Paraparaumu’s Presentation Sisters Regina Daly, Fran Nicolle and Breda Ryan on the new road, ‘Presentation Way’, at site open day in June.
WelCom October 2016:
Diocesan News
Martin Elms, Principal, St Patrick’s School
At the end of this year St Patrick’s School Paraparaumu is relocating to a new purpose-build school, to be renamed Our Lady of Kāpiti School, and ready for the new school year in February 2017. The name identifies the school clearly as the Catholic school in Kāpiti and the parish school of the newly formed Our Lady of Kāpiti Parish.
The relocation is part of a parish project that will see parish facilities relocated onto one central site easily accessible from all parts of Kāpiti Coast.
The Archbishop of Wellington, Cardinal John Dew, had the foresight and vision to fund the school land and buildings. This will ensure the provision of quality educational opportunities for future generations of Catholic children here.
The Board and staff have been working closely with architects,
Studio of Pacific Architecture, to achieve a modern, 21st century learning environment with ‘variability as the rule, not the exception’.
The school has been specifically designed for current education research around learning and teaching; and to be mindful for buildings to be readily adaptable to meet future needs and requirements, which is currently up to a roll of 250 students.
Features scoped into the planning are to help us ‘to achieve excellence while living the Gospel values’. These include breakout rooms for quiet reflective studies or for group work, learning zones for a variety of teaching styles and learning activities, and variable learning spaces beyond traditional classroom spaces. The outdoor spaces are configured to encourage activity as well as provide places for rest and relaxation.
The architects have incorporated all of these requirements and more to provide a truly exciting school environment.
There will also be a shared multipurpose hall that can be used temporarily as a Mass centre. And it has plenty of room for youth-group and parish activities and the parish pre-school group.
The present school was established in 1954 by the Presentation Sisters and this important part of our heritage has been preserved through use of our logo and school uniform into the future. Our heritage has been further acknowledged by naming the new hall St Patrick’s and the new road that has been created is called ‘Presentation Place’. Parish Priest Fr Michael McCabe said, ‘We are delighted the Kāpiti Coast District Council accepted the suggestion from the parish that we honour the 60-plus year legacy of Catholic education here in Kāpiti by naming the road after the Presentation Sisters.
The school will be finished and ready for learning by February 2017, and Cardinal John will formally open the new premises on St Patrick’s Day, 17 March.