School Newsletter 29th March 2024

Greetings, Kia ora, Kia orana, Talofa, Mālō e lelei,  Namaste, Ni Hao, Bula, Hola, Kumusta, Namaskārām,
Sat Shri Akaal, Vanakkam and Ayubowan

Dear Families

During these next few days, we have the opportunity to pause, reflect and reconnect with our God through the various Holy Week and Easter liturgies, Masses and services happening in our parish communities. We hope you are able to take time to celebrate this very sacred time in the Church year with your families as we welcome the gift of love and hope that is our Christian faith.

On Good Friday, we pray for all those “nailed” into hopeless situations, that through our concern and efforts, hope will dawn for all again. On Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday, we pray that we joyfully proclaim the good news of the resurrection through our own lives.

A Family Easter prayer to pray together …

Let us pray,
God of all, continue to walk with us as we journey through this Easter Triduum.
Help us to keep you in our hearts as we remember Jesus’ dying and rising again.
Help our own hearts to burn and overflow with joy and love.
Help us to be a living family, alive with faith, joy and service of being your disciples.
Help us to love you more and more each day so that everyone else will love you too.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
Amen

Easter is a celebration of life and love. We give thanks to God for the gift of new life and we renew our commitment to follow Jesus, the Risen Lord, wherever he leads us. May the hope and joy of Easter fill our hearts and lives!

DRS Report

Holy Week Journey

This week our tamariki have worked alongside their kaitiaki to prepare and share beautiful liturgies which highlighted the significant events in Jesus’ life, leading up to his Passion. On Monday, we welcomed Jesus to Jerusalem by waving palms and shouting ‘Hosanna’ to the King. Tuesday came with the story of humility and service through the Washing of the Feet. Wednesday, we gathered again to reminisce about the Last Supper that Jesus had with his apostles, just before his betrayal.

Finally, Holy Thursday came where our whole school gathered one last time to walk with Jesus, as he carried his cross to Calvary. It’s been wonderful having our whānau joining us throughout the week for these Holy Week liturgies and our children have really developed a deeper understanding of one of the most important weeks of the church year – Holy Week. As we enter the Easter Triduum, we await our Risen Lord so we can sing our awaited song of ‘Alleluia’.

Reconciliation

On Wednesday 27 March, our Year 5/6 students celebrated Reconciliation led by Father Mathew Vadakkevettuvazhiyil of St Mary’s Papakura and Father Robert Steele of St Patrick’s Pukekohe. It was a reflective liturgy in which Father Mathew spoke about Reconciliation as the healing Sacrament that brings us closer to God and makes us holy people who work hard to make sure that God is at the centre of all that we do.

Sacramental Programme

St Mary’s Parish, Papakura
For the parents who registered their children last year at the St Mary’s Papakura Sacramental programme, there will be a parents’ meeting on Wednesday 3rd April at 7:00pm in the hall. This is only for the parents of children who registered in 2023.

St Anne’s Parish, Manurewa
Registrations for St Anne’s Sacramental programme in Manurewa is now open. Please click on the link and register your child online. Here is the link: https://tinyurl.com/3bjtzyex

Parish Newsletters

St Mary’s Parish, Papakura – St Mary’s Parish Papakura Church Newsletter 31st March 2024

St Anne’s Parish, Manurewa – St Anne’s Parish, Manurewa Bulletin #10 – Sunday 31st March 2024

Kāhui Ako Year 6 Student Mass

Our Year 6 students will be joining for a combined Mass on Thursday 11th April with all of the other Year 6 students from Catholic schools who are part of the South Auckland Catholic Schools Kāhui Ako/Community of Learning. This is a very special occasion and will be celebrated at St Patrick’s Church in Pukekohe. Following the Mass, the students will join the St Joseph’s Pukekohe school community for lunch and a social time.

Staffing News

Next term we are excited to be warmly welcoming three new teachers to our school whānau!

Due to continued roll growth in our Year 0/1 area of the school, we will have Miss Carmel Stewart (a different person to our Mrs Carmel Stewart in the Office!) and Mrs Clare Williams join with us in a full-time shared teaching position. Miss Stewart will work 3 days and Mrs Williams 2 days in this teaching role. They will be joining the Learning Community Awa team. We are thrilled to have both Carmel and Clare working with us – they have previously worked in our school in their capacity as Resource Teachers for Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) so they know us, the children and our families very well. We are extremely blessed to have such experienced and knowledgeable personnel as staff  members.

We also extend a warm welcome to Mrs Sydney Buzmion who will also be a kaitiaki/teacher in Learning Community Awa! Sydney is taking on this teaching role as parental leave cover for Mrs Danielle Clarivette who leaves us in Week 4 of Term 2 to begin preparations for welcoming their new little family member in June. Sydney is a parent of our school so it is wonderful to have her join with us as she brings her own expertise and teaching skills from her Primary and Early Childhood teaching backgrounds.

We are thankful to be able to appoint competent, caring and committed teaching staff to our school community. We look forward to all the gifts, talents and teaching strengths that they will bring to our dedicated staff team!

HERO – Digital Reporting on Students’ Progress

Tēnā koutou e te whānau,

On Monday, 8th April we will share our term’s learning with our families on HERO. This includes individual students’ learning goals progress in reading, writing and maths. Also, remember to click on the ‘My Learning Wall’ in HERO to access the students’ reflections.

There will also be information on students’ achievement in Social Science, Health and PE curriculum learning areas. The report comments focus on either surface, deep or transfer skills that your child/ren have achieved with evidence to support this.

• Surface learning is the essential first step where students are introduced to concepts, skills, and strategies, providing a foundational understanding upon which deeper thinking can later develop.

• Deep learning is when students build upon what they’ve learned, going deeper to fully grasp concepts, needing more time and a strong base of previous knowledge.

• Transfer learning is when students use what they’ve learned in new situations and contexts, also involving reflective thinking on their own learning processes.

You will need to click the Learning Community page in HERO to access these comments.

Enjoy reading and sharing the HERO online reporting comments with your child/ren so that together you can celebrate learning successes and the positive personal growth and development that has occurred in Term 1!

Wheel-a-thon Fundraiser!

Dear Holy Trinity whānau

Please make sure your child/ren have a Wheel-a-thon fundraising page set up.  Together we have already raised $4885.00!

Don’t forget to share your child’s link on social media or send it to family and friends to ask for donations to support our school.

Event Details: Friday 5th April, from 4:30 to 6:30 pm!

Come down to the school for an exciting evening. Enjoy cultural food stalls, bike & scooter tracks, and the chance to win awesome spot prizes, and epic raffles! Auckland Transport will be onsite to provide free helmet checks for kids (helmets strongly encouraged).

All wheels are welcome—bikes, scooters, rollerblades, skateboards, and more. Don’t worry if you don’t have wheels; we’ll have some bikes and helmets available for you to use.

How do I sign my child up to fundraise online? Each child can sign up for their very own fundraising web page to send out to collect online sponsorship from anyone, anywhere!

Just go to our Fundraising Hub page at: https://holytrinitywheelathon.raiseit.co.nz/

Join us as we make a difference for our school and community!

Ngā mihi nui,
Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School
Parent, Teacher & Friends Association

New Families Information Morning

An Information Morning for New Families, who have recently joined or are joining Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School in Term 2, will be held at the school on Tuesday 9th April 2024  at 9:00am.

Our school presentation will cover aspects of:

• School mission and vision statements
• Holy Trinity charism and culture
• Curriculum teaching and learning
• Learners’ profile
• Religious Education programme  
• Collaborative Learning Environments
• Preparation for school start
• School organisation

Please join us for this special community time if you are a new family. Personal emails have also been sent to new families.

2024 Attendance Dues Payments

For those families who still need to make payment for Term 1 Attendance Dues, please do so as soon as possible before the end of Term 1. Thank you!

Please note that there are 3 options for payment of the Attendance Dues and Catholic Special Character Contribution

1. Full amount paid by Internet Banking to ASB school account – details for payment are on the statement.
2. Automatic Payment to be set up via internet banking to ASB school account
3. Payment can be made at the school office – cash or Eftpos

Many of our families choose the AP (Automatic Payment) option to make a small payment each week or fortnight which helps families to manage their financial budget for the year. This is a very good option and one that is encouraged by our school. For those families paying by Automatic Payment (AP), please note that 2024 payments must all be completed by 1st December 2024.

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.

School Enrolments

It is really important that we know of all younger brothers and sisters that are commencing schooling with us in 2025. 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 2025.

School enrolments for 2025 CLOSE by 31st August 2024 and
placements for 2025 will be confirmed by 30th September 2024.

Reminders!

Complaints Policy and Procedures

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 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.

1. Discuss the issue with the right person.
2. 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 click on the link for our school’s Complaints process  Concerns Complaints Flowchart (24)

Upcoming School Events

Good Friday – school closed
Friday 29th March

Easter Break – school closed 
Friday 29th March – Tuesday 2nd April 

School reopens
Wednesday 3rd April  

School Gathering Liturgy/Resurrection and Assembly – led by Mrs Speechlay and Mrs Nadan/LC Ngahere
Wednesday 3rd April @ 8:50am in Taamaua/school hall

PTFA Wheel-a-thon Fundraiser
Friday 5th April @ 4:30pm – 6:30pm on the school site 

School Gathering Liturgy/Easter and Assembly – led by Miss Lindstrom and our Learning Assistants
Monday 8th April @ 8:50am in Taamaua/school hall

Term 1 Student Digital Reporting – published on HERO
Monday 8th April

New Families Information Morning
Tuesday 9th April 9:00am – 11:00am in Taamaua/school hall

Kāhui Ako/Community of Learning Combined Catholic Schools Year 6 Student Mass
Thursday 11th April @ St Patrick’s Church, Pukekohe

Term 1 Concludes
Friday 12th April

Term 2 Commences
Monday 29th April

Public Transport Changes

Fares for travel on AT buses, trains and ferries are changing for under 25 year olds from Wednesday 01 May 2024.

 Free travel for 5 to 12 year olds and half-price travel for 13 to 24 year olds on AT bus, train and ferry services will end on 30 April 2024, in line with the government’s decision to withdraw funding for these concessions.  

This means that from Wednesday 1 May: 

5 to 12 year olds will no longer travel for free on weekdays and will instead pay a child concession (at least 40% off adult fares). They will continue to travel for free on weekends. The child concession will apply to anyone aged 5 to 15, who has a registered AT HOP card with their correct date of birth.   

13 to 15 year olds will stop receiving the half-price child fares discount and instead switch to paying full child fares (at least 40% off an adult fare during weekdays, and free travel on weekends) from 1 May. The child concession will apply to anyone aged 5 to 15, who has a registered AT HOP card with their correct date of birth.   

16 to 19 year olds with a secondary student concession will stop receiving the half-price secondary fares discount and instead switch to paying full secondary fares (at least 40% off an adult fare). Students aged 16-19 should apply for the secondary student concession to ensure they are paying the cheapest fare possible. 

More information about the discounts and what you may need to do next can be found at AT.govt.nz/farechanges  

Upcoming Community Events

Sacred Heart College Fair – Sunday 7th April

We warmly invite friends and families to the upcoming SHC Fair. This fantastic day includes delicious food stalls of all varieties, new and preloved items, a silent auction, the best quick-fire raffle in town, cafes, cake stalls, games for the kids, and much more. A great day out for the family. All welcome.

Eco Fest Whaanau Day