I have said it before and I'll say it again, I feel truly blessed to be the principal of Holy Cross School. 

For the past three weeks I have been at the school gate for half an hour each morning and afternoon, greeting our students and chatting to the person dropping them off or collecting them.  

I have seen and heard the absolute joy of learning in many ways: the sight of a rainbow, the discovery of a worm on the concrete, questions about why teeth fall out, discussions about flags, the comment from a 6 year old student as she walked through the gate, 'Did you know I'm a scientist?' and at the end of the day she informed me, 'I'm off, back to my lab!"

I have witnessed great kindness from adults and children alike: openning the gates for other to come through, greetings and introductions to those you may not have met before- what better way to show our children the things we believe to be important? 

I have come to know so many of you at a deeper level through our daily conversations; I have valued these opportunities.

I have reflected on the importance of presence and how this supports really coming to know others.  I invite us all to be intentional in our actions, to be present to those we meet each day, our lives and theirs will be enriched.

Marcellin Champagnat and the Marist Brothers

Marcellin Champagnat was born in France in 1789. Marcellin founded a religious order, the Marist Brothers. Marcellin’s dream was to help and educate all young people no matter where they were.  As a result of his commitment and dedication, many schools and missions were set up and the Marists were sent all over the world, including New Zealand. Even today there remains a Marist presence in over 80 countries. 

You may be wondering, why is this so important for us?

The answer is, there were originally two schools on our school site: Marist Miramar and Holy Cross Miramar. Marist Miramar opened in 1937. The school was run by the Marist Brothers for boys, from Years 5-8. The original Marist Miramar classrooms are our current classrooms, Rooms 1-3.

In 1983 the two schools, Marist Miramar and Holy Cross Miramar amalgamated and became Marist Holy Cross. In 1989 the school became known as Holy Cross.

Throughout the week we have been revisiting stories and resources that have helped us learn more about Marcellin Champagnat and the Marist Brothers.  We have been thinking about the values of this order and how they are reflected in who we are as a school today, how they can be seen in what we call, the Holy Cross Way.

Today we held a special liturgy to remember and honour Saint Marcellin Champagnat. Tomorrow, 6th June is his official Feast Day, we invite you to pause at some time during the day and pray the following prayer in honour of this wonderful Saint.  

Heavenly Father,
You gave Saint Marcellin the gift of service, that he shared with the whole world.
We pray that by his inspiration, we too will reach out to those in need with respect
and kindness. May we be the face, hands and heart of Jesus in the lives of those we meet. Amen.

We thank you all for supporting the safe transition back to school for our students.

We hope that next week our Prime Minister will be able to announce a move to Alert level 1.  In the meantime we will continue with the current drop off and pick up arrangements. 

REMEMBER:

Please drive with care at all times but especially around drop off and collection points.  

When driving onto and leaving the courts 

• Maintain a 5kmph speed limit at all times
• Stop before entering the drive from Miramar Ave
• Stop before driving across the footpath
• Please use the courts, do not drop the children off on the roadside of Miramar Ave, this is dangerous and causes congestion.

The same times for drop off and collection remain.

Please keep your children home if they are displaying symptons of cold/flu, runny nose or sore throat.

The key messages for our children to keep revisiting include:

• Wash your hands with soap and water often
• Cough and sneeze into your elbow
• Don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth 
• Put tissues into the bin
• Keep a good distance between yourself and others - 1 m inside and 2 m outside

Year 7 Vision Screening - Information for parents

Regional Public Health provides a vision screening programme for all Year 7 students. The nurse will be visiting Holy Cross School Tuesday 16th June 20

• Vision – pupils will be advised of results at the time of screening. If further assessment is recommended you will be notified by mail.

• Children who wear glasses and/or are under professional care and have regular checks will not require a vision check from our service.

Non-consent – please notify the office if you do not consent to your child being screened.

This screening is not a full assessment of your child’s vision. If you have any concerns, please see an optometrist.

2020 Open Day at St Patrick’s College WELLINGTON

Open Day is a chance for parents of Year 8 students to visit our College and learn about the opportunities and experiences that we offer across Years 9-13.  Due to the 100 person gathering limit we have changed our Open Day format this year from one large gathering to a number of smaller groups who will meet our Rector and receive a tour of the College.  To attend an Open Day 1 hour tour of the College, bookings are essential.  For COVID-19 contract tracing purposes we will require your contact details when you make your booking.

How to Book a College Tour: Please make a booking by phoning the College on 939 3070 and advising which of the six tour options you would prefer:

Tuesday 16 June          11.30am–12.30pm OR 12.30pm–1.30pm

Thursday 18 June        11.30am–12.30pm OR 12.30pm–1.30pm

Friday 19 June             11.30am–12.30pm OR 12.30pm–1.30pm