Greetings, Kia ora, Kia orana, Talofa, Mālō e lelei, Namaste, Ni Hao, Bula, Hola, Kumusta
Dear Families
Once again we come to the end of a busy school term albeit a tumultuous one with the restrictions of covid, illnesses and protection frameworks! Thank you to our school whānau, staff and children who have helped us and one another to settle into this new way of working and being at school so well. Despite the constraints, we have reached the end of this term with much to celebrate from our learning ka ako, loving ka aroha and serving ka manaaki.
We have been able to provide on site face to face learning for all our students this term. It has not been easy on some days and I am extremely proud of our staff – both teaching and support staff for the servant leadership they have each shown not only for our children and families but for each other as colleagues. It is very heartwarming to see how we have gathered strength from kotahitanga/unity to face any adversity that has been presented AND … in unity, we have been able to resolve and overcome any challenges!
As a school community, we appreciate the way everyone strives to support our wonderful school family – THANK YOU!
The Easter Triduum
During these next few days, we have the opportunity to pause, reflect and reconnect with our God through the various Holy Week and Easter liturgies, Masses and services happening in our parish communities. We hope you are able to take time to celebrate this very special time in the Church year with your families as we welcome the gift of love and hope that is our Christian faith.
Good Friday – we pray for all those “nailed” into hopeless situations, that through our concern and efforts, hope will dawn for all again.
Easter Saturday/Easter Sunday – we pray that we joyfully proclaim the good news of the Resurrection through our own lives.
A Family Easter prayer to pray together …
Let us pray,
God of all, continue to walk with us as we journey through this Easter Tridumm.
Help us to keep you in our hearts as we remember Jesus’ dying and rising again.
Help our own hearts to burn and overflow with joy and love.
Help us to be a living family, alive with faith, joy and service of being your disciples.
Help us to love you more and more each day so that everyone else will love you too.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit – Amen.
From our School Board …
As the first term of draws to a close, on behalf of the School Board, I would like to thank all our staff, families and wider school community for another wonderful beginning to a new school year. Together we make a great team and it is encouraging to hear many positive comments about Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School out in the community. A special thank you to Miss Lindstrom and all the staff, for the time, thought and effort put into the children’s education.
EASTER is upon us and the Easter story brings many challenges to our door relating to faith and the attitudes with which we face our lives. Over Easter, Christians celebrate the belief that Jesus died and rose from the dead. If we have faith in the resurrection of Christ, what does it mean for the way we live our lives? Life has its challenges for all of us- and I am sure you will agree we have experienced many in these COVID times- but if we believe in the resurrection and are grounded in our FAITH, we can tackle those challenges and overcome them as we work together and support each other.
First and foremost, Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School is a school of faith, where we encounter the living God, who in Jesus Christ reveals his transforming love and truth, grow in knowledge and understanding of Christ’s teaching and be Christian witnesses to one another. Our school vision of Ka Ako, Ka Aroha, Ka Manaaki, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit is integral to the success of our school and it is very much part of our daily school life- it is one of its great strengths.
WELCOME to all our new families who have joined our HTCPS family so far this year. As a team we strive to be a school which reflects Jesus’ great love through the care and love we show each other and the commitment we all make to give of our very best. As a Board, we hope that you are experiencing this as you settle into our school, especially in these challenging times. Again, welcome- we look forward to getting to know you all.
Staffing
As you all know, today we say farewell to Ms Laura Ahern, as she takes leave to prepare for the imminent arrival of her first born. The Board thanks Laura for the great contribution she has made to our school thus far, and will look forward to her return after her period of parental leave. We wish Laura and her partner Jason all the very best for the exciting time ahead, as they take on their new role as parents. Blessings to the three of you!
Community Consultation
As mentioned in earlier newsletters, during the next couple of terms, the Board will be engaging in various ways with you, our school families, as we work towards reviewing our Strategic Plan. We need your voice. In preparation for this, you might like to reflect on the following to questions;
- Why do I send my children to Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School?
- What do I expect from the school with regards to my children’s education and learning?
Watch out for more details about the consultation process early next term.
School Board Elections
As your will now be aware, this year all schools in New Zealand are scheduled to have Board elections, which are planned for September. In the new term, we will be starting to organise for these forthcoming elections and there will be regular communication with our school community, to keep you fully informed.
Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School has a Board consisting of 5 parent elected members, 4 members appointed by the Bishop of Auckland, 1 staff representative elected by the staff and the of course the school principal.
Some of our members have indicated they will be stepping down, due to other commitments and we will therefore be looking for new members to join the team. You might like to give this special ministry your consideration- it may be something you would like to become involved in.
If you would like to know more about what it means to be a Board member, I am more than happy to talk with you.
In conclusion …
On behalf of the Board, thank you again to our parents, whanau and friends of the school, for your on-going support, as we work together our children.
As we begin our Easter celebrations, may we all be blessed by the Holy Trinity and may the love of God continue to strengthen us in all that we do.
May you all have a happy, blessed and Holy Easter.
Easter Blessings to you all.
Philip Cortesi
Presider of the Board
DRS Report
Stations of the Cross
This week, our Learning Communities took turns to walk the stations of the Cross in Taamaua/school hall as part of their prayer journey during Holy Week. It was a reverent and quiet time where our students reflected on Jesus’ suffering and put themselves in Mother Mary’s shoes as she accompanied her son in his most difficult and final journey. It was beautiful to see our children contribute to the artworks that are displayed in Taamaua of Jesus’ journey to the cross. It has been a focal point to help our children visually see Jesus’ journey.
Another look at Holy Week
This last week of Lent is known as Holy Week. It is when Christians remember the last week of Jesus’ life and it is the most important time in the Christian year. We would usually attend many church services and processions. But during this time, we are called to pray and worship together in our home for ‘we are the Church and the Church is us’.
Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday which we celebrated last Sunday when we laid out our palms on our prayer spaces and hung them out our doors for others to see. Palm Sunday is both a happy and sad day. As disciples of Christ, we sing praise and welcome Jesus as he enters Jerusalem on a donkey yet at the same time we are saddened by the knowledge that our Lord’s suffering and death was near.
Holy Thursday
On the night before his death, Jesus had a final meal with his friends in which Jesus surprised his friends by washing the feet of every person, a task that was normally done by a servant. He wanted to show his followers that they should love one another in humble ways.
Later in the meal, which is known a ‘The Last Supper’, Jesus passed around bread and wine. The bread was his body broken for them and the wine was his blood shed for them. He was telling his disciples that he was going to die and that when they share bread and wine they should remember him. Christians share bread and wine at their church services all year round, but it is even more special on Holy Thursday. Jesus also told his friends that they should love one another. It was later that night that Judas betrayed Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Good Friday
On Good Friday we remember the day that Jesus died on the cross. He was nailed to a wooden cross by Roman soldiers. This is the reason why the cross is an important sign for Christians today and such an important Trinity symbol for our school.
Good Friday is a sad day and churches never have flowers or decorations on this day. The church is left dark and there is just a simple cross on the altar. It is known as Good Friday because Christians believe that Jesus gave up his life for the good of humankind.
Easter Sunday
Easter Sunday is a happy day for we believe that Jesus rose from the dead on this day. Jesus’ resurrection shows that death is not the end of everything. Many go to church to thank God for Jesus’ life. Church bells are rung and churches are decorated with flowers such as white lilies which are associated with Easter. The colours in the church change to white or gold.
There are many customs associated with Easter Day which involve eggs. For this reason Easter Day used to be known as Egg Sunday. For the last two hundred years the custom of giving children chocolate eggs has been popular. In many countries children are given hard boiled eggs and it is also a custom for children to decorate these by painting or dyeing them in bright colours.
Eggs were always thought to be special because they are associated with new life when the chick breaks from the egg. After Jesus had risen from the dead it was easy to think of eggs as a sign of new life. So eggs have always been part of celebrations at Easter.
Happy Easter Holy Trinity Family!
St Anne’s Parish, Manurewa – Easter Bulletin St Anne’s Catholic Church, Manurewa Bulletin #12 – Sunday 17th April
Term 1 Reporting
Term 1 digital reporting is available to families on HERO through each student’s individual learning pages. You will be able to read statements about your child/ren’s learning in Religious Education and a General Comment as well as tracking the children’s progress in meeting their learning goals.
Mahi Tahi Conferences will be held in early Term 2 – Wednesday 11th and Thursday 12th May from 3:15pm – 6:30pm each night.
On Wednesday 11th and Thursday 12th May, we will offer 15 minute interviews for families to meet for the Mahi Tahi Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences. Teachers/Kaitiaki will be present on both afternoons/evenings.
We will open up the school interview portal for families in our first week back of Term 2, so appointment times can be accessed and booked.
We are very much looking forward to being able to meet with our families face to face, to have rich learning conversations about our students’ learning progress and achievement.
Teacher Only Day – Friday 20th May 2022
School will be closed for students on Friday 20th May. Teachers and Support Staff will be involved in a workshop day with Manuel Beasley, our Vicar for Māori in the Catholic Diocese of Auckland. We will be deepening our knowledge and understanding of Māori spirituality.
Please make alternative arrangements for your child/ren for this day – Friday 20th May.
The Teacher Only Days are part of the Primary Teachers Collective Agreement and are used for teacher professional learning and development. This means that schools can close on a day to allow for all teachers to attend various professional development.
The proposed Teacher Only Day for Friday 3rd June 2022 has now been postponed!
This date is likely to be in Term 3. We will inform you as soon as possible once the new date has been confirmed by the Kāhui Ako/Community of Learning Schools.
Learning Community News
Learning Community Whenua
This week has been a busy and exciting week in L.C. Whenua as we have been having fun with a range of learning activities. The ākonga worked together using a parachute and lycra, practising fine and gross motor skills as well as working as a team. The children had their final two Footsteps dance sessions and enjoyed going over all the dances they have learnt this term and reflected on the dance elements they have practised in each song. Whenua children have also enjoyed baking and eating their own cookies and enjoyed making their own Easter egg baskets too. This has also been a special week for us, learning about Holy Week and Anzac Day.
Learning Community Awa
Hello, Kia ora, Namaste, Bula Vinaka, Nihao, Zdravo, Xin Chào, Tālofa, Mālō e lelei, Kumusta, Kia orana, Gidday.
In L.C. Awa we have had a busy term reconnecting with each other and learning to work in Kotahitanga-Unity. We had the opportunity to choose our own tasks and it was lovely to see what amazing collaborators we have. The learners worked together positively and each contributed ideas to achieve the final outcome. In the final week of term, the learners have managed to create a ‘Stations of the Cross’ book and really got to reflect on how much Jesus loves us and the true meaning of Easter. Keep an eye out for these in your little ones’ bags!
Learning Community Moana
Our Tūrangawaewae is the many things that make us who we are. We all have unique gifts and talents that are part of our tūrangawaewae. The learners in Learning Community Moana have all been extremely excited about the movie Encanto. They have seen the different talents that each of the characters have and were very excited to share their own gifts and talents in a creative way. Moana learners have done scratch art using crayons and black paint to create their own Encanto door to share their unique gifts and talents!
Learning Community Maunga
The end of Term 1 has been very interesting! Two weeks ago, LC Maunga learned about mushrooms through an online workshop held by the Beautification Trust. We got a mushroom growing kit and ended up growing our own mushrooms! This week Mrs Rhode cooked up a delicious pasta dish using our mushrooms.
Learning Community Ngahere
L.C. Ngahere students have been learning about Tūrangwaewae this term. We explored the significant events in New Zealand history and have developed a good understanding that history bears witness to our existence in the world. We have learnt how history shaped our Tūrangawaewae. We researched and presented specific historical events in New Zealand to our peers and made connections on how these events relates to us, our family and our culture. We also researched the Treaty of Waitangi and found out who signed the Treaty of Waitangi and why? The Treaty now means there must be respect between Māori and non-Māori communities. This is widely used across New Zealand to bring people together, to celebrate Māori festivals and treat everyone with equal respect.
Curriculum News
Water Safety Skills – Lessons in Term 2
In Term 2, all our students have been enrolled in a Water Safety programme, designed to give our tamariki the best skills to help them keep safe in, on and around water for lifelong enjoyment. These water safety lessons are delivered by qualified and certified instructors, and will take place at the Massey Park Swimming Pools, Papakura.
For our students in Year 0 through to Year 2, for an hour a day and for a week, 30 minutes is spent in the pool and 30 minutes outside of the pool with lessons from a qualified instructor. These lessons start Monday 9th to Friday 13th May of Week 2. Information will be shared at the beginning of Term 2 for these groups.
For our students in Years 3 to 8, students for a week will spend an hour a day rotated around 4 small mini sessions. The sessions simulate our water ways and local beaches, and the skills to know to keep safe in each situation. Their lessons will start from Monday 30th May to Friday 3rd June of Week 5.
Please note that these lessons are not about teaching your child how to swim – but more about what they can do to keep themselves and others safe around our waters.
Closer to the time more information around what your child will need to bring to the pools will be shared, but if you have any queries or questions, please don’t hesitate to make contact with Andrew Malele.
We really cannot stress enough the importance of your child attending these lessons. Drownings are very real and can happen to anyone, even to the best of swimmers. These lessons could be the very difference that prevents any more of our children becoming another tragedy.
School Camp – Learning Community Ngahere
Monday 16th to Wednesday 18th of May of Week 3, our students in Ngahere will go on an adventure of a lifetime, another milestone to their ongoing journey, an experience to add to their kete taonga – Camp.
This year the camp will be held at Camp Adair, Hunua. It is an opportunity for students to engage in activities that will challenge their own comfort, build on their resilience, commune with nature, with each other and with God and to take risks and build character.
This CAMP is part of our planned Curriculum Health and Physical Education programme for the year.
At Camp Adair students will increase their knowledge, awareness, skill and self-esteem. Students will:
- access and use information to make and action safe choices in a range of contexts.
- demonstrate consistency and control of movement in a range of situations.
- demonstrate willingness to accept challenges, learn new skills and strategies, and extend their abilities in movement-related activities.
- identify the effects of changing situations, roles, and responsibilities on relationships and describe appropriate responses.
- describe and demonstrate a range of assertive communication skills and processes that enable them to interact appropriately with other people.
Camps are more than just an opportunity for our students to challenge themselves in an outdoor setting. It is a memorable occasion that inspires growth in our tamariki and the fostering of leadership that all our students have the potential for. Camp will be an amazing time for all.
On the first week of Term 2 there will be a final camp meeting for all Ngahere parents here at school at 7pm, Thursday 5th of May. A reminder will be sent closer to the time.
Winter Uniform
From Term 2, all students are expected to be in the correct school winter uniform.
Girls Uniform: tartan skort, blue long sleeved monogrammed shirt, navy knee school socks, black school shoe
Boys Uniform: navy shorts, blue long sleeved monogrammed shirt, navy knee school socks, black school shoe
A short sleeved monogrammed shirt may also be worn as long as no other long sleeved item is worn underneath.
The navy woollen monogrammed school jumper or optional school monogrammed waterproof jacket may also be worn during the winter months.
The navy woollen monogrammed school jumper are now priced at $50 – an excellent price for purchasing!
Students are to wear black school shoes only. These may be purchased from other stockists e.g. The Warehouse, Hannahs, Number 1 Shoes.
Please clearly label all clothing items with your child’s name so all misplaced uniforms can be returned to the correct owners.
Thank you for continuing to support our school uniform guidelines by ensuring your child/ren wear the correct school uniform with pride and care. This is a fantastic way to demonstrate our school Gospel value of respect/manaakitia.
NZ Uniforms are the stockists of our school uniform and are located at Unit 5 20 Lambie Drive, Manukau. NZ Uniform’s phone number and email address ph: 09 950 6747 and email: manukau@nzuniforms.com.
Reminders!
Car Park Traffic
Thank you for continuing to be careful and safe in the school car park. Please note … it is absolutely paramount that the children only enter and exit the cars when you are stopped in the pick up/drop off bus zone at the front of the school. We do not want children getting in and out of cars that are in the queue or still approaching the pick up/drop off zone. It is too dangerous for children to be this close to moving vehicles. Thank you for following these guidelines and keeping all our children safe.
sKids Holiday Programme
sKids April Holiday programme and Term 2 Programme information …
Upcoming School Events
School commences for Term 2
Monday 2nd May
School Liturgy and Assembly – led by Senior Leadership Team
Monday 2nd May in Taamaua/school hall @ 8:50am
Learning Community Ngahere PARENT CAMP Meeting @ school
Thursday 5th May 7:00pm -8:00pm
Mothers Day Liturgy
Friday 6th May in Taamaua/school hall 1:15pm
Water Safety Skills Programme for Year 0-2 students
Monday 9th may – Friday 13th May @ Massey Park Pools, Papakura
Mahi Tahi Student/Parent/Teacher Conferences – 15 min interviews
Wednesday 11th and Thursday 12th May 3:15pm – 6:30pm
Staff /Teacher Only Day – school closed for students
Friday 20th May
Term 2 Concludes
Friday 8th July
Term 3 Commences
Monday 25th July
Upcoming Community Events
Tot to Teens Digital Magazine
April Tots to Teens digi-magazine link is https://issue2203.totstoteens.
What’s in this issue for parents?
» 8 family-life habits for a healthy immune system
» How to: Encourage your kids to open up
» Kids shoes! They might look great, but do they fit properly?
» Egg-cellent Easter recipes. Yuuuum! and (as always) EPIC GIVEAWAYS
Ask your tamariki to find this issue’s Te Reo Māori words including kōrero, hēki, kura, and hei mahi
Takaanini Library School Holiday Programme
Takaanini Library and Community Hub is offering a school holiday programme. All are welcome. See posters below for more information.
Papakura Museum
Papakura Museum currently is running an exhibition called MIGHTY SMALL MIGHTY BRIGHT that shows how science translates from the lab to the marketplace. There are real-life examples of how hi-tech materials underpin industry in New Zealand.
This exhibition will encourage and inspire young people to choose ‘science’ as an option for their future studies.
So, if you’re free these holidays, visit Papakura Museum!
