No 1 12 February 2021

NEWS FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Families,

Welcome to our first newsletter of 2021.

Our new school year has begun with lots of energy and enthusiasm.

Connected Curriculum Focus 2021 

Our connected curriculum focus for 2021 is JOY ‘A gift from God that fills us from within’. This statement was gifted to all Catholics from Pope Francis and forms the lens through which our curriculum will be delivered this year.  In Term 1 we unpack whanaungatanga, focussing on the relationships in our world that bring us joy and the way we are able to bring joy to those around us. Following on from this we enter a time of discovery, investigating the world around us and what brings joy and inspires ourselves and others. In Term 3 we will get into creativity mode where we become innovators and creators of something new to bring joy and finally, in our last term we look to inspire, with the gift of giving and the joy of receiving, as Jesus did throughout his life. 

Chinese New Year

You will have noticed when arriving at school that our fabulous Jia Family Group has decorated our school environment with red lanterns as part of their celebration of the Chinese New Year. It is wonderful to share such a festive celebration with our Chinese families. We thank our Jia Family Group for their efforts. Today, to conclude the celebrations we invited our Chinese families to come in national dress. I am sure you will agree, they all look absolutely wonderful! 新年快乐! Xīn nián kuàilè!

Ash Wednesday / Lent

This Wednesday we will celebrate Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent.  You will read more about this special time in our Church calendar in our Director of Religious Studies section later in this newsletter. Our Parish will be hosting Stations of the Cross each Friday night during Lent and will also have a 6 am Mass on Wednesdays for parents to attend before they head off to work. You will also note in our DRS section of this newsletter that we will be running a parents prayer group in our school Chapel space at 2.15 pm each Friday afternoon. I encourage you all to take a bit of time out for prayer and reflection this Lenten season.

Camp 1 –  Rooms 20, 21 and 23  

Today our intrepid Year 5/6 campers from Rooms 20, 21 and 23 returned from Camp Bentzon on Kawau Island. Despite damp conditions at times, the children excelled in meeting every challenge. It was incredible to be part of their journey and to be witness to the deep joy from within that was evident as the children proved to themselves that they are capable of rising to challenges, to show resilience, and are in possession of ever-growing leadership qualities.

This camp couldn’t have been such a success without the help of amazing parents who worked alongside the teams of children running different activities at the camp. Thank you to all parents involved. 

We also thank our school staff Mrs Burger, Miss Sheffield, Mrs Yandell, Mrs Collins, and Mrs Noble Campbell, who left their homes and families for the week to support our campers in their learning journey. Mrs Noble Campbell did an amazing job of organising and coordinating the camp… and she is lucky enough to do it all again next week, alongside Mrs Collins, when Camp #2 heads up to the Island for their camp experience – Ladies, you are wonderful! (click images to view photo)

Staffing Update

We welcome two new staff to our learning community at the beginning of this year. They were blessed and introduced at our beginning of the year assembly last Friday and have begun their journey with us with energy and enthusiasm. I am sure you will make them feel very welcome when you see them around school.

Mrs Maria Kelly Classroom Teacher in Room 7 Year 2

Kia Ora. My name is Maria Kelly and I am the new teacher in Room 7. This is my first year at Our Lady Star of the Sea, however, I have been working within the Social Care and Education sector for over 14 years. I am really looking forward to bringing all my experience and knowledge to OLSOS. I am originally from Ireland and resided in Australia for six years before moving to New Zealand with my kiwi husband in 2016. We have a little boy Charlie who is 10 months old and our fur-baby George. Together we live in Howick and look forward to seeing you all within the school and local community. Best wishes to all for 2021. Mrs Kelly

Ms Paula Leafberg Classroom Teacher in Room 7 Year 2 on a Friday

Holiday Works

Our ongoing maintenance continued over the holiday with a continuation of the painting programme which began in the 2019/20 summer break. The back part of our school including the hall and double story classroom block are now looking smart as they have been updated to reflect the new colour scheme of the school.

We are also excited that the ground-works have been undertaken on the top court in our quadrangle ready for the steel structure to hold up the shade canopy that will be installed in the next holidays. This project is long-awaited and it is fabulous to see the start of the installation take place.

Updating Information

Today your child will bring home an envelope with information in it that needs to be checked and completed by you. Please return the completed forms to the classroom teacher by Wednesday 17 February. Year 5 and 6 Please Note …Children on Camp 1 will receive the envelopes on Monday 15 February. Children on Camp 2 will receive them today.  All Year 5 and 6 forms to be returned to the classroom teacher by Monday 22 February

A Couple Of Reminders

Early arrivers – we have noted a few children are arriving very early in the morning. Our teachers use the precious time before school in preparation for the day, so if your child is at school before 8.15am please remind them that they must hang their bag up then sit outside the classroom and wait. This is not a time to play on the playground or field as there is no teacher on duty to ensure their health and safety. Children in Rooms 4, 7, 8 and 13, 14 and 15 need to wait outside the Information Centre if they arrive early.

The back gate – the gate by the hall is unlocked in the morning to allow families to enter the school grounds, however, it is locked again by 9.15am for health and safety reasons. If you enter via the back gate and wish to leave the school grounds after 9.15am, you will need to leave via the office and walk around to your car.

After school pick up – Feel free to contact the school via phone if you are running late to pick your child/ren up. If your child/ren are still waiting to be collected at 3.10pm their supervision needs will be met with the help of Bizzy Bodz after school care in our hall. A charge for this service will be incurred.

Looking Ahead

Next week Rooms 18, 19 and 22 are heading up to Camp Bentzon on Kawau Island, we wish them well in their adventures. We will celebrate Ash Wednesday with a liturgy after morning tea. The middle team are engaging with Tip Top Games on Thursday. The following week on Thursday 25th February is our Meet the Teacher Evening from 2pm to 8pm, where parents will have the opportunity to book a time to meet with their class teacher. As part of this evening, we will be sharing information about curriculum levels in Reading, Writing and Mathematics in our Information Centre. We are keen to hear from you whether the information, in it’s draft format, is helpful and what else you would like to know. Parents are invited to come along to the library either before or after their interview to view the information and have their say. Parents attending will earn house points for their child’s house! We look forward to seeing you there.

Keep an eye on our school Facebook page for updates on school events and the ‘online news’ section of our website. Wishing you all a very happy and safe fortnight between now and when we next share school happenings in our fortnightly newsletter.

Ngā mihi nui and cǐ zhì jìng lǐ,

Louise Campbell
Principal

FROM THE DIRECTOR OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES

Parish Sacramental Programme

Enrolments for the programme close Sunday 14 February. Information regarding enrolment into the programme is available on the school website.  https://www.starofthesea.school.nz/sacramental-programme/

Ash Wednesday 17 February 2021

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent. It is a time for us to stop and reflect on where we are in our walk with God. It helps us to identify areas in our life which are in need of change. As the ashes are placed on our forehead, in the sign of cross, we are encouraged to turn away from sin and turn towards God. The ashes are an external sign of our desire to do that. Below are some ideas of how we as adults can model to our children ways to support others through prayer, through sharing and through doing without  Our school liturgy will take place at 11am on Wednesday 17 February for the distribution of ashes. You are all welcome to attend. 

Lent Focus

Our annual school Lenten outreach focus of ‘We can Bring a Can’ is in support of the parish foodbank. The foodbank is run by our parish St Vincent de Paul society offering support to families in need within our community. Students are encouraged to bring a can of food to school each week during Lent. One can per week doesn’t seem a lot but when we all contribute we can collect over 400 cans each week. Remember together we can do great work for a great cause.

Collections will start Monday 22 February.

 NEW OPPORTUNITIES THIS LENT

Parent Prayer Group 

Every Friday during Lent at 2:15pm in the Chapel you are welcome to come along for a time of prayer and meditation. A great opportunity to spend time with the Lord.

Totara Park Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) Volunteers

A wonderful outreach opportunity. Totara Park RDA provides interaction with horses to develop increased ability, independence and self worth for children and adult with physical, intellectual, emotional and social challenges. This programme has been a huge support to some of our students over the years. RDA is in need of volunteers who are kind, caring and have a ‘can do’ attitude to work with the riders and horses. No experience is needed as training is provided. Contact Megan for more information.

 Knitting for Middlemore Hospital

Middlemore Hospital is always in need of hats and booties for newborn and prem babies. They don’t take long and are very easy to knit or crochet.  Time to dust off those needles and either knit one yourself or teach your child how to knit. A lifetime skill! Click the link for more information https://www.middlemorefoundation.org.nz/knitting-patterns

PRAYER:     That we extend the Mercy value of Hospitality to those who are new to our school, parish and wider community, in all we do, think and say.

Detta Fairweather

Deputy Principal / Director of Religious Studies

NEWS FROM THE INFORMATION CENTRE

 BOOK CLUB

HEAD HELD HIGH – Speech and Drama Lessons

We are excited to be continuing our Head Held High Speech and Drama programme at Our Lady Star of the Sea School in Term 1. The lessons are held during school hours on Wednesdays.

Head Held High speech and drama lessons are a wonderful way to build character, confidence and communication skills, and lessons include public speaking skills, acting skills, reading aloud, body language, vocal skills, manners, building self-esteem and confidence. Importantly, all lessons are designed to be as fun, interactive, and imaginative as possible.

Lessons come highly recommended, students enjoy and get a lot out of them! In the words of a current student, “Head Held High lessons are awesome. I’m much more confident about speaking in front of people than I was. The teachers are really fun.”

If you have any questions, or for information about how to book a free trial lesson, please contact Janita  –   [email protected]

COMMUNITY NEWS

 

MAKE SUMMER UNSTOPPABLE – UNITE AGAINST COVID

https://covid19.govt.nz/everyday-life/make-summer-unstoppable/

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