Greetings, Kia ora, Kia orana, Talofa, Mālō e lelei, Namaste, Ni Hao, Bula, Hola, Kumusta, Namaskārām, Sat Shri Akaal, Vanakkam and Ayubowan
Dear Families
This is a beautiful time in the Church season when we celebrate two of the oldest and most sacred days – “The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ” and “The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus”. We love the month of June, because of the wealth and richness of these beautiful feast days. It is so easy to be too busy about life and to let these days bypass us. It is always uplifting to be called back to these traditional, rich days through the celebration of the sacraments – especially for our Holy Trinity students who are receiving the gift of Confirmation and First Holy Communion this weekend. We extend our love and blessings upon them all.
The Feast of the Scared Heart – we know that the heart is a sign of love. Jesus’ heart is so full of love that he shares his life and love with everyone. We rejoice in the gifts of love that we have received from the heart of Jesus and we pray that our hearts will be opened too, to share in Jesus’ life and to continue to be blessed by his love!
DRS Report
Holy Trinity Feast Day Celebrations!
Last week on Friday, we had a huge day of celebrating our Feast Day!
We began our day with our Trinity Feast Day Mass which was led by our children and teachers of MacKillop whānau and Pompallier whānau. Father John Jolliffe, who is supporting Father James Mulligan at St Mary’s Parish Papakura, was our celebrant for the Mass. In the afternoon, we had our annual Trinity’s Got Talent Show which highlighted the different talents that our children are blessed with. A huge thank you to all our families who joined us for Mass in the morning and for our talent show in the afternoon. Our school is lucky to have such an awesome supportive community.
Sacramental Journey
We congratulate some of our students who are receiving the Sacraments of Confirmation and First Holy Communion this weekend at St Mary’s Parish Papakura. It is always wonderful to celebrate our tamariki as they learn more about their faith through the Sacramental Programme. Students will receive Confirmation at the Mass on Friday 9 June at 7:00pm. Then on Saturday 10 June, they will receive their First Holy Communion at the 5:00pm Mass.
Congratulations to: Amadea Azuro, Anayah Fernandes, Quideon Rox Jaro, Eli Rojano, James Soo Choon, Nichodemas Hunt, Isabella Porter and Thomas Hunt.
Religious Education Books Coming Home
Next week, our tamariki will be bringing home their Religious Education (RE) books to share their learning with you. It would be wonderful if you can take some time to go through their learning with the children and to write a whānau comment in the books. This is always a great way to connect with families and to let you know what we are learning about in Religious Education.
YCC Mufti Day
Friday June 30 is Caritas YCC Day for all Catholic schools across Aotearoa NZ. YCC stands for Youth Creating Change or You + Caritas Combined or Your Coins Counts and Young Catholics Care.
We will have a whole school mufti day with the theme of “Crazy Socks” – old, new, colourful, stripy, long, short, mismatched! We’ll come to school in our crazy socks and give a gold coin donation in support of Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand who is working to support Oecusse School in Timor-Leste. Our Bishops are excited about the event and about us all joining in solidarity with the school, which Caritas supports. Your gold coin will help provide working toilets for Oecusse School, which has more than 800 students and no working toilets. It’s in great need of support to repair and replace broken, unsanitary toilet bowls; repair hand-washing stations in the toilet facilities; and fix water pipes for supplying water to different areas in the school.
Don’t forget to bring your gold coin and we look forward to ending our school term with a YCC Crazy Socks Day!
St Ignatius of Loyola Catholic College Visitors
This week, we hosted senior staff from St Ignatius of Loyola Catholic College. It was a pleasure to spend time with the Heads of The Arts, English and Social Sciences Departments. The St Ignatius Team was very keen to hear about Holy Trinity school’s local story, our narrative, our school culture, our special catholic character, and our learning culture. The team also spent time chatting with students who are enrolled to attend St Ignatius College from 2024 – asking them about their hopes for St Ignatius – it was wonderful to listen to our students expressing and sharing their hopes and dreams of how they want secondary schooling to be for them!
Filipino Families Gathering –
Indpendence Day Celebrations!
Kumusta Filipino Families!
Our Filipino Families will be gathering together on Monday 12th June at 6:00pm commencing with a shared meal. We look forward to spending special time together with our Filipino families as we celebrate Filipino Independence Day!
Please bring a plate of food to share for dinner!
There’ll also be some entertainment from our own Filipino Community families as a special treat for Filipino Independence Day celebrations.
This time together is providing opportunities for our school families/whānau to get to know each other a little better – to build whanaungatanga/relationships, to share and help plan for school language weeks, to share information about our current school Health Curriculum programmes and to gather whānau voice about health issues and concerns for our tamariki children.
We value this time together in getting to know our families, your stories, your desires for your children and your desires for our school.
Please come along and share in this special time!
PTFA News …
- Mark your calendars! We are planning a Matariki Disco on Friday 28th July, with two time slots to keep the numbers under control. Tentative times are: Juniors – 5:30-6:30 and Seniors – 6:30-7:30
- We will be holding our AGM on Tuesday the 20th June – 6:30pm. This is a wonderful chance to have your say if you have ideas for fundraising or school projects, or if you’d like to get more involved in the PTFA here at school.
We look forward to seeing you all on Tuesday 20th June for the AGM @ 6:30pm in the school staffroom.
‘Discovery Learning Sharing Day’
We extend a warm invitation to our whānau to attend the “Discovery Learning Sharing Day” on Wednesday, 28th June. Our students’ will be presenting their Discovery learning on the day and the available times are: 9.00am – 10.30am and 1.45pm – 2.30pm.
Currently, they are busy completing their inquiries to show how they have used scientific investigation skills to make discoveries about how people lived in the past and use these to make a difference that can strengthen our communities today.
We look forward to seeing you all there!
2023 Matariki ki Papakura Project
Our school has been invited to participate in the 2023 Matariki ki Papakura project to create a waahi Rongoā – a healing space that will have native rongoā plants and Harakeke plants that are being revived at Papakura Marae. This waahi rongoā is for the community and will need kaitiaki to ensure it is looked after, cared for, protected and held safe in the years to come.
The two key dates for schools and community groups that have been invited as Kaitiaki for Matariki ki Papakura 2023 are:
- June 14 2023 – Kaitiaki wānanga day
- July 20 2023 – Planting day
Learning Community News
Learning Community Whenua
Whenua tamariki discovered that the BIBLE is a library of many books, which is divided into 2 parts – The OLD TESTAMENT and the NEW TESTAMENT. This discovery has led us to use the BIBLE as a source of information when we need to find out something about what God would like us to learn and use in our lives. We have started re-reading the Bible from the first book – Genesis (The creation story) and this links to our Science discovery where we are investigating soil types and their uses.
Our tamariki have set up experiments of planting seeds in clay, sand and soil and the observation is that;
- We need to be kaitiaki of the plants
- Seeds grow well in soil and not in sand and clay.
- Sand and clay may have other uses
This led to a further question of: What are the uses of sand and clay?
These are some of our responses:
“We can use sand to make art work.” Thomas
“We can play in sand” – Lucy
“Sand is used to make glass” – Amaya
“Clay is used to make pots and containers” Zeke
Learning Community Awa
This week in Learning Community Awa, the children deepened their understanding of the “Fruits of the Holy Spirit”. They were able to identify and describe ways the Fruits of the Holy Spirit nurture love in our everyday interactions. The learners eagerly shared ways they show “kindness” at home and at school and times when they are needing to exercise self-control.
In P.E. we learned about our magnificent bodies and growing our ‘Tinana” with a key focus on the lungs which integrated well with our science learning.
Using the scientific method, our little scientists participated in multiple experiments and recorded their findings. We are working on the preservation of the land. In Arts, we have been discovering the ‘Elements of Arts’ and have successfully learned about line, space and texture as well as mixed media arts. The children have created the most beautiful Art pieces and we look forward to sharing these with you. Linking our learning in Arts and Science, we are using Mixed Media Artwork– using rubbish to create a collage to preserve and help strengthen community!
Learning Community Moana
In Learning Community Moana we have been working hard to create artwork to share our “discovery” learning around water preservation. We started by sketching a rough outline for our artwork, we then used different mediums to add colour to our art and to share the different scientific discoveries that help to preserve our awa.
We are extremely excited to visit our local awa next week to learn more about freshwater invertebrates and their role in water preservation.
Learning Community Maunga
In Maunga, students explored and learnt about the significant places that make up our school pepeha, places that are significant to us as a school. We visited places such as the Pahurehure Inlet and Pukekiwiriki Paa – Red Hill.
From the ākonga/learners …
“Something that really stood out for me about the trip was learning about the kumara pits and the history behind the Maori wars. It was interesting because I’m curious about NZ history. I learned that Red Hill is an active volcano and that it’s named Red Hill because there was a lot of blood spilt. I learned that Red Hill is a sacred place because many people were buried there. It is an area of high ground looking at the Manukau Harbour.”
By: Lucien
“The landscape and rich history about the places in the Papakura pepeha were interesting. With astonishing views from the top of Red Hill and the beach at Weymouth. I loved every part of the journey – Wattle Downs, Pahurehure Inlet and Red Hill.”
By: Kiean
“Something I will always remember about our trip is that we did the Papakura haka on the top of Red Hill – Pukekiwiriki. In that moment, I felt really good representing the school and the people. While doing it I thought of the people that fought and died at Red Hill.”
By: James Santos
“Something I really enjoyed about the trip was drawing the Pahurehure Inlet because it gave me a sense of peace. The scenery was beautiful and I really liked drawing the amazing view, noticing what was happening to the land. This experience will stay in my mind for a long time.”
By: Ethan
Learning Community Ngahere
In LC Ngahere, we have been investigating science experiments to test the pH of different samples and how we can use the results to inform the way we can contribute and strengthen our communities.
As part of our learning under the concept of “Discovery”, some students in Learning Community Ngahere have visited the Kings Plant Barn on Friday 9th June, 2023 to learn more about plants. Different types of plants can be found in various locations. Why and how is this so?
Students are delving deeper to learn more about how plants are grown. Students have learned about the many types of soil needed to grow various sorts of plants, as well as the surroundings required for plant growth. Students visited a small glasshouse and learned why glasshouses are needed to cultivate plants. Is it safe to grow plants with new technology?
The overall information students gathered through observations and discussions, is being utilised by the students to finish their projects using scientific knowledge and visual art abilities to urge our community to be a kaitiaki of nature and strengthen the community.
Some of our students are learning about electricity. Students are researching how electricity is generated and how ‘current passes through cables’. Students are looking forward to making their own working presentations through visual arts skills as part of their science learning experience.
Cool Schools Peer Mediation Programme
In the last newsletter, we talked about how our learners have been unpacking the term ‘conflict’ and the different ways people deal with conflict. Our learners have also been looking at what mediation is, and what qualities make a good mediator.
Hauora /WellBeing Programmes
Next week, groups of students will be working alongside our SWiS (Social Worker in Schools) – Allwin Shjah as part of Circle Time and Seasons for Growth. These programmes focus on students’ well-being/hauora.
Circle Time provides valuable opportunities for students to practise speaking and listening skills, social skills, turn-taking and team-building skills whilst being an enjoyable and uplifting part of the school week; all through art and play!
“Seasons for Growth” is a small group programme that supports children to learn ‘that change is a part of life’ by naming and caring for feelings, problem-solving, making good choices and developing support networks.
Te Whare Tapa Whā: Whānau Kōrero
Students – discuss with your whānau about how you are looking after your …
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Taha tinana – physical health
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Taha whānau – social health
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Taha wairua – spiritual health ef. Our beliefs, traditions, practices that support self awareness & identity
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Taha hinengaro – mental & emotional health
Which aspect of wellbeing do you need to work on the most? What can you do as a whānau to support each other to work on this?
This week’s Whānau Challenge:
Complete an activity as a whānau according to which aspect of wellbeing you need to work on.
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Taha tinana – Go outside for a family walk or gather everyone to play an outdoor sport.
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Taha whānau – Participate in a board game night with your whānau.
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Taha wairua – plan a time for prayer with your whānau
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Taha hinengaro – practice breathing techniques to relax your mind
Sports News
North Counties Netball Tournament
Our Year 7 and 8 students participated in the North Counties Netball tournament on Wednesday 7th June.
We can be very proud as “Our Future Silver Ferns” finished FIRST in the intermediate non – competitive grade – Well Done to them!
North Counties Rippa Tournament
Along with St Mary’s School Papakura, we will be co-hosting the North Counties Rippa Tournament at Bruce Pulman Park on Wednesday 21 June with a save day of Friday 23 June. It will be a great day with more than 20 teams of Years 5-8 students from different schools in Papakura, participating in the tournament. We are looking for a ‘rippa referee’ to help support us on the day with refereeing our games. If you are able to or know someone who can, we would really like to hear from you. Please contact Ana Silva at asilva@holytrinity.school.nz – THANK YOU!
Whole School Cross Country
In the last week of the term, we will be having our whole school cross country day on Wednesday 28 June from 11:00am. Our tamariki will be running in their year levels and earning points for their whānau group. It will be a great day too and we invite you to come along and either run with your little ones or cheer them on from the side. More information will be shared on Hero closer to the date!
Caught Being Good Awards – Duffy Books in Homes
Congratulations to our latest winners of the “Caught Being Good” awards. Our wonderful tamariki have been caught doing wonderful things such as seeing a need and doing something about it, being a role model, showing whanaungatanga, and looking after the environment.
We’re always keen to see more children being nominated, so have a chat at home with your child about ways they can show the Gospel values at school, and why it’s important to show those values, even when they think no one is watching!
Reminders
School Photos by Photolife
School Photos will be taken on Monday 19th June at school only for Learning Community Ngahere, student leaders and staff. Please ensure that students are wearing the correct school uniform on the day, many thanks.
School Enrolments
It is really important that we know of all younger brothers and sisters that are commencing schooling with us in 2024. If you have little ones at home, please contact the school office to make a time to meet with Miss Lindstrom so they can be assured of a placement at Holy Trinity School for when they are ready to start in 2024.
School enrolments for 2024 CLOSE by 31st August 2023 and
placements for 2024 will be confirmed by 30th September 2023.
Good Luck to our students …
This weekend, we have some Holy Trinity students who will be performing and competing at the NZ Modern School of Music Annual Competition!sKids School Holiday Programme
As the July school holidays approach, we are delighted to announce our July Holidays Programme is all about Exploring! We would like to extend a warm invitation to the entire school community to join us in this exciting holiday programme.
During these holidays, we are eager to take your students on an immersive journey of exploration, discovery, and endless fun. Each day of our programme will be filled with a wide range of engaging activities and games that will captivate and entertain students throughout the day. Our carefully curated experiences aim to foster their curiosity, stimulate their sense of adventure, and provide opportunities for them to discover new interests and expand their horizons.
“Unlock the spirit of exploration these July School Holidays! Join us for an incredible journey and explore the July School Holidays with sKids. From exciting activities to immersive games, there’s a world of discovery awaiting your child. Don’t miss out! Visit skids.co.nz/Holy_Trinity
Thank you for your support, and we look forward to an unforgettable July Holidays Exploration with our students.
Upcoming School Events
Confirmation Mass for candidates
Friday 9th June @ 7:00pm St Mary’s Parish, Papakura
First Holy Communion Mass for candidates
Saturday 10th June @ 5:30pm St Mary’s Parish, Papakura
Students’ Religious Education (RE) Books going home
Monday 12th-Friday 16th June
Papakura Stream Visit by Learning Community Moana
Monday 12th June 9am-1pm
Filipino Families Gathering
Monday 12th June @ 6:00pm in Taamaua/school hall commencing with a shared evening meal
Peer Mediators Training
Friday 16th June in Taamaua/school hall
School Liturgy and Assembly – led by Learning Communities Whenua/Moana
Monday 19th June @ 9:15am in Taamaua/school hall
PHOTOLIFE Make Up Day for Staff, LC Ngahere and Senior Leaders photos
Monday 19th June @ 10:00am in Taamaua/school hall
PTFA AGM (Annual General Meeting)
Tuesday 20th June 6:30pm in the school staffroom
Kāhui Ako South Auckland Catholic Schools Mass
Wednesday 21st June @ 10:00am in St Theresa’s Parish Church, Mangere
Rippa Rugby Years 5-8 Tournament – Holy Trinity hosting
Wednesday 21st June @ Bruce Pulman Park, Takanini
KIWI English, Maths, Science Exams
Tuesday 27th June @ school
Holy Trinity School Cross Country Day
Wednesday 28th June
Holy Trinity DISCOVERY LEARNING Sharing Day
Wednesday 28th June 9:00am-10:30am & 1:45pm-2:30pm in the Learning Communities
School Board Monthly Meeting
Wednesday 28th June 7:00pm in the school staffroom
MUFTI DAY – YCC Caritas Fundraising
Friday 30th June
Term 2 Concludes at 2:50pm
Friday 30th June
Term 3 Commences at 8:50am
Monday 17th July
St Joseph’s School Pukekohe Centenary
Upcoming Community Events
44th Annual Counties Music Competitions
This is a very exciting event for our students and families. Over 1000 performances over the two days. Our biggest event to date.LOCATION: Franklin Baptist Church 128 Victoria Street Pukekohe
FRIDAY: Guitar, ukulele, keyboard, vocals, entertainment.
SATURDAY: piano – modern and classical.
CHURCH CAFE OPEN
CASH ENTRY only $5 Adults $1 Child
