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

Welcome to our fifth and final newsletter of Term 3 in 2026. Hard to bellieve we have reached the end of our third term of learning for this year – I have said it before, and will say it again without a doubt, time flies when you’re having fun!

Parish Connect Thank you to those families who have taken the time to fill in the two brief questions related to Liturgy as part of the Parish review of their operations and ministries. If you haven’t yet, please fill in this response form as all voices add to the overall picture.

Watch this two and a half minute clip of Fr Terry reading this Sunday’s Gospel reading, including a meaningful reflection here.

Mercy Day Yesterday we celebrated Mercy Day first with liturgy, then with classes participating in acts of mercy around the school, ranging from cleaning up the grounds to helping teachers in classes.  The Mercy Charism of hospitality was brought to life with tea and coffee for parents who arrived from 2.30pm to pick their children up on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of this week. It was a great way of sharing hospitality and the warmth of connection and welcome, particularly with the wind being rather chilly in the afternoons this week!

Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, Māori Language Week Last week we celebrated Māori Language Week, beginning the week with an assembly with our Kapa Haka Rōpu presenting. You will have seen the Māori flag flying proudly beneath our school flag for the week out in front of our bus bay. Our Kapa Haka Rōpu also visited the Bruce McLaren Retirement Village on Chapel Road and performed for them as they also celebrated Maori Language week. Activities abounded in our classrooms and library too, upholding Te Reo Māori, as, if we don’t celebrate and keep the language alive,  this indigenous language will be lost to the world.

ART Exhibition – What a week! I am sure, like me, you were completely blown away by the incredible art exhibition held in our hall last week. The quality and variety of art work that has been created across the course of this year and presented last week was amazing. The special guests that attended the opening on Tuesday afternoon, and many parents who subsequently enjoyed the exhibition, have mentioned how impressed they too were with the art work on display – a truly talented community of young artists supported so well by our incredible teaching team. Huge thanks to Mrs Denise Bailey and Mrs Ailsa Thorpe and their team for the hard work in setting up and packing down the exhibition. I hope you enjoy a selection of images from the exhibition here with a few more later in the newsletter.

East Auckland Catholic Schools Kapa Haka Festival Following on from last weeks celebration of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, this week our Kapa Haka Rōpu traveled to celebrate all things Kapa Haka with our East Auckland Catholic Schools, including Sancta Maria College, Sancta Maria Primary School and St Marks Primary School. The daytime format was a new experience for us all. The opportunity to spend time together, perform for each other as well as play a few games between performances was much appreciated by all involved. Our rōpu really did us proud, full of ihi (power and energy). Our rōpu is so ably supported by the passion of Matua Hone as our tutor and Mrs Pam Robertson who plays the guitar – two true servant leaders in our community. To all of our Kapa Haka Whānau, well done, and thank you for your ongoing support!

Twilight Market Update Congratulations to Zeke Mascarenhas who won Principal for the Day for selling the most Twilight Market Raffle tickets. Zeke fulfilled his role today as Principal For The Day, attending the end of term Staff Mass before school, shaking hands at assembly, leading the school in blessing the staff at the end of a busy term, visiting classes and hosting a cup of tea for parents later in the day as part of our Mercy Week celebrations. Zeke also granted an extra long morning tea break for the children!! Well done on leading the school for the day Zeke!!
Read later in the newsletter for an update on our Twilight Market planning. We still need about 40 helpers to make the Market a successful event Use this link to sign up to help on the night – many hands make light work – we are looking forward to a great community event and fundraiser with your support!

Looking Ahead 
Term 4 begins on Monday 12th October. October is the month of Mary, and as such we gather as a school on Monday’s, Wednesday’s and Friday’s for the first two weeks of term to pray the Rosary in the hall at 8.45am. All are welcome to join us.  We are very much looking forward to our Twilight Market on Friday 16th October, the first Friday of the term. 

I wish you a safe and blessed two weeks of school holidays ahead.

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:

October is the month of the Rosary. The Rosary is a simple prayer, a prayer we say together with Our Lady. It tells the story of Jesus’ life in four parts:
The Joyful Mysteries focus on Jesus’ birth and early life;
The Sorrowful Mysteries focus on His suffering and death;
The Glorious Mysteries focus on Jesus’ resurrection and the promise of heaven;
The Luminous Mysteries focus on His ministry here on earth.
Many Catholics have memories of saying the Rosary as a family during their childhood. Gifting children with memories of family prayer time is a beautiful thing. It is a strong sign of faith and hope. Throughout October we will gather in the school hall on Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday mornings, to pray together one decade of the Rosary each time. The focus will initially be on the Joyful Mysteries.  All are welcome. Many of you find it difficult to join prayer times because of work commitments. That is totally understandable. But why not encourage your children to lead family prayer with a decade of the Rosary each night. Start building special family memories of prayer together. Your grandchildren will benefit from it. 

Growth in Knowledge:
The Being Church Theme finished this week. Thank you for taking the time to go through your child’s Religious Education book this week. Conversations at school and at home based on their learning helps to build religious literacy. Feedback from our young learners who were given the opportunity to share their work and chat about their learning was very positive. Sending your child’s Religious Education books at the end of each theme is part of our school reporting to parents process.

Christian Witness:
As an extra bonus during Mercy Week, the Liturgy Team has hosted a ‘cuppa’ tea on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons this week at pick up time. We do hope you managed to take advantage of this. Hospitality is a key value for the Mercy Sisters, and as a Mercy school, we aim to foster this in all we do.

Knitting Club – News Flash!! 35 blankets, 2 jackets and 16 hats were delivered to the Middlemore Foundation today. This was a huge effort and greatly received. Again, many thanks to all the adults in our extended parish school whānau who have supported the knitting club during terms tow and three. We would never have achieved what we have achieved without you. Over 50 students have been part of the process this year. Some learning how to knit or crochet and many honing their knitting skills along the way. The Knitting Club has now finished for the year and will resume again in Term 2 2027. This doesn’t mean the knitting finishes. Feel free to create squares, source yarn and needles, or make beanies, booties, or blankets ready for next year when we restart the club.  

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

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