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

Welcome to our second newsletter of Term 4. It is hard to believe we are in November already – where did the year go?

Parish Connect Last Friday at 6pm our Parish responded to the call of Pope Francis to pray for peace in Palestine and Israel. For those who could not make this special time of prayer, the call to offer personal prayers for peace now and on an ongoing basis is much needed at this time.

Our next Family Mass is on Sunday 19th November at 5.30pm. Please put this date in your diary.

Please follow this link to this Sunday’s readings.

THANK YOU! What a spectacular day we had last Saturday at our school GALA. It was wonderful to see the smiles on the faces of adults and children alike, having fun, experiencing community and raising money for the school at the same time. We are thrilled that we banked $36,975 on the day which will go a long way towards our next property development project in the form of play equipment around the field.
Our Gala Team, ably led by Jo Grant with Lynne Vorster before her,  started the planning process in April and it is fair to say that, with our amazing community’s help, the planning paid off as the day was a huge success.
To everyone, big and small, who brought in gala items and helped a little or a lot, the Gala Team and school would like to thank you all so much.  To Aimee Jina and Terexa Chan Mow who didn’t miss a container day from July to October, thank you!
Special thanks to our fabulous Gala Team: Jo Grant, Shasta Dang, Lara Teixeira, Antonia Rusi, Laura Shaw, Anna Burgess, Lynne Vorster and Sue Yandell for all their hard work – they are real STARs!

School Athletics Day Last Thursday we held our Year 3-6 athletics day which was a great day for all. Our students displayed their great sportsmanship, supporting each other well, as well as competing in a tough competition throughout the day. Thanks to Karen Noble Campbell and our amazing team of teachers who organised a fabulous and well run day.

On Monday Andrew Chinn, who writes most of the music we sing in liturgy, prayer and Mass at school, worked alongside classes and our choir across the day. With his usual enthusiasm and energy he captured the hearts of our children with his blend of sharing bible stories and his gift of music. The concert at the end of the day was a triumph of energy, fun and praise to God.

Mass for All Saints Day was held on Wednesday of this week with Fr John presiding. We are so fortunate to have a connected Parish Priest and thank Fr John for celebrating Mass with us.

Looking Ahead On Monday we are looking forward to the Parents Committee hotdog lunch – thanks Parents Committee! Our next Parents Committee Meeting is on Monday 6th November at 7 pm – all welcome! Don’t forget we have a Teacher Only Day on Monday 13th November – school is closed for tuition that day. Bizzy Bodz is in operation should you require care for your children please be in touch with them, details on our website. On Tuesday 14th November Junior Team Swimming begins. We look forward to Interschool Athletics coming up on Thursday 16th November.

Wishing you all of God’s blessings for a safe and happy fortnight ahead. We look forward to sharing more news and school happenings in our next newsletter in two weeks’ time.

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

Louise Campbell
Principal

September 1996 saw the closure of Star of the Sea in Granger Road. The move from Granger Road to Oakridge Way was an emotional wrench. The excitement of moving to a brand new school was tempered by the sense that Star of the Sea, Granger Road had been a big part of the lives of many orphans and students for over 70 years. The day was filled with emotion and was certainly a very ‘moving day.’

People often talk about someone they may know who they think is a saint. Generally they are referring to someone who is very kind and ‘good’. Great qualities to have. The church refers to saints as living individuals who have dedicated themselves to the worship and service of God. All Saints Day was celebrated on the 1st of November. At this time we join Catholic’s all around the world to remember and honour all the Saints in our lives. The saints we know and those we do not know. While we have information about many saints, and honour them on a specific day, there are many unknown, or unsung saints who may have been forgotten or have never been honoured specifically. On All Saints Day, we celebrated these holy men and women. When we were Baptised we promised to serve God and carry on Jesus’ work on earth, just as the Saints have done.  We ask them to pray for us, and through the model of their lives, recognise how we can be a model of Christ’s love to others.

All Souls day was celebrated on the 2nd of November. A special Mass in our parish was celebrated honouring those in our parish as well as our own loved ones who have died. Throughout November, Catholics around the world remember and pray for those who have died and are now in the arms of Jesus. A simple Catholic prayer for those who have died is something to pass on to your children. ‘Eternal rest grant unto them o Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon them.’ 

During this month, our school Memorial book will be included in school and class liturgies at appropriate times to honour the memory of our loved ones. If you would like to have the name of someone special to you recorded in our school memorial book, please complete the form on our school website.

A number of our senior students will be trained as Altar Servers this month. It is wonderful to see the eagerness and desire of our young learners to serve in this ministry.

A group of students will be preparing to receive the Sacrament of Baptism on the first Sunday of Advent. We are thankful to the members of our parish community who are supporting them in their spiritual journey.  Please keep these students in your prayers.

Me whakakā to wairua kia kite a iwi katoa
You should be a shining lamp, giving light to all around you

Prayer Intention: We pray for peace in our minds, in our hearts and in our world.

Kia ora Star Whanau

Firstly, a huge thanks to the Gala committee for a wonderful event and a big thanks to all those parents who helped on the day and made donations or supported the gala in other ways.  We were so lucky with the weather and the day had a great atmosphere and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves!

The board and school have received the final Catholic Special Character Review. The findings were extremely positive. The reviewers noted that there is evidence of academic excellence and in depth learning in Religious Education which is evaluated with rigor across all curriculum areas. The evaluators also acknowledge the Principal as a progressive leader and educator of a highly professional Senior Leadership Team. The staff as a whole safeguard and strengthen the Catholic Special Character unique to Our Lady Star of the Sea school. The staff and school should be very proud of the outstanding report.

The Education Review Office (ERO) has begun their review process at school with our assigned evaluative partner. The review process has changed for all schools since our last review 4 years ago.  Instead of coming to school for a few days every few years to conduct their review, all schools now have an evaluative partner who will work with the school on an ongoing basis over a three year timeframe. They will begin by looking at school documentation. The board has completed the Board Assurance statement and are confident that this first documentation part of the review process will proceed smoothly. We will continue to update you as the process of review with our ERO evaluative partner is undertaken over the next few years.

Two members of our board attended the SECKA (South Eastern Christian Kahui Ako) combined board meeting on the 10^th of October.  The members were very impressed with the research-informed, positive work that is going on across the schools involved. There are four key work streams: Literacy, Numeracy, BiCultural Practices and Resilience which all work in the Kahui Ako are connected with. The team has developed the Four C Tool (Connection, Confidence, Character, and Culture) to underpin the work in each work stream which is ably led by four Across School Teachers.

Hope term 4 is going well for everyone.

Lucy Rogers

On behalf of the Board

PTA Hotdog Lunch

On Monday 6 November we will be preparing hot dogs for lunch. $4 hot dog, $2 Just Juice, $2 water. Please send money in an envelope with name, order, room number and hand it to your teacher. Exact change would be appreciated.

Statements were recently sent out detailing amounts due by the end of the year.  Attendance Dues for the first 3 terms should now be paid in full.    If you have outstanding amounts owing and have not been in contact with Sue Yandell this year, please make a time to meet and discuss a payment plan for the remainder of the year.

Assistance is available for families who are experiencing financial strain.

HPPA Touch Tournament

On a VERY hot October Thursday the STAR-TOUCH touch players participated in the HPPA Touch tournament at PURC.  The team played six games over 3 1/2 hours and finished 3rd out of 25 teams, losing eventually to Wakaaranga in a very tight semi-final.  Congratulations Xavier, Tamia, Jett, Gareth, Izzy, Tyler, Zac, and Charlie…and thanks to Coach Dave for your time and expertise.

Yr 3 – 6 Athletics Results

Athletics Day

We have three fantastic, inspiring new NZ sports books in the Information Centre. 

These would make great Christmas gifts. 

Find out more details here:

Good Sports by Stuart Lipshaw
Little Ruby & friends by Ruby Tui
Epic New Zealand Adventurers by Maria Gill

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