By the time you read this paanui, we will be halfway through the school year and students will be maximising their effort, attitude and behaviour for learning: Age Quod Agis – “Pay Attention”. When we ‘pay attention’ to our Head, Heart and Hands – we ‘attend’ to our thoughts, feelings and actions. And what we give our attention to is the person we become. Therefore, if we make a habit to think well, feel well and do well, we can BE well – Well (human) Being.
As Jesus said, ‘I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance’ (John 10:10). This radical call to the Gospel underpins our understanding and approach to Hauora (literally translated as the vital essence of a person, in excess). As a Catholic School, with a MissionCharism, we are at an advantage: it is normal for us to seek meaning and purpose through daily prayer and contemplation; it is part of who we are to build a community of Faith, through our Catholic liturgy and learning. And it is profoundly Catholic to cultivate a place of Hope and Justice, where growth, learning and forgiveness are Companions on this Mission!
Tena koutou katoa
Nga mihi nui ki a koutou
“Kia pau ōu mahara ki te tiaki i tōu ngākau, nō reira hoki ngā putanga o te ora – above all else, guard your Heart for it is the Wellspring of Life” Proverbs 4: 23
By the time you read this paanui, we will be halfway through the school year and students will be maximising their effort, attitude and behaviour for learning: Age Quod Agis – “Pay Attention”. When we ‘pay attention’ to our Head, Heart and Hands – we ‘attend’ to our thoughts, feelings and actions. And what we give our attention to is the person we become. Therefore, if we make a habit to think well, feel well and do well, we can BE well – Well (human) Being.
As Jesus said, ‘I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance’ (John 10:10). This radical call to the Gospel underpins our understanding and approach to Hauora (literally translated as the vital essence of a person, in excess). As a Catholic School, with a MissionCharism, we are at an advantage: it is normal for us to seek meaning and purpose through daily prayer and contemplation; it is part of who we are to build a community of Faith, through our Catholic liturgy and learning. And it is profoundly Catholic to cultivate a place of Hope and Justice, where growth, learning and forgiveness are Companions on this Mission!
Ngaa mihi, e te whānau, for your ongoing support of our Faith community. Together, we can support our students to pay attention to their thoughts, feelings and actions as we sustain an atmosphere of mutual respect, conducive to learning and personal growth in Faith, Hope and Justice. Many of our students participate in the variety of opportunities provided at our kura.
These experiences contribute to the power of real-world connection with their friends, teachers and the wider community, promoting meaningful curriculum and relationships – Hauora for all.
Finally, a “Minute with Mary’ (and Elizabeth). The friendship of women is a ‘thing’ and it’s especially relevant in our Mission College. The inspiring message from each of these women’s lives, invites us to seek and embrace friendship as it is embodied between women, between God the Creator and all of creation, and between all human beings:
the sacrament of friendship is part of God’s plan to help us become all we were meant to be; it is the process of opening ourselves to the care and wisdom of the other. The love of friendship is the love that holds no secrets, has no unasked questions, no unspoken thoughts, no unanswered concerns. Friendship extends us into places we have not gone before and cannot go alone. Joan Chittister
And as I frequently message to our community – ‘at every interaction, something sacred is at stake’. Real friendship is learned in the real world. Mauri ora!
Kia pai te mutunga wiki – have a good weekend.