Greetings, Kia ora, Kia orana, Talofa, Mālō e lelei, Namaste, Ni Hao, Bula, Hola, Kumusta
Talofa lava – Manuia le vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa
We have had a wonderful busy week at school celebrating the beautiful samoan language, culture and identity. Fa’afetai lava to all of our samoan staff, students and aiga who made this a rich week of learning and celebration for us all.
This weekend, the Church celebrates Pentecost, one of the most important feast days of the year that concludes the Easter season and celebrates the beginning of the Church.
Pentecost always occurs 50 days after the death and resurrection of Jesus, and ten days after his ascension into heaven. Pentecost is the celebration of the person of the Holy Spirit coming upon the Apostles, Mary, and the first followers of Jesus.
Then on the following Sunday 12th June, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Trinity. It is the day we celebrate the greatest mystery of all – the Holy Trinity!
God is so great that Jesus taught us to understand Him as three persons in one being who is God. As we try to understand this mystery, Jesus taught us the greatest lesson of all … GOD IS LOVE and that God wants us to be a part of this love.
How blessed are we that our school community is named Holy Trinity! We give thanks to God for this beautiful name and for the gift of the Holy Trinity as a model for our school that we strive to live by each day … through the way we grow together in Learning Ka Ako, Loving Ka Aroha and Serving Ka Manaaki … we can be and are a part of God’s love!
St Ignatius of Loyola Catholic College
This communication is from the Vicar for Education, Catholic Diocese of Auckland – May 30 2022
St Ignatius of Loyola Catholic College will be situated in Burtt Road, Drury.
“To educate the young is to transform the world” – Jesuit education pioneer
The establishment of a Catholic college in Franklin Counties south of Auckland city has been an enduring hope for many. Parishioners first proposed the provision of Catholic education for the young people south of Auckland to Archbishop Liston in 1957. Over 40 years later a group of parents whose children attended local Catholic primary schools came together to lobby and work with the Catholic Diocese of Auckland to achieve their dream.
St Ignatius of Loyola Catholic College will provide a Catholic education in the spirit of St Ignatius and the tradition of Jesuit education. Bishop Steve Lowe, Roman Catholic Bishop of Auckland is the Proprietor of the college.
The new Diocesan college will open Term 1, 2024 with 340 Year 7 to 9 students. The roll will grow to 900 Year 7 to 13 students by 2030. Through its enrolment scheme priority will be given to preference students from St Joseph’s School Pukekohe, St Mary’s Catholic School, Papakura and Holy Trinity Catholic School, Takanini.
The School Establishment Board began work at the end of 2021. The EBoard’s role is to oversee and assist in the process of setting up the new school. Board members represent the local community, the Proprietor and the Ministry of Education.
Earthworks have been completed and the design is now also closed out. You can take a look at the first stage of the College using this fly-through: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbvT1h3VdlU
Below is an artist’s impression of what the school may look like!
From the School Board …
Community Consultation & Engagement
Talofa ia tatou aiga uma o le aoga
The School Board is well underway with our consultation process with all our parents, caregivers and whānau, as we look towards the further development of our school’s strategic plan.
Fa’fetai lava for the way in which you, our families, are responding to the various ways that we as Board, are engaging and consulting with you. We need and appreciate your voice as you share your thoughts and ideas with us. It is important that our school reflects the diverse community it serves.
To date we have had opportunities for individuals and groups to share their thoughts and ideas: at the recent Mahi Tahi Conference meetings, Indian community afternoon gathering early and on Monday a number of our Maori and Pacifica families gathered for a shared meal and took the opportunity to talk and share with each other.
This week, via HERO, there has been a Google survey sent out with questions for you respond to. Fa’fetai lava to all those families who have taken the time to respond so far – if you haven’t already, the survey is still on line and we really would value your input.
As we consult and you reflect on your children and yourselves being part of the Holy Trinity School family, please keep the following two questions in mind:
- Why do I send my children to Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School?
- What do I expect from the school with regard to my children’s education and learning?
You might also like to think about the strengths of the school and areas you would like to see us further develop and improve.
Coming Up…
- Next week, continue with the Google survey. Visit the HER0 notification from 30th May to access the online link to complete the survey
- Thursday 16 June – a gathering of our Filipino Community 6:00pm – 7.30pm commencing with a shared meal
Please become involved and have your say … all your feedback is captured and considered as we move forward in the development of the school, so we can continue to provide the best Catholic education we can. Towards the end of the term we will provide you with a summary of all the ideas shared.
School Board Elections – September 2022
Over the coming weeks, you will start to get information leading up to the elections on 7 September and about the process involved. You might like to give this special ministry your consideration and when the time comes, put yourself forward for the election.
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.
Fa’amanuia le Atua ia te outou uma
Philip Cortesi-
Presider of the Board.
DRS Report
Priest Visits
This week on Wednesday 1 June, we had the pleasure of having both Father James Mulligan and Father John Joliffe visit our students in their Learning Communities. It’s always wonderful to have our Parish priest visiting us and spending some time in the classroom with our learners. Students from Learning Community Ngahere, Awa and Whenua were lucky to have some time with our priests.
Pentecost Sunday
Last Sunday, we celebrated the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ, where Jesus ascended to heaven to be with his Father. This Sunday 5 May, we celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost. We hear the story of the Holy Spirit/Te Wairua Tapu coming to the apostles to be their helper and guide. The Spirit gave them the courage and the gifts they needed to preach Jesus’ message to everyone they met. We pray that those same gifts fill our hearts so that through our words and deeds, we may be examples of Jesus’ love/aroha and peace/rangimarie to others.
Trinity Feast Day Mass
Friday 10 June, next week, is a big special day for our school. We are celebrating our Feast Day which falls on Sunday 12 June – Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. On Friday, we will be celebrating with a Trinity Eucharistic Mass led by Father James Mulligan of St Mary’s Papakura at 11:00am in Taamaua/school hall. You are all invited to come along and make this an extra special celebration and to stay for the afternoon as our students showcase their gifts and talents at our annual Trinity’s Got Talent Show.
Trinity’s Got Talent Show – Holy Trinity Feast Day
After Mass in the morning, we will be ending our day with a performance sharing the gifts and talents of our children. This is our annual Trinity’s Got Talent Show in Taamaua!!!!
Please do encourage your child/children to participate in the Trinity’s Got Talent Show. They just need to share their proposed item with their teacher who will sign off the entry form and pop it in the box in the Office. We’re looking for performers who can sing, dance, play an instrument, juggle, tell jokes OR generally have lots of talent to share with us!
Looking forward to a truly special day on Friday as we celebrate being a Holy Trinity School!
Parish Newsletters
Please click on the link attached to access St Anne’s Parish, Manurewa – bulletin for this Sunday 5th June.
Whakatau – Welcome!
There will be a ‘whakatau’ for new families who have joined Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School this year. This will be on Friday, 10th of June as part of our Holy Trinity Feast Day celebrations.
We extend a warm invitation to all our new families and students, to attend especially if your child started school in the second half of 2021 and this year. Holy Trinity Catholic Primary school are excited to have you as part of our whānau.
Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa – Samoan Language Week
We had a wonderful start to Samoan Language Week with some of our staff and students performing a beautiful Samoan siva to begin our celebration.
Our Cultural Student Leaders Team fulfilled their leadership roles by speaking in Samoan as they introduced the theme of this year’s Vaiaso o le Gagana Sāmoa, Fa’aāuāu le Folauga i le Va’a o Tautai – Continue the Voyage with Competent Wayfinders of the Ocean.
The theme recognises the importance of having the right tools, good leadership skills, relationships, and the correct medium (va’a) that is adaptable to faring the ocean and its elements.
O le upu o le vaiaso or phrase of the week was all about how to introduce yourself in samoan. Throughout this week we certainly could hear both students and staff having fun as they practiced introducing themselves in samoan.
Water Safety Skills – Year 3 to Year 8 Student Lessons
Congratulations to all our students that participated in this week’s Water Safety skills lessons. It was great to see students participate in activities that could potentially save theirs and others lives when in and around water.
Students in LC Moana were taught to gather rope in one hand, under arm swing to a person that could be in distress, and then bend a knee to pull them into safety. LC Maunga students were taught effective ways to use a floatation device to swim to safety, the most effective having it on your chest and swimming on your back, face up. LC Ngahere students were up-skilled with effective ways to stay afloat and for a long period of time. These and many other skilled based activities kept our students engaged. The studnest are now equipped to help themselves and others in tricky situations.
Many thanks to our kaitiaki for their vigilance to ensure all our students were safe and well. And to our amazing parent helpers, who were fantastic with providing the necessary extra hands to ensure our children left Massey Park Swimming Pools the way we arrived.
Learning Community Ngahere CAMP
Student Reflections
At camp there were eight cabins, five for the kids and three for the teachers and parent helpers. There was one dining hall where all the kids would meet for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There was an outside area to eat morning and afternoon tea and one bathroom for the girls, one for the boys and one for the adults.
I was in a group named Kea (there were nine of us) and there were exactly eight activities that all the groups participated in. One of the most challenging activities, I took part in was probably the ‘superfox’ because as I climbed up the slim pole and I felt the breeze of the wind sway the pole from side to side. I felt the adrenaline build up within me but as I jumped off the platform and I felt all my fears and worries leave as I flew down the zip line holding tightly onto the harness. As the wind blew through my hair I felt relieved!
A highlight of my experience at camp … was the raft building because even though it was the most fun activity we did, we also learnt a lot through our mistakes. Raft building is definitely a memory that I will keep forever.
Something new that I learnt was about a friend … I learnt that she is really afraid of trying new things and she’s scared of heights. I also learnt that she needs to be supported by her peers in order to achieve something that she really wants to do. I think that’s the same for all of us as well.
–Aeva Pihema–
My highlight from camp would be when Georgina and I were the first people to reach the top of the Giants Ladder. My first turn was with Jamera but we only got to the 3rd rung, because I was scared. But on my 2nd turn with Georgina, I was more confident. I was so thrilled and proud when we reached it!
Another highlight of mine was when we did raft building. Even though our raft was a failure, my group had lots of fun in the water. We were squealing like pigs, it was hilarious! I had two challenges, my first was on the islands in the sky. On the last island, because the rope was loose, I was nervous that I might fall. From this, I learnt that being scared of heights is a valid phobia.! My second challenge was ‘S and R orienteering.’ I was not good at reading the map, and the activity for me wasn’t very fun, so I wasn’t very enthusiastic. I learnt what a ‘carabiner’ is; it’s a fancy word for hook. Camp was very memorable and I know I enjoyed every moment!
–Lianna Delubio–
Camp was the best experience for me this year. We can learn more about living in the wild and trying out new things. For raft building you can work together to make a raft and try it out to see if your raft floats. So that’s why camp was the best experience for me this year. I got to learn so much about surviving in the wild.
You can overcome your fears at camp. You can get rid of your fears and gain more courage to do more things. Like fear of heights – there was a lot of climbing to do and some people were scared of heights so it was really hard for them including me. Most of us overcame our fears and learned to be brave and have more courage.
–Kamilo Morales–
Learning Community News
Learning Community Whenua
In Week 2, LC Whenua took part in the water skills safety programme at Massey Park Pools in Papakura. Our tamariki spent time learning water safety and skills that will help keep them safe in the water. Whenua showed great enthusiasm during their water safety sessions and enjoyed wearing and using the life jackets, using pool noodles, learning to float and learning how to behave correctly when in the pool and around water. The Whenua Kaitiaki would like to thank our many parent helpers that came to help!
Learning Community Moana
This week was Samoan Language Week. Moana learners have done a wonderful job at learning to introduce themselves in samoan. They have also learnt about different samoan cultural patterns. Moana learners have used their knowledge about samoan patterns to decorate their own sea turtles using different patterns and colours.
Moana learners also had a wonderful time at swimming this week. They learnt many water safety skills such as floating down a river feet first, with their head up to keep themselves safe. They also learnt how to float and use their arms and legs to keep them afloat in the water. The wonderful Moana learners were extremely resilient and gave everything a go – even when it was a bit scary and out of their comfort zone.
Learning Community Ngahere
This week all of the learners from Learning Community Ngahere were fortunate enough to have Water Safety Skills for Life sessions. During these sessions, learners did a range of activities that supported their skills in – water safety and awareness skills, getting in and out of the water, going under the water (submersion), floating on the water (personal buoyancy), rolling and turning in the water (orientation), what to do in emergency situations for theirs and others safety and moving through the water (propulsion).
Water safety skills establish broad fundamental competencies for lifelong water safety. It gives learners the skills and knowledge they need to assess risks and expertise to assess risks and make intelligent decisions around water to deal and stay out of trouble and survive. Well Done to all our students for their participation and acknowledging the importance of such lessons.
Curriculum News
Concept Learning – Journey
Our Concept learning focus for mid Term 2 – mid Term 3 is ‘Journey’. We want our students to independently use their learning to, ‘make connections to past and present journeys and use our scientific thinking to take action to enrich kotahitanga in our world.’ Science and Technology are the two curriculum learning areas that will help us to explore the concept of ‘Journey’ further.
The essential questions that will help us to unpack the big ideas around the concept of Journey are:
- What shapes past and present journeys?
- How do the scientific connections we make between past and present journeys enrich kotahitanga?
ASB St John in Schools Programme
ASB St John’s School Programme personnel will be at Holy Trinity from June 27th, Monday till June 29th on Wednesday. They will be running a programme called, Keeping Safe.
The aim of this module is for students to conclude that most injuries are preventable, and to identify methods for assessing and managing risk. We always hope that our students won’t be injured. However, there are likely to be times during their lives when they are exposed to a potentially harmful situation, and they need to be able to think about prevention strategies for themselves and others, as well as ways to prevent further injury happening should an accident occur.
Sports News
In a few weeks, our students will participate in the first local, inter school sports tournament for the year. Several schools across Papakura will come together to have a Winter Field Sports Day. Year 5 to 8 students, will have the opportunity to play rippa rugby or netball at Bruce Pulman Park. For those students participating, a note will come home with further details.
If you’re a parent of our Year 5 to 8 students, or a parent in general that would like to help out for the day, please make contact with Andrew Malele – amalele@holytrnity.school.nz
Over the next week, students will train for the upcoming tournament, and … weather permitting, enjoy the opportunity to play a sport and represent our school!
Matariki Celebration Learning Day
Matariki is the Māori name for a group of stars that are also known as the Pleiades star cluster. We can see this cluster in the north-eastern dawn sky, signalling the start of the Māori new year.
The first public holiday to celebrate Matariki is on Friday, 24th of June, and we too will have a learning day to grow our knowledge and understanding about Matariki.
Holy Trinity Matariki Learning Day will be held on Wednesday, 22nd June. Our wonderful kaitiaki will plan activities highlighting that Matariki is a time for:
- Remembrance – Honouring those we have lost since the last rising of Matariki.
- Celebrating the present – Gathering together to give thanks for what we have.
- Looking to the future – Looking forward to the promise of a new year.
Mānawatia a Matariki – we welcome Matariki!
Book Week 2022 was a great success!
Our Character Parade last Friday was a big hit, and it was lovely to see our learners wearing outfits that represented a culture important to them. Congratulations to the winners of all of our competitions, including Learning Community Moana who won the hotly-contested Door Display competition.
Primary Teachers Paid Union Meetings
Teachers in our school will be attending paid union meetings in the week of June 13th in the run up to the re-negotiation of their collective agreement. The meetings will discuss the teachers’ Time 4 Tamariki | Wāwāhi Tahā campaign, which aims to win smaller class sizes, more support for high needs students, better recognition of cultural skills, greater job security for our essential relievers and to fairly value and recognise teachers’ work.
Our union, NZEI Te Riu Roa, has scheduled online meetings to minimise disruption to teaching and learning and our school will aim to ensure the least disruption to your children’s learning while upholding the right of teachers to participate in their union meeting.
Wet Day – End of Day Pick Up
Fa’afetai tele lava to all our parents and whānau who have been great during drop off/before school and pick up/after school times.
A gentle reminder that when we have wet weather days, it is really helpful to us as staff, if you remain in your vehicle in the drop off/pick up zone. Your child will be brought to your vehicle. We’re well aware that traffic on Airfield Road isn’t the greatest, but if we have many pedestrians out and about, it could become a potential hazard.
Students will be assembled by the main central entrance at the front of the school under the protection of the roofline. Parents that have walked over to the front will be cleared first before students are sent to their vehicles – this is so that we can have a safe pathway for students ‘to go from school to vehicle’.
As always, we appreciate your understanding and support, and our desire to ensure the safety of all our students. Malo soifua!
Reminders!
School Enrolments
It is really important that we know of all younger brothers and sisters that are commencing schooling with us in 2023. If you have little ones at home, please contact the school office to make a time to meet with Miss Lindstrom so they can be assured of a placement at Holy Trinity School for when they are ready to start in 2023.
Upcoming School Events
Queen’s Birthday Weekend – NO school Monday 6th June
Monday 6th June – school closed
School FEAST DAY Celebrations – Holy Trinity
Friday 10th June
School FEAST DAY MASS – Holy Trinity
Friday 10th June 11:00am in Taamaua/school hall
School FEAST DAY Trinity’s GOT TALENT SHOW
Friday 10th June from 1:00pm in Taamaua/school hall
School Gathering Liturgy and Assembly – led by Learning Community Moana
Monday 13th June 9:15am in Taamaua/school hall
NZEI Paid Union Teachers Meeting – online
Monday 13th – Friday 17th June
Winter Sports Field Day for Years 5-8 students
Tuesday 14th June @ Bruce Pulman Park
Community Consultation – Filipino Families commencing with a shared meal
Thursday 16th June in Taamaua/school hall from 6:00pm
MATARIKI LEARNING DAY at school
Wednesday 22nd June
Monthly School Board Meeting
Wednesday 22nd June in the school staffroom 6:00pm
MATARIKI Public Holiday – NO school Friday 24th June
Friday 24th June – school closed
School Gathering Liturgy and Assembly – led by Learning Community Maunga
Monday 27th June 9:15am in Taamaua/school hall
ASB St John in Schools Programme
Monday 27th – Wednesday 29th June
PTFA Meeting
Tuesday 28th June in the school staffroom 7:00pm
Mahi Tahi Student/Parent/Teacher Conferences
Wednesday 29th June from 3:15pm
School Assembly with NANO GIRL
Monday 4th July 9:15am in Taamaua/school hall
School Farewell Liturgy for Mr Quarterman ( previous Caretaker)
Monday 4th July 1:30pm in Taamaua/school hall
YCC MUFTI DAY for Caritas – gold coin donation
Friday 8th July
Term 2 Concludes
Friday 8th July
Term 3 Commences
Monday 25th July
Upcoming Community Events
CHOSEN CAMP Information
