What a gorgeous, sunny day to end the first week of Term 3!

Throughout the week I have been in classes and in the playground hearing of the special family times enjoyed by so many during the Term 2 break. Some travelled to different parts of New Zealand and some stayed in Wellington but one thing I have heard again and again is how people have continued to make the most of, and prioritise, family time together. How blessed are we to live in such a beautiful country?

We have received very positive feedback regarding the historic reports compiled and sent home at the end of term.  You will recall, one of the questions was,

What is something your family did during lockdown that you would like to continue with?

You shared such inspiring, positive, lifegiving ideas... I encourage you to write the idea you recorded on a special card, decorate it and stick it on the fridge... review it often to make it happen. Let's hold on to the things we value. 

Looking ahead:

In this newsletter we have shared an outline of our focus for the term. We always value your ideas and input so please chat with myself or any of the staff if you have ideas or would like to contribute in any way.  Our school Vision guides our action and direction, "Achieving More Than We Ever Dreamed Possible"- this is both individually and collectively.  

As a staff, we have been reviewing the goals we set for ourselves in relation to teaching and learning and in class your children too will be reviewing the goals they set back in Term 1. We take a strength based approach to goal setting whilst considering, what will make the biggest difference?  

We look forward to meeting with you, sharing goals and examples of learning later in the term but please remember, if you have any questions, ideas or concerns at any time please feel contact your child's teacher or myself. 

Our daily living can be a prayer

Life makes constant demands on us. Other people make demands on us, calling us first one way then another. We often live in reactive mode, simply trying to manage these demands and respond to what others are asking of us.  In these times, it can be a challenge for us to prioritise time to be aware of God’s presence in our lives.

As in human communication, our communication with God can be expressed in a variety of ways. We communicate with God using words and songs, in imagination and silence, and ritually or spontaneously. We can pray alone or as a family. We can pray in church, our gardens, our cars, whilst walking or biking. We can also pray lying in bed, as the first thing we do when we awake, and as the last thing we do as we drift off to sleep. One of the characteristics of prayer, we believe,  is that with the right intention every moment of the day—all our hopes, works, joys, and sufferings—can become our prayer.  

• How can we think globally and act locally?

• How can we care for our common home? 

• What actions can I take that will make a difference?

• How can I share my new discoveries with others?

Welcome back to learning in the Marcellin Syndicate through the topics of Think Talk and Create. It was wonderful to celebrate the learning together at the end of last term with our school reports. During lockdown the everyday activities provided a rich source of learning conversation for your family. This term your child/ children will be learning about four different Think Talk and Create Topics. Each week they will be bringing home learning stories that you can share and talk about at home. The more your child talks about and uses the language of the topics the more they will learn. Please let your child’s class teacher know if you have any ideas, resources or experience you would like to share to support the learning at school.

For the next two weeks of this term each class in the Junior Syndicate will be learning through three different topics. These are the topics we were not able to visit at the end of the first term. 

Room 12 will be learning all about Bikes. This topic has a technology focus. If you have bikes at home, take a look at the different parts of the bike and how they work together to help the bike move. You are welcome to come and use our school bike track at the weekends to practise skills to be a safe rider. The Pedal Ready site has some great information on how to fit your helmet safely and have your bike ready to ride. Bike and Helmet safety Checklist.

Room 7 is starting with a maths measuring topic using the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. Measuring together at home is a great way to practise and explore the concept of length. You can use non-standard units of measure like handspans, paperclips, lego bricks or even gumboots! Measure the lengths of different things at home like the table, the length of the room or a book. You can make predictions and compare the lengths e.g What is going to be the longest? What is going to be the shortest? Which lengths are the same? A fun family activity is to measure your heights and to keep track how we grow over time.

Room 11 will be learning about simple machines. A simple machine is something that helps to make a job easier. You will find lots of simple machines around your home or local community. There are 5 kinds of simple machines- a ramp (inclined plane), a screw, a pulley, a wedge, a wheel and axle, and a lever. Have a hunt to find some simple machines and use them to help you do a job e.g., a wheelbarrow to carry dirt, a pizza cutter to cut up food, a seesaw or slide in the park or a screw top jar to store some leftovers. 

We have three new topics this term starting in week 4. Each class will learn about a topic for two weeks and the topics are rotated around the classes. 

Mapping is a topic with a maths focus exploring position and directions. Students will be learning to give and follow instructions for moving from one position to another. The information will involve the distances to travel, the direction to take, and the type of turn e.g., half or quarter turns. There are many ways to learn about mapping in everyday activities, like using Google maps to walk to the shops, or playing treasure hunts at the park. Creating story maps together at home is a great way to use the language of direction and mapping. Why not read a favourite story together like The Gruffalo? You can talk about the journey the characters take through the forest, the characters they meet and the events along the way. 

Keeping Ourselves Safe (KOS) is a Health and PE topic devised by NZ Police and NZ educators. Last year we covered all four aspects of the Y0-3 programme and this year we will be learning about two of the Focus Areas. 

Focus Area 1-I am unique He taonga ahau. In this focus area your children will be exploring what makes them special and learning ways to keep themselves safe including knowing their own address and telephone number. 

Focus Area 3-Unwanted behaviour or touch / Kore e hiahitia te whanonga me te pā kino will focus on supporting your child to know what to do in a situation that makes them feel uncomfortable or unsafe. These areas are important to support our tamariki’s wellbeing at home and school. 

Through the programme students will learn skills to keep themselves safe. Weekly KOS Talking Together items in the weekly newsletter. There will be a parent information meeting on Wednesday 5th August at 8.45am so that you can learn more about the programme and have an opportunity to ask questions to help support your child’s learning at home. 

Laudato Si has an RE focus. Laudato Si is an invitation from Pope Frances. We are invited to Care for our Common Home by taking individual and community action to care for our world. The students will be exploring the local environment and investigating the impact we can make with our actions. To bring the hands-on learning to life we are planning to visit Worser Bay and The Island Bay Marine Reserve. We look forward to having you join us as helpers on these trips.

Watch this video about Laudato Si as a family to talk about the actions you can take to Care for Our Common Home.

https://safeyoutube.net/w/pM7O

Here are some other online resources you can use to support learning at home-

Maths at Our House is a great way to get ideas to support learning at home by using everyday experiences and resources found around your home. It includes ideas for supporting your children’s learning in all areas of mathematics: geometry, measurement, statistics, algebra and number.

Wushka the Online reading resource gives you access to the levelled reading resources your child is using at school. You can enjoy a range of quality fiction and non-fiction books together. Please contact your child’s class teacher for their Wushka login.

Wishing you all the best for the term from the Marcellin Syndicate team

Throughout the school this week in the different classes we have been learning about Matariki. You may have noticed the Matariki flag flying in the playground this week or even spotted the Matariki Constellation in the early morning sky. Matariki is a time for coming together with whānau (family) to think about the past year, plan for the future, and to take action. In doing this, we come to understand how each member of our whānau plays their own special part. Sharing in, and appreciating the wisdom and skills of our family members (especially our elders) can help us to shape what we do for and in the world. Did you know that the seven stars of Matariki are a family too? The star Matariki is the whaea (mother), surrounded by her 6 daughters: Tupu-ā-nuku; Tupu-ā-rangi; Waipuna Rangi; Waitī and Waitā; and Ururangi.

Here are two videos to watch together to learn more about Matariki-

Matariki and the six sisters – story by Ngāti Toa Rangatira 

https://safeYouTube.net/w/OY7O

Matariki Kete Korero

https://safeYouTube.net/w/MZ7O

Join in the Matariki celebrations with your family and friends. Here is a link to the Wellington City Council Matariki 2020 events calendar- https://wellington.govt.nz/events/annual-events/matariki/ahi-ka

Drop off and Pick up

Athens Street entrance

Please use the end of Athens street as the turning point when dropping your child, do not pull into the driveway as this places children in DANGER!

For your convenience staff do not park in Athens Street to enable the drop off and pick up to be easier and safer for all.

School Courts

Please remember to drive slowly and safely when entering and exiting the courts. Please also vacate the area by 3.15pm at the latest to enable the gates to be locked and/or netball training to take place.

Uniform

Over the years we have updated our uniform so our children will wear it with pride, representing Holy Cross School in a positive manner. We ask for your full support ensuring your child has full and correct uniform and they wear this to and from school each day. Please ensure all uniform is clearly named.

Sports uniform not to be worn to or from school.

If you have difficulties with this we are happy to support, please contact myself or the school office.  

School lunches 

It is well known that children learn best when eating healthy food. Please consider the food being included in your childs lunch box each day. We are a water only school so please do not include fruit juice or sports drinks. Please be mindful of minimising the use of plastic wrap.    

Health

If your child is unwell in anyway please do not send them to school-err on the side of caution.

If your child has vomited they must remain at home for at least 24 hours after the last episode. 

Thank you for your patience whilst we transition our uniforms to NZUniforms, 168 Thorndon Quay, Wellington.

Please see the photos below of our uniform displayed in the shop. We are very lucky that one of our parents Eve Dawood is also working at NZUniforms, and Eve will be a helping hand for you when you visit the shop

Eat My Lunch has started up again and we are very grateful to receive lunches for a number of students at Holy Cross School.

If this is something that might help your family and you wish to opt in please contact the office and we can get this set up.   

Tēnā koutou katoa

YEAR 9 ENROLMENTS AT ST PATRICK’S COLLEGE IN 2021

St Patrick’s College is now accepting enrolments for 2021 and the forms can either be downloaded from the College website – www.stpats.school.nz under Enrolments or you can request a Prospectus from the College office.  Please note that enrolments close off on Friday 31 July.  

Reminder free English language classes are available here at Holy Cross School on a Monday and Thursday. Please contact the office if you or anyone you know may be interested in particpating in these classes. 

www.KiwiClass.org.nz