This term kaiako/teachers have lots of learning planned. Please read the updates for each syndicate to find out what is in store for your tamariki. 

Kaiako are also busy completing assessments using our assessment tool PaCT (Progress and Consistency Tool). From these assessments, goals will be set and reports will be written so it is a busy term for staff. These reports will come to you at the end of the term. 

Major events to highlight include Powhiri for our newest arrivals on the 12th May. Classes are training for Cross Country. The whole school will participate in a cross country day on Thursday 11th May. Regional events will follow this involving tamariki who do well and love the challenge of taking their participation to the next level. Parent support may be needed around these events. 

Holy Cross belongs to the Catholic Schools Kahui Ako. This is a group of 13 diverse Catholic Schools who choose to collaborate on work that individual schools may find difficult to do. This year I am helping to lead this mahi in the dual lead role with Mandy Page- DP from St Catherine's College. Tuesdays, Matua Tala is acting principal while I fulfill this role. Friday 30 June (last day of term) is our combined mid-winter hui at Saint Patricks College. This day is for all staff across our 13 schools and is a significant time of networking and learning. Our theme this year is Reconnections. There will be no school on this day.

It is always a privilege to be part of our tamariki’s spiritual journeys. Our focus as a Catholic School is to be a place where tamariki can grow in their knowledge and experience of faith. At the end of last term, Father Bill Warwick led a meaningful baptism service where seven of our students took an important step in their faith journey.

Events like this reflect the decisions and desires of whanau as families seek to acknowledge God’s love and action in the world. They also highlight the value we as a school have on encouraging tamariki to encounter God through our Religious Education curriculum. 

• Te Atua- God: including the concept of the trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). 
• Te Rongopai- Good News: the focus here is on encouraging tamariki to know the stories contained in the bible especially about Jesus and how these communicate in a range of styles and purposes. These stories have messages for us to learn from today. 
• Ā Tātou Whakapapa- Our Story: In this theme tamariki are encouraged to explore their own story and the importance of connecting with Church, community and the wider historical spirituality of Aotearoa. 
• Kia Noho Hāhi- Being Church: this theme is about the impact our Catholic faith can have when it is expressed in a way that connects us to our community. Themes relating to Social Justice, hope, discipleship, faith and culture are explored through this strand. 

At a time when Christian spirituality doesn’t always enjoy great popularity in our culture, it is important to be clear in what we communicate to our tamariki through what we teach and the example of our lives. As we encourage them to explore and think about faith, we can see our tamariki take their own steps of growth as God becomes real in their lives at times even  counter to the culture they live in.  Kia kaha!

• It will be a non-uniform day so children can wear their everyday clothes for free. 
• We will also have a fun sports afternoon where sports gear and activities will be set up from 2-3pm for children to engage in how they choose too.

Year NE - 2 (Room 11 & 12)

Date: Wednesday 10th May to Wednesday 21st June 2023 @ 12.30 - 1.30 pm

Year 7 - 8 (Room 1 & 2)

Date: Wednesday 10th May to Wednesday 21st June 2023 @ 1.30 - 2.30 pm

Year 3 - 6 (Room 3, 6, 7 & 8)

Date: Friday 12th May to Friday 23rd June 2023 @ 1.30 - 2.30 pm

All students are required to bring the following: swimming togs, towel & goggles.

It was great to see some of the new uniform items being worn by students at the start of term 2 and we hope the students will enjoy wearing some of the changes.

We have included the uniform letter from the BOT again for your reference and for those parents that might have missed reading it last term.

If you have any questions regarding the uniform please do not hesitate to contact the office.  

‘sKids would like to welcome you all back for Term 2! After a very successful Term 1 programme with many different activities, we have more jam-packed, fun-filled, entertaining after school days this term. At sKids, we promote creativity, discovery and engagement, there is something for everyone at our programme, whether its arts & crafts, science, the outdoors, they’ll find it all at sKids! Join us this term and check out our detailed programme schedule or pop over to the sKids room to have a chat to our staff. Looking forward to seeing you soon’.

Significant changes to the WINZ OSCAR Subsidy have been implemented since the beginning of April. This has resulted in a greater number of families now qualifying for subsidised care, making sKids more affordable.

Here’s a breakdown of families that are now eligible for subsidised care:

• Families with 1 child
• earn a maximum of $111,000 p.a.
• 2 Children
• earn a maximum of $127,000 p.a.
• 3 or more children
• earn a maximum of $143,000 p.a.

To assist families, we have provided information on our website about the OSCAR Subsidy, including a simple calculator to help determine eligibility. We encourage you to share this resource with families to streamline the application process and make accessing the subsidy easier. Try it out yourself on our website: www.sKids.co.nz/OSCAR

Do you know of someone who may have a few hours to spare and is keen on fixing bikes? We have a successful bikes in schools program which has supported all our tamariki as they learn to operate a bike confidently. In order for this to happen though we need to keep our bikes in a good state of repair. If you know of someone who can help out round bike maintenance, please contact the office.

Kia ora tātou,

We are delighted to share with you that Holy Cross School are participating in the Ikura | Manaakitia te whare tangata - period products in schools initiative.

Ikura (periods) are a fact of life for half the population. Through this initiative, the Ministry of Education is providing period products (pads and tampons) to support students in managing their ikura.

Students can miss out on learning, sporting and cultural activities, and feel embarrassed and ashamed if they can’t access products to manage their periods. This negatively impacts their achievement and wellbeing.

The Ikura | Manaakitia te whare tangata initiative is available to all state and state-integrated schools and kura in New Zealand. Research shows that the average age young people start menstruating is decreasing. As a result, access to period products is needed in primary and intermediate as well as secondary schools.

We will have product available for students to use at school and to take home. Students will be advised how they can access these products in a safe and discreet way.

We hope that providing access to period products will help to reduce barriers to accessing education.

For more information on the initiative, please visit: Ministry of Education - Ikura initiative.

Ngā mihi,

Lyn

SZapp Version 4.0.0

There is a new version of SZapp available for Android and IOS Devices. Please ensure that you have updated to this version to assure you receive communications from the school.

If you are using an Android Device, you will need to uninstall the old app and install the new version.

IOS Devices (iPhones) will be able to update without requiring a re-install.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, but we are confident that the improvements in the new version will make it worth it.

An online guide on how to install and register/login to SZapp is available on the Schoolzine Website here:

Click here to view the Installation Instructions

If you experience any difficulties with completing this process, please reach out to Schoolzine using support@schoolzine.com. To assist with your query, they ask that you provide a description of the issue you are facing, the email address you are using when facing this issue and a screenshot of the issue.