The start of a new year often marks new beginnings and that's particularly so in 2024.  A pretty amazing year - so much joy!

We are so grateful to all of our whānau who support our school and each other. We could not have the school we have without your love and support. So much kindness was given and received within our school. Seeing our faith in action every day is our true highlight. We are part of something very special.

How exciting was it that we were officially able to be back in our stunning Cathedral.

We have continued to focus on well-being as a school ensuring that we are all "well to learn". Going forward we are going to continue to put a lot of energy into looking out for each other and looking after ourselves in a post-pandemic world.

Thank you to our staff - you constantly think outside the square providing amazing experiences for our tamariki. You show so much care for our students and your colleagues. We are all blessed.

Thank you to our students - you are all so special we are so grateful for the way you go about your learning and doing your very best.

Thank you to our Year 8 students - thank you for all the amazing contributions you have made to our school during your time here at Sacred Heart Cathedral School.  Be the best version of yourself that you can be. Please take everything you have learnt with you to your new college. Please come back and visit us.

Thank you to our whānau - your contributions enable us to provide the rich curriculum that we are able to offer. In person with your time or providing us with generous donations so we can engage services and give our students rich learning experiences.

Thank you to our Board - your wisdom and governance ensure all student's at our school get an education that is equitable and is one where culture and identity is truly valued.

Thank you to our Parish - we look forward to continuing to support you all as we await the opening of our Cathedral. Our students who participated in the Sacramental programme enjoyed taking their faith a step further.

Kia Tupu

Kia Hua

Kia Puāwai

To grow, to prosper, to sustain.

Together, we can make a difference for each other. 

Being Principal at Sacred Heart Cathedral School is a privilege. Please continue to give me feedback so I can continue to make things better for all our learners.

Kia ora koutou.

Welcome:

We began the 2024 school year by welcoming new families joining our school, new teachers, Nikolai Solia - Director of Religious Studies, Hannah Ryan - Room 10 teacher and we welcomed back Christine Geraghty. We also welcomed Fr. Patrick Bridgman who has returned to the Sacred Heart Cathedral parish.

Our 2024-26 Strategic Plan which was finalised last year has been lodged with the Ministry of Education and a one-page plan is found below this message. This outlines the four areas of focus (Our Faith, Our Learners, Our Staff and Our Community) and the initiatives under each area for the next three years.

This year, there is a school personal development focus on wellbeing (for staff and students), teaching specifically about the Zones of Regulation and managing emotions.

Professional Coaching Support for Principal Leadership Role Funding:

As part of the recent settlement to the Primary Principals’ Collective Agreement 2023-2025, it was agreed that in each of 2023 and 2024 principals can access funding to ensure that they can access coaching and support which enhances their leadership role and supports their professional development and wellbeing. Bernadette worked with the Board to finalise her use of these funds and  attended the following:

• Principals’ Delegation to Canada where they visited schools, met with the Calgary Board of Education (to discuss a focus on wellbeing for staff and students and how Indigenous learning programmes support equitable educational outcomes) and attended the ULead Educational Leadership Conference (a conference focussing on transformational leadership in schools). Bernadette travelled with eight Principals from New Zealand, during April 2024 school holidays.
• Catholic Convention, Wellington, June 2024.
• New Zealand Institute of Wellbeing and Resilience Master Class.

We held a special "Welcome Back to School Liturgy" on Friday, 2nd February.  Father Patrick blessed everyone.

Ash Wednesday Liturgy - Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent:

Easter Liturgy was held at St Mary's on Thursday, 28th March at 9.30 AM.  Parents were welcome to attend.

Mothers' Day Liturgy - We had a beautiful Mother's Day Liturgy on Friday, 10th May, to celebrate all of the amazing women associated with our school and community.

https://youtu.be/gaI7y-Ufdbk 

Pasifika Liturgy - We had a beautiful liturgy on Friday, 24th May to celebrate all Pasifika cultures.

It was an extraordinary liturgy what struck us all was the fluency and confidence in our students using language and delivering language.

We are super grateful to Julius for preparing the liturgy with the students.

The staff at Sacred Heart Cathedral School were so proud of all who was involved.

Matariki Liturgy -We celebrated Matariki with a liturgy on Monday, 24th June. For further details see article on Matariki.

Grandparents' Liturgy was held on Wednesday, 7th August at St Mary's College Hall.

Fathers' Day Liturgy - We had a wonderful Father's Day Liturgy on Thursday, 5th September and we are very grateful to everyone who came and supported us all.

The students were incredible with their singing and sharing of blessings and karakia. Special thanks to Geraldine, Frankie and Adele who organised and served morning tea. Thank you to everyone who took time out of their busy day to support us.

St Lorenzo Ruiz Liturgy - We had a beautiful Liturgy on Friday, 18th October to celebrate Saint Lorenzo the first Filipino saint. A big thank you to Frances and Julius who were instrumental in organising this event.

https://youtu.be/4_fmenfSwh4

Lorenzo Ruiz was canonized at the Vatican in Rome on 18th October 1987. Saint Lorenzo Ruiz is the patron saint of Filipino youth, the Philippines, people working overseas, and altar servers. Lorenzo Ruiz's feast day falls on 28th September.

Caritas

The Middle Syndicate raised $848.40 for Caritas, through their two bake sales at the end of the year!  A big thank you to all our families who provided baking for this and to the families who gave their children money to purchasing the baking!

Thank you for giving your time and helping us inside the classroom and outside the classroom, attending school events, helping out with swimming and coming along on school trips, providing items for our raffles and supporting our various fundraisers. We are very grateful. Without whānau's help, we would not be able to provide the rich curriculum that we offer.

Wheels' Night:

It was wonderful to see whānau at Wheels Night, Friday, 23rd February. The children all had a wonderful time with all their different sorts of wheels. Thanks to all the families who supported this event. Once again, I am super grateful to our dedicated staff who were an integral part of Wheels Night.

Matariki:

Our Matariki Liturgy was led by our students and what a beautiful spiritual encounter it was as we said karakia under the stars.

Our school-wide data at the end of 2024 has shown us that we have many curriculum strengths and it has also shown us areas and cohorts of students where we can strengthen our delivery so it will improve outcomes for students.

What we achieved in 2024?

83% of all students at Sacred Heart Cathedral School are meeting or exceeding expectations in reading.

78% of all students at Sacred Heart Cathedral School are meeting or exceeding expectations in writing.

82% of all students at Sacred Heart Cathedral School are meeting or exceeding expectations in mathematics.

CENTRAL ZONE SPEECH COMPETITION:

Congratulations to the following students who represented Sacred Heart Cathedral School at the Central Zone Speech Competition, last night at Mt Cook School.

Year 5: Sophia D (Room 6) - "Why Family Time Is Important?" 
Year 6: Jiezl (Room 7) - "Secret to Success - Chores!"
Year 7: Janiva (Room 10) - "Why AI Is Good For You?"
Year 8: JC (Room 8) - "Sleep"

Sophia was placed 1st, Jiezl was placed 2nd and Janiva and JC both presented their speeches beautifully and engaged with their audience in a very skillful way. What impressed the staff with the " fab 4" was the quality of the content and the evidence of research.

Ka Pai. We were so proud of you all!

Our 2024 Speech Finalists:

2024 Year 8 Awards

Congratulations to the following students:

Academic Award:  Daniel Rm 10, George Rm 10, Olivia Rm 8 
Sporting Excellence: Pierre Rm 10, Alex Rm 8, Alyssa Rm 8 
Special Character:  Javi Rm 9, Jack Rm 8, Noah T Rm 9
Cultural Leadership:  Nova-lee Rm 10, Xavier Rm 10, Emily Rm 8
Technology and Innovation:  Jaylen Rm 8, Noah T Rm 9, Cooper Rm 8
Community Spirit:  JC Rm 8, Carles Rm 10, Cielo Rm 8.

Special thanks to all of our coaches and managers who have supported the school across multiple sporting codes this year.  Your commitment helps to instill a love of sport and physical activity for our students.

SUMMER FOOTBALL:

We had two middle teams, Aotearoa Amigos and Sacred Heart Strikers and one Junior team, Happy Feet playing in the Kelly Sports Summer Soccer League. Thank you to the parents involved in organising the teams and supporting our students.

BASKETBALL LEAGUE:

This year, we had four basketball teams who played at Akau Tangi:

Ruamoko Years 5 & 6 Boys' team
Tawhirmatea Years 5 & 6 Girls' team
Tangaroa Years 5 & 6 Mixed team
Dunkin Donuts Years 7 & 8 Mixed team

It was great to see all the teams grow in confidence and learn to work/play together as a team. Special thanks to the coaches, managers and supporters.

NETBALL:

We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to the incredible parents who volunteered their time to coach and manage our netball teams this season. Your dedication, support, and encouragement made all the difference, both on and off the court. From organising practices and games to offering guidance and motivation, your hard work has not gone unnoticed.

Your commitment has not only helped our players grow in their skills but has also built a strong sense of teamwork and sportsmanship. We are truly grateful for all that you've done to make this a successful and enjoyable experience.

Thank you for being such an important part of our team!

TOUCH:

Our students thoroughly enjoyed participating in the Touch competition at Wakefield Park. Throughout the season, it was amazing to see skill level improve. Thanks to our coaches, managers and supporters.

SWIMMING - InterZone:

Congratulations to the following students who qualified to compete in the InterZone Swimming Competition:

Archie Rm 6, Yr5: Backstroke
Sophia D Rm 6, Yr5: Butterfly & 25m Backstoke
Isabella C Rm 10, Yr7: Breaststroke & 25m Freestyle
Alyssa Rm 8, Yr 8: 25m & 50m Freestyle
Jiezl Rm 7, Yr6: Breaststroke, Butterfly & 50m Freestyle
Charles S Rm 8, Yr7: Butterfly

ATHLETICS -InterZone:

Congratulations to the following students who qualified to compete in the InterZone Athletics Competition:

Mataio Rm 7, Yr6: 80m, 150m, 800m
Reid Rm 10, Yr 7: 100m
Pierre Rm 10, Yr 8: 100m, 200m, long jump, discus, shotput
Enrico Rm 8, Yr 7: 1500m
Daniel Rm 10, Yr 8 (replacing Pierre), Alex Rm 8, Yr8, Noah L Rm 10, Yr8, Carles Rm 10 - Yr 8: Year 8 Relay
Carles Rm 10, Yr 8: 1500m
Jiezl Rm 7, Yr 6:  80m, 150m high jump
Rebecca Rm 6, Yr 4: 80m, 60m
Janiva Rm 10, Yr 7: 100m, 200m, high jump, long jump, discus, vortex, shotput.
Ryan J Rm 6, Yr 5: High jump
Micah Rm 5, Yr 4: High jump, 80m
Yizheng Rm 7, Yr 6: Quoits
Uriah Rm 10, Yr 7: Discus
Kialani Rm 6, Yr 5: Vortex
Harper Rm 7, Yr 6: Vortex
Nova-lee Rm 10, Yr 8: Vortex
Quinn Rm 9, Yr 8: Shotput
Cristelle Rm 7, Yr 6: 80m, 150m
Alex Rm 8, Yr 8: 200m (replacing Pierre)
Noah L Rm 10, Yr 8: 100m (replacing Pierre)

Junior Oceania Cup 2024 - Tag tournament:

Bailey (Room 3) and Harley (Room 6) participated in the Junior Oceania Cup tag tournament playing for the Cook Islands in Auckland. Both boys walked away from the tournament as MVPs and both teams went undefeated. Congratulations boys!

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GKR WORLD CUP (KARATE):

Congratulations to Louie (Room 8), who competed in the GKR World Cup, in Sydney Australia on Friday, 9th - Sunday, 11th August. 1,400 people took part and there were around 50 males aged 12-13 years in Louie’s division. He got through to the third round for his kata and was knocked out in his kumite. Louie was very proud of his achievements and it was fantastic being part of this event. Well done Louie!

RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS:

Riva (Room 7) competed in the Wellington Junior Open Rhythmic Gymnastics - held at Elements Gymnastics Club. She won 1st overall and in all categories (hoop, freehand & rope). Well done Riva!

PIANO:

Caelum (Room 3) competed in the Hutt Valley Performing Arts Piano and Instrument Competition. He won a Gold Medal and a Trophy on Classical Era, 2 Silver medals on 21st Century Era and Romantic Era, and a Bronze medal on Baroque Era.

Caelum also participated in a Piano Recital Competition called 'Kapi Mana', where he was placed 2nd in the category for all ages, '10 minute RECITAL'.

What wonderful achievements Caelum!

GYMNASTICS:

Cielo (Room 8)competed in the Wellington Champs Gymnastic Competition in Paraparumu. She placed 1st on all her apparatuses and won 1st overall in her category. We are so proud of you Cielo!

Geri (Room 10), competed in the Excel Competition of Capital Gymnastics, held at Newtown Capital Gymnastics on Sunday, 11th August. Geri was placed 1st overall, Level 2. Well done Geri!

Welcome Pōwhiri:

We had a stunning pōwhiri to welcome new staff and families. Special thanks to Caleb Ware and his whānau who supported our staff and students and to Nik Solia for speaking on behalf of those who are new to Sacred Heart Cathedral School.

Introducing & Farewelling our 2024 Mandarin Language Assistant Lingchu:

We welcomed Lingchu, our new Mandarin Language Assistant, who was with us for 2024. Lingchu worked in all of our classes, teaching children Mandarin and Chinese culture. Thank you Lingchu!

Playground Extension:

Tim from Compass Playgrounds, created some stunning socialisation spots in the playground - all with the use of natural timbers. Thank you to Father Patrick who blessed the playground so all who play in it are happy and safe.

Dance:

Mark from Dance Curriculum, came in to teach children dance for two weeks, culminating in a dance performance on Friday, 1st March. The students were all simply incredible, with concentration at the forefront, body movements in sync, and a positive attitude all thrown together to create an incredible performance. Thank you to all whanau who took time out of their busy day to support and encourage our students.

Grip Conference:

Some of our senior students participated in a student leadership conference at Pipitea Marae on 12th March. 

Senior Camp 20th-22nd March 2024:

Special thanks to Julius, Anna, Hannah, and all our amazing parent helpers who supported our students with an amazing outdoor experience. The camp was fabulous we are so lucky to have such a great facility close to our school that is reasonably priced and has great activities and good food. Having a camp at this time of the year helps to extend friendships while encouraging socialisation skills as students are pushed out of their comfort zone.

Thank you to our school community who have been so supportive of camp fundraising activities.

KPMG Sharing Financial know how with our Middle Syndicate:

KPMG supported our middle syndicate in developing their knowledge about being savvy with money.

We celebrated Matariki with a liturgy on Monday, 24th June, attended by our parents and school community.  We also had the star gazing dome in our library.

Kapa Haka Performance Group perform at Spark as part of the Matariki celebrations:

I was so proud of our Performance Kapa Haka Group who performed for employees at Spark as part of Spark Matariki Festivities. Thank you to Nik, Sue, Frances, Rachel and all our parent helpers. The performance group was stunning and captivated the audience. Thanks to Ari who organised for us to provide the bracket for the Spark employees.

https://youtu.be/vSj-t7MqDW0

https://youtu.be/UgguAFPQT-Q

What is Matariki?

The following excerpts were taken from https://matariki.co.nz/.

Welcome to matariki.co.nz, your comprehensive guide to celebrating Matariki, the Māori New Year, in New Zealand. As the stars of the Matariki cluster rise in the winter sky, they signal a time of remembrance, reflection, and renewal across Aotearoa. Matariki is a special period that connects us to the land, the sky, and each other, through a series of events, traditions, and celebrations that are deeply rooted in Māori culture.

Matariki History and Cultural Significance:

Matariki has a rich history and cultural significance in New Zealand, particularly within Māori communities. The celebration is deeply rooted in the country’s indigenous culture and has been passed down through generations. The name “Matariki” means “tiny eyes” or “eyes of god” in Māori and refers to the seven bright stars that make up the Pleiades cluster.

Traditionally, Matariki was used as a way to mark the start of the Māori New Year, which occurs with the rise of the star cluster. It was a time for harvesting and preparing the land for the coming year, as well as a time for honoring ancestors and engaging in cultural practices such as waiata (song), haka (dance), and kai (food).

Today, Matariki has become an increasingly popular and widely celebrated event in New Zealand. It is a time for all New Zealanders to come together and recognize the importance of Māori culture and its contributions to the country’s identity. Many events and activities are organized around the country to celebrate Matariki, including art exhibitions, concerts, food festivals, and cultural workshops.

Ngā mihi o te Kirihimete me te Tau Hou!

Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

Thank you for all the support you have given our school throughout 2024.

To those families who are leaving Sacred Heart Cathedral School - thank you for everything you have done to make our school the great place that it is.

Please take time for yourself over the summer. Do all those things you love doing and bring joy, truly relax, and rebuild yourselves ready for the opportunities of 2025. We have deeply reflected and evaluated our progress and areas that we can strengthen as we navigate our 2025 approach. We will continue to embrace the required changes and adapt by building on our strengths. We know we need to be adaptive, relational, and strong in ensuring all of our students are grounded in their own culture and confident in who they are. This will continue to be a focus for us. Our staff will be upskilling in new approaches when teaching structured Literacy and Mathematics. Our refreshed curriculum will continue to ensure that learning experiences will continue to be relevant and purposeful.

Blessings to you all!

Bernadette