What an amazing Labour Day long weekend, the weather was beautiful and lots of people were enjoying some quality whānau time. We are already 3 weeks into the term and have lots going on as we build towards the end of a busy year. Here are some of the exciting things we have done and that are coming up: 

Pōwhiri: Tomorrow morning we welcome the following students to Holy Cross School; Julian, Nerine, Abrianna, Cailin, Hēmi, Araiya, Tallulah,Jerome, Esme and our student teacher Payge. Nau mai, haere mai ki te Rotokura. It will be the final pōwhiri of the year and also a passing of the guard as our year 8 leaders perform the duties of kaikaranga, kaikōrero and kaea (leaders) of the cultural group for the last time. We thank you for the time and dedication you have put into becoming strong leaders of the school and upholding our school kawa with mana. 

Footsteps Dance: This week we welcomed the Footsteps Dance tutors to Holy Cross to teach us a bit more about dancing. The idea we had was to build on the great work we started in term 2 and 3 with our school production. As the lead teacher for the production, it was amazing to see lots of our tamariki shine in the performing arts and so it is a great time to cultivate that interest into a passion that they will enjoy for years to come. 

PSG Fundraising & Garage Sale: A big ngā mihi to the PSG for all their hard work and fundraising efforts for our brand new combination soccer rugby posts. Last week we had an informal unveiling where the students had the chance to practice their rugby goal kicking skills. We would also like to thank the Bailes whānau, Gary Bouzaid and the Eastern Suburbs Sports Trust. The PSG are also working hard organising our “Spring Garage Sale” for the 5th of November. We are starting to receive lots of donations and they will be setting up the hall this weekend to prepare for a great day. We look forward to seeing you all there. 

Quick note: Road safety at pick up times

One thing we are noticing at pick up times is the safety of our children on the roads. Please be mindful of our tamariki by the following these rules: 

1. Please pull up to the footpath to drop off your child instead of stopping in the middle of the road. 
2. If your child is young, please watch them or hold their hand when crossing the road. 
3. All children should be using the school crossings when crossing the main roads. 
4. Please do not park on yellow lines and be mindful of our neighbours driveways. 

One of the questions that we were asked during our Catholic character review this year was “How effectively does the school provide a hope-filled Christian witness which empowers its community members to integrate their Faith and their life?” 

Although we had lots of positive examples like; demonstrating commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, partnership and collaboration with our brother and sister schools, and building a strong Catholic community, one of the recommendations was to continue to develop the school leadership programme in a way that identifies and recognises the specific areas of leadership of rangatahi.

As a result, part of the senior syndicate planning for term 4 was to include a leadership day to encourage our students to; 

1. Give back to the community in a meaningful way 
2. Learn about important parts of the Mass and how it is structured
3. Find meaningful ways to contribute to a Mass or liturgy
4. Create our own liturgies for younger classes in the school 
5. Encourage and promote “Encounters with Christ” acting in ways that Christ would and spreading the Good News. 

The aim from here is for students to independently organise and lead liturgies, comprehend and spread the Good news in creative ways and to write meaningful prayers about themselves and the community. Our seniors will now be responsible for leading the Friday morning prayers at school and every second week we will hold tuakana / tēina (an older and younger class) mass down at the church with Father Bill. All families are invited to join us at these events too. 

Congratulations and good luck to all the students that will be representing Holy Cross School at the Eastern Zone athletics this coming Wednesday 1st November postponement date 8th November 2023. Those students that are going will leave school by bus at 9am and return by 3.00pm.

Please remenber full PE uniform, water bottle, big packed lunch, jacket, sun hat, and sunscreen applied. 

We are needing parent support during the day to support the athletes, if you are able to help please contact nik.solia@hcm.school.nz

Eastern Zone Athletics 2023 Date: Wednesday 1st November

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

Today my Garden to Table group (The Cool Cucumbers) were in the garden. We learned about the Māori names for different fruit and veggies. For example, a carrot is called karotī and a potato is called rīwai. We also did a variety of things today including: tidying the gardening shed; measuring the temperature of the compost: and chopping cabbage leaves for the compost.

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

Today my Garden to Table group called the Green Beans were in the kitchen. We made two recipes - Salad of the Imagination and flat bread. The first thing we did was to go over the rules for the kitchen and the rules for using knives because it has been a long time since we have done GTT. We broke into two groups. One made flat bread and the other group made the salad. At the end the salad group got to have a go at making the flat bread. 

To Solomon and Meisha wishing you both a fun filled day on your Birthday. 

GKR Karate are holding their karate training sessions in our hall this term on a Monday 5.30-6.30pm and Wednedsay 6-8pm and have offered free trial classes to our students and whānau if you are interested - please see the information on the flyer and contact Sensei Anthony if you have any questions. 

Thank you to the families that have been collecting the New World masterchef stickers for us - and please continue to collect them up until the 5th November. So far we have been able to redeem the stickers for a non stick frypan and a casserole pot with lid. These items were much appreciated by the GTT team and will be most helpful in the kitchen.

Get ready for school photos in 2024 ! Here is some information from Inspire Photography. Date for photos : Wednesday 28th February 2024.