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

Welcome to our third newsletter of Term 4. This newsletter sees us over half way through the final term of 2025, with only four and a half weeks remaining of the school year, it is safe to say, the year is rapidly coming to a conclusion. Thank you to all families who have kitted their children out with sandals and hats for the summer season. It is great to see our young learners arriving at school rearing to get stuck into their day in correct uniform with big smiles on their faces. Your support in ensuring your child/ren are best prepared for their learning day is much appreciated.

Parish Update It was an emotional Mass with Fr John at his new parish of Owairaka last Sunday. I think Fr John was touched by the Our Lady Star of the Sea parishioners who attended his first Mass there to ‘hand him over’ to his new parish.
It was with great joy that we welcomed Fr Robert O’Brien at his first set of weekend Masses last weekend. The Mihi Whakatau at the start of his first Mass on Saturday evening was a beautiful way to welcome him into his new parish. It is great that Fr Rob has already made his first visit to our school, meeting the staff at morning tea and visiting a few of our junior classes on Wednesday of this week, only 5 days into his tenure as new parish priest.
We are very grateful for the strong connections between our parish and our school, with Fr Rob as a welcome addition as the leader of our parish community.

Follow this link to read and discuss the messages of this Sunday’s Mass readings with your family.

Andrew Chinn Music and Faith experience Last Monday was an exceptional day at Our Lady Star of the Sea with the visit of Andrew Chinn to our school. Andrew is responsible for creating many of the faith-based songs we sing at liturgies, Masses and in our classroom prayers and Religious Education lessons here at school. He is a gifted musician who brings the gospel alive through song as well as being a gifted entertainer, working alongside different groups of children to build towards a whole school concert at the end of the day. All who were part of the day left feeling uplifted by the experience.

Year 4-6 Athletics Last Tuesday we had the perfect conditions for our Senior Athletics Day. The sun shone and the wind was mild. Our young athletes participated in long jump, high jump, ball through and sprints across the course of the day, which finished with the sprint finals and the house relay. Huge thanks to Ailsa Thorpe for her organisational skills on the day and for the senior school team who did a marvellous job of ensuring the day ran smoothly and the children had a great day competing at their best. See later in this newsletter for more details.
The top students in each year level across these four disciplines represented our school at the Howick Pakuranga Principals Association (HPPA) Zone Athletics today. Our next newsletter will inform you of the results from the zones.

Kiwi Christmas Mufti Day A huge thank you for supporting the Kiwi Christmas Mufti Day last Friday. One of our Christian Outreach initiatives this term to support families in need with books as Christmas presents. Read later in the newsletter in News from Our Information Centre to find out about how much we raised and how many books we purchased.

Year 1 and 2 Swimming We are pleased that our Year 1 and 2 students have started their swimming programme in the last two weeks and that these lessons are already seeing progress in confidence and competence of our learners. Alongside our Year 3 to 6 children who are also engaged in swimming lessons, we aim to have all of our students as well prepared to be safe around water as summer and beach/swimming season approaches.

Looking Ahead We are very much looking forward to our Annual Mission Day next Friday comprising of market stalls arranged by our Year 3 to 6 children. The proceeds from this Christian Witness learning opportunity this year will go towards supporting our Parish St Vincent de Paul advent drive for vouchers for families in need.
We are also excited that the final Parents Committee Disco is happening next Friday too. One of the great end of year activities we have in stall over the next few weeks.
Finally, we wish those involved in the Weetbix Triathlon on Tuesday 25 November all our very best.

Community Dreaming Day 2026 – Save the Date: Saturday 7th March from 2pm to 4pm please secure this date and time in your calendar. 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 dream big for our school. More details to come closer to the time.

I wish you a safe and blessed fortnight ahead until the next opportunity to share news about what is happening in our beautiful school, in our next newsletter.

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

Louise Campbell
Tumuaki/Principal

 JUBILEE YEAR OF HOPE
‘Hope is our source of Joy, no matter what our age. ‘

Pope Leo XIV

Our school Pilgrims of Hope Cross has begun spending time in classrooms. If your family would like to host this  special taonga at some point please contact me to arrange. [email protected]

Encounter with Christ:
Our young learners have told us how much they enjoy listening to reflective music at the beginning of prayer. They shared that it makes them feel calm, peaceful. relaxed, focussed and most importantly, closer to God. Now that we have moved from the Rosary to regular Monday morning liturgies, each liturgy will begin with a time of meditation through reflective music.

Every Thursday at lunchtime, students gather to pray a decade of the Rosary in the school Chapel. It is heartwarming to hear students from across the year levels help to lead this prayer time. 

Growth and Development:

The Religious Education focus for this term is ‘Being Church’. The Level 1 focus explores the importance of the parish church for our Catholic family. Recently room 7 & 8 joined the parish 9:15am celebration of the Mass, then stayed back in the church to learn more about our special whare karakia. Today, rooms 9, 10 and 12, did the same. Parishioners supported class teachers to unpack different stations around the church, with small groups of students moving around. Next time you are in Howick, pop into the church and encourage your child to share their new learning with you.  

Christian Witness:

Mission Day will be celebrated on Friday 21 November. This is a celebration linked to our school story. The Mission Sisters worked at our school from 1904 – 1924. We will begin the day with a special liturgy in the school hall. Later in the morning, our annual Mission Day market will take place. The Year 3 – 6 classes are organising a range of activities and food stalls for the Market. This year all funds raised are in support of our parish St Vincent de Paul advent ‘drive’ for KMart and Warehouse vouchers. 

During the month of November, 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.

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

Frozen Fridays
The kids are loving their Friday frozen treats! If you haven’t signed up yet, the link has now closed – but don’t worry, just email us at [email protected] and we’ll add your child to the list.

Summer Disco, Sunnies and Sandals Theme – Friday 21st November
We’re super excited to bring back DJ Andy for another awesome school disco! It’s a cash-only event, with plenty of treats available for purchase.
We’re also looking for a few helpers – if you can assist, please let us know!

Howick Santa Parade
If your child would like to take part in our walking float, please email us – we’d love to have them involved!

AGM Wrap-Up
A huge thank you to everyone who attended our AGM. We shared highlights from the year and elected our 2026 officers.
We farewell Olivia Kelly as Secretary – thank you for your service, heart and organisation skills!

Welcome to our new team:

• Paola Garcia – Secretary
• Michelle Espinosa – Assistant Secretary
• Praveena Sundram – Treasurer
• Jenna Morsink – Assistant Treasurer
• Lara Teixeira – Chair
• Samisha Chopra – Assistant Chair

Please keep our committee and new members in your prayers as they step into their roles.

Experience the Magic of Enchanted Christmas!
If you’re thinking of booking this magical event, don’t forget to use our school code: Our Lady Star of the Sea School
You’ll receive 10% off your ticket, and 10% of the booking fee goes back to our school. Explore 240+ themed trees, twinkling lights, immersive scenes – and even enjoy private time with Santa or the Grinch on Teed Street. A festive treat for the whole family!

Verkerks Sample Testing – Join the Communication Tree
We’ll soon be emailing our communication tree with details about a sample testing opportunity with Verkerks. The Parent Committee will earn a donation for every parent who fills out the survey. This is limited to 25 respondents, per sample test.
If you’d like to join the communication tree, just email us at [email protected] and we’ll get you signed up!

Next Parents Committee Meeting – Monday 1 December, 7pm in the staff room
All are welcome – come along and get involved as we wrap up the year and start planning for 2026!

Thanks for supporting our school community!

Senior Team Athletics Day

God graced us with a beautiful day for our Senior Team Athletics. Excitement filled the air as the children competed in High Jump, Long Jump, Shot put and sprints. We are very proud of how our students showed perseverance, humility and grace as they rotated through the events. Well done Senior Team! 

Here are the top 3 overall athletes from each year level:

********************************************

“As we draw near the end of the Jubilee Year in January 2026, Te Kupenga Catholic Theological College is offering its last webinar for the year “Reflections on Jubilee 2025-Pilgrims of Hope” with Fadi Yalda, Lecturer in Biblical Studies. This webinar is on Wednesday, 26 November 5:00-6:00pm via Zoom. Fee is $20. To register, go to www.tekupenga.ac.nz/webinar2025 “