Dear Families,

Welcome back to the 2022 academic year and our first newsletter for the year.

We are so thrilled to be open to all students every day for the first time in 6 months and very grateful to all families for the way you have supported the process by becoming familiar with our Red Light Covid procedures and sending your children back prepared and ready to get stuck into learning and reconnecting with their friends and teachers.

2022 promises to be a year of exciting opportunities and one in which we will need to continue to be agile when it comes to responding to the ongoing Covid situation.

Connected Curriculum Focus 2022

This year our connected curriculum overarching concept is EXPLORE. You will see this on the sign on the wall as you enter our main gate. We begin our year investigating the concept of Taonga, the gifts in God’s world that shape us and our place in our world. Next Term we investigate Connections, looking at the systems of Gods world and how people have used the earth past, present, and future (a great science-based term) then we look at Possibilities, exploring issues in God’s world as it continues to grow and finally Influence, exploring ways to influence others of possibilities that will help support God’s world.

Waitangi Day and Welcome Assembly

Saturday 6th February is our national day commemorating the first signings of the Treaty of Waitangi – Te Tiriti o Waitangi, in 1840. Monsignor Gerard Burns in his homily on Waitangi Day in 2019 stated ‘Because of the Christian involvement in its signing and the Church’s mission to bring about a better world we can mark Waitangi as a significant spiritual event and a time to pray for the land and its peoples. We can give thanks for the gift of being here, ask forgiveness for the wrongs of our history from which some have benefitted and some have lost, and re-commit ourselves to work for a more just society.’  I think his words are poignant and are words to guide us in the significance of this day for our nation and for us as Catholics here in New Zealand. 

We celebrated Waitangi Day and welcomed our new students at a virtual assembly via zoom into each classroom on Tuesday this week. Please follow this link to a recording of this assembly for you to enjoy at home. Although we cannot gather together face to face at the moment this does not stop us from celebrating important events and welcoming our new students and staff members in a different way in this covid climate. We hope you enjoy watching it.

Chinese New Year 

We celebrate Chinese New year alongside our Asian community. You will have noticed when arriving at school that our school environment is decorated with red lanterns as part of the celebration of the Chinese New Year. It is wonderful to share such a festive celebration with our Chinese families. We thank our Jia Family Group for their support.  新年快乐! Xīn nián kuàilè!

Staffing Update

At the end of last year, we bid farewell to Robyn Fromont who obtained a position at another primary school a few days before the end of our school year. Due to timing and Covid, we were not in a position to acknowledge her as we usually would, however, our staff gave her a good send-off on the school’s behalf. Rob taught at Our Lady Star of the Sea for many years as well as having been a parent here at school too. I know you will join me in love and prayers for her as she settles into her new school.

This year we welcome Ushanthi Leaver to our teaching team. Ushanthi joins our Year 3/4 Team, teaching in our Year 3 class in Room 16. She is settling in fast and I know, when you get the opportunity, you will make her feel welcome.

My name is Ushanthi Leaver and I am so excited to be the new teacher in Room 16 this year. This is my first year at Our Lady Star of the Sea School and this is my 10th year of teaching. I was born in Sri Lanka but attended school in East Auckland from primary school. My husband and I have a little 2 year old boy – Charlie, who keeps us on our toes. I already feel so warmly welcomed into the Star of the Sea family and I am looking forward to meeting everyone around in the school community as the year goes on.

Please keep Mrs Heather Collins, our Team Leader Year 5/6, in your prayers as she travels back to the United Kingdom to be with her family as they farewell her Father who passed away recently. We pray together ‘Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him’ Amen. 

Holiday Property Work

We are very pleased to see the competition of our external paint of the school over the summer holidays meaning that all buildings now have received a refresh and update of colours.

We are also very pleased that our Covered Outdoor Learning Area  (COLA) is another step closer to completion with the framing in place. Over the course of the next few weekends work will progress to completion on this long-awaited covered learning space; an ideal space to gather, play and learn whilst being protected from the sun and the rain. We are very much looking forward to sharing images of the completed structure in the coming weeks.

A Couple Of Reminders at the Start of our School Year

Annual Consent Form Last Day to Return Monday 14th February Please

Your child/ren will have brought home our annual consent form for trips and visits across our school year as well as other critical consent elements. Your child/ren will not be able to leave the school for any trips or events until we have this form back to school (including Field of Dreams swimming for Year 3-6 students next week). Please bring your annual consent form back to your class teacher on Monday 14th February.

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 available 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 school Information – 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.

Safety around the school gates

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
4. When the patrols are working 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

Next week we will be hosting our Meet the Teacher Interviews via Zoom between Tuesday 15th February and Thursday 17th February after school hours. You will have received, filled in, and returned the ‘Getting to Know Our Learner’ sheet which will be utilised to shape the conversation at these zoom meetings. If you have not sent this form back to your class teacher please email it to them over the weekend so they have the opportunity to prepare for the meeting where you will be discussing and establishing disposition goals to begin the year. Field of Dreams Swimming for Year 4 to 6 commences next week under strict Red Covid Level protocols. We have an upcoming Teacher Only Day on Friday 25th February school will be closed to students on this day. Our teachers will be engaged in important literacy training. This TOD is a board-approved day which we notified the community about last year.

Keep an eye on our school Facebook page for updates on school events and the ‘online news’ section of our website. Wishing you all a very happy and safe fortnight between now and when we next share school happenings in our fortnightly newsletter.

Be safe and God bless.

Ngā mihi nui and cǐ zhì jìng lǐ,

Louise Campbell
Principal

Religious Education Focus Term 1

We continue our work as a BETA trial school for the new Religious Education Curriculum. This term our focus is on Our Story where our young learners in the Year 1 and 2 classes will come to know they are made in the image of God and they are called to be in relationship with God, the Creator, who loves them. They are assured of their uniqueness and value; they have gifts they have been given and are called to use, knowing they have a belonging, a purpose and a future. Our learners in the Years 3 and 4 classes will come to know they are part of the story of their family and the people their family belongs to. They will look at the spiritual bonds of family, people with whenua, place and journey. They are assured of the importance of their culture in how they live and express their relationship with God. Further up the school in Years 5 and 6 the focus is on the history of their school and the role the community had in establishing it. They will explore the hopes and intentions of the founders of our school, the Charism of the religious orders associated with our school, their passion for our faith and how that impacts on our own education, wellbeing and relationship with God. They will come to understand they are part of the ‘bigger picture’ of the Church through our parish and the diocese we live in.

Please ask your children about their RE learning and the taonga of our faith.

Mea ana te atawhai haere mai i runga i te aroha me te awhi

‘Mercy invites us to love and to care’

A Note from Bishop Michael

As you all know, Tonga has been devastated by the eruption of Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai and the resulting tsunami. Communications and infrastructure have been severely damaged. There is an urgent need for drinking water, food and shelter.

Like many of you, I have felt called to respond to our Tongan family in their hour of need. I have joined with Patele (Fr) Line Folaumoeloa in co-ordinating an online fundraiser from 7.00 pm-9.00 pm on Saturday 12 February. It will be an opportunity for our Diocese at large to show support for the Tongan community. This will be streamed to the following Facebook pages: Bishop Pat, Bishop Michael, and Auckland Catholic.

Parish Sacramental Programme

Enrolment for this year’s parish sacramental programme will open Monday 14 February. The programme is for children in year 4 and above. More information is on the parish website and our school website.

Fun Fact

February 14 also marks Saint Valentine’s Day. Legends tell us Saint Valentine lived during the time of Claudius II. Claudius didn’t like Christians and wanted soldiers to go and fight in his wars. He made it illegal for people to get married because he thought that if men got married and had families, they would not want to go off and fight in the Roman wars. Saint Valentine was a priest with a great love for God and God’s love. He would marry the men and women who were in love. He died in 269 and is the patron saint of love and marriage.

NZ Catholic

The latest New Zealand Catholic has been provided free of charge. Some headlines for this issue: Sixteen men from Vietnam hope to be priests in NZ. Catholic abuse stats in NZ revealed. Social housing project in Christchurch. Leading Tauranga layman farewelled. Click this link to read more.

Detta Fairweather

Director of Religious Studies

This sunflower was grown by the school’s groundsperson, Mrs Lorraine Brooke.  Sunflowers are the very embodiment of summer.  With their bright, yellow petals and tall green stems, it’s easy to see why so many of our students love them. Often used as a symbol of happiness and congratulations.  So congratulations to Mrs Brooke in producing our school’s symbol of happiness.

Please note : TEACHER ONLY DAYS

Friday 25 February 2022

Tuesday 7 June 2022

One further Teacher Only Day to be confirmed by the BOT 

Bizzy Bodz are normally available on Teacher Only Day.  Closer to the time we will confirm details.