Our last instalment around online safety is to do with the topic of gaming.  Gaming is everywhere and is such an accessible pastime for billions of people. As with anything in the online world, gaming has potential to be valuable but comes with risks as well. 

Here are three key points from  Netsafe’s gaming  tips for parents. 

Gaming safely. 

1. Talk to your tamariki about what games they like and the features that appeal. 
2. Play alongside your tamariki so you can see what the game is like. 
3. Set boundaries and safety settings. Both mobile and traditional gaming platforms offer parental control features which allow you to ok any game your tamariki  tries to download. Set boundaries around the length of time spent gaming. Also have a plan if something goes wrong. Make sure they know how to use the block and report features if other’s behaviour online is inappropriate. 

After downloading a game- 

1. Set up privacy settings: Learn how to configure privacy settings, especially any private messaging feature. Many adults play games rated for a general audience and you never know who is behind a gaming profile. Use a strong password and remind your child to not share personal information online.
2. Be wary of in-game purchases: If the game requires a credit card to make any purchases and you agree to link your credit card, ensure that you remove your credit card information after each purchase.
3. Check in: Talk to your child when they’re playing and show interest in their progress. Ask how they are going and if they have any concerns about other players.  Note any changes in behaviour or sleeping patterns, or if they start talking a lot about a new friend they met in the game.
4. Keep an eye on the settings: Depending on your child’s age, you may want to check their profile and messaging privacy settings from time to time to ensure that their information is kept as safe as possible.

Here are some key websites that help support your task as parents-

Netsafe Gaming tips for parents New Zealand.

thinkuknow site UK

Fortnite Battle Royale  interetmatters.org.  

Holy Cross Catholic Character Evaluation

We have received a very positive Catholic Character Evaluation Report from the Archdiocese. This will be up on our website next week, available for anyone to read. Over the next few newsletters, we will share some short highlights with you all.

This week we have highlights around Dimension 1 Encounter with Christ

Community Consultation.

School Boards of Trustees all around New Zealand are currently consulting their communities as they develop new strategic goals for 2024-2025. Here at Holy Cross, we are hoping to have as many families as possible contribute their thoughts to this process. We are going to begin with sending a Google form home next week which parents can fill in responding to the following three questions-

• Why did you bring your child to Holy Cross School?
• What aspirations do you have for your child? What do you hope for them during their time at school?
• What makes your child feel happy at Holy Cross School? What could we do to improve your child’s experience at Holy Cross School?

At our Whānau Picnic on Thursday 12th of October in the Hall (5pm onwards) , we will also take the opportunity to set up discussion  groups of parents face to face where we can  seek more information from you around these questions. From here we will connect with people who have missed both of these opportunities. You are welcome to fill out the form and/or attend a discussion group at our picnic. Your responses to these questions will help the Board of Trustees shape the priority goals we will set for the next two years.

Tō Tātou Haerenga Permission Slip      

Friday 1st September          

Kia ora e te whānau, 

A few updates:

1. It is expected that all children will participate in both shows. 
2. Tickets are selling fast, we have approximately 200 - 220 seats per show. Both shows are close to selling out. 
3. Children must be collected from their classrooms following the show and signed out by a teacher.
4. Please make sure your child has had food before they come to the show. We will provide some fruit as a snack. 
5. Please bring some loose change or small notes as we will be selling treats before and after the show to fundraise for the 2024 school camp.  

• All students must return the permission slip below by Friday 8th September. 

Timetable 19th & 20th of September

6:00 pm: Children meet in their classrooms to get dressed in their costumes. PLEASE be on time.

6:15 pm: Children will move to their designated classrooms to wait to be called on for the show. 

6:30 pm: The show starts. 

7:30 - 7:45 pm: The show ends, children go home with their family. 

To make the day a success we will require additional adult supervision and would really appreciate your help. We may need some stage hands, backstage crew and parents to help certain classes. Please let us know before Friday 8th September if you can help. 

If you have any questions about the show please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher, Matua Tala or Lucy.  

Ngā mihi nui,

Tala Moemai (Lead Teacher) & Frankie Leota (Creative Director)

Permission: 

__________________________________________________from Room/s  __________

(Child/ren’s names) 

Will / will not (Circle one) participate in the shows on the 19th & 20th of September. 

Signed__________________   Date____________  Contact no.  _______________

Parent Helpers: 

I will / will not be able to help / supervise during the show.

I can help on 19th of September / 20th of September (circle one or both)

Name_____________________________  Contact no.  _________________

In the garden...

28 August, 2023, Room 3 - GTT Reports for Newsletter 

• Braxton & Angelia

Chef of the Day: Braxton (Year 5, Room 3)

Today my Garden to Table group called the Cool Cucumbers were in the kitchen. The recipe we made was Samoan Chop Suey. This is a famous Samoan dish and we followed a recipe vegans can eat. (Vegans do NOT eat any foods that come from animals). The first thing we did was to peel and chop a variety of veggies including onion, kale, cabbage and carrots. We got many of our veggies from our school garden. Today I helped put out the tables and chairs. We set up the furniture outside because it was a beautiful day. We need to be careful when setting up the tables because they are heavy and could hurt somebody if they were to fall on someone.

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

Today my Garden to Table group (The Green Beans) were in the garden. Today we learned about the temperature of compost. We wrote down how hot our compost has been over the last few weeks. Compost can get really hot. On 8 August our compost was 50 degrees celsius and today (29 August) it was 37 degrees celsius! We also did some weeding today.

Parents’ Group Update

New logo
The Parents’ Group has a new logo which reflects two of our primary focuses for the committee:

Providing support and showing aroha to our school community
Partnering with the school Leadership and the Board to bring our community together through various events that encourage learning, connections, and fun for all.

Connection to our Tamariki
Our events and fundraising efforts helps to enhance educational, social, and physical well-being outcomes for our students and their experience at Holy Cross School.

Upcoming Events
The Parents’ Group has been working on a new event planner for the year. Keep an eye out for more information on these upcoming exciting events!

Job Opportunity

A small local business is looking for cleaning staff- training will be given.
Flexible days Hours 11am- 3pm Weekend work
If you are interested contact: Jenna 02041807296
hello@houseguest.co.nz

Invitation to discuss Te Motu Kairangi Connections with Holy Cross School

Kia ora caregivers, parents and whānau.

With ten schools, the city’s busiest bus route, and three shopping areas, we have a chance to improve Miramar streets so everyone in the community, including our kids, can get around safely and easily. We have heard that you have stretched bus capacity, busy roads, and more people moving to the area. Our aim is that Miramar streets are improved, so we support those who need to drive, by creating safer, easier connections for people who want to bus, walk, and bike. 

The team at WCC are looking at ways to do this. One of the first steps is for you to share how you and your whanau currently experience the proposed Te Motu Kairangi (Miramar Peninsula) Connections route. This route is part of the Paneke Poneke (2021) Plan that identified these key routes to improve. Visit https://www.transportprojects.org.nz/current/te-motu-kairangi-connections/ to read more about Te Motu Kairangi Connections, complete the short travel survey, and join the mailing list for regular updates.

We’re keen to hear from Te Motu Kairangi, so we can review all your insights. This will help inform our designs.

Ngā mihi nui

The Bike Network Team at WCC.

We are trying to make our presence known and that’s where schools come in, with your help we’d love to reach out to families with kids aged 6-12yrs who might have a keen interest in reporting/journalism, being in front of the camera, or even a budding drama/theatre enthusiasts to help report this upcoming episode.

KID REPORTER VIDEO APPLICATION

• Short 20-30'' second video
• Say ’Today to Kea Kids News!’ (as energetically as possible)
• Introduce yourself
• Talk about a local news story or make one up! (no reading off a script, try to make it organic- it’s okay to stumble)
• Hold a fake mic prop (The funnier the better!)
• Send the video through to me via email or load here on Digital Pigeon 

*Make sure to include your fulls tamariki’s full name, + guardian/parents name & contact number in the message

Parish newsletter for this Sunday