Greetings, Kia ora, Kia orana, Talofa, Mālō e lelei, Namaste, Ni Hao, Bula, Hola, Kumusta, Namaskārām,
Sat Shri Akaal, Vanakkam and Ayubowan
Dear Families
As the first term draws to a close, on behalf of the school Board, I would like to thank our principal, Peta Lindstrom, the leadership team and all the staff, children and school families, our Parish Priest, Fr Mathew, our School Board, our PTFA and our 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. We give thanks to God for each and everyone of you. May we all be blessed for the great work we do as we live out our vision of learning, loving and serving- ka ako, ka aroha and ka manaaki in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Easter Blessings!
Easter is almost upon us, with the beginning of Holy Week this coming week after our celebration of Palm Sunday.
The Easter story presents us with many challenges relating to our 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 that mean for the way we live our lives? Life has its challenges for all of us- if we believe in the resurrection and are grounded in our FAITH, we can overcome these challenges.
Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School is a place 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.
As we journey this Easter season, may we all be strengthened in faith and new life given to us through Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Catholic Special Character External Review
In Week 2 of the new school term, we will be undergoing our Catholic Special Character external review from 7th – 8th May. This is undertaken by members of the Catholic Education Services team in the Auckland Diocese every 4 years. For this review, we welcome Christine Smith and Viki Trainor, who are part of this team.
The purpose of this Catholic Special Character evaluation process is to:
* review how effective the school is in bringing our school vision to life
* examine the effect of what is being done to safeguard and strengthen the Catholic Special Character in the school
* provide assurance to the proprietor of the school, Bishop Steve Lowe that HTCPS is authentically Catholic and meeting the goals of Catholic education
- to provide an environment where children encounter the living God who in Jesus Christ reveals his transforming love and truth
- facilitate a growth in knowledge and understanding of Christ’s teaching
- to be Christian witness to others
We look forward to our review and hope our reviewers enjoy their time with our Holy Trinity Catholic School whānau.
PTFA Math-a-thon
On behalf the school board, a huge THANK YOU to our hard working and enthusiastic PTFA team for the organisation and management of this term’s major fund raising venture- our very first school MATH-A-THON. It has been a great success with our tamariki being highly motivated to do well.
In excess of $10,000.00 has been raised through the generosity of families, friends and our community sponsoring the children. In last week’s school newsletter, you will also see a list of companies who so generously sponsored prizes for this fundraiser.
MANY THANKS to everyone for all your support and generosity- what a great $$ result- AND some great mathematics learning in the process!
The money raised will be going towards our school playground development for our tamariki.
School Board Elections
As you will be aware, this year will see the triennial elections of the School Board., election day being 10 September.
As we move into Term 2, you will begin to get information leading up to the election and the process involved.
We will have some vacancies on the Board, as some of our members will be stepping down after a good number of years dedicated service.
You might like to give this ministry your consideration. Being on the Board is a wonderful way to become involved in the life of your children’s school and their education. It is a commitment and a very rewarding one, where Board members have the opportunity to live out our school’s vision- “Learn, love and serve in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”
If you would like to know more about what being a Board member involves, I am more than happy to talk with you.
Health, Safety and Well Being
Traffic Safety!
Thank you to our school families for their care in entering and leaving the school when coming to drop off and/or pick up their children. The safety of everyone is a top priority and the procedures we have in place are working well and have received high praise from our School Community Officer- Senior Constable, Lisa Ross.
Please take note of the reminder notification below …
Important Parking Reminder “ Keeping Our Students Safe”
Overall, our school community does a fantastic job with parking, and we appreciate everyone’s efforts in keeping things running smoothly. However, we kindly remind all parents and caregivers to park safely and legally around the school and surrounding streets. Parking on footpaths, across driveways, and on unbroken yellow lines is unsafe for our students and puts them at risk. Our priority is making sure everyone gets home safely.
From time to time, you will see the Police stationed at the front and back gate, monitoring parking and ensuring compliance. From now on, stationary infringement notices will be issued by Police to those who park in restricted areas. The consequence for parking illegally is a fine.
We understand that pickup and drop-off times can be busy and sometimes frustrating, but please be patient and kind to each other. Let’s all do our part to keep our school a safe and considerate space for everyone.
Thanks for your cooperation!
Concerns and Complaints
It is always good practice each year to inform parents and community of the appropriate channel to share concerns or worries. Schools are required to have a Concerns and Complaints Policy in place. The purpose is to provide clear guidelines for the school community in raising and resolving concerns and complaints.
These procedures enable us to:
- maintain the best learning environment for our students
- resolve matters of concern early, if possible
- respond to feedback and concerns constructively
- deal with complaints fairly, effectively, and promptly
- take into account individual circumstances
- maintain confidentiality
- preserve school/community relationships and communication
- monitor and record complaints and concerns about student safety.
Most complaints can be resolved informally by discussions with the people concerned.
- Discuss the issue with the right person.
- Work towards a resolution.
School policies and procedures are held online with SchoolDocs. Access to this information is shared with you at each student enrolment interview. Please access by logging on to http://holytrinity.schooldocs.co.nz/ – User Name: holytrinity – Password: learnloveserve
The Board has responsibility for the school’s policy on Concerns and Complaints and fully supports the staff in implementing this policy as is required.
Conclusion
On behalf of the school Board, thank you again to our parents/caregivers, whānau and friends of the school, for your on-going support, as together we work in the best interests of our children’s education.
As we approach Holy Week and Easter, may we all be blessed by the Holy Trinity and may the love of our God continue to strengthen us in all that we do.
Easter Blessings to you all
Philip Cortesi
(on behalf of the Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School Board)
