No 5 5 April 2018

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

“God provides daily for us all”

Farewell and thank you.

At the end of this term Mrs Audrey Clifford, room 13, will retire from full time teaching.

Audrey has worked at Our Lady Star of the Sea School since 2004, and a teacher for over 30 years. We thank her for her many years of service to education and wish her and her family all the very best and God’s blessings for their future.
As you are aware I too finish at the end of the term and will take up a new challenge working with the Education Review Office.

I wish to thank the Board of Trustees for their support, encouragement and wisdom. They are an amazing group of volunteers who give tirelessly to the whole school community. I also thank our amazing PTA members, another group of volunteers who work tirelessly for the school raising friendships, funds and fun!

I also want to acknowledge the dedicated staff both academic and administrative, their commitment to a quality Catholic education is admirable. Our students truly love coming to school, and that in no small way is because of the happy and safe learning environment that you all help create.

I wish all our school community; staff, students, families and our parishioners all the very best for the future. I have been inspired by the sense of community, of welcome and belonging that permeates this place. I congratulate you all for the part you play in nurturing and growing  our School Mission, the school is a faith community, striving for excellence, is just and serves others.

With warm welcomes – bless us
With a place at the table – bless us
With like-minded companions – bless us
With inspiration for our lives – bless us
And with your faithful kindness – bless us
Hospitable God
Amen

Carmel Platt
Principal

DIRECTOR OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES (DRS) REPORT

Happy Easter to you all!

Easter is the greatest feast of our faith.  We are an Easter people, a people marked by joyfulness – smiling, cheerful, optimistic, upbeat, happy, agreeable, and positive! While Easter happens on one Sunday of the year, we are called to be Easter people all of the time. For Catholic Christians, every day is Easter!  Every day is a day to be joyful! Jesus said, “People will know that you are my disciples by your love” (Jn 13:35). This Easter season, may people recognise us as Jesus people through our joy and love for each other.

Congratulations to the families who were received into the church at the Easter Vigil mass

Preston Tee,  his brother Jayden and his parents Allan and Phyllis

Natalie Feng and her mother Nicole Tse

Francesco Chan, his brother Felix and his parents Kit and Wun

Kit Chan

Oliver James Rogers and his brother, Patrick John

Kia hari koa, ka uru tera wairua ki tena ki tena
Be cheerful and happy, generating life in those around you<

Prayer Intention: God of mercy and love, we pray that we we may all hear your call to mission this Easter season and seek a deeper relationship with your Son, Jesus.

Detta Fairweather
DRS

NEWS FROM THE BOARD

Special Character Review

We recently hosted a team of reviewers from the Catholic Education Office.  As part of a four-yearly cycle of review, the team were here as critical friends to help us reflect on the depth and authenticity of our Catholicity as a school community.

We were thrilled to hear from the review team that they had been very, very impressed with the students, staff and leadership of the school.  They thought we were pedagogically right up to the minute and most excitingly, commented that we truly are an authentic Catholic school.  In their words, “students are not just going through the motions, they know the reasons for what they do.”

Senior students needed no prompting when asked when they saw or heard Christ at school, citing acts of kindness, mercy and care in the playground and classroom.  The reviewers said that it can often be a drawn-out process to get this level of understanding from students and that we were to be proud of the culture that has been created.

The review team wanted us to know that they had observed excellent teaching and learning in every single classroom of the school.  They were also at pains to say how fantastic and collaborative our leadership team is.  These reviewers visit a lot of excellent schools and it was so affirming to hear that Our Lady Star of the Sea is considered to be among the very best.  What a tribute to our amazing leadership and teachers and a reminder of how lucky we are to have each of them.

We would like to offer special thanks to our creative and hardworking DRS, Mrs Fairweather, who demonstrates such an outstanding commitment to our children and their understanding of the gospel. Thank you so much Detta.

This wonderful review is really something to celebrate!  As we move forward towards another review in 2022, the CEO team asked us how we might next look to support families in deepening their relationships with Christ, as well as how else we might ‘flesh out’ our understanding of God’s call to us to be his hands and feet in the world.  We will be in touch as we work on these exciting questions!

Student Achievement Reporting

Recently your Board received a report on the 2017 data specifically on our Maori and Pasifika students as well the overall results for all our students. We are very proud of their achievements and congratulate both the students and staff on the results. The report broke down the percentages sitting below, at and above expectations. It also provided us with an overall comparison of the percentage of our students working within or above national standards expectations against other schools in the Howick region as well as nationally. Pleasingly our school rates above, both regionally and nationally for the three subjects reviewed, reading, writing and maths.

Farewell

Due to work commitments Chay Andrews has resigned from our board. Chay was elected as a parent representative 18 months ago and we thank him for his contribution and hard work whilst on the Board. We are sad to see him go and wish him the best with his future ventures.

From your Board of Trustees

STAFF ONLY DAY – MONDAY 30 APRIL 

Staff Only Day 30.04.2018

The first day of term two, Monday 30.04.2018 is a staff only day. 

 School will be CLOSED for the day for all students.

All staff from Our Lady Star of the Sea School will attend a Ministry of Education work shop, Understanding Behaviour, Responding Safely, (UBRS).

This training package has been developed for New Zealand schools. It includes a full-day workshop for all staff and ongoing support afterwards. The focus is on preventative and de-escalation techniques.

If you require care for your children while the school is closed, Bizzy Bodz are offering a full or part day programme.  Details for booking are below.

Carmel Platt
Principal

COMMUNITY MEETING

NEWS FROM INFORMATION CENTRE

Exciting news! Our Book Week and Scholastic Book Fair will be held in Week 8 next term 18th – 22nd June. A week of fun activities celebrating books, reading and authors. A highlight will be a whole school favourite book character parade.

Mark this date in your diaries!

NEWS FROM OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

On the 27th of February, some children from our school competed in the HPPA Softball field day. The field day was held at Sancta Maria Primary School. The schools we competed against were Sancta Maria, Willowbank and Mission Heights Primary School.
At our first game we versed Willowbank Primary with a score of 5:2, our second game we versed Mission Heights with a score of 7:1 and our third game we versed Sancta Maria with a score of 9:3. We victoriously won all of these games.
There was then a short break when we can eat our lunch, practice throwing, pitching and catching, and wait for the results for the finals.
When the People hosting the day started talking into the microphone, all of the kids there from each school waited to hear the results for if their school got into the finals. And…We got into the finals!
In our finals, we versed Sancta Maria primary, and that game was the hardest of them all. Trying to get each player out and trying to hit the ball into the outfield was a mission! Thankfully we did our best and that game let us win the whole Competition With a score of 16:3.
At the end of the day there was a very short prizegiving, acknowledging the schools that competed, the parents that helped out, and the Staff that organized the day for us.
By Mia Makoare

SCHOOL FEES

SCHOOL ATTENDANCE DUES FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

Financial assistance is available to assist families who may need financial support with the payment of attendance dues for preference students attending Catholic schools in Auckland Diocese, both primary and secondary.

Families facing financial difficulties can contact their school office, their Parish Priest or the Revenue Manager at the Catholic Diocese of Auckland for further information.

Application forms for the Hardship Scheme are available from school and parish offices, or can be down-loaded from the Catholic Diocese of Auckland Website :

www.aucklandcatholic.org.nz/catholic-schools/

(go to Catholic Schools in Auckland / Attendance Dues and Special Character Contributions).

School Fees Term 1 are now overdue.  If you have not commenced payments for the year, please contact Sue Yandell in confidence to discuss your account.

Tax receipts for the financial year 01.04.2017 – 31.03.2018 will be emailed in the coming week.

REMINDERS

Friendly Reminders of Term 1

HELPING HANDS

Helping Hands has been part of Our Lady Star of the Sea’s culture for quite some time.  It is where our school community comes together to help those in stressful situations i.e. a parent or grand parent being very ill, a family bereavment or a new born baby to the family.

We would like those in need to know we care!  If you would like to be a part of this wonderful group of caring people who are called upon once or twice a year to either make a meal, bake a cake, transport children to/from school or utilise your gardening skills please fill out the form (click the word ‘form’) and return to the office.   Please add your contact number.

As we all know – “we are in this together”.

If we can assist your family or if you hear of any family in our school community please let the office know.

Thank you

Helping Hands Team

ENTERTAINMENT BOOK

Support Our Lady Star of the Sea School and you’ll be rewarded!

We are raising funds for our School and you can help. Order the NEW 2018 | 2019 Entertainment Book or Entertainment Digital Membership and you will receive hundreds of valuable offers for everything you love to do, and you will also be supporting our School.

SUPPORT US NOW BY CLICKING HERE

COMMUNITY NOTICES

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Loreto Hall Teachers Training College Reunion

Are you able to help?

Susan Ross, rscj and Christina Neunzerling, rsj  are hoping to find as many interested men and woman who fit the 1969-1973 year group at Loreto Hall Teachers’ Training College in Auckland.

A reunion is being planned for June 2^nd 2018, in Auckland.

We would be most grateful:

• to receive email addresses for anyone you know who fits this timeline.
• if you could find the time to ‘like’ and ‘share’ our Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/loretohallnz/

Please forward any contact details to Sue Ross [email protected] so they can be added to the list for further information.

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Only 1 week to go before the Holidays start
We have some great activities for the kids.
Try our week long camps or you can pick and choose any single days from the camps!
For more information please visit our website  www.kidactive.co.nz