Newsletter Term 1 Week 5

Dear Parents

We were thrilled with the number of parents and grandparents who were able to join with us for the Open Morning and LINC-Ed workshop this week. Our intention is to offer these workshops and “open” times on a regular basis so that you have opportunities to be with us at times that meet your working and family commitments and schedules as well. Do keep an “eye” out for the next “Reading Together” workshop which we will offer towards the end of March.

This morning Learning Community Whenua (Yr 1) led us in an Assembly Liturgy reminding us to keep working on our Lenten promises and to make good choices even when it is difficult as that is what God wants us to do. This Caritas Lenten prayer helps us to focus on this …

E te Ariki, we pray for Your guidance during our Lenten journey
May these times of reflection and prayer help us to more clearly see your face – the face of mercy.
Provide us with the strength to be Your voice and to make good choices
Help us to help others face the tests that challenge them.

Amen

DRS Report

Ash Wednesday

We celebrated Ash Wednesday together with St Mary’s School with Fr Peter and Fr Maliu and it was wonderful to see families from both schools attending this special occasion. It was also great to see our children/tamariki participate in the Liturgy alongside students from St Mary’s School. We pray that as we journey together this Lenten Season, that our relationship and fellowship with our families and wider Catholic community be strengthened by God’s grace.

St Patrick’s Feast Day

On Friday 17 March our school will be celebrating St Patrick’s Feast Day by having a Mufti Day with a theme of wearing something green. Children may wear green clothing and accessories on this day. We ask that each child bring a gold coin donation which will go towards Caritas. Caritas New Zealand is the Catholic Bishop’s Agency for justice, peace and development. It is a charity which works on behalf of the New Zealand Catholic Bishop’s Conference to free the world from poverty and injustice. Our school will do our part by coming together on this ‘Green St Patrick’s Day’.

Each Learning Community has Caritas Donation Boxes in which the children are welcome to give donations during this term. It will go towards a worthy cause – to help Caritas assist our people of Aotearoa.

caritas_main_logo

THANK YOU to the group of parents who have kindly offered to run a Sausage Sizzle for lunchtime on St Patrick’s Day. From Monday, children will be able to order and pay for their sausages and bread at the school office. Cost of x 1 sausage and bread will be $1.

Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences

Conferences will be held Thursday 23rd March from 3:15pm – 7:00pm. This is an opportunity for Teachers/Kaitiaki and your child/ren to share recent assessments, results and identified learning strengths and areas of need with you. We would like students to be present too so they can also share in and contribute to this learning conversation about their learning goals and also in how they are settling into school life at Holy Trinity. Conference times will be for 15 minutes. We will inform you of the “booking conference time” procedures in the near future.

Curriculum Learning

This term our Concept learning focus is UNITY/Kotahitanga encompassing Religious Education, Social Sciences and Health learning areas. This means our students will be able to independently use their learning to “actively model the power of relationships as expressed in the unity of the Holy Trinity”.

Some of our big ideas are:

How does the Holy trinity affect unity in communities?
What does it look like to unite as a community?
Why form relationships in a community?
Ask your child/ren to share their “UNITY”learning with you!

Our Trip to the Swamp Kauri

On Friday afternoon the 3rd of March, our Learning Community went to explore the swamp kauri near our school site. We arrived at the kauri logs. I didn’t realise they were so huge. Mr van der Merwe told us more about their history and how why they are called swamp kauri.

These trees are apparently very old. People are desperate for these trees because they are very valuable. I was very surprised to hear this because I didn’t know anything about these trees. The reason why we went to see these trees was because we are learning more about our environment and the community of Takanini.

by Pierre Quizora, Learning Community Moana

Open Morning for Parishioners

This Sunday 12th March from 11:00am – 1:00pm, we will be extending an invitation to parishioners from St Mary’s Parish, Papakura and St Anne’s Parish, Manurewa to come along, view and admire our new school buildings and to share in a little more of the Holy Trinity Charism.

Haka “Tirahatia nga Poutaahuu”

Papakura Schools are collaborating on learning and performing a Papakura Schools’ Haka that is very significant and unique to this Papakura/Takanini area. The Haka promotes each school as supporting posts being gathered as a collective strength. A verse of this Haka has been specifically written and gifted to our school which we are all busy learning together with the help of our senior students in Moana. If you hear us practising at school, please come in and join with us so that our special verse truly becomes our community Haka. The cross-schools launch of this Haka will be at Papakura Intermediate Wednesday 29th March.

School Communications

LINC-ED is the Student Management System we are using at Holy Trinity School and has a parent portal that allows you to receive online notices, community alerts and blogs that provide information about the Learning Communities and school as a whole. This forum also allows access to your child/ren’s progress and achievement reporting, learning goals, reflections and evidence. You will receive timely information about your child’s learning, be able to view their progress, goals and ways in which you can help at home

Further information with steps to set-up and access this parent portal will be distributed to you by email plus further workshops will be held at school to share how you can use this online forum portal effectively.

Policy and Procedures

It is aways good practice at the beginning of each year to inform parents and community of the appropriate channel to share concerns or worries. Schools are required to have a Complaints Policy in place. The purpose is to provide clear guidelines for the school community in raising and resolving concerns and complaints.

These procedures enable us to:

maintain the best learning environment for our students
resolve matters of concern early, if possible
respond to feedback and concerns constructively
deal with complaints fairly, effectively, and promptly
take into account individual circumstances
maintain confidentiality
preserve school/community relationships and communication
monitor and record complaints and concerns about student safety.

Most complaints can be resolved informally by discussions with the people concerned.

Discuss the issue with the right person.
Work towards a resolution.

School Information

Attendance Dues Payment Information

Attendance Dues for 2017 invoices have been sent to families. Students brought these home in hard copy on Tuesday 21st February. Please note that there are 3 options for payment.

Full amount paid by Internet Banking to ASB school account – details on the invoice
Automatic Payment to be set up via internet banking to ASB school account
Payment can be made at the school office – cash or Eftpos

Please see Jennifer Quarterman (Office Administrator) or Peta Lindstrom (Principal) in the strictest confidence if you have any concerns or questions regarding the payment of Attendance Dues