Kia Ora, Ni Hao Malo e lelei and Bula Vinaka Whānau,

As we have reached the end of our school year, I wish to offer sincere thanks to all of our community for your support in this, the 175th Year of Our Lady Star of the Sea school. 

From our early beginnings thanks to Fr Garin in 1848 in a small wooden room on Picton Street to our years in Granger Road supported by the Mercy and Mission Sisters and our time here situated in Oakridge Way, Our Lady Star of the Sea has been a beacon of strong values based education in East Auckland. We truly stand on the shoulders of the giants who have come before us.

The legacy of community connection, Christian outreach and the education of the whole child; spiritually, emotionally, physically and academically, is alive and well and continues into 2024.

Congratulations to all of our students on their incredible year of learning this year and to those who received recognition at our prizegiving on Wednesday evening. Recipients are recorded in the back of our school magazine which I am sure you are all enjoying as a memento of our year with thanks to Sanny Wiranata for her work in putting our magazine together this year.

May God keep you in the palm of His hands over the Christmas and holiday season and we look forward to welcoming you back to school in the new year.

Wishing you all of God’s blessings for a safe and happy holiday.

Ngā mihi nui, Tōfa soifua, ‘Alu ā, cǐ zhì jìng lǐ and Vinaka vaka levu,

Louise Campbell
Principal

Thank you to all families for arranging payment of school fees in 2023.  A reminder that payments will continue to be accepted through December and January.

As previously advised,  a full letter of explanation for 2024 will come home in February 2024, however we wish to advise the fees for 2024 will be increasing by $20 to $1,048 per child per year (i.e. $262 per term).

As usual, financial assistance is available if required, by contacting us in confidence.

Summer Holidays

Hello summer holidays,
Goodbye crisp early mornings.  I won’t miss you a bit.

Hello christmas BBQ’s filled with laughter and all things yum,
Goodbye challenging work putting me to the test.

Hello water balloon fights filled with massive splashes,
Goodbye slicking back and tying up my irritating hair.

Hello beach days with fish n chips and whooshing currents,
Goodbye weary eyes during boring lessons.

Hello summer holidays,
We are glad you are here!

by Harper Berry – Rm 13

Summer Holidays

Hello summer holidays,
Goodbye stolen stationery.

Hello golden beaches,
Goodbye lazy eyes in the morning.

Hello amazing vacations,
Goodbye difficult schoolwork.

Hello awesome christmas,
Goodbye uncomfortable uniform.

Hello summer holidays,
We are glad you are here!

by Celine Zhang Rm 13

Lewis Eady

On Thursday 7th December, parents of students who have been learning music with our Lewis Eady Tutor were treated to a concert, where our students performed the musical pieces they have been learning on guitar and keyboard. The children were proud to share their learning and did a great job.

Get back to school stationery ready!

We know getting ready for the first day back at school can be a challenge for parents and kids. That’s why we’ve teamed up with OfficeMax to make your back to school shop super easy. And if you order in December, you’ll go in the draw to WIN 1 of 5 $1000 cash prizes*.

Your child’s class list is already loaded. Just go to https://www.myschool.co.nz/Starofthesea Simply add your details, check that you want everything on the list, then click and confirm — and OfficeMax will get your delivery underway.

Order in December and choose to receive your order straight away or in January.

Laybuy* is also available, so you can pay in 6 weekly, interest-free payments and still get your order right away.

We encourage you to order early to ensure your child has all their stationery requirements ready to go in plenty of time for the start of Term 1.

So go ahead and beat the back to school rush, order today and give them the best start possible.

OfficeMax makes it easy to get back to school ready with these great benefits

• Free delivery on orders over $70^
• Pay now or in easy instalments — internet banking, credit card, debit card or pay in 6 weekly, interest-free payments with Laybuy*
• School Rewards — when you shop on myschool.co.nz we earn rewards* that can be used to purchase extra resources for school
• Beat the back to school rush — avoid queues and busy malls by shopping online from the safety and comfort of your home

*Terms and Conditions apply, see myschool.co.nz for details. ^Exclusions apply, see myschool.co.nz/delivery for details.

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