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

Welcome to our first newsletter of Term 2 2024. The first fortnight of our term has seen the transition from summer to winter uniform as the weather gets cooler. Thank you for your support at home, making sure our learners come to school in their correct winter uniform, with winter socks and plain black lace up shoes. If you wish your child/ren to continue wearing the short sleeve uniform shirt, they are welcome to do so. Alternatively, we do have a long sleeve school shirt for these cooler months as part of the winter uniform. 

Parish Connect
Parish Retreat experience. From Monday – Friday, 29 July to 02 August Father Richard Shortall SJ, Jesuit priest and Retreat Director from the Hamilton Diocese, will be guiding our parish through a retreat. For one hour, either in the morning or evening to suit you and your family, Fr Richard will support attendees through a retreat experience. Please mark this in your calendar for now; more information will come out closer to the time.
Also, please note these dates especially as there is morning tea to be shared after 9.00am Sunday Mass:  12 May, 09 June, 14 July, 11 August, 08 September, 13 October, 10 November, and 08 December.  As Fr John suggests: plan ahead, be generous, be consistent, be hospitable.

Please follow this link to view this Sunday’s readings.

Mitey Mental Health Education Update In the next several newsletters we will introduce you to different elements of the Mitey Mana Model as we introduce this important teaching and learning programme in our school. This week we will focus on the concept of Mana Whānau. Children need to believe they occupy a central and valued position in their whānau, including their school whānau, so they develop a sense of self and feel connected to others. Mana Whānau is critical and is the foundation for the development of the other four forms of mana which will be shared in subsequent newsletters.
Mana Whānau develops when children know:
– their family, peers, teachers and wider school community care about them.
– they can contribute meaningfully to the world around them.
– what their academic strengths and interests are.
– that others recognise their innate mana.
Children demonstrate Mana Whānau when they:
– have high expectations of themselves.
– feel safe and connected to others.
– have healthy relationships with peers and teachers.
– ask for help and feedback where appropriate.
– believe they make their family, school and others proud.

Education Review Office (ERO) Te Ara Huarau is the evaluation approach that the Education Review Office (ERO) is using in our school. This is a developmental approach to evaluation where ERO and our school work together over time rather than the old model one off reviews that happened previously. Te Ara Huarau is used in most English-medium state and state-integrated schools.
ERO maintains a regular review programme to evaluate and report on the education and care of young people in the schools. Our school worked alongside ERO to write our Profile Report. This type of report will only happen once as part of our initial engagement with Te Ara Huarau. The profile report reflects our strategic goals and a shared evaluation focus on one or more areas that are important to us as we work together to improve outcomes for all our learners. ERO, like us, has a strong focus on equity and excellence. Future reporting will show our progress and achievement towards meeting the goals we have set. Public reports like the Profile Report are published on ERO’s website.
A Board Assurance Report that shows how we are meeting regulatory and legislative Requirements has also been published.
Also included in our bundle of published reports is a Provision for International Students report.

Parents Committee Colour Run
On the second to last Friday of last term, our wonderful Parents Committee hosted our first ever Colour Run. The joy on children and parents faces alike was testament to the success of the event for building community spirit and fund raising.  Lara Teixeira, Praveena Sundram, Terexa Chan Mow, Olivia Kelly, Karen Noble Campbell and the team of supporters from the Parents Committee are to be congratulated and thanked for their amazing organisational efforts. Parents and Whānau, thanks for your support of this Parents Committee initiative which raised over $9000! See more photos later in the newsletter in the Parents Committee section.

Electives Term 2 Formerly known at OLSOS as ‘Passion Projects’, our Electives have begun for Term 2. Each Thursday this term our Year 4 to 6 students are attending an elective subject. Students could choose from Spanish, Board Games, Art, Recycled Sculpture, Gardening, Chess, Knitting, Chior and Kapa Haka,  with Kapa Haka also being opened to our Year 3 students. We are so grateful for the assistance of our teachers and many volunteers, including Ian Gibson, Jean Denholm, Glenys Smith, Mary Metcalfe, Lynda Christini, Jocelyn Keller, Paul Spiller  who are helping with knitting and chess & John Henry Smith who is taking our all-comers Kapa Haka ropu made up of 53 students.

‘Phones Away for the Day’ Rules As you know, at the beginning of this term, schools needed to have new rules in place around the Governments ‘Phones Away for the Day’ Policy. We shared our draft rules in our last newsletter of Term One ahead of the start of Term Two, with an invitation to whānau to make comment. These rules are now in place. Please follow this link to read our rules, or you can locate them on our website in the ‘Board Minutes and Documents’ area in the ‘School Information’ drop down box.

Messages Through Our Office to Students
Our office staff are more than happy to pass on any messages that whānau may have throughout the day, particularly related to changes of plans for home time etc. It would help us immeasurably if parents could phone these messages through, as much as possible, before 12.30pm. This way, they can be written down and passed to teachers during the lunchtime break. In the afternoon, especially after 2pm, the office staff are faced with interrupting classes with messages. When this happens, classes and lessons are disturbed which has an impact on the delivery of our curriculum. We understand that this cannot always be the case, however we greatly appreciate your help to get messages through before 12.30pm.

Staffing Update
At the start of this term we welcomed our new Caretaker, Mr Paul Campbell.  The children have done a great job of making him feel welcome!

Kia ora, my name is Paul Campbell and I am the new caretaker at Our Lady Star of the Sea School. I started last Monday on the first day of Term 2 and received a very warm welcome and blessing at the morning prayer assembly. I can already see how respectful the students are towards each other and to the teachers and other staff at our school which makes it a pleasure to work here. I am enjoying getting to know how the school operates, working alongside the teachers, other support staff, student leaders and children to look after our school. Having worked in education for the past 30 years, with a passion for sport, you may also see me coaching the odd sports team in my spare time!

Student Teachers

Hi, I’m Aidan Hughes. I’m a university student at Auckland University of Technology, currently studying to become a teacher. I have a Diploma in Art, which shows that one of the few things I enjoy is art, whether through literature or the little doodles I do on paper. I know I may appear old but I am still very much a child at heart. A few of the things I enjoy doing are building Lego or dressing up as characters at the New Zealand Comic Con. I am very much looking forward to meeting the students in Room 22 and learning how to be a teacher from Miss Bentley.

My name is Sunique Jansen Van Vuuren, and I am currently a first-year Bachelor of Education student at Auckland University of Technology, who will be doing practicum for 3 weeks with Mrs Sentch as a mentor. I enjoy being outdoors and exploring what the Lord has blessed us with. I also enjoy getting stuck into reading during my free time when I am not working or at university, going on walks with friends and family as well as going to the beach. Currently, I am working at Howick Leisure Center facilitating end-of-term holiday programs with children ages 5-13, as well as toddler gymnastics classes. I am also a hockey player and have been playing since I was 8 years old. I am looking forward to joining Mrs Sentch in Room 18 whilst getting to know the staff and students.

Looking Ahead: Next Monday 13th May at 8.45am, we will celebrate Mothers Day with our special Mother’s Day Liturgy. All Mum’s, Grandmothers and other motherly figures are invited along to this special Liturgy and for morning Tea in the staffroom afterwards.

We are very much looking forward to the celebration of Cultural Week beginning with Pentecost Liturgy on Monday 20th May. If you have yet to let Mrs Noble Campbell know of a cultural display or presentation that you or your family can contribute to the week please be in touch with her via email [email protected].

We are also looking forward to the Parents Committee Disco on Friday 24th May from 6pm to 8pm.

Wishing you all a happy, safe and blessed fortnight ahead until our next newsletter.

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

Louise Campbell
Principal

Religious Education
This term’s Religious Education focus is the Being Church theme. Our Year 1 & 2 students will develop an understanding that they are part of God’s family and recognise that the Church has rituals, symbols and holy things. Year 3 & 4 students will grow in understanding of what a Sacrament is and what they do. Year 5 & 6 students will develop an understanding of the nine principles of Catholic Social Teaching and that they come from Jesus’ teaching. They will explore and show how they can live these teachings.

Each of these contexts from the Religious Education Curriculum connects to being Easter people today, to each other, with Jesus alive in our hearts, in our minds, in all that we do and all that we say.

Please continue to spark conversations with your child/children about their RE learning and the taonga of our faith. 

Buddy Class Mass
Buddy class Masses have begun. You are welcome to celebrate with us. Masses will be on Wednesdays at 11:15am. Check the school website calendar to see when your child’s buddy class Mass is. Donations to the parish foodbank are very welcome. Thanks to Father John and Father Terry for making themselves available.

Proclaiming the Word
The children in the Senior school will be learning how to proclaim the Word of God this term. The Liturgy of the Word is one of the two principal parts of the Mass. Just as the assembly is fed in the Liturgy of the Eucharist with the Body and Blood of Christ, so it is fed in the Liturgy of the Word with the words of God. The children will learn strategies for proclamation in their classroom during prayer time. This is a great way for the children to become confident ministers who proclaim the Good News. 

Family Mass
Sunday 26 May, 5:30pm is our first Family Mass. Students from our school community will lead the 5:30pm parish Mass. Please come along and support them. As it is a family Mass students may come in their home clothes. 

Mary Month of May – Ko Maria te Marama o Haratua
The month of May is a special time to honour our Blessed Mother Mary.

Sunday the 12th of May we celebrate the Ascension of Our Lord. This is the name given to Christ’s going to heaven forty days after his Resurrection. For 40 days after his resurrection on Easter Sunday, Jesus travelled and preached with his Apostles, preparing them for his departure from Earth. Ascension Day marks the moment Jesus ascended into heaven before his disciples, at the village of Bethany, near Jerusalem.

Parish Retreat
From the 29th July -1st August, Monday to Friday, Father Richard Shortall SJ, Jesuit Priest and Retreat Director based in the Hamilton Diocese will be joining our Parish Community. The retreat will be focused around learning St Ignatius of Loyola’s way of imaginative prayer. I encourage you to make the most of this great opportunity.

“We are a Christ centred community
fostering belonging (whanaungatanga)
and outreach
through selfless giving (manaakitanga)
in Mary’s Way”.

Statements for fees were sent out at the end of last term.  Payments for Term 2 are due by 10 June.  If you wish to apply for financial assistance, please contact Sue Yandell in confidence.  [email protected]

The School Board met on Tuesday the 30th of April and all were in high praise of the recent Colour Run hosted by the school Parents Committee. The event was well run and created such good community spirit! The event was also a great fundraiser and will certainly form part of next year’s Parents Committee planned events. The Board extends its thanks to all involved in this wonderful event.

The Board is currently undergoing professional development in several areas. We are currently working through a good series of talks given by Manuel Beazley, Vicar of Education in our Auckland Diocese, entitled Authentically Catholic, Authentically Māori. A series which explores Māori Spirituality. We have also undertaken workshops related to the document ‘Catholic Education of School aged Children’. This foundational document from the NZ Bishops Conference is aimed as a guide for those involved in the work of Catholic Education in New Zealand. It has been of real interest to the Board to deep dive into this document and further learn of the rich and unique nature of Catholic Education and schooling in New Zealand.

There has been positive feedback from the Parish, that the sacramental programme is being well supported by those children involved as well as their parents!

Thank you to all in our community for your commitment to your children and their education in our Catholic school.

Bryan Mills
Proprietors Rep on the Board

Colour Run

The Parent Committee would like to extend the biggest thank you to all involved in the colour run at the end of Term 1. Thank you to our team of volunteers, staff, the children and everyone who joined us to run or to simply watch, we couldn’t have done it without you! It was an incredible evening, with good weather, filled with laughter, community spirit and colourful mess.
Thank you for your support. We raised over $9000. Prizes will be delivered in a couple of weeks.

Looking ahead Term 2 brings a hot dog lunch, a disco and a Quiz Night!

HOT DOG LUNCH  – Thursday 16 May

We need 2 more volunteers to run the hot dog lunch from 11am –12:30pm on Thursday 16 May. This will involve making up the hot dogs and delivering them to the classes.

DISCO – Friday 24 May

The disco is on Friday 24 May, from 6pm-8pm. Pizza, lollies and glow sticks will be on sale. A flyer will be sent home with all the details.

Quiz Night – Friday 14 June

Our quiz night will be on Friday 14 June. Tickets will go on sale at the end of next week. $10 a person, you can book a table of 8 or a seat at a table. We will be limited to 96 tickets, so get in quickly! The evening is for over 18s and promises to be lots of fun!

If you can help at any of the above events or have any questions, please reach out to the Parent Committee at [email protected]

Our next Parents Committee meeting is Monday 10th June, 7pm in the staffroom – all welcome.

Fantastic writing by Ashley Huang in Room 4, Year 3

Late one night, a blue hump back whale swam around a mysterious house. Once every leap year the house would light up and shadows would dance. Schools of fish would swim up to the shimmery surface of the water. The coral reef becomes silent and still bubbles burst up from the ground. Volcanoes would sink down to the sea floor. Mermaids would sit on the rocks and start to sing. 

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We would like to acknowledge and congratulate Louis Orange, for receiving a certificate and ribbon from RDA on Thursday 2nd May for winning a walking race, his rein work, completing slow, fast, slow walking well,  and moving around obstacles well.

Well done Louis!

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HPPA Swimming

Last term, a team of Year 4, 5 and 6 students attended the HPPA Swimming competition at Lloyd Elsmore Pools. A massive well done to all students who competed – we are very proud of you all! We had many comments about how  respectful the Our Lady Star of the Sea children were. 

We congratulate the following students for placing in their events: 

Luke Yu- 3rd 10y Boys Backstroke
Harper Berry- 2nd 9y Girls Backstroke
Cavan Reilly- 1st 10y Boys Breaststroke, 1st 10y Boys Championship Freestyle
Tiffany Chen- 1st 10y Girls Breaststroke, 1st 10y Girls Championship Freestyle
Carla Shaw- 1st 9y Girls Breaststroke
Liam Yu- 3rd 9y Boys Championship Freestyle
Amelia Davies- 1st 8y Girls Championship Freestyle
Georjia Pou-Edwards- 3rd 8y Girls Championship Freestyle
Mya Hillerby- 3rd 9y Girls Novice Freestyle
Jacob Faulkner- 1st 8y Boys Novice Freestyle
Ethan Wang- 3rd 8y Boys Novice Freestyle
Sofie Smith- 1st 8y Girls Novice Freestyle

2nd Place went to our 10 and over Championship Relay Team
3rd Place went to our 9 and under Relay team

Well done Star of the Sea – Fantastic results! 

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Halberg Games 

During the school holidays, Tillie Koloamatangi participated in the Halberg Games. This national sports tournament spans three days and is open to young athletes aged 8-21 with a physical disability or visual impairment. 

Tillie represented Disability Sport Auckland and competed in swimming and running races. In her races, she competed against children 12 and under in swimming and 10 and under in running and was the youngest there! 

Tillie received placings in both the swimming and running events. 

25m backstroke – 1st
25m freestyle – 2nd
10m backstroke – 2nd
10m freestyle – 1st
400 run – 1st
200m run – 2nd
100m run – 1st
50m run – 1st

We are very proud of you Tillie!

Reading Tutor Programme

We are intending to run this successful reading programme again this year from week 5 Term 2 (27th May). This helps individual children who need a little more support with their reading comprehension.

                         Calling all parents and friends

Do you have an hour or so free during the week?

Would you like to help a child or do you know someone who would?

We are looking for parents, grandparents, friends or relations to work with
children on a one-to-one basis with our individualised reading support programme.

If you can help us or someone that can, please 

email: [email protected] as soon as possible or phone us on (09)538 0195 to leave your name and contact details and
we will contact you to share more information. 

THANK YOU!

Drawing, Oil pastel, Sketching, Painting – Venue Room 3 from 2.50 pm – 3.50 pm

Fee:  $12.00 per lesson, pay per term.

Art Teacher:  Janet.   Enquiries to Janet Ph: 027 655 5574. or [email protected]

Beautiful sunflowers by room 4 are brightening up the Information Centre.

These are some of the wonderful books we have available for you to borrow from our Parent Choice collection. An extensive range of topics are covered – families, behaviour, feelings, grief, anxiety, resilience and many more.

Use this link to browse online – on the library home page go to Parent Choice under Quick lists.
https://nz.accessit.online/OLS00/#!dashboard

If you see some books you would like to borrow, email Mrs Bell [email protected] and we can send these home to you or pop into the Information Centre any time.

Thank you to our amazing community of Eco warriors who have been hunting and removing moth pods from our local gardens. As a community we have collected 2462 mothpods and pulled out countless vines. Our local gardens will continue to thrive because of your actions.  Thank you! The competition has now come to an end, however, in the future if you do come across moth pods they can be disposed of by placing them in a plastic bag and adding to your household rubbish. In term two the Environmental team/Gardening club will be working on planting and maintaining our school vegetable gardens with the help of Miss Bentley. 

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