OUR LADY STAR OF THE SEA SCHOOL

NEWSLETTER

No. 11

2013

MISSION STATEMENT

We are a Catholic School that is Christ centred, living the Gospel values and our Mission is to .... Nurture faith Build community Strive for excellence Promote the practices of service and justice

PHONE: 538-0195 FAX: 538-0196EMAIL: office@starofthesea.school.nz

WEB : www.starofthesea.school.nz

No 11 Friday 5 July 2013

Dear Parents

NetsafeOn Monday evening, the Netsafe team will present in our hall. This community meeting is aimed at KEEPING OUR CHILDREN SAFE. Unfortunately there are more and more instances of children being ‘groomed’ e.g. Facebook. The contact is virtual and therefore our children believe themselves safe. However it doesn’t take long for an unsuspecting child to be taken advantage of by an adult. That’s why we encourage all our families to have access and visual to all of our children’s communication tools i.e. keep in the living areas and NOT the bedroom. PLEASE make the TIME TO ATTEND this COMMUNITY MEETING.

TrafficPlease do take responsibility for our children’s safety amongst the dense traffic before and after school. By turning into driveways and then backing into traffic …. stopping in the middle of the road for a child to get out of the car and run across the road … doing uturns that stop other vehicles … not indicating when pulling out from kerb … are just some of the concerns regularly seen. We do not wish for an accident involving one of our children to change our attitude!

Religious Education

In the words of Pope Francis …Crossing the threshold of faith is acting, trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit present in the Church and who is also manifest in the signs of the times; it is accompanying the constant movement of life and of history without falling into the paralyzing defeatism that regards any time in the past as being better;

it is sense of urgency to think of something new, to contribute something new, kneading into life “the new leaven of justice and holiness” (cf. 1 Cor 5:8)Cleary   House Mass This weekend the Cleary House will celebrate Mass in the parish church at 9.30 am. All members of Cleary House and their families are invited to attend. Pupils attending the Mass should do so in school uniform and families are invited to donate to the parish foodbank.

Prayer Intention: We pray for the people of Egypt, that the new leaders will put the needs of their people first, and that peace and stability will return to their country. Lord hear us.

ConfirmationCongratulations to the 95 children who were Confirmed by Bishop Pat Dunn last Sunday evening. It was great to see you supported by your family and friends, and those who were your sponsors.Term 2 Mufti DayA big thank you for your generous donations to our recent MUFTI day. The Bishop's Caring Foundation will benefit by $671.70 which will be spread among the many charities that the foundation supports.Saint Vincent de PaulThe food items that you donate when your child's class is celebrating a Thursday Mass or liturgy goes straight to our parish Saint Vincent de Paul Society who distribute it to local families. Our Junior Service group bag the food and have it ready for pick up by a Society member each Friday. Thank you for your donations which help needy families in our area.

PersonnelWe thank Mrs Carrol Lombard for the four years she has given to our school and children. Carrol is a fine practitioner who loves the classroom environment along with the class of pupils. Carrol is leaving our scchool and we wish her all the best in future endeavours.

TONIGHT !!!!!!THIS EVENING our end of term P.T.A. disco for ALL students will occur in the hall – ALL WELCOME. As usual there will be adult supervision and school rules will still

apply. We thank the P.T.A. disco parents who have organized this event for our children.Date: TONIGHT - Friday 5 July  2013Time: 6.30 till 8pmEntry fee: $3.00 per student Parents are free!!!

Glow Sticks $2.00 eachSausage Sizzle $1.50Drinks $1.50 OR Combo $2.50

D.J will be there with everyone’s favourite songs to dance to !!!!Spot prizes and tons of fun to be had ……. See you all there TONIGHT !!!!!

Open EveningOn Tuesday classrooms will remain open for our community till 6.00 p.m. During this time, you are very welcome to visit your child’s classroom … observe displays … look at bookwork … and have your child as host. This is not a formal event. It is for our parent community to talk with our children about their respective academia in this working environment. Staff will be on site in the classrooms.

FacebookTheStar of the Sea ‘family’ facebook is organised by our parent community. It is independent of the school. Therefore questions involving the ‘family’ facebook need be resolved on line. The school is not a member of the ‘family’ facebook. Therefore, staff are unable to answer any questions.

Te TuhiNext week all the Year 3 & 4 classes will be visiting Te Tuhi at Pakuranga. We have a long relationship with the gallery and are looking forward to our visit, which will prepare us for next semesters' curriculum study. Thank you to the parents who have offered transport.

Major Curriculum ReviewOn Thursday, we will review curriculum areas relating to our children’s learning, strengths …. areas for improvement … recommendations will be recorded. This information then becomes the basis for our school’s future development of learning.

GoalsAll students will be bringing home their June Summary Learning Goals on Wednesday 10 July. These are the same learning goals as in students’ respective portfolios and will have been discussed at the recent Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences. Please keep as a reference for Term 3 learning.

I.C.A.S. EnglishIn the week immediately after the holidays, those children who have entered the ICAS English will have the test administered.

Kea PatrolThe Kea Patrol meets each term to review procedure and also to rotate the patrol leadership responsibility. The Kea Patrol monitors take their role very seriously and we are very pleased with their ongoing efforts.

Health and SafetyAs part of the school’s Heath and Safety programme, Ken Baird will check all power leads within the school environment. The school is required to annually check the leads for obvious safety reasons.

Travelwise LaunchLast Friday, some 100 pupils, staff and parents from Howick, Point View and Botany Primary schools joined us in the hall. This occasion marked the official launch of the above schools’ cluster. With Council and Police support we will continue to educate our children and community about traffic and travel safety, inclusive of healthy choices.

E.S.O.L.Thank you to all the parents who turned out in great numbers for the recent E.S.O.L. meeting. It is wonderful to have an organized meeting that is valued so much by our parent community. Many thanks to Jan Botherway, Robyn Ruff and Peta Lindstrom for presenting the information.

SushiWith so few regular orders and sometimes confusion about the need to order on Monday for the Tuesday sushi, we have decided to stop this weekly event. It was always subject to review of whether it was meeting a need or demand. We apologise for any subsequent inconvenience.

Sports JacketsDue to the supplier going into receivership we are no longer able to supply navy/red/white sports jackets for individual sale at the moment. We are currently looking for a new supplier and will let parents know in due course if these will be available.

Thank YouA huge thank you to Eamonn Guinan who gave so generously of his time, materials and expertise in painting the pillars in the Information Centre.  It looks wonderful and we are all delighted with the result.

Contact DetailsIf your address and/or telephone numbers (mobile, home, work) or your emergency caregiver’s number has changed please contact the office with updated details.

Parenting Tips for Healthy KidsFi Jamieson-Folland is a qualified osteopath, educator, writer and health mentor and has recently presented two Parent Education Health Workshops at school. Fi has included advice and information in this week's newsletter.Keep an eye out for future health articles to be shared by Fi.

$$$$$$$ for schools is back .... This promotion is open to the families, friends, and staff of the participating schools – just tell GBS staff that you are from Our Lady Star of the Sea School. Dine in at the GBS Bar and Restaurant at the Prospect in Howick and earn points for our school. The school with the most points at the end of the promotion win a cash prize of $3000. Bonus points! Monday and Tuesday (earn double points). The promotion runs from MONDAY 13 MAY UNTIL SUNDAY 25 AUGUST 2013. Organise a Mums’ dinner or a group of friends and have a fun night out while earning points for our school.

Entertainment Books - PTA FundraiserIf you wish to purchase additional copies please contact the office. With the school holidays coming up look online for the wonderful savings you can make in all areas of entertainment. From the cost of the book at $65, $13 is donated to our PTA fundraising efforts.

TRAVEL WISE ALERT !!It is everyone’s responsibility to keep our kids safe

Keep our children safe … and park safe.Please play your part by:

- Always observing the parking restrictions near the school- Always using the school patrol crossing

- Choosing safety over convenience at all times- Walk with your child or join a Walking School Bus

Do enjoy the family times created by the holiday period. Life is very busy so we must ‘make the time’ to enjoy family … the laughter … talk …. visits …. entertainment. Our families grow up so quickly and often only in retrospect do we realise just how important family is! Jesus gave us the example of family. Let’s then put His attitude and values in place for our families.

Yours in Christ

Ken McKayPrincipal

EVENTSP.T.A. Disco Hall 6.30 p.m. Fri 5 JulyCleary House Mass 9.30 a.m. Sun 7 JulyNETSAFE Hall 7.00 p.m. Mon 8 JulyTe Tuhi visits Year 3 & 4 8/9/11 JulyOpen Evening 3 – 6 p.m. Tues 9 JulyB.O.T. Meeting 6 p.m. Tues 9 July‘Goals’ distributed Wed 10 JulyMajor Curriculum Review Thurs 11 JulyMass/Liturgy Room 9/14 Thurs 11 JulyKea Patrol meet 10.30 a.m. Thurs 11 JulyMegan McKenna inservice Fri 12 JulyTerm 2 concludes FRI 12 JULYTerm 3 commences MON 29 JULYI.C.A.S. English Wed 31 JulyMass/Liturgy Room 1/17 Thurs 1 Aug

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