A very exciting event on our Holy Cross School calendar is our School Production- Our Journey! Tō Tātou Haerenga. The staff tell me that this is the first production of any sort for quite some time! Our work towards this event has been supported by a Creative in Schools grant where we have been able to call upon the extensive skills and expertise of Frankie Leota who has performed in a number of Wellington based productions and events, the most recent being Les Miserables in 2022 and Wicked in 2023. Frankie has been sharing her knowledge and passion for theatre, dance and music with the tamariki in each class since mid term 2 and is working with classes to develop a theme or idea around our nation’s journey through history from pre- Maori settlement through the ages until the recent migration that has made our nation a rich and diverse place. Each class will take an aspect of this journey and share this with you all through drama, music and dance. 

We are working to bring this event to you in Week 10 with performance dates being Tuesday 19th and Wednesday 20th September. We will provide more information on times and number of performances as our planning progresses. 

Much of our classroom programs will focus on this event including a great maths focus on two topic areas: space (looking particularly at maps and directions) and measurement. These topics will be a focus across the school. So take the opportunity to talk to your tamariki about what they have been doing to prepare for our production throughout the term. You might like to ask them what their class theme is or what they are creating in the way of props and costumes. I am sure there may be requests to come home for items to use in the creation of props or costumes too. Our celebration of learning for term 3 will be Our Journey! Tō Tātou Haerenga- an event not to be missed! 

Reporting to parents. 

Every school in New Zealand is required to report to parents on the progress and achievement of their tamariki. This week on Wednesday and next week on Thursday we have our Whānau interviews where kaiako/ teachers and whānau use the midterm reports as a discussion starter on how each tamariki is going at school. There is a space on these reports to jot notes to help your discussion. Please use this time to give feedback to teachers on how you see your tamariki’s learning going from the home perspective and to ask any questions you may have. Learning is a partnership. The best learning happens when we can back each other up, share the successes and plan together to see your whānau aspirations achieved. Kaiako/ Teachers will summarise the discussion that you have and include this in the final written, coloured copy, signed  report which will go home on Friday 4th August. 

This Thursday there is also an opportunity for parents from Rooms 11, 12 and 7 to learn about the changes we are making to teaching Reading and Writing through implementing the Better Start Literacy Program. The meeting will be in Room 11 and I encourage as many parents as possible to come along and learn about the significant changes that we are implementing in the way these subject areas are taught.  

Remember on Thursday school will finish at 2.30pm and interviews will take place from 3-6pm. If you are unable to attend at this time, please contact your tamariki’s kaiako/ teacher to organise an alternative time to meet. Thank you to all whānau members who have taken the time to connect with us through these interviews. 

PRAYER

At Holy Cross School, prayer is an important component to our daily school and spiritual life. Students would pray in the morning thanking God for the things He has done for us and asking God to guide them during their daily lives. Often they would pray for those in need, and relate it to current events such as people suffering from the floods up North. Classes would bless their food before eating and say a karakia at the end of the day.

In the Junior classes, they have been exploring and adapting the ‘Five Finger Prayer’. In this prayer style, each finger reminds students of important people they can pray for. The fingers are represented as follow:

• Thumb is for the people close to you like a family member
• Pointer fingers is for those whose occupation supports people like teachers or doctors
• Middle finger for the leaders around the world
• Ring finger for the sick and poor
• Pinky finger for themself 

For our juniors they have focused on people that are close to them. Have a go using this prayer style at home.

Late last year we registered to participate in the ‘Kōtuitui – Let’s Get Connected’ programme run by NZ Football and Sport NZ to celebrate the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023.

Kōtuitui is a cross curricula, unit of work that supports ākonga in years 4 through to 8 to learn about biculturalism and multiculturalism.

With a strong focus on the social sciences, Kōtuitui supports learning across the curriculum and provides opportunities for ākonga to practice inquiry and problem solving processes.

Drawing on the theme of Beyond Greatness, Kōtuitui combines a set of classroom learning experiences plus football sessions provided by NZ Football, to provide an easy to follow fun programme and to celebrate the largest sporting event to be held in Aotearoa.

We will be working with local football club Miramar Rangers who will help run the programme at Holy Cross School and we look forward to our students learning and developing new skills over the 5 week period. 

Fifa World Cup Wellington Opening Ceremony

10 of our kotiro/ female students represented Holy Cross School at the Opening ceremony on the waterfront on Thursday afternoon. They took time in the holidays to learn a special waiata/ song which they sang with a number of other Wellington schools as the waka came around the edge of the waterfront. The 2023 Fifa World Cup will hold great memories for these young ladies. Thanks to parents for supporting by providing transport.

Gardener of the Day: Gabriella  (Year 4, Room 3)

Today my Garden to Table group (The Green Beans) were in the garden. Today we needed to notice something we found interesting in the garden and write about what we learned from our noticing. I found broccoli, cabbage, silverbeet and interesting flowers to notice. The broccoli was growing to be big. So was the cabbage.

Chef of the Day: David (Year 4, Room 3)

Today my Garden to Table group called the Cool Cucumbers were in the kitchen. The recipe we made was Cabbage and Apple Slaw. This is a salad recipe that most people can eat because it is a vegetarian dish and it is very like coleslaw. The first thing we did was to peel and chop a variety of veggies including cabbage and carrots. We got many of our veggies from our school garden. Alex, Larkham and Esme made a salad dressing using olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon and honey. Today our teacher, Ben, reminded us about how to use knives safely when we are cooking. We are all still working towards getting our knife licences.

During the school holidays 14 staff members attended a Workplace First Aid course facilitated by TripleOneCare at school. We focused on CPR, choking, burns, seizure and anaphylaxsis situations. The Workplace First Aid course provided valuable PD for staff members ensuring we are up to date with the lateset first aid information, skills and techniques,practicing hands-on scenarios. 

A first aid event can occur anytime at your workplace or at home. Knowing what to do could save a person’s life. 

Reminders :

Public Health Nurse

Don't forget we are very fortunate to have Tracey Hilt Public Health Nurse available at school every Monday from 11.00am - 3.00pm if you need to talk to a health professional, just pop in or call the office to speak to Tracey (04 388 7189).

Minor Ailment Service

The Strathmore Pharmacy Team is thrilled to announce our new winter service contracted by the Ministry of Health -- the Minor Ailment Service (MAS), which is an initiative designed to provide convenient and accessible healthcare for minor health conditions, ensuring that children and their families receive the care they need without barriers.

Our experienced pharmacists will consult and provide treatment plans on various conditions, including pain and fever, diarrhoea, dehydration, minor eye inflammation and infections, minor skin infections, eczema or dermatitis, scabies, and head lice.

Consultation and treatments under the Minor Ailment Service scheme are FREE to children under 14 years of age, whānau members (of any age) experiencing the same symptoms as a child under 14, Community Service Card (CSC) holders, as well as Māori and Pacific members of our community.

There is no appointment required. Just come to the pharmacy to see us! Our opening hours are Monday to Friday 8:30 – 6:00pm and Saturday 9:00-1:00pm.

Period products

We remind you that Holy Cross School are participating in the Ikura | Manaakitia te whare tangata - period products in schools initiative.

Ikura (periods) are a fact of life for half the population. Through this initiative, the Ministry of Education is providing period products (pads and tampons) to support students in managing their ikura.

Students can miss out on learning, sporting and cultural activities, and feel embarrassed and ashamed if they can’t access products to manage their periods. This negatively impacts their achievement and wellbeing.

The Ikura | Manaakitia te whare tangata initiative is available to all state and state-integrated schools and kura in New Zealand. Research shows that the average age young people start menstruating is decreasing. As a result, access to period products is needed in primary and intermediate as well as secondary schools.

We have products available for students to use at school and to take home. Students have been advised how they can access these products in a safe and discreet way.

We hope that providing access to period products will help to reduce barriers to accessing education.

Happy Birthday to the following students: Kruz, Flynn, Kayla, Meela, Oscar, Amalia, Kalypso, Jarvis & Zoe G. Have a wonderful day everyone.