Our Senior Sydnicate’s Innovative Collaborative Space
- Te Aroha
Official Blessing and Opening of Te Aroha Block
December 2019
Photos by Beatrice Foschetti
It was a lovely, sunny evening on 6 December for Cardinal John Dew to officially open, name and bless the renovated classroom block at St Anthony’s School. St Anthony’s is a Catholic primary school in Seatoun, Wellington with students from a wealth of cultures and diversity.
A karanga welcomed the Cardinal, Archdiocese of Wellington dignitaries, the Board, staff, students, guests, whānau and visitors.
Students showcased their gratitude through song, poetry and music and creatively incorporated the learning theme - Tūrangawaewae: the Universe - into the celebration.
A highlight was the children’s rendition of David Bowie’s ‘A Space Odyssey’ which became “Ground Control to Cardinal John”.
The St Anthony's band had practised hard and all were impressed with the results. Special thanks to the team from Dynamite Music who have enthusiastically taught the children the keyboard, guitar and drums– they are a wonderful asset for the school.
The St Anthony’s School Band and the Dynamite Music team
The upgraded block project has been two years in the planning and building. It has been named Te Aroha and complements the school’s He Atawhai classrooms block - Love, Kindness - with the gospel focus being:
‘Three things will last forever - faith, hope, and love - and the greatest of these is love.’ 1 Corinthians 13:13
Cardinal John spoke of the school’s history and tradition and said ‘Te Aroha, this newly upgraded building, represents many things St Anthony’s stands for ‒ a place of faith, student learning and achievement, dedicated, experienced and able staff and, a strong, generous and committed community with an enduring hope-filled spirit.’
Cardinal John Dew blesses the renamed and renovated learning block: Te Aroha
Cardinal John blessed the building and said what is essential for Catholic education is the heart of the school - Jesus Christ. “It takes many people to grow, develop and educate children. You children are blessed with your family, your teachers and many more who support you to grow and develop your God-given talents. Families and teachers build on this foundation to create a community of believers so that children can learn to ‘walk the way of Jesus Christ, live the life of Jesus Christ and tell the truth of Jesus Christ’.” Guests were invited to view the rooms and experience the different learning spaces.
The multi-purpose classrooms and breakout spaces will be used not only as classroom hubs for students but also for arts, music, cooking, and spaces for teachers and teacher aides to work with small groups of children.
‘The school community is very excited to see the many benefits of our new innovative learning spaces’ said Acting Principal Denise Johnson. ‘We are extremely grateful to the Archdiocese for supporting this upgrade and we look forward to taking advantage of the opportunities the new spaces offer to our students and teachers”.
St Anthony’s School was opened in 1923 and the Sisters of Mercy taught at St Anthony’s School until 1977. It is a co-educational primary school from years 1 to 8 and serves the areas of Seatoun and nearby suburbs in Wellington.
St Anthony’s is a small school with a strong spirit: it provides a vibrant faith community, a caring pastoral environment, a rich cultural mix of talented students who are challenged and supported to achieve their personal best and a great foundation.