Greetings, Kia ora, Kia orana, Talofa, Mālō e lelei, Namaste, Ni Hao, Bula, Hola, Kumusta, Namaskārām,
Sat Shri Akaal, Vanakkam and Ayubowan
Dear Families
Thank you to our fantastic whānau community who have walked alongside us this 2024 year. Along with the children and staff, you too are the heartbeat of Holy Trinity and we salute you for the many ways you have supported us throughout the year to make it the success it has been, for all. As we end this year, we can reflect with pride on all that has been achieved together. It has been wonderful to celebrate our achievements at the various end of year school events … Cultural Group performances, Praise-giving, End of Year School Leavers Mass, Family Picnic and Nativity Play.
We are filled with gratitude for the way you support with Language Weeks, Sports Events, Maori Whānau Hui, Pasifika Fono, Filipino and Indian/Sri Lankan family gatherings, consultation and workshop evenings for families, community surveys, EOTC activities, Board and PTFA meetings and activities, Learning at Home projects and concept learning etc – school is all about partnership and working together to enable the best opportunities for our children, so we are truly blessed with our school community and the significant contributions that you make to the daily life of our school.
We are very proud of you and are looking forward to all we can achieve together in 2025!
Finally …
May the promise of hope, peace, love and joy be with you this Christmas Season.
Wishing you all a Holy and Blessed Christmas and restful, relaxing and safe holidays!
Peta Lindstrom
Principal/Tumuaki
Nativity Story
What a beautiful Nativity tableau our young children created for us on Wednesday evening especially, as we remember through this wonderful retelling, the first Christmas story, the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.
As a school faith community, we smiled because it was our children who helped to remind us of this special Nativity story … we smiled because of the simpleness of the scene and also at the wonder of the Messiah, our Saviour, sent to us as this precious gift – a small baby boy! … we smiled because it was the children who shared this Christmas message of hope, joy, love and peace and … we smiled because it was our children who looked so amazing and who presented themselves so well AND who have made us so proud!
Thank you to our staff, to our whānau and to everyone who helped to make Wednesday evening full of joyful celebration. We really appreciated the support!
From our School Board …
Dear Families
It is hard to believe that we are at the end of another school year and what a full on and successful year it has been. Again, it has been a year not without its challenges, but we can all look back and take pride in what has been achieved together as a school community. Our school continues to go from strength to strength and has a high standing in our local community and also across the Catholic Diocese of Auckland. This doesn’t just happen- its success is attributed to a great TEAM effort- so a big thank you to you all!
Thank you from the Board …
- To Peta Lindstrom, our principal, for her wonderful leadership and the continued unwavering commitment she makes to the children and families of our school community.
- To the Senior Leadership Team and all the teaching staff, learning assistants, and all the other support staff for an excellent year. The time and effort you have put into your work with the children and the life of the school is acknowledged and much appreciated.
- To our school Board members for all the work that has been achieved in the past year, the many meetings and the hours of work in between, all for the development of the school in providing the best Catholic education possible for our children.
- To our hard working PTFA, under the leadership of Louise Ruegg, our Chairperson, and the band of willing workers who have supported the school in both fundraising and continuing to nurture the Catholic special character of our school. What a successful year we have had- thank you!
- To all our parents, caregivers and whānau- thank you for the way in which you have continued to support and be involved in the life of our school as we work together to provide the best Catholic education we can for our children. The time and commitment you give to supporting your children’s schooling is appreciated. Thank you for choosing Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School for your children.
- AND to our most important group of all…OUR CHILDREN- the reason why Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School is here- a HUGE THANK YOU to all
of them. It is great to see their happy smiles and the high level of engagement in their learning and their enjoyment in the life of the school. Each and every one of our children have special gifts and talents which they bring to school and readily share for the benefit of all.
I make special mention of all our Year 6 students who are leaving our school and moving onto college. THANK YOU for all you have given to the Holy Trinity Family. This being our first year without Year 7 and 8, our Year 6 children have had to take up many student leadership roles for the first time- you have been amazing and taken on these leadership roles so well. We wish you all the very best of new things to come as you start the next part of your life’s journey into college.
- For families and other children who are leaving Holy Trinity to relocate in other parts of New Zealand and overseas, we say thank you for being part of our school family and hope your time with us has been fruitful and enjoyable. We wish you well as you move on and begin another chapter in you lives.
So as we come to the last few days of the school year, we should all take pride in the great year that has been and all that has been achieved.
THANK YOU ALL again, for a wonderful year and the special part you have played in the life of our Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School family. We are a TEAM and reminded of the wise saying- Together Everyone Achieves More. Together, we are one and it is as one that we continue to move our school forward.
On behalf of the Board, I wish you all a blessed and Holy Christmas and a happy New Year. Enjoy your family time. May God bless you all and continue to keep you in His care during this special time, as we celebrate the birth of our Lord.
Nga mihi mahana me nga manaakitanga a ki a koutou katoa.
Philip Cortesi
Presiding Member of the HTCPS Board
From our PTFA …
Kia ora e te whānau!
We are grateful to wrap up another successful year for both the school and the PTFA, it has been great to see the local community come together to support the school.
We kicked off the year, with a great fundraiser – the Wheel-a-thon. Seeing our school community come together to sponsor our tamariki and encourage them to get out on their bikes and wheels made for such an exciting event.
This was followed by the Matariki breakfast where we got up extra early and enjoyed looking at the stars, celebrating the meaning of Matariki and having a lovely breakfast together.
We then ‘boogeyed’ the night away at the Disco – it was great to see so many young people come together and dance the night away with glow sticks and some yummy baked treats!
Then came the ‘Wave Rave’ where all our little super-heros got to enjoy a night of fun at Massey Park Pools followed with a sausage sizzle to warm them up after a great swim.
Most recently, we had a very successful Christmas Twilight Market – it was great to see the tamariki work hard in their classes to come up with crafts, games and raffles to sell at the market. We had a great range of stalls, and it was great to see the school community come together to provide such amazing food options, crafts, face painting and even pony rides!
We can’t forget all the artistic talents that have also gone into the Calendar Art that has recently arrived home just in time for Christmas and the yummy pizza lunch we had earlier this year.
All of these great events and the wonderful support that we have received from the school community means that we have made a great start towards the fundraising efforts for the new playground equipment.
I would like to say a massive thank you to some special individuals that have helped make my first 6 months of this role so much easier:
- Michelle & Laura – your handover and ongoing support has been incredible, the job that you have done over the past few years has really set the PTFA up for success
- Jeff & Sarah – thanks for joining me on this incredible journey
- Peta – your guidance and support during this transition and helping get me up to speed has been amazing. It is also incredible to see how much you care for not only the school community but each and every child that is apart of this great school community
- Philip and the members of the board
- Carmel and Jocelyn – for all your support in the office from running the EFTPOS machine, helping with all the printing and orders and just in being a great support in general
- Stephen – thank you for always pitching in and helping, making sure the BBQs are ready and that we have everything we need to get our events running so smoothly.
- Teresa – for your ongoing support in running the second-hand uniform shop!
- The PTFA team – we have a great bunch of individuals who are always willing to jump in and help support!
- Also, the teachers, staff and volunteers that have helped at the events and fundraising activities this year, we wouldn’t have been able to do this without you!
Last but not least, a special thank you to the parents, whānau, friends, and everyone who consistently supports our events and initiatives, we couldn’t do this all without you.
It has been such an epic year and I’m really looking forward to what we can do together next year to continue to build on the special character and spirit of this great school community!
Thank you again.
Louise Ruegg
PTFA Chairperson
2024 Praise-giving
Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena tātou katoa. Nau mai haere mai ki a koutou ki tēnei wā.
Last Friday afternoon, we were able to gather with our school community to celebrate our students’ achievements from throughout the year. It was a joyous, noisy, wonderful celebration of our learners successes and we were delighted to have students share their gifts and talents with the community too.
Congratulations to all of our recipients who received school certificates! We are very proud of you all!
The 2024 Senior Student Awards were presented to:
Duffy Books In Homes Mainfreight “Positive Attitude” Award – Anayah Fernandes, Learning Community Moana
St Vincent de Paul College Scholarship Awards – Madison Cher De Leon and Mateo Tiongco, Learning Community Moana
St Vincent de Paul – School Service Trophy – Aiden Sunil, Learning Community Moana
St Ignatius of Loyola Catholic College Benefactor’s Scholarship Award – Emmanuella Ofori-Anyinam, Learning Community Moana
Excellence in Leadership Award – Aiva Vaasili, Learning Community Moana
Excellence in Sports Award – Cooper Pihema, Learning Community Moana
Excellence in Cultural Activities Award – Cooper Pihema, Learning Community Moana
Excellence in the Arts Award – Ella Yu and Liliana Chang, Learning Community Moana
Excellence in Academic Learning Award – Janine Amposta, Learning Community Moana
Excellence in Catholic Special Character Award – Jan Silver Manalo, Learning Community Moana
CONGRATULATIONS! KA MAU TE WEHI!
Cultural Groups Celebration Event
The Cultural Groups performance evening on Wednesday was a vibrant showcase of excitement, colour and culture. The children performed with pride and mana, singing their hearts out and dancing with joy as their whānau watched proudly. This event exemplified ‘strengthening communities’ by celebrating the diverse cultures that enhance our school.
We express gratitude to our children, parent helpers and staff for their dedicated preparation. A big thank you to the supportive whānau who made the night special by being an amazing audience!
Year 6 School Leavers Mass
This week, we also celebrated our Year 6 School Leavers and End of Year Mass with Fr Mathew leading us in Eucharist. It was a lovely opportunity to thank, bless and farewell our senior students. Our Year 6 student leavers received a cross pendant and a special blessing at the Mass. It was also a time to give thanks to God for another year of many blessings – we have much to be thankful for! After the Mass, we continued our celebrations in Taamaua/school hall by sharing morning tea with our Year 6 students and their families/whānau.
Music Exam Awards!
Congratulations to the following students for great results in their music exams …
2025 Staffing and Learning Communities
Our staffing is confirmed for 2025 and the Learning Communities and kaitiaki/teachers have been organised as:
Learning Community Whenua = New Entrants, Years 0 and 1 students
Mrs Euginea Fernandes, Mrs Sydney Buzmion and Miss Jennifer Anacleto
Learning Community Awa – Older Year 1s and Year 2 students
Mrs Geraldine Malgas, Mrs Sahlee Cortez and Mrs Danielle Clarivette
Learning Community Ngahere (relocatable rooms) – Older Year 2s and Year 3 students
Mrs Alana Sherlock and Mrs Upashna Nadan
Learning Community Maunga – Year 4 students
Mrs Esther Anitelea and Mrs Lainee Davies
Learning Community Moana – Years 5 and 6 students
Ms Kirstie Gill, Mrs Ranjita Reshmi/Mrs Ali and Mrs Michaela Griffiths
Ms Laura Ahern, Mrs Liezl Jeftha and Mrs Mavis Chung will be working with us in a ‘release teacher’ capacity.
Senior and Middle Leadership Team:
Miss Peta Lindstrom, Mrs Maria Speechlay, Mrs Ana Silva (DRS), Ms Kirstie Gill, Mrs Esther Anitelea, Mrs Alana Sherlock, Mrs Geraldine Malgas and Mrs Euginea Fernandes
Students had the opportunity to visit their 2025 Learning Communities on Friday and have spent time getting to know their teachers/kaitiaki and their new 2025 learning community environment.
2025 Learning Community placement confirmation for your child is on the HERO Online Reporting underneath the General Comment.
Due to the differing numbers of students at each year level, our learning communities spaces, make-up and composition do change in the Year 0-3 classes for 2025.
Please note …
Learning Community Whenua = Years 0 and 1
Learning Community Awa = Older Year 1s and Year 2
Learning Community Ngahere/relocatables = Older Year 2s and Year 3
Learning Community Maunga = Year 4
Learning Community Moana = Years 5 and 6
Christmas Poetry!
Sunny days,
Warmer nights,
Dingaling bells in the Christmas delight!
The birth of Jesus is near,
We shall have no fear,
During this time, you’ll hear the Christmas bells chime.
When you see the ornaments of the Jesse tree,
Each one has a story,
With a special need.
Nothing says more about Christmas
Than a twinkle of fairy lights
Around the dark weary nights!
By Jan Manalo
2025 School Stationery Ordering
Tālofa lava families,
Back to school stationery – order now for 2025!
We’ve teamed up with OfficeMax to make your back to school shop super easy. And if you order in December, you’ll go in the draw to WIN 1 of 5 $1000 cash prizes*.
Your child’s stationery list is already loaded. Just go to https://www.myschool.co.nz/htcps. Simply add your details, check that you want everything on the list, then click and confirm – and OfficeMax will get your delivery underway with free delivery on orders over $70*.
You can pay by internet banking, credit card or debit card. Zip# is also available, so you can pay in 4 interest free payments over 6 weeks and still get your order right away. Plus, you’ll be helping our school earn school rewards* that we use to purchase much needed extra resources for our school.
Quotes for WINZ are available by contacting 0800 724 440 or via email enquiry@myschool.co.nz.
We encourage you to order early to ensure your child has all their stationery requirements ready to go in plenty of time for the start of Term 1.
So go ahead and beat the back to school rush, order today and give them the best start possible.
Kind regards,
Maria Speechlay
Deputy Principal/Manutaki
#Zip Pay in 4 is available to approved applicants only and subject to completion of satisfactory credit checks. For more information visit myschool.co.nz/zip. T&Cs and late fees apply. Zip Co NZ Finance Limited FSP 598969.
*T&Cs apply, see myschool.co.nz for details.
2025 School Dates
The School Board has approved the school term dates for 2025 as:
Term One 10 weeks Monday 3rd February – Friday 11th April
Term Two 9 weeks Monday 28th April – Friday 27th June
Term Three 10 weeks Monday 14th July – Friday 19th September
Term Four 10 weeks Monday 6th October – Tuesday 16th December
2025 PUBLIC HOLIDAYS:
Term 1 – Thursday 6th February – Waitangi Day
Easter Holidays: Good Friday 18th April, Easter Monday 21st April, Easter Tuesday 22nd April
Anzac Day Friday 25th April
Upcoming School Events
Final School Assembly
Tuesday 17th December 12:00 in Taamaua/School Hall
Term 4 2024 School Closes @ 1:00pm
Tuesday 17th December 1:00pm
School Board Monthly Meeting
Wednesday 18th December 6:00pm @ school staffroom
Term 1 2025 Commences 8:50am
Monday 3rd February 2025
‘The Star of Christmas’ Singing Competition
The Star of Christmas: WIN $1000 to spend at JB Hi-Fi
This Christmas morning on Newstalk ZB – it’s The Star of Christmas singing competition on The Crazy Kiwi Christmas Kids Show! The grand prize? $1000 in JB Hi-Fi gift cards!
If you can sing, and are under 13, email a recording of yourself singing a Christmas carol to christmas@newstalkzb.co.nz before the 18th December. Then tune into Newstalk ZB on Christmas morning from 8am to see if you’ve won!
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Upcoming Community Events
Bruce Pulman Park School Holiday Programme
The schools holiday programme registrations have now opened online. The programme runs from Monday 16th December until Wednesday 18th December.
In the new year from Monday 6th Jan – Friday 24th January 2025. DecJan HP 2024 & 2025 (2)
