Greetings, Kia ora, Kia orana, Talofa, Mālō e lelei, Namaste, Ni Hao, Bula, Hola, Kumusta, Namaskārām,
Sat Shri Akaal, Vanakkam and Ayubowan
Dear Families
We are grateful to the many parents and family members who assisted and helped care for our little Year 0, 1 and 2 tamariki and older students during their times at Massey Park Pools participating in the Water Safety Skills programme.
We are grateful for our PTFA Team and their families who organised a great fun night out at the Massey Park Pools Wave Rave this week. It was a super night for families to enjoy a ‘social’ and ‘play’ time together. Approximately $800 was fundraised – thank you to all who made this a wonderful night for Holy Trinity whānau.
We are grateful for our School Board members for their presence and engagement of whānau at the different hui we’ve gathered for across the year, as we continue the process of consultation and engagement to gather the voice, thoughts, ideas and views of our school community.
We are grateful for all our staff who continue to give of their best so that our students have every opportunity to grow in learning, loving and serving.
Each day, we are blessed as a school community to have so many helping hands that go the extra mile for our students, for our staff and for each other.
Thank you for being a school community of kotahitanga/unity … of love, relating, connecting, encompassing, and always giving so abundantly in the name of the Holy Trinity – Te Matua, Hehu Karaiti me Te Wairua Tapu!
God Bless you all!
School Family Bereavement
This week, Holy Trinity whānau was able to support the Nau family as they farewelled their beloved Mum, Elizabeth, with beautiful rosary prayer liturgies and a Requiem Mass and burial on Thursday. We especially pray for Immanuel and Heavenly-Rose as they return to school and we continue to ask God to wrap them in his korowai/cloak of love and tenderness at this time.
DRS Report
All Saints Day and All Souls Day
As we come to the end of October, we also prepare ourselves for our two special feast days that commence the month of November. We celebrate the Feast of All Saints Day on Wednesday 1st November and the following day, Thursday 2 November we commemorate All Souls Day. We invite all our whānau to gather with us as a faith community on these days to pray a special liturgy together in Taamaua/school hall at 9:00am. All Saints Day liturgy will be led by Patrick Dunn Whānau and All Souls Day liturgy will be led by Mackillop Whānau. Both days are very special to our Catholic faith and we hope you are able to join us for these special liturgies as we commence a new month.
Family Mass at St Anne’s Church, Manurewa
If you would like to be involved in the Christmas play at the Family Mass on Christmas Eve at 5:00pm at St Anne’s, come along to the 5:00pm Family Mass, Sunday 29th October! After the Mass, there will be food and fun and a chance to sign up for the Christmas Play, which the St Anne’s young people are performing as part of our Christmas Faith celebrations. We look forward to seeing you at Mass at 5pm on Sunday 29th October.
Please click on the link to read St Anne’s, Manurewa Parish Bulletin St Anne’s Parish Bulletin #40 – Sunday 29th October 2023
Teaching and Learning News
Concept Learning – “Inspire”
This term, our concept learning is Inspire. Our learners will be using their knowledge and skills acquired throughout this year to explore ways in which they can “inspire mana in others to strengthen communities”.
Here are our essentials questions that will encourage our learners to think deeply:
- How can we inspire?
- How can the past and the present strengthen our communities?
- How can inspiring mana strengthen communities?
The curriculum areas that support Inspire are Social Sciences and The Arts, which includes drama, dance, and music. This focus aligns with our end-of-year celebrations, where we aim to “inspire mana to strengthen our communities”. We will do this through cultural performances, a Thanksgiving Mass, saying farewell to students in Years 6, 7, and 8, and gathering together as a community to celebrate the Nativity story – the birth of Jesus.
Cultural Groups
Mālo ni, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Kia orāna, Tālofa lava, Mālō e lelei, Talofa, Noa’ia, Ni sa bula vinaka, Mauri, Tēnā koutou katoa and warm greetings to you all.
Our students are actively participating in cultural groups and making an effort to inspire one another by learning the lyrics of songs and the steps of dances that are part of the cultural performances. It is wonderful to witness them exploring their heritage and cultures through dance, drama, and music. We are excited to showcase our cultural performances in Term 4 when we gather as a school whānau community.
Teacher Only Day Monday 13th November 2023
School will be closed for students on Monday 13th November 2023.
Teachers and Support Staff will be involved in a professional development and learning day about the newly released New Zealand Curriculum Refresh. The Ministry of Education has granted this time/day to schools to allow teachers to work with the new document – to understand why changes have been made and to plan for the implication for our current Holy Trinity localised curriculum teaching and learning programme.
Please make alternative arrangements for your child/ren for this day – Monday 13th November 2023.
sKids will be open for the day and they will provide a booking link next week.
Term 4 Special Events and Activities
Please save the date for these ‘end of Term 4’ celebrations events and activities. These are all family/whānau events and we are delighted to warmly welcome our school families and wider school community to be part of each special event and activity where we celebrate who we are as a catholic school – rejoicing in our catholic faith, our students achievements and our school’s achievements from throughout 2023.
Wednesday 1st November
Whole School All Saints Liturgy
Thursday 2nd November
Whole School All Souls Liturgy
Whānau Active Play AND Whole School Athletics Day
Tuesday 21st November
Orientation Morning for 2024 New Families and Students 9am @ school
Wednesday 29th November
Year 6/7/8 Leavers and Families Mass @ St Mary’s Church, Papakura 6:30pm with a shared finger food supper and presentations to follow at HTCPS in Taamaua/School Hall
Monday 4th December
Liturgy and Assembly for Other Leavers and Service/Leadership Awards 9:00am @ school
Thursday 7th December
Cultural Groups Celebrations Performances – all Year 3-8 students 5:00-6:30pm @ school
Friday 8th December
Praise-giving Awards Afternoon 12:30pm @ school in Taamaua/School Hall
Tuesday 12th December
End of Year School Mass/Acknowledgement of Leavers 9:15am @ school
followed by ‘School Helpers’ morning tea
Thursday 13th December
Family Picnic and Nativity Liturgy celebrations performed by Year 0/1/2 students 5:00pm – 7:00pm @ school
Learning Community News
Learning Community Whenua
The children in Whenua were super excited to go on the bus to Massey Park Pools for their water safety for life skills programme. They were engaged in small group activities learning how to blow bubbles in the water, be a crocodile underwater, leap through a hoop and how to put on a life jacket to help them keep safe in the water. It was great to see the children’s confidence grow each day. The children’s behaviour was outstanding which makes us proud to be ambassadors of HTCPS.
Thank you to all our wonderful parent helpers who assisted and helped make the whole water safety experience an enjoyable one.
Learning Community Awa
During the Water Safety Skills programme, the junior learners practised techniques using lots of known nursery rhymes needless to say we had many “splashing teddy bears”. We spent a lot of time learning how to feel secure in the water and how to keep ourselves safe. The children were well-taught by wonderful swimming instructors who went above and beyond to ensure their comfort in the water. Our learners demonstrated our school’s Gospel values with great excellence, and they even thanked the bus driver when they got on and off the bus in true Holy Trinity manner.
Learning Community Moana
We have had a fantastic time in the water, learning water safety skills. We learned how to safely put on our life jackets and jump into the water, we practised huddling in our life jackets in order to understand what to do in an emergency in the water. We also gained skills around floating on our backs and diving to the bottom of the pool. We were very supportive towards each other and we showed a lot of resilience/ngāwari as we gave everything a go even when we found it challenging!
Learning Community Maunga
At Water Safety Skills for Life sessions, Maunga students focused on safe decision making when in an emergency, e.g. how to float on their backs for at least a minute as well as performing a personal buoyancy sequence wearing a lifejacket, signalling for help. The simple acts of treading water and moving under water are different ways that are used to build the students’ confidence. The greatest challenge for some students was jumping from the highest point of the pool into the deepest part. They showed resilience/ngāwari, stepping out of their comfort zone and giving it a go, inspiring others to do the same!
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 (orientations), What to do in emergency situations for their 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, knowledge and expertise they need to assess risks and make intelligent decisions around water, to stay out of trouble and to survive.
Sports News
Girls Cricket Fest Day
Some of our Year 5-8 girls will be participating in the upcoming North Counties Cricket Girls Fest Day at Bruce Pulman Park next week on Tuesday 31 October. It’s a great opportunity for our tamariki to build confidence in the game of cricket and resilience in new learning. We pray for good weather and a great day for them all.
Whānau Active Athletics Day
On Thursday 2 November, our students, families and staff will be coming to school dressed in their whānau colours. We are having our Whānau Active Athletics Day commencing at 10:00am and it promises to be a fun day with a variety of planned activities to get our tamariki active and participating. We look forward to having you there to encourage and participate in the fun games and activities.
Hauora/WellBeing News
Peer Mediation Programme
This term our tamariki are learning about ‘I statements’.
‘I statements’ are used to let someone know that you feel strongly about something without putting them on defence. They can let the other person know that you own the feeling you are experiencing and are trying to deal with it yourself, but you need help from them.
When you use an ‘I statement’, you express your feelings without blaming the other person for making you feel that way. Instead, an ‘I statement’ requires you to take full responsibility for your feelings.
You can learn more about I statements by watching this video: https://youtu.be/asjlO7ELEvc?
Practise using ‘I statements’ with your child to help them learn this effective communication technique.
Magic Play Box – Creative Play
Our Magic Play Boxes are up and running for learners to play with. We have two larger boxes and two smaller ones filled with building equipment such as wood, pipes, tires and flags. We will be using this equipment during play time as well as learning time as a way to learn through play.
LC Moana has had a lot of fun learning through play over the past two weeks. One way we used the Magic Play Box in our learning was through our Social Sciences and Arts learning.
We have been learning about different cultural stories and the importance of valuing the messages shared through these stories. We used the equipment in the Magic Play Box to share an image that represents a special message that inspires others. Learners are confident enough to talk about our creation and the inspiring messages we are trying to share.
Switch to Water!
For the month of November, the New Zealand Dental Association is calling on everyone to switch to water! Water has many great benefits for our hauora.
These benefits include;
→ Helping our body digest food
→ Regulating our body temperature
→ Removing waste and toxins from our body and skin
→ Carrying nutrients and oxygen to cells
Look after your hauora and join in by switching to water during November!
Your whānau can sign up for the ‘Switch to Water Challenge’ HERE. You and your whānau could be in to win some cool prizes!
Duffy Books in Homes Programme
Reminders!
2023 School Leavers
If you are leaving our school at the end of this year due to a change of circumstances (other than our Year 6/7/8 students), please email the school office as soon as possible – office@holytrinity.school.nz. We are currently managing our school roll numbers and this much needed information will help us to make decisions in regards to enrolments for 2024 placements. Thank you.
Term 4 Summer Uniform
Students are now expected to be in the correct school uniform for the summer months. This includes the short sleeved blouse or shirt, open toed black school sandals and the school sunhat. Please name all items of clothing so that they can be returned to the children immediately when found.
Our School uniform is only available for purchase from NZ Uniforms on 20/5 Lambie Drive, Manukau.
Wearing of Jewellery:
- Plain gold/silver single ear studs in lobe and watches are permitted to be worn
- Culturally or religiously appropriate jewellery can be worn under the shirts
- Nail polish and make-up is not permitted
All students are required to wear the correct school uniform. A uniform letter will be sent home to families with students who are in the incorrect uniform and we ask that you action this as soon as possible. The wearing of the Holy Trinity school uniform demonstrates our Gospel value of respect/manaakitia – please support us in this endeavour.
No Lollies at School
Lollies are not permitted as a morning tea or lunchtime food item. Please refrain from popping lollies into the children’s lunchboxes. At times, lollies are shared within Learning Communities for birthday celebrations and these are given out at the end of the day for the children to pop into their bags, to be taken home and eaten then.
St Ignatius of Loyola Catholic College Update
Transition Dates for 2024 Year 7/8/9 Students and families …
Please note the following Transition events for ākonga/students and whānau/families:
Year 7 2024 November 16 – 6-7:30pm
Year 8 2024 November 23 – 6:7:30pm
Year 9 2024 November 30 – 6:7:30pm
We are also planning an informal meet and greet event for ākonga/students and whānau/families where they are the only one moving to St Ignatius from their current school – Meet and Greet for solo ākonga November 15 4:40-5:30pm
All of these events will take place at St Joseph’s School, 94 Seddon Street, Pukekohe. Please keep an eye on future newsletters for details of how to register for these events.
Enrolments for Year 7 Students in 2025
Caretaker Vacancy
We are seeking a Caretaker on either a part or full time basis to carry out a wide variety of duties associated with the security, health and safety, maintenance and good order of the school campus. The successful person should have:
- Excellent handy-man skills
- Experience in a trade and working with others
- Ability to prioritise, work unsupervised, meet deadlines and use initiative
- Excellent communication skills
- Ability to relate well with people of all ages
- Demonstrated reliability and trustworthiness
All enquiries and applications should be emailed to office@ignatius.school.nz by Friday 17th November. Applications should include a short CV including the names and contact details of 2 work-related referees.
Start date will be Monday 22nd January 2024
Salary $25-30 per hour
School Term Dates for 2024
Term One 11 weeks Thursday 1st February – Friday 12th April
Term Two 10 weeks Monday 29th April – Friday 5th July
Term Three 10 weeks Monday 22nd July – Friday 25th September
Term Four 9 weeks Monday 14th October – Tuesday 17th December
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS 2024 :
Term 1 – Week 2 Tuesday 6th February Waitangi Day
Term 1 – Week 9/Week 10 Friday 29th March to Tuesday 2nd April EASTER
Term 2 – Week 6 Monday 3rd June King’s Birthday
Term 2 – Week 9 Friday 28th June Matariki
Term 4 – Week 3 Monday 28th October Labour Day
Job Vacancies
PARISH COORDINATOR for St Luke’s in Flat Bush
The Parish of St Luke’s in Flat Bush is on the hunt for a Parish Coordinator to join the team.
As one of the largest growing parishes in Auckland, we wish to employ a person for 25-30 hours a week as the parish coordinator.
This role is to assist the Parish Priest to ensure that the pastoral and administrative needs of the parish are met.
The role provides pastoral assistance and is responsible for the coordination of the Parish Education Programmes.
(RCIA, RCIC, Baptism programme, sacramental programme & children’s liturgy) and assisting with Sunday Masses.
Ideally the applicant would have a good grasp of social media. Applicants should be active Catholics and able to partake in the full sacramental life of the church, with theological formation (preferred).
Good communication, strong planning and organization skills are essential. Applicants must have the right to work in NZ and have a NZ driver’s licence.
For more information, please contact the Parish Priest, Fr Craig Dunford by email office@flatbushcatholic.org.nz
University Ministry Coordinator – Catholic Diocese of Auckland
Are you a self-motivated relationship-builder who can be the driving force behind a new project? We’re looking for someone who answers “Yes!” to become our full-time University Ministry Coordinator. You’ll be part of a tight-knit team implementing a bold new strategy for ministry to young people in the Diocese of Auckland.
Youth Ministry Officer – Catholic Diocese of Auckland
Are you a self-motivated relationship-builder who wants to make a meaningful positive impact in the lives of young people? We’re looking for someone who answers “Yes!” to become our full-time Youth Ministry Officer. You’ll be part of a tight-knit team implementing a bold new strategy for ministry to young people in the Diocese of Auckland.
To learn more about these positions, please visit: www.aucklandcatholic.org.nz/staff-vacancies/
Upcoming School Events
PTFA Wave Rave @ Massey Park Pools, Papakura
Friday 27th October 2023 7:00pm – 8:30pm
Duffy Books in Homes Role Model Assembly
Monday 30th October @ 1:30pm in Taamaua/school hall
Years 5-8 Girls Cricket Festival
Tuesday 31st October @ Bruce Pulman Park
Whole School All Saints Liturgy led by Patrick Dunn Whānau
Wednesday 1st November @ 9:15am in Taamaua/school hall
Whole School All Souls Liturgy led by MacKillop Whānau
Thursday 2nd November @ 9:15am in Taamaua/school hall
followed by a Whānau Active Play AND Whole School Athletics Day
Thursday 2nd November at school
School Board Strategic Planning Morning
Saturday 11th November @ 9:00am in Taamaua/school hall
Teacher Only Day – school closed for students
Monday 13th November
Orientation Morning for 2024 New Families and Students
Tuesday 21st November @ 9:00am at school
School Board Monthly Meeting
Wednesday 22nd November @ 6:00pm in the school staffroom
Music Tuition Concert
Wednesday 22nd November @ 6:00pm in Taamaua/school hall
Year 6/7/8 Leavers and Families Mass @ St Mary’s Church, Papakura 6:30pm
with a shared finger food supper and presentations to follow at HTCPS in Taamaua/School Hall
Wednesday 29th November @ 6:30pm – 9:00pm
Liturgy and Assembly for Other Leavers and Service/Leadership Awards
Monday 4th December @ 9:15am in Taamaua/school hall
Cultural Groups Celebration Performances – all Year 3-8 students
Wednesday 6th December 5:00-6:30pm @ school
Praise-giving Awards Afternoon
Friday 8th December 12:30pm @ school in Taamaua/school hall
End of Year School Mass/Acknowledgement of Leavers
Tuesday 12th December 9:15am @ school followed by ‘School Helpers’ morning tea
Family Picnic and Nativity Liturgy celebrations performed by Year 0/1/2 students
Thursday 14th December 5:00pm-7:00pm at school
Term 4 Concludes for the 2023 year at 1:00pm
Monday 18th December
Tribute Concert
Tribute Concert in memory of Jenny Fox by the Music Ministry of St Mary’s Parish Northcote
Pie Jesu, Ave Maria, Jesu Joy Of Main’s Desiring, Time To Say Goodbye, Everything’s Alright, Ave Verum Corpus… Bach and Handel to name a few
Entry by Koha, where funds will go towards a new Church Organ. \
Upcoming Community Event
Give Athletics a Go!
Want to learn new skills, get outdoors, and have fun? The skills you learn in athletics are the perfect foundation for almost any sport.
Every student can give athletics a go. Our local athletics club is welcoming new members now and we encourage students to get involved and get active.
Contact details for all athletics clubs nationwide are available here – athletics.org.nz/FindaClub – and become a member.
“Our local athletics club is welcoming new members” and parents or students can go to the Athletics New Zealand website to find their closest club.
Management Plan for Local Parks and Reserves
Papakura Local Board is preparing a management plan for all local parks and reserves in the local board area that they have decision-making responsibility for. This includes around 140 parks in Papakura. The Draft Papakura Local Parks Management Plan will describe how people use and value local parks, which areas need protection, and what to consider before improving a park.
You are now invited to submit written suggestions on matters to consider in the Papakura Local Parks Management Plan.
To have your say, please complete an online submission form on AK Have Your Say . Alternatively, you can email suggestions about the draft plan to papakuralpmp@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz or post them to Papakura Local Parks Management Plan, Auckland Council, Private Bag 92300, Victoria Street West, Auckland 1142.
Paper submission forms will be also available at Sir Edmund Hillary Library and Te Paataka Koorero o Takaanini/Takaanini Library and Community Hub.
The consultation period runs from 11 October 2023 to 5pm on Saturday 11 November 2023.
For more information refer to AK Have Your Say or contact us via papakuralpmp@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz.
We welcome your submission on any matters you think will be relevant to the Draft Papakura Local Parks Management Plan.
Ngā mihi,
Papakura Local Parks Management Plan Project Team
