Dear Families,

Welcome to our newsletter marking the end of our 6th week in Term 2. We hope that you enjoyed the Queen’s Birthday celebrations marking the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee over the extended long weekend.

With Covid impacting our Parish last week, it is great that both Fr Terry and Fr John are very much on the mend and back into parish life. This Sunday marks the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity – Trinity Sunday. Click here to see the readings for Sunday.

Samoan Language Week. Last week we celebrated Samoan Language week. The theme of this week was Fa’aāuāu le Folauga i le Va’a o Tautai – Continue the Voyage with Competent Wayfinders of the Ocean. As part of this year’s overarching theme of ‘Sustainability’, the theme reflects the journey of language revitalisation and maintenance as well as recognising the importance of having the right tools, good leadership skills, relationships and the correct medium (va’a) that is adaptable to faring the ocean and its elements. 2022 is a significant year for the Samoan community, being the 60th anniversary of Samoa Independence.

We have had a very busy fortnight at school with lots of events and activities enriching the learning of our tamariki. Last Monday our Year 5 and 6 students benefited from the Orchard to Table crew who worked alongside them as they learnt about earth systems, sustainability and the biosphere. Our netball teams represented us well at the HPPA Netball Field Day with great enthusiasm, respect and sportsmanship.  The Clean Plate crew continued their work with our students as they learn about reducing litter in school lunches as part of our enviro initiatives. Our Juniors completed their Botanic Gardens visits.  Our staff made the most of the Teacher Only Day on Tuesday this week, engaging in professional development related to the Structured Literacy approach to the teaching of Literacy and using the learning progressions held within the Progress and Achievement Tool (PACT) to further develop maths planning and implementation skills. Our Academic Support Staff also spent time with the Halberg Trust tutors further developing their understanding of adaptions in physical education for students with specific needs.

Skool Loop App – new to Our Lady Star of the Sea

It is great to share with our community a new initiative aimed at further connecting home and school. We have partnered with Skool Loop – a communication app which can be downloaded from Google Play or App Store.  This tool allows a further means of communication with our families, including parents advising us of absences.  The app also allows us to send out forms that require a permission or for us to request help or transport.

This app relies on you as parents downloading the app and then as necessary, subscribing to particular groups that your child/ren is involved in, for example, their classroom group, chess, Kapa Haka, sport team etc.  We will use this app for parents to book the next round of parent teacher conferences early in Term 3, so sign up now!  Follow the instructions below to download the app to your device.

After School Tutor Classes Our after school tutor classes began this week. This is a great opportunity for our children to explore and develop a passion through the arts. Please see later in the newsletter what is on offer and detail regarding booking your child/ren in.

2022 GALA Save the Date!

The GALA team are looking for new members. If you are able to lend a hand on the organising team we would love to hear from you – many hands make light work – please email our Gala Lead Anna Burgess if you are able to help out [email protected]

Looking Ahead Next week we look forward to hosting a chess competition with local schools on Monday. The HPPA Soccer Field Day and HPPA Chess Competition are also happening next week. As noted above, the following week we bless our new COLA which is almost complete. Please note, that Friday 24th June is the Matariki Public Holiday – there will be no school on this day.

Wishing you all a safe and happy fortnight ahead.

Be safe and God bless.

Ngā mihi nui and cǐ zhì jìng lǐ,

Louise Campbell
Principal

We have entered the Church’s season of Ordinary time. At Mass, you will notice Fr John and Fr Terry wearing green and the tabernacle clothed in green. In the classrooms the green candle and altar cloths are being used. Green is a symbol of growth. Ordinary time is a time of growth. It is a time to notice things in creation and learn from them. For example, regardless of the ebb and flow of the oceans’ tides, the ocean is always there.  Similarly, God is always here with us, in love, no matter what. Ordinary time is a great time to focus on growing our relationship with Jesus, the living God.

Through prayer we can build a strong connection with God. Basically prayer is talking to, listening to and being with God. It is something which may feel ordinary but in truth is an extra-ordinary thing to do. Our young learners are blessed by starting each day with prayer and having the opportunity to explore different ways of praying whether it be through traditional, contemplative, reflective, meditative or general personal prayer. Praying with your children and your wider family at home is a beautiful way to model the importance of prayer.  Making time for yourself as adults to stop and pray is a commitment and a great way to ‘decompress.’  There are many different prayer opportunities out there for us to benefit from. The Mass is one amazing prayer from the beginning to the end. Make a point of attending a parish Mass at least once a month. I highly recommend Sacred Space and NZpray2day app available for both Android and Apple devices. Also, keep an eye out for the opportunities that are advertised through our parish newsletter. 

The Alpha programme has just begun in our parish. There is still time for you to join in.  The programme is led in both Mandarin and English. Contact the parish office for more information 09 534 8710

One of our school’s outreach initiatives is planting fruit trees within the school environment. The trees provide fresh fruit for the parish foodbank which then goes to those most in need of our support. As Mother Teresa suggested this is an ordinary thing done with extraordinary love. Please remind your family members about the purpose of this initiative.

The parish ‘Jammies in June’ appeal for Kidz First at Middlemore Hospital is another example of outreach in love. Please drop donations of NEW PJs to the box in the school office. Many thanks for your support with this.

Ko te aroha o te Atua kua whiwhi whanau a tatou Katoa
The tender mercy of God has given us one another 

Prayer Intention: God of courage, we pray for the strength to be a witness of you through our prayer and actions. 

Detta Fairweather
Deputy Principal / Director of Religious Studies

Remembering Summer

On a breezy, winter day, I remember…….

My legs remember chilly water as I dive into it.

My arms remember the surprise of the cold air on them.

My hands remember the freezing cold ice cream .

My eyes remember seeing the mesmerising sunset.

My mouth remembers the taste of the salty seawater.

My nose remembers this salty smell in the air.

My ears remember the wishing and washing of the sea waves.

My feet remember the gritty sand.

By Ethan Vorster

DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP SUPPORT REGARDING ICT USAGE …

There has never been a greater need for us as a school community to take a proactive approach (in partnership together) with the promotion of digital citizenship.  Digital citizenship is a constantly evolving concept.

A digital citizen is someone who;

• is a confident and capable user of ICT

• embraces and protects their digital footprint

• uses technologies to participate in educational and cultural activities

• uses and develops critical thinking skills cybersmartly

• is literate in the language, symbols, and texts of digital technologies

• is aware of ICT challenges and can manage them effectively

• uses ICT to relate to others in positive, meaningful ways which demonstrate honesty and integrity, and ethical behaviour in their use of ICT

• respects the concepts of privacy and freedom of speech in a digital world

• contributes and actively promotes the values of digital citizenship

As a school, we assist students to learn how to undertake sufficient research to get a well-rounded view of a topic and compare different opinions. Developing digital literacy skills involves encouraging students to think for themselves and explore many different points of view.  These citizenship and literacy skills are just as important online as in any other setting where ideas are formulated, shared, discussed, and refined.  As parents, it’s important to discuss with your child/children the wide range of information that’s available online and how anyone can publish anything at all.   People can pretend to be whoever they want and many things can be copied, altered, stored, or redistributed in any format.  People can and do post things online which are untrue or extremely biased; they may have an underlying agenda or simply enjoy the ability to express their own opinions to a global audience.

With the increased use of digital technologies and borderless spaces online, we need to be able to nurture and teach our young people to become discerning, responsible digital citizens able to confidently conduct themselves when connecting to people, resources, and information in real-world contexts here in Aotearoa and in the wider global community.

If you would like further support, resources, or a chat from an E-learning perspective please feel free to contact Heather Collins (Senior Team Leader) at [email protected].nz

ANYONE FOR PING PONG

Students are enjoying our new outdoor ping pong table which has temporarily been placed on the cricket wicket.  This will be moved to the new concrete pad on the field when cricket starts again in summer.

PARK n WALK

Thank you so much to the families that have helped reduce traffic at our school gate by using the Park n Walk initiative – it has helped immensely. Around our school is now a much safer place. It has been great to see the students confidently using the crossing and walking proudly into school on their own. It is wonderful to see such independence and road safety awareness being developed.

As your child collects their 25 ticket clicks they will be rewarded with a small prize to say thank you for their efforts. It is hoped that families will continue to do their drop offs (and maybe even pick ups) from Orangewood Drive so that around our school gate can continue to be safer for all students.

Thank you for helping our school be a safe place for all.

BOTANICAL GARDENS TRIP

As part of their concept learning, the Year 1 and 2 students visited the Auckland Botanic Gardens to participate in learning programmes.  Students had the chance to deepen their understanding of each of God’s creatures in our connected world, focusing particularly on pollinators and recyclers.  The trip was very successful and we thank all the parents who made themselves available to join us.

AFTERSCHOOL CLASSES

Tutor Classes Term 2

Here is our list of classes for the remainder of term 2. If you wish to sign up your child, please click the link below. Or you can email Ashley at  [email protected].  Classes will begin in Week 6 (starting Monday 6th of June) and finish at the end of the term.

Please note: due to the term calendar the Art Class will not be running on Friday 24th of June (Matariki) and Friday 8th of July (last day of the term).

To sign your child up to a lesson, please click here and fill in the form.

ALL CLASSES START WEEK SIX OF TERM 2. PAYMENT FOR CLASSES ARE DUE TO INDIVIDUAL TUTORS BEFORE TERM BEGINS.

Tutors will send bank account details to parents once your child is confirmed in their class.

We are looking forward to an exciting start to next term. Week 1 is Book Week!

There will be lots of fun activities, competitions, the Scholastic Book Fair, two fantastic NZ authors to speak to our children and of course an amazing costume parade, which is always a highlight.

More information to follow but mark this week in your diary.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL TEAM HARD AT WORK WEIGHING WASTE

Each year the Environmental team participates in a waste audit to measure the amount of waste that we, as a school community, send to the landfill each day.  Through education about recycling and encouraging the use of the compost bins for banana peels, apple cores etc we are managing to reduce our waste steadily each year. This year we recorded a 49% drop in the amount sent to the landfill! This is a great achievement that we can all be proud of.  However, the team of keen 6 students have noticed there is still room to reduce this amount even further. Packing that escapes from lunchboxes or pockets makes up a significant amount of our waste. Therefore as a team they are developing a plan to keep working towards our target of zero waste.  Watch out for their messages next term.   

Millie Berry and Charlotte Erihe – Environmental Team leaders having fun at the MOTHPOD COMPETITION

Last week our environmental team leaders Millie Berry and Charlotte Erihe attended a prize giving for the Howick Local Board Mothpod competition.  We are delighted to share that the collective efforts of our community removed 2096 pesky pods from our local gardens. What an amazing effort.  Thank you to everyone who brought in pods and spread the message to friends and family.  Our Lady Star of the Sea school placed 7th in the Primary school competition and we were awarded $110 to go towards environmental projects in the school.  

CODING LESSONS

In today’s world, it’s essential for young people to learn how to create technology not just consume it. Coding NZ’s lessons empower students with the tools they need and help give students the best chance at being successful in our increasingly digital age. Extend your child’s awareness and horizons. Free trial lessons available now at codingnz.com/signup

BASKETBALL SCHOOL HOLIDAY CAMP

Youth Basketball NZ has organized the Term 2 School Holiday Camp for our basketball fans and players, we will have lots of amazing activities and we’ve invited an NBA coach to our Camp this time.

For further information about Youth Basketball NZ   https://www.ybnz.org/