Welcome to St Mary's School

Welcome to St Mary’s School.
We have an attitude for excellence in everything we do.
We look forward to developing the abilities and special talents of your child.
We grow leaders who put faith into action.
Our Charism: We see, say and do God’s mission with grace and love.


Open door policy
If you have any queries or concerns talk to your classroom teacher. This is a partnership and we encourage you to ask questions, share any concerns and celebrate your child’s learning journey with us.
If you have further concerns don’t hesitate to pop in to see me. I have an open door policy.


ICIC
In Christ I Can!
We have four Gospel Values that we live out daily. Inclusion, Courtesy, Integrity and Courage.
We all strive to walk our Special Character. These are actively taught and reflected upon.


Information Sharing
Building this relationship will ensure that we can give your child the best possible school experience. Let us know if things are happening at home that may affect your child so we can put in support around them.
A Newsletter is emailed, uploaded to our School App and closed Facebook Page.
School App From the Google Apps/Play Store: SchoolAppsnz St Mary’s School
School Facebook www.facebook.com/groups/stmarysschoolwanganui

Te Mahi Ako
A vibrant and engaging learning space which is inclusive of all learning abilities, interests, strengths and needs. We have a very experienced team of learning assistants who work in both classrooms and Te Mahi Ako to support learning across the school.

Policies – https://stmarysac.schooldocs.co.nz/
Community User Name: stmarysac
Community Password: icic


Bell Times
8.45 Intermediate School begins
9.00 School begins
9.50 – 10.15 Senior Break Rooms 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10
11.10 – 11.35 Junior Break Rooms 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
12.30 – 1.15 Senior Lunch Rooms 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10
1.15 – 2.00 Junior Lunch Junior Rooms 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
3.00 School ends


Health Promoting School
We are a Health Promoting School. This means we encourage healthy lunchboxes. Plenty of fruit and sandwiches. Please keep processed foods and sweet treats to a minimum. We are a water only school. We wear sun hats as part of our summer uniform.


Parent Interviews / Seesaw / Formal Reporting
We expect full attendance at parent interviews where you will be guided through your child’s learning. Your child will also share their learning weekly through the Seesaw App. We report formally twice a year so you have a clear indication of where your child is at. We ask that you make contact with the classroom teacher at any stage if you have questions or concerns.


Restorative Practice
We are a Restorative Practice school, committed to fostering healthy relationships and empowering students to take responsibility for their actions. Our approach focuses on building, nurturing, and repairing relationships when harm has been caused. We guide students through a reflective process, encouraging them to consider the impact of their actions and identify what’s needed to make things right. This includes learning to communicate their needs and boundaries effectively, giving others clear direction for positive change.
We believe that strong partnerships between home and school are essential for student success. By including you in your child’s learning journey, we aim to provide the support needed for them to thrive. This partnership is vital in helping our young people develop into caring, kind, thoughtful, and compassionate individuals.
Within the classroom, students are given numerous opportunities to learn from their choices through the teacher’s positive behaviour management program. We believe in providing a supportive environment where students can grow and learn from their mistakes. We look forward to working with you to support your child’s growth and development.


Reset Room:
We operate a Reset Room to support student learning and foster uninterrupted classroom learning time. If a student is disrupting the teaching/learning in the classroom, they are asked to go to the Reset Room with their work. This enables them to refocus and complete their work, with support. This benefits both the individual student and the entire class. Parents/Caregivers are notified by the classroom teacher when their child visits the Reset Room, and we encourage you to discuss and reinforce respectful behaviour with your child—respect for teachers, fellow students, and, most importantly, respect for their own learning. Students in the Reset Room miss their next break time as a consequence After completing their work, they return to class for the following learning block with a fresh start. The positive impact on student learning and classroom environments is clear, as evidenced by the decreasing number of students requiring this support.
The Reset Room is located within the shared office space of the Principal and Deputy Principal. Therefore, if your child mentions being sent to the Principal’s office, please be assured that we will contact you directly if the situation involves anything beyond a reset.


Reward System:
All children receive “ICIC (In Christ I Can Gospel Values)” tickets for making great choices. Inclusion, Courtesy, Integrity and Courage are the Gospel Values we actively promote and teach.
These tickets can be redeemed at the “Shop” on Mondays, where a diverse “menu” of rewards are available. Popular choices include “renting” the chair, sandpit, playground, or field, and spending time in the craft corner. On the next page I have included our Gospel Values and the reward menu’s.
This creates a fair system where all children can save towards a reward rather than it being a lucky draw. Children can work together to purchase rewards also.


Special Catholic Character
Within Catholic belief and practice we will nurture your child to grow and develop spiritually.
We need you to support their journey.
It is an expectation that you will join us at Mass once a term and engage in our sacramental programmes offered through St Mary’s Parish. We also have liturgies at school, Mass on a Friday and we would love you to join us.

  • Baptism
  • First Communion
  • First Reconciliation
    Heather Loveridge (DRS) or Father Craig are happy to meet with you and talk about these important stages in faith development. Just ask! Parish Phone Number: 345 3872
    Pastoral Care
    This is where we take action where we see a need.
    We have a care and concern process. This is for families that have life throw unexpected difficulties in their way. Sometimes we may ask you to contribute to a care and concern package. This is always done anonymously.
    Please also let us know if you are having difficulty as we may be able to help and can support your child/ren. My door is always open. We are grateful for your support in this.
    Mā te Atua e manaaki
    God Bless
    Jacqui Luxton
    Principal