The start of a new year often marks new beginnings and that's particularly so in 2023.  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.

Being able to help out two Hawkes Bay schools really showed our commitment to helping those in need. Our school community donated over $2000 to families in Hawkes Bay plus we filled a truck with non-perishable items that helped families whose possessions were destroyed by the forces of nature.

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.

https://youtu.be/hLXvro35878 

During the holiday break, the school was recladded and new windows were also put in. We are very grateful to the Archdiocese of Wellington who funded this project (income for the Archdiocese of Wellington is from Attendance Dues).

Our school turf was extended and our students are really enjoying having extra space to play in.

We had a wonderful community event Te Ahi Ora. Our Board combined with staff put a great deal of thought into the Health and Safety for the event.

Our Board consulted extensively to gather input form our community to set the direction for 2024 and beyond. We were very grateful for all the amazing suggestions and the endorsement that we are heading in the right direction.

Thank you for giving your time and helping us inside the classroom and outside the classroom. We are very grateful. Without whānau's help, we would not be able to provide the rich curriculum that we offer.

Generous parent donations have enabled our students to attend many wonderful events and activities inside and outside the classroom. For example swimming, Te Papa, the Museum of Wellington, Life Education, visiting Pipitea Marae, Parliament, Retreats, transportation to the beach, Wharewaka tour of Wellington and sports at the ASB in Kilbirnie.

We have also purchased more iPads and Chromebooks to support students with their learning in the classroom. Reading eggs and mathletics licenses help our students to consolidate their learning through an online platform.

At Sacred Heart Cathedral School, we really want to support students to be the best they can be. We have a dynamic Learning Support Programme that provides interventions that support learners in Reading, Writing and Mathematics. We use extra teachers and teacher aides to work one on one or with small groups to break down learning into achievable bites.

Watch this video to see Strike performance.

https://youtu.be/yP7t992Qis4

Welcome to our new Chinese Language Assistant: Hanwen

We welcomed Hanwen, our new Chinese Language assistant to our school at Monday afternoon's school assembly.

 Hanwen taught our students so much about Mandarin Language and Chinese history.

Our school-wide data at the end of 2023 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 2023?

84% of all students at Sacred Heart Cathedral School are meeting or exceeding expectations in reading.

76% 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.

Gifted Learners Award: Congratulations to Tālā  (Room 6) who has been awarded a Gifted Learners Award from the Ministry of Education.

The award is to support gifted learners and challenge them to extend themselves. Tālā has chosen to use her award to receive tutoring in French, fostering her passion and curiosity for languages and cultures.

Well done Tālā! What an incredible opportunity that is well-deserved. We are very proud of you! Malo lava.

Scholarship Recipients:

We are so proud of two Pasifika Year 8 students who last year were the recipients of scholarships. TJ was awarded - Kiley Family Memorial Trust Secondary Education scholarship. Joseph was awarded the Toloa Scholarship. Both have gone on to St Patrick's College and we have already had remarkable feedback about these two very special young men.

Central Zone Speech Competition:

On Tuesday, 15 August, we joined Thorndon, Mt Cook, Clyde Quay and St Mark’s Schools to share and celebrate the excellent speeches the tamariki have been working on. There were a range of meaningful and lighthearted topics that gave us lots to think about.

It was a very successful night for Sacred Heart with the following results:

1st Place in Year 5: Jiezl (Room 6) - A Safer, Kinder Aotearoa

1st Place in Year 6: Hazel (Room 6) - The Problem With Social Media

2nd Place in Year 7: Paige (Room 9) - Our Nurses Deserve Better

1st Place in Year 8: Veronica (Room 8) - Barbie Is A Good Role Model

Unfortunately, Alex, our Year 7 (Room 9) winner, could not compete last night. Paige as our runner-up, eagerly took up the challenge to deliver her speech with one day’s notice! She was excellent. Ka mau te wehi, e Paige.

Thank you to whānau who support the children to challenge themselves and give speeches their very best shot. All the middles and seniors should be proud of what they have achieved.

Our 2023 Speech Finalists:

Two teams from each senior syndicate class represented Sacred Heart Cathedral School at the EPro8 Challenge Interschool competition.

Room 8:  Lachie, Rohan, George and Jj.

                James, Noah L, Sophie E and Joshua.

Room 9:  Jamie, Aden, Ruby and Daisy.

               Sabrina, Olivia, Emily A and Vanessa.

Room 10:  Alyssa, Malchus, Nina and Adee.

                 Ethan H, Ava Do.., Annibelle and Lothar.

Congratulations to Jamie, Aden, Ruby and Daisy, who made it through to the semi-finals. They came second place on night two.

Ruby, Daisy, Aden and Jamie attended the EPRO8 semi-final at Raroa School with Miss Purser, where they competed against 11 other schools. The challenge was to build a working arcade game machine. The SHCS team placed 5th, narrowly missing out on attending the finals by only 20 points! They did a fantastic job.

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 a middle and junior syndicate team who participate in the Kelly Sport Summer soccer in Term 1 and Term 4.  What we did discover was the weather was always a little variable on Fridays!  We witnessed players skill level, confidence and team play improve over the duration of the season.  

BASKETBALL LEAGUE:

This year, the Sacred Heart Eagles and Sacred Heart Falcons were our two senior basketball teams and one junior team, Sacred Heart Ninjas for Terms 2 and 3. The weekly games were friendly yet fiercely competitive.

On Term 2, the juniors team were undefeated throughout the term. Well done, Ninjas!

During Term 3, the Sacred Heart Eagles managed to go to the semi-finals and finished in second place. Well done, Eagles!

Congratulations to our juniors and seniors who represented our school and also to the parents/caregivers who always supported their child!

NETBALL:

We were so proud of all of our netball teams and what they achieved this year.  Special mention must go to all our dedicated coaches and managers. The children throughout the season braved all weather conditions and on court always gave it their best. Skill levels improved for all throughout the season. We are really proud of how our students worked together on and off the court and going with the highs of winning and the learning taken away from how they can improve for the next game.  

TOUCH:

Well done to all of our touch teams who competed throughout the season this year.  It was amazing to see the improvement in fitness and ball-handling skills. Special thanks to our amazing coaches and managers who extracted the very best out of the children each week up at Wakefield Park. Those lunchtime practises really paid off!

CROSS COUNTRY - Central Zone:

On Tuesday, 16th May, a number of tamariki represented Sacred Heart at Central Zone Cross Country. They made us so proud by doing their best, supporting each other and the kids from the eight other schools. Congratulations to all who were involved!

• Year 4 Girls 10th place - Anaiah (Rm 5)
• Year 6 Boys 1st place - Enrico (Rm 6)
• Year 7 Girls 9th place - Siena (Rm 8)
• Year 8 Girls 8th place - Ava Du.. (Rm 10)
• Year 8 Girls 9th place - Ava Do.. ((Rm 10)
• Year 8 Boys 1st place - Ethan (Rm 10)

CROSS COUNTRY - Interzone: Individual Acheivements

Pierre, Room 8, competed in the Wellington Junior Championships.

He was awarded:

Oceania U12 girls Tag tournament:

Beach Day 2023:

What an amazing day we had- another stunning Wellington Day.

The sea was so warm and the students all had an absolute ball at the beach.  Thank you again to all of our families who supported us down at Freyberg Beach.

It is a team effort and our staff really appreciates the way families help us out at Beach Day.

EOTC WEEK (Education Outside of the Classroom):

Our senior syndicate classes began the year with EOTC week which was enjoyed by all. This included visits to Parliament, Wellington Museum, Capital E, Katherine Mansfield House, Botanical Gardens and a day spent on Matiu/Somes Island, exploring and experienceing the history of the island.

Mayor Whanau's Visit:

Mayor Whanau visited our school on Monday, 20th March. It was a great opportunity for our staff and students to give the Mayor feedback as to how we can make our city a really special place.

Fifa World Cup: 

The Kura Ahurea team and the team at Te Wharewaka o Pōneke want to thank you for your support of this kaupapa and we look forward to working with you, our valued partners, in the future.

Cultural Day:

Cultural Day Poster 2023.pdf

Cultural Day Poster 2023 _pdf 46.75 KB

Thank you to everyone who brought along an item that represents something of their culture for our cultural display in the library walkway.

As part of our cultural day, we had a shared morning tea. This was a huge success with our students. They all took advantage of trying out new foods during the shared morning tea. A BIG THANK YOU to our parents for providing our students with such delicious food to share!

Waka Kotahi Road Safety Week:

Minister Wood helped out with our road patrollers as part of Road safety week and the Road to Zero strategy.

Our Road patrollers dressed up as Superheroes - this group of children rain, hail, or shine make sure all students from our school, St Mary's College, and members of the public cross the road safely.

The Road to Zero strategy sets out our vision for a New Zealand where no one is killed or seriously injured in road crashes.

Fono:

We had a fabulous fono on Monday, 20th March evening. Julius, our Deputy Principal, shared a beautiful oral history about the life of his mother as an immigrant to New Zealand from Samoa.

This is an area that we will be unpacking with our students during Pasifika Club.

We are so proud of two Pasifika Year 8 students who last year were the recipients of scholarships. TJ was awarded - Kiley Family Memorial Trust Secondary Education scholarship. Joseph was awarded the Toloa Scholarship. Both have gone on to St Patrick's College and we have already had remarkable feedback about these two very special young men.

Pasifika Liturgy:

We had a beautiful Pasifika Liturgy on Friday, 2nd June.

https://youtu.be/SGYyWQl7xn0

As Matariki rises in the morning sky during Winter it calls us all to cluster together to celebrate our world, our people, and our home by remembering our loved ones, celebrating who we are, and embracing our hopes for the future. The period of Matariki is all about us all - the people of Aotearoa. We held a special liturgy on Monday, 17th July to celebrate this event.

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

On Wednesday, 19th July 2023, our Performance group went to Spark and did a performance for the staff as part of their Matariki celebrations. Special thanks to Arika (Reid's Mum) who organised this opportunity for our students. We are super grateful and others were able to appreciate the gift of our students.

https://youtu.be/j_oE-CMnc9Q

https://youtu.be/GgNx0xlWn4U

https://youtu.be/hIYQYKMamoc

The Middle Syndicate went on the Hidden Māori Treasure Tour of the Waterfront. We had a Mihi Whakatau to welcome us to Te Raukura Wharewaka and were then treated to a really interesting tour of sites. The students saw the Te Aro pā site and heard about how the Te Ati Awa iwi lived near the waterfront. We saw the remains of their sleeping huts and heard about what other buildings made up the pā. We learned about the special Waka at the Wharewaka and the significance of the carvings on them. The last exciting part of the tour was a trip to the City and Sea bridge to see the carvings representing Whātaitai and Ngake and to hear the story of how our Harbour was created. 

Room 2 visit He Matapihi Molesworth Library:

Room 2 visited the He Matapihi Molesworth Library and really enjoyed it. They are looking forward to their next visit!

Philippine Independence Day - Monday, 12th June:

Our Filipino students came to school on Monday dressed in their traditional/cultural outfits to celebrate Philippine Independence Day. They looked stunning!

Paris Olympics 2024:

On Friday, 23 June 2023, we welcomed the French Ambassador Laurence Beau to our school as part of the build-up for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. As a school, because of our unique location, we get some wonderful opportunities. Afio mai to Olympic Ambassador Sarah Cowley Ross, who spoke to our students in such an inspiring way. A Pasifika role model in action for our students. Talented, intelligent, and gifted - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm-sGS9Uh_I

As a school, we are embracing Te Reo Māori and Tikanga Māori in creating a culturally inclusive learning environment here at Sacred Heart Cathedral School. Being involved in the Māori Achievement Collaborative (MAC) and staff undertaking professional development in their own time (Takatu Ministry of Education funded) is helping to build the cultural competence of staff. This competency helps staff to effectively engage and connect with students and their whānau.

As a school, we aim to integrate Te Reo Māori into our daily practices and learning. By doing this we create an environment where cultural identities of whānau, students and staff are celebrated and affirmed every day. We believe that a positive Te Ao Māori environment will continue to improve student wellbeing and overall academic achievement.

Our staff are committed to upskilling in Te Reo Māori and Tikanga Māori. We believe that by putting Te Ao Māori at the centre of everything we do we are paving the way for authentic relationships with students and their whānau fostering a sense of belonging and pride of belonging in their cultural heritage. By embracing cultural empowerment as a key to our approach, we believe every child will thrive academically, socially, emotionally, spiritually and culturally.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DCBrNn4aNpY

This year, our Performance Kapa Haka group went to share waiata with employees from Spark. 

https://youtu.be/84V0oPsh-IY

Great news! Noel Leeming and Warehouse Stationery's Friends and Family event is back and will run from the 30th October - 12th November 2023! 

This is a great opportunity to take advantage of some amazing deals. Not only that, customers also get the opportunity to support their choice of three important charities: KidsCan, Starship, and I am Hope. We're dedicating 2.5% of total sales to these three great charities. 

How do you redeem the Friends & Family offer?

Instore:
Head to your local Noel Leeming or Warehouse Stationery store and show the flyer at checkout. You can print the flyer below or show the online flyer on your smartphone.

Online:
In the flyers, you’ll find a unique online voucher code. Simply add this code at checkout to redeem this offer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIVJvHGU3cU

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 2023. 

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 summer. Do all those things you love doing and bring joy, truly relax and rebuild yourselves ready for the opportunities of 2024. We have deeply reflected and evaluated our progress and areas that we can strengthen as we navigate our 2024 approach. We will continue to embrace the required changes and adapt by building on 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  refreshed curriculum will continue to ensure that learning experiences for your children continue to be relevant and purposeful.

Blessings to you all!

Bernadette