Dear Families,

Welcome to our final newsletter of Term 1 2023. This newsletter is arriving in your inbox on Holy Thursday, the day before we remember the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. This week, Holy Week, is a solemn week remembering Jesus’ journey to Calvery; His welcome with palms on Palm Sunday, His example of the breaking of bread and sharing of wine, His example of servant leadership when he washed his disciple’s feet, and His betrayal on Holy Thursday, His death on Good Friday and His resurrection in glory on Easter Sunday. 

Parish Connect We are most proud of members of our Liturgy team who lead parishioners through the stations of the cross last Friday evening in our Parish Church. Congratulations and well done for representing our school so well and for exhibiting great leadership skills Julia Mills, James Baker, Stella Wakefield, Gareth McLay, Hayden Homewood, Danielle Smeath, Sofia Gao, Amber Law and Olivia Min.

Click here for this Sunday’s readings.

Palm Sunday With Holy Week commencing on Sunday of this week, as a school, we celebrated this special day on Monday with a Palm Sunday Liturgy lead by Rooms 23 and 8. This was a wonderful way for us to bring honour to the beginning of the last week of Lent and the lead up to the celebration of Easter. Our students did a great job of leading us in prayer and praise

Holy Thursday Liturgy This afternoon, to end our term and mark Holy Thursday as part of this special week as we prepare to remember the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ we held our solemn Passion liturgy, with thanks to those who prepared the liturgy, those who led it, and to family members who attended.

Travel Wise At assembly yesterday, we thanked our Travel Wise team for giving up their mornings to click park and walk tickets over the past three weeks. We drew prizes from those who put their park and walk tickets into the prize draw. Thank you to our families for supporting this initiative, it has certainly made the narrow streets around our school safer for our children. We would love to think that the initiative has formed a habit that will continue next term.

Composite Classes at Our Lady Star of the Sea. In our last few newsletters, it has been my pleasure to introduce our refreshed strategic direction. I have also taken the opportunity to give more context to each of the three goals that we established based on community input at our Community Dreaming Day last year and the subsequent consultation period.  A question arose at our Community Dreaming Day about composite classes at Our Lady Star of the Sea. Composite classes is the term used when two year groups are placed together in one classroom. Follow this link for further information that you may find useful which is on our website.

Parent Committee reshaping what a great turnout we had to our wine and cheese + chat on Monday evening with a view to reinvigorating and reshaping what has formally been known as the PTA here at OLSOS. The rich discussion and openness of families new to the school as well as those who have been around for a while was fabulous. The first meeting for the steadily revitalising Parent Committee is Monday 15th May at 7pm. Please mark this date in your diary, come along for friendship, fun and support of the school.

2023 Gala – Invitation to a meet and greet evening on Monday 1st May at 6.30 pm for parents who want to find out more about helping at the Gala. Our 2023 Gala Core Team has begun meeting in preparation for our Gala which is scheduled to go ahead on Saturday, October 28th. This year we aim to host a fun-filled day with many hands making light work! Last year was the first year we held our Gala in three years due to covid, so many families experienced it for the first time. You will have all seen the amazing day that it was, and this year, it will be even bigger and better with our community’s help. In Term 3 we will be calling for weekly collections of items which will contribute to making the day amazing, however, for now, we are sending out a call for support for helpers to co-lead a stall. The Gala Core Team have approached a few families already and we are starting to put together a group of families to help out in making each stall run well for the day. If you are interested in joining this group for fun and support at the Gala in October, please come along to our Meet and Greet evening on Monday 1st May at 6.30pm in the staffroom for wine and cheese and to find out more about what is involved. Your attendance on this night does not mean you have to sign up, however we would love as many people to attend as possible who may be able to help in support of a stall on the day so that we can share what is involved in anticipation that families will sign up to help. Please come along on May 1st at 6.30pm, and bring a friend!

School /Parish Celebration of 175 Years

Looking Back Our team ran in the Howick Fun Run two Sundays ago with great effort and fun. Our cricket team did so well in their competition, coming third in the HPPA cricket competition, defeated narrowly by the winning school by 3 runs in the heats, which is a testament to their efforts and to the close competition.  We were so proud of our Pacific and Asian Groups who performed with confidence and finesse at the HPPA Cultural Festival last Wednesday, and especially of Xavier Grant for leading the whole auditorium in the commands for the slap dance after their performance. See later in this newsletter for further photos and details of each of these events and more.

Looking Ahead A reminder that school recommences for our children in Term 2 on Wednesday 26th April after our Teacher Only Day on Monday 24th and ANZAC day on Tuesday 25th April.

Wishing you all a happy, safe and blessed Easter and two weeks holiday ahead and we look forward to welcoming all students back to school next term.

Ngā mihi nui and cǐ zhì jìng lǐ,

Louise Campbell
Principal

According to the Mission Sisters records, it was not until the end of 1904 the decision was made to provide Sisters for the school in Howick. Two young Sisters, Sister M St Angela from Ashbuton and Sister M St Norbert from Christchurch, were put on a boat to Wellington for an onward journey via New Plymouth and Onehunga to Howick. Arriving in Howick the Sisters wrote: ‘A veritable beauty spot it is, landscape and seascape are both delightful.’

Our annual outreach programme for Lent has reached its conclusion. The team at the parish foodbank extend a huge thank you to all for your contributions. We were overwhelmed by your generosity. The Flood the Foodbank with Love challenge has helped to support 96 families this year. It is wonderful to see our young learners grow in their understanding of what it is to be a Christian Witness. Jordy Melville and his family are an example of how members of our school community are working together to reach out and help others in need.  Jordy shared, ‘For Lent I wanted to think of some way to help people. My sister gave me the idea of doing things for family members and they could donate food or money for me to  give to the food bank. Some of the things they asked me to do were help with cleaning, washing the car, reading to my grandad because he can’t see well anymore. Everyone donated $10 after a few weeks and I went to the shop to buy food for the parish foodbank.’  A wonderful model for us to follow.

The focus for this week has been Christ’s journey to the cross. Classes have been praying the Stations of the Cross during the week and re-enacting the Last Supper. The annual Stations walk in Howick continues this year. Joining the procession in Howick is a way of proclaiming your faith in Christ. At the Easter Vigil, this Saturday evening, the Mass will begin in darkness reminding us of Christ’s death and the darkness of the tomb. We enter the church with only the light of the Easter Candle to lead the way. Jesus tells us, ‘I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ The entrance of the Easter candle into the church is a powerful reminder of this. The light of this one candle is then shared with all present and very soon the darkness of the church is overcome. The church is filled with light, light that is strong in faith and hope. Catherine McAuley reminds us ‘to be a shining lamp, giving light to all around.’ We are called to share this light of faith and hope with all those we meet.

Below is the timetable for our parish celebrations. Everyone is welcome to attend and we look forward to celebrating with you as one big parish family. 

Holy Week Timetable 2023:

Holy Thursday
– Mass of the Lord’s Supper                               7:00 pm
Good Friday
– Stations of the Cross                                       9:00 am
– Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion            3:00 pm
Holy Saturday
– Easter Saturday Vigil                                        7:00 pm
Easter Sunday
– Mass                                                                  8:00 am & 9:30am

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

Prayer Intention : E te Ariki, we pray for all those who are being received into the Church this Easter season.

Hi Everyone,

We hope you are all keeping warm with the change in weather this week.

It was great to see so many of you at our combined School and Parish Mass and the picnic afterwards starting a year of celebrations of 175 years on Sunday 12th of March. Well done to all the Year 6 Leaders who were commissioned at this Mass, it was a very proud moment!

We recently received a letter from the Catholic Diocese of Auckland thanking us for the 2022 Annual Report to the Proprietor, the Bishop of Auckland.  It was full of very high praise.  In particular we would like to share with you the following highlights:

 “It is very evident that as proprietors representatives you have a good knowledge of your school and parish and wider community.  Whanau have participated with their tamariki in the Sacramental Programme strengthening the faith of all involved.  Father John, as parish priest has a strong presence in the school.  You have continued to work with flexibility through the Covid years ensuring where possible Parish and School remained in strong relationship.  It is very encouraging to read your response outlining the many ways in which the Our Lady Star of the Sea school community encounters, grows in knowledge of and witnesses to Christ.  Well done, particularly in the face of the restrictions and challenges of the last 18 months.”

“You have undertaken a rigorous enquiry and evaluation process.  You have been adaptive in the way in which this review has been carried out. It is evident that it is a whole community review and evaluation, and you are congratulated on this undertaking…This is a fine piece of work and a very good evaluation”

Please join me in thanking Father John, our Proprietors Reps, Louise Campbell, our DRS Detta Fairweather and our amazing school staff who all put their heart and soul into safeguarding and growing the special Catholic character of the school which is so evident in the response to our 2022 report from the Catholic Schools Office.

At this month’s Board meeting, we received updates on the special learning support programmes we have running in the school, our ESOL programme and an update as to how the Te Whare Tapa Whā model of wellbeing is being introduced and used in the school.  These reports evidence the considered care and leadership of all staff for which we are very grateful. This is so evident as I reflected whilst attending two meetings this week – one was an Education Review Office (ERO) webinar about their new review model and process, and the other was a meeting of the East Auckland Presiding members of local school Boards. At both of these meetings it immediately stood out how thorough, well prepared, and immensely invested our leadership, teaching and support teams are.

We have an external Catholic Special Character review commencing in June this year.  This means two external reviewers from the Auckland Diocese will come in and gather data by way of interviews, evaluation of documentation and observations, and from there write a draft evaluation. This will be shared with the school, and confirmed copies sent to your Board, community, and the NZ Catholic Education office.  From here, your Board, including the Principal, will then ensure that all statutory requirements and recommendations for development are actioned, and progress is monitored.

In addition to the external Catholic Special Character review we also have the new Te Ara Huarau evaluation process being rolled out by ERO. The main difference in the new review process is that it will be a more collaborative approach between the reviewer and the school, compared to what was previously just an assessment only.  Our Evaluation Partner from ERO will work alongside the school over a 3-year cycle, which is the same for every school.  We meet our Evaluation Partner next term, and will keep you apprised through our newsletter updates.

We wish you all a safe and happy Easter and school holiday break.

Alina Hooper, Presiding Member on behalf of Your Board

SCHOOL ATTENDANCE DUES

A reminder that payment for Term 1 was due on 10.03.2023     

If you would like to discuss a payment plan, please do contact Sue Yandell in strictest confidence:  [email protected]

Tax receipts for the year 01.04.2022 – 31.03.2023 have been emailed this week.

Congratulations to Cavan Reilly who recently represented Howick Pakuranga Swim Team.  Cavan came 3rd in the Auckland representative competition.  Well done Cavan

Howick Fun Run
Thanks to all those students and their families who pushed their physical hauora on the 26th of March by taking part in the Howick Fun Run/Walk.

We had a great turnout of families and lots of happy faces as they crossed the finish line.

The run/walk was 5.8kms in total and included a fair few hills along with some spectacular views of Howick.

Special congratulations to Grayson Shaw (and Lance) for crossing the finish line third overall but first for Star.

Thomas McLaughlin (and Luke) finished 2nd for Star and Rosalie Naylor and Callum Lee finished 3rd and 4th for Star.

Thanks to Mrs Brooke Crowe and Miss Lee Marten who were the chasers on the course encouraging our Star pupils to keep going.

Even though we were not able to secure any of the spot prizes, a great morning was had by all.

Cricket

Congratulations to our school cricket team consisting of Grayson Shaw, Zac and Xavier Grant, Ethan Crouch, James Baker, Charlie Faulkner, Cooper Quin, Matthew Bastian and Kaisyn Dang who came out in third place at the HPPA Cricket competition this year.

The boys gathered on March 28th to play off in the semis and finals.

In the semis they faced the top of Pool A, Macleans Primary and narrowly lost by 3 runs. The team gelled as a group and supported each other and the game went down to the wire.

This loss meant our boys then faced the loser of the other semi final which was Maraetai Beach School for third and fourth place. This was an easy win for the boys who bowled and batted superbly chasing Maraetai Beach’s total of 37.

Macleans Primary went on to take the winners title and the cup for 2023.

It was a pleasure to accompany these boys on each of the competition days. They represented the school with pride and played to the best of their ability. Dave Grant, who coached the boys, was very impressed with each player’s development and ability across the 3 days of competition. Thanks once again to Dave for giving up so much of his time to support us. Special thanks to our support crew who cheered us on from the sideline and  gave us the extra boost of confidence when it was needed.

Children in the Pasifika and Chinese dance groups have been working incredibly hard, practicing throughout the week and even sometimes on the weekends to prepare for the 2023 HPPA Cultural Festival. The event was held at Sancta Maria College on Wednesday 29th March.

The Asian dance saw our juniors dress up as mice and cats. It was based on the legend of the Chinese zodiac and how the animals around the river were arguing about who the new year should be named after.

The boys and girls in the Pasifika group first performed a traditional dance called a sasa (the slap dance). Once the sasa was over the boys hopped off the stage and the girls did a dance called a Siva Samoa. This is a graceful and elegant dance.

It was good to see all the kids enjoying themselves with big smiles on their faces. We also give a big thank you to Jo Grant and Shirley Mak  for teaching the dances and sharing parts of their cultures with us. We couldn’t have done it without you.

By Isobella Evans

Reading Support Programme 2023

We are intending to run this successful reading programme again this year.  The programme entails working with up to three students across an hour supporting their reading and comprehension ideally for two sessions a week.  The programme will begin on Monday 22nd May.   A meeting for any new tutors will be held on Monday 16 May at 2.00pm in our school staffroom.   If you would like to volunteer again or wish to train as a new volunteer, please contact the school office on 538 0195 or email [email protected] to leave details.

Date to diary for next term

Book week

‘I’ve got a story to tell’

Term 2 Week 10

Fun activities, competitions, Scholastic Book Fair, author visits, Playhouse Theatre and our wonderful costume parade!

More details to follow next term.

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University Ministry Coordinator – Catholic Diocese of Auckland
Are you a self-motivated relationship-builder who can be the driving force behind a new project? We’re looking for someone who answers “Yes!” to become our full-time University Ministry Coordinator. You’ll be part of a tight-knit team implementing a bold new strategy for ministry to young people in the Diocese of Auckland. For more information, please visit: www.aucklandcatholic.org.nz/staff-vacancies/

Local Youth Ministry and Administration Support – Catholic Diocese of Auckland
Are you a self-motivated relationship-builder who wants to make a meaningful positive impact in the lives of young people? The Diocese of Auckland want someone to join our team in the role of Local Ministry and Administration Support. You’ll be part of a tight-knit team implementing a bold new strategy for ministry to young people in the Diocese of Auckland. For more information, please visit: www.aucklandcatholic.org.nz/staff-vacancies/

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Please follow the link below to our Bizzy Bodz Star of the Sea Specialised workshops for April 2023

Star of the Sea Workshop April 2023

We are offering workshops to families who are wanting specialised holiday care.

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After School Tutor Classes Term 2

How do I sign my child up to a class?

Your tutor will be in touch if they have available space. Children who have already been in the tutor’s class get first pick and then new students get any spare spaces.

Here is our list of classes for Term 2! If you wish to sign up your child, please fill out this google form: https://forms.gle/hiBx4rZyods3uNTd8

Classes will run from week 1 (week starting Monday 24th of April). Classes run until week 10 (week starting Monday 26th of June).

To download the full newsletter follow this link.   After School Tutor Classes T2-2023