Greetings, Kia ora, Kia orana, Talofa, Mālō e lelei, Namaste, Ni Hao, Bula, Hola, Kumusta
Dear Families
It was such an awe inspiring morning this past Monday, as we welcomed our new little 5 year olds with their families on their first day of schooling. It is always a privilege to welcome new families to our growing Holy Trinity family and even more special when we can extend the invitation to be one with us in “unity” through the beautiful kawa of the whakatau. After being on two weeks holiday and without practice, our children sang with strong conviction and volume that gave a true warmth/wairua to the occasion.
Of special note was the outstanding mihi spoken by one of our senior students, Sam Pou-Pomare, on behalf of the school. Sam is a fluent te reo māori speaker and it is such a joy and honour to have this young student speak for us. At Assembly time, we were able to talk about Sam as a fine example of being a Holy Trinity student that epitomises our Gospel values of excellence/hiranga, resilience/ngāwari, compassion/arohanui, integrity/ngākau pono, respect/manaakitia and unity/kotahitanga.
This is a great way to start our new school term as together we continue to learn, love and serve in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit!
New Staff
This week we have the pleasure of welcoming new staff to our school family! Mrs Amandeep Kaur is the new teacher/kaitiaki who will be working with Mrs Rhodé and our Year 5/6 students in Learning Community Maunga from Term 3.
Amandeep has recently been working at other local schools. She has a background in teaching in India before completing a Teacher Refresher Course here in NZ and commencing work in NZ schools. She has a big passion for teaching science! Mrs Kaur will bring many talents to our teaching team and we are looking forward to the valuable contributions she will make to our school community this coming term. We know that you too, will welcome Mrs Kaur with warm Holy Trinity hospitality and care – she is in good hands!
We also welcome Mrs Carmel Stewart as our new Office Administrator, working as part of the school Admin Team. Carmel is already a staff member with us and so it has been wonderful to see her transition so smoothly into this new role. Carmel has a background in office administration work, project management and senior legal executive work. We are very fortunate to have someone of this calibre and who knows our children and families well, to take on this position for us. Thank you Carmel!
And we welcome Mrs Venus Anand as a Learning Assistant in Learning Community Moana. Venus is well known to many of our children and their families through her previous employment with SKIDs as the Programme Manager for Holy Trinity School. We are delighted that Venus joins our team and know that her gentleness, patience and love and care for the children will benefit all who she works alongside. Welcome Venus!
Farewell Mrs Lewis!
At the end of last term, we shared the news that Mrs Paula Lewis would be leaving us early in Term 3. Paula and her family are relocating to a new home in Tokoroa with Paula’s last day with us, being Friday. Although Paula has only been with us a short time in her role as Office Administrator, it has been an absolute pleasure for us all to be working alongside her. Paula has continued the good work of Mrs Quarterman and has been quick to adjust to the pace and busyness of school life. Paula’s calm, caring and efficient manner and work ethic has been much appreciated and we will certainly miss her in the office area. On behalf of our school community, we wish Paula and her family every Blessing as they settle into their new home and work places.
THANK YOU Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple NZ!
During the school holidays, we were gifted a number of boxes of hand sanitiser. These were donated to the school by the team at Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple NZ. We give grateful thanks to Karzin and the team at Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple for their generosity and for their constant care and outreach to those in need. The hand sanitiser is being used regularly in the school environment so not only is our health and well being cared for but this generous donation also helps to reduce the cost to the school. Thank you Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple NZ!
DRS Report
Baptisms
Huge congratulations to our Holy Trinity students and their younger siblings who received the Sacrament of Baptism on Saturday 3 July at St Mary’s Parish Church, Papakura. Father James Mulligan led a beautiful celebration and our families attended in large numbers to witness the initiation of their children’s faith journey.
We congratulate: Korah Walker, Jairus Penaia, Honor-Lei Penaia, Angelila Huang, Kalila Borja-Sarmiento, Yannis Borja-Sarmiento, Emanuella Ofori-Anyinam, Ebenezer Ofori-Anyinam, Sierra-Marie Watkins, Skylar Watkins. We continue to pray for God’s guidance upon them in their faith journey.
Catholic Caring Foundation
On Wednesday 28 July, some of our students attended the Catholic Caring Mass held at Christ the King Church in Owairaka. Our very own Bishop Patrick Dunn is the patron for Catholic Caring Foundation that serves many different individuals and families who find themselves in positions of financial, emotional, spiritual and physical hardship. Six students from Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School were nominated and received the Catholic Caring Certificate at the Mass. The certificate celebrates these students who show outstanding excellence in the way they put others before themselves and live the virtue of humility in their daily lives.
Congratulations to Tony Chau, Sam Pou-Pomare, Aeva Pihema, Jahkobi Leung-Wai, Emeliah Nikolao and Zeus Abundo.
Mufti Mania
On the last day of Term 2, Friday 9 July, our school demonstrated solidarity by supporting our brothers and sisters in West Papua through Mufti Mania. Our children came to school wearing colourful clothes and donated a gold coin to support Kristus Raja School in West Papua. The students at this small school have felt the impact of the pandemic and have been in lockdown since March 2020! The majority of students come from poorer families and have found remote learning a real challenge. The school was built back in the 1970s and the buildings are wearing out. Funds raised this year will help Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand repair their toilets and bathrooms and provide new desks, chairs and resources for students for when they return to school. We thank our school community for the generosity of $425.90 that was collected. May our God of love and mercy bless your generous hearts!
Confirmation – St Anne’s Parish, Manurewa
The first week of the school holidays was another momentous event for our Holy Trinity students. Bishop Michael Gielen in the presence of 126 candidates, confirmed 8 of our own students. Congratulations to Alexei James, Maddison Briones Ochoa, Chelsea Winston, Marielle Gayatin, Raphael Gayatin, LJ Delubio, Lianna Delubio and Mikayla Duya. A very spiritual event celebrated with loved ones and plenty of whānau.
Youth Peace Week
Along with Cook Island Language Week, next week is Youth Peace Week. The theme for this year is “Inner peace for outward action”. Students from the Special Character Team have been working hard to put together activities that promote inner peace for our staff and students. Throughout the week, they will be teaching the teachers some simple activities that they can do in their Learning Communities to enhance peace within ourselves as well as others.
Here’s a couple of things you may like to do at home:
Wellbeing Diary – being more in tune with ourselves helps us understand our needs. One way of doing this is by writing about your experiences and how certain things make us feel. This allows us to reflect more on what we enjoy in our lives, such as spending time with our loved ones, curled up with a good book or even taking a stroll in the neighbourhood while enjoying nature.
Affirmation Jar – Have a family jar at home that’s filled with all the blessings and positive things that you have in your life written on a post it note and place in the jar. Whenever you feel down or having a bad day, take one out, read it out loud and remind yourself of all the wonderful blessings in your life.
School Mass
On Tuesday 10 August, we will be having a whole school Mass held in Taamaua (school hall) at 9:15am. We will gather as a school faith community and ask for God’s continuous blessings upon us as we journey through this term. Students from Patrick Dunn Whānau will be leading our Mass, celebrated by Father James Mulligan of St Mary’s Parish, Papakura. We invite all our families/whānau to join us on this day.
Alpha Programme
St Mary’s Parish, Papakura is hosting the Alpaha Programme commencing on Thursday 29 July, 6:30pm-8:30pm in the St Mary’s Parish Church Hall. It includes dinner, a video and discussion. This Outreach programme provides a wonderful opportunity for families to come together to explore further about life, faith and meaning! The Alpha Programme is a series of interactive sessions that explores all the big questions about life and faith. The sessions commence with a meal, then a talk and an open discussion time to follow. There is no cost to attend.
This is a fantastic programme that encourages faith formation and a time of inquiry to ask the big questions and to seek the answers. You can come for one or two sessions or to all ten!
New website for Te Ara a Maria – Mary’s Way Project
A website has been created to help promote the Bishops’ renewal of the dedication of the country to Our Lady Assumed into Heaven. The renewal project has the title Te Ara a Maria: Mary’s Way and runs for 12 months from 15 August.
Go here for the website: www.tearaamaria.nz
The website contains details of the project. It will be updated regularly to include the schedule of the nationwide hikoi of the artwork created for the project. The hikoi starts on August 18 in Invercargill.
School CLOSED MONDAY 23rd AUGUST
School will be closed for students Monday 23rd August. Teachers will be involved in a final day of study – RE/Health Seminar “Having Life to the Full” – session 4. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn and share alongside each other.
Please make alternative arrangements for your child/ren on this day.
Please take note of the Teacher Only Days for the rest of this year. These 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.
In 2021 – Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School will be closed:
Term 3 Monday 23rd August – RE/Health Seminar “Having Life to the Full” – session 4
Term 4 Friday 22nd October – RE/Health – writing development of the health curriculum
Cook Islands Language Week 2021
Sunday 1 August – Saturday 7 August
This year’s theme for ‘Epetoma o te reo Māori Kūki ‘Āirani – Cook Islands Language Week is ‘Ātuitui’ia au ki te Oneone o tōku ‘Ui Tupuna which means, connect me to the soil of my ancestors.
The theme reflects on the journey of Cook Islands peoples in New Zealand, as well as the longing of young Cook Islanders to connect with their language, culture, and identity. Acknowledging that while community elders are fundamental to the teaching and sharing of Cook Islands language, the leadership of young people as the next wave of cultural and language experts is also critical in keeping the connection to their homelands alive.
This year’s theme also reflects the overarching 2021 Pacific Language Week theme of Wellbeing, by linking the importance of language to overall well being.
We will be growing our knowledge about Cook Islands next week on Monday at school. Students in their whānau groups will be immersed in activities to celebrate Cook Islands culture and language. We wish our Cook Islands whānau a very happy Cook Islands Language Week – Epetoma o te reo Māori Kūki ‘Āirani.
PTFA News
Disco Success
Movie Night!
Twilight Market
We have started planning for our Twilight Market. Proposed date: Friday, November 12th 2021. More to come in the next few months.
Second Hand Uniform Shop
Our second hand uniform shop has been extremely successful. We need more donations! We’re running a prize draw for the month of July/August with every item received being an entry into the draw for a $100 movie voucher. This will help to increase stock levels.
From the PTFA Team.
Community Hui/Talanoa Evening
Save the Date – Tuesday 17th August 6:00pm-8:pm!
To carry on with the great work from our time together at the end of Term 1, we extend a warm invitation to our Māori whānau and to our Pacific Peoples families to share in a combined time together. We will commence with a shared dinner at 6:00pm followed by the introduction of our draft curriculum – Aotearoa NZ Histories. We are very keen to hear the stories from our own families about shifting to NZ … and shifting around NZ … as part of our own great migration story and histories. Please do come along and share with us!
Learning Community News
Learning Community Awa’s Bike Day
In the last week of term two, Awa children had the opportunity to improve their bike skills. Two instructors showed the students how to safely harness their helmets and sit on their bikes. Balance was a big challenge for many of the students as their bikes at home had pedals and these ones didn’t. The students were very proud of themselves when they attempted skills they had not tried before such as gliding without their feet on the ground. Then we played ‘What’s the Time Mr Wolf’ on bikes to reward their bravery for trying something new. There were lots of squeals of laughter and as you can tell by the photos … Bike Day was a huge success!
Curiosity Concept Learning – being kaitiaki in/of our common home!
During the holidays the children cared for and nurtured their plants by watering them and making sure that they had the correct amount of water, sunlight and warmth. Many successfully nurtured their plants but for some green fingers eluded them and their plants did not survive the transition from school to home. The children and their families either emailed their progress to their kaitiaki or uploaded it on HERO. As part of our Curiosity Concept science learning, the heights of the plants were measured and the progress noted. This learning is being continued at school as the children are now exploring measurement during maths time, using different objects as measuring tools. The height of the plants will be plotted on a bar graph in the weeks to come!
Learning Community Moana Curiosity Concept Holiday Learning
Many thanks whānau for your support regarding the holiday learning over the school holiday period. We understand that it can be a very busy time for families. We are very impressed with the wonderful learning that has been brought to school already. Currently, the students are presenting their work with each other and as a result, growing curiosity together as they listen and ask questions. We can clearly see that the holiday learning activities have increased engagement and further enhanced students’ science knowledge and skills.
Please know that we are using the holiday learning as a continuation of the learning at school. Below are examples of students’ learning around the concept of Curiosity.
Music Tuition Opportunity!
Sports News
School Cross Country Week 4 – Friday 20th August
Right now our students are training for our School Cross Country event, which will happen for our students in Week 4, Friday 20th of August. So SAVE THE DATE!
The event will be held at Bruce Pulman Park, on the field area by Kuaka Drive. We encourage all our students to come in their Whānau colours, and for family members to wear their child’s whānau colours as well!
So, if you’re doing extra training at home and around the block, your child would love you for it when they race on Friday the 2oth August. Another reminder will be sent with more information closer to the time. We look forward to seeing you all at what should be a fantastic sporting event.
Basketball Skills and Drills
On Tuesdays in Weeks 2 and 3, our senior students will be learning basketball skills and drills from coaches of the Counties Manukau Basketball Team. The coaches will share some of the basics and detail of how the game works. Senior students need to have their PE uniform and appropriate footwear for the day.
Many thanks to Counties Manukau Basketball and Auckland Basketball Services Limited for providing this opportunity to engage our students with a game that they enjoy playing especially during morning tea and lunchtimes.
School Book Club
Reminders
Attendance Dues Payments
Attendance Dues for Terms 3 and 4 2021 statements and reminders will be sent electronically to families next week.
If you are still to make payment for Term 1 and/or Term 2, please do so as soon as possible. Thank you for attending to this.
Please note that there are 3 options for payment of the Attendance Dues and Catholic Special Character Contribution
- Full amount paid by Internet Banking to ASB school account – details for payment are on the statement.
- Automatic Payment to be set up via internet banking to ASB school account
- Payment can be made at the school office – cash or Eftpos
For those families paying by Automatic Payment (AP), please note that 2021 payments must all be completed by 1st December 2021.
Please see Carmel Stewart (Office Administrator) or Peta Lindstrom (Principal) in the strictest confidence if you have any concerns or questions regarding the payment of Attendance Dues. Financial Assistance is available for payment of Attendance Dues.
TRAFFIC – End of the Day School Pick-Ups
When collecting children from school at the end of the day, please drive into the school carpark and follow the loop around to the pick up area where the students are waiting. School staff are also there to help supervise the pick up routines at the end of the day. Only exit your car if you are parked in a designated car park. Utilising the pick up area means we are able to keep cars moving as quickly and safely as possible. PLEASE DO NOT park on Airfield Road – the Police and Auckland Transport personnel have asked us to encourage school families NOT to park opposite school or to walk across Airfield Road. A better and safer place to park is the neighbouring street area and to walk into school from there. THANK YOU for your continued patience and care with school drops offs, pick ups and parking – it is appreciated!
Upcoming School Events
Cook Island Language Week
Monday 2nd August – Friday 6th August
Youth Peace Week
Monday 2nd August – Friday 6th August
Basketball Sessions for Year 5-8 students
Tuesday 3rd August
Year 7&8 Inter-school Cross Country
Wednesday 4th August @ Strathallan
School Gathering Liturgy and Assembly – led by Learning Community Awa
Monday 9th August 8:50am in Taamaua/school hall
Student Religious Eduction Books go home
Monday 9th August
School Mass led by Patrick Dunn Whānau and Fr James Mulligan
Tuesday 10th August 9:15am in Taamaua/school hall
Basketball Sessions for Year 5-8 students
Tuesday 10th August
Priest’s Visit to school – Fr James Mulligan
Wednesday 11th August
Feast of the Assumption Holy Day of Obligation
Sunday 15th August
Combined Community Hui/Talanoa for Māori and Pacific Peoples
Tuesday 17th August 6:00pm – 8:00pm in Taamaua/school hall
School Cross Country
Friday 20th August 10:00am-1:00pm @ Bruce Pulman Park
School Closed for Teacher Only Day
Monday 23rd August
School Gathering Liturgy and Assembly – led by Learning Community Whenua
Tuesday 24th August 8:50am in Taamaua/school hall
Term 3 concludes
Monday 1st October
Term 4 commences
Monday 18th October
sKids Term 3 Programme
