Dear Families,

Welcome to our first newsletter of Term 4, which is arriving in your inbox the evening before our much-anticipated School Gala.

Having not had a Gala since 2019 due to Covid restrictions, many of our school families do not know what it looks like, sounds like or feels like to host a Gala. Well, tomorrow our newer families will find out! Although it may look a little different to years gone by as we have not done our usual weekly collections of specific items in acknowledgment that we are all recovering from a very tough couple of years, it will certainly be a great day where our community comes together for the betterment of our students, and a great platform from which to rebuild this special school event. All of your donations and offers of help in many small ways and many big ways too will culminate in a day of connection, community, fun, laughter, and hard work for the benefit of our children.

We have seen lots of mouth-watering cakes, fudge and sweets arriving at school over the last day and a bit – I am sure the cake and sweet stalls will be very popular features of the day! We have teachers gearing up to be dunked at the dunking machine (wish them luck and sunshine to dry off quickly!)

We are so grateful to the team of parents who helped tirelessly on Thursday afternoon and from 7am this morning to pack up classes, unpack the containers and set up stalls around the school – the help and support of those able to do so has been amazing so far – BUT, it isn’t over yet! What better way to experience connection and community by lending a hand, for a short time or a long time tomorrow? That sense of contributing to the greater good, sharing God’s love through our positive interactions with one another and members of the public is such a strong example of being a living witness of Jesus Christ to our children. Thank you in advance for all you have done and all you will do to make tomorrow such a success!

I cannot thank enough our Gala Core Team who have done an amazing job of organising over the past 5 months. Lynne Vorster, Jo Grant, Shasta Dang, Nicole Kelly and Sue Yandell with great help from Anna Burgess in the setup stages have truly exemplified what it means to be a person who lives by our vision: Living, learning and serving with Jesus as our guide. Thanks Team!

Andrew Chin Performance On Wednesday of this week Catholic musician Andrew Chin worked with our students in workshops throughout the day and then performed a concert in the afternoon. Andrew had our students captivated by his engaging manner, his lively, upbeat music and the connections he made to scripture, his songs and our daily lives. We use many of Andrew’s songs in our prayers, liturgies, and Masses, so it was great to have Andrew with us for the day to bring life to his music and the messages about our faith that they contain.

Strategic Planning for the next three years Today, the online consultation period to add your thoughts to the direction of the school following our successful Community Dreaming Day closes. If you were not able to attend on the day, please email lcam[email protected] if you would like to add to the voice gathered on the day. 

To all families, wishing you a very happy and safe fortnight ahead and we look forward to seeing you all at the Gala tomorrow.

Be safe and God bless.

Ngā mihi nui and cǐ zhì jìng lǐ,

Louise Campbell
Principal

I am Linda McQuade a Bishop’s Appointee on the Board, and it is my privilege to provide some highlights from our meeting on Tuesday 25 October.

We like all other Catholic schools in Diocese viewed a “Induction” video provided by the Catholic Diocese of Auckland following the Board elections earlier this year. This video included a message from Bishop Steve Lowe, a brief history of Catholic education within the Auckland Diocese and an invitation for each school to become more familiar with the history of their school. Our Board is committed to ensuring that our school is authentically Catholic, with our Catholic Special Character interwoven into the fabric of all aspects of school life. The school is an arm of our parish, and it was pleasing that earlier this year many of our students were Baptised and/or received the Sacraments of Confirmation and First Holy Communion, following participation in the parish sacramental programme. We are appreciative of the involvement of our priests in the school and particularly thank Fr Rodney for his work while Fr John is on sabbatical. During the video we were reminded that our school is one of the oldest in the Diocese and next year, we will join the parish, to celebrate our 175 th anniversary. We recalled that our school was associated with three Religious Orders – the Marist Fathers, the Mission Sisters, and the Sisters of Mercy. The charism of each of these Religious Orders is still evident in school life and its traditions. The school website has a wealth of information about this and is worth a visit.

We are pleased that the boadwalk associated with the Stations of the Cross has been completed and is now accessible. We encourage you to take time with your child/children, possibly after school or during a weekend, to visit this area which starts at the sacred space and ends at the chapel.
The other property decision made at our meeting was to upgrade the “Mud Kitchen” area in our quadrangle. Gala fundraising over recent years (prior to Covid) has enabled us to get started on this project now that our Covered Outdoor Learning Area is complete. We are aiming to have work on this begin over the Christmas holidays. This project is one which will provide an environment to stimulate the personal development of children in a variety of ways, or as the Gospel says, to grow to the fullness of life (John: 10;10).

Exciting news below !!!

SAVE THE DATES !!!

Disco !!!

Friday 11th November.

Full school DISCO.
We have lots of fun planned !!
More info to follow.

HOT DOG LUNCHES

Wednesday 16th November
Wednesday 30th November.

Nicole Kelly.
PTA Chairperson.

On Thursday 27 October the school participated in the nationwide ‘Shake Out’ drill. The purpose of the drill is to learn how to keep ourselves safe in the event of an earthquake. As a school we practiced moving to a safe position following the guide DROP, COVER, HOLD. The photograph is of our Year 2 children rehearsing for the drill. 

Did you know? 

• Did you know that you can recycle coffee pods used in Nespresso Coffee Machines at school if they are aluminum, even if they are not the Nespresso brand?
• Did you know that you can recycle your clean GLAD bags at school?
• Did you know that you can recycle clean tin foil in your recycling bin at home so it is not counted as ‘rubbish’ in our lunch boxes?

A big thank you for your support of the ‘rubbish free’ lunch box challenge. It has been so pleasing to see the amount of rubbish reducing each week.  We are excited to announce that next year in 2023, Star of the Sea, will be rubbish free! Our aim next year is for every lunch to be rubbish free.  We have made a great start, let’s keep this going!

Other projects that the environmental team and students have initiated this year is a water tank to collect rainwater which will soon be installed next to the field, and a ‘worm bath’ so we will have an additional place to recycle our food scraps at school. Thanks to Mr Baird for bringing our plans and ideas to life.

Yeah! Girls | Eastern

Auckland Cricket are ready to roll out their Yeah! Girls- a national girls-only programme, for 10 – 17 year olds. It’s all about giving cricket a go, with fast-paced activities and modified games focused on having fun and being active with friends. Take a look at what a hub looks like: https://youtu.be/k3wdKeyCk-c

A hub has been created at Lloyd Elsmore Park for the wider school community to have your girls join and grow their interest and participation for cricket and activity. Thursday’s 4.30pm 3rd Nov – 8th December.

Girls can join anytime throughout the six weeks. Free tote bag when you register (which is also free)!

Register online here: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/register/278a6f

Tutor Classes Term 4

lasses that are run after school that provide an affordable and fun way for your child to explore areas they may be passionate about. Classes range from 30 minutes to 1 hour and range from musical, art and language.

How do I sign my child up to a class?

Email Ashley at [email protected] to sign up your child 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 4! If you wish to sign up your child, please email Ashley at [email protected] to check class availability. Your child is welcome to join the class from Week 1 (starting Monday of 17th of October). Classes run until week 8 (starting Monday 5th of December).

Please note that classes will only go ahead if we have enough interest.

ALL CLASSES START WEEK ONE OF TERM 4. PAYMENT FOR CLASSES ARE DUE TO INDIVIDUAL TUTORS BEFORE 19th OCTOBER 2022.

Tutors will send bank account details to parents once your child is confirmed in their class.