In the gospel reading on Sunday we will hear a story about Jesus talking to a Samaritan woman at a well. This was an unusual occurrence because in these times, Jews and Samaritans did not get along. It was also considered unusual for a man to talk to a woman he did not know.

This story highlights the fact that God loves all people. God asks us to be as Jesus was in this gospel - a person who showed respect and care for all people.

Small actions can make a big difference. The simple act of greeting another, of saying thank you and appreciating the actions of others- these things matter.

We invite you to pray the following prayer at the start of each day, may it serve as a reminder to us all of the invitation that has been extended; let us accept and act upon this invitation.

God of peace, you care for all people in our world. Move us to do the same and to do all that we can to help others, no matter where in the world they are.

God of love, fill our hearts with love for all your people. Move us to treat all people with kindness and respect and to work to make the world a better place for everyone to live in.  Amen.

You may have seen that the World Health Organisation has now declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic. As noted by the Minister of Health, this doesn’t change what New Zealand is doing to respond to coronavirus.
 
The Ministry of Health has been working through its pandemic plan since January. You will also know the Government has already implemented a range of measures to minimise the impacts to New Zealand. This includes border restrictions, a requirement to self-isolate on arrival in New Zealand from China, Iran, Italy and the Republic of Korea and immediate and detailed contact tracing of any confirmed cases. It is important to note those four countries account for more than 90% of cases globally and China and the Republic of Korea have significantly declining numbers of new cases.
 
We have 5 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in New Zealand and it is pleasing to know they are all doing well and are at home.  Their children, four students at Auckland schools, continue to be well and show no symptoms. While we expect that more cases will arise, the Ministry of Health says that with continued vigilance the chance of widespread community outbreak is expected to remain low in New Zealand. We all have a role to play in this.
 
For Holy Cross School, our pandemic plan is also ready to be implemented if needed. In the mean time we will continue to focus on good hygiene practices. Hand washing and good cough etiquette are very important tools in preventing the spread of illness including colds, flu and COVID-19.
 
With that, there is a good video clip from Nanogirl that will help your children to better understand the virus - YouTube clip - Nanogirl
 
You may have also seen the Prime Minister sat down with Dr Michelle Dickinson (aka Nanogirl) and the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor, Juliet Gerrard, to talk about coronavirus:

• Watch on the PM’s Facebook page
• Read and watch on the Newshub website

One other action we can all take is to be vigilant about our own health and the health of our children. I will be encouraging my staff to stay away from school if they are showing signs of illness such as coughs and colds. I ask that you please do the same with your children. Colds and flus are common in schools and by staying away, seeking medical attention and practicing good hygiene, we can all keep any spread of illness to a minimum.
 

Further information can be found on the Ministry of Health website which has excellent advice and information. 

Keeping Our Children Safe

As you may know we regularly run the Keeping Ourselves Safe (KOS) programme in our school in association with the Police.  This age-appropriate programme is run in schools throughout the country and consists of a comprehensive range of child protection resources to help students learn and apply a range of safety skills that they can use when interacting with others.  KOS was implemented in 2019 for our junior students and we will be run it again this year.  We will provide more information before we start the programme in our school again but in the meantime it is always valuable to know about the useful resources that are available for parents on the KOS portal https://www.police.govt.nz/advice/personal-and-community-advice/school-portal/resources/successful-relationships/keeping-1.

Behaviour management is another key aspect of keeping our children safe.  We have very robust processes in place to manage and respond to student behaviour and seek to address all matters well, whether low level or more serious.  If needed, we seek advice from experts to ensure that we are doing our very best for our students.  We have clear expectations around anti-bullying and take a very firm stance around this to ensure children feel emotionally safe in the school environment.

Our physical environment is closely monitored to identify hazards so these can then be addressed quickly and properly.   

While there are many other ways we keep our children healthy, safety and well at Holy Cross School, we find the key to maintaining a great environment for our children is through clear expectations, appropriate action and great communication links between parents and the school. 

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions, concerns or feedback at any time about this or any other aspect of our school.

DRIVEWAY SAFETY 

Please can we respectfully remind parents/caregivers not to park in the school driveway outside the office. It is dangerous having cars pull in and reverse out especially at drop off and pick up times. Our little people are sometimes unpredictable and we need to be extra vigilant in keeping them safe.

There is plenty of space to park in Para Street or Miramar Ave and walk to school to drop off your child, in the afternoons the back courts are open for parents to park and pick up.  

We also ask that when you enter or leave the school grounds you check that the gate closes behind you.

Thank you for your support, as we all work together to keep our tamariki safe. 

At the start of next term, Ashleigh Walsh, classroom teacher in Room 6, will be taking parental leave in preparation for the birth of her first child in June;  Ashleigh will return to school in 2021.

We are delighted for Ashleigh and her husband Stef and pray that their journey be richly blessed.

A new member of staff, Jeannine Winton, has been appointed to the Room 6 class. Jeannine is an experienced and passionate teacher and we look forward to welcoming her to our Holy Cross family.

You may have noticed two new flagpoles attached to our school buildings.  These poles have been donated by Ameera Yokhanna and Ashoor Yalda and also by my family (the Hastings family) to say thank you for the kindness shown to us by the Holy Cross Community last year.  Our mother was a great traveller with a keen interest in people and places, so a flagpole with a number of relevant flags seemed like a positive way to acknowledge this and to thank and help celebrate our wonderfully diverse community.

Ameera and Ashoor have donated the second flagpole supported with the following explanation: We believe in diversity and live in harmony. We have received much from this land and live in dignity in it. No matter how much we do,  we can never pay back.

As proud Assyrian New Zealanders and part of HCS community, we delightfully donated one of the flag poles. Acknowledging HCS flying NZ flag alongside other nation’s flags, welcoming them to their home and binding them to where they belong. 

 Thank you Ammera and Ashoor for your generousity. Thank you too, Matthew Blair for the ongoing support, guidance and interest provided as we worked together to acknowledge and celebrate the wonderful diversity of Holy Cross School.

Earlier this week I took a small group of Year 8 girls to visit St Catherine’s to meet with Mr Bryan and two Holy Cross students from 2019.

At our meeting we shared some of the exciting things planned at our schools this year and the girls heard about life at college and asked questions . They learned about how the day is divided into five periods and there are different teachers for each subject areas. They learned about whānau groups that meet together to share news and happenings within the school. 

Ilo was most impressed with the house challenge idea which involved pancake flipping for Shrove Tuesday!  Eve was pleased to hear that like Holy Cross there is a buddy system at St Catherine’s ; each Year 9 is buddied with a Year 13 student.  Rociana – is excited about the taster day to be held in May and then the open day in November.  She also thinks they girls looked so professional in their blazers.

Thanks for hosting us St Catherine’s, we look forward to further visits throughout the year.

It’s Week Two of Movin’March! We hope your children are loving the extra fresh air on their way to and/or from school, and that you’ve been enjoying less congestion at the school gate. 

• Check out the Parent Photo Competition.  Thanks to our fantastic sponsors (Wellington Zoo, Zealandia, Staglands and Micro scooters).  Parents are into win daily prizes to fun Wellington destinations and on Fridays an adult or kids Micro scooter is up for grabs…. WOW! 
• Don’t forget to Share your StoryThis competition has adventure destinations and a Bluebridge Ferry Family Pass (with vehicle) to win for a return crossing across Cook Straight.
• Do you live far from school or have to travel to work by car? Consider setting up a Park and Stridegroup?  Create a drop-off point so you can safely allow your children to walk or scoot the last few metres to school. 

Encourage your children to mark off their journey to school each day to collect the Movin' March rewards.

Lost : Kiahn has lost his brand new polo shirt (size large) with his name written on the tag. Please check your sons polo shirt in case he has picked it up by mistake or it is hiding in the bottom of his bag!

Found: A silver fox necklace 

Found : A Macpac size 12 womens grey coat  

Please contact the office for more information  

JOB OPPORTUNITY 

EPI-interactive is looking for an Office Manager for our Miramar office. We are a consultancy company passionate about improving human, animal and environmental health. The role involves scheduling meetings, maintaining office policies and procedures, accounting and payroll assistance, running errands, and organising and supporting events and travel. Experience with Xero and Smartpayroll would be great, but are not essential. Hours are flexible (20-40 hours per week) and we are happy to work around school hours. This would be a great opportunity for someone keen to work locally or coming back into the workforce after family time.

If you are interested, please send your CV and cover letter to Shanna – shanna@epi-interactive.com

You can find more information about us on our website – www.epi-interactive.com

Community Sports Banks have been set up in your community to allow everyone access to sports gear, and get more kids active.  If you need or want sports gear, talk to your school sports coordinator.

If you’ve grown out of sports gear from last year, or don’t use it anymore, drop it in, so it can be used again and someone else can enjoy playing because of it. 

Your nearest sports bank is

The Hub, Toitu Poneke Community and Sports Centre, 49 Kilbirnie Crescent, Kilbirnie Park

For more information check us out on facebook  www.facebook.com/communitysportsbank/

Room in the car?  Keep your neighbours and school friends in mind when you’re registering for sports, and offer a ride to games and trainings.  Tell your kids to tell their friends.

Sports clubs also often have a selection of second hand boots for a small cost, to enable cheaper participation.  Some clubs have scholarships too.   Give them a call or email.