Today we were able to farewell Celeste with a Poroporoaki- this was a beautiful formal occasion shared with a group of visitors, select staff and students. Despite the limitations of Alert level 2, our school team pulled together to provide a fitting ceremony to honour Celeste. The rest of the school were able to participate through watching via live stream.

Many wonderful words were said by different people in our wider school community that reflected Celeste’s deep faith, compassion, calm and caring manner and professionalism. Celeste will leave a lasting and enduring legacy at Holy Cross for many years to come. 

Part of Celeste’s speech included a thank you to many different groups who have supported Holy Cross School this year and over the years. Due to current restrictions, we are unable to honour people with our usual thank you morning tea so Celeste took the time to personally acknowledge the following individuals and groups. I’ve included a list of groups and some words taken from Celeste’s speech here. 

The Faith Community that Supports Holy Cross School- Cardinal John was present- ‘a true and valued leader’. The Mercy Sisters and Marist Brothers- ‘I felt responsible to keep alive and honour the charisms and values- I can assure you we have done this. Faith leaders from the Iraqi and Assyrian communities;  Father Aprem and Father Toma and families who are part of our community- ‘(they) have taught us so much about faith, family and resilience. 

Celeste’s family and friends who have supported and encouraged Celeste at a practical and personal level. 

Board of Trustees- ‘we have always kept the children at the heart of all decisions made- thank you for your wisdom and support and the trust you placed in me’ 

Staff- past and present- ‘an incredible group of people including an amazing office and support staff. We have a passionate team of educators who,  at this incredibly busy time of year, have gone to an incredible effort which reflects the essence of our Holy Cross team. 

Wider education community- fellow principals, Ministry of Education, Resource Teachers of Learning and Behaviour and PD providers- ‘it has been a privilege to work with you’ 

Acknowledging the support of Henare Walmsley, Nicki Birch  and Ray Ahipene-Mercer and most recently Craig Rofe in ‘providing guidance, wisdom and support for our schools journey’ as we strive to honour our commitment to the Treaty of Waitangi. 

Community support- Police, Kiwi Class, Arohanui-Strings, Dina school programme, Bikes in Schools, Nuku Ora - ‘who give so generously of their time to inspire our tamariki’. 

Parent Community- ‘we are blessed to have your trust, support and commitment to Holy Cross and the Common Good- You and your whanau will continue to hold a special place in my heart and will always be included in my prayers’. 

There is an expression- He waka eke noa- we are all in this together. This has certainly been my experience. The support received from each and every one of you has contributed to making Holy Cross the special place it is today. 

Here are some of the songs that were recorded for the event and a couple of photos. There will be more photos to come in the next newsletter.

Under the new vaccination mandate for schools, all people working with children must have had their first vaccination by the 15th November 2021 and their second vaccination by 1st January 2022.

This includes all parents/adults who help us on trips or who work with our students on the school grounds.

If you volunteer to help us on trips or support us within the classroom, you will need to provide the office with a copy of of your vaccination card or certificate. A register of your name and vaccination will be kept.

You will only need to do this once as we will then have a record of which parents can support our learning within school and out of school on trips,sport events etc

Thank you for your understanding as we manage our way through this and for working together to keep our tamariki/children safe.

Being a Road Patroller by Lydia

I think road patrol is important because it helps little kids to be safe on the road so they don't get hurt when they're on the road.  It's also good for old people if they're trying to cross the road. Actually  it’s good for everyone because if we didn't have road patrol some people might not see a car coming and may get injured.

I like doing road patrol because I can help little kids to cross the road safely so that they don't  get hurt. 

A worry is when some people just walk on the road when we are about to put the signs out.

A challenge is trying to put the sign on and off at the same time as the person that is doing it with you!

Lydia, Y5, Rm 5

5 November 2021

 Zealandia, Tuatara and 

other Native Species! 

By Maloni, Rm 5, Year 6

(My personal narrative from our visit to Zealandia, 26.10.21)

Did you know that the Tuatara can live over 100 years old?

Well on a rainy day at Zealandia while the birds were singing and flying around above us I spotted the Tuatara under the trees camouflaging against the dirty mud.

When I saw the Tuatara it looked giant and it also looked like it was old. I felt so interested about it because that was the first time I've ever seen a Tuatara in my life.  An interesting fact I learnt is that they can live up to 110 years old! Another fact I learnt is that Tuatara  can regrow their tail.

While I was discovering the Tuatara I heard the Tieke crying out loud its name saying “go away, get away from my habitat”. Everytime we got close to them they flew away squawking at us.

Going to Zealandia was very interesting and fun because I got to see something new like native New Zealand species like Tui, Kaka, Rangiora (the bushman’s toilet paper), Kawakawa and Kotukutuku, the tree fuschia. 

Learning About Takahē at Zealandia

By Charles (Rm 5) - Y5 

Did you know that there were only 4 Takahē once?Why! When the European people came to New Zealand they found the Takahe! So, they took one Takahe and it was tasty so they ate all the Takahe! And for a longtime no one saw a Takahe and thought they were extinct. Now there are about 400 Takahē left.

Facts:

Takahē only come out at night. They also can awesomely roll into a ball and camouflage!  

Predator danger - Stoats can eat all of the Takahē eggs.