On Friday, September the eleventh, The students and staff of St Patrick’s School participated in an event called “Mission Day”. The school raised money to support the Holy Angel’s Orphanage in India.
Each class took a different test for their sponsorship. Room one (the juniors) did a spell a-thon, practicing their knowledge on simple spelling words. Room six’s “a-thon” was about times tables and basic math. Room seven had a Te Reo a-thon, learning forty words in Te Reo Maori. Lastly, room eight did a test on New Zealand’s geography. The teacher would write the children’s score on a sponsorship form. This form is taken home by the students, where they would ask parents or relatives to donate money to the orphanage. The amount of money given depends on the score achieved by the pupil.
On Mission Day, students are allowed to wear their own clothes, but under one circumstance. The children must bring a non-perishable food item. This can include canned foods and uncooked rice or pasta. They are allowed and even encouraged to bring more than just one. Food items collected are given to St Vincent De Pauls and donated to people in need.
There are several stalls put up by the pupils where the other students and staff can buy from or participate in. Every year. There’s a specific stall put up where people can buy raffle tickets for a chance to win a sports ball or bike. A raffle ticket for a ball is fifty cents, while a ticket for a bike is one dollar. There are 6 winners for the ball and four winners for bikes. One of the stalls was selling pins and stationary. The pupils running the shop sold pencils, pens, erasers and even glue sticks with a variety of designs. Pins had images of different characters such as Sanrio, Chiikawa, etc.
One of the most popular stalls was the karaoke set in the library. Room seven and eight attended together. The students were able to pick a song and sit in front of the projector while singing into a microphone. They could go with a group or with friends.
Mission Day is a fun event for students that also raises money for those in need.