It is  wonderful to  welcome new whanau into our midst at our Powhiri- Mihi Whakatau. Today  we welcomed

• Jael- Cynthia Vaka Tuiatua, Makalika Antonio and Manisa Dawod who are joining Room 11
• Cattleya and Dreius Mativa who are now in Room 7,
• Brooklyn Mativa in Room 3,
• Angelina Mativa and Millie Isaia who have added value to Room 8
• Lilith Brown and Alazanda Meridith- Faletolu who are joining the ranks of Room 2 

I shared the following message about our theme for the year which is very appropriate for new arrivals to our kura./ school.

‘Our theme this year is Journeys. We asked staff and whanau what they thought was important to learn about journeys and together we came up with the following 3 big ideas.

1. Journeys are physical- you take a journey from one place to another. These lovely people who are joining us now make the physical journey to Holy Cross School everyday. They probably didn’t do that last year- they may have gone to a different school or preschool even but now they travel everyday to our school. 

2.  Journeys are historical- people like our ancestors- the people we are related to over a long period of time, made journeys that eventually brought them to New Zealand. That is why we are all here now. In my pepeha which I shared with you, my ancestors came from England- Ingarangi  and Ireland- Aerana. All of us have stories to discover about our ancestors and their journeys- I hope this year our students new to Holy Cross  and our Holy Cross Whanau will get to talk about that with our whanau and with other classmates and teachers at Holy Cross. Historical journeys are important to know about- we can learn alot from finding out why people made those journeys. They also help us to feel a special connection to other places too. I worked in  England for 3 years and visited lots of places but I felt a real connection to Ireland- it was the funny sayings people said, the food people ate and the ways people related to each other that reminded me of my family.

3.  The third big idea about Journeys is that they are very personal. Every body’s journey through life can cover similar events in very different and personal ways. Listen out Holy Cross whanau to the personal journeys that our new whanau may share about how they came to be bringing their tamariki to Holy Cross- sometimes it is because it is the next big life event: starting school. That is another step along the journey we all know about. But it can be a very different experience for each person. We journey together and we can learn from each other. “

Staff and students are enjoying the learning around different aspects of Journey outlined above. If you want to know more, talk to your tamariki/ children or your classroom teacher. 

Thank You to all those parents who joined us today and supported our Powhiri-Mihi Whakatau. We appreciated you being there. Our next Powhiri will be on the 12th May in term 2 and Holy Cross School whānau are  invited to join us. Special acknowledgment to our Seniors who have stepped up into the role of rangatahi/ leaders in this special event. They led confidently in whaikōrero- speaking, waiata- singing, performing and supporting our manuhiri- visitors. It was great to see them blossom.

We will celebrate Ash Wednesday next week with a special liturgy. Father Bill will come along and support our service- whānau are most welcome to join us at 11.30 in the hall when this will take place. 

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent. Traditionally this has been a time where people have made commitments to fast or do without things in their lives in order to honour God and prepare for Easter. Current celebrations of Lent focus more on actions that give or add something to the lives of others- taking time to pray or do something special for someone who has a need, raising funds for a cause or focusing on peace and social justice issues. Holy Cross will be using the Caritas Program- caritas.org.nz  to guide some of the activities that our tamarki/ children will do to prepare for lent. 

The theme for 2023 is based on Jesus’ words about himself- ‘I am the Light of the World’. Light shines bright in the darkness- the floods and disasters that have happened in New Zealand over the beginning of Term 1 have brought darkness into the lives of many New Zealanders. Fiji is identified as the country of focus in the Caritas program but there is a real need for us to focus on the lives of those seriously affected by the floods and Cyclone here in New Zealand. Let's take time over this Lent period to remember to pray for the health and wellbeing of people in affected areas and acknowledge their need in some way- this will help bring some Light into the darkness.

NZEI, the teachers union, have been in negotiation with government around a new employment contract. The majority of teachers at Holy Cross belong to NZEI. In the past there have been a number of meetings for staff to choose from, enabling us to manage attendance at paid union meetings without disrupting the school.

Unfortunately, this time there is only one meeting for all the teachers in Wellington to attend. This will take place on Wednesday, March 1st, 2-3pm. In order to give our staff the right to attend this paid union meeting, we are asking that parents who are able to, pick their children up from their classes at 1.30 pm.

A letter has gone home today, if you could please fill out the form to indicate your arrangements and return the slip to the school so we can plan accordingly.

Thanks for your understanding.

Lyn Hough (Acting Principal)

The Inspire Photography Team are excited to be at Holy Cross School this year! We will be photographing your children and their classes on the 8th of March, 2023.

If you would like your children to have sibling photos, please fill in our Sibling Photo Request form.

Follow this link to the form >> 

https://www.inspireschools.co.nz/holycross_sib23.html

Please Note : Submissions for Sibling Photos will be closing on Friday the 3rd of March.

Out of School Siblings will be photographed on the 8th of March starting at 8.30am.

In School Siblings will be photographed during the school day.

A few weeks after your photo day, our online galleries will be ready to go and we will deliver A5 sized sheets with personal passcodes for each child. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to get in contact with the Team at Inspire, info@inspirephotography.co.nz or ring 04 384 8009.

Attached is some information about the costs.

Students should wear neat and tidy summer school uniform with hair tied back from their face and clean shoes!

Our Room 2 Kākahu

In Rm 2 we have made a kākahu, which means cloak. Our kākahu shows how different we are in our cultures and personalities but just like fire and water, we need each other, and can support each other.

(Amalia Y6)

Rm 2 Kakahu Feathers - Descriptions

I chose stars to represent the stars that were shinning in the night sky. It also reminds us of Matariki Stars as well. The colours I used were light blue fading into dark blue and yellow for the stars. The fading colours also represented the dawn sky when you see the Matariki.

(Meisha Y7)

One of my feathers represents things that I like. For example, there’s the character Kirby from a video game that I like to play. I like Kirby because he has super powers that get him out of tricky situations. I think Kirby is a little bit like Maui because he is really smart and plays tricks on people.

(Lily Y7)

My design has rainbows because rainbows have colours that you see in everything. My favourite colour on a rainbow is yellow. Yellow represents the sun, and the sun creates warmth for plants and  trees to grow. The colours blue and purple remind me of royalty, and they remind me of God and Jesus who are important religious people. Mary wore blue and it’s so special because blue used to be hard to make and it represents how special Mary is to us all.

(Serene Y7)

On my feather I have fire and water, on different sides from each other. I did this design to show the differences between people, so every one is unique and different. It’s important to show things can be different because some people want to be like other people instead of being ok with themselves and it’s ok to be different.

(Amalia Y6)

Mini Polo

Subway starts on Friday 17th February. There is a slight increase in the cost. 

4 inch $4

6 inch $6

12 inch $10

Envelopes will be available in each classroom and from the office.

Wishing the following students a very Happy Birthday: Peter, Wesley & Tyrese. Have a wonderful birthday celebration.

Bonobo Gymnastics

Suzanne Aubert Scout Group

Girls Got Game

Vacancy - Fundraising Administrator

PADA is a small NGO charity located in Johnsonville. We provide education and training for healthcare providers supporting parents experiencing anxiety or depression due to pregnancy, childbirth, and early parenting. 

Our current Fundraiser has taken on the role of General Manager which is why now this position has become vacant. 

Here is the link to the position advertisement.  https://pada.nz/turanga-watea-vacancies/

Maranui Swimming Club