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

Welcome to our penultimate newsletter of Term 4. With just two and a half school days left of the school year next week, we are very much at the end of our academic year. We do have a lot on in the last two and a half days, so we will share a final newsletter capturing these events on Wednesday of next week.

Parish Update This weekend we celebrate the third Sunday in Lent – we will see the pink candle in our advent wreath lit, signifying ‘Joy’ as we anticipate the coming of Jesus at Christmas. This candle, alongside the first candle, ‘Hope’, last week’s candle, ‘Love’ and the last advent candle, lit the Sunday before Christmas, signifying ‘Peace’ prompt us to prepare ourselves to make a good celebration of the birth of Jesus.

Last Tuesday we welcomed Fr Robert O’Brien officially as a school.  He was called into our school assembly with a Mihi Whakatau followed by a special welcome liturgy. Fr Rob spoke of his warm welcome and his commitment to supporting our school, in Mary’s way, to be beacons of light to the world, drawing us and others closer to God. Welcome Fr Rob!

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

Agencies and helpers thank you morning tea On Tuesday, following the official welcome to school to Fr Rob, we hosted a morning tea for all of the agencies and amazing parents who help in so many ways to make this school a fabulous place. It was a great opportunity for Fr Rob to truly get a sense of the community surrounding and uplifting our place for the betterment of our young learners.  When we think of how amazing our school is, we automatically think of our incredible school staff, as they are indeed amazing. However, the list of helpers in support of our school staff is extensive and we are so grateful to all who help out in any way.

School Prizegiving Last night was our annual prizegiving held at Sancta Maria College. It was a pleasure to acknowledge those students in each class who were stand-outs in different elements of our school; Catholic Character, Academics, Personal Achievement, Culture and Sport – all of whom are mentioned by name later in this newsletter.
It was also a great pleasure to acknowledge those Year 6 students with our Year 6 trophy presentations. We congratulate the following recipients:
Overall Academic Award: Cara Lin
Female Sport Award: Ateca Loabuka
Male Sport Award: Callum Lee
Ken McKay Arts Award: Mya Hillerby
Nga Hau E Whā Cultural Award: Tevin Tavita-Falesiu
Rotary Award for Citizenship: Harper Berry and Lumin Lee
and finally, the award the captures our Catholic Special Character,
Father Garin Award: Shayani Thamel
Congratulations to all of our senior student recipients.

Staffing News
It is with much sadness that we bid farewell to two staff members at the end of this academic year.
Mrs Zelda Chun has been with us as a Learning Assistant for the past 3 years. We wish Zelda all the very best as she embarks on new adventures.
Mrs Tarryn Norman who has lit up the office with her vivacious personality since she arrived 3 years ago. Tarryn and her whānau are moving to Christchurch in the new year.
We thank both Zelda and Tarryn for their years of service at Our Lady Star of the Sea and send them off with our sincerest thanks, love and blessings for their next chapter. Take a piece of OLSOS with you in your hearts as you go Ladies – you have made such a positive contribution here at school – we will miss you both.

Looking Ahead The evening of Monday 15th December sees our Year 6 leavers event with a picnic followed by formalities. Our End of Year Mass is at 11am on Tuesday 16th December at our Parish Church. Our Last day of school is Wednesday 17th December, where school concludes at 12pm, after our End of the Year liturgy and Year 6 honour guard.
School recommences in 2026 on Tuesday 3rd February.

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 final few days of this academic year.

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

The Jubilee Year calls us to journey, as pilgrims, in hope throughout our lives and wait, not with our hands in our pockets but by actively taking part.
“God involves us in His story, in His dreams. To hope, then, is to participate. this is a gift that God gives us.”    Pope Leo XIV

                                                        Encounter with Christ:
Christmas is fast approaching. We are heading into the third week of Advent when the rose coloured candle, the candle of Joy is lit. This candle reminds us of the JOY and the excitement we feel as we move closer and closer to Christmas, the celebration of Jesus’ birth. Yet in our Catholic traditions, Christmas is more than one day. It is a season which starts with the vigil Mass on Christmas eve and goes through to the Feast of the Epiphany, traditionally January 6, when we mark the arrival of the three Kings. Christmas Day begins the story of God’s love for us all through the gift of Jesus. There are many ways we prepare for Christmas.  Please mark the timetables below into your family schedule.

Sacrament of Reconciliation Rite II for Christmas:
Thursday 18 December, 7pm at St Patrick’s, Panmure.

Christmas Mass timetable for our parish:
Christmas Eve Wednesday 24 December
Carols 6:00pm
Vigil Mass 6:30pm (Family Mass)
Carols 9:00pm
Mass 9:30pm (replacing the Midnight Mass)

Christmas Day Thursday 25 December
Family Mass 9am

Growth and Development:
There has been much change in the New Zealand curriculum in the last 18 months. Change brings a desire to find balance and restore Harmony. Harmony will be our school wide focus for 2026. True harmony comes as a gift from the Holy Spirit. It involves balancing relationships with God, with others, with ourselves, and with creation. Pope Leo encourages us all to promote peace and harmony and to give thanks to God for the many gifts we have been given. A great initiative for all families.

Christian Witness:
Helping Hands supporting community members in need; We Can Bring a Can Lenten foodbank drive; mufti day in support of earthquake victims in Myanmar; Knitting for Middlemore; Jammies in June; harvesting fruit and veggies from the school gardens for the foodbank; the Liturgy Team supporting the parish office while on site by folding the weekly parish newsletter; Kiwi Christmas Book gifts mufti day; surplus library books gifted to St Vincent de Paul; Mission Day Market in support of the St Vincent de Paul advent drive for KMart and the Warehouse vouchers; the school’s presence in the recent Howick Santa Parade. These are examples of actions our students have been involved in this year as they live, learn and serve with Jesus as their guide.  We thank you all for your support of these initiatives, helping our young learners to experience Christian Witness activities first hand. May you be blessed abundantly for your ongoing generosity. 

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

Howick Santa Parade
Oh, what an amazing hot and sunny day it was! A huge thank you to Mrs Noble-Campbell and Mrs Thorpe for organising this wonderful event, and to all the families who participated and walked alongside the children. It was a beautiful display of service and community spirit for our school.

Experience the Magic of Enchanted Christmas!
Planning to visit this magical event? Don’t forget to use our school code: Our Lady Star of the Sea School
Enjoy 10% off your tickets, and an additional 10% of the booking fee is returned to our school.
Wander through more than 240 themed trees, sparkling lights, and immersive festive displays. You can even book a special moment with Santa or the Grinch. All of this is happening right on Teed Street — a truly enchanting experience for the whole family!
Book your tickets here:
https://enchantedchristmas.co.nz
If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected]

Frozen Fridays
This Friday, 12 December, was our last Frozen Friday for the year. It has been a huge success! Thank you to all the wonderful parents and the student council who helped distribute the ice blocks throughout the year.

Year 6 Leavers Picnic
We are excited to celebrate our Year 6 leavers at their picnic on Monday, 15 December. The Parents Committee will be providing FREE burgers, sausage sizzle, and ice cream for all Year 6 students and their families. We hope they enjoy this special send-off!

Verkerks Salami Sample Fundraiser
We are excited to offer a tasty fundraising opportunity through Verkerks! If you enjoy salami and would like to try their product, simply complete a short online questionnaire to receive your free sample pack.

Fill out the form here:
https://forms.gle/uiWgaBt4EcXGqQ2e8

Please note: This is a fundraiser. Our school receives a contribution only if the survey is completed within 10 days of receiving your sample pack.

Wishing You a Wonderful Festive Season
We wish you all a safe and merry Christmas, and a very happy New Year. May 2026 bring prosperity, joy, and good health to every family in our community.

Kick off the new year with wine & cheese at our first Parents Committee meeting on Monday, 2 March 2026 at 7pm. We hope to see you there!

Community Dreaming Day
Join us on Saturday, 7 March for our Community Dreaming Day at the school. The Parents Committee will be providing food for the children on the day.
We’d love to see you all come together to help shape the future of our school community.

Short Story Writing Competition

We congratulate Harper Berry who went to Christchurch to claim her prize for her success in a recent short story writing competition.

Harper represented herself and Star of the Sea beautifully at the presentation and, in true Harper form, she read her story with enthusiasm and energy.

Special thanks goes to Mrs Bell who worked with Harper to perfect this piece of writing prior to submission.

Kungfu Wushu Championships

We wish to congratulate Domi on his recent achievements in his extracurricular activities. Well done Domi!

Recently, Domi took part in the 2025 New Zealand Kungfu Wushu Championships held in Auckland. Domi competed in three events, ultimately securing silver in Traditional Barehand Male, bronze in Short Weapon, and gold in Traditional Long Weapon.

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