Over the next few weeks there are opportunities for Year 8 students to either visit colleges they may be interested in going to in 2024 or to meet with Principals of our local Catholic colleges. Mike Savali from St Patrick's College and Katrina Kerr-Bell from St Catherine's College will spend time with Year 8 students at 10am next Wednesday.

St Mary’s College in Thorndon had their Open day this Monday just past. 

 St Catherines open day is on the 14th June- please click here for more information.

 St Patricks Open day is on Tuesday 20th and Thursday 22nd June- information here

There are other options for Secondary Education outside of the Catholic Education stream but I wanted to take this opportunity to give a strong reason why Catholic Education is a great option for students moving on into college. 

Children who begin their school journey at Holy Cross School also begin to build that understanding of Catholic values and practices. As educators our hope is that our tamariki will have an experience of what it means to know and share the love of God through these practices and live our lives reflecting these values as they move through the school and beyond. It makes great sense to continue that journey as our tamariki move on to secondary school. 

We have a growing connection with these colleges through the Wellington Catholic School’s Kahui Ako which I have the privilege of facilitating along with Mandy Page from St Catherine’s college on Tuesdays. 

This Tuesday past Mandy shared with the 13 Principals in our Kahui Ako the excellent academic results that all three colleges had for 2022 in NCEA. Despite  the disruptive nature of the last three years, results across Level 1,2 and 3 have consistently been above the National achievement levels. This gives Catholic Education at our local Catholic Colleges a big tick for providing a great environment for success. 

(WCSKA- Wellington Catholic Schools Kahui Ako- St Mary’s, St Catherine’s and St Patrick’s College, Nat- National level of achievement) 

We have 21 Year 8 students moving  on to College in 2024, but it is never too early to think about what option you might consider as a whanau for the next step in your child's Education journey.

ADVANCE WARNING of POSSIBLE STRIKE ACTION

You may have heard in the media that members of the Primary Teachers’ Collective Agreement (PTCA- part of NZEI) across New Zealand have voted in favour of taking potential strike action on Wednesday 31st of May. This action will only take place if the PTCA feel that insufficient progress is being made during negotiations. 

NZEI Te Riu Roa is obligated to give school boards three days’ notice of a strike. Formal notification is expected to be received on Sunday 28th May. However, we wish to give you as much informal notice as possible.

The Board has considered whether an education service can be provided on Wednesday 31st of May but given the absence of the Principal and teaching staff they have concluded that we cannot provide a teaching service during that period, as a result the school will be closed that day. 

For those families that cannot arrange alternative child care we will be able to provide supervision for a small number of children.  

We will

• Inform you Sunday evening through an email and via the school app,  whether or not we will be striking. 
• Send a letter home today in your child’s bag with information shared here and a return slip. If we are striking, could you please let us know your intentions via the slip and return this to your child’s classroom teacher on Monday. 

Thanks for your understanding.

Last week I was fortunate to meet with other fellow school leaders of Religious Studies at a Religious Conference held at the Home of Compassion. There we spent time reflecting on our practice, our personal faith and how our faith is carried out at school. We were also blessed with listening to a speaker regarding Māori Catholic Spirituality. Throughout the presentation he made reference to how stories, particularly our personal stories, reflect who we are and our spiritual beliefs. 

We are blessed with many stories- some which have left us feeling happy, some leaving us feeling sad. But whatever story that we take part in, God is always present. 

In Room 8, we have been exploring the stories of the old testament, finding out how God is portrayed. Other classes have been reading stories about Jesus and the parables. Spend some time talking and listening to the stories that your child has engaged in from the bible. It is a great way to connect with God and strengthen our spirituality.

(Written By Nik)

On Wednesday 24th May (52) Holy Cross students made their way to Scots College for the Eastern Zone Cross Country race.

Thank you to the parents who  supported on the day and Mr Solia for organising everyone.

On Wednesday, 24 May, Holy cross school went to Eastern Zones Cross Country. We made our way to Scots College and got ready to run our races . Everyone that went to eastern zones showed the school value Yes and gave it a go. Despite the cold weather we all finished the race and didn't give up. At the end of the day we all did the best that we could do and showed the Holy Cross Way leaving Scots College.  A big thanks to the parents that made this trip possible. Well done Holy Cross School!!

By Anneke.

As we head into winter a reminder that COVID 19 is still very much around in the community.

The early symptoms of COVID-19 appear like other respiratory viral infections, with fever, dry cough, tiredness and muscle aches. Other symptoms include a sore throat, chills, nasal congestion, headache, nausea and diarrhoea.

An unusual but common symptom is the loss of taste and smell that is not associated with nasal congestion.  If your child is showing any of these symptoms please complete a RAT test before coming to school and if it is a positive result, it is still a requirement to stay home for a week before returning to school. We have some RAT tests in the office if you need some.

Don't forget we are very fortunate to have Tracy Hilt PHN available at school every fortnight on a Monday from 11.00am - 3.00pm if you need to talk to a health professional. 

Mario's and Arlo sharing special time together.

Rata Youth Orchestra

We are starting up the Youth Orchestra again in Term 2 this year, under the leadership of Mana Waiariki.

This orchestra for young musicians (under 15 years) will be  fun and you will learn the skills of playing together without having to audition!

The Rātā Youth Orchestra  will be run by the super talented Mana Waiariki  and supported by members of our own adult WELLSO Orchestra (Wellington Late Starters Orchestra).

Any orchestral instruments are welcome, String, Brass, Woodwind and of course Percussion.

Age range as follows:

• Woodwind and Brass aged 8 to 12
• Strings age 6 to 12

The players should have a knowledge of some of the notes on their instruments already as this will be about coaching in a group to play and won’t be focussing on teaching individuals. Of course we will be helping and supporting all the young players with the best way to play but the players will need to have the basics on their instruments and be able to read music in at least a rudimentary way.

When you enrol we will request information about the student’s knowledge and experience to make sure the music is accessible for them.

Enrolment Email:
jackie@ratastudios.co.nz
Tel: 0064 4 380 0850
Mobile: 0064 27 521 9998

Women's Friendship Project

Are you a locally-connected Wellington woman who would like to get to know and be a friend with a woman from a former refugee background? Catholic Social Services and Changemakers Refugee Forum are growing the Womens’ Friendship Project with a next induction night on Tuesday 27 June 2023.

Pairs of women will then be introduced to each other and meet up once a week or fortnight for the next 6 months to share local experiences such as walks, gardening, and café and market visits. Every two months you are invited to attend a larger group gathering of everyone involved in the project. Often a natural friendship continues beyond the project. If you are interested, please contact Deirdre at d.meskill@wn.catholic.org.nz or call 021 2213944.

NZ Catholic Medical Association 

LETTER TO PARENTS

Dear Parents & Guardians,

As part of our commitment to your child's wellbeing, we are sharing information about an upcoming webinar hosted by cyber safety experts, Safe on Social, that we think will be of interest to many of you.

This webinar, held on 25 May, will cover a theme that has been a huge topic of conversation, this year in particular - "Clearing the Smoke: Navigating Teen Vaping and Social Media."

As many of you know, vaping has become a significant concern as we see children younger and younger being impacted. With the rise of social media, it is crucial for us to stay informed about the impact of vaping and the role that social media plays in influencing our children. As parents we know you have questions, but often don’t know where to turn.

As authorities in their field, Safe on Social have a unique perspective on this topic and bring years of experience working with parents on how to navigate difficult situations. Any questions you may have about the topic can be sent to Safe on Social at info@safeonsocial.com and they will do their best to address them within the webinar.

We highly recommend taking a look at the webinar information here and attending if possible.

Kind regards,

 Lyn Hough

Parish Roster & Newsletter

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