in a unusual direction, amazing clear and for June warm days, but also a frosty beginning. So please be careful when driving these mornings and also watch for slippery patches in the car parks.

Tomorrow I will be attending the funeral of Bishop Len. A lot has been and more will be written about Bishop Len’s amazing contribution to leadership in our Diocese, and indeed nationally. Like most people I have some excellent memories of him but a highlight will always be of his visits to our school just before a Confirmation celebration. He would talk to the class, always asking their name and then developing some link with the family. By the time he left, the whole class felt that this important man knew them

personally, a real gift. RIP Bishop Len Boyle.

Have a great week

Mike Brosnahan





 

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

Term two is often referred to as the Autumn term, but this year we seem to have gone straight from

summer to winter. It seems difficult to believe that only a week ago we wanted rain. I think we’ve had enough now to last us for the next six months.

Last night I watched a documentary about a man called Barney Miller. Barney is a very close friend of Australian surfing champion Mick Fanning (the surfer who survived a televised attack by a "Great White" in South Africa last year).

Miller was involved in a serious car accident when he was twenty and he was told that he would struggle to breathe unassisted, and that he would never walk again. Through courage and determination and help from his friends, he has proved all of these predications false. So it was a story of determination, courage and strength. But it juxtaposed the personal situations of Mick Fanning the big strong surfing champion and Miller the wheelchair bound quadriplegic. It showed that both men faced ordeals and challenges on a daily basis but Fanning drew strength from the situation of Barney Miller and the way that through

personal courage and self belief, he had overcome challenges far greater than those required to be a

champion sportsman.

He said that we should watch the type of people we surround ourselves with.

That negative people (haters are going to hate) will only drag you down, but positive people will ensure that you achieve whatever goals that you set yourself.

The story finished by announcing that Fanning was going to face his demons by surfing in the same waters that he was attached by a shark last year, he put his ability to do this down to the inspiration that Barney proved for him.

As Bruce Lee said "a life lived in fear is a life only half lived".

Have a great week

Mike Brosnahan






Room Five

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

Recently I began rereading an old favourite novel of mine Charles Dickens "A Tale of Two Cities".

It is the famous opening lines that always catch my attention

"They were the best of times, they were the worst of times…" It is a novel that deals with themes of social justice, self sacrifice and resurrection (of the spirit).

It is a work that also deals with the idea of perceptions and the concept that while for some people times may be great for others they are terrible.

The resurrection of Sydney Carton in the novel focuses on our ability to value something not by what we (personally) may gain from it but rather if something is right.

This is something that we need to teach our children, for in this day of being told to place their own

interests above all else, the concept that we may need to sacrifice something for others with no personal gain is not easy for them to grasp.

It is a difficult concept for children to grasp, yet, we as New Zealanders love team sport and team sport is about giving up personal gain for the greater glory.

As a Catholic school we obviously bear testament to the Jesus’s resurrection and the ultimate example of someone making a sacrifice for the greater good.

Have a great week

Mike Brosnahan






 

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

One of the key conflicts that continually happens in the world is that of tradition versus innovation.

Tradition is obviously continuing to do something because we have always done it that way. Innovation is when we change something to improve it. Tradition is saying if it isn’t broken then don’t fix it, but also we are strong because we know what is to be done and what is required of us. Innovation is saying things may be working OK but they could be better.

I read a story yesterday about how quickly photography changed due to digital cameras. Some of you will remember well the old 24 or 36 exposure rolls of film. The button was never pushed on a photo until it was perfect because it was one less photo that could be taken and one more development to be paid for. Now with digital cameras, you take as many photos as you like and then decide which, if any that you would like to print.

In a short period of time: selling cameras, films and developing films became a very restricted industry, Was there anything wrong with the old way of taking photos? I would say no, but I think that all photo takers would say the new way was better.

None of us can see the future, none of us know what the world would look like in a year let alone ten years.

All we can do as parents and teachers is to prepare our pupils the best that we can so that they may face the future with confidence.

Have a great week

Mike Brosnahan






Golf Lessons

With

Melanie

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

As this is the last newsletter for the term, it is a good time to thank all of the people who have helped us to enjoy such a successful and busy term. To all of the wonderful supporters who help on outings and camps, coaching, attended meetings, serve on committees, and help out in the classrooms, thank you for giving up your time and energy to support our school.
Road Safety


Road and traffic safety especially at the end of the day continues to be a major concern. We still have people: leaving their vehicles in the drop off zone between 2.30pm and 3.30pm, people driving too fast on the school driveway, people double parking, parking in mobility areas (when they are not entitled to) or parking in no parking areas. As a one off these things may not seem a big deal but we need to remember that we are a school and that young children are impulsive and don’t always think before they act, so we need to err on the side of extreme caution to ensure that all of our pupils stay safe.

One accident is one too many and one that will effect all involved for the rest of their lives. So please while it may slightly add to your pick up time, obey the rules as mentioned above.

Have a great week

Mike Brosnahan

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

What an exciting week last week was. The visit from four of the Highlanders rugby team was very popular and the four players: Marty Banks, Gareth Evans, Greg Pleasants-Tate, and Malakai Fekitoa were great ambassadors for their team and sport.

Perhaps the highlight was when asked who he looked up to when he was younger Malakai Fekitoa said his father. He then went onto say all that his father had done for him. It was great for the pupils to hear a role model of theirs being very humble, and noting how much someone in a role that we often take for granted, has done for him.

As a friend of mine pointed out on Saturday, cricket finished two weeks ago and rugby starts today—indeed a number of winter codes have started.

Speaking as a parent who has been (and still is) heavily involved in children's sport it is a good time to

reflect on just who the sport is for and how important that it is in the greater scheme. I have witnessed a parent who became so obsessed with his sons success and promotion in a sport that he behaved so badly towards coaches and selectors that his son was never selected in teams that he should have made. It was the ultimate example of cutting off his nose to spite his face, and his son lost out.

I was at a representative managers debriefing a couple of years ago and the high performance coach in this code (and probably one of the regions top coaches) said that he saw all teams were developmental up to the under 18 grade. That means it’s about developing skills, having fun, and learning to be a part of a group right through Primary and Secondary.

Have a great week

Mike Brosnahan






The Highlanders