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

Welcome to our final newsletter of of Term 1, 2026. We still have one week remaining of this term, however as it is a shorter term (9 weeks), our fortnightly newsletter updates land at the end of this week. Next week we look forward to remembering the important elements of Holy Week. On Monday all are welcome to attend our Palm Sunday liturgy beginning at 8.45 in our school hall. On Thursday, our last day of the term, we remember Holy Thursday, the day Jesus washed the feet of his Disciples, an act of servant leadership which is a model to us all. Our Holy Thursday liturgy begins at 1.45 in our school hall. Again, all are welcome to come along and participate in this solemn remembrance of Jesus’ journey to the cross on Good Friday.

Easter celebrations in our Parish Church See the DRS section of this newsletter for Mass times over Easter.

Tonight, we keep our Liturgy Leadership Team in our prayers, as they lead the Stations of the Cross at our Parish Church at 7pm. A wonderful act of servant leadership in our parish community.

Please follow this link for this Sunday’s readings to read and discuss as a family.

Parent, Student, Teacher Goal Setting Conferences Last week it was wonderful for our teachers to engage with students and families to discuss how the year has begun and establish goals for the first half of the year. With a 97% engagement rate, it is clear to see that our home and school partnerships are strong with families making the most of opportunities to engage with school for the development of their tamariki. We are fortunate to have such strong support in our parent community – thank you all for your commitment to the school and to the very best for your children. The Our Lady Star of the Sea village is in great health, working together for the best conditions for our children!

Eye on Nature Our Environmental team and Student Council attended an event at the Botanic Gardens last week entitled Eye on Nature. This is further supporting our Year 6 leaders in learning about Environmental initiatives and helping them think about initiatives that they can bring to life at our school. Read later in our newsletter for more information and for pictures of the day.

Grip student leadership day. Last week, members of our Student Council attended leadership training with Grip. This forms part of the leadership formation support, ensuring our Year 6 leaders do their best as servant leaders in our school.

Catholic Caring Foundation Mufti Day Last Friday it was great to see our children at school in their home clothes to raise money for the work of the Catholic Caring Foundation, one of the Christian Outreach activities that we undertake this term. As a school we raised  $526 which is a wonderful result. This money will be well utilised by the foundation who work in our local community to support those in poverty and hardship by providing wrap-around support, food, transitional housing and refuge for victims of domestic violence. The foundation also partners with over 60 local agencies that provide support for families in need. Our contribution to their worthy work will be well received!

Walk or Wheel Week – Travelwise This week’s Travelwise initiative saw lots of children and their families walking or biking in to school from further afield to reduce the congestion of traffic around the school. This was great to see, with children getting a ‘click’ on their walk or wheels passport to go in the draw for some great spot prizes. One of the activities highlighting safe travel to school to reduce congestion was the Year 1 to 4 Wheels Wednesday. Despite the rain, children had a great time enjoying having their wheels at school for the day. Thursdays Funky Feet Fashion day was also a fun day, with feet across the school transformed into works of art! See later in this newsletter for more information and images of the fun had over the week. Thanks to Mrs Denise Bailey for her work behind the scenes, ensuring this week was a success.

HPPA Cultural Festival Our Pasifika dance group did us proud on Wednesday evening, presenting a beautiful dance at the HPPA Cultural Festival held at Sancta Maria College. We are so proud of them for their hard work in practising leading up to the night, and for their amazing performance. Mrs Noble Campbell did such a lot of work, training the group from videos helpfully created by the Afano family with Gardenia leading as the group tutor. Gen Petelo supported the boys to streamline their performance with great helpful tips to enhance the girls performance. Shasta Dang supported in the final weeks and at the Sunday rehearsals to perfect the girls siva. The beautiful headwear and necklaces worn by the girls were provided by Melesina Umeano. Mrs Ailsa Thorpe supported practices too! Thanks to the teamwork and commitment of our amazing students and all of the support, the performance was a real joy to watch.

HPPA Zone Swimming Competition Also on Wednesday, our competitive swimming team represented our school at the zone swimming sports. As usual, our children were stand-outs for their behaviour and team spirit, with some great effort and results recorded. See later in the newsletter for more information.

McAuley House Assembly We were all most entertained with keen house rivalry at the McAuley House Assembly this morning. The opening liturgy reminded us of the importance of Catherine McAuley’s role as foundress of the Sisters of Mercy in 1831. The Sisters of Mercy worked in our school between 1926 and 1978, their legacy of walking in service still forms a fundamental part of the fabric of our community.

Staffing News
We are excited to welcome Amelia Fonotoe to the Our Lady Star of the Sea administrative team. Amelia started last week in our office. She has made a wonderful start and I know you will make her feel most welcome as you meet her over the next little while.

“I’m delighted to have started in my new role of office adminstrator, where I support enrolments and enjoy connecting with our students each day. As a parent within the school community, you may already recognise me from around the grounds.
I’m passionate about contributing positively to the school and creating a welcoming environment for families and children alike. I look forward to greeting you in the office and supporting your children throughout their school journey.”

Looking Ahead: Our school term concludes on Thursday 2nd April with Term 2 beginning on Monday 20th April. 

I wish you a safe and blessed Holy Week, Easter and school holidays, until we next share news and updates from our beautiful school in our next school newsletter.

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

Louise Campbell
Tumuaki/Principal

Encounter with Christ:
Holy Week begins this week coming with Palm Sunday, where we remember Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem. Palms will be blessed at the Masses over the weekend. Each of us is encouraged to take one of them home and place them behind a family cross. This is a Catholic tradition. Please take home palms for family and friends who are unable to attend Mass this weekend due to isolation or ill health. 

The annual Stations walk in Howick continues this year. Joining the procession in Howick is a way of proclaiming your faith in Christ. The procession begins outside our parish Church at 9am. 

At the Easter Vigil next Saturday evening, the Mass will begin in darkness reminding us of Christ’s death and the darkness of the tomb. We enter the church with only the light of the Easter Candle to lead the way. Jesus tells us, ‘I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ The entrance of the Easter candle into the church is a powerful reminder of this. The light of this one candle is then shared with all present and very soon the darkness of the church is overcome. The church is filled with light, light that is strong in faith and hope.  Catherine McAuley reminds us ‘to be a shining lamp, giving light to all around.’ We are called to share this light of faith and hope with all those we meet. 

Below is the timetable for our parish celebrations. Everyone is welcome to attend. If you are not going away over the Easter weekend, please do come along and celebrate with your parish family.  

Holy Week Timetable 2026:
Holy Thursday 2 April  Mass of the Lord’s Supper 7:00 pm

Good Friday 3 April
– Stations of the Cross 9:00 am
– Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion 3:00 pm

Holy Saturday Easter Vigil – 4 April
Blessing of Fire & First Mass of Easter – 7:00 pm

Easter Sunday – 5 April
Mass 9 am
Please note there will be no 5:30pm Mass Easter Sunday

Growth in Knowledge:

At its heart, Holy Week is our participation in the love Jesus Christ has for us. What He went through, in those last few days leading to His death on the Cross and the Resurrection, is an expression of this love. During Holy week Religious Education lessons across the school, will explore the symbols and events that took place, to help further our young learners’ understanding of this significant liturgical event in our faith life.

 Christian Witness:

Next week is the final week of our Foodbank collections. The team at the parish foodbank extend a huge thank you to all for your contributions. You are welcome to continue bringing in donations for the Foodbank and leaving them in the yellow boxes in the school foyer. Alternatively, bring them along to Mass with you on the weekend and drop them into the cane basket at the back of the Church.

“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did to me.” (Matthew 25:40).

Our annual Knitting Club starts again next term. The group will meet every Thursday between 12:15pm and 1pm in the school Chapel. The Knitting Club focus is to pass on the wonderful life skill of knitting as well as to create blankets which will be gifted to children in need. The Middlemore Foundation gives guidelines and suggestions of sizes to knit. If you are a knitter, or have a knitter in the family, and are able to join us, your help and assistance will be much appreciated. We will also need help with sewing or crocheting the blankets together. For more information contact Detta dfairweather@starofthesea.school.nz

Altar Server training will take place in the parish Church, Wednesday 6 May, time to be advised. Children who have received the Sacraments of Initiation – Reconciliation, Confirmation and Holy Communion are welcome to take part. If your child is interested in becoming an Altar Server in our parish,  contact the parish office  
email:  office@howickcatholic.org.nz     

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

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Our Lady Star Of The Sea School

After School Art Class Term 2, 2026

Drawing, Sketching, Oil pastels, Poster painting

Day: Tuesday

Time: 2.50pm-3.50pm

Fee: $13 per lesson

Phone: 027-6555574 (Janet)

E-mail: janeto@xtra.co.nz