Kia Ora, Ni Hao, Bula Vinaka, Malo e lelei, Kia Orana, Tālofa, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Bonjour, Xin Chao, and Kumusta Whānau,

Welcome back to a new school year and to our first newsletter of 2026. There is truly nothing like the energy of the first couple of weeks of school—the crisp uniforms, the reunions between friends, and the wide-eyed excitement of our new learners.

Our overarching focus for 2026 is “Harmony in God’s World.” We are using the example of Jesus as our compass to navigate what it means to be in right relationship with God, ourselves, each other, and our planet.
Before the students arrived, our staff spent a beautiful retreat morning as part of our preparation for the year, lead by Sr Tina and Sr Paula, two Mercy Sisters. They helped us view “harmony” through a Mercy lens—one of compassion and forgiveness. It was the perfect way to reset and prepare for the year ahead.

Commissioning Mass On Wednesday this week, we held our Commissioning Mass, celebrating the beginning of our school year, and the commissioning and blessing of our Year 6s as school leaders. See later in our newsletter for more details about our leadership roles and those who were commissioned at Wednesday’s beginning of the year Mass. Congratulations to all of our Year 6 leaders, great role models for our learning community.

Attendance Management Plan from the beginning of 2026, all schools in New Zealand are required to have an Attendance Management Plan in operation which is based on guidelines as set out by the Ministry of Education. I invite you to check out the summary of our Attendance Management Plan in the ‘School Information’ tab, under the ‘Attendance’ tab on our school website. Follow this link directly there.  You will note, in our Attendance Management Plan thresholds of absence within each term where we will be in touch to identify barriers and plan together to improve attendance. These thresholds are set at 5 days, 10 days, and 15 days of absence per term. You will also note that we have access to an Attendance Service connected to the Ministry of Education which we will utilise to support us should this be required.

Staffing Update
At the start of this year we welcome new additions to our staff. We welcome Mrs Julie Thorpe who is supporting our delivery of structured literacy, Miss Rylee Holliman who will be supporting in our Year 4 to 6 classes as a learning assistant, and Mrs Sophie Dupeyroux who will be supporting in Year 2 as a learning assistant. We are also very fortunate to welcome Mrs Nicky Stewart who is helping us out in the office for the first few weeks of the year.
I know you will give them all a warm welcome when you see them at school. Please read their introductions below:

Hello, my name is Julie Thorpe. Until recently I have been a Resource Teacher: Literacy in the larger Howick area. I look forward to working with the students and teachers at Our Lady Star of the Sea. I live locally in Howick with my husband John and have brought our three now adult children up in the local area. I enjoy coffee time, watching most sports, walking/talking, gardening and travel. I love being busy and reaching some of those travel destinations.

Kia Ora, ko Rylee Holliman taku ingoa, hello all, Im Rylee Holliman and I have the pleasure of joining Our Lady Star of the Sea this year.  Working alongside  the senior school as a teacher aide. I have lived in Aotearoa my whole life, and went to Patumahoe primary. I currently study at university in mixed media and communications but over the past two years developed a passion for teaching primary school children. In my spare time I love to participate in sports and creative activities! 

My name is Sophie Dupeyroux and I am excited to be joining Our Lady Star of the Sea School as a Teacher Aide this year, supporting the Year 2 classrooms. I live with my husband and our two young boys, who are 4 and 3 years old. In my spare time, I enjoy being outdoors, going for walks, and staying active with my family. I come from a background in HR and recruitment, and I am really looking forward to bringing my skills into the school environment to support both students and teachers. I am excited to be coming on board and becoming part of the wonderful Our Lady Star of the Sea community.

Community Dreaming Day 2026 – Save the Date: Saturday 7th March from 2pm to 4pm This afternoon you will have received an email containing the first of four items of ‘pre-reading’ leading up to this important community consultation day. These will help you understand the topics we will talk about so you can arrive ready to share your thoughts. These readings are designed to give you a head start and get you thinking! We are very much looking forward to reviewing our goals and activity over the past three years, and planning forward for activity in the next three years at this important strategic planning day – there will be food and entertainment for the children while the adults come together to share and plan forward for our school. We look forward to seeing you all there!

General reminders for the beginning of the year
Gates – this year, for safety purposes, is is paramount that our gates remain closed between 8.45am and 2.45pm. In order to ensure this is in place at our back gate, where school personnel are not in close proximity to ensure this safety practice is in place, we will keep our back gate locked until 2.45pm. If you are accustomed to entering school through the back gate before 2.45pm, you will now need to enter through the front of the school (Oakridge Way).
Updating Contact Details If any of your contact details have recently changed, (phone numbers, address, email address or emergency contact details), please be in touch with our school office to let them know, or, you are welcome to make changes through the parent portal.
Uniform Please ensure your child/ren has the correct uniform including a school hat. The uniform shop is open on Thursdays from 8.15 am to 8.45 am and again from 2.30 pm – 3.00 pm.  Uniform orders can be placed online by completing an order form, paying online and emailing the order to [email protected].  An order form can be found on the school website under the School Information tab, then select School Uniform.  Orders must be in by Wednesday for delivery to your child’s classroom on Thursday.  For any size exchanges please return to the office and we will action. If using an online order, please remember to circle the coloured sleeve band for your school house when ordering a sports shirt.
Safety on the road around the school With all the congestion we experience before and after school, we are very mindful of keeping our tamariki|students, safe. There are a few things you can do to help us make sure that no child gets hurt, or worse, coming to and leaving school.
1. Make sure all children get out of or into the car on the curbside
2. Always use the marked crossing areas at the front or the back of the school to cross the road as these have the most visibility for drivers
3. Make sure your child/ren do not run between parked cars to get into or out of the car or across the road
4. When the road patrols are operating at the pedestrian crossing please always use these
5. Demonstrate to your children safe ways to cross the road
Thank you for your support. We know it often means walking a little bit further but it is worth it to avoid a tragedy.

Looking Ahead: We celebrate Chinese New Year next week alongside our Asian community. We are grateful to members of our Asian community who are going to decorate our school as part of this festive celebration. The Life Education Van is visiting us from next week, so expect to see this on site in the quadrangle. We look forward marking the beginning of Lent with our Ash Wednesday Liturgy at 11am on Wednesday 18th February at 11.15am. Our year 6 parents camp meeting has changed date and will now be held on Monday 23rd February at 7pm in Room 21. Don’t forget our Community Dreaming Day on Saturday 7th March from 2pm to 4pm!

I wish you a safe and blessed fortnight ahead, until we next share news and updates from our beautiful school in our next school newsletter.

Arohanui, Zhù hǎo, ‘Ofa lahi atu,  Tōfa soifua, Cordialement, Loloma levu, Fakaue lahi, 안부 인사를 전합니다 , salamat po,

Louise Campbell
Tumuaki/Principal

Welcome to another year of wonderful opportunities to share our faith, along with experiences to help us deepen our understandings.

Encounter with Christ:

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season. 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 Christ’s 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. Each student will receive the Ashes during a special  liturgy in the school hall 11:15am Wednesday 18 February.  Our parish will be offering Mass with the distribution of Ashes at 6:00am, 9:15am and 7pm. We encourage you to attend one of these celebrations.

Every Friday, 7pm in our parish Church during the Season of Lent, the Stations of the Cross will be prayed. All are welcome to attend.

Enrolment for this year’s parish sacramental programme close Sunday 15th February. The programme is for children in year 4 and above. More information can be found on the parish website and our school website.

Growth in Knowledge:

The Religious Education focus this term is Te Atua – God. Our young learners in the Year 1 and 2 classes will develop an understanding of God – Father, Son and Spirit – who loves us and is present to us. The children will be introduced to the idea of an encounter with Jesus. Our learners in the Years 3 and 4 classes will come to understand that each Person of the Trinity is special and shares gifts with us. In Years 5 and 6 the focus is on the learners’ understanding of how to love and serve God as well as how Mary and other Saints show us how I can be like Jesus. Through Seesaw, you will receive  the whānau page for this term’s learning, with suggestions of ways to help your child at home. Please continue to spark conversations with your child/children about their Religious Education learning and the taonga of our faith. 

A message from Father Terry . . .

Alpha is a friendly, relaxed introduction to the Christian faith. We watch a short video, share a meal, and have an open conversation where everyquestion is welcome. Many people find Alpha a gentle way to revisit their faith as adults and see it with fresh eyes. Our next Alpha course begins on Sunday 22 February at 6 pm, with a delicious dinner provided by the parish. You’re very welcome to come along—and feel free to invite a friend.More details are on the website:    howickcatholic.org.nz/alpha-course/

Christian Witness:

Throughout the weeks of  Lent we will be collecting donations for our parish foodbank as part of our  annual Lenten Challenge – ‘We Can Bring a Can.’ This is one of our major Christian Witness outreach activities where we can easily put our faith into action. Through the small action of donating an item of food, our young learners come to know more about two of the corporal works of Mercy – feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty. Please give generously to support the members of our wider community who are struggling to feed their families. Thank you.

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

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